Gem-Knights Deck #774226 — Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel

Deck — Deck Power Evaluation

Final Contextual Deck Power: 60/100 (±7 · Confidence: Medium)

• Primary strategy: Combo
• Secondary strategies: Midrange, Toolbox
• Format: master-duel

Legality

Main 40 / Extra 15 / Side 0 — status: Legal.

Identity & game plan

• Win condition: Fusion-summon a Gem-Knight boss from the Extra Deck (Lady Brilliant Diamond 3400 ATK, Master Diamond 2900+ ATK, Zirconia 2900 ATK) and attack through a board the opponent cannot clear; Gem-Knight Topaz double attack and Gem-Knight Ruby ATK gain via Tribute, plus Master Diamond Dispersion GY-to-field recursion of up to 3 Gem-Knights
• Turn 1 (going first): Turn 1: Gem-Knight Fusion or Brilliant Fusion (or Dispersion/Absorb Fusion) using hand/field monsters such as Lapis, Quartz, Lazuli or Hollowcore as materials, aiming for a Lady Lapis Lazuli or Master Diamond boss
• Turn 2 (going second): Hold Ash Blossom, Maxx C or Droll & Lock Bird for the opponent's first effect or draw, then rebuild the Fusion line on turn 2; Raigeki and Lightning Storm are only live if the opponent has built a board
• Recovery: Regrow from the GY: Gem-Knight Fusion returns from the GY by banishing a Gem-Knight, Crystal Rose and Hollowcore revive from the GY, and Master Diamond Dispersion can resummon up to 3 Gem-Knights from the GY
• After siding: None: the deck runs 0 side cards (legal in Master Duel), so there is no post-side plan to evaluate

Why it scores here

The deck reliably opens its engine: 12 Fusion-spell starters (Gem-Knight Fusion, Brilliant Fusion, Dispersion, Absorb Fusion, Scatter Fusion) give a 0.85 chance of at least one in a going-first 5-card hand, and the 17-copy archetype core gives a 0.95 chance of at least one core card, so the score reflects the system rather than any card's individual power. It converts into strong closing threats from the Extra Deck (Lady Brilliant Diamond, Master Diamond, Zirconia), and graveyard recursion (Gem-Knight Fusion, Dispersion, Crystal Rose) supports recovery after interruption. It is held back by 8 non-engine staples and tech cards (Raigeki, Lightning Storm, Harpie's Feather Duster, Foolish Burial, Droll & Lock Bird, Maxx C, Ash Blossom, Forbidden Droplet) that brick or conflict with an own Gem-Knight field, a 0-card side deck that leaves no post-side plan, and no recorded boards to measure median output. Archetype popularity (about 18 decks in the usage sample) and the guide's note that the old FTK style is now rare did not earn points; no card scores were averaged.

Dimension scores

How the score was computed

Strategy profile: Combo. Structural ≈ 64.6, Going First ≈ 66, Going Second ≈ 60, Meta = provisional, Tournament Reliability ≈ 54. Modifiers: banlist exposure (-1); engine conflict (-1). Final formula: 0.80*Structural(64.6) + 0.20*TournamentReliability(54) + ContextModifiers(-2) = 60.4 -> 60; Meta provisional

Probability & combo summary

• Opening a starter: P(≥1) ≈ 0.85 · key two-card combo ≈ — · full-brick estimate ≈ 0.05 (all Inferred)
• Combo output: best PowerIndex —, median —, board-per-starter —
• Turn order: 0 going-first lines vs 0 going-second lines

Strengths

• Consistent starter density: 12 Fusion-spell enablers and a 17-copy archetype core give a 0.85 and 0.95 chance of a live opening (Inferred)
• High-ceiling Extra Deck finishers at 2900-3400 ATK with multiple single-copy options for flexibility
• Graveyard recursion (Gem-Knight Fusion, Dispersion, Crystal Rose) supports recovery after an interruption

Weaknesses

• Zero side-deck cards, so no post-side adaptability
• Eight non-engine staples and tech cards can be dead draws, especially Raigeki and Lightning Storm without an opposing board
• Three Limited cards at full limit create banlist exposure

Critical choke points

• Fusion-spell bootstrap: most lines need one of 12 Fusion-spell cards plus materials in hand
• Extra Deck boss access depends on Fusion materials being in hand or field, so hand disruption on turn 1 breaks the main line

Recommended changes

Evidence & confidence

• Verified: Legality: 40 main, 15 extra, 0 side within master-duel size rules; Banlist statuses: Foolish Burial, Harpie's Feather Duster, Maxx C Limited; Droll & Lock Bird Semi-Limited; Extra Deck ATK and copy counts from card data; Usage stat rows (about 18-deck denominator)
• Observed: Archetype usage stats show 9 core cards at 50% or higher inclusion
• Inferred: Hypergeometric starter and core probabilities (0.85, 0.95, 0.39); D1-D14 dimension scores and the Combo profile structural score; Going-first and going-second power estimates; Tournament reliability estimate
• Provisional: Meta Power (null) and D13 matchup fit, pending a dated metagame sample
• Data gaps: no combos supplied: combo floor, median and ceiling are text-only inference no tournament link: archetype meta-share and per-pilot match record absent usage stats conflict with the deck list: in_this_deck is false for Topaz, Lady Brilliant Diamond and Ruby, which the cards array lists as 1 copy each in the Extra zone, so core_present_pct (42.1) is unreliable usage sample is small (inclusion denominators consistent with about 18 decks) no win-rate telemetry (going-first/second, matchup, brick/starter rates) Meta Power provisional unless a dated metagame sample is supplied