TAK Games > Dragon Ball Z Evolution Preview #6 – Android 17 Ally and Android Presence

Dragon Ball Z Evolution Preview #6 – Android 17 Ally and Android Presence

We were finally introduced to Android 18 and the new Black Style Mastery today and the time seemed right to examine what else Android players might have at their disposal once Evolution launches. We welcome back Tobye with analysis on two new Android-themed cards.

Android 17 – Beckoning

Another Android ally to play with!  When I first read his power, my mind ran wild thinking of all the ways to abuse it and deliver game changing damage each turn, with a huge setup count.  Then I remembered the new Black Perceptive Mastery.  Hmmm. He will be somewhat more challenging to use and abuse.

Android 17 – Ally will be great in some extremely board-heavy blue builds, where you block like a brick wall while playing allies and setups, protecting them with Blue Belly Smash.  Then once established throw out a Blue Draining Blast, and unload with a one-turn-kill.

The less logical side of my brain wants to use his bracketed effect to rejuvenate an Android card, in a mad Lord Slug Namekian ally deck.  Running all the Android cards he can with Android Presence, and the old Namekian mastery, you will be levelling up in ludicrous ways.  Not sure what it will achieve after getting to level 4, but hey…

Android Presence

R135Known for their brazenness, Android Presence sets out to make sure everyone knows and fears the Androids. It is not only powerful, like all cards that allow you to level up, but adds a mental element to a lot of match-ups.

For example, if you are playing a physical beatdown deck, you really want to keep an opponent’s Android 18 on level 1. So if you see 4 Android cards in their discard pile, and have discard pile removal in your hand (say, a Devastating Blow), you will feel compelled to enter combat to banish those cards. Even if the rest of your hand is rather lackluster. This fear can play into the hands of Android players, who may not even be running Android Presence in their deck.

What is also interesting is you do not need to be an Android MP to use this card. While there are not many non-named Android cards for non-Android MPs to run, it’s still possible to get a free level with this card, and there may be some builds that find a way to take advantage of this.

I am very fond of cards like this which are potentially very powerful, versatile, add skill and fear to plays even when not in a hand or even in the game, and are thematically accurate to boot!

As we get closer to Evolution’s release, I am seeing a whole lot of fun and interesting interactions to do with the Androids, and expect Android ally decks to be varied and legitimate contenders.

– Tobye.

To stay up to date with the latest TAK Games Evolution reveals and analysis, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TAKGames_au.

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@JustKyp).

Australian Dragon Ball Z Nationals Report

Shirlene pilots Namekian Piccolo.
Shirlene pilots Namekian Piccolo.

Two days. 83 players. 2 invites. Australia turned up the heat and players showed up in number to discover who our first National Champion would be. More importantly, which two players would represent us at the Dragon Ball Z World Championships this year? It was great to see so many old (from Score Z days) and new faces at the Celtic Club to make the weekend a smashing success.

Day One

What was evident from the outset was a fairly solid diversity in the types of decks brought. While we saw some good numbers for crowd favourites Black Krillin and Namekian Piccolo, there were also a lot of keen players wanting to show off the abilities other combinations bring to the table. It was nice to see a good splashing of Saiyan, Red and Orange in the mix, with the final break down being;

Black – 24
Blue – 13
Namekian – 22
Orange – 10
Red – 7
Saiyan – 7

The first few rounds of Swiss generated some of the closest matches over the two days, as players pushed themselves to generate the best start they could to help build a solid base to be able to attack the later rounds. And as the rounds wore on, there were a few great stories unfolding.

New player Chris pilots Black Krillin skilfully into the Top 16.
New player Chris pilots Black Krillin skilfully into the Top 16.

Daniel piloted his Black Krillin skilfully to go undefeated through the Swiss rounds to ensure himself a top cut spot. Then there was his young apprentice, Chris, who had only picked up the game a few months earlier, keeping his cool and showing he was made of the right sort of grit as well.

