Welcome all to another day on Preview Season. Today, the glorious SRs we’ve all been waiting for from Clash of Fates. Also, the non-SD Green Cards from Series 6 get previewed. Can these SRs get the new Clash of Fates themes over the top? Can these other Green Cards provide something new other than BROLY SMASH? Let’s find out.

Clash of Fates SRs

Final Showdown Frieza

A card we saw in the initial trailer that we can talk about now after a lot of thinking and seeing the rest of the support. Basically, if you’re going to play the Red Frieza Leader, this is the biggest reason why. It’s literally Cold Bloodlust on a stick with some upsides and downsides. Upsides, it’s an extremely rare natural Double Strike/Critical. We almost never see that on a Battle Card without help so that immediately pops out. Also it naturally avoids both Deflect and Bad Ring Laser as Final Showdown Frieza is a Battle Card and not a Counter Extra Card. The main issues against this card are that he needs the Red Frieza Leader, and that he has to take a Critical himself to get the effect off. Realistically though, those restrictions are fair since this card would be absolutely absurd without either of those.

So it then becomes a question on, is this card good enough to get Red Frieza over the hump? My answer is…depends on the Format. It needs to be a relatively slow format for FS Frieza to thrive in. Thankfully, due to that 25K Body with the unique Double Strike/Critical pairing along with the Swap support it’s not like this Frieza is a complete dud even if the CBL effect doesn’t pay off. The mere presence of him alone will force the opponent to adjust accordingly, but because of the Leader requirement you’re not going to see a lot of him unless the format really demands his effect.

My take is, in a vacuum it’s a great card. Will bolster the Red Frieza deck well for those who want to pursue it. To see meta play, really needs the format to develop around needing extra CBL backup.

Final Strike Bardock

See the Clash of Fates Blue Preview for my thoughts (this gives me an excuse to post his normal SR Art).

Final Showdown Son Goku

The last of the Clash of Fates SRs we saw in the initial trailers. This card is an absolute doozy. When your solid 4 drop Krillin dies, this comes out for free and kills anything you want no matter the circumstance (outside of Indestructible). It’s almost like a Yugioh Hand Trap where the opponent attempts to do something and you make them pay out of nowhere. Differences being for one, thankfully being a lot more narrow in application but at the same time, able to lean into said application. This is why I believe Persistent Assault Krillin is where you want to be for your “Krillin Dies” deck. Your opponent eventually HAS to kill him in order to actually proceed in the game. If they don’t put a lot of resources into doing it, probably trying to conserve cards or avoid FS Goku, then it’s child’s play to protect him and the opponent gets nowhere. If they put in a ton of resources, you give up very little and FS Goku comes in over the top to kill something and they have a new problem to deal with.

Also, this actually has a lot of game with quite a few (EX) Evolve Targets in Green for Goku that have seen minimal to low play because of the…poor quality of high cost Gokus in the color. If you want to lean in extremely hard to the “Krillin Dies” deck, you could go with a classic that never got the shine he deserved in Awakening Rage Son Goku. 25K Triple Strike that cleans up a board is nothing to scoff at. I personally believe it’s probably too ambitious just because Persistent Assault Krillin already does a decent job in warding off small ball, go wide tactics (alongside Kami) but hey, this is our best chance to play it. For those looking for something with less meme value, we could go toward less flashy cards that didn’t get any chance. Finishing Spirit Bomb Son Goku can turn FS Goku around into a ton of card advantage with the help of Super Combos and Pseudo-Super Combos in the Drop. Not many people want to deal with an initial 55K Double Striker drawing you 3 cards for damn near free. Lastly, for a more even keeled direction, there’s Indomitable Spirit SSB Son Goku which provides a much stickier and annoying attacker for the long game.

This card opens up a lot of routes that weren’t really good or possible beforehand and does it in a way that’s not obtuse or annoying. I think this card has legitimate meta potential just based on the tons of synergies it can provide alongside some mind games.

Tenacious Spirit Son Gohan

Now we’re onto the SRs we haven’t seen and multiple things can be said. One, why is Green getting two SRs to the other colors’ one? Two, with a Kid Gohan SR now we just need a History of Trunks Gohan to have every Era with a SR. Three, oh crap it’s a 1 Drop SR, this always ends well.

