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On July first, the most awaited event in Dragon Ball Fusion World will finally go live, and the tyranny of the Son Goku Tournament of Power deck should end with it, the ban list (July 11 for Digital version)!
In this article, I'd like to discuss what to expect after what should be a huge downgrade of the entire red crew power level, in particular, which leaders can we expect to rise. Indeed, Topku has been suffocating most of the other leaders in the game, making the entire metagame about him and the ability to go against it.
With Topku out of the way, every color in the game is impacted, for better or worse. For example, Blue, which emerged as the "counter" to the metagame tyrant, might not feel so great after the ban list, as it won't go against red as often. On the other hand, most green and yellow leaders should be happy about the news, as these two colors have been struggling to get any momentum going during this first half of Blazing Aura.
Here are the leaders you might want to keep in mind once the ban list goes live!
Android 17
FB01-070 has done absolutely nothing if you look at the regional tournaments results, just like the rest of the green leaders, really. However, the deck has been praised for its ability to bring some pressure consistently on the online ladder. Indeed, while other green leaders will use FS03-16, FB01-096 or FB02-102 to gain energy, FB01-070 uses FB02-077.
The difference is huge, as the card gives you an extra energy for the remainder of the match like the ones mentioned above, but also resets three energies on the spot. Doing so, not only you set yourself up for FB01-078 the following turn, you get to play another 20,000 power card to land another shot immediately. Plus, if you were at five energy at the start of the turn, you can play two copies of FB02-077, plus have three energy available, while being set for an 8-cost card the next turn.
Combined with a 30,000 power when attacking, FB01-070 brings much more pressure than its green counterparts onto its opponent. It might seem weird, as green is widely regarded as a defensive, control oriented color, but if blue ends up on top after the ban list goes live, this would be an excellent leader to run.
Frieza
FS04-01 was the best yellow leader for most of Awakened Pulse, and arguably still is currently. Unfortunately, due to yellow as a whole struggling to do anything convincing, we aren't seeing much of the villain lately. FS04-01 did gain some momentum in regional tournaments, with top placements in the last two, held in Chicago and Paris. Then, there is a chance FS04-01 is amongst the few leaders with the ability to still improve in the current metagame. Even then, there is little doubt a change of scenery would only benefit the yellow leader, especially if green comes back, as yellow is widely regarded as the problematic color for these leaders.
Overall, there is no bad outcome for FS04-01 following this ban list. The leader can either improve, on the back of a different metagame, and return to be the force it was at the end of Awakened Pulse. Or if things stay similar, for example, with FB01-002 carrying the torch for the red color, FS04-01 can keep focusing on what it has been doing currently and got him a few regional top cuts.
Son Goku (Universe 7)
This is likely the weakest leader on this list, as we are talking about one which isn't seeing much play and is also impacted by the upcoming nerfs. The reason I included FB01-001 is that I do believe its stock will improve after the ban list, although it shouldn't become a top-tier leader.
First, the Universe Seven synergy was kind of the Tournament of Power during the first expansion, except it lacked the godly card draw provided by FB02-013. Sure, it might struggle to awaken at times without FB01-005 to help, but it still packs a punch, which could be a great asset if green comes back as strong as many believe it will.
With the help of FB02-023 on top of all the solid low-cost cards in the red arsenal, FB01-001 is the likeliest red candidate when it comes to winning games in a control value-oriented metagame. Sure, FB01-002 will likely be playable, but we are guaranteed it won't be stronger than it currently is. On the other hand, FB01-001 could benefit more from a change of environment compared to what it loses with the ban list. The leader isn't seeing any play, so it can't really be any worse.
Cell
After the ban list, the metagame should be slower, or at least, aggressive decks won't have as much sustain as they currently do. As such, defensive, value-oriented decks will naturally have more time to develop and leverage their engines. When you have access to FB02-102, you can only see this extra time as an incredible piece of news. Indeed, the only weakness of FB02-070's signature field is the fact it forces you to have a very turn four. If that problem is solved in a slower environment, we might be looking at a card able to win games on its own, due to the sheer value it generates.
We already discussed FB01-070, which represents a more pressure-oriented option, and FB02-070 should take the spot of the almost impossible to beat in the long run kind of leader. I know FS03-01 was the best leader at the end of the first expansion, and if we were to go back to a similar environment, there is a chance the Legendary Saiyan would soar back as a dominant leader. Yet, apart from Yellow becoming the new metagame tyrant, which I doubt considering Blue feels very solid against it, I don't see FS03-01 being able to leverage its 25,000 power when awakened as well as it could in the past. This is the main reason why I have FB02-070 in higher esteem after the ban list.
Closing Words
I debated for a while whether a blue leader should be on this list, but I can't figure out those would improve with the ban list. FB02-036 might be good in a Frieza dominated metagame, as the 25,000 power has proved to be great against yellow. However, it is difficult to imagine blue will improve will less of red, and likely much more of green around.
I'm not saying blue will be the worst color again, as I think yellow is a good match-up as long as you run FB02-049 to punish their slow, methodical gameplay. Yet, blue should stay put at best, which doesn't fit the theme of this piece.
I hope this piece might help some of you find some clarity with the ban list probably shaking up the foundations we built since the start of Blazing Aura. If you want to discuss this article, feel free to reach out through my Twitter page.
Good Game Everyone,
