Hello everyone! This week’s mailbag haul featured quite a few questions about the next expansion set. DBZ: Heroes and Villains will be available in early March, and it seems like everyone is dying to know what kind of cards, effects, and characters to expect. While a full rollout of info is still a few weeks off, there is still a lot of new information to be excited about. Let’s begin.

“Rogue MPs: this was a great part in the flavor of the original game, especially with Picollo, Buu, and Vegeta. While the rogue rules might not work with balance in the game, I would love to see a Hero version of Vegeta, or a Villainous Piccolo.”

-Matt F.

While we are still a while away from revisiting the existing MPs, you’re likely to see something along the lines of a Hero Vegeta down the road. I wonder which MPs are good candidates for alternate alignments – Vegeta, Piccolo, Android 18, Buu, hmm…

“My question deals with the makeup of the characters and cards in the following sets.  In the first set released, the majority of characters come from the Saiyan, Namek, and Frieza Sagas and the Trunks Saga from the original show.  Will the following sets continue in unison with how the original card game sets were and how the TV show is? Thanks for bringing the game back to life!”

-Nathan O.

There has been a lot of speculation about how future sets will be handled, with some people even thinking as far ahead as Kid Buu Saga! One of the main issues in designing the old DBZ CCG was the fact that the game had to adhere to the release schedule of new DBZ episodes. Since we are not bound to a specific time period of the show, the emphasis can be on gameplay. Taking that into account, the Heroes and Villains expansion focuses on fleshing out the existing card pool – while still adding new options with an appropriate level of power/usability. At this time, I’m able to confirm that the Main Personalities in set 2 will be Raditz, Nappa, Nail, and Tenshinhan.

 “Do you have any plans of introducing level 5 personalities into the game?”

– Jon B. from Wisconsin

This is a frequently asked question, and at this time there are no plans to introduce level five personalities. Similar to the previous point, we’ve found that balancing for/around MPPV with a universal set of four MP cards leads to a more enjoyable environment. Of course, never say never…

 “I loved the original game before Panini took over. Can I create and play with a deck with a mix of the old cards and the new Panini ones?”
-Brian B.

First and foremost, refer to the CRD for a list of gold titled reprints that are completely legal in Panini DBZ TCG events. Personally, I really enjoy using old foil versions of Blue Round Throw and Blue Arm Blast in my Goku deck! Aside from that, there have been quite a few local scenes coming up with innovative ways to mix the old cards with the new. Generally speaking, you’ll find complete compatibility between the two engines as they both operate under the same concepts (Physical/Energy attacks, Stops, Setups/Drills/Non-Combats, Events/Combat cards, Allies, and so on). For more information on combining the two games, check out Retro DBZ in our links section.

“Is there any discussion on the dev side about Ginyu and its total dominance right now?”

-John P.

We are well aware of what is popular and powerful in the current tournament scene. Of course, development of the next set is always influenced by the trends formed in the existing card pool. Unlike the Namekian Mastery requiring a text update, Ginyu’s relative strength will certainly wane as players gain access to more ways to remove Allies. We will never neuter a deck simply because it is highly played, and our approach to balance will generally focus on increasing the viability of other archetypes before decreasing the strength of something popular.

That’s all for now, but remember that your questions, comments, and concerns can be answered here by sending an email titled “MAILBAG” to dbz@paniniamerica.net (please include your first name, last initial, and location). I personally read each and every comment, and I’ll always do my best to make sure that your voice is being represented. Also, send any rules questions to the same address for a quick response.

I’ll end by posing the question of the week:
Which new Heroes and Villains MP are you the most excited about?