The Zenkai Series brings revolutionary changes to the Dragon Ball Super Card Game. For the first time ever, new Z-Cards can be used from a separate Z-Deck. This takes the themes, possibilities, and strategies of the DBSCG to new heights. No matter what deck you’ve been playing, the Zenkai series will have you rethinking your strategy and deck design.
Whether you’re a veteran or a new player, understanding the significant changes will ensure you get the most fun out of your games and victories.
Zenkai Series Changes To Dragon Ball Super Card Game
Zenkai Areas
The play area of DBSCG has been expanded to accommodate the Zenkai Series. On the left side of your leader is where your Z-Deck will be placed. To the left of that is where your Z-Energy cards are placed. By following the layout recommended by Bandai, everything is organized and easily accessible.
Z-Cards And Z-Deck
Named after the theme of Zenkai, the Z-Cards include the Z-Leaders and Z-Battle Cards. These new cards don’t get shuffled into your main deck as usual. Instead, you create a separate mini-deck of that contains up to 7 cards that will be placed beside your main deck before the game starts.
This new feature allows you to customize any of your decks with supporting cards that can be accessed immediately. Z-Cards are not randomized and are there when you need them. Consistency always equals more strategy, and you’ll be able to set up more momentous turns each time your play.
Z-Energy
Z-Energy is the new resource of the DBSCG. In order to build up your reserve of Z-Energy, Bandai added a new step to the combo phase of the game. After you combo any amount of cards during a battle, you may choose up to 1 card from your Combo Area and place it in your Z-Energy pile. That energy stays there until you spend it, or another card or effect removes them.
Each Z-Card has a specified amount of Z-Energy on the upper left side of the card with an icon that looks like three cards stacked side by side. To play a Z-Card, you must spend that amount of Z-Energy. Z-Cards might also have regular energy costs that need to be paid for as normal. Having its own resources instead of using your regular energy requires more strategic resource management.
Z-Leaders
The hallmark of the DBSCG is the leaders you choose to represent your deck and playstyle. The new Zenkai Leaders can now Z-Awaken with the card placed over your starting leader. Playing them always requires spending Z-Energy. These new leaders have powerful skills and can end the game quickly if not stopped. Once a Z-Leader leaves your Leader Area, it’s removed from the game entirely.
The Z-Awaken effect is a new keyword skill that works during the Activate: Main/Battle step. You can announce you’re playing a Z-Awaken effect if your regular leader is already awakened. This effect can only be activated by you once per turn.
Z-Leaders can prevent games from lasting too long and dragging on. In addition, they’re fantastic thematically because most of them seem to require you to be at a lower life total. This captures the feel of the Dragon Ball anime’s comeback potential when the heroes look like they’re about to lose the fight and find a way to power up some more.
Z-Battle Cards
Z-Battle cards are great because they’re always available in your Z-Deck. Chances are that when you really need one of those cards, you’ll be able to play it. Your regular Battle cards are more randomly assorted throughout your deck and Life points, so you’re never sure exactly when you’ll draw them.
Playing and using Z-Battle Cards work exactly like regular Battle Cards, except you need Z-Energy to play them in addition to regular energy. On the active player’s turn, they can simply look through their Z-Deck and play any Z-Battle Card face up. However, you can also look through your Z-Deck at any time.
Overall the new Z-Cards add a new dimension to the Dragon Ball Super Card Game. You’ll now need to utilize specific Z-Leaders and Z-Battle Cards that enhance your playstyle and deck’s strategy. As a result, more action and strategy to the game are promoted by attacking more and playing more combo cards.
The Zenkai series is also the best place to start for new players discovering the DBSCG for the first time. If you’ve already known about DBSCG and were hesitant to start playing for any reason, now is the perfect time to start collecting the cards for their awesome artwork and playing the game at an equal power level. Characters and scenes from the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie are also featured in this set.
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