Happy Friday! Check out the latest DBZ TCG stirrings below:

1 – A recent question posed by the DBZ TCG Wiki:

“Player A plays Saiyan Ki Burst, Player B later plays Black Easy Block. Can Player B play Playful Punch as an attack and/or block?”

In this scenario, Player B would be able to use Playful Punch as an attack – but not as a block. If Black Easy Block interacted with “attack cards” instead of “attacks,” Player B would also have been able to use Playful Punch as a block.

Pictured here: Trunks after hearing about this ruling.

2 – First wave Demo Decks have an error on Step 15, which calculates the final damage as 6 stages instead of 7. This will be corrected in the version planned for mass release.

3 – Dark horse rising: Black Wheelo

Whispers of this deck have popped up in a few tournament scenes, but Wheelo’s real impact on the meta has yet to be seen. As the arms race for Level management continues to ramp up, the ability to operate on Level 1 (or maintain anger control to pop back up after being de-leveled) is a viable tactic for certain control decks. Wheelo’s Level 1 Power combines with Black’s card-pool to create a critical mass of Destroy effects – don’t put away your Lookout Drills just yet!

Soon.

4 – Last weekend’s Michigan ARG was won by Kyle McGrath using Namekian Restored Cell. This deck is extremely likely to make an impact in the next season of Organized Play, so you’ll want to be familiar with the matchup. 

Strengths of Cell Restored:

• Quick advancement to Level 4
• Consistent search power
• Rejuvenation engine

Cell Restored aims to quickly hit Level 2, whether it be through slime anger or Cell’s Draining Attack. From there, Namekian Leaping Kick is easily accessible – leading to a Level 3 activation and a jump to Level 4. At that point, each combat becomes an uphill battle against card advantage, being leveled down, and a stream of unpreventable physical attacks for 7 Life cards. What angles of attack exist against this threat?

That Cell is so hot right now!!

While Cell Restored runs several cards that fly off of Level 1, they must be drawn naturally. Black decks can strip them preemptively, while Red or Saiyan would hope to buy time while knocking them out of the deck via damage. Blue has several hindrances against auto-levelers, including Blue Protective Mastery’s cap of 6 against Cell’s Draining Attack. Namekian Leaping Kick requires a heavy investment in Dragon Balls, so Cell is most susceptible during the beginning stages of the match. Similarly, the turn he advances from 1 to 2 is still somewhat vulnerable, as he does not generate much of an advantage until he next declares combat. Finally, discard pile removal is of paramount importance – especially once Cell hits Level 4. If you are unable to have a productive combat, it is often wise to withhold attacking rather than allow Namekian Hybrid Defense to generate any value. In combination with Namekian Aerial Knee, Cell can create an impenetrable wall of Rejuvenation if you fail to disrupt his discard pile.

Take your pick. 

That’s all for this week, have a nice holiday weekend and we’ll see you on Tuesday!