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The "Third Eye" CAD is treated security-wise like a nuclear detonator, and
custom made by third division of FLT exactly for him use Material Burst
effectively.

Is it feasible for him to cast it at that scale/range without it?


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the-irregular-at-magic-high-school
Can Tatsuya use Material Burst in the tactical/strategic scale without the Third Eye CAD?


**In short, he can do it at the same scale, but not the same range.**

He can do it at the same scale, however it would be suicide. Magic, according
to the novels, requires setting a target to overwrite its current state, which
breaks down to being able to see the object or have acute awareness of its
existence and state. Since Material Burst uses Einsteins formula to convert
matter to energy, even the smallest thing would set off a massive explosion.
Knowing that, it is then safe to assume that without Third Eye, activating
Material Burst on pretty much anything within the range of naked eye would
cause him to be caught in the ensuing inferno.

Third Eye is not required to activate Material Burst, it is essentially a tool
that allows him to use Material Burst at a strategic scale without
annihilating himself in the process. Third Eye connects to a satellite that
then relays images to Third Eye, allowing Tatsuya to then activate his magic.

_The information here is from reading the fan translation on Baka Tsuki, which
does better at explaining things than the anime._


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**Yes, he can maintain strategic class levels of range and potency, even
without the _Third Eye_.**

* * *

There are two parts to strategic level magic - range, and strength.

Tatsuya can successfully cast [_Decomposition_](http://mahouka-koukou-no-
rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Decomposition) on objects with the size and mass of
[Armoured Personnel Carriers
(APC's)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armoured_personnel_carrier), and
material burst is merely an differentiation of that (the conversion of matter
to energy, rather than base elements). A flag of 1kg is the cause of the
destruction in Zhènhai Naval Port, so while he would find no trouble in
casting [_Material Burst_](http://mahouka-koukou-no-
rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Material_Burst) on something like a car, the
destruction caused would be far greater.

Being near the activation point of such a cast would be, as mentioned in
Saphiric's answer, suicide. But, this is just hypothetical - Tatsuya has the
_potential_ to cast that kind of magic if he wanted to, and that's all that
matters for the question.

**So his scale, naturally, is still of strategic class even without the _Third
Eye_**.

* * *

Range is a more awkward matter.  
While it's more difficult for him to activate magic on a strategic scale
without the _Third Eye_ CAD - mostly due to the necessity of finding a
suitable target - it is still possible for him.

It's important to remember that magic isn't bound to the physical plane,
instead using a separate dimension where trivialities like distance aren't
issues. Since magic is simply a phenomenon rewriting the data of a specific
[Eidos](http://mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Eidos) (information
body) that exists in the real world, as long an information body's coordinates
are known, it can be targeted.  
Only a very small number of spells (such as [_Gram
Demolition_](http://mahouka-koukou-no-
rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Gram_Dispersion#Gram_Demolition)) physically travel
through the real world, and therefore only those spells are restricted by
physical distance.

Most magicians can't perceive a target more than several hundred meters away,
simply due to the limits of the human body.  
But, this is Tatsuya. With his [_Elemental Sight_ ,](http://mahouka-koukou-no-
rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Elemental_Sight) he can perceive things in the
information dimension, or the dimension of magic, where distance is no issue:

> This was not looking down from a bird’s eye view, he was looking at things
> from the point of view of the information dimension. It was not an
> elliptical sphere around the double focal points, it had nothing to do with
> physical distance[...]
>
> _Volume 10 - Visitor II, Chapter 12_

Even so, he can't just pick a random target to cast _Material Burst_ on - he
has to know the coordinates of the Eidos. This is the main purpose of _Third
Eye_ , to pick targets at huge physical distances, so Tatsuya can easily
manipulate them in the information dimension. However, this isn't the only way
he can find a target. If he picks out an information body he can perceive at
close range and follow it as it travels, he can cast magic on it at any
distance:

> By his own hands, using the magic he alone could wield, he had decomposed
> then rebuilt the bullets. However far away they flew, he would not lose
> sight of their information structure.
>
> _Volume 8 - Reminiscence,Chapter 16_

As proof of this, the first time Tatsuya uses _Material Burst_ is without any
sort of CAD, and he casts it at a target 20km away, one of the aforementioned
bullets:

> Tatsuya stretched out his right hand towards the west, and forcibly
> unclenched his palm.
>
> The bullet broke down into energy.
>
> In that moment, the mass conversion magic ‘Material Burst’ was used in anger
> for the first time.
>
> _Volume 8 - Reminiscence,Chapter 16_

Granted, it's not quite as far as the distance he casts it in Episode 26 of
the anime, but it's still a considerable distance that's far beyond the realm
of normal human perception. Furthermore, he states that he could cast it at a
greater range, but in this instance, he is limited by the range of the sniper
rifle's bullets he uses as a medium to cast _Material Burst_ on:

> Sanada’s murmur was drowned out by the boom of the sniper rifle.
>
> Tatsuya’s eyes seemed to chase that supersonic bullet which should never
> have been seen.
>
> At length he shook his head, disappointed.
>
> "……It’s no good. It could only reach 20 km."
>
> _Volume 8 - Reminiscence, Chapter 16_

So although _practically_ very difficult to recreate without proper planning
and requirements, it is _theoretically_ possible in the right circumstances,
**meaning his range too, is still that of strategic class without _Third
Eye._**

* * *

In conclusion, yes, Tatsuya _can_ cast Material Burst unassisted at a range
and scale similar to that which he achieves in Episode 26 with the _Third Eye_
, but he would require a very specific set of circumstances, and would need to
rely solely on _Elemental Sight_ for targeting. That's the main reason for
that CAD - to make _Material Burst_ far more practical to cast.

With or without _Third Eye_ , he's still very much [_"Strategic
Class"_](http://mahouka-koukou-no-rettousei.wikia.com/wiki/Strategic-
Class_Magician)


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I would like to add on to the previous answers and make a small correction
about the purpose of Third Eye.

The purpose of Third Eye is **pinpoint targetting**. It does not allow Tatsuya
to cast at a greater range, in many sense. Rather, it allows Tatsuya to target
a small object accurately from a long distance away. Presumably, Tatsuya can,
without the aid of Third Eye, target the sun (and probably fail because the
Sun is too big for decomposition).

Sanada, in his evaluation of Third Eye, noted how it was able to target a drop
of water many miles away.

Unfortunately, much of the implications of magic and how sight works is not
well understood, so the following is just conjecture.

However, it is plausible that he could set a random, far away object as his
target. However, he would not be able to know exactly where is the thing he
has targeted, or whether or not it actually is far away.


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Tatsuya did use material burst without the Third Eye.

That scene at the very start of the first episode, was shortly after Tatsuya
used Regrowth on Miyuki and co. They even beat his ass for killing people who
surrendered or were retreating after he was told to not do so prior. In that
case, without the third eye. Material Burst was theoretical, just like
regrowth was when he used it for the first time to save Miyuki's life. When he
reassembles an object or person he gains an intimate knowledge of it and it's
location. During that first battle, he was attempting to disassemble enemy
shells from the warships and use them as a way to use Material Burst. Because
the sniper rifle they had on hand wasn't enough to give him the correct
accuracy and originally he wanted to use the bullets of said gun. Tatsuya also
made mention that if he wanted to, he could make his own Third Eye and even
improve upon it.


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