TAK Games > Dragon Ball Z Vengeance Preview #3 – Black Face Kick

Dragon Ball Z Vengeance Preview #3 – Black Face Kick

After a brutal round of Local Championship events this weekend, Chris Hellmann, winner of the Next Level Games Ringwood Local Championships and Juliano Stadlmann, winner of the Gathering of Worlds Grafton Local Championships event, both requested a new black style preview from Vengeance. Happily, we’ve still got one left in our remaining preview cards to showcase!

Black gets a little more of what it needs when we look at Black Face Kick, a new common from the upcoming Vengeance release. With the parentheses text, using this card in tandem with its good friend Black Shoulder Charge can help create that extra critical damage effect Black style decks might need without relying on pure damage output to create it. Other cards like Black Evasion can help create the effect too, so you can create a little more synergy across the deck.

Pow! Right in the kisser!
Pow! Right in the kisser!

The secondary effect has its drawbacks. It’s not all the time that Black needs the cards in its discard pile, but potentially banishing your Black Shoulder Charge or other Black Face Kick’s may put a dent in your plan if you need the critical damage effect they create. But, being able to banish 5 of your opponent’s cards is a fairly nice upswing, and may give Black Perceptive Mastery players an added way of stopping their opponent’s discard pile recursion.

The damage output is quite light, and to gain full value, the card may need to make its way into a deck with an MP who can sit in high brackets on a regular basis.

Overall, Black Face Kick could have some nice uses once teamed with some of the cards useful in the Perceptive Mastery builds.

Looking to play in serious organised play before Vengeance hits? Check out our Local Championships circuit, where you could win a great travel stipend to help you on your way to Nationals and beyond. Our tournament winners of this weekend’s Local Championship events will help select our next Vengeance previews!

To stay up to date with the latest TAK Games Vengeance 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 Perfection Preview #1 – Black Sidestep

Like everyone else, we can’t wait for the Dragon Ball Z TCG’s next expansion Perfection to hit. Preview season is well underway with some amazing cards popping up all over – the hype on the much-awaited Cell reveal was all too real, and there have been other gems from other sites, including reveals from our friends at Next Level Z, Dragon Ball Z TCG Wiki, Retro DBZ, DBZ Top Tier, Fanatics Gaming Network and more.

Black Sidestep - making Namekian players guess since 2016.
Black Sidestep – making Namekian players guess since 2016.

Our first preview for Perfection is a great addition to Black Style that has the potential to help it in a few tricky match ups.

Including Black Sidestep in your deck will very much be a choice based on your local meta. Black as a whole doesn’t have a lot of effects that can deal with an opponent’s Dragon Balls, and Black Sidestep thus helps in some way to bridge a gap for the style. Currently, Black Style’s best bet to deal with Dragon Balls is to generate a critical damage effect. When you’re coming up against a triple threat Namekian with MPPV to keep an eye on, or another dedicated Dragon Ball victory deck with mass endurance, this can be hard to rely on consistently.

If your opponent is getting a little too greedy with their Dragon Balls in play, this is a great answer. With energy attacks like Optic Blast, Crushing Beam and other styled attacks like Namekian Double Strike that help make up a large part of the included attacks in opposition decks, it’s safe to say having this card as a bluff to draw upon and keep your opponent guessing can be a great way to force your opponent to potentially make a crucial misplay.

When compared to Black Style’s existing set of amazing energy blocks including Black Corruption, Black Swipe and Black Resistance, it’s not an auto-include, but it may fit in a meta where you need to tech around Namekian or pesky Dragon Ball victory players.

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

Game on!

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

Regionals Deck Analysis #1 | Daine B’s Black Ginyu | QLD Regional Champion

We are now at the halfway mark through the Australian regionals season, and with Nationals on the horizon, Trent analyses the decks that have won so far in Queensland and Victoria. Both decks showcased the strength of Ginyu and Piccolo against the vast majority of decks making up the metagame down under.

