Chapter 98. Tearlaments Fully Explained! A Complete Look at the "Weak Little Mermaids"!
Salamangreat and Rokket/Borrel!
You could say this Duel showcased the full strength of every card involved.
Even though Rokket/Borrel ultimately lost, that doesn't change the fact that, without a single top-deck, the outcome might have been completely different.
ARC-V World.
As Duelists of the Pendulum world, after watching that final, perfect double Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix, even the four main-dimension protagonists had to show awe and shock.
Yuya Sakaki: "So this is… the destined top-deck at the end?"
Yuto: "Looks like, in the end, top-decking wins the world. If you can draw it, you can win."
Yugo: "Don't say it like that. You still have to gamble. He clearly ran two Pyro Phoenix. That Falco line was a gamble."
Yuri: "Dare to gamble and dare to draw? Okay, I get how Duel Monsters is taught now."
ZEXAL World.
Yuma Tsukumo and Astral both sucked in a cold breath after that final sequence.
That line of calculation is something even they wouldn't dare to imagine right now.
What they hadn't expected was that Salamangreat, after being negated, could still explode onto the field.
From the initial compromise line after Nibiru, the Primal Being, into a "double dome," to the mid-game explosion into double Pyro Phoenix that burned open a path, and to the final Pyro Phoenix retrieval into a united super phoenix burn for the win.
These lines were more than enough to benefit them greatly.
This is Dueling.
Formulaic Duelists and Duelists with on-the-spot adaptability are completely different.
5D's World.
After seeing the final calculations, Yusei Fudo and Bruno looked at each other.
"Bruno, let me ask you—could you have thought this far?"
"Yusei, I think you know the answer. Even if you let me play Salamangreat a few times, I still wouldn't have seen this."
Bruno wasn't being modest. He meant it.
From the moment Falco returned Pyro Phoenix, he felt something was off.
If he had been piloting at that time, he definitely wouldn't have chosen to return Pyro Phoenix.
GX World.
Duel Academy was already boiling.
"Incredible! That sequence was way too cool! I can't take it! I'm going to play Salamangreat!"
"I'm a super Flame Beast King now! What's a phoenix? Here—this is a phoenix!"
"Whew, but we have to admit, Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer is still strong. The constant reviving is disgusting."
"That's true. If not for the god draw, who knows how it ends."
Amid the students' heated discussion, Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix were once again captivated by the beautiful Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer.
Back then, they only understood the Phoenix on the surface.
Now, they truly understand the Phoenix.
This is rebirth through undying flame, isn't it?
Main World.
Sei Yuki, after replaying it again, couldn't help feeling a little sentimental.
Entertainment-style uploads that "go wild" really are different.
But skits aside, it was time to move on to the next short video.
"Let me think, what's next?"
"Traptrix? Branded in White City?"
"Or…?"
"..."
After a long think, Sei Yuki chose Tearlaments as the next topic.
Let's see if we can help the old-guard Duelists understand just how powerful this Deck is.
Decision made, a title quickly appeared across the Duel Worlds.
"From Dominance to Balance — The Super-Meta Tearlaments! One Video to Understand the 'Weak Little Mermaids'!"
But when that title appeared, Duelists in the six Worlds weren't immediately drawn in.
Perhaps because the Salamangreat vs. Rokket/Borrel match had been too spectacular, the chat was still dissecting that Duel's lines and details.
"So I think the double Phoenix was truly a brilliant counterattack."
"I'm curious—why couldn't Topologic Zeroboros activate its banish effect then?"
"Hey! Did you watch carefully? It got negated by Beat Bison."
"Whew, every step was packed with detail! So what's Tearlaments, anyway? Is it strong?"
"..."
Good grief. Ignorance isn't a crime.
This is Tearlaments.
Back then, it practically monopolized the meta pie chart during a banlist period.
Sei Yuki twitched the corner of his mouth and hit play immediately.
