Yet another action packed day of Preview Season. Maybe not AS hectic as before, since they didn’t decide to preview two sets at once but still plenty to go over. We round out the non-SR Clash of Fates cards today with Green, looking to deliver a bit of hype. Broly Pack Vol. 3 to hopefully bolster more of the Series 6 archetypes, and the surprise (at least a week or two ago when we saw the effects first) Power Booster to help out some current archetypes. Let’s get down to it.

Clash of Fates Green Cards

Son Goku/Son Goku, the Legendary Super Saiyan

When one thinks about Shonen transformations, this is usually the one that comes to mind, ESPECIALLY to the Western Audience. Shonen is filled with transformations, but this is the icon. The time Goku finally becomes the Legendary Super Saiyan. The art of this Leader brilliantly captures the moment, but can it capture the power?

On the front side, we have a very familiar effect. Discard a Green Card to Draw 2, very similar to Hirudegarn but with some differences. He has to discard a Green Card, rather than any Battle Card. In Mono Green, a strict advantage. The more diversion in colors, the more Hirudegarn shines through a bit more (plus he has Minotia for extra advantage). He doesn’t have to attack the Leader like Hirudegarn does, can often be a good deal to steal early advantage. Lastly, the obvious Burst 2 so he thins the deck a lot harder at the potential expense of a bad mill (unless you go into Reanimator strategies which we’ll get to in a bit). Oh and he’s not Blue, which currently is always a downside. But he has good advantages on his Front Side, on top of the usual Untap Awaken.

His Awakened Side is a throwback to the very first set of the game and his initial SR. Dead Krillin support! He does the typical draw, but if you got a Dead Krillin he becomes a 20K Double Strike on a stick. Not the flashiest effect ever, but pretty frustrating for an opponent at 2 Life to constantly have to deal with him. Just depends on how good Krillin really is at this point to justify teching him, but even before the cards in this set Krillin had started to amass a decent amount of utilitarian tech cards throughout Green and Yellow. It’s not too hard to find room for one. I think this Goku definitely becomes the best “generic” Green Leader we have to this point. A lot of design space to mess around with.

Hyperspeed Son Goku

A new entry in the Self-Awaken cycle…and it continues Green tradition by getting these sort of things late. Just like Green had to wait a bit to get their true to form generic Bodyguard, they’ve needed a new generic Self-Awaken card. Tien has long since been outclassed, and Saonel is only for Namekians. This Goku might actually end up being the best of the bunch because while 15-20K Dual Attack is fine, 30K Critical is massive. Will see play in decks that really need the Self-Awaken help, maybe even outside of that since the pressure swing is quite large.

Fledgling Duo Son Gohan

Another of the “Specific BC Reducers” we yet again have a Gohan built specifically to help out Krillin. However, while Krillin has certainly claimed quite a few utility cards…none of them are so impactful that it’s realistically worth running this Gohan to cut costs later. It MIGHT’VE been passable had it been a Childhood Gohan and not Youth since it would mean SSJ2 Gohan Evolve potential but even then that seems too ambitious. Likely pass.

Vegeta, Fully Recovered

So we have an extremely interesting card with this Vegeta, signifying his return from near death to wreck everything on Namek. It also signifies the focus of Green in this particular set (outside of Dead Krillin shenanigans) which is a Reanimator strategy. Those who frequent No Negate know my personal joy for all things Reanimator so my interest is immediately piqued. This Vegeta’s goal is to provide a bit of extra payoff for reviving him from the Drop by allowing him to kill 2 things rather than 1 and get two attacks in. Is it worth it? Uh…actually no, not really. Really needed some kind of offensive keyword like Double Strike or Critical or at least have Barrier to make him a bit more reliable. As he is he’s only good if you revive him. Word to the wise, if you’re gonna play a card that’s only particularly solid if you revive him (since Green already has 500 Removal options at 4 Energy) it better have absurd impact.

Tactical Victory Vegeta

Call the wife and kids, it’s finally happened! We have actual Field Card interaction! Now since this is the only thing this card does, this likely won’t see play…for now. If Field Cards start gaining traction this will see immediate Side Board play. Just a card I’m glad exists for peace of mind.

Ever-Dependable Bulma

I was gonna skip over this a bit as just another ToP Super Combo…however she has a few upsides that are worth talking about. She works for all Green Saiyans which will give quite a few of them a possible new option. Also she works for Shenron Leaders which is certainly interesting. Considering the nature of the Wish mechanic, having a Super Combo that is live earlier is definitely worth considering over previous options. Bulma might have a bit more impact than usual.

Persistent Assault Krillin

The first of the two Krillins today that are set to meet their maker. This one is essentially a Green Vegito that gives up 5K Power to get the guaranteed draw at 4 Energy, and is also a Green Krillin. The thing is, with Green’s impressive options at 4, idk if being Vegito is quite enough to get there. However a more defensive approach to a Mono-Green deck could be a reality, and of course being Krillin is quite relevant. Keep an eye on this one.

