Chapter 103. Tearlaments' Frenzied Interactions! Fairy Tail – Snow Jumps Back In Repeatedly for the Win!
All the veterans could agree on one thing.
If this matchup weren't a Tearlaments mirror, the Duel would likely have been decided long ago.
But because it is Tearlaments versus Tearlaments, you can't tell who actually has the bigger chance to win.
On the field, after one burst of frenzied interactive chains, two copies of Tearlaments Kaleido-Heart have already been bounced.
Just when all the veterans thought, "Okay, that's probably enough," the nightmare was only just beginning.
In the short clip, here's the current situation.
It's jk-Tearlaments' turn.
On the field is a face-up Continuous Spell Card, "Tearlaments Scream."
In the Monster Zone are Tearlaments Kitkallos and Tearlaments Reinoheart.
As for the opposing qt-Tearlaments, their Monster Zone likewise has Tearlaments Kitkallos and Tearlaments Reinoheart.
In the backrow are three set Traps, and a face-up "Tearlaments Sulliek" that still hasn't activated its effect.
jk-Tearlaments: "Continuing my turn."
jk-Tearlaments: "I activate the effect of 'Tearlaments Scheiren' in my hand."
jk-Tearlaments: "I Special Summon this card from my hand, then send Reinoheart from my hand to the Graveyard. After that, I send the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard."
qt-Tearlaments: "Chaining, I activate the effect of 'Kelbek the Ancient Vanguard' in my hand."
qt-Tearlaments: "I Special Summon Kelbek and bounce your on-field Kitkallos."
jk-Tearlaments: "I'll keep going—Spell Card, 'Triple Tactics Talent.'"
jk-Tearlaments: "Bounce my monster? Then I'll take control of your on-field Kitkallos until the End Phase."
qt-Tearlaments: "No, no, no! I activate my set Quick-Play Spell 'Super Polymerization.'"
qt-Tearlaments: "I discard one card and fuse away the Kitkallos you just stole and your on-field Reinoheart."
qt-Tearlaments: "Come forth, 'Tearlaments Rulkallos.'"
jk-Tearlaments: "Chain 1, my Reinoheart in the Graveyard."
qt-Tearlaments: "Chain 2, my Kitkallos in the Graveyard."
qt-Tearlaments: "Resolve Chain 2—send the top five cards of my Deck to the Graveyard."
jk-Tearlaments: "Resolve Chain 1—Special Summon Reinoheart and discard 'Tearlaments Cryme.'"
Another volley of interaction follows.
The result for both sides is digging non-engine power cards.
One pulled out Triple Tactics Talent.
The other pulled out Super Polymerization.
A whole bunch of veteran Duelists watching were stunned numb.
"Seriously? This is only Turn 2, right?"
In just one turn, the two players traded back and forth this many times.
Yugi Muto draws in a sharp breath.
For those from the Duel Monsters era, this Tearlaments mirror is getting harder and harder to follow.
They had never seen a Duel stack this many chains and trade this much cardboard by Turn 2.
What's even more absurd is that this might only be the beginning.
The interaction might not even be over yet.
The short match continues.
qt-Tearlaments: "After Kitkallos mills, Chain 1—'Tearlaments Scheiren' in the Graveyard to Fusion Summon."
jk-Tearlaments: "Chain 2—'Keldo the Sacred Protector' in my Graveyard; banish it to activate."
qt-Tearlaments: "Chain 3—'Mudora the Sword Oracle' in my Graveyard; banish to activate."
jk-Tearlaments: "Chain 4—on the field, 'Fairy Tail – Snow' activates its effect."
qt-Tearlaments: "Chain 5—my on-field Rulkallos activates its effect."
jk-Tearlaments: "Chain 6—'Tearlaments Merrli' in my hand activates."
jk-Tearlaments: "Chain 7—'Fairy Tail – Snow' in my Graveyard activates again."
"Resolve Chain 7: Snow banishes seven cards to Special Summon itself from the Graveyard."
"Resolve Chain 6: I Special Summon Merrli and send the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard."
qt-Tearlaments: "Resolve Chain 5: since your Snow is already on the field, the Special Summon it would negate has already succeeded, so the negation does nothing."
jk-Tearlaments: "Resolve Chain 4: Snow finishes."
qt-Tearlaments: "Resolve Chain 3: Mudora returns my Kitkallos and my Field Spell 'Primeval Planet Perlereino' to the Deck."
jk-Tearlaments: "Resolve Chain 2: Keldo returns your Scheiren from the Graveyard to your Deck."
qt-Tearlaments: "Resolve Chain 1: Scheiren is no longer in the Graveyard, so the Fusion Summon fails."
As expected, the next stack climbs to a terrifying Chain Link 7.
Effect into effect, card into card.
Chain into chain, resolution into resolution.
The chat blows up in an instant.
Joey Wheeler: "Nope, I'm out. My brain's about to explode. Can anyone tell me what they just chained?"