Daine B.’s Black Ginyu

This deck moved through Swiss by the barest of margins, scraping in to 8th spot. From there, Ginyu showed the way he is able to dominate other decks through sheer weight of numbers in actions per combat.

Daine played a very aggressive game in the majority of match-ups. When he was fishing out allies with his level 1 power he would continually go for allies like Jiece to keep the pressure on his opponents. In most matches, this did him little disservice overall, but against Namekian and Blue nabbing Frieza or Nappa might be better tech.

Black Swirl provides so much return for so little cost.

The choices in energy combat cards are very strong. You would have to go a long way to argue about dropping any of these cards. Black Swirl is a card I see too few of in many Black decks and it gives you so much for so little. Being able to deny a potential block, or prevent a crucial card being played against you can be a huge plus. Withering Fire bridges a small gap in Black’s arsenal by providing a way to deal with drills from Orange and Blue.

All in all, the deck is extremely solid. If I could pick one thing I would change about the deck is that it doesn’t have a solid way of levelling on a consistent basis. There are cards like I’ll Dig Your Grave! but sometimes it is not optimal to use the hit effect when the Black style doesn’t deal well with MPPV. With lots of decks being able to generate critical effects, being able to get to Ginyu level 2 is crucial to retaining your board control. I would really like to see the inclusion of Black Overhead Burst for extra anger. How I would fit this in, and my second improvement I would suggest, is reducing circumstantial cards like Black Scout Maneuver and Wall Breaker. Both offer some solid tech, but running three of means that you will be running into these cards more often, and sometimes they can clog up your hand when you’d rather be laying down another heavy attack.

Daine had a great deck choice and piloted it well to the end of a long day.

Better Know a Deck – Black Krillin

SDCC Krillin
SDCC Promo Krillin offers a distinct advantage over the standard Krillin Lvl1.

There is no doubt that a well-made Black deck in the current environment can wreak havoc on your opponent’s best-laid plans. As I explained in our State of the Game – Black Style article, Black style is all about manipulation of a player’s cards in hand and reducing the cards potentially available to them in their Life Deck and Discard Pile. Black Krillin ramps up control another level by teaming manipulation with critical effects on a frequent basis. This is the deck I’m currently running and I find it very strong against some of the more dominant decks in the metagame.

Krillin’s Personality Cards

Krillin’s powers have great synergy with the Black Devious Mastery and compensate for areas where Black style is lacking. I currently run the San Diego Comic Con promo of Krillin’s Level 1 personality to leverage his Level 1 power as long as possible which creates a floating effect that stays active until a card is discarded from a hand. The discard can occur in any fashion, via the Mastery or other card effect. This critical effect can help discard allies or lower an opponent’s anger – anger control which is sometimes lacking within the currently available Black Style card pool.

But Krillin’s higher level powers won’t leave you at a disadvantage. If you are forced up to his higher levels, he has some great powers that disrupt your opponent’s hand.

Style of play

Black Scout Maneuver
Black Scout Maneuver makes a welcome return in Panini DBZ to help keep your opponent’s future plans in check!

The best way to play this deck is defensively. You need to let your opponent come to you and force their hand, using your turn to regroup and set your board up to wait for the right time to push your advantage.

To play Black well, you need to understand your opponent and the style they are playing. You need to know the threats in each style so you can use cards like Black Searching Technique and Black Scout Maneuver to get rid of future headaches. This makes it very important to research other styles’ strengths and then read your opponent’s play.

Defensive Cards

As Black has a hard time utilising the help of Allies, and has no protection in the form of drills, I play nearly all the blocks available to me in my deck. Make sure you have enough defense to counter your opponent. The stand out Black blocks are Black Finger Block for physical and Black Swipe for energy attacks. Make sure you make the most of your limited defensive resources, as most secondary effects help you manipulate your opponent’s hand in some way. Weigh up your options and choose wisely!

Offensive Cards

Most Black Style attacks have cool effects to help manipulate your opponent. My favourites include Black Energy Web and Black Defensive Burst. If these attacks are successful, they prevent your opponent from performing either energy or physical attacks for the remainder of combat. Sometimes a powerful offense is the best defense!