Fledgling Duo Krillin

The other Krillin ready to die for the cause is…pretty much exactly a worse Limitless Energy Android 17. No Barrier and worse stats. Yes you don’t need a Green Leader to use this Krillin…but at the same time you likely wouldn’t use this outside of Legendary Super Saiyan Goku who can use 17 so…yeah. If you need a 4 Drop Krillin (and the SR Goku this set needs one), Persistent Assault is where the money lies.

Dende

Skip to my lou.

Plea for Salvation

Considering how underwhelming his preview was, it’s pretty easy to forget that Porunga is in this set and thus needs some Desire cards to mess with. This is a more restricted World Peace with the upside of killing a weenie. …I highly doubt anyone who has played World Peace has said “Man, this is a nice play but I really wish I had a more guaranteed way of getting rid of that pesky 2 Drop”. Yeah, just stick to World Peace.

Frieza Army Healing Pod

Now…this is definitely an interesting card. First, it provides payoff for going hard on the Reanimator strategy by giving you a draw once a turn for getting it off. Then when you really need something in a pinch, turns into a slightly different version of To Save a Hopeful Future. Good versatility. Honestly though, the best deck for this card is easily Shenron. Prepare to draw your entire deck since this is just absurdly live at nearly all times. Shenron Value Train definitely got more pep.

Preemptive Strike

The last Green card to be previewed and to me, the absolute highlight of the entire day. Let me take you through my emotions when reading this card for the first time.

“Finally, a new Counter: Play card! It’s a damn miracle!”

“Oh interesting, it’s like a DBS version of Trap Hole”

“Wait…INSTEAD of being played? My god…it’s Essence Scatter!”

Yes, DBS finally has its true to form, first legitimate Summon Negate/Counter. Shivers have gone down every spine of those souls who have dealt with the fun of Blue cards in Magic the Gathering. You thought getting a Cold Bloodlust to your face was bad, oh that was nothing. This also has a much broader range of Leaders that can use this. Just absurd.

Wait, Deflect exists? Oh no worries, unless your opponent REALLY wants to counter one of the Black Utility cycle the only cards this whiffs against Deflect wise is Janemba and Super 17, everything else this couldn’t hit anyway (and this can hit Hell Fighter 17 which is generally good enough and also Childish Heart Janemba).

For those that bemoan that this only hits 4 Drops or Less, a reminder that this game has far more removal than a typical MtG Standard format. Unless you want to require every single big Battle Card to come equipped with Barrier and Deflect, this is the only way to allow bigger Battle Cards to still feel at least decent to play.

Lastly…the Super Broly Leaders can play this AND Cold Bloodlust. Enjoy trying to play any Battle Card ever.

Broly Pack Vol. 3

Veku, Defective Fighter

A thought occurred to me as I write this. Exactly how long is this damn movie anyway? It has to accommodate about 500 Transformations, and at least two Fusion attempts since Veku’s in this thing not to mention any backstory and other fights they want to throw in.

Anyway, once again another card that’s pretty damn hard to evaluate when we’ve seen exactly zero of the Red Movie Cards. I’ll say though that at a glance, Veku looks pretty good. Normally 3 Energy and 2 cards out of your hand for a 10K Barrier Blocker sounds absolutely horrid…but you’ll get the 2 cards back almost immediately. 3 Energy for it still isn’t good…but once he does his job and dies you immediately ramp ahead by 2. Now this card is cooking with some gas. If the Goku and Vegetas are good, then this should be good.

Gogeta, Comeback King

…this one is a bit harder to justify. If you already have the 7 Energy to Fusion this out, and you need it for it to do anything…do you REALLY need another 3 Energy to ramp into at that point? Maybe there’s a revitalization of a crazy Beerus ramp deck with this Gogeta, but right now this seems like extreme overkill otherwise. Especially since you only get an extra Blocker out of the deal and you’re out an extra 2 cards.

Broly, Paralyzing Presence

Reverse the two Brolys because the payoff is in the proper order this go around. This Broly on his own is simply…not very good. The cost drop is pretty damn easy to meet, sure, but a 2 Drop 15K Freeze alone isn’t really worth playing. Let alone something that’s only a 2 Drop some of the time. There’s only one reason to potentially play the above card and that’s…

Broly, Demonic Intimidation

This card. At first I thought it wasn’t much better than the above card…until you read his last effect carefully. Unlike the above Broly that only freezes Battle Cards, this can freeze ANY card. Not just Battle Cards, but Field Cards, Energy and Leaders. This card can be immensely disruptive for some strategies. Energy is the obvious lockdown, but locking down a Leader also has great shenanigan potential. Now thankfully this comes out a tad too slow to completely lock out Shenron and Porunga from the game but he has extreme versatility in how to lower the opponent’s ceiling, especially if multiple of these hit the board. It’s worth the discard, trust me.

