Hello and welcome back to another journey in Preview Season. Sorry for the…pretty extensive delay, I had to work every day since the previews dropped but now I have some time off so it’s time to talk about what we got today. If the title wasn’t an indication, we got a BUNCH of fusion today…and Hit. Will Zamasu get even more fated support to finally bring his divine might to the forefront? Will Vegito get to be viable…finally? Can Kefla get out of the shadow of the Veggie Package? Can Hit get a not terrible Leader? Let’s find out!

Son Goku & Vegeta/SSB Vegito, Energy Eruption

Okay, let’s see if Vegito can finally find some footing. Continuing the trend of unique Leader design his front side makes him 15K on Defense when he drops to 4 or less life. Now normally one would wonder, especially for a Draw Awaken, why you’d have that ability when you’d flip at the first opportunity? Well besides a certain, infamous card in this very reveal the goal is to make sure you make it to 4 Energy to use that Activate: Main to set up your Potara play. This Leader is immensely contingent on the SR Vegito resolving and is built entirely around it. To the point that actually…

Meteoric Energy SSB Vegito

We’re just gonna talk about him now and talk about the Leader at the same time. This card at first glance is extremely reminsicent of Ultimate Spirit Bomb Son Goku in terms of comboing from the Energy. However instead of going for a mega finish that can’t be countered, here…well it’s a little similar. He can be countered quite easily but he’ll make sure everything is tapped down after the fact and will make sure there will be no untapping later. Simply put, you board this and while you probably won’t win that turn, you’ll win the following turn as the opponent will have no possible crackback outside of Barrier Battle Cards (and even then they would’ve had to start untapped, otherwise Vegito will just run it over really easily).

On top of that, going back to the Leader, instead of cripping your own future turns you’ll at least get one card back and the next SR that works with this will also bring great value. If you have enough Energy you could lock the opponent down for multiple turns, if for whatever reason you can’t win on the first turn lock.

So what would stop this from being just an insane instant win deck? Well Broly Chain still exists that can shoot this on minimal energy but mostly this deck needs very specific cards to work on top of very specific Energy and doesn’t necessarily feedback into its own gameplan. It reminds me a lot of the Boujack Brigade where the entire gameplan is to get into the finisher SR which is arguably busted to win the game. Vegito is actually a functional Leader at the very least without the SR so we’ll see if it manages to get things done on the back of that very linear strategy.

SS2 Trunks, Memories of the Past

The partner for the above Vegito. You can think of this Trunks as two things. One, as the actual offensive force to win the game since he has Double Strike and Vegito has…well, no offensive Keywords whatsoever. Obviously the goal is to charge Trunks early then combo him out into play from Energy with Vegito, and hopefully get the job done. The second and honestly more important reason is his last ability. When you play him you’ll be able to charge an extra energy. This is important in Vegito as on the optimal Turn 4 play, without Trunks you would not be able to follow up with another turn lock, but with Trunks you’ll have just enough energy over two turns to manage it to guarantee the game win all but assuredly. This is pretty much the only deck to use him in and he serves his purpose. Now onto the auxiliary players.

Saiyan Bloodline Son Goku

A typical Top 3 searcher but he casts a large net. Blue or Yellow Saiyan can hit a lot of cards, whether in this deck or others. He may even replace Kind Saiyan Son Goku in Red Vegito decks because he can grab Vegetas (or any other Saiyan you’re playing) rather than digging deeper for just Gokus. It’s a good card, wouldn’t be shocked to have it see play in more generic strategies.

Saiyan Bloodline Vegeta

Hey, a Pal for Saiyans. He doesn’t dig as deep, but again the wide net is fantastic. The above Vegito will appreciate him and could see play in the new U6 strategy. Sadly not as useful in Red Vegito unless you lean hard into Yellow. Still a very good card though, do not sleep on him.

Trunks, Fighting the Darkness : SSB Son Goku, the Sweeper : Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta

This is pretty much what you’re aiming for when it comes to landing your Union:Potara. Play the Trunks to set up the Potara and then just never play these two until you’re ready to fuse. Mainly because these two…aren’t that great otherwise. Well Vegeta definitely no, it’s just a 20K Vanilla. Maybe VanillaKu can make use of it in the Yellow variant but otherwise nothing special. Goku is actually neat but in most cases you’re probably better just waiting a turn to play Tapion so he’s just a niche play when you’re forced to play him. But this pair is necessary for the Union:Potara so see play they shall.

