Summer CRD Update

It’s time for the mid-season CRD update, with 3 Kai events in the rear-view mirror following the release of Celestial Tournament.  Just a reminder for the remaining events this year:

South Kai – Orange – July 15, Showcase Comics & Collectibles Slidell LA
Supreme Kai – Saiyan – July 29, Paradox Comics-N-Cards Fargo ND
Grand Kai – Namekian – Gencon 2017, Indianapolis IN

We’ve listened to a lot of fan feedback, and have been testing some changes for the past few weeks.  While the changes included in the CRD aren’t designed to completely turn the meta on its head, there were a few cards that were repeatedly being abused and re-used during games at the Kai events.  Additional cards are under review and will be considered for changes at the end of the Kai season before we launch the next wave of Organized Play.  The card updates that go live as of this moment are:

• Orange Checkup Drill is now Limit 1 Per deck.
• Orange Bicycle Kick gains “Banish after use”
• Orange Meditation gains “Banish after use”

We also have a rules change taking effect immediately for all official FanZ events.

• Drills now have “memory” (you can read a full description of this rule change in the CRD file, updated in the link at the top of the page)

The Frozen List is not receiving any updates at this time, but will more than likely have some additions when the next season kicks off.

Get ready to enjoy Legends, releasing in just a few days on July 1st!

You can download a copy of the CRD here: FanZ CRD 1.2

 

Inception of Legend

Admittedly, I had no idea who Chilled was until several months ago — assuming he was some non-canon or fan-made creation.  His role as the progenitor of the “Legendary Super Saiyan” tale passed on to his descendants King Cold, Frieza, and Cooler definitely helps bring a sense of completeness to Bardock’s tale.  The fact that Goku’s father becomes the first Legendary Super Saiyan after being sent back in time from Frieza’s blast is very neat, as any mythos that deals with time travel tends to be.

It would’ve been very easy to shoehorn Chilled into the Named card/Frieza archetype that was reinforced with Frieza’s new level 1 and the King Cold ally in Celestial Tournament.  But we wanted to make sure Chilled had his own place in the meta, and saw the opportunity to create a very unique beatdown personality as the final MP in Legends.

Big life card attacks are game-ending fuel in DBZ.  As power creep took hold throughout the game, 4 life cards became 5, then 6, and the number kept creeping up.  When 1 attack can be dealt for more than 1/10th your Life Deck, it was considered a powerhouse card that had to be included in most builds.

So why convert the life cards into stages?  Isn’t that counter-intuitive?  We had to build some rewards into Chilled’s MP stack to make this trade-off worthwhile.  Right off the bat, you have an instant power that supports the constant with a Critical Damage effect, and a burst of 2 anger.  While his POWER doesn’t necessarily support the damage conversion, it’s a solid draw/discard effect (giving you more choice than a similar discard/draw) that rejuvenates 1 as well.

Chilled – Space Pirate offers more cohesive synergy with the constant effect.  Not only does the constant start buffing damage by 1 stage, but Chilled now has his own Physical Attack for 5 stages (6 with the buff) built in.  It has immediate anger and rejuvenation, and will automatically deliver critical damage if it hits.

Chilled – On the Move ….. wait, no — Chilled – Pissed starts to turn up the heat on your opponent.  The damage buff is gone, but now all of your attacks that deal 5 or more stages of damage are considered to do critical damage.  As a nod to the Red Enraged Mastery (should we rename it the ‘chilled’ list?), you get 1 anger every time you use a critical damage effect.  Chilled’s physical attack gets a major upgrade here, with 1 immediate anger (and 1 more upon hit if it deals all of its stages), rejuvenation of 2, and a powerful HIT effect that will banish an opponent’s Setup, Drill, or Ally from the game.  You might find yourself not using the free anger from his constant in certain matchups, preferring to stay on Level 3 as long as possible to control the board.

