Alright here we go, it’s Kale time. Admittedly I’ve been dreading this one a bit, especially with the recent backlash towards the Veggies. The question coming into this one isn’t really “What does Kale use best?”, that much is easy to understand, but “What does Kale do that other Veggie Leaders don’t?”. And for that…let’s find out.

Kale/Lady of Destruction Kale

Unique Cards:

Cards looking for “Red Saiyan Leaders”

Union Attack Botamo and Magetta

Strengths:

+ Card advantage on her front side helps offset the lack of awaken speed compared to her Veggie compatriots.

+ Her Awakened Ability arguably gives her a better end game, especially since she isn’t required to attack a Leader like Broly.

+ Being a Red Saiyan Leader gives her plenty of possibilities to actively bolster the Veggie Package, outside of just Shugesh in Ginyu/Mecha.

Weaknesses:

– Pretty much have to start the game with 2 Green Energy charged otherwise she falls behind extremely fast (compared to other Veggie decks).

– Her immense requirement in Caulifla on her Awakened Side can lead to awkward turns if the opponent is doing well to keep removing them.

– Said requirement also forces very strict deckbuilding requirements (for the time being at least).

Overview:

Kale continues the habit of the ToP Leaders being very straightforward with what they want to be doing, and what’s to be in their deck. In this case, she REALLY wants Caulifla. I mean really wants her. Now in fairness, you don’t really need Caulifla until you Awaken but that’s generally the goal. Punish them early, wean them down late with the forced discard. Now I really would’ve liked to go with more of a Hand Control variant, especially with Foreseeing Hit also in this set but sadly because of the necessity of the Cauliflas and the support surrounding her…it’s too unreliable and there’s not enough room for it. So we’re forced into the Veggie Package. As you guys may know I do try to keep Deck Builds at least somewhat budget friendly when I can, because I know the struggle of putting together a brand new deck when cards are higher in price. But it’s almost impossible to justify it here. Until the day they decide to mess with Saiyan Teamwork Cabba and his lack of futureproofing, it’s just too strong to ignore for a deck that’s dependent on Caulifla. That being said, let’s get to the list.

Deck Build:

Red/Green Kale

4 Trunks, Bridge to the Future

2 Caulifla

4 Saiyan Teamwork Cabba

4 Unstoppable Ambition Super Saiyan Caulifla

4 Sister Attack Kale

4 Union Attack Botomo and Magetta

4 Son Goten, Family of Justice

4 Sister Attack Saiyan Caulifla

3 Trickster Ganos

3 Impeccable Super Saiyan Cabba

4 Hidden Awakening Kale

4 Bold Super Saiyan 2 Caulifla

3 Universe 7 Saiyan Prince Vegeta

3 Time’s Judgment

Deck Overview:

Pretty simple what the deck’s trying to do. Flood as many of the Veggies out as possible and overwhelm the opponent with sheer, but effective, board presence. What makes Kale different than the usual suite of Veggies like Ginyu and Mecha is that you’re trading out Shugesh, and thus more flooding opportunity, for arguably a better top end with Vegeta and Kale’s own Awakened ability. You aren’t just muffed if the opponent is teching enough Veggie hate or anti-flood strategies, you can definitely get by with just a few cards and a more deliberate pace. Even Chain Attack/Zen-Oh isn’t a death knell like it may be for the other Veggie strategies (though they have Cold Bloodlust to fend it off for a bit) because the important goal is boarding a Caulifla or two. In fact Kale can often take advantage of it assuming she hits one of her 14(!) Cauliflas as she’ll start to go to work on the opponent’s diminished hand size in the aftermath.

Discussion Points:

Where are the 1 Drop Cabbas?

I initially wanted them in here, I mean Saiyan Cabba has been a Red mainstay since the dawn of time and U6 Cabba is a searcher. The issue is…the deck NEEDS to start with two straight Green energies, making both of these Cabbas fall behind very quickly. There isn’t much opportunity to actually play them so to the shelf they go.

Vanilla Caulifla, really?

Yeah really. Only a 2-of. I originally had her at 4 but that was extreme overkill. She’s essentially an emergency button or a surprise last effort poke. If you need a Caulifla in a pinch, she’s a cheap one to board with no downside. If you need an end game attacker after you’ve exhausted all of yours, Saiyan Teamwork Cabba makes her a free drop from hand. You can drop her if you like but I liked the extra security she provided.

EDIT: Yeah, my bad, Saiyan Teamwork Cabba only reduces GREEN Specific Costs, so you’d always have to pay the 1 for Caulifla. That makes her much less worthwhile. You can still keep her in as an emergency blanket but feel free to swap her out with…literally anything.

Goten and Ganos?

Like I said, we REALLY need to hit 2 Green Energies to start. So it was a matter of what to tech in. I figured it was a solid idea to go for extra cheap removal. Ganos is in the spot where Terror Scythe Goku Black usually is but as we don’t have Shugesh it makes him a somewhat subpar option here. Ganos is a solid tech choice for removal and Goten is even cheaper removal. Feel free to swap with Green cards of your choice, these were my personal preferences. Plus they’re VERY helpful in the Veggie mirror.

Time’s Judgment?

I initially had Unending Awakening in here, for obvious reasons. But what I found was there were some matchups where you REALLY would like an early negate, but Unending isn’t live until Turn 3 at the earliest if this deck is sticking to its strategy. Time’s Judgment is often the safest call plus it takes advantage of the extra card advantage you tend to have.

Tips:

You’re not a typical Veggie deck, get comfortable with a deliberate pace.

Unlike Mecha Veggies and Ginyu Veggies or even SSJ3 Goku Veggies, Kale is probably the “slowest” of the three. You’re not seeking to self-awaken in a snap and you don’t have their inherent defense. What you have in response is much more card advantage on your front side and a far more devastating end game that can tear cards away from the opponent. You certainly can play the go 12 Battle Cards wide plan, but often it’s better to slow the pace down a little bit and beat the opponent with a better end game.

Keep a Goten in your opening hand when you can.

There are a LOT of threatening 3 drop or less Battle Cards out at the moment. Saiyan Teamwork Cabba, King Vegeta, Surprise Attack Majin Buu, Kunshi, No Openings Son Goku and I can go on. Goten snipes them all. He’s damn helpful to have and I can see his use going up in the coming days. Worst case scenario is that you run into a matchup that doesn’t require it and he’s a free Green energy.

Final Thoughts:

This one felt much shorter than usual but honestly there aren’t that many directions you can take Kale, much like the rest of the ToP compatriots. This of course will change as we get more Cauliflas thanks to her popularity…and the fact that Kefla has not made a TCG appearance yet. For now I hope you already have the Veggie Package ready to go. If not…while you can build the deck certainly, as a Mono-Red deck and such, Kale probably won’t be the best Leader for that. Instead, that goes to Pan…or the Final ToP Leader on the Guide tour, the Prince of All Saiyans himself, Vegeta.