Goku Black & Zamasu/Fused Zamasu, Supreme Strike

Now this Leader was shown to be quite interesting from the first teasers we saw of the Awakened Side. It was all a matter of how his front side brought everything together. His first ability is pretty simple, just grabbing your relevant GB or Zamasu. His Awaken is quite unique, first of its type, requiring the opponent to be at 3 or more Energy. The upside is that Zamasu can now Awaken with as much as 8 Life and can be quite strong against slow decks. Against faster decks though it could leave you in trouble, so be forewarned. With Storm heavily neutered there really isn’t deck trying to play on less than 3 Energy so he can’t be stalled out, on top of the theme of this archetype.

The real meat is on his Awakened side though. He still has the same filtering, but the other 3 abilities are vast. People were confused about the -5K on Leader Attacks but the point is to be able to safely generate card advantage without having to actually hit the opponent. He also has a very cheap bounce ability which I wouldn’t overlook. While there’s no Summoning Sickness in this game the ability to force the opponent back a bit for one energy can come in handy.

But come on, we’re all talking about that game ending ability. Doing 4 Guaranteed Damage if the opponent is at 8 or more Energy is game-winning. The archetype’s theme is pretty simple, and one that is incredibly unique to most TCGs. Ramping the opponent. Obviously this carries a lot of risk since you’re getting them to better cards sooner. It’ll require a lot of forethought to know when and where to push that ramp, but the reward is that the opponent is basically dead with 0 interaction if they’re at 4 or less. The main question is how simple is this goal to achieve, and is it safe and rewarding? Well, let’s see.

Goku Black, the Replicator

First card we see really says it all about what the deck wants to be doing. Ramps your opponent but does so in a way that benefits you mostly. Removal that most decks cannot subvert or interact with beyond Barrier, gives you a free token in the process and can come with an extra ramp or draw if you’re on the Play or if the opponent is trying to be cute. Honestly there’s not a ton to say about the card, it’s not an offensive presence and isn’t really trying to be. Just getting the gameplan going and doing it well.

SS Rose Goku Black, Inviting the Darkness

Another card that’s perfect for the archetype. Ramps you ahead (something all variants of GB or Zamasu really love), will either ramp your opponent ahead or draw you a card but the ramping is done in a way where the opponent doesn’t even benefit from it for a while. He also has Barrier for potential Fusion or Evolve plays. Again, right where this archetype wants to be.

Goku Black, Evil’s Accomplice : Mass Replication

A GB that grabs a specific card and even has Deflect to guarantee it. It’s…interesting. It essentially guarantees you a free Blocker every single turn. GB and/or Zamasu are inherently very defensive decks so a card like this is very beneficial and will be really frustrating for a few opponents. Since the current archetype is all about being somewhat non-interactive, this represents it very well.

Zamasu, Inviting Despair

This card is very sneaky solid. At its core it’s meh. Indestructible 15K for Fusion resilience but with a narrow tap down ability. The thing is though, the three traits he targets covers a LOT of ground and keeps Battle Cards down permanently. Broly Chain gets outright hosed with this if you’re stuck on the SR. This card is essentially another version of removal, don’t underestimate it.

Hidden Ambition Zamasu

Uh yeah sure. While I think Indestructible and Barrier is a bit overkill, it’s still fine and sets up your Union:Potara plays. We like free cards, he gives us free cards.

Zamasu, the Mastermind

This one is big for all variants of GB. Again, they’re inherently defensive decks so a free Blocker is right where they want to be. I don’t usually put a ton of stock into Free Blockers at this point but this one I believe is relevant. Be forewarned though that you cannot play this for free on the new Zamasu Lead’s Awakened Side unless you boarded another GB in play.

Zero Mortals Plan

This card…eh. I feel this card is only good if you can play it for free so if there’s a Wish Leader going into a Zamasu package for whatever reason, this is good. In the deck proper this seems bad, you’re giving up most likely a Free Blocker just to board the 4 drop a bit early (anything else and it’s a complete waste). The card isn’t that good to necessitate a -2 play and you have better things to do on 3 Energy. Probably the one card I dislike most in this archetype.

