Trap
NormalSmall Scuffle
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2898
Choose 2 unused Main Monster Zones in the same column; Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower monster from your hand or Deck in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position in your chosen Main Monster Zone, then your opponent can do the same from their hand or Deck to theirs. You can only activate 1 "Small Scuffle" per turn.
Small Scuffle — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 52 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 51 · Deck: 52 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Extender · Secondary: Starter / Combo enabler
Why it scores here
Small Scuffle is a generic Normal Trap that Special Summons a Level 2 or lower monster from hand or Deck to one chosen column, and gives the opponent the same option. It converts into a single body for each player, with no negation, no material value of its own, and no card advantage, so the score stays mid-table. Its deck count (201 decks, 45 archetypes, about 2 copies per deck) confirms it is a practical, portable staple, but that frequency is not counted as power. High deck inclusion did not earn points by itself; the score rests on the text and the thin combo evidence.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | Set as a Normal Trap and usable from the backrow, but it needs two unused Main Monster Zones in one column and a Level 2 or lower target. Live in 201 decks (verified text, observed deck stat). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | Produces at most one body per player from hand or Deck; no combo boards are recorded for this card (inferred from text, combos_evidence.total_combos = 0). |
| Resource Economy | 45 | Trap is spent to put a body on the field with no card-for-card return; the Deck-to-field summon gives some value but no net advantage (inferred from text). |
| Effect & Interaction | 15 | No negation, removal, or hand-trap reach; it is a shared summon effect that also benefits the opponent (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 15 | The trap itself is never material; the Level 2 or lower body it summons is the only material value, and that body also goes to the opponent (inferred from text). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Once per turn, and it is a Trap that can be hit by common backrow or hand interaction; top partners include Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring, which signals routine interaction (observed deck stat, inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Normal Trap with no garnet, lock, or self-restriction, and 1–3 copies run across 45 archetypes (observed deck stat, verified text). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Extender + 0.3 Starter / Combo enabler. Intrinsic ≈ 51, Deck ≈ 52, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Summons a body from Deck, not only from hand, so it is not dependent on a specific card in hand
- Live in 201 recent decks across 45 archetypes, with a broad role that is not tied to one engine
- Cheap to run: 1–3 copies, no garnet or lock, easy to splash across homes
Weaknesses
- No negation or removal; the effect is a shared summon that also helps the opponent
- Summons only one Level 2 or lower body per player, so the board gain is small
- Needs two unused Main Monster Zones in one column, which limits it on crowded boards
Counters / choke points
- Hand traps and backrow negation that can answer a set trap (inferred from generic trap vulnerability; no counter-specific evidence supplied)
Best use
Extender: adds a Level 2 or lower body from Deck or hand to a free column while the rest of the line runs off the other cards. Decks: Ghostrick (top archetype by deck count, 31 decks), S-Force, Ice Barrier, Relinquished. Suggested copies: 2.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Card text: Choose 2 unused Main Monster Zones in the same column, Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower monster from hand or Deck, opponent can do the same, once per turn; Formats: TCG, OCG, MasterDuel; copies per deck avg 1.98, max 3
- Observed: Present in 201 of the sampled decks; 96.5% in gameplay type 7; 45 distinct archetypes; Top partners include Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring (42.8% co-deck rate) and Called by the Grave (42.3%)
- Inferred: Extender primary role: the card's job is a board-body summon, not a combo starter, since no combo evidence exists; Hand-trap and backrow interaction is the main risk to the set trap
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion and starter/material shares are text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token; assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no usage statistics (StatisticsCard); inclusion % inferred from the 201-deck sample only no rulings supplied for the two-sided summon and column-selection timing