LIGHT
5Zaborg the Thunder Monarch
Archetype:
Monarch
ATK:
2400
DEF:
1000
View:
3581
If this card is Tribute Summoned: Target 1 monster on the field; destroy that target.
Zaborg the Thunder Monarch — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 58 ± 8 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 57 · Deck: 59 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Removal · Secondary: Board breaker
Why it scores here
Zaborg's power is a single conditional removal: when Tribute Summoned, it destroys one targeted monster on the field. That is a real but narrow conversion, one 1-for-1 effect gated by a Tribute, so it does not earn a high combo or resource score on its own. Its 2400 ATK and Level 5 body earn nothing directly. Its score rests on being a cheap, widely run Monarch piece that appears in 279 of the attached decks, with a removal trigger that is clean to run.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 60 | Monarch-bound Level 5 body that needs a Tribute to fire; it is live in many Monarch lines (83 + 30 decks in the Monarch archetypes) but has no starter or searched-count data to confirm a reliable route (inferred). |
| Combo & Conversion | 35 | The only conversion is destroying one target on Tribute Summon; no combo examples or power index exist, so this is from text alone (inferred). |
| Resource Economy | 40 | A single removal with no card advantage, refuel or recursion in the text, so it sits near even (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 55 | Destroys one monster on a Tribute Summon, which is a real but conditional removal, not a flexible on-demand answer (verified). |
| Material Utility | 40 | Level 5 LIGHT Thunder body with no stated material role in the text, so it is only usable as Tribute fodder (inferred). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 45 | Its effect fires once on summon and can be disrupted by the Tribute being negated; the copy count is usually 1, so there is little redundancy (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 75 | Usually runs 1 copy (208 of 279 decks), with no garnet or locking restriction and a clean single-card slot (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: 0.7 Removal + 0.3 Board breaker. Intrinsic ≈ 57, Deck ≈ 59, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: none. Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Clean, single-card removal trigger with no garnet or lock cost
- Live in many Monarch decks (83 + 30 decks in the attached sample)
- Widely run at one copy, so it is easy to slot
- Pairs with common staples such as Heavy Storm, Mirror Force and Mobius (observed co-occurrence)
Weaknesses
- Removal only fires on a Tribute Summon, so it is conditional
- No combo data, so conversion is unverified
- No on-field or hand-based flexibility
- Its ATK and Level are not the source of power and add nothing here
Counters / choke points
- Negating the Tribute Summon or the summoned monster stops the effect
- Opponent's monster-protecting effects can make the targeted destroy fail
- Hand traps that stop the Tribute Summon, when the opponent has them
Best use
Tribute-summon removal in Monarch-based lines. Decks: Monarch (archetype 622), Monarch (archetype 451), Gravekeeper's (archetype 630). Suggested copies: 1.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Text: when Tribute Summoned, target 1 monster on the field and destroy it; Formats: TCG, OCG, MasterDuel, DuelLinks; 279 of 279 attached decks run it in main; 208 run 1 copy
- Observed: Monarch archetype is the main home: 83 + 30 decks, 60 distinct archetypes overall; Top partners are Heavy Storm and Mirror Force, each in 143 decks (51.3%); usage statistics show 100% inclusion in 3 gameplay-type Monarch/Ninja/Gravekeeper's archetypes
- Inferred: Removal is the primary role; the text has no other effect; Conversion is one-for-one and conditional on a Tribute; Material utility is low because the text gives no material role
- Data gaps: no combos supplied, so combo conversion is text-only inference no guides supplied no banlist token, so the card is assumed to be at 3 copies (unlimited) no starter role / searched-for role data to confirm the accessibility route