Yes, we are back with a new Leader Guide! I know I was going to do Cell next, but I figured instead of going in a set order it’d just be simpler to do things just based on intuition. I’ll still do my best to get to all the requested Leaders. Also, we will NOT be doing every single Leader for Colossal Warfare (at least not all at once). I felt that ultimately it made a few of the guides rushed and not to their best potential. With that out of the way, today we are going to Wrath of the Dragon and one of its main characters, Trunks. Let’s see what he brings to the table and if he can break out of the shadow of his Future Self and Super Saiyan 3 Goku (ironically also in this movie).

Trunks/Iron Vow Trunks

Unique Cards:

None

Strengths:

+ Untap 2 Awaken is becoming more relevant as Aggro Increases, Blue is also more equipped than most to deal with Aggro strategies.

+ The ability to both untap a valuable Battle Card AND an Energy allows to keep great stability over a game on top of just solid value.

Weaknesses:

– Being locked into Mono-Blue (and some splashed Black) limits deck building freedom.

– A couple of what would be their best Untap Targets…happen to fall under 2 Energy (Mainly West Supreme Kai and Kibito).

– Has to compete with Heightened Evolution Son Goku as a Blue Leader.

Overview:

Iron Vow Trunks is probably one of my favorite Leaders from Colossal Warfare. He represents a lot of what makes Blue…well, Blue. While it’s locked into Mono-Blue, which does restrict what he can do, at the same time I believe it’s fine here. It’s nowhere near as bad as U7 Goku’s restriction, and Mono-Blue hasn’t gotten a lot of love lately. Even now with Blue back on the upswing, it’s mostly because of The Legendary Flute (along with Unyielding Spirit Trunks and Senzu Bean to a lesser extent). So it’s good to have a Leader provide legitimate payoff for going mono colored. The question is, will the payoff be worth it?

I mean, let’s not mince words, untapping 1 Energy is nothing compared to untapping 3 Energy. Doesn’t have Goku’s ramp as well. Is the untapping of later game Battle Cards enough? Well, simply put, it can be. Arguably Goku’s biggest upside is ALSO his biggest drawback. The 2 Life into Energy at the beginning of the game. It gives him quick Self-Awaken and ramps him and that was enough to make him the best Leader in the game after Mecha got pimp slapped. But I think back to something Bandai representatives said all the way back in Set 1, where they were somewhat perturbed by how cavalier players were treating their life totals. Annoyed that Life Cards were really just being treated as extra cards to draw and nothing more until you got to that final 1 to 2 life. They warned players to be more cautious with their Life totals. Now, there really wasn’t any reason to do so before now. 2 Life was usually the “danger zone” and anything above that you just had to watch out for the rare Triple Striker. Everything else you didn’t care, it was card advantage.

Now it’s a different story. Now we have decks putting out a TON of damage on the first 1-3 turns of a game if not just outright killing you even from 8 Life out. Goku starting at 6 Life will actually become an outright detriment both defensively and offensively. Defensively, obviously you start out with 2 less life. Yes, you have an extra energy to defend yourself with but the offset isn’t in Goku’s favor. Offensively, both the current R/B “Storm” decks (I’m not 100% a fan of the name considering it’s not really how Storm works, but I’ll still use it since it’s the noted lexicon at this point) and Goku’s Lineage generally use attackers that take their own life. Essentially less starting Life actually means less overall attacks. So while Heightened Evolution is, for good reason, on the watchlist, I don’t think he has the stranglehold he had on Blue Leaders as he had.

So if anything, the real comparison should probably be made to SSGSS Son Goku, the Soul Striker. Trunks trades the ability to Untap early on for Draw Power and Untap Awaken. He also trades one extra energy for untapping a Battle Card. Goku however gets to be more freeform in his untapping. Ultimately though, I think having an Untap 2 Awaken in this format has actually become superior to the Draw 2 simply because it’s a lot safer. It’s a failsafe to know that for the most part, you can get out of this. Also untapping a Battle Card is solid, even if it’s something as simple as Raging Spirit Son Gohan. I don’t know if I’d go to an Aggro-laden Regional as Trunks, but I find him a fun Leader to play. Now onto the actual deck itself.

Deck List:

Iron Vow Trunks

4 Energy Boosted Majin Buu

4 Time Control Chronoa

4 Group Leader Pilaf

4 Powers Combined, Kibito Kai

4 Majin Defiler, West Supreme Kai

4 Raging Spirit Son Gohan

4 Oath’s Power, Tapion

4 Piccolo, the Strategist

4 Trio de Dangers Bergamo

2 At All Costs Vegeta

2 Beerus, Universe 7 Divine Vanquisher

2 Masked Saiyan, the Mysterious Warrior

4 Whis’ Coercion

4 Senzu Bean

Deck Overview:

Pretty much the new look Mono-Blue. Try to survive the early onslaught and then lean in the late game with your great amount of value cards. Normally having a grand total of 4 (cards period, not separate bundles) Double Strikers would be problematic but the current stage of the game allows that to work. Against slower decks you still have plenty to get the job done as well. Now onto the actual Deck Choices.