Chilled – Prophet is a critical damage machine.  All of your attacks that deal a measly 2 stages of damage now enable you to use a critical damage effect.  On top of that, Chilled channels Evolution‘s Hidden Power Drill and caps all Personalities at 5 above 0.  Now that this effect is on a character and not a Drill, it should prove much more difficult to navigate.  Chilled’s POWER helps him avoid hurting himself too much with his constant, gaining 3 stages and taking 3 away (or perhaps milling) from an opponent.

Chilled’s Enraged Volley is a quality card, even just from the fact that it becomes a ‘must-block’ due to the HIT effect keeping it on the table to be used again.  Combine that with its quality immediate effects – 1 anger, a Nappa’s Energized Strike-esque power stage drainer upon leveling (I hear decks like to level these days), and a floating effect that can stack with multiple uses to drain additional stages every time you use a Critical Damage effect – and you have a card that can devastate your opponent.  Oh, and 2 endurance makes this card even better.

Chilled’s second named card, Chilled’s Prescience, already catches your eye with 3 endurance.  While it may feel like Cooler’s Rebirth, it plays differently and has flexibility all the same.  The parenthetical is very unique, allowing you to surprise your opponent after an attack becomes successful with critical damage, while also replacing itself with a freshly drawn card.  The event’s POWER rejuvenates a solid 3 cards, while also draining any personality in play 3 stages.  Which effect of this card do you like the most?

Chilled is the final MP to be revealed for Legends, which releases in just a few days on July 1st.  Stay tuned to the blog and all of our partner sites/content providers for some final previews leading up to the big day.

Under The Sea

Spam is typically something that players don’t love in DBZ – whether its decks that generate action after action, cycle the same Dragon Ball multiple times a turn, or lay their entire hand full of allies, setups, and/or drills on the board during their Planning Step.

One of the Ultra-Rares in Legends, Amphibious Exploration Drill, tackles the issue of the Planning Step spam.  It’s no fun when your opponent drops 3 Dragon Balls on the first or second turn of the game, or when 3 Allies hit the board.  This drill allows for a new kind of control deck to be built; perhaps one driven by Android 20 with his ability to tutor this card on his Level 1?

To make this card worth running, the parenthetical will let you filter it out of your hand to gain stages in a pinch.  While not as powerful as some other filtering effects, it still lets you ‘save it for later’ while generating a benefit.

How will you use this card to drive your opponent crazy?

 

TRAIN INSAIYAN

Drills are love-em or hate-em for most players of DBZ, but no one can doubt their power.  Whether you’re an Orange Style fan and love using your Drills as much as possible, or you’re a control player just looking for an edge in Black or Namekian, there’s usually something to be excited about when it comes to new Drills.

Enjoy these new Styled Drills from Legends, officially releasing July 1st!

We have one more Drill to share — a freestyle Ultra Rare that’s Limit 2 per deck!  This card will absolutely devastate decks that try and spam the board, so check back in Friday for the reveal.

 

I Am Legend

The following breakdown of Bardock was crafted by Phil McGrath.  Enjoy the long awaited debut of the Father of Goku!

 

 

It could be said that the entirety of the Dragon Ball universe is set in motion on a day many years ago, when Bardock made his best Jor-El impression and strapped an infant Kakarot into a ship that would one day take him to Earth. This is the only interaction we see between Bardock and his son. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that Goku doesn’t seem to have any parenting skills himself. But today, in honor of Father’s day, we celebrate Bardock anyway!

Bardock possesses some unusual powers for a Saiyan, and his iconic personality stack in the Score era reflected this. One of our design goals was to capture both his essence as a character, as well as the nature of his original stack.

Bardock level 1 kicks things off by picking through your opponent’s deck and removing particular threats, as well as providing critical deck knowledge in the beginning stages of the game. His power also grants a peek at your opponent’s hand, a nod to his original level 1. This comes at the cost of a little bit of self-destruction, however there are ways to mitigate the cost (or turn it into a positive!) for those players out there with a keen perception. Additionally, Bardock possesses a unique constant that will guarantee 1 anger per turn in tandem with his power, and escalate quickly against decks like Orange Retribution or Restored Gohan that are repeatedly searching for things. Players can get the most mileage out of this power by utilizing other effects to pick through the opponent’s deck such as Surprise Attack and Black Scout Maneuver.

