Sorry for the wait on the article. A combination of personal life, and illness has kept me either sidelined or mildly disinterested from making a new article. But we’re back with a new article. This time, we’re gonna run through the best cards in rarity so you know what cards to hone in on for release day. No more waiting, let’s get to it.

Commons

(Note, Super Combos and Dragon Ball are excluded…otherwise they’d take up the whole list)

5. Infernal Villainy Cell

We’re starting out with what is actually one of my favorite cards in the set. He’s essentially Unbreakable Goku, but with a more relevant body and more relevant name. It’s hard to ignore the impact Unbreakable has had in the metagame so this Cell can not be ignored. Great for defense and a not bad pick for offense either.

Why isn’t he higher on the list? Well, mainly he doesn’t change much for most decks. He’s not a direct upgrade like East Supreme Kai was to Champa, mainly because of Color. Some decks want Green, some decks want Red and some decks simply won’t care one way or another. For Android Decks (whether Cell Chain or not) or decks slanted toward Green he makes a great addition. You could also live the 16 Super Combo dream with Uub if you really wanted to. But mainly Cell is a matter of good redundancy and not a matter of big Meta Impact.

4. Hell Fighter 17, Evil Revived

Now what we have here might be the best Union-Absorb character since ole Cell himself. If not for extreme meta impact, then for ease of use and forgiving deck design. Most Union-Absorb strategies require quite a bit of deck space and dedication to manage (just ask anyone running Cell Chain or Cell Toolbox, and let’s not get into Buu Package or Rilldo). HF 17 is extremely forgiving in that regard, only requiring Android 17 for his UA (which, being Green, you better be playing anyway), the ability to grab from hand or Drop Area so he’s rarely ever dead and in the off chance he is, he has Barrier so you can still play him proactively with safety until you do land your A17. This means you can run a very lean Super 17 Package and not be punished for it (unless your Life Card luck is absolutely terrible).

Why is this not higher? As good as he is, he’ll probably be relegated to 1-3 decks max and is going to be more of a cog in the machine rather than the main headliner to said decks. Nothing wrong with that, but considering the other 3 cards on the Commons List it’s enough to keep him down here.

3. Afterimage Technique

To Baby, this is Revenge Death Ball 5-8 with upside. To every other Red Leader, this is a generic RDB that completely hoses a lot of aggro strategies. This card may be the reason Pilaf/Oolong is put on the map as a premier Wish Leader, since they generally struggle against Aggro Strategies. As people have finally started to realize with Baby Vegeta catching fire, RDB is one of the strongest cards in the game. This will join it on the pantheon, though it does lose some of the versatility being just a Counter rather than a Battle Phase trick (it does help it certain scenarios however) on top of only dropping 10K rather than 15K.

Why isn’t it higher? Simply put, the other two cards will be that game-changing in the meta.

2. Dimension Magic

I’m sure everyone expected to see this at Number 1. I did take a lot of time to think about whether this, or the other card should be Number 1 but I settled on Dimension Magic being Number 2. It’s hard to argue, this card is a house in defense. It was already a struggle to break through Blue’s defense thanks to Coercion or Senzu Bean and now it got much more difficult. The Leader I think will appreciate this the most is actually Uub, who can run ALL the Super Combos with impunity. This will add to his nasty defense. But every Blue Leader will run at least 2 of this, even hyper aggressive ones like Trunks. Simply put, there’s no reason not to.

Why isn’t THIS higher?! The Number 1 card I believe is that meta changing. Dimension Magic, as powerful as it is, doesn’t really change how most would view the matchup against Blue Leaders. He makes a strong defense stronger, but you’ll generally approach the fight the same exact way.

1. Kami, Global Unifier

One of the first cards hinted at in the set, and one of the most needed cards in a long time. We lacked a reliable board wipe outside of Chain Attack Zen-Oh and now we have one, which every color can use. On top of that, even when it’s not wiping the board Kami still has a use as a reliable cantrip. Every deck will be running some amount of Kami either in the Main or Side, he’s that important.

