Memento

Memento
"Mementoral Tectolica, the Netherskull Dragon" "Mementoral Tectolica, the Netherskull Dragon"
Japanese	メメント Memento (romanized)
Sets OCG Deck Build Pack: Valiant Smashers
Lists	Members Support

An enormous monster that revives again from oblivion!

— The archetype's tagline in promotional material

"Memento" (メメント Memento) is an archetype of various monsters with different Types, Attributes, and Levels introduced in Deck Build Pack: Valiant Smashers.

Design

Etymology

"Memento" refers to an object kept as a reminder of a person, place, or event. It originates from the Latin mementō, meaning "remember". The name may be a reference to the members being fossilized counterparts of classic monsters from the early OCG.

The name may also allude to the Latin phrase mementō morī ("Remember you must die"), in reference to the skeletal appearances of the monsters.

Members

All monsters share the same Attribute, Type, Level, ATK, and DEF as their original counterparts.

Level	Memento	Original form
1	Goblin	Goblin Calligrapher
	Mace	Key Mace
3	Fairywitch	Fairywitch
4	Dark Blade	Dark Blade
5	Tatsunootoshigo	Tatsunootoshigo
8	Horn Dragon	Tri-Horned Dragon
11	Mementoral Tectolica, the Netherskull Dragon	None

Playing style

"Memento" is a theme focused on speedily filling the GY with many copies of its monsters in order to facilitate the Special Summon of its boss monster; "Mementoral Tectolica, the Netherskull Dragon", which is able to attack all of the opponent's monsters once each when by itself on the field and Special Summons "Memento" monsters from the hand and GY when the opponent uses a card or effect. All "Memento" monsters, barring "Tectolica", have effects that can destroy a "Memento" monster(s) you control in order to do various other effects; from searching cards to setting up the GY by sending monsters from the Deck to the GY for explosive plays with "Tectolica". The two Level 1 monsters of the theme, "Memento Goblin" and "Memento Mace", also function as Hand trap cards while controlling "Tectolica"; "Goblin" being able to prevent "Memento" monsters from being targeted with card effects for the turn while "Mace" is able to take control of an opponent's monster until the end of the turn.

One simple method to Special Summon "Mementoral Tectolica, the Netherskull Dragon" requires only "Memento Fairywitch". When it is Summoned, it can add "Memento Tatsunootoshigo" to the hand, which can Special Summon itself. Then, it can destroy itself to send "Memento Mace", "Memento Goblin", and a second copy of "Memento Fairywitch" from the Deck to the GY. Next, "Memento Fairywitch" can destroy itself to Summon "Memento Goblin" from the GY, which can destroy itself to send "Memento Horn Dragon" and "Mementoral Tectolica" from the Deck to the GY. Finally, "Mementoral Tectolica" can Special Summon itself from the GY by shuffling "Fairywitch", "Tatsunootoshigo", "Mace", "Goblin", and "Horn Dragon" back into the Deck. If this combo is started by using "Memento Dark Blade" to Summon "Memento Fairywitch" from the Deck, "Goblin" can send one of the archetype's Spell/Trap Cards instead.

The backrow of the theme helps to further support this playing style as "Memento Bone Party" is able to destroy a "Memento" monster in the hand or on the field to add another "Memento" monster to the hand Special Summon it to the field along with an additional GY effect to give a "Memento" monster Piercing for the turn. "Memento Bone Back" serves as a tool to punish the opponent removing "Memento" from the field as it can freely summon a "Tectolica" in response as well as banish itself when a "Memento" monster is removed from the GY by the opponent by Special Summoning as many "Memento" monsters from the hand or Deck with different names to the field. The Field Spell Card, "Netherskull Temple - Mementoran", gives further benefits to the theme as it gives "Memento" monsters the ability to prevent Spells and Traps from activating when they attack, targets a "Memento" monster that was destroyed to Special Summons a "Memento" monster from the GY with a lower level than the target, and the effect at the End Phase to set a "Memento" Spell/Trap card from the GY to the field, opening to a control playstyle with the Trap Cards.

The Trap Cards play further into the use of "Tectolica" as a defensive threat as "Memento Cranium Burst" forces the opponent to only attack the "Memento" monster with the highest ATK on your field and uses the stats of "Tectolica" as fuel to negate monster effects once per chain at the cost of 1000 ATK and DEF from "Tectolica". In comparison, "Memento Fracture Dance" is able to destroy cards on the field as well as reduce the stats of the opponent's monsters.