Inside the short video, the uploader "Beloved Mermaid" started talking.
Beloved Mermaid: "Hello! Good evening, Duelists."
Beloved Mermaid: "Before we knew it, news about Tearlaments has been out for a while."
Beloved Mermaid: "Thinking back to when they debuted, I was still playing Spright…"
"Sigh. The more I talk, the more I cry."
"Back to the topic—this episode traces the rise and fall of Tearlaments to help new and returning players fully understand these 'weak little mermaids.'"
"How did they keep owning the pie chart even under KONAMI's scythe?"
"And why did they return to the meta again and again after each hit, making players 'fall into Tears' as they tried to counter Tears?"
"Fair warning!"
"This video might run a bit long."
"If you like Duels, keep watching later."
"If you like hearing the history explained, perk up your ears and listen carefully now."
After that simple opening, Duelists who hadn't cared at first started getting interested.
Because they heard a hint of dread in the uploader's tone.
Yes, alongside the nostalgia, there was fear and awe toward Tearlaments.
Really? Is it that scary?
From the card pictures on screen, this theme looks pretty ordinary—pretty weak mermaids, right?
The main line only has a few Fusion Monsters.
What's so strong about that?
I don't get it.
Beloved Mermaid: "Let's start with the timeline."
Beloved Mermaid: "In April 2202, KONAMI put our Fusion glory, Predaplant Verte Anaconda, on the list."
Beloved Mermaid: "That was primarily to check Fusion Destiny lines into Destiny HERO – Destroyer Phoenix Enforcer."
"After that hit, the environment stabilized."
"But in that same April, the '1109' booster dropped and shook the format deeply—Power of the Elements."
"In that set, two themes were noteworthy."
"One was Spright."
"The other was the Tearlaments archetype."
"Since this video isn't about Spright, we'll set it aside for now."
"Let's first look at what Tearlaments cards were in that set."
"First, the four Main Deck monsters."
"Tearlaments Merrli, Tearlaments Havnis, Tearlaments Scheiren, and the only 'guy card,' Tearlaments Reinoheart."
"Setting Reinoheart aside, the three 'mermaids' share one common effect."
"That's their Effect 2."
'If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect: You can Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster that lists this card in the GY as material by placing the Fusion Materials from your hand, field, or GY on the bottom of the Deck in any order.'
"Put simply, as long as they're sent to the GY by an effect, you get to do a GY Fusion."
"The materials can come from everywhere except the banished zone."
"The key isn't even that—look carefully."
"They return to the Deck."
"Now let's see what unique additional effects each 'mermaid' has."
"But first, one point: each of the two effects on a given 'mermaid' is once per turn per card name."
"Okay, first up."
"Tearlaments Merrli."
"Level 2, 800/2000, DARK, Aqua."
"When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you mill three."
"Simple—on field, mill three."
"Tearlaments Havnis."
"Level 3, 1600/1000, DARK, Aqua."
"When your opponent activates a monster effect on the field (Quick Effect), you can Special Summon this from the hand and then mill three."
"Also mills three—triggered by the opponent's monster effect."
"That means this can jump out on your opponent's turn."
"Tearlaments Scheiren."
"Level 4, 1800/1300, DARK, Aqua."
"During your Main Phase, Special Summon this from the hand, then send one monster from your hand to the GY, and after that mill three."
"Self-Special. It discards one and mills three. One card mills four. That's extremely high value."
"Now that we've seen these three 'weak little mermaids,' what do you think so far?"
By this point, not a few Duelists across the six Worlds were looking grim.
Something was off with this engine, but they couldn't say exactly what.
For the old-guard worldview, sending cards to the GY felt like "losing resources."
But fusing from the GY seemed to erase that "resource loss."
So where exactly is the Deck strong?
Is it the GY Fusion, or the resource rotation?
Among those best at Fusion—the GX era—they had already noticed a terrifying point.