Why is Kami at Number 1? He completely changes the approach to the game that we’ve had since Set 1. For the most part there was very little punishment for going wide. Even with CA Zen-Oh, going wide was often better than the alternative since you could have Zen-Oh just refill your hand after the fact and you’ve gotten your value in, often drawing a few cards that you just had on the board ready to go back out again. Kami forces you to be a lot smarter about it. For Swap decks they have to choose between doing their normal plays but risk losing it all the next turn, or pumping the brakes a bit which is still to the Kami player’s advantage. That four Battle Card threshold will end up being a huge deal that you must always be cognizant of. The second you aren’t may result in a massive blowout. Against every single deck you must think “Will I get punished by Kami?”. That is power, and that is impact.

Uncommons

(Note: No Leaders)

Honorable Mention

HM: Childish Heart Janemba

Simply put, I really wanted to put him in the Top 5 but due to be part of one specific strategy, of which its validity is very up in the air, it was hard to justify. So it goes like this. If Janemba (either Mill, or Chain) is good, then this skyrockets up into the list because this will be the reason why. If it’s not…then this card is not very good at all. It’s hard to evaluate this card without an immense amount of playtesting. But as a lynchpin to a strategy he had to be mentioned.

5. Baba, Champions’ Leader

When it comes to Baba I think of one word, and that’s value. Just a very solid value play. She either sets up the Grandpa Gohan package, or at the very least grabs you an extra 1 Drop in Bandages and puts it directly to the board. While it’s no Goku/Uub Link it’s still just a good value play that can’t be ignored. Even if Grandpa Gohan turns out to be bad, Baba still carries enough potential to work.

Why is she not higher? Good value, but a very specific line that not a ton of decks will want off the bat. She has to compete with a lot of strong 1 Drops in Red, and with Bandages would take up multiple of those slots.

4. Grandpa Gohan, to the Rescue

I’ve made no bones about how much I believe in the Grandpa Gohan package. I believe it’s strong. A 3 Drop 35K Double Strike would see play in many decks. Now in this case, it does require a fair bit of dedication but that ceiling is just far too hard to ignore. This Gohan is an absolute bomb and I expect it to get plenty of brew time at the very least, if not mainstream play.

Why is he not higher? Again, that deck dedication. You have to spend upwards of 20 slots on this, though you’ll probably land around 12-16 which is still a fair bit. He has to be built around and doesn’t just slot in everywhere. That alone holds it back.

3. East Kai, Keeping Watch

What else can there be to say? She’s a cantrip, with the upside of completely punishing Bodyguard abilities or Shugesh (for those still playing him…poor souls…). Also has the God trait which Blue can enjoy. She’s a near power creep on Buu (near, because with more people swinging with the weenies that 4K to 5K difference really will matter at times). She’ll see play.

Why is she not higher? Because in most matchups she really is only just a cantrip. And in matchups where she’s facing an opponent that doesn’t own cards that would trigger her ability, she really is just a worse version of Buu.

2. Dark Power Black Masked Saiyan

While we have received the Q&A Ruling that CoT Mecha Frieza does not trigger him (even though it should), that doesn’t mean this card is any less than really damn good. It’s East Kai but better in most capacities. A relevant attacker at most phases of the game, his ability discards 2 rather than bottoming 1, and it hits more cards rather than just Bodyguards, mainly Chain Attack Trunks. A good sideboard staple to some, to others a great main deck attacker.

Why is he not higher? He’s still somewhat situational and the Number 1 card will be a factor in warping the format.

1. World Peace

Again, we have now received the official ruling that Desire Cards are discarded after being used by a Wish Leader’s effect. That only brings World Peace down from being ABSURDLY snapped to only mildly snapped. An easily used revival that will set off a ton of viable strategies, especially for Shenron himself. World Peace at the worst is a failsafe to guarantee a certain bomb to go off. At its best, it’s a terror reviving all sorts of threats constantly.

Why is World Peace Number 1? Because despite its name, it means there’s no such thing as peace against Shenron or really any Wish Leader. The only way to guarantee safety is to win outright. Otherwise you’re always in danger of a big threat just coming back for free and smashing your face in.