But the Cinderella story of the event was Tobye, who broke the meta wide open with his Saiyan Turles deck making a mockery of those who didn’t give Saiyan a chance.

The Swiss rounds went late into the evening. And in typical Melbourne fashion, an afternoon storm rolled in to add to the sense of foreboding with some tight and hard fought games taking up the final two rounds. In the end, the Top 16 was made, with some great inclusions to the exclusive group but also a few shocks as to who did not make the finals.

In no particular order, the top cut was made up of:

Fahad R. – Black Krillin
Damien H. – Blue Ginyu
David B. – Black Krillin
Tim L. – Orange Ginyu
Chris H. – Black Krillin
Daniel S. – Black Krillin
Kuan-Ju L. – Black Ginyu
Michael M. – Black Krillin
Tobye R. – Saiyan Turles
David T. – Namekian Piccolo
Jono C. – Red Garlic
Dylan F. – Namekian Piccolo
Justin T. – Orange Krillin
Juliano S. – Black Krillin
Adam S. – Black Krillin
Harry K. – Namekian Piccolo

While it were these players that would be the ones to determine who received the invites, it did not take away from the great play and sportsmanship of everyone. We rounded out the night knowing that we were in for an amazing treat the next day to see who would be crowned Champion.

Day Two

An early start for us at TAK Games, with decks to be checked and more setting up. Looking at the Top 16 we knew that there were going to be some great match ups right out of the blocks and we weren’t disappointed.

There were some amazingly close matches in Top 16. Daniel and Jono came right down the wire with the final combat going either way if not for one solitary card. Mirror matches abounded with Michael and Juliano both running Black Krillin to the wire.

Tobye takes Turles to Top 8.
Tobye takes Turles to Top 8.

But into the Top 8 marched Tobye and his unique Saiyan Turles deck against Michael, and the match up didn’t disappoint. The match ebbed and flowed, and all came down to a final hand. In something that would seem crazy to most, Tobye entered with no cards in hand, but used one of his Visiting The Pasts in play to grab a Saiyan Energy Focus to shut off Michael’s board and to try and push for a win. But Michael had the crucial block in hand that allowed him to shrug off the attack and then move in for the kill.

Our final 4 saw Adam and Fahad match up in another mirror to see who would be given the first of the two invites, and Kuan and Michael battle it out as Black Ginyu and Black Krillin respectively. Both sets of matches were hard fought, but it was Fahad and Kuan, two great friends, who would be meeting in the final and would be the lucky recipients of the two invites to worlds.

The finals started after a short break to refresh, with both players putting up a great fight. In the end, Fahad’s Black Krillin proved too much for Kuan as he won 2-0 in the best of three match up. Crucial attacks like Black Energy Web proved the difference between the two.

Our first National Champion Fahad with best mate and runner-up Kuan.
Our first National Champion Fahad with best mate and runner-up Kuan.

Congratulations to Fahad as our National Champion and Kuan as a worthy Runner Up. Good luck to you both as you do Australia proud at the World Championships in December.

We would like to thank each and every player for their support over the weekend, and we were thrilled with the level of talent we saw from all of you. We can’t wait to ramp up organised play further next year.

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@JustKyp).

 

Dragon Ball Z Evolution Preview #5 – Orange Sideswipe

A guaranteed 7 stages of damage if it hits... does Orange Sideswipe warrant a slot?
A guaranteed 7 stages of damage if it hits… does Orange Sideswipe warrant a slot?

Tobye’s back with another Evolution preview, this time an Orange common. (Yes, sadly we have no more Saiyan cards left.)

While Orange Sideswipe is a card I don’t find exciting, I do find it interesting. While Namek Dragon Ball 6 is the bane of all beat-down decks, there is little else currently being played that negatively modifies the damage of a physical attack.

The only examples I can think of are Garlic Jr. Level 3, Red Blazing Aura and Saiyan Protection Drill and these cards are rarely seen in competitive play.  This coupled with the fact that Orange generally loves to buff its own attacks with modifiers, makes me question how playable Orange Sideswipe would ever be.

