No witty title this time, just a quick, simple article. I’m going to list my opinion of the Top 5 cards in each rarity for Colossal Warfare. Hopefully this can be a useful tool for more budget players to know what to target, and just as a fun project. As always, any comments, questions or suggestions, leave them down below.

Before we start, a couple of ground rules I’ll point out.

No Secret Rares or SPRs: Not much point to the SPRs obviously, and Secret Rares are two cards. If one must know, Demigra number 1, Goku Jr. number 2.

No Leaders: I thought it would feel a bit cheap if I put Leaders for the list.

Commons:

Honorable Mention: Baby, Vengeance Unleashed

Just barely missed the cut, but a card I’m very excited about. Can easily make major pushes thanks to grabbing Saiyan Strength Baby. Myuu makes this card absolutely absurd. What prevents it from making the cut is that I think in Baby it’s not quite that great, since you have to actually establish it on board along with something else while paying Energy you want up for your defense. It’s a bit contradictory in that deck, compared to Myuu who can always drop him for free.

5. Ox-King, Dad at Heart

While this card has lacked a bit of impact for now in the format, I feel this card’s potential is just WAY too high to ignore. The ability to give most of your board Barrier is insane level of protection, and if two hit the board good luck breaking through. The only reason he isn’t seeing as much play as he should, is due to Aggro picking up steam in this format. If the format EVER slows down, get ready to deal with him as an absolute nightmare in many Yellow decks. That being said, it’s only said potential that keeps him on the list.

4. Time Control Chronoa

Yeah, no shocker she makes this list. Even as only a Buu for every color, she would make this list as having a 1 Drop Cantrip is always a great help. The fact that she also shuts down Shugesh (and the Goku’s Lineage Pan’s Swap…oops) is her claim to fame however. In theory, that should rise her to the top or close to it, but it really just makes her a Sideboard All-Star.

3. Sacrifice/Instant Transmission

This one is a little bit of cheating, but they’re the same exact card just for different Leaders and will be big reasons to use said archetypes of Leaders. Mecha-Frieza has shown the absolute power of being able to play a Counter even when tapped out, these cards will be no different. In a format capable of killing you dead quite quickly, the ability to negate an attack for free and put a Life to hand that may have been hit by a Crit can be of crucial importance. Just being able to tap out safely in general is not something the game offers often, so the ability to do so is fantastic.

2. Time’s Choice, Supreme Kai of Time

It’s Time Patrol Trunks but both better (more or less) and far cheaper budget wise. It’s less good if you really want to see an Extra Card (say a negate) but otherwise you can dig deeper which is great. Add to that a relevant Trait in God and we have a great, generic card on our hand. She can easily slot into any deck on the cheap if need be.

1. The Legendary Flute

Was there really any doubt? Even after how much I mentioned I enjoyed this card, it turns out I undersold it even more. Its ability in Aggro strategies is just absurd, allowing more and more attacks while maintaining hand size. At the same time it’s just all around useful for almost anything you need it for. “Bounce” effects for 0 resources spent goes down a dark pathway, especially it covers so much so we’ll see if it needs a change but for now the power and flexibility is simply uncanny. Ironically it might also be the reason Heightened Evolution Son Goku finds its way to an Errata since it will potentially see more play due to Flute needing a Blue Leader (though Hirudegarn and Trunks are making small waves of their own).

Uncommons

Honorable Mention:

No pictures here, but the 3 Drop Self-Awaken Cycle. Probably would’ve made the list proper but they all have different enough effects to stand out on their own and I don’t know if they beat the other cards on the list.

5. Seasoning Arrow

A lot of this cycle however will make the list just due to the sheer power and interaction they provide every game. We start with Seasoning Arrow, a huge swing in power in most cases. Only two things not making this card higher. Demigra may not see that much play, and it’s the only one of the cycle on the list where the opponent gets to choose what to get rid of, slightly weakening the potency. Still, strong card and annoying to deal with.

4. Phantom Flame Cannon

Hirudegarn as an Aggro Leader is catching a bit of buzz, but this card works regardless of how you want to build your Hirudegarn decks. It’s IMMENSELY disruptive, and the opponent gets little to no benefit from you stacking their deck especially in combination with Hirudegarn’s Awakened Side…and anything else you may have on board doing it. Whether on defense to easily wall an attack while weakening the opponent, or on offense to really lay on the beats, this card is a potent reason to play Hirudegarn.

3. Revenge Death Ball

In my opinion, the most busted card of the cycle. This card is the biggest reason Baby will see any play since it’s probably the most extremely potent defensive card in the game right now. At its very worst it’s a 25K point swing against any Battle Card attack, at its best it’ll just kill something. Also, remember (and I didn’t state this during the Preview as it had slipped my mind and I needed to do research on it anyway), Combo Power does not get added onto a Battle Card until both Battle Phases resolve. That means it doesn’t matter how much combo power the opponent put on, if RDB would drop their original power to 0, that card is dead (RDB gets resolved because it’s by a card effect). Other Battle Phase tricks like Senzu Bean do add the power on immediately though, so be forewarned. Still, the card is just absolutely insane for what it does.

2. Vow Revenge

Well I’ve made no subtleties about what I feel about this card. Card is arguably outright snapped, 0 Energy Removal (well, potential removal) is just potentially a bad idea and it just does SO much. The only reason it’s not Number 1 is because it’s limited to two decks, whereas the Number 1 Card(s) can be played in many.

1. Intensifying Power Trunks/Newfound Power Son Gohan

Again a little bit of a cheat, but one well worth it. Both this cards are absolutely insane and will absolutely change the course of the game. One could argue that Trunks is better thanks to being an Evolve target for Chain Attack Trunks and I wouldn’t dispute that but honestly that still would only be a slight edge and I believe both these cards deserve the top slot. Expect to see them in decks for years to come.

