Original Article Found Here! https://ko-fi.com/post/BT-31-Ban-List-Reactions-Z5S7205D7X
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Happy Memorial Day!
I have always enjoyed reading content around my favorite topics, and DBS Masters just doesn’t have the ecosystem to support too many creators taking the time to write articles since Matthew Coombs and the crew over at 3xG have gone dormant (a shame too, I always enjoyed reading their thoughts and trying out the different deck lists they would share). With that being said, I am going to try my hand at sharing some of my thoughts via the written word and see how that turns out. Hopefully, I will be able to stay consistent and provide thoughts on a semi-regular basis.
With that being said, there has been a ton to talk about in the DBS Masters community this week. On Friday morning, the BT31 “Banned and Restricted List” was updated for us on the Official Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17e96oSwL3/) and it was quite the meal to digest. Nine cards were added to the list, with five being banned outright and four being limited to one copy per deck. On our YouTube page, we hosted a Live Stream with some of the game's top players giving their thoughts on the list and many more sharing their comments in the chat. If you didn’t get a chance to check that out, you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9kP9XccXBQ. In my opinion, it featured great insight on the state of the game and how these hits attempt to reshape the meta in the leadup to the release of BT31: Impact Beyond Dimensions.
DBS Masters has enjoyed a very diverse meta game for the better part of the past eighteen months, but it had started to get stale at the top. While this list attempts to address the biggest offenders (Green Buu, Red Vegeta, Kefla, Zamasu, and Pan), it was done without much finesse. Now, I want to point out that erratas would likely be a much more useful tool to bring down the power ceiling on these decks, but at this point in the game’s life cycle Bandai just seems to be using erratas to fix translation and proofreading errors, not adjusting cards power levels. Personally, I find it to be a major missed opportunity to fine tune the game while not banning cards completely. In another game I play, Marvel Snap, the game designers refer to cards having different levers they can pull to adjust the power level of a card, whether it be its energy cost, stat line, or modifiers within the card effects. While not a digital card game, I feel like DBS Masters also has many levers to pull on, but the designers just seem to find erratas too annoying to indulge in. So, as I go through each of these hits, I will share my thoughts on the cards they decided to hit, how they affect the decks that contain them, and what they could have done differently, if anything, to trim around the edges instead of using a blunt object. Let’s start with the biggest elephant in the room: Dimension Magic.
Banned:
This one feels the most out of nowhere considering that mono-blue is currently the least represented non-white color in the meta game at the moment. That being said, the Whis’ Coercion Level 2 buyout post US Nationals indicated that Dimension Magic’s time was limited. It is the only card hit that tops DBS DeckPlanet’s Metagame statistics as the #1 card played in its color.
The issue is that all of the blue decks, Threehan and Arinsu notwithstanding, are balanced around the idea that you can buy back energy on defense. When 25 sets have been released with this negate in mind, it hurts to see it go. The best explanation I can come up with is that there will be an opportunity to abuse D-Magic with multi-color leaders being released in BT32, but that is where the errata conversation comes in. This could easily be locked to mono-blue leaders, only untap mono-blue energy, or just remove the “Sparking 5” ability, which is what truly gives D-Magic the utility that makes it worthy of a ban in the first place. Instead, we are losing a staple for Blue that is going to be impossible to replace. I can’t help but think that my only thought during BT31 reveal season will be “You know what would help this blue deck? Dimension Magic.” I disagree with this ban, but I do think that it should only be usable in mono-blue leaders. I guess time will tell if Blue can live without it or not.
This is a questionable hit at best. If they want to keep Kefla alive without having to reprint any cards to make the deck playable, this is a valid target. However, there were several other and more efficient ways to hit Kefla besides ruining the engine. For example, “Kefla, Peak of Perfection” is a very strong card that can be very punishing to play against and can be recurred by the leader’s “Surge” ability, so hitting it would have lowered Kefla’s power ceiling a bit. The Z-Extra into the 5 Drop Kefla enabling a plus 2 in hand, resting a battle card ignoring barrier, and getting a free 10k combo, and bottom decking a card for 1 energy is a lot. So, I understand wanting to address that play, but, the deck is inherently flawed being a multi-color leader. Having access to both card pools is very strong when Bandai has seemingly stopped locking cards to mono-colored leaders. I am of the belief that the deck did need to be hit in some way, it isn’t just our current World Champion that can succeed with the deck.
The deck is a high skill ceiling deck, but if the promos were freely available I think it would be more prevalent. It is hard to get on Untap or TCG Arena and learn a deck that you won’t have access to, even if you had the disposable income to purchase it. There is an argument for letting these types of intricate decks live because they aren’t as easy to pilot as Red Vegeta, but we are down to a player base of hardcores and it truly felt like the best deck in format heading into ‘25 Nats. Having a rough matchup against Green Buu isn’t a valid argument because that deck is way overtuned even after this list goes live. Ultimately, they could’ve gone in a variety of ways to tone down the deck, but I think either hitting Peak or errata’ing the leader’s ability to not pick up super combos would’ve been enough. It will feel the pain of Dimension Magic getting hit as well.
Syn Shenron, Coldhearted Shadow Dragon
As a Red Future Trunks/Gohan enjoyer, this card was the bane of my existence for multiple sets. I assume the target deck here is Nuova, but why? It isn’t well represented in the meta-game and I think players should be rewarded if they want to stick with their deck over time. If this is future proofing for a Yellow Leader that has access to Aegis and is better than Zamasu Wish, then I get it. If this card is “free” it is way too strong. I don’t think this needed to be on the list at all. It is a strong card, but strong cards are allowed to exist.