Fused Zamasu, the Cunning

So essentially an on-theme counter for the deck with Aegis that sets up future plays. Again, goes right into the archetype being very defensive while maintaining very resilient bodies for future plays. I know it seems like a brief overview of a card with so much text but really it’s that simple.

Fused Zamasu, Divine Providence

Lastly the boss unit of the deck that is a bit different from most. Instead of the deck building up to play this as the finisher, this is actually just another enabler for the Leader itself, ramping your opponent ahead two cards while also taking the two best cards out of their hand. The upside to this card is that it’s not as necessary to spend the whole game building around as the previous boss Zamasu. Hell it’s actually very possible you win without ever playing this card, there is enough opponent ramp to facilitate that possibility. But this drives it home a bit more and helps tie everything together.

Hit/Time-Skip Hit

We finally have a new Hit Leader after the blandness of his Set 1 Leader. Is it good? Obviously remains to be seen but he sure as hell isn’t bland anymore, that’s for sure. Even his front side ability subverts the usual. Damaging himself to potentially play cards for free. Like a more suicidal Dr. Myuu but attached to a Hybrid Awaken.

His Awakened Side has even more funk to it. The second Auto looks insane at first glance “Wait what, flips back to its front?!” but it’s a footnote honestly. Like Gohan’s ability with Alliance this is really only a bonus for the deck doing what it’s supposed to do rather than the whole goal. The last ability is what his deck is really based around. Pitching a card to play more cards for free. You’re going minus, but getting to play cards for free is always good.

His deck’s gameplan? Play everything for cheap to allow for unique tricks with your Energy to throw off your opponent’s gameplan while forging the optimal path for yourself. I think it has legs.

Caulifla & Kale/Kefla, Soul Overflowing

In a subversion of the previous Leads, we’re putting Hit and Kefla together. Why? Because all the support in this set is based on U6 Leads rather than either of them specifically. All the support works with both (and I’d argue expects you to use it in both decks) so no real reason to separate the two. Unlike Hit, Kefla is a bit more blunt and to the point.

Like Vegito, she boards two things and then doesn’t do it again. Unlike Vegito it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get it off, her Awakened side actually does things irrespective of whether the SR hits the board or not. However that Awakened side ability is a big let down compared to…pretty much everything not named Broly in this set. Ironically it’s Kefla and not Hit who gets the generic pump. Ironically I think that ability even works better on Saiyan Onslaught Kefla rather than the one we’ll get to in the set, though you’re never playing that in here. Idk, I feel this Lead is a big let down and I think the support in the set wants to be on Hit rather than Kefla. Want proof? Let’s get to it.

Kale, Timid Sister

This card is definitely a big get for Hit more than anything and leads into where the deck wants to go. Can’t be killed easily to set up Evolve plays and will get back a card from the Drop. With Hit he can play her for free without losing any actual card advantage. Even in general she’s a solid card that recurs relevant cards.

Kale, Sister of Annihilation

Now the gameplan comes together…a little bit. Usual Kale stuff here. An EX Evolve for really cheap for the goal of killing your board (if you even have a board) to bounce the opponent’s. If Go Wide decks make a comeback this Kale is an absolute house. But in a slower format she’s not very good, she’s definitely format dependent.

Kale, the Awakened Sister

Now with this Kale we have a return of a mechanic from the Bardock’s Crew Great Apes (before they were even Bardock’s Crew) which I’ll call “Combo Evolve” where after you combo with a card you can immediately Evolve with it. Kale is a bit more limited in that it only works during your turn but she’s a good card. She’s a simple 20K Crit that bounces while also making sure any abilities outside of Barrier protecting it or that would proc from its removal aren’t a thing. Even as a 4 Drop it’s not too bad. Obviously a bit less than what we expect this deep into the game’s life but it’s not the worst thing in the world. I think she’s pretty good.

Caulifla, the Bold Sister

Like Kale we have a Caulifla at 1. Caulifla is more of a typical searcher but again, pretty damn good with Hit making sure his ability doesn’t actually cost him anything. Not much to say, great Evolve target, good card in general.