 

Bardock masters the ability to peer into the soul of his opponent at level 2, gaining a full hand reveal at all times. His constant continues to provide a source of anger, this time triggered by mill effects. In order to reach the upper levels of Bardock’s power, recurring mill sources such as Blue Waiting Drill, Orange Energy Dan Drill, and Black Perceptive Mastery will be a huge boon. This level also contains a familiar hand filtering power that Bardock can utilize both to permanently remove the very threats that his level 1 targeted, as well as control the flow of combat.

At level 3, Bardock retains his mental abilities while sharpening his deck destruction focus. Although this level can only target styled cards, repeated uses can pick apart an opponent’s strategy with terrifying speed. On top of the ability to sculpt your opponent’s deck into the opposite of a fine oiled machine, his power provides a little bit of combo potential in multiple styles. Red Ascension and Blue Resolute have obvious synergy with this effect. This ability is strong on its own, but when coupled with hand and deck knowledge, it is especially potent!

Bardock finally ascends to legendary status and his personality powers reflect that. He once again retains his hand knowledge. This time, he gains a vaguely familiar constant effect that heavily amplifies your opponents deck weaknesses. With full knowledge and persistent hand advantage (both in quality and quantity) he is a force to be reckoned with. His power also provides a moderate flow of stages and a decent sized mill effect with some additional utility. It’s not hard to imagine situations where Bardock could mill his own styled setups into play in a pinch!

The ability to see beyond time surely presents some unusual choices, and this premonition will force both players to make difficult decisions based on what outcome they want! The card is an immediate +1 to hand advantage in Bardock’s favor, as well as a combo tool with certain Black effects.

Bardock’s Spirit Javelin searches for, and destroys, a card from your opponent’s deck. This triggers his constant effects on both level 1 and 2. It also provides a lot of unusual utility. The effect will be unwieldy, and it is easy to imagine scenarios where it will not be especially strong, but against combat oriented decks it gives Bardock access to your opponent’s full arsenal of immediate effects. Critical effects, tech, and anger will be at Bardock’s disposal, if only for a moment in time.

Stay tuned for further spoilers from all corners of the community, including a third MP reveal on the way!

-Phil McGrath-

Planet Guardian

Kami has had a rough go.  In the original Score DBZ CCG, he never appeared as a personality card until the Retro days.  “Kami Fades” and “Kami as Your Ally” were cute cards in the Frieza Saga, but such an important character deserved his own MP stack.  Even in Panini’s version, he was only granted an Ally card (albeit a very powerful and popular one).

Kami’s role throughout Dragon Ball & Dragon Ball Z is to be the guardian of Earth, and the creator of the Earth Dragon Balls.  When Kami (or Piccolo) dies, they cease to function.  With the Earth Dragon Balls being under-powered and under-represented in Panini DBZ, we wanted to craft a powerful character to take advantage of the large buff and ball-bouncing that the mastery provides.

Kami – Earth’s Guardian starts off with a Constant effect that feels just like Namekian Knowledge Mastery’s mill effect.  With the extensive ball-bouncing cards available to EDB’s, this ability alone can swing games.  He even brings one to the table in the form of his printed, free energy attack, that allows you to search out incredible Styled Drills as an immediate effect.  Black Smoothness Drill, Namekian Hospitality Drill, or Namekian Heritage Drill would all make great choices (just to name a few).  Pepper in solid damage, along with anger & rejuvenation on HIT, and you have a very solid level 1.

Kami – Prepared wastes no time in reminding you that you get to keep your drills when you advance to, or lower from, Level 2.  His energy attack ramps up the damage, while adding targeted rejuv & an automatic Ball capture.  You can even pile on with another drill tutor if it HITs and you have 3 or more EDB’s.  You can use this to grab a drill that you just rejuvenated!