But then I think, what if damage modification suddenly becomes a huge deal?  Destructo Disks start losing a lot of value, Turles becomes  weak like everyone else and Captain Ginyu’s constant damage can feel like a pitter-patter instead of a typhoon.  It seems like a very viable way of curbing the current power houses.

So if this is the path taken by the masses in the future, possibly aided by some new cards, I can see where this card might find its niche.

– Tobye.

To stay up to date with the latest TAK Games Evolution reveals and analysis, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TAKGames_au.

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@JustKyp).

Dragon Ball Z Evolution Preview #4 – Saiyan Overhead Kick

For when you need a little help from your friends...
For when you need a little help from your friends…

In honour of not one but two Saiyan Turles players smashing face and top cutting in the Chicago regionals today, the original Saiyan Prince Tobye chimes in with analysis of another Dragon Ball Z Evolution preview – Saiyan Overhead Kick.

Interestingly, this is the first stage damage attack that searches for an ally, and it has no stage cost! This means even when beat down to 0 stages, you can still pull out an ally to buffer some damage. And with the old Saiyan Mastery, it can even gain you some stages back on hit, really demoralising any physical beats aggressor. This card adds an unquestionably large amount of power to the Saiyan style, and I struggle to think of any future builds that won’t try to take advantage of this card in some way.

For villains, you can gain massive stage damage bonuses via Vegeta and Turles allies or shut off setups with Nappa ally – which would be an amazing way to lead into a combat against an opponent who has a Black Power Up or two in play! For heroes, you can get Gohan to limit anger gain (which is generally very helpful for Saiyan!), Goku to search out drills, or Trunks to help sort out draws. There’s some nice synergy with Goku and Vegeta to be explored as well. While the villain ally set is instantly more appealing to beat-down players, the hero allies can add a lot of utility to create some interesting slow-game builds. This is the card I am most looking forward to in set 4, and can’t wait to display its power!

– Tobye.

To stay up to date with the latest TAK Games Evolution reveals and analysis, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TAKGames_au.

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@JustKyp).

Dragon Ball Z Evolution Preview #3 – Namekian Assistance Drill

There’s been little love for Namekian style players so far with set reveals (let’s be honest, their toolbox is already jam packed with a comprehensive arsenal of competitive options) but we have a new preview from Evolution that should give those little green guys something more to smirk about.

On face value, Namekian Assistance Drill seems a little over the top. Giving Namekian a card comparable to Black Smoothness Drill? Why, Panini, why?

Smooth sailing for Namekian...?
Smooth sailing for Namekian…?

While Namekian has the ability to re-use or draw more cards for actions, its new drill adds a bit more dimension to how it can play out hands both as the attacker and defender. The good thing is the effect is conditional, but when you look at the card pool Namekian has, you know it’s in a good situation to try and abuse this card.

For Dragon Balls, we already know that Namekian has a great way of acquiring them either through tutor effects like Namekian Dragon Clan and Namekian Planned Attack, and a solid way of keeping them around with the Namekian Mastery. Keep Namek Dragon Ball 1 on your side of the board and you’ve got a nice little set up with another ball to help keep the condition handy. There’s also the ally condition, which players of Namekian Gohan will like. This might give Gohan a little extra punch so he can focus on retaining allies that help him keep control without having to play the full suite of heroes with attack actions. Namekian Confident Burst, on hit, will help meet the condition of the card straight away. While there is a focus in the style to continue to gain levels which isn’t great for retaining your drills, there is already an answer to help you overcome this.

Namekian Crossed Guard, when rejuvenated, allows you to place a drill from your discard pile into play. So working on a similar premise to how players use Namekian Flinch to help retain their allies, Namekian can also regain use of the drill again with some targeted rejuvenation via cards like Namekian Hybrid Defense. This is a solid card that will go a long way to helping the Namekian style keep pace this set.

To stay up to date with the latest TAK Games Evolution reveals and analysis, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @TAKGames_au.

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent) and Kyp (@JustKyp).