SS Rose Goku Black, Bloodthirsty Saiyan
This is the first card so far I’ve discussed that I completely agree with banning. Red Vegeta has long been a target of the vocal minority (majority?) in the Facebook discussion group, for good reason. This card just generates way too much value for free. I don’t think we need to go too deep on the analysis here, a +2 every turn in card advantage for free is worthy of a ban. Worse cards have been hit for less (RIP Beyond All Limits).
Majin Buu, Dawn of the Rampage
While this Buu is another no brainer, it isn’t the hit that they think it is for Green Buu. The deck will still be very hard for most decks to deal with and puts a ton of pressure on in the early game. Being a very aggro deck while getting to sit behind Dormant Potential Unleashed is a problem that Bandai should really be designing around, not into.
The larger problem here, for me, is that there must be a lack of playtesting with the new decks in the set prior to release. This deck was oddly omitted from reveals for quite some time, allowing Successor Gohan to steal most of the hype. Once people got their hands on this deck, everyone knew that an eight cost 35k triple striker with barrier removal should definitely not have barrier as well. While finding cool cards like this in an eternal card pool is very rewarding, this feels like an outlier, similar to how the Nuova Shenron, Fair and Square four drop felt in the Oceanus Shenron deck. At least this was a common from an easy to find set as opposed to a random TP from Covid-era events that ran $30+ on the secondary market. Unlike Oceanus, Green Majin Buu will still be a force to be reckoned with, but at least this is a step in the right direction.
Limited to 1:
Gowasu, Instructor
Besides for a few degenerates, our current NA Champion included, everyone hates mill. Mill that gets to sit behind the best floodgate in the game is even worse. Mill that gets untapped multi-color energy to use the second best floodgate is a bridge too far. Now, most Zamasu players do not play on the level of AJ, similar to the argument for Puhtrillo and Kefla. That being said, this is an unfun deck to play against and gatekeeps many of the slow control decks. On top of that, if your deck doesn’t answer Indestructible, it can also just win the old fashioned way. I am not sad to see the deck go, but the Z-unison is an odd choice. It might also be brilliant. The deck keeps its awaken condition, but then has to pay for pieces to fuse or utilize Hasty Dispatch Dyspo to get bodies for fusion. I think limiting the leader mill to once per turn would’ve been a decent option, or not letting the 5 drops fuse on top of each other over and over. While this will probably curb the appetite for people to pick up the deck, I wouldn’t be surprised if our reigning champion finds a way to make it work anyway. At least I know what the Zamasu cards did, I have no idea what any of the Syn Xeno cards do. Hopefully that deck doesn’t catch on in a big way. At least its best floodgate is fairly easy to counterplay (sorry Yellow players).
As a black player, I find it hard to reconcile that a card that has been around since set 11 is all of a sudden too potent to be at more than 1. It is already balanced around the fact it can’t be played back to back and without Beyond All Limits, you have to draw into it before you burst it away. Personally, I think this is a mistake.
I have often made the joke that Red Vegeta is the best black deck, and unfortunately Tenacious gets hit here because they don’t want to ban the Red Vegeta leader. I have a feeling that Red Vegeta will be difficult for design space for some time to come, so it is a bummer that good black cards have to go because they were abused in red. I would love to see Bandai hit the problems instead of the cards around the problem, but at this point in the game it is par for the course.
I feel the same here as I do about Bardock. Now they should unban the two Dark Broly cards since the reason to run the multi-color energy is now limited to 1. Technically still playable in Prison Planet decks, but black loses a major tool it had in its tool box.
In reality, it wasn’t even being used in the top lists for Pan Xeno, the best black deck. I always thought this card should’ve been errata’d when the Z-deck size went from 7 to 10, but, again, they don’t errata cards.
For what it’s worth, Demon Realm decks can loop this and Tenacious with the 4 drop Salsa from a few Anniversary boxes ago. Maybe that will give people more reason to play them over Black Saiyans.
SS Trunks, Journey Through Time
Why is this at one? Obviously an amazing card for the best black deck in the format and worthy of getting banned. For me, this feels like a direct hit to a strong deck, but still not enough to edge Maidens or Universe 7 over Pan Xeno for the best black deck.
For me, I think the main culprits in Pan Xeno being so strong are the Demigra Z-Unison and SS4 Counter-play, but both are generic black tools that would hinder all strategies in that color (see: Dimension Magic). So, if the goal was to hit a Pan Xeno specific card, this is the right target. A free board clear for 6 or less is insanely powerful for a deck that is already pushing out punishing amounts of damage in the early turns.
One last note: This and Gowasu are the type of hits we should see more of, unlike the two other black cards above.
Overall, I am happy to see a bit of a reset on a stagnant meta game. I wish it was an emergency ban list and active right away, but we can’t have it all.
If you’d like more perspectives on this ban list, many content creators in the Masters space have shared their thoughts this week:
Most CONTROVERSIAL Banlist Ever?! | TURTLE CLUB PODCAST #27 | (DBS Card Masters) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvvNF5PLOZI
NEW DBSCG BANLIST IS PURE CIRCUS! ACTUAL CLOWN FIESTA THIS TIME AROUND! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq-xjyzrgnk
Your Wrong about the Dragon Ball Masters Banlist! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hs_3zt7iWw
BANLIST UPDATE! Dragonball Super Card Game-Masters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hs_3zt7iWw
[JLZ] - Official new Banlist for July!? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVuX1F5ZOAs
In Spanish:
😱 THE BAN LIST BEGINS 😱 | DBSCG Masters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efn5Idj6IdI
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- Bobby