Kami – Fighting Spirit lets you ball-bounce AND recover a banished EDB as soon as you advance to Level 3.  His constant is one of the most powerful modifiers in the game, and rewards you for controlling 3 or more EDB’s with a massive -3 stage debuff on all of your opponent’s attacks, and a +3 life card buff to your own energies.  That means with Namekian Radiant Mastery, you can be delivering an insane +5 life cards of damage to your attacks!  His POWER also helps with the ball bounce/ball recovery game, not to mention grabbing important drills you may have lost to endurance or banishment.

Yes, we see the typos on this card and they will be fixed before release!

Kami – Overseer wants to end the game.  When you reach Level 4, you get a free EDB capture or you can recover a banished EDB directly into play!  Even though Kami loses his Constant abilities on Level 4, he packs a monster Energy Attack for 6 life cards that should easily meet its requirements to grab a Styled Drill & being unstoppable.  That means if you are running Namekian Radiant Mastery and grab Namekian Heritage Drill, this will be an unstoppable Energy Attack for 12 life cards!

No personality would be complete without their named cards, and Kami’s are some of the best.

Kami’s Focused Beams is another named card that begs to be used with Defiant Challenge.  An immediate effect that tutors a Styled Drill, along with the potential for insane damage output with double modifiers — oh, and a crazy HIT effect!  Being able to give your opponent a Dragon Ball (for you to capture back) is the obvious use — but what other sneaky things can be done with this card?

Want to make your opponent feel the mill pain, on top of your Level 1 power?  Kami’s Guardian Drill will ruin their day.  Tutorable with almost all of Kami’s levels & Focused Beams, this card will deliver massive amounts of mill damage every single turn while it’s in play along with some EDB’s.  Targeted rejuv of up to 2 cards and endurance are just icing on the cake for what should be a very powerful card in the Legends meta.

Thanks for reading our first Legends preview, and look for the set to be available on July 1st!

Have you Tried Villain Vegeta?

“Have you tried Villain Vegeta?”

While this statement from the old Panini Blog has become a tongue-in-cheek meme, it was only slightly away from the truth.  With an amazing, anger-gaining named card in Vegeta’s Final Flash, Villain Vegeta was looking mighty interesting.  His anger-centric powers lend themselves nicely to a monster attack, plus an aggressive personality loves ways out of combat once the damage is done.

However, Vegeta’s original Level 1 from Premiere really doesn’t hold up these days.  While it IS easier to achieve HIT status than ever before, Vegeta offers no card advantage, no active ability on his villain Level 1, and low power levels/power-up rating.

In Legends, we get a glimpse at the powerful Prince of Saiyans as a child, long before he becomes Goku’s greatest rival.

Note: This card should be considered still in ‘alpha’ status, as playtesting for Legends is still in full swing.  Our intent is to keep the final product as close to the following as possible, but changes may occur.  

Vegeta, The Crown Prince addresses almost ever concern with the classic Villain Vegeta Level 1.  His power level is still on the low-side, reflecting his abilities before the start of Dragon Ball Z.  However, he won’t stay down for long, as his new constant ability adds extra anger to every card you play that doesn’t include ‘anger’ in the text box.  Keep in mind this includes things that LOWER your opponent’s anger, so choose wisely!

If that wasn’t enough, Vegeta finally has a strong ability to lead off the game with — a Physical Attack for 4 stages is equivalent to the power of Broly, and like Broly he also raises his anger by 1 as an immediate effect.  The HIT effect is also solid, and will give your opponent pause and perhaps even force a block in a situation where they would normally let a 4 stage attack hit.

Oh, and peep that PUR of 3!

When Legends drops on July 1st, Vegeta won’t be the only Saiyan getting a legacy level update — but he may be the most exciting!

So, are you excited to try Villain Vegeta?