Trunks : Future Blue Deck Guide

One of my favorite Leaders to play, Blue Trunks: Future, has a unique playstyle with Leader ability, letting you bounce back cards to your hand, to get more value from them.

Blue FB01-036-trunks-future revolves around resource management, board control, and even putting pressure on the opponent with multiple attacks.

Gameplan

An Awakened FB01-036-trunks-future can bounce Battle cards with a cost of 3 or less back into hand. This can mess up opponents' tempo by returning their Battle cards and slowing down their game plan. Additionally, you can utilize this ability to return your own Battle cards, enabling you to replay them and gain more value.

Think of FB01-036-trunks-future as a deck that aims to prevent the opponent from taking over the board presence in the early to mid-game. The Leader's ability, along with various cards in the deck can return the opponent's Battle cards to their hand or deck. It's crucial to keep track of your hand size as certain cards require you to have a hand of 7 cards or less to activate their effects.

This deck has access to a lot of card draws, so we're not worried about running out of resource value and we'll likely bleed out opponent until our carries win us the game. A lot of value means more Combo plays! With the value you create, you'll stretch out games until all your pieces are in place. Once the mid-game hits, you can shift to a more aggressive approach and set up for your late-game finishing play.

Low-cost Value

We're usually looking to play FS02-08-trunks-youth on turn 1, getting that early card draw to find the right pieces. He doesn't offer any offensive value but can be used as Combo card to protect your Leader or Battle cards.

FB01-056-pilaf is more for the later stages of the game, once we have 1-cost cards to get from our Drop. FB01-056-pilaf needs to see that you have 7 or less cards in hand to activate his effect. We want to set up a value loop with FB01-056-pilaf, drawing into another FB01-056-pilaf and replaying it every time, getting insane Combo value that empowers your attacks.

Using Leader FB01-036-trunks-future ability, we're able to return FB01-056-pilaf into hand so we can replay him and get more cards in our hand. It works best in slow matchups where card value becomes important.

Control Plan

This Trunks deck runs multiple cards with skills to recall opponent's Battle Card either to their hand or to the deck. Obviously, putting them back in their deck is more valuable as it'll help us outvalue them. Throughout the game, we have different options to disrupt the opponent's board and slow down their gameplan.

1-cost Board Control

The list runs 1-cost Battle Cards that assist you in keeping the opponent's side of the board under control. FB01-042-zamasu is great if your opponent develops a pesky 1-cost that'll be troublesome throughout the game. Cards like FB01-004-whis or FB02-130-bulma are examples of Battle Cards that we can't afford to leave on the board for multiple turns.

With ToPKu's dominance in the current meta, players have been running FB02-052-son-goten in the list to help slow down the opponent's aggression with his ability to return a 2-cost card back to the opponent's hand. He doesn't offer much aggression and you'll likely use him as a combo play. However, with Leader's bounce ability, we can return FB02-052-son-goten and replay him to bounce two cards.

This can also be useful in other matchups, especially with a Blocker preventing you from striking the Leader. We can combo FB02-052-son-goten with our cost reduction cards to bounce back 3-cost Battle Cards, which can be challenging for opponents to redevelop.

FB02-062-mai-future is our cost reducer, putting 3-cost Battle Cards at risk of getting returned by FB02-052-son-goten. It can also work with other cards like FB02-061-vegito or FB01-068-sinister-sickle. We can play FB02-062-mai-future twice in one turn using Leader ability, which we'll want to do if there's a high-cost threat we want to deal with.

Midgame Game Control

FB02-061-vegito is our strongest turn 3 play, which we'll prioritize. He can put 1 of opponent's Battle Cards with a cost of 1 or less at the bottom of their deck, which in hindsight doesn't seem too strong, but with his cost reduction effect, we're now able to remove a 2-cost. This does force us to have 7 cards or less for the cost-reduction effect to activate.

We want to try and keep FB02-061-vegito to stick on the board, getting more value out of his cost-reduction and getting to deal with high-cost threats. Cards like FB02-052-son-goten. FB01-068-sinister-sickle, a second FB02-061-vegito, and FB01-036-trunks-future's bounce ability.

We want to slow down the opponent's aggression and buy us time until the late game, where our higher-cost cards will help us shift the pressure in our favor.

FB01-068-sinister-sickle is another tool to remove two threats off the board. The fact that we're putting the Battle Cards in the opponent's deck will shift the value plan in your favor. In the current meta, removing 4-costs should be enough in most cases in the mid-game. However, in the late-game or against Green decks we'll need cost reducers to deal with 5 or 6 cost cards.

FB02-040-goku-black can be a follow up play to FB02-061-vegito, threatening to return 3-cost cards to the opponent's deck. If FB02-040-goku-black is on his own, he's still removing a 2-cost card.

Late-game Control

FB02-139-vegito can join the battle and return a 5-cost threat to the opponent's hand. Additionally, FB02-139-vegito can attack twice, threatening 30,000 Power attacks that can be difficult for opponents to Combo out of.

FB02-049-zen-oh is the most expensive but strongest removal play, returning all cards on the board to their owner's deck. This can be devastating for opponent's with multiple Battle Cards on the board.

We need to identify when we plan to play FB02-049-zen-oh to minimize our losses. For instance, during our defensive turn, we'll avoid committing too many resources to protect our rested Battle Cards since they'll end up removed by FB02-049-zen-oh anyways.