Well…yeah, Bardock the Progenitor this ain’t. It’s basically a different way to approach the Suicide Attackers and instead making him a cantrip that has some upside if you put some energy into him. I’ll say, initial when I read this card I was REALLY down on him. “Why play this when you could just play Newfound Power Gohan instead?” And when you think of it like that it’s understandable to see why the latter may be more preferable. A simple 1 drop and go in compared to this which requires resources.

But I thought about it some more and…I think I actually like this better for a few decks. Instead of thinking of this like the Suicide Attackers and comparing where he obviously is wanting, I think it’s best to think of him as an Energy Sink. In any resource based game, including this one, it’s very paramount to make the most of your Energy when you can. In DB Super I’d argue it’s tougher to do than any other card game, because in every deck you will need Energy open to defend yourself properly. It’s why Untap cards have so much value in this game compared to an MTG, because instead of only a few decks that can make the most out of this, in DBSuper the ability to play out cards on curve and then have defensive backup is absolutely massive. However this often leads to turns where you’re not progressing very far because you can’t play on curve without risking yourself which is particularly frustrating.

That’s why this Gohan is particularly appealing at second glance. At his base, he’s just a typical cantrip. In fairness, Green could use those to begin with so that’s a point in its favor off the bat. But during those middle turns you can dump 2 Green Energy into him to make him a very potent 20K Crit Attacker. When you need a push, he provides. When you don’t need it, he’s still a solid cantrip that we play in a lot of decks. He has far more versatility and reach than most Suicide Attackers. He also forces the opponent to make very awkward decisions most of the time. If the opponent gets rid of him early they’re spending resources, however light or heavy, killing a simple cantrip. Imagine having to kill an Energy Boosted Majin Buu. Not fun. If they don’t you have a ticking time bomb on the board that will come at them eventually. Either way you’re at an advantage just for playing this Gohan on the board. He’s almost never bad.

Look past the initial reaction (though honestly I don’t know how others are perceiving this card at the moment, I haven’t looked) and see a card that has a ton of value at all stages of the game. He may not be flashy, but he earns his mark.

Piccolo, Fused with Nail

Here it is, the supposed payoff to the Soul Charging Namekians. Does it live up to the hype? …kinda? His first effect is pretty bland, though at least provides something for continuously stacking cards under him. But realistically he needs at least 4 to really make the pump worthwhile and by that point, you’ll likely rather have the second effect in nearly all scenarios. The only time to use the first effect is when he doesn’t have 3+ (and you better have 2) or if the opponent is tapped out and pushing for game.

The second effect is the actual payoff and it’s pretty good. As I’ve mentioned before, 4 Drop 20K Barrier/Double Strike is the standard bearer for 4 Drop Battle Cards at this point so at least he hits it. I’d rather he have it naturally but considering this coming effect it’s probably for the best that you can’t just stack these on board and gear them up with little to not interaction. The ability to lock down an energy of your choosing is incredibly powerful. It sets the opponent behind and in the right scenarios can lock them out of defending or even progressing board state entirely. Decks that rely on a small package of cards to abuse a singular one (see the Senzu Bean package) may get screwed if Piccolo locks them out of that color and they don’t have a way to get into it more.

The only reason I’m wishy-washy on the card is that getting 3+ Namekians under this Piccolo is kind of obtuse. There’s probably 3 ways to do it. One, the obvious, Namekian Solidarity Piccolo which requires you to get this out first, play the Namekian Solidarity and have 3 available Namekians in the Drop Area. You could do it on the same turn, but it’ll require 6 Energy. You could space it out, but that requires the opponent to leave this Piccolo alone, good luck with that. Second, you go for the Union-Absorb play with Piccolo, Potential Unleashed which has its own issues. Similar to the above, only needing 5 Energy over 6 on the same turn or having the 2 Drop live a turn. On top of that though, you also need one of the 1 Drop Soul Chargers to be ready to go (though Nail makes that easier). Or lastly, just have 3 available Soul Charge Namekians ready to put under him right away.

Idk, I just feel this mechanic and archetype could’ve been done with a lot more care that just…isn’t apparent here. Piccolo is not a bad card, more indicative of the shaky design of the Yellow Namekians.

Newfound Power Porunga

The last of the Clash of Fates SRs. Pretty similar to his namesake in being a pseudo-Planeswalker. But to make up for being cheaper to get out, he comes with some extra restrictions. You have to tap him to get his effect, which means he’s more open to getting taken off the board. Also he doesn’t draw a card for free no matter what. Instead he gets a simple “Draw 2” Effect if you choose to use it. His second effect you’ll pretty much never use as Draw 2 almost always represents at least 10K Power anyway. Maybe in certain scenarios. His third effect is a more localized Wish to Porunga. No need to match up Energy Costs BUT it also doesn’t effect the hand.