Yes—Tearlaments' first sin was fusing while returning materials to the Deck.
Everyone knows the classic Fusion lines from Jaden's era: five-for-one resource hemorrhages burned into memory.
But Tearlaments aren't like that.
Every Fusion is, in disguise, resource recycle.
While constantly milling, you are also constantly stockpiling GY resources.
Those resources become essentially inexhaustible.
Why think this way?
Jaden Yuki quickly answered in the group chat.
Jaden Yuki: "Too terrifying—this Fusion engine is broken!"
Jaden Yuki: "Everyone, this GY recycle isn't just the Main Deck. Remember, it also recycles Extra Deck Fusions that were used."
Yusei Fudo: "Hold it. Jaden hit the point. Theoretically, this theme loops Main Deck and Extra Deck, meaning you don't run out. Right?"
Yugi Muto: "Indeed. If your Fusions use GY resources, then your GY becomes a second Deck. But relying only on those small bodies to mill—won't that be too slow?"
As debate erupted, some found the operations interesting. Others thought the blind mills were too risky. If you don't mill the right pieces, how do you talk about power?
While they argued, the video continued.
Beloved Mermaid: "Next is the main 'guy card.'"
"Tearlaments Reinoheart."
"Level 4, 1500/2100, WATER, Warrior."
"Effect 1—on Normal or Special Summon: precision-mill one Tearlaments from Deck."
"Effect 2—if this is sent to the GY by an effect: Special Summon it, then send one Tearlaments card from your hand to the GY. It's banished when it leaves the field."
"The three mermaids are blind mills. This one is a precision mill. With this card, milling any mermaid triggers a Fusion."
"So what do you fuse into?"
"Naturally, the lifelong 'crime': Tearlaments Kitkallos."
"This card's power is off the charts for the theme."
"Three effects, each once per turn."
"1—on Special Summon: either add a Tearlaments card from Deck to hand or send one to the GY."
"2—target a monster on the field; send a Tearlaments from hand or Deck to the GY, then Special Summon a Tearlaments from hand or GY, and send the targeted monster to the GY."
"3—if this is sent to the GY by a card effect: mill five."
"And it can be Special Summoned by Instant Fusion."
"Because of this card, the Tearlaments engine fully links up."
"Picture this: Normal Summon Reinoheart, precision-mill Merrli. Merrli fuses with Reinoheart into Kitkallos. Kitkallos searches a theme Spell/Trap, or fetches Havnis/Scheiren you haven't used yet to enable more Fusions."
"In one turn, you can easily reach two to three Fusions. With Fusion Spells, even four to five isn't impossible."
"And your resources don't get depleted just because you fused."
"Then, on the opponent's turn, Havnis can jump out and mill three."
"If you mill into another mermaid, with a fresh turn count, you can chain into two to three more Fusions."
"Think about it. Savor it."
After the Kitkallos explanation, the six Worlds broke down on the spot.
What the heck?
You can do that?
Three Fusions that don't lose resources. A Deck that obviously relies on the GY. If Kitkallos sends itself to the GY, you immediately mill five on a scale that breaks the meter. If another mermaid chains after that, the aftermath is something many Duelists don't dare to imagine.
Group chat.
Joey Wheeler: "Lookin' kinda fake here! Forget just Tearlaments—what if you mill other GY-trigger cards? The consequences are unthinkable!"
Jesse Anderson: "Uh, I have a line. Can I use the little mermaids to set up my Crystal Beasts? I'll go Rainbow Dragon immediately!"
Yusei Fudo: "Jesse… you're a genius. Even though I'm not a Fusion expert, I can see this Deck has limitless potential, but it still feels like it's missing something."
Yusaku Fujiki: "You mean engine pieces. Too few monsters. It needs external partners—other engines to pair with it."
Those who at first only thought "returning materials on Fusion is kinda novel" had now realized the Deck's power and potential.
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