Caulifla, the Resilient Sister

This card however…I’m not too jazzed about. Free is good…but it’s a really niche free and only to get a 10K. It’s only decent as to get the SR on the board, but as we’ll see…I don’t think it’s worth it in the end.

Caulifla, the Awakened Sister

Unsurprisingly Caulifla also gets a SR and it’s also a Combo Evolve (and I might get called out on this later, I’m aware this isn’t actual Evolve since it doesn’t use the term but the concept is the same so it’s easier to classify it as such). She…also isn’t as good as Kale but she’s fine. 20K Double Strike tapping down something you need. Tapping down an Energy can come in clutch in the end of the game.

Kefla, the Peak of Perfection

This Kefla is the epitome of the strategy, and is actually pretty neat. You either get to play the Combo game and keep the opponent’s energy tapped, or get it out on your own turn (likely through Arrival) and keep a problematic Battle Card negated. Good flexibility, I like it a lot.

Champa and Vados, Gracious Aid

This pulls together the Combo Evolve plan. By playing it on the cheap with Arrival it turns ALL your U/Y U6 cards into free combos (at least from hand) which is huge for the above plan and is itself resilient so the opponent can’t really do away with it. If they try it’ll only cost them an Energy. They can run it over, that’s about it. Definitely ties this part of the deck together.

Meteoric Energy Kefla

The supposed “boss card” of the archetype but again like Zamasu I feel she’s more of a card to help keep things tied together than something made to outright end the game on the spot. In fact she doesn’t end the game at all and is made to keep the game going long. Being on the board makes sequencing a turn against you particularly weird since any attack will result in the tapping of three of their Energy while she untaps two of your own. Her main issue is obviously if the opponent is naturally tapping out anyway she is only really an Aegis card and nothing else and that’s probably not worth giving up two relevant cards on board (unless you’re on the free Caulifla plan). I think she’s worth it as a tech, but not as THE gameplan of the deck. For that, we turn to Hit.

Hit, Afterimage Master

I admit, I had to read this card a couple of times to not be an idiot. But after reading it properly, yeah it’s pretty good. An honest bridge between the typical “Protect Hit for the Evolve turn” and Foreseeing Hit. Forces a card out of the opponent hand, and then you can Warp this out of danger to protect it for the Evolve turn. Honestly the card has potential as just good hand disruption potentially outside the archetype and in the archetype obviously fantastic. Especially considering Hit’s Awakened Side can play him for “free” and set up an instant Evolve play.

Hit, Pride of Universe 6

Now this is one of the most unique cards ever printed in the game’s brief history. Let’s just get to the obvious. The ability to force the opponent’s Leader back to their Front Side and keep them there for your turn and their turn is just…absolutely unique and potentially insane. Now it does have some caveats. You need to be on 4+ Energy so no doing this on turn 3 with ease. You do need to have one other U6 Battle Card on board, not that it’s particularly hard but hey it’s there. Lastly, some Leaders not only aren’t that bad on their Front you might end up helping them. VanillaKu would just get another burst turn for example. But Wish Leaders are completely hosed for a turn and are essentially Vanilla. Any decks that are reliant on being Awakened are also screwed. At his worst, his floor is “force the opponent’s Leader to be 10K for your turn” which is in of itself pretty damn good.

Oh and he also has Dual Attack, good for pestering 10K Leaders and another ability to blink problematic cards out for a turn. Again, have to be wary with the ability to not allow any extra value for the opponent but in the right situations it’s just free removal which we love. This card is absolutely worth building around.

Blue Misc:

Undying Spirit Son Gohan

Okay, onto the rest of the cards, the next in the new Counter cycle. It’s not bad. Bounces a 4 or less and let’s you untap a Blue Energy. It’s not as much of a hard swing as Vegeta the Cruel but it gives you relevant defense. Can definitely set an opponent back while keeping you nice and safe, I think it’ll see play.

Trunks, the Sweeper

Another small step Barrier hoser though can at least hit anything 2 or less. Side deck card, nothing too special here.