Krillin's Destructo Disk
One of the most powerful attacks in Krillin’s arsenal.

In this particular deck, you should also consider running cards like Krillin’s Solar Flare and Blinding Energy Move. If you find yourself at the losing end of a tough combat, these cards can help you get out of a jam. This deck’s objective is to hit and run, so do what you can and then leave your opponent hanging.

Without a doubt, the most effective card is Krillin’s Destructo Disc. An attack hitting for 5 life cards and 1 stage can sometimes make all the difference, particularly if you’re looking for a critical effect.

This deck shouldn’t rely offensively on physical attacks as Krillin’s power levels are too prohibitive. Aim for attacks with effects that remove cards from your opponent’s discard pile, as most top tier decks attempt to use their discard pile to their advantage.

Try and avoid energy attacks with high costs as they may eat away at valuable stages you need to absorb against a physical beatdown deck.

Rounding out the deck

Many staple cards are obvious inclusions in this deck, including Confrontation, Time is a Warrior’s Tool and Heroic Energy Sphere.

However, there are a few other cards that may help support your plans. For setups, look at Black Searching Technique which allows you to rid your opponent’s deck of two potential threats – whether those threats are attacks, or allies, or setups. Another setup to check out is Visiting the Past where you can pick and choose something from your discard pile that will help you – will an extra defensive card be what you need, or is it time to finish off your opponent with an additional energy attack?

Another fun card to look at is Black Reflection, which can add a whole new level of frustration to your opponent as their attacks are thrown back at them. Your options are limitless!

Need help?

 

Do you need some help tweaking your deck for your local metagame? We’d love to help you out. Feel free to send in your decklists to dbz@tak-games.com.au and we will give you some advice to maximise your potential.

If there are other decks you would like us to cover, let us know via Facebook (TAKGames.au) or Twitter (@TAKGames_au).

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent)

The State of the Game – a first look at Panini’s Dragon Ball Z TCG relaunch and Black Style decks

By now, most have had a chance to review Panini’s revision of the Dragon Ball Z TCG, which builds on the previous success and themes created by Score Entertainment back in 2000 – 2004. Over the next few days, we’ll review the playing styles found in the game and provide hints and tips to help you on your way with building your first constructed decks.

First, some background on the relaunch. The relaunch of Dragon Ball Z TCG by Panini is headed up by Brand Manager Aik Tongtharadol, the 2001 World Champion who also contributed design elements to Score’s previous game. The relaunch draws on the stronger elements created by Score, including Masteries and Endurance, and removes some elements to help those starting out and to speed up overall game play.

Secondly and most importantly, this game is meant to be fun. Enjoy the games you play and have a great time meeting up with new and returning players alike to become the ultimate Z fighter.

Today, we’re going to have a look at Black Style.

If you like to disrupt your opponent’s play by manipulating cards in their hand and their ability to work with their discard pile, while retaining the ability to pack a mean punch, this style is for you.

Black Searching Technique
Black Searching Technique – a key card for Black Style decks.

Black Style cards work to take away your opponent’s ability to achieve what they want to with their deck.

Black Style is entirely focused on the survival win condition, with few anger gain cards to achieve a Most Powerful Personality Victory and no specific Dragonball victory cards. How does it achieve a survival win? The Black Style Devious Mastery aims to help reduce your opponent’s hand size (and their available options), while cards like Black Searching Technique allow you to target key cards for your opponent. The key to piloting a Black Style deck well is knowing what cards best help your opponent, and those which represent the most danger to you.

Black also stands up for itself defensively. Black Defensive Burst and Black Energy Web take away your opponent’s ability to perform physical and energy attacks respectively. Black Style simply refuses to let your opponent dictate play.

This all sounds pretty good, but what about weaknesses? Black Style is particularly vulnerable to opponents who focus on gaining anger and achieving a Most Powerful Personality Victory.

Key cards

Strongest personalities

Game on!

– Trent (@TAKGames_Trent)