Yugipedia:Featured Card/Madolche Queen Tiaramisu
The Queen of Candy, the Matriarch of Muffins, "Madolche Queen Tiaramisu", premiering in Abyss Rising, is an Xyz Monster to be feared. Like the rest of her kind, she can totally mess with the mind of the metagame, and will leave your opponent scrambling for resources while you're living easy. Let's take a look at what makes the Queen tick.
First and foremost, it should be noted that "Tiaramisu" is, like "Number 8: Heraldic King Genom-Heritage", restricted to her own archetype so as to keep balance. That means she can't be splashed into your average deck; you'll have to run at least two "Madolche" monsters to summon her. However, the "Madolche" archetype, while new, has multiple options, from a pureblood build with Xyz and Synchro elements to Spellcaster and "Gadget" builds, so it shouldn't be hard to bring out "Tiaramisu". Another element that may make "Tiaramisu" appear weak at first glance is her measly 2200 ATK stat. For a Rank 4 Xyz Monster, that's rather low. However, with the Madolche-specific Field Spell card "Madolche Chateau", not only will her ATK increase to a walloping 2700, her true potential can be unleashed as well.
But now let's take a look at why we're here: her effect. By detaching one of her materials, she allows you to return up to two "Madolche cards in your Graveyard to your deck, and then return the same number of cards your opponent controls to their Deck. There are plenty of cards that allow for protection against destruction, such as "Stardust Dragon" and "Wind-Up Zenmaines", or for whom destruction is nothing but a minor setback, such as "Lightpulsar Dragon" or "Sangan". Returning monsters to the deck not only instantly disposes of Synchro and Xyz monsters, but cards sent back to the Main Deck will mess your opponent up even more. In today's metagame, players want their cards in their hand, field, or Graveyard; when they're still in the deck, their owner has no way to access them. So by returning a "Lightpulsar Dragon" to the deck instead of sending it to the Graveyard and triggering its effect, or by returning "Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World", halting its continuous Graveyard revival, you can not only stop your opponents' strategies dead in their tracks, but you can also give them dead draws later down the line. And this effect isn't limited to monsters; you can return your opponent's Spells and Traps as well. And because the effect of "Tiaramisu" targets the cards in your Graveyard, and the cards to be returned aren't chosen until resolution, your opponent can't "cheat" you out of the effect of "Tiaramisu" by chaining a card you would have returned; if they want to use "Mystical Space Typhoon" or the like, they have to use it before you choose your targets, which means that whatever you pick is going away, whether they like it or not.
Similarly to "Zombie Master", "Tiaramisu" requires at least one "Madolche" card (note: card, not monster) in the Graveyard. Like "Zombie Master", though, she can select her cost as an effect target, so as long as you have one "Madolche" card in the Graveyard, you can always return up to 2 cards your opponent controls to the deck. If you want to run Synchro monsters and Xyz monsters other than "Tiaramisu", your Graveyard will quickly fill up with monsters, leaving you multiple targets for the effect of "Tiaramisu". If you prefer to run a pureblood "Madolche" deck, you only need to have "Madolche" Spells and Traps in the Graveyard to initially target. Cards like "Madolchepalooza" and "Madolche Tea Break" can be quickly used, then disposed of, so you have viable targets in your Graveyard.
Next, let's talk about how she can be summoned. She requires two Level 4 "Madolche" monsters, which is an easy feat, since most "Madolche" monsters are Level 4. However, this can get even easier with "Ultimate Offering". As mentioned before, this deck can work fantastically in tandem with "Gadgets" due to "Madolche Magileine", the "Madolche" archetype's very own Searcher card who can search for any "Madolche" monster, including herself. This means that with "Ultimate Offering" in play, you can quickly summon four "Madolche" monsters with her effect alone. Most of the "Madolche" monster cards have their own effect that can either search for more cards or make it easier to summon "Tiaramisu", so be sure to look through them all to find which ones you like!
Lastly, it's time to cover just how the "Madolche" Spell cards serve the purpose of the effect of "Tiaramisu". The effect of "Madolche Chateau" states that if a "Madolche" monster's effect would return a "Madolche" monster from the Graveyard to the deck, you can add it to your hand instead. In the past, this was exclusively used to return "Madolche" monsters to your hand whenever they are destroyed. However, "Tiaramisu" adds a new dimension to the Chateau. When "Tiaramisu" activates her effect, any "Madolche" monsters targeted can be returned to your hand instead of your deck. By returning "Madolche Magileine", you can abuse her loop once more, bringing out yet another "Tiaramisu", or any other Rank 4 monster for that matter.
The other "Madolche" Spell to mention is "Madolche Ticket" which, fittingly, has "Tiaramisu" in its artwork. Whenever a "Madolche" monster is returned from your field or Graveyard to your hand or deck, the effect of "Ticket" will activate (though only once per turn), adding a "Madolche" monster from your deck to your hand. However, if you control a Fairy-type "Madolche" monster (such as "Tiaramisu"), the monster can instead be Special Summoned. In other words, when you activate the effect of "Tiaramisu", not only will you be adding "Madolche" monsters from your Graveyard to your hand (provided that "Madolche Chateau" is on the field), but you will also be summoning an additional monster from your deck, all while your opponent is cramming their own cards back into their deck. Will you Special Summon "Madolche Messengelato", triggering his effect and giving you material for another "Tiaramisu"? Or will you summon the elusive "Madolche Puddingcess", whose effect to destroy a card with each battle will leave your opponent with no resources?
The "Madolche" archetype is still new, but with their refusal to die, their easy swarming capabilities, and their effects that twist the metagame, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with, despite their adorable exterior. TCG players can prepare for the oncoming parade of pastries with the "Madolche" cards from Return of the Duelist, set to be released this upcoming August.
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