Make sure to use your attacks with Battle Cards already on the board and return one card with Leader ability before the FB02-049-zen-oh play. FB02-049-zen-oh isn't presenting much of an offensive threat for the turn, capable of attacking for 20,000 Power to force a Combo card out of the opponent.

A lone Warrior

FB01-049-trunks-future is a low-cost 30,000 Power attacker, capable of setting up powerful attacks. The only downside is that FB01-049-trunks-future will end up at the bottom of our deck at the end of our turn if we've attacked with him. Luckily, using Leader ability, we can return him back to our hand, avoiding the downside and getting to either replay him for another attack or use him as a Combo play.

The Heavy Hitters

If your opponent is down to two health, FS02-13-vegeta is the ideal play to set up the Double Strike win condition. You'll need to back it up with a bunch of Combo cards to ensure the Double Strike goes through.

FS02-13-vegeta is also a removal tool, returning a 4-cost Battle Card to the opponent's deck. If you have 6 Energy, you can combo FS02-13-vegeta with FB02-062-mai-future to remove 5-cost threats.

Extra Cards

FS02-15-galick-gun is a 15,000 Power boost to be used defensively or offensively. If we have 7 or less cards in hand, we get to draw a card, basically not losing on resource value when playing FS02-15-galick-gun.

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Techs and Options

FS02-11-piccolo: is more of a value card to bring back one of the Extra cards we've played. We're not really looking to play FS02-11-piccolo on turn 3 since in most cases, we won't have an Extra in our Drop.

FS02-03-gotenks: A value card for the sweaty games, drawing you a Trunks and a Goten. However, I have struggled to set up a FS02-03-gotenks play in the current meta.

FB02-043-zamasu: A 20,000 Power Battle Card capable of discarding a card we don't need to look for more valuable cards. We can discard 1-cost cards we don't expect to play that Pilaf can bring back later on.

FB02-039-goku-black: If we're running more Zamasus, FB02-039-goku-black is a consideration for a free card draw and development.

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General Tips

• Keep track of your hand size. A lot of your cards require you to have 7 or fewer cards in hand for their effect to activate. You can use cards as Combo plays to drop the number of cards in hand. You also might need to activate card effects before you Awaken/Attack with your leader since you'll draw cards and could end up with more than 7 cards in hand.
• Return your own cards for more value. You can draw more cards with FB01-056-pilaf or FS02-08-trunks-youth if you replay them. You can also return cards to use them as Combo to set up a stronger attack.
• If you're looking to set up the final play, make sure you play your value cards like FB01-056-pilaf or FS02-08-trunks-youth, draw more Combo cards, and then use everything as Combo to set up a stronger attack.

Mulligan

FS02-08-trunks-youth and FB01-042-zamasu are 1-cost cards we want in the early game. FB02-061-vegito is a key card to set up our turn 3 and start removing the opponent's Battle cards. FB01-068-sinister-sickle is a great tool for the board control, slowing down the opponent's aggression.

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Important Matchups

ToPKu

• We want to avoid attacking their Leader, slowing down their ability to go wide through Leader ability until we're able to deal with their board.
• FB02-015's Power boost is problematic, so we'll want to remove it from the board immediately. We could use Leader ability to get rid of it before we start attacking.
• FB01-042-zamasu is important in the early game to deal with FB01-005-master-roshi or FB01-004-whis.
• We want to shut them down from self-damaging every turn, so FB01-005-master-roshi and FB01-021-hit need to be dealt with immediately.
• FB02-049-zen-oh is a key card in this matchup, especially since ToPKu will go wide on the board with Kefla.
• Avoid dropping to 2 health, FB02-031-ribrianne + FB02-035-glimpse-of-a-hidden-arrogance is difficult to defend your Leader from.

Green Broly

• Build up a board and try to aggro them down to Awaken as fast as possible. This limits the card draw value they'll have.
• Use up Combo resources to keep important units with 25,000 Power alive if possible. An Awakened FS03-01-broly can be difficult to go through so you'll need 2c FB01-049-trunks-future.
• The cost reduction from FB02-061-vegito will be important to remove their higher-cost Battle Cards.

Red Beerus

• You're up against 20,000 Power Beerus with Critical that wants to target your Leader any chance they get.
• You can outvalue your opponent if you manage to prolong the game.
• Remove any of their Power reducers to lower their value and impact on the board.
• FB02-015's Power boost is problematic, so we'll want to remove it from the board immediately. We could use Leader ability to get rid of it before we start attacking.

Red Goku U7

• Goku U7 wants to build up a wide board and buff everything by 5,000 Power with their Awakened Leader's ability.
• Focus on KOing their Battle cards to tone down their aggression.
• FB01-068-sinister-sickle will find value in this matchup, especially when dealing with FB01-139-son-goku.

Yellow Ginyu

• They can set up aggressive attacks with a wide board of 20,000 Power Battle cards.
• Son Goten can help slow down their board development by returning a Battle card to their hand.
• FB01-068-sinister-sickle will find value in this matchup.
• They want to set up multiple attacks with Leader FB01-104-ginyu's ability. This does force them to discard two cards from hand. If you make sure they don't win the board, they won't have a good opportunity to set up that play.

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Closing Words

This version of Blue Trunks adopts a control approach, trying to keep the board in check as it takes things to the late game, eventually outvaluing the opponent. With Leader ability, you're able to adapt to different scenarios, either going for more draw value or bouncing opponents' cards to slow down their upcoming turns.

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