Discussion Points:

Wha, PILAF?!

Yes good ole Pilaf, one of my favorite cards in the game. Before he was just fun tech, a periodic side board piece but now I think he might actually have a slot in the main. He turns off any Keyword, which includes Swap. So when a Goku’s Lineage deck goes to make their swing with Bardock they’ll be in for a rude surprise if they don’t have a Flute already raring to go. Not just limited to that as well, the ability to turn off Dual/Triple Attack (screw you Ultra Instinct Gokus), or even something like Critical or Double Strike to make a big attack just smaller and allow you to take an extra life can be CRUCIAL. I’ve liked him so far. Now if you aren’t feeling him, he’s an easy replacement with Universe 10 Supreme Kai Gowasu, there are more than enough Gods in the deck. Or even Ultimate Judgment Jaco if you’re all in on fending off combos.

No Flute?

The Legendary Flute is a format warping card, no doubt about that. I definitely considered putting it in here as well. However…it doesn’t do much of anything in this deck other than letting you reuse cantrips. There’s no obscene aggro plan, nor some crazy interaction with the card in here. It’s a decent sideboard option in here but as opposing removal rather than just blinking (as a matter of fact I see far too many players forgetting that it can double as removal in a pinch).

Masked Saiyan, the Black Card of Choice?

Wide boards are annoying. Wide boards are the current format. Masked Saiyan is the best answer to Wide Boards in most cases. No more than 2 though, you do NOT want to draw multiple of him when you aren’t allowed to charge him in a pinch.

Kibito Kai over Piccolo?

This goes against previous philosophy of Piccolo being better since he was more consistent, but the current suite of Aggro decks are combo heavy. Even if Kibito Kai doesn’t draw a card he still makes sure the amount of cards you need to block hits is lessened. Anything to relieve pressure is a good thing. Kibito Kai does it better than Piccolo.

Bergamo?

Yes Bergamo, who I consider one of the more “traditional” Midrange cards in this game. The opponent has to get through him to get to you (outside of his Leader of course, but if you’re at higher than 2, the opponent will still likely send it Bergamo’s way). He is your stabilization card against Aggro decks bar none. Get him on board and protect him for dear life and you’ll usually win. At worst he’ll still fend off at least 2 attacks if not more. Against slower decks, probably not the best but still good that he’s there.

Tips:

Know what type of deck the opponent is playing and adjust FAST.

With Aggro and Control really making their presence felt this format, it’s more important than ever to know what you’re up against as soon as humanly possible. Now this is relatively easy to do on the Draw as the opponent will give himself away on the first turn, but on the Play you STILL need to recognize what the opponent is doing before he even does anything. Against the current Aggro decks you simply cannot afford to make a Turn 1 play unless your hand is STACKED with a bunch of Super Combos in a pinch. Or of course if you don’t have any decent defense in which case there’s no point bluffing it since the opponent will go forward with an aggro plan regardless of your board state. However against slower decks you cannot afford to be twiddling your thumbs doing nothing for a turn, you need to move fast. This is as Midrange as it gets.

Against R/B Storm and Goku’s Lineage there is a set turn pattern to aim for.

My gameplan when dealing with those decks is usually as follows.

Turn 1 – Mitigate Damage

Turn 2 – Stick West Supreme Kai on board and SURVIVE, preferably with more than 2 Life but do whatever you must (chances are you’ll awaken this turn as well so you’ll put out a cantrip or two as well).

Turn 3 – Drop Bergamo on board and protect him. If the opponent can’t out him on the first volley you’re probably set.

Turn 4+ – Profit

It’s a pretty strict order but it saves your life. If you see the opponent’s Leader as SSJ3 Goku, Hirudegarn, Trunks or even Vegeta, IMMEDIATELY mulligan for defensive hands. If you can make it past your Bergamo turn alive, ESPECIALLY if Bergamo himself is alive, you more often than not win that game. If you’re lucky, you end up getting a second Bergamo on board and laugh as the opponent is outright screwed (most current Aggro decks lack any sort of board clear outside of Flute itself, which can’t touch Bergamo).

Against slower decks, Tapion, Vegeta and Beerus are your friends.

Against more slow decks in the format you definitely want to be able to Awaken quickly, get your value and then have Beerus chop away. Piccolo is also pretty helpful as he avoids most removal but isn’t generally what’s winning you the game. With enough patience you’ll win based on value alone.

Don’t be afraid to use Raging Spirit Son Gohan offensively.

Remember, you can untap him because he’s a 3 drop. A good play is to play him offensively as a good pump, then untap him. At its best you got tempo advantage, at its worse you basically paid 0 for 10K on Offense and you have 10K combo on Defense ready.

Final Thoughts:

I’ve had a lot of fun with this deck. I’ll probably still continue to play it on the side as well. Trunks has been overlooked a lot due to lack of flash but he’s fun in the right hands and is worth the legacy that Tapion left to him.

Next Time, Namekians FINALLY get their shine.