Rares

5. SS Vegeta, No Holding Back

On my lists while doing this article, I actually had Phantom Strike Janemba in this slot. But after some thought I decided to instead put in Vegeta for the same reason that Childish Heart Janemba is only an HM. Only good if the Janemba deck is good. Vegeta on his own is a solid card. His only crime is that he’s not Kami’s Power Piccolo, which in fairness is a pretty big stain against him as they share all the same stats. But something had to go to 5 and I’d rather go with the budget redundancy rather than the extremely unproven and linear strategy.

Why is he not higher? Honestly the only reason he made the Top 5 was due to struggle. The other 4 are just much better cards.

4. Super 17, to Further Heights

Another crucial piece to the Super 17 Chain (spoiler, all 3 non-promo cards will make their Top 5s), it’s pretty easy to see where his power lies. Again, another easy UA only requiring Cell (which is an extremely easy requirement now that we have Infernal Villainy) that again is really forgiving on deck space. He also has Barrier so again he can be played proactively, and he has the bonus kill effect which is always nice to have.

Why is he not higher? Same reason as his predecessor, relegated to a small amount of decks as a side piece while also the remaining cards being that good.

3. Spirited Search SS Trunks

An extremely versatile card, Trunks makes it here. Card is just great, always relevant for a Wish Leader. He either speeds your flipping exponentially, or gets back a Desire Card each turn your opponent lets him live (and if the opponent kills him…chances are those Desire cards will just bring him back anyway and then he recycles them and oh no, I’ve gone cross-eyed).

Why isn’t he higher? Well for one he’s reliant on Life Totals in a deck that doesn’t care all that much, which means he may be relegated to the wrong mode based on gamestate. Also…well, you’ll understand when you see card Number 2.

2. Dragon Radar

Simply put, for all the reasons Trunks is good (outside of being a body), Dragon Radar is better. It adds Dragon Balls to your hand so you can draw. It’s a Black 1 Drop rather than a very stringent 2 Green Trunks. You can choose either mode based on what you need. Really the only downside is that it only looks at Top 7 but honestly with the amount of Dragon Balls and Desire Cards that shouldn’t be an issue.

Why isn’t the Radar higher? Similar reason to Dimension Magic, the last entry on the list will be more impactful on the meta as a whole.

1. The Deadly Defender Cycle

This seems like a bit of a cheat, but the alternative was them taking up the entire Top 5. Unlike Super Combos however there’s a bit more to discuss here. Taunt effects are essentially better Blockers as the opponent is forced to try and remove these threats before they can even attempt to get at your Leader, rather than the one stop Blocker while also avoiding any “Anti-Blocker” effects. On top of that, all these cards have Barrier making them extremely hard to get rid of outside of Battle. Each card also have their own benefits based on name or trait so they aren’t just complete carbon copies even if everything else about them is. How 18 can be utilized for example, is different than how you can utilize Vegeta. These were extremely necessary additions to the game.

Why Number 1? Again, another big adjustment to how the game is played, though in this case we have some experience thanks to Taunt Vegito showing up a bit early. Aggro Decks have to punch their heads against a wall constantly which is frustrating for a boatload of reasons, while bigger decks have to waste strong attacks for little upside. I’m really excited to see how these, along with Kami, really change how we all approach the game.

Super Rares

5. Gogeta, Hero Revived

Okay, onto the flashy stuff and we’ll start with the Holy Fusion Knight himself. There’s no doubt, his effect is IMMENSELY powerful and game ending. If you don’t end the game the turn you played this Gogeta then you’re likely the most unlucky player in the world and the opponent drew into all the counters. In every other case though, you play this and the opponent will be scooping up his cards in the next minute. Deflect to guarantee his effect against Cold Bloodlust, Barrier for a certain reason, and Union-Fusion to get him down earlier, this card is a threat in every sense of the word.