Akiza Izinski: "I'm fried. My head's spinning. With chains stacked like this, I don't even know how they're piloting anymore."
Akiza continues: "So those Earth Fairies really are overtuned. Early game they mill, mid game they interfere with each other. And unbelievably, this is still only Turn 2."
Bronk Stone: "Tearlaments chads! Mercy, please! This isn't even Duel Monsters anymore. I'm malding."
For them, this Chain Link 7 completely shatters the veterans' understanding of what a "chain" even is.
In their world view, chains end at two or three, tops.
How did it reach an absurd Chain 7?
The six main-world protagonists nearly short-circuit watching this.
It's also because of this chain that the synergy between Tearlaments and the Earth Fairies is put on full display.
No wonder it once exploded across the internet—one engine carving out an entire summer.
So that's how it works.
Back to the clip.
Turn 2 still isn't over.
jk-Tearlaments: "I activate Snow's on-summon effect and set your Rulkallos face-down."
jk-Tearlaments: "I overlay Reinoheart and Snow."
"Xyz Summon—'Abyss Dweller.'"
"Battle Phase."
qt-Tearlaments: "I flip my Trap, 'Tearlaments Sulliek.'"
qt-Tearlaments: "I choose to negate your Abyss Dweller's effect and send Kelbek to the Graveyard."
jk-Tearlaments: "Chaining, Abyss Dweller activates."
jk-Tearlaments: "I detach one material; this turn, you can't activate effects in the Graveyard."
Since Abyss Dweller successfully resolves first, Kelbek can't mill when it's sent.
jk-Tearlaments: "Main Phase 2."
jk-Tearlaments: "I Link Summon using Abyss Dweller and Merrli."
jk-Tearlaments: "Confirm Link-2—'Dharc the Dark Charmer, Gloomy.'"
"Dharc's effect—Special Summon your Merrli from your Graveyard to my field in Defense Position."
"Then I link away Merrli and Dharc."
"Confirm Link-2—'Spright Elf.'"
"Elf's effect—revive 'Diviner of the Herald' from my Graveyard."
"Diviner of the Herald activates—send the Level 4 'Mudora the Sword Oracle' from my Deck to the Graveyard."
"Diviner becomes Level 6. Then I Synchro it with my Level 4 Reinoheart."
"Come forth—'Baronne de Fleur.'"
"Baronne's effect—destroy your Sulliek."
"My turn is over. Your move."
At this point, Turn 2 finally ends for real.
Both Tearlaments pilots have pretty much fired off all the effects they could.
In particular, this line from jk-Tearlaments—Spright Elf converting straight into Baronne—combined with the previously explained ideas, directly opens the minds of all the veteran Duelists.
In the VRAINS world, seeing how a simple Link-2 "Spright Elf" line enabled such explosive Tearlaments extensions, Yusaku Fujiki nearly coughs up blood.
Isn't that Elf a little too busted?
It forcibly puts Tearlaments' power on full display.
They figured after that sequence, Tearlaments shouldn't be able to develop any further.
But who would have thought—one link into another, and Baronne hits the board.
Paired with the pressure from earlier, this is hardly a weak lock.
So this is the strength of Tearlaments.
Thinking that, Yusaku Fujiki, Akira Zaizen, Theodore Hamilton, and the others inhale deeply and exhale slowly.
The speed of modern Yu-Gi-Oh! has already left their brains and understanding a step behind.
In the 5D's world, even Yusei Fudo and Crow Hogan, when they see "Link into one-card revive into Synchro for Baronne," have to accept one truth.
Synchro and Link aren't "you play yours, I play mine."
You have to find the points of synergy.
Once they link up, the consequences are unthinkable.
The hardest pill to swallow is that Tearlaments has slotted all these synergy points right into the Decklist.
No wonder it became a super-meta force.
Back to the short video.
It's now qt-Tearlaments' turn.
Empty-handed, they're fated to a single draw.
Let's see if they can break jk-Tearlaments' field.
If they can't break through, the Duel is basically over.
qt-Tearlaments: "My turn. Do you know what it means to be a Tearlaments player?"
qt-Tearlaments: "My draw. Everything was inevitable."
qt-Tearlaments: "Hah—draw."
"Here we go. I flip Rulkallos to Attack Position, and set Reinoheart to Attack Position."
"I go straight to the Battle Phase."
jk-Tearlaments: "I activate Spright Elf's effect."
jk-Tearlaments: "I revive Dharc from the Graveyard."
qt-Tearlaments: "Chaining, Merrli in my hand."
qt-Tearlaments: "I Special Summon Merrli and send the top three cards of my Deck to the Graveyard."
At this moment, jk-Tearlaments doesn't dare to use Baronne to negate Merrli at all.
That's one of Tearlaments' strengths.
If you negate it, it still hits the Graveyard and Fuses.
