DBZ CCG Guide Part 3

Part 3: Duel Breakdown

In this part, I'll try to highlight the exact phases of the game, and the order in which you and the opponent play.

The first thing to do is compare the opponent's power stages with your own. In general, both you and your opponent start at 5 stages above 0. But if there's a huge difference between your highest power stages... well, I'll actually just copy straight from the rulebook:
"If player A’s power rating at 5 stages above 0 is double or more than player B’s power rating at 5 above 0, then player A's rating is set to 2 above 0. Player B sets their power rating to full and player B goes first."

So this rule is a good way to balance things out: it makes no sense why a Goku should start off with equal power stages to Guldo when he's significantly stronger.

When the duel starts, both you and the opponent first draw 3 cards.

Directly afterwards, the turn player has a Non-Combat phase, where they can put any Non-Combat, Dragonball, Drill, or Ally cards into play.

Next, the turn player gets a free Power-up; their power stages are increased by a given "power-up rating", shortened to PUR. At level 1, your PUR is 2, so you would increase your power stages by 2 before Combat starts. At level 2, your PUR I believe is 3, and at level 3 your PUR equals 4. Also, if you have a Mastery, at the start of the game you have a +1 added to your PUR. After this, you move on to Combat.

Combat is the real core of the game: this is where you inflict stages, or life cards of damage, and apply most of the effects of your cards. It goes very back & forth: if one player plays a card, the other has a chance to respond. If they don't, whatever damage or effects of the card is applied. You can also choose to simply pass your play, and let the opponent play their cards.

Anger:
So anger has come up multiple times so far, but it's a pretty simple concept. Along with your personality, you have a Z-Sword right under it during duels. When you have an affect that says "+ anger", this is simply increased by that amount. When you reach 5 anger, you go to your next personality level. If you would reach MPP, you simply win when you'd gain your 5th anger at your 2nd personality. If you can't win bu MPP, then nothing happens when you get to 5 anger at Level 3.

I'm sure you're wondering: is there really nothing I could do if I have a card I can't play in my hand? It's very easy for a card to be dead, since if it's the opponent's turn, you never even had a Non-Combat phase!

In Combat, there's a mechanic called the Final Physical Attack. For this, you can choose any card in your hand to be a basic physical attack; so yea, you can turn that dead Dragonball card into an attack! It's calculated like a regular physical attack, so the Physical Attack Table would come into play. Once you have used your Final Physical Attack, you cannot activate new effects or attack with any other cards until the turn is over.

Combat officially ends when both players pass. At the end, if a player has cards in their hand, they must discard until they have 1 left. So you don't have to play all your cards in Combat; so you can hold onto that Non-Combat card until your turn, or if you feel that some card could serve a better purpose later in the game. Note: remember when I mentioned the Saiyan Truce Card? It has an effect that allows you to hold on to extra cards when Combat ends. SO powerful, as you can potentially start with 5 or 6 cards in your hand next turn! All the saiyan characters have it in game, which can feel beyond unfair.

When the next turn starts, both players draw 3 cards, and now the other player has a Non-Combat phase. And other than that, the exact same sequence applies. You simply go back and forth, trading turns until someone wins the game. However, like I said in the Card Explanation section, it's important to read and understand card effects completely. As I mentioned, there're various cards that can make Combat go a bit differently (even cards that can end Combat immediately... I'm looking at you Saiyan Truce!).

All I can say is to play the game carefully, keeping the basic concepts in mind. After some time, you'll start to notice how certain cards work, and understand the general flow of the game. Also, for this video game, when you win a duel, the game gives you 10 new cards. Now by new, I don't mean it's a guarantee that they aren't already in your card pool. But the quality of your drops can make or break how fast the game goes.

Now, on to the main part of this little guide: Speedrun Strats! :)