Now that we finally got the Decklists for the Top 32 I can write this article. A big year in DBS has closed, and we have crowned our first National Champion in Jordan Markle. It was a big event and a hallmark for the game that should push it into the next year with ferocity. But to move forward, we have to look back. Because Nationals also happened to be really, the first big tourneys post-Miraculous Revival. What were the deck trends, what cards made a stand, what disappointed? Let’s look into it.

The Information on Storm’s Demise Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

Yeah turns out Storm (yes I still hate the name for the deck, but it’s kind of pointless to fight a losing battle at this point) is still pretty damn good. Between Crisis Crusher, the Deadly Defenders and Hercule, many people seemingly thought Storm’s time had come and gone. I for one found that curious, because while we did have more ways to fight off Storm, none were an outright kill for the deck. What actually ended up happening was that more things came out to combat Hercule which was the one deck really holding Storm back. With Hercule all but victimized at Nationals, Storm did what it did best. With 10 Representatives in Top 32, and 5 in the Top 8 while also being spread across 3 Different Leaders, the message is clear. The deck is here to stay unless Bandai wants to make an example out of it. It’s still the best deck, it’s not going to change any time soon. That being said…

Variety is the Spice of Life

While Storm took up a fair amount of the proceedings, the Top 32 was pretty varied. 10 Leaders out of Top 32 makes a good amount, no Leader managing more than 8 tops (Shenron being the Leader). Shenron himself had five different playstyles represented in Top 32. We also had some fun niche picks like Pan, U7 Frieza and the Hungry Wolf himself Yamcha. This is definitely a format where you can make a lot of things work if you put in the time, research and effort. Although…

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit

The Beans were dominant at this event. At least 26 Documented Decks were running it and every single one had the full suite of 4 either in the Main or Side. If you were behind the ball before, now you know. Senzu Bean is the best card in the game right now. Offense, Defense the card does it all and is pretty much never bad in hand. The card has even jumped up to $10-11 in price. This is a Common. Potentially needed reprint aside, Senzu Bean is the supreme reason that many decks find room for some Blue. Defend against Storm, increase your actions per turn on offense, the only thing it doesn’t do is take your dog out for a walk and even then I’m suspicious. This is the Staple to End All Staples at the moment. But from one highly expected Blue Card to one unexpected…

Where’s Ace Attorney 7 Capcom?!

This is a card at the very least I had written off for basically dead. Before the format was too fast to use it, then they printed Dende and I thought that was all she wrote for Objection. Well I is moron because Objection came back in a BIG way at Nationals. Almost a third of the field were using Objection. Dende be damned, people wanted to hit their energy and fast. And by people, I mean a gigantic dragon that comes from a set of seven orbs. Shenron was using Objection liberally at the event, most even using a full 4 Copies. Most, in search of a singular goal. That goal is…

The Shining Star of DB Super

That’s right the Holy Fusion Knight himself. I put this in my Top 5 SRs of the Set, but only at Number 5 because I thought he’d struggle with both a home, and just getting out on time. Well the two answers being solved vaults it, and his absurdly strong effect up to First Place. Shenron and Objection. Between the two Gogeta came out on time pretty fast, and could even get it back from the Drop with World Peace if need be. Slap Shenron’s Ultimate on him, and good luck. God forbid if they also have the Figure of Majesty out to give up Critical. Gogeta ended up being the Shenron headliner of choice throughout most of the event, so much so that even the Vanillas I wrote off actually saw a little play just to get this going as early as possible. Though, while Gogeta was arguably the star of the show, he often wasn’t the one receiving the Ultimate the most. That honor would go to…

The Cost is Now Tripled

At All Costs Vegeta. I was a big believer in this card when he was revealed, he continued to be great but now he’s found his true stride. As the main Ultimate Partner for Shenron and it’s easy to see why. He’s good on his own, does so much, and actually hits harder than Gogeta on top of also being a Gogeta Union:Fusion partner. He fits every single role you want. Danny Nguyen built a deck almost completely around getting At All Costs going and killing the opponent in one turn alongside Bad Ring Laser. The price spiked for this card for a good reason. If you didn’t get them before, good luck now.

Bridesmaid 3: What Else is New?

Droids, Droids, Droids. Whatever will I do with you? They once again do what they do best. A couple slip through to go deep, before ultimately petering out in the end. We even had a Super 17 sighting in the top cut. But even with the shiny new toy of the Super 17 Chain it was business as usual for them. One last thing to talk about before wrapping up.

Mill, Mill, Mill.

The verdict is in. Mill Janemba is a real thing. Probably more unexpected, it was far more preferred than any other Janemba discipline. Multiple reps in the Top 32. When a game goes long, Janemba is there to make it frightening. Every turn gouging more and more out of you with minimal resource requirement while having a ton of defense on the back end. If building a slow deck you must keep Mill Janemba in mind. Any deck facing it becomes the aggro because getting milled out is a legitimate possibility. Most of us were skeptical on how good it was, because Mill historically has an extremely poor track record outside of Score/Panini Z where…you know, main win condition the game was built around. Nationals confirms that it’s real here and you must be wary of it.

Final Thoughts:

I thought the Nationals were a great event to watch, my only wish was that I could participate myself. My goal next year will be to do so however. It was a great representation of the game, yes, even with Storm dominating the late proceedings (probably because I’m one of the few who enjoys watching Storm mirrors). I believe the game has a good future as long as we continue to get the support and transparency that we’ve been provided. Here’s to a great next year for the Dragon Ball Super TCG!