Power Booster

Super Baby 1, Parasitic Menace

Now we talk about the Power Booster, meant to help bolster a few strategies and of course the first card we talk about is my boy, Baby. Anyone who has followed this blog knows of my steadfast belief in Machine Mutants, and my success with the deck. There’s been a lot of hype around this Baby so it’s possible many people expect me to gush and wax poetic about this card.

I’m gonna say something that may be surprising. I don’t believe this card is very good. Let’s run down this card. It’s obviously meant to be an easier or quicker way into Great Ape Baby, while providing a little extra drain power on the way. As much as I definitely do gush about the power level of Great Ape Baby, which I still believe to be quite high, I have also been somewhat steadfast about the fact that the deck does not and should not revolve around him. Yes, this Baby helps ease the Energy Cost GREATLY of putting the Great Ape on board and even does it a lot faster, possibly by Turn 2. The problem is…well let me explain it like this. You need Baby, Vengeance Unleashed, another Baby/Vegeta target, Super Baby 1, AND Great Ape Baby all in hand for this to go off.

To me, a big strength of Machine Mutants is the ability for the deck to remain streamlined and pivot into whatever strategy is required of you at the moment, whether a harsh and sturdy wall of control, or an advantage gaining tempo deck. You hold onto threats until you absolutely need them and completely dictate the pace of the game as to how you want it. This completely throws that out and tries to make the deck into “Great Ape Turbo”. Great Ape is…well, great but it’s also not good in every matchup. Mono-Blue Control eats him alive due to the copious amount of Barrier, Shenron decks can easily just get back whatever they lose, and against Storm even with this help, it comes out far too late and only hits one card of the opponent’s choice to which afterwards they can pivot and continue the onslaught. Without the Great Ape, this card is just an okay cantrip that pressures you into getting out Saiyan Strength Baby which you absolutely want to save until necessary since targets are very precious in the deck.

I initially would’ve said this is a 1-2 tech card of choice, but because of needing to be in hand alongside a bunch of other things to work, he would need at 3-4 to work out properly. I’m sure people will go hard to get into the Great Ape but ultimately I don’t think it’s worth it.

Hirudegarn, Premonition of Evil

Now this one is pretty damn obvious as to what he’s there for. To have another Evolve Target for Colossal Malice Hirudegarn, not unlike Super Baby 1. Difference here is that this Hirudegarn is far better as an independent card. In the intended deck this is a quick and dirty way to get to Colossal Malice without having to gear up the entire engine which can take forever. Decent tech choice. Outside of it though it’s actually a interesting possibility as a free card to play. Ledgic often sees play as a free 15K Blocker and…of course we know about the Free 5K Blockers catching steam. He’s a free 10K Attacker or 20K Blocker that’s honestly not that terribly difficult to get off. Hirudegarn Storm already makes a habit of playing Minotia due to the ability to deck thin a bit harder. Who knows, maybe Hidden Darkness Tapion can find its way in the deck for faster Over Realm access while also allowing this Hirudegarn to be played. Probably a bit ambitious, but it may be something worth looking into especially since Striving Goku would be arriving a month prior and the ability to go into Over Realm and have other attacking options would be very important to test. Do not overlook this card.

Piccolo, Cunning Strategist

Hmm, now this is an interesting card. This is support for two decks obviously. Namekians and U7. I’ll say that Namekians probably appreciate this more since it’s a Go Wide deck and most have trigger or attack effects and not Put in Play effects so they don’t lose out nearly as much for the turn. The problem? Kami…Still…Exists. Ironic that a Piccolo fused with Kami, is foiled by Kami.

Son Goku, Path to Greatness

Probably the most hyped card of the Power Booster, as shown by Goku Jr. suddenly getting a price spike (I still think he’s bad…but I certainly don’t blame anyone for getting copies just in case, potential huge profit to be gained). The upside to this card is insanely obvious. Skip about 500 steps and just get to Height of Mastery and win the game on the spot. If that weren’t enough, it’s a decent enough card on its own as a Barrier cantrip that can tap a BC down.

Height of Mastery OTK will be a VERY real thing with this card considering that it has no Leader Requirement. Shenron Lineage OTK, probably a big deck in the making. This won’t be fitting into Storm though with the high Yellow requirement. But this absolutely makes OTK Lineage something to fear.

Encroaching Darkness Demigra

The final card to be previewed today and it’s pretty all over the place. A random Xeno-Evolve help for…all of one Demigra and only realistically gets it out an Energy cheaper. His main function though…is as another Storm hoser. This one is a lot more fair since it’s an OR card, so anyone can use it, and it only locks them up for a turn and not damn near forever. Do note though to play this after you’ve done everything else you want for the turn, lest you block your own turn outside of playing Mono-Black. Prepare to see this in a bunch of Side Boards.

Final Thoughts:

The Green Cards for Clash of Fates were mostly fine, other than Preemptive Strike which will absolutely change the game as we know it today. Broly Pack cards were aight, Power Booster definitely will have an impact in the metagame in some capacity. At its worse, Demigra will be there to help fight the “dastardly” Storm menace.

Next week, the SRs drop and we’ll see if they can carry the set.