Why isn’t he higher? He may be a nuke on legs but man does it come with a lot of restrictions. Sparking 10, not TOO bad though it will definitely lock you out of Over Realm. You have to Crit yourself a life, rough. You have to be a 5+ Energy but…well, good luck playing him without that much anyway. But again, 5 Energy while also having equal power Goku and Vegeta in hand, or a 7 Drop which is not the easiest thing to play in any meta. You have to jump through quite a few hoops to get him off. Is it worth it though? Definitely. But not enough to get him above 5.

4. Yamcha, at 100%

The Hungry Wolf is finally getting the respect he always wanted. He just needed to go back into the past when he was a legitimate badass. Hard to argue with this card, 25K uncounterable nuke that does 2 Damage when it kills anything and at a cost of 3. This card will get his own namesake Leader over the hump and I believe will allow him to see some top cuts.

Why isn’t he higher? I would normally rag on his limited deck number, but in the SR category that matters little since most SRs have some kind of limitation to begin with. Probably the main thing that gets him is that it does require input from your opponent. If they put out weenies, he’s a monster. If they’re smart when they see Yamcha Lead and keep only BCs with decent stats on board, he’s simply not as strong.

3. Super 17, Cell Absorbed

Thanks DB Heroes for this. The crown jewel of the Super 17 package, and for good reason. Ripping 4 cards out of the opponent’s hand and having Critical on top of that makes him a destructive force. No matter what you’re losing a bunch of cards and it’s just not pleasant. The only thing that holds him back is his low base power but that just prevents him from destroying our lives entirely.

Why isn’t he higher? While the limited amount of decks isn’t as much of a problem in the SR rarity (since that’s generally the case with a lot of SRs) he does lack the outright destructive power of the last two. One who is very generic, the other who while more limited…has absurd power. Super 17 won’t be the reason many decks are played, he just slots in extremely well to decks that already exist.

2. Ghost Rampage SS Gotenks

I mean it’s hard to argue with a really simple to understand effect. Play this, bounce damn near everything that doesn’t have Barrier on the opponent’s board, use the Burst 5 to set up a killing blow with Over Realm or something with Sparking. It’s simple, hilarious against certain decks, just a great card either in the Main or Side.

Why isn’t he higher? Because there are matchups where this card isn’t good, mainly cantrip heavy matchups or decks that go tall as obviously he can’t bounce anything higher than 20K.

1. Twin Onslaught SS4 Son Goku

First off, if you can get the SPR of this card, do so. Art is far better and just fantastic. Anyway…yes, this card is very limited in deck usage. Yes he’s a 5 Drop. But his power is so destructive that you can really just ignore all of that. A one sided board wipe with no downsides whatsoever. Kill everything, and if something stubbornly survives by Barrier it just makes his attack even more potent. Matches against Pilaf/Goku will be a matter of either winning before Turn 5, or getting everything the hell off the board yourself before then.

Why Number 1? Like Yamcha, this card will be the major reason his personal Leader will see play. Unlike Yamcha, there’s very little the opponent can really do to dull the edge of this card. The only time it’d be bad to play this card is on a completely empty board but at that point you’re far ahead anyway.

For Fun, Secret Rare

Miraculous Fighter SS3 Gogeta

To make up for missing the review on the SCR, just gonna do it right here, right now. I’m gonna say it right now, even though hurts me as the art is fantastic (though kind of rough to read IRL). The card is not good whatsoever, mainly because all of the effort that could be spent playing this card could just go to Hero Revived instead. With Hero Revived, you get a game ending effect. With this…you get a really big Crit attacker. You also have to get at least 3 attacks with this card with this card to even come close to being worthwhile which means at least 17 cards in Drop and even then I don’t think it’s all that worth it. The only deck I’d even consider this in is, ironically enough, Fusion Warrior Vegito but at that point it’s actually easier to board the Ultimate Force instead. This card really needed to have Double Strike alongside the rest of the keywords.

Final Thoughts:

I think this will be a pretty enjoyable set, assuming Shenron doesn’t steal all our souls which I think we’ll deal with. No SS3 certainly is like breathing fresh air coming into this set. I’m hyped to test and I hope you guys are too.