My verdict is…this is a pretty damn good card that will see immediate play. Now somewhat thankfully, you can’t play him outside of a Shenron or Porunga deck and he cannot be brought back with A Child’s Wish (curse you above average stats) but in its place you get a card with far more impact on the board. This is a catchup card that Shenron previously lacked. He comes out pretty fast and can immediately wipe the board, outside of a cantrip in most cases. In matchups where the opponent stays tall and not wide, he just draws you some extra cards on 3 while acting as a pseudo-Taunt since the opponent must get rid of him. Shenron, Figure of Majesty is generally a more…”durdley” card in the sense that you just kind of play him out for some draws and just wait for the opportunity to win later either through the extra untap or the pump and crit. He often takes a while to turn the corner, not unlike Teferi from MTG but just commands the boardstate from being out there for any amount of turns. Porunga is more explosive, looking for immediate results and is even more deadly if left unchecked…but is more likely to die immediately because of it.

Final Verdict on the SRs:

I believe all of them are pretty good in some capacity. Piccolo, again I’m more disappointed in how they handled his archetype’s entire mechanic but in a vacuum he’s fine. The rest either make a good anchor point for their respective archetype or are just all around good. I feel satisfied after seeing them.

Series 6 Non-SD Green Cards

Paragus/Paragus, Father of the Demon

Paragus like usual is all about Broly. But after seeing a Leader all about Broly, how does this one compare? Well what we’ll see with him, and the next Leader, is that these are Leaders designed to make you not die by the 1 Drop. Whereas the Broly Leader only runs 1-2 of it because he can fetch it and immediately go in, these cannot and thus must run more. To compensate, they make the Broly usable past a single turn.

Paragus drains himself to avoid making Broly do so. He also draws if you have any other Green card in the Battle Area (Field Cards are included). Also comes with a Hybrid Awaken.

His Awakened Side just makes it so you cannot drain yourself in any capacity on your turn (still can Crit yourself or drain on the opponent’s turn). Lastly, he can discard a card to pump a Broly. That…should never be used. It also is indicative of the main problem with Paragus (unless a SR Broly changes our minds). The Broly Chain is built on discards so that way you can get the most out of the Draw Until 6 of the Broly Leader. Paragus does not have that kind of draw power so using the Broly Chain is a MASSIVE drain on the hand. As I mentioned before, the Broly Chain was designed with a very delicate balancing act with the Leader…something Paragus doesn’t really replicate. Sure, you can play the Chain cheaper throughout the game but it’s not really worth the cost of entry. Also because he’s so inherently tied to the Chain he can’t branch out and must be compared to the SD Broly Leader where…he is just found wanting. For right now I’m saying Hard Pass.

Cheelai and Lemo/Cheelai and Lemo, the Kindhearted

Again, a Leader somewhat designed to work with the Broly Chain. This one is allowed to branch out a bit more though. The Front Side is a typical Wish Leader but specifically tuned for Broly, making sure the 1 Drop doesn’t drain and adding back a Broly on the flip.

Awakened Side is the same deal. Their Ultimate though allows a bit of breathing room, grabbing two 2 drop or Less Frieza’s Army Battle Cards from the deck. While they can certainly grab Broly and his support, they can also grab themselves which is nice. Is it Ultimate worthy though? As usual…I would say probably not. Still probably better to lean into Demigra or something.

However I do like these two better than Paragus because they actually do something different with Broly. The Wish mechanic allows them to utilize the Broly Chain in a different respect. More inherent deck thinning to get to the Broly cards, ways to bring him back with minimal cost, more natural draw power without the need to discard down when you want. Mainly, you simply don’t have to have Broly on the board doing everything, they can play a different game and then set Broly up later. Is it better than SD Broly…probably not, but they allow you to play the archetype differently which is fine. Choice is great to have.

SS Son Goku, Exploding with Energy : SS Vegeta, Exploding with Energy

Listing these together since Goku goes with the Vegeta. Goku is only realistically good when the Vegeta is good. Vegeta is only realistically good against decks that play a bunch of 1 Drops and keep them out there. That’s around no decks right now. Vegeta is bad, thus Goku is bad.

