Spiritual Beast Cannahawk

Spiritual Beast Cannahawk — Power Evaluation

Final Score: 61 ± 6 · Confidence: Medium

• Intrinsic: 59.1 · Deck: 62.8 · Meta: provisional
• Primary role: Starter / Combo enabler · Secondary: Searcher/Tutor, Material body

Why it scores here

This card's value comes almost entirely from being a mandatory Ritual Beast engine piece: 400 of 400 sample decks run exactly three copies and it co-decks 100% with the archetype's Tamers and Ulti- Ritual Beast fusions. Its effect banishes a "Ritual Beast" card from the Deck to fuel the archetype's banish-return loops and converts it into a search two Standby Phases later, so it is reliable inside its own deck but slow and non-interactive in a vacuum. Its 1400 ATK / 600 DEF body earns no points for stats; what matters is the Level 4 WIND Thunder body serving as contact-fusion material even when the effect is negated. Because no combo boards were supplied, its combo-conversion score rests on text inference rather than measured board output.

Axis scores

Calculation

Weight profile: 0.7 Starter/Combo enabler + 0.3 Searcher/Tutor. Intrinsic ≈ 59.1, Deck ≈ 62.8, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck

Strengths

• Genuine core engine piece: 400/400 sample decks run exactly 3 copies in the Main Deck (83.3% inclusion in Ritual Beast).
• Banishes a "Ritual Beast" card from the Deck face-up, seeding the archetype's banish zone for its return-based loops.
• Converts the banished card into hand advantage via a delayed search on the second Standby Phase.
• Level 4 WIND Thunder body is contact-fusion material with Ritual Beast Tamers (Ulti- fusions), and still functions when its effect is negated.
• Co-decked 100% with the archetype's key Tamers and Ulti- monsters, confirming a real, practical role.

Weaknesses

• The search only resolves on your second Standby Phase after activation, making the payoff slow and easy to disrupt in the interim.
• No disruption, negation, or removal — it provides zero interaction on its own.
• Fragile 1400 ATK / 600 DEF body dies to essentially any removal or effect negation.
• Archetype-locked: the banish clause only works with "Ritual Beast" cards, so it has no generic or splash value.
• Payoff depends on the Ritual Beast engine, an archetype noted in guides as complex and misplay-prone.

Counters / choke points

• Effect negation (Infinite Impermanence / Effect Veiler) blanking the initial Deck-banish setup.
• Removing the body or its fusion material before the delayed search resolves.
• Graveyard / banished-zone interaction, plus the Ritual Beast archetype's own Special Summon restrictions.

Best use

Core engine starter and contact-fusion material for the Ritual Beast loop. Decks: Ritual Beast. Suggested copies: 3.

Evidence & gaps

• Verified: Card text: once per turn, banish 1 "Ritual Beast" card from the Deck face-up, then add that banished card to hand during your second Standby Phase after activation.; Card text: "You can only Special Summon 'Spiritual Beast Cannahawk(s)' once per turn."; Card is a Level 4 WIND Thunder monster with 1400 ATK / 600 DEF and belongs to the Ritual Beast archetype.; All 400 sample decks run exactly 3 copies in the Main Deck; none are side-decked.; Decks evidence: Ritual Beast is the dominant home (191 decks, 47.8%), with Nemeses next (91 decks, 22.8%).; Usage statistics: 83.3% inclusion at 3 copies within the Ritual Beast archetype.
• Observed: 400/400 decks (100%) run 3 copies, co-decked 100% with Ritual Beast Tamer Wen, Spiritual Beast Tamer Lara, Ritual Beast Tamer Elder, Spiritual Beast Rampengu, and Ritual Beast Ulti-Cannahawk.; Emergency Teleport co-appears in 93.2% of these lists and Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring in 94.5%.; Two Ritual Beast guides list this card in their CORE/Core sections.
• Inferred: Because it is a Level 4 Ritual Beast 'Spiritual Beast', it serves as contact-fusion material with Ritual Beast Tamers and keeps that value even when its effect is negated.; The Deck-banish setup feeds the archetype's banish-return/search loop performed by the Ulti- Ritual Beast fusions.; Within the archetype the card is highly accessible (3 mandatory copies plus archetype search), but it is not generic across decks.
• Data gaps: no combos supplied — combo conversion is text-only inference no banlist token — assumed 3 copies (unlimited) no starter-count or power-index data for boards featuring this card no explicit searcher-route data for reaching Cannahawk within the Ritual Beast engine