Bulma, Saying Farewell

More combo fun, more bounce fun. Bandai went hard on Blue’s identity in this set. Don’t think this will see play in anything but Limited play, 1 Energy restricted bounce isn’t really great in Constructed.

Mai, Filled with Energy

Typical Super Combo, moving on.

Whis, the Regulator

Another in the Loot/Rummage cycle. In decks that care about the Drop this will see play in the right colors, otherwise not worth discussing.

Gowasu, Zamasu’s Master

The recycle cycle continues. Same thoughts as before. Decent out of the sideboard.

Almighty Do-Over Zen-Oh

Well we have a new Zen-Oh doing what Zen-Oh does and that’s reset the board. However it’s just simply not as good as the ole CA Zen-Oh plan since it doesn’t reset the hand and this gets walled by Barrier AND returns himself. Would rather play Minus Kili Zone if you’re afraid of Bloodlust.

Vados

Only relevant in Limited, VanillaKu doesn’t need her.

Betrayal of the Master

Hey, Father-Son Kamehameha for Blue. FSK has actually seen play, mostly out of the Side Board but I have seen it teched periodically in the Main. Can see this going the same way.

You’re Wide Open!

More taking Green stuff and making it Blue, You’re Wide Open is Preemptive Strike but with a bounce. This one is just strictly worse than Preemptive Strike. Bandai, if you want to make a Remand, gotta give us some card draw to go with it.

All Too Easy…

Seriously? Part of the Drop Counter Cycle, now we have the Green one but with a bounce instead to say Blue. This one is just outright worse though because bouncing 1 Drops is generally never a good idea. Just stay on the good Counters Blue already has.

Yellow Misc:

Champa the Trickster

This is what I imagine to be the last in this new Counter cycle. This is probably the least “impactful” of the cycle in the sense that it won’t impact the board very much. However this card is VERY clutch against a few things, most notably the HoM package. You can play this in Response to HoM, Deflect won’t protect him from this and you get to draw and shut down their attack. I think this is most notably a Side Deck card but a very potent one.

Cabba, Undisguised Rage

Hey, Yajirobe for Yellow! Great for Hit as well who can play him with his skill. Do not underestimate how powerful the Blocker/Revenge dynamic is (to the point that Bandai nerfed King’s Vegeta Surprise Attack…because they hate us). This can be very relevant with Hit.

Cabba, Brimming with Spirit

New cantrip for Yellow, but with far more relevant traits and names. This will see a fair amount of play wherever they are relevant.

Frost, the Path to Full Power

Another in the Recycle Cycle. Wouldn’t be much to note except…

Ironclad Defense Frost

They made this to essentially go with it (as we don’t have any other Yellow Frosts…to my knowledge). It’s a big nonbo though since the above wants you to combo with him and this Frost needs it on board. Don’t think it’s that great in Limited either. Hard pass.

Botamo, Defender of Universe 6

Yeah, just skipping here.

Magetta, Defender of Universe 6

U6 Super Combo, didn’t put it with the Hit and Caulifla because this isn’t even the first one for U6. At least it’s on color so that’s nice.

Namekian Partner Saonel : Namekian Partner Pirina

Yeah…not even particularly good for Limited and Namekians didn’t really ask for what are essentially Vanilla 10Ks. Hard Pass.

Weak Spot Protection

Pseudo-Super Combo for U6. Not bad for a deck that should have Energy up often, could see play.

Kefla’s Fury

I was initially going to put this in the U6 section but ultimately changed my mind. A Draw 2 that you can hold up essentially until you sense no danger from the opponent. I think this actually can see play in a few decks. U6 at the very least should enjoy this, they in theory will hold up Energy a bunch.

Restrain

Yeah…only slightly better than the Blue offering but not very good all the same. Only use if you’re hard into a mill strategy.

Beerus, Fickle God

This is technically cheating but since Beerus doesn’t have an archetype like Broly I’m putting him here. He’s the “checkland” for U/Y and draws cards on play. As with Broly I expect him to see play for that ability to be a checkland.

Final Thoughts:

These cards I don’t think are as simple as the R/G but I enjoy the complexity presented in these cards. I’ll admit though I’m not sold on these finding meta play but the chance always exists. If nothing else these decks should be very fun to play with.