If you don't negate it, after a mill-three Fusion, what are you saving that negate for?
Unfortunately, this set of mills fails to hit the key pieces.
qt-Tearlaments: "Merrli attacks your Spright Elf. Take 200 LP."
qt-Tearlaments: "Rulkallos attacks your Dharc."
jk-Tearlaments: "I activate the Quick-Play Spell 'Forbidden Droplet.'"
jk-Tearlaments: "I send my Continuous Spell 'Tearlaments Scream' to the Graveyard. Your Rulkallos' ATK becomes 1500."
With 1500-ATK Rulkallos crashing into 1850-ATK Dharc, qt-Tearlaments loses 350 LP instead.
jk-Tearlaments: "I keep going—Snow in my Graveyard activates. I banish seven to Special Summon."
qt-Tearlaments: "Chaining—'Keldo the Sacred Protector' in my Graveyard; I banish it to return your Snow and my Mudora to the Deck."
jk-Tearlaments: "I activate Snow again. I banish another seven to Special Summon."
jk-Tearlaments: "Snow's effect—set your Merrli face-down."
qt-Tearlaments: "You're willing to spend that many Graveyard resources just to bring back Snow?"
qt-Tearlaments: "…My turn is over."
Another simple bit of interaction follows.
But unlike before, qt's chances and hopes of winning seem to be slipping.
A mill-three could also mean the resources were already nearly exhausted by Turn 2.
Failing to mill the critical cards feels like fate.
The veteran Duelists are almost uncomfortable with this sudden lull.
And at this moment they realize something.
Is it about to end?
jk-Tearlaments: "My turn—draw."
jk-Tearlaments: "Baronne's effect—destroy your last set card."
"I Link Summon using Dharc and Snow."
"'Spright Sprind.'"
"Sprind's effect—send Tearlaments Merrli from the Deck to the Graveyard."
"Merrli's effect—shuffle itself and Scheiren back into the Deck."
"Fusion Summon—Tearlaments Kitkallos."
"Kitkallos' effect—add Merrli from the Deck to my hand."
"I activate Kitkallos—send itself to the Graveyard, then Special Summon Reinoheart from the Graveyard."
"Chain 1—Reinoheart; Chain 2—Kitkallos."
"Resolve Chain 2—send the top five cards of my Deck to the Graveyard. Resolve Chain 1—send Scheiren to the Graveyard."
"Scheiren's effect—shuffle itself and Kitkallos back into the Deck."
"Fusion Summon—Rulkallos."
"Battle Phase."
"Sprind destroys your set Merrli."
"Baronne de Fleur (3000 ATK) attacks your 1500-ATK Reinoheart. Take 1500 LP."
"Reinoheart (1500 ATK) attacks directly. Take another 1500 LP."
"Rulkallos (3000 ATK) attacks directly. Take another 3000 LP."
"At this point you're at 1650 LP, right?"
Here, jk-Tearlaments pauses slightly.
But for the Duelists across the worlds, it's already clear how this ends.
Defeat.
qt-Tearlaments has no more chance.
It's practically predestined they'll lose, just because that earlier mill-three whiffed, and perhaps also because of that one godlike tech choice—"Fairy Tail – Snow."
That card keeps leaping back onto the field, and it doesn't have a once-per-turn on its revival.
The endgame was already written.
And in the clip—sure enough, just as all the veterans expected—the final damage patch arrives.
jk-Tearlaments: "Then I'll activate Snow again. I banish seven to Special Summon."
"The finishing blow. Snow's 1850 attacks directly."
"Duel over."
The world erupts.
It really was "Fairy Tail – Snow."
That card is insane.
It's absolutely insane.
It bounces around repeatedly, 1850 ATK isn't even that low, and it's a generic Level 4.
Paired with Tearlaments, you can banish some dead Graveyard cards at key moments to push for lethal.
That's truly galaxy-brain understanding.
Could it be that he's actually a genius?
In the Duel Monsters world, seeing Snow's MVP closing performance, Joey Wheeler blinks in disbelief.
What he fixates on isn't Snow.
It's that in just a few back-and-forth turns, around three to five turns were enough to decide the Duel.
Turn 2 was the most absurd explosion of plays.
This Duel speed almost makes Joey suspect he sped up the short video playback.
So this is the Tearlaments pace.
In the GX world:
"A Fusion Deck that doesn't need Polymerization."
"And it can slot in all sorts of monsters."
"I'm broken. I'm actually broken."
"Since when did Fusion progress into this?"
After watching, if earlier explanations merely gave Jaden Yuki a basic understanding of Tearlaments, then watching the Duel—a very simple Tearlaments mirror—has made Jaden deeply realize why Duelists in higher worlds all succumbed to Tearlaments, and why so many players insist on piloting it.
If he had another chance, Heroes? Sorry.
He's afraid Tearlaments would get the wrong idea.
Fusion era? Still playing cute little HERO Fusions?
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