Alright, it looks like we’re going to have an article a day leading up to the beginning of Set 4 previews. Today, we’ll talk about the Leader who scratches the itch of drawing until you drop, U7 Frieza. Will he show those filthy Saiyans how to get the job done…or will he do what he does best, get bodied? Let’s find out.

Frieza/Frieza, the Final Assailant

Unique Cards:

U7 Archetype Specific Cards

Strengths:

+ I mean…best draw power in the game kind of speaks for itself.

+ Doesn’t require establishing a board, so Zen-Oh doesn’t ruin his life.

+ Yellow has access to arguably the best U7 cards which makes him even easier to use.

+ The clunky costs of U7 cards don’t affect him as much since he can use cards that aren’t relevant simply for draw power.

+ Did I mention his obscene draw power yet?

Weaknesses:

– While Zen-Oh can be recovered from relatively easily, Cell Chain cannot. It’s not a game ender, but it’s still not fun.

– Unlike the rest of the U7 Leaders, he doesn’t really provide any inherent offense to his own swings. It’s a little rougher to get in pokes of damage before the end (this matters more than players would like to let on).

– Can definitely struggle against bigger Battle Cards that stay Active.

Overview:

He’s got the whole deck, in his hands. He has the whole entire deck, in his hands. That’s pretty much the goal of Frieza. Draw, draw, draw. This is even more true than Gohan. Gohan is more about overall value plays and poking in damage. Frieza…you’re just drawing to a point where the opponent can’t really deal with you short of a Fu, Shrouded in Myster and even then good luck with dealing the necessary damage. Honestly, once that’s established the only question is how does one actually win with the deck? I feel we have two legitimate choices. But let’s look at the deck skeleton, then bring up the two packages I feel will be the best routes.

Deck Build:

Universe 7 Frieza

4 Ready to Fight Son Goku

4 Master Roshi, Forged of Will

3 Agony of Hell Frieza

4 Backbone of Universe 7 Son Goku

3 Focused Mind Son Gohan

4 Destructo Disk Krillin

3 Energy Guard Android 17

4 Destructive Occupation Frieza

3 Mecha-Frieza, the Returning Terror

2 Trunks, Power Overseeing Time

4 Flying Nimbus

4 Universe 7 Representative

Packages:

1 (extra) Agony of Hell Frieza

4 Coldhearted Strike Frieza

3 Frieza, Emperor of Universe 7

or:

4 Full Power Spirit Bomb Son Goku

3 Son Goku, Hope of Universe 7

1 Son Goku, the Awakened Power

Deck Overview:

The main core of the deck is pretty simple. A lot of value, some utility picks we can use or discard depending on matchups, and a Mecha Frieza for extra removal or pressure if need be. It’s a matter of how you want to win, and there are two options. One is the obvious one, going into the Emperor and just leaning on the opponent for the win. This is a very potent strategy don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoy it. The downside to the strategy is that it’s somewhat slow. The main core doesn’t have self-awaken help outside of Krillin (and honestly Frieza doesn’t really need it, due to the amount of advantage gained regardless) so unless the opponent plays right into your strategy you’ll usually have to wait until Turn 6 to Ex-Evolve and also tap out in the process, which means the opponent can possibly steal the game out from under you. On top of that, as I mentioned previously, Frieza doesn’t have a ton of poking pressure so you won’t always be able to board the Emperor while the opponent is at a low life total where he’s at his best. Still, it’s an immensely strong option that can’t be ignored.

The other is to go COMPLETE defense, just sit back and do nothing and draw into the pieces to put together The Awakened Power for lethal out of nowhere. Of course the downsides to this are plenty. All of the counters to The Awakened Power still exist, and of course there’s no guarantee that even with Frieza you’ll draw into him. He could easily end up your last life or at the bottom of the deck and you’re muffed. While Hope can certainly put a hurting on the opponent even without his busted effect, chances are the opponent will be high enough that it won’t matter as much. Still, this strategy has plenty of legs for multiple reasons. It’s faster, because just like in U7 Goku, Turn 5 is always the crux point unless staring down a Cold Bloodlust. Also when the Awakened Power just isn’t there, FPSB Goku and Hope certainly can get the job done with consistent pressure. The reason I don’t make this the main strategy…is that the Awakened Power is running $80+ right now and will only go up because “One-Print Set”. I don’t think Hope alone really makes the strategy worthwhile for Frieza. Basically run this if you CAN and you have the SCR…if you don’t, Emperor will work just fine. Onto tips and Discussion Points about the other cards.

Discussion Points:

No Shugesh abuse?

Multiple reasons. One, I feel Shugesh works best in a deck that awakens quickly so he can enforce his will on a game really early. Frieza does not care about Awakening until Turn 5 at the earliest. Two, there aren’t that many great options for him to abuse in this deck. Sure you could put in ole Explosive Spirit Son Goku, but again it usually won’t come online all that quickly. Feel free to side it in though against aggressive decks.

Trunks, Power Overseeing Time?

Honestly almost any Over Realm card works here. I think though due to the nature of these decks, you want extra ways to retrieve cards you got rid of. But this Trunks isn’t AS necessary as he is in other ToP decks. Feel free to replace him with any OR card that isn’t a Fu (Shrouded isn’t great against high life totals, Scientist…you already draw a million cards).

Tips:

Unless necessary or you can tell the opponent is running a slow deck, avoid tapping out at all.

So many Friezas I see just tapping out and dying really fast if they aren’t careful. Right now, we’re going to enter a very aggressive format thanks to the increased Veggie Package. Don’t drop to a lower life total than need be. You will be going “Energy, Draw, Pass” more times than you can count. If you aren’t willing to sit on your hands for a good while, probably not the best deck to play.

It’s rare, but it IS possible to deck out with Frieza, be wary past the Turn 6 mark.

There indeed is a ceiling to the deck, and that’s your own ability. Decking out is very rare, just because games tend to end before it becomes an issue but there will be a couple where the possibility does exist. Recognize the slower matchups this becomes possible in and readjust your strategy accordingly.

Final Thoughts:

I feel Frieza ended up pretty straightforward. Draw, find your win condition and then win. He’s not as mind-numbing as Goku and can be pretty fun, if you can put up with doing a whole lot of nothing on your turn.

Universe 7 (for the most part, down). Next time, we’re making the biggest salad in history with some fresh Kale.