EARTH
4Subterror Guru
Archetype:
Subterror
ATK:
1600
DEF:
1800
View:
3945
FLIP: You can add 1 "Subterror" card from your Deck to your hand, except "Subterror Guru". You can target 1 other face-up monster on the field; change that monster, also this card, to face-down Defense Position. This is a Quick Effect if you control another "Subterror" card. You can only use each effect of "Subterror Guru" once per turn.
Subterror Guru — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 56 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 55 · Deck: 56 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Searcher/Tutor · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
Subterror Guru's power is its FLIP search for another Subterror, which is a reliable one-for-one card conversion that keeps the archetype's engine supplied. It is in 400 of 400 sampled decks at about 2.9 copies each, so it is practically always accessible, but that frequency only confirms the role is real and does not raise the score. Its second effect, repositioning one opponent monster to face-down Defense, is soft interaction rather than removal or negation, and the single recorded board it appears in (end-board only) gives almost no evidence that it converts into a board by itself, so the combo axis stays moderate. The score is held down by the narrow archetype dependence and by its Level 4 body, which has no clear material or floodgate value in the evidence.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 70 | Present in 400/400 sampled decks at 2.89 average copies, and its FLIP searcher gives a live route once it is drawn (verified deck stat, inferred search route). |
| Combo & Conversion | 45 | Only one recorded combo appears, with the card at end-board only and no starter or searched role; the power index of 100 rests on n=1 (observed, low sample). |
| Resource Economy | 55 | Searching a Subterror card is a 1-for-1 deck-to-hand gain with no graveyard refuel and no repeated advantage in the text (verified text, inferred advantage). |
| Effect & Interaction | 35 | Repositioning one opponent monster to face-down Defense is soft, reactive interaction that is not a negation or removal (verified text). |
| Material Utility | 40 | No combo evidence of material use and no stated Tuner or attribute utility beyond a generic Level 4 EARTH body (inferred, speculation on use). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 50 | Two once-per-turn effects give some multi-turn use, but the flip search is one-shot and the second effect depends on a Subterror monster being on the field (verified text, inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 70 | Three copies in a dedicated archetype with no garnet, lock, or banlist cost; the data gap is that no banlist token was supplied (verified deck stat, data gap). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Searcher/Tutor + 0.3 Utility. Intrinsic ≈ 55, Deck ≈ 56, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Reliable FLIP search for another Subterror, which fuels the archetype's engine
- Present in 400/400 sampled decks at about 2.9 copies each
- Cheap to run, with no garnet or lock cost
Weaknesses
- Narrow archetype dependence; the search and the second effect both need Subterror on the field or in the deck
- Soft interaction only: a position change, not a negation or removal
- Only one recorded combo appearance, so combo conversion is weakly evidenced
- Level 4 body with no evidenced material or floodgate role
Counters / choke points
- Opponent monster-effect negation or interaction on the flip trigger
- Archetype-specific hand traps or disruption that stops the Subterror search chain
Best use
Searcher/Tutor with light board-positioning utility. Decks: Subterror (main deck, primary archetype), Subterror variants, such as Subterror Dragoon and Behemoth builds. Suggested copies: 3.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Present in 400/400 sampled decks at 2.89 average copies; Flip effect searches one Subterror card other than Subterror Guru; Second effect repositions one face-up monster to face-down Defense; quick effect if another Subterror is controlled; Each effect is once per turn
- Observed: Top partners include Subterror Fiendess (99.8%) and The Hidden City (97.5%); Single combo appearance at end-board with power index 100
- Inferred: Search route keeps the archetype's engine supplied in practice; Level 4 EARTH body has generic material value only if the Subterror family uses it, which the evidence does not show
- Data gaps: Only one combo sample, so combo conversion rests on n=1 No usage statistics (StatisticsCard) rows; inclusion calibration is from the deck sample only No banlist token supplied; 3 copies assumed No official rulings supplied for the flip and quick-effect timing No Master Duel or Duel Links deck-level stats beyond the shared pool