Rares

Honorable Mention: Oath Power, Trunks

I just really like this card in general. Easy criteria to meet, doesn’t screw you out of playing Over Realm cards, great Keywords and abilities. I hope this card sees more play, though it’s just in a really rough spot in terms of competition and deck design.

5. Dark Control Demon God Demigra

Honestly I was going back and forth between this and Trunks. But I went with this simply because if Demigra catches on as a Leader, this card will definitely see play whereas Trunks will struggle to find a true home. A Dark Over Realm card that can rip apart the opponent’s hand every turn is not something to be trifled with.

4. Saiyan Strength Baby

I honestly wanted to put this card higher because it’s just so damn solid. On average it’s removal on 4 which draws you a card. On its own that’s solid, and then it can come down on the extremely cheap thanks to Baby, Vengeance Unleashed. It’s a big tempo swing for sure. But because it’s limited to Machine Mutant Leaders it really neuters how often you’ll see the card. It would be Number 2 on this list if it could be used in more decks.

3. Dimensional Banisher Fu

What we have here is a more targeted Masked Saiyan, the Mysterious Warrior. Being able to hit bigger drops and/or Blockers is a big reason to run this if your deck lacks big time single target removal. Just all around versatile for that purpose.

2. Burst Energy SS Bardock

This card gets the nod for me because while it’s another way to removal, the key is that it’s removal for Barrier cards (in essence). As Jiren, Fist of Justice can attest to, 30K come down the pipe is not easy to deal with, especially from out of nowhere. It also has a more competitive Over Realm cost of 4. This is a great final piece for a few Control decks and is just generally better and better the more Barrier cards we obtain.

1. Successor of Hope

It’s a no cost Tutor that can search out one of the best cards in the game. Even if it only searched out Bardock, the Progenitor (three guesses on what’s headlining the SRs) it’d probably make the top spot on this list. However it also searches out damn near everything else in that archetype, Super Combos included. It’s just simply absurd. There’s a reason this is the second Rare Extra Card in the game (and it’s better than Baby’s Subdual was).

Super Rares

Honorable Mention: Combo Killer, Anilaza

I might get some grief for not putting this card higher, as Anilaza is getting a LOT of hype in the community. I see the potential for sure, but I just want to see it perform a little more. Plus it was tough on these top 5 slots and I feel a lot better about every other card on this list. Still, I did say not to underestimate this card in my preview, I won’t do so now. Thus a HM to keep an eye out.

5. Kami’s Power, Piccolo

I think far more people like Anilaza than Piccolo and I understand why, but personally I’m also more sold on having nearly unrestricted removal every turn for no cost. That’s just absolutely insane in my book. I think the Bond 2 scares people off, but it’s honestly a very easy condition to meet unless the opponent is literally killing EVERYTHING you have on board, any potential Barrier cards included. Once ready though, it forces the opponent into the unenviable situation of knowing many of his cards are not long for the world the second they drop them. It’s weird that this type of impact is being overlooked, but that may just be the current state of the game.

4. Height of Mastery Son Goku

If you aren’t able to smash the opponent into a blob of ground meat on the first couple of turns with Goku’s Lineage insanity, you need a fallback plan. HoM Goku is a HELL of a fallback plan. 9 times out of 10, you play this, the opponent dies almost immediately afterwards. Only reason it doesn’t go higher on the list is that the deck is on such a strong aggro plan you usually don’t get to SEE Height of Mastery all that often. Also the other SRs are just really damn good.

3. At All Costs Vegeta

A definite far cry from his terrible SR a while back. At All Costs Vegeta is the epitome of versatility. He fills in a slot for whatever you may need on certain turns. Against fast decks he’s a solid body that pays for himself without tapping you out dangerously. Against slow decks he is about 5 different functions on his own. You only ever want around 2 of the guy, but when you draw him he’s guaranteed to do SOMETHING relevant to your gameplan. As to what that may be, only you can decide.

2. Epochal Grudge Great Ape Baby

This might be a biased pick, but I honestly believe that this card’s power is just absolutely off the charts. The amount of pressure he puts on the game the second he hits the board is absolutely immense. To the point the opponent will spend his Leader swing and potentially his turn just trying to combo out to kill him (if he’s tapped of course). The longer he’s on board, the more obscene advantage he creates, and the tighter stranglehold you have on the game. He’s a true Control card that the opponent never wants to deal with.

1. Bardock, the Progenitor

I mentioned how great this card was in the Previews and yet some how, despite the gushing, I completely undersold him. This card is absolutely bonkers. Now in fairness to myself, I wasn’t 100% that he would have the ruling that you could bounce him for free with no targets in hand. It makes an already stupid strong card completely off the rails. He’s aggro personified, he is arguably the ENTIRE reason Goku’s Lineage are going to find themselves in the top tables consistently. Hell he’s good enough to play with no Goku’s Lineage support and almost completely invalidates No Openings Son Goku because he’s able to bounce himself back at will. He can cause a huge board swarm and just punches the opponent constantly. Also that 10K body cannot be underestimated because it also provides early game pressure. The low cost SRs continue to change the game.

Final Thoughts:

It was pretty fun to make this list. It’s a good way to see how Bandai handles their rarity distribution. I tried my best to keep most of my bias out of it, and obviously this list is preliminary. Who knows what could break out at tournaments over the course of the next couple of months. But I hope you guys enjoyed it and got something out of it.

Until Next Time, Keep Fighting Because If You Don’t, Who Will?