Godstrike Beerus

Only the second card in the game’s entire history up to this point to have a Combo Cost of 2. The first was Tien, which was actually a pretty solid staple in Green Lists for a while before his costs proved too high. What can Beerus provide to warrant such a huge Combo Cost? Negating a Keyword skill during the Battle Step. Pilaf has seen periodic play with a similar ability, but his cost at 1 Blue is far cheaper. Two Energy is a big amount to commit to during the opponent’s turn. Luckily, Beerus has one big upside compared to Pilaf. The ability to use him on your turn. Most would think “Yeah but…is getting rid of a Keyword skill on your turn that good? It’s too late to mess with Blocker all that well”.

The thing is, thanks to a ruling on Pilaf a long while back that was never relevant until now, there is one thing Beerus can hit. Barrier. Beerus can single-handedly negate Barrier for the turn. He specifically targets a skill and not the card itself so he skates around Barrier. We now have a generic way to answer Barrier. It’s pretty damn pricey in most respects but a couple of decks can certainly make use of it. I expect this to see a modicum of sideboard play.

Godgrace Whis

Typical new Super Combo, not much to say here.

Energy Barrage Frieza

A new Frieza, specifically built to kill Barrier Battle Cards. I’ll make this quick. Okay sideboard tech in most Green decks (though they might run Beerus instead), Golden Frieza will run this in the sideboard. …that’s about it.

Quickshift Angila

So a new mulligan card. Last one we got didn’t see much play. Don’t expect this one to either. Use the slots for Pseudo-Super Combos instead.

Wings, the Morale Booster

Uh…surprise Slug’s Army support? Pretty good support too. One of the bigger issues with Slug’s Army was that while the stuff was fairly costed…well it was just that. Fair. It needed a little spice. This helps a little. For the holdouts of the deck, this is welcome support.

Zeiun, the Loyal

More Slug’s Army support and this time a Free Blocker. Free Blockers swap in and out of seeing play, but for a Slug’s Army deck this is pretty big because they’re about Bond. This immediately helps set it up at no cost. A Free Blocker in a Bond Deck is very helpful and potentially powerful.

Goliamite, the New Breed

Uh… Well, it can be a 10K pump for a Broly or allow you to combo it on essentially two cards. Still, no. It doesn’t do enough.

Speedy Entrance Cheelai

Free Blockers come in and out of play depending on format. It’s kind of hard to justify one though, that only works when you’ve made some progress on the board. This card seems a bit win-more. Broly Leader won’t play this for obvious reasons. I don’t see what does play this.

Speedy Partner Lemo

This however, this slots right into the Cheelai/Lemo engine that they’re building. This is the perfect partner that the 1 Drop Cheelai was really looking for and honestly turns it into a damn good threat. Every turn you can play a card from the deck while forcing a discard. That’s just really damn good. Definite glue for the engine that makes it worthwhile.

Beets

Time to drop the dopest mixtape in the galaxy!

A Kind Wish

A new Desire card. Let me just say, in what way is this kind?! It wipes the board, ignoring Barrier, it forces back into the deck so no reanimation shenanigans, and if your board happens to be empty you get a free Battle Card from the deck on top of that. This card is absurd for any deck that can play it, but of course is its absolute dumbest in Cheelai/Lemo who can play this for free. Who needs card advantage when you can just wipe a board for free?

Tragic Awakening

The last card of the day and it’s certainly an interesting one. For 3 Energy you give up one of your Energy (you can choose one of the Energy used to pay the cost of this card) to, preferably, skip ahead in the Chain and go for a 6 Drop Broly. I’m…not 100% on how good this card is. Setting yourself back an Energy is a big deal but at the same time, playing big things for much cheaper is also a big deal. Ultimately though I think Broly Leader plays this to make the Chain easier on himself later in the game. Cheelai/Lemo shouldn’t need this because being a Wish Leader provides them with other reanimation opportunities.

Final Thoughts on Series 6 Green:

Uh…interesting to say the least. They did branch out past Broly…but into Slug’s Army which feels extremely out of left field, but should at least inspire hope that older, forgotten archetypes may get some toys later on. Otherwise nothing too earthshattering other than Bandai’s sudden new love of Board Wipes.

For now, preview season will be a bit held back outside of maybe a SPR article for fun. So until January we’ll need some new material. Next Time…let’s see if we can’t figure out what to build for the current meta.