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In every single card game I've played, there is always that deck looking to gain extra energy to unleash much more powerful cards than other decks. Most of the time, these strategies can go two very different ways. Either they get bullied by rapid builds, which bring too much pressure and damage until you can stabilize the situation. Alternatively, you stomp your competition with cards they have no answer to, as these cost more than their full energy bank.
So far in the Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World Open Beta, it seems like Vegeta is a bit of a problem for Broly, as it represents that early, smash-mouth strategy you would want to avoid. However, the other two starters, Goku and Frieza, don't look anywhere near fast enough to prevent Broly from getting to its late game cards. Especially once you play with a deck made of four copies of the best cards from the starter deck, Broly feels like a well-rounded machine, with three different synergies clicking perfectly together.
Early on, you will use Paragus and the Shamoian cards to block damage coming in from your opponent, and safely gain energy on turns three and four. Once you are past your most vulnerable time, the fun can begin. You will be slamming cards with so much power, the opponent will often be forced to ignore them, and just rush your leader in hope to end the game soon.
If you enjoy a midrange play style, a few synergistic combos and slamming the biggest numbers the game has to offer, you have picked the right starter in Broly.
Base Deck and Immediate Improvements
Broly pushes for a specific gameplay, aimed at delaying the match until it can reach enough energy to simply take over and dominate with cards too strong for the opponent to handle. Broly : BR in particular, can be considered the best standalone card in the game at this point, and will regularly win the game if you manage to stay afloat until you can play it.
Unfortunately, this kind of strategy is looking for a very reliable deck, which the starting list doesn't necessarily provide. Then, buying a second Broly starter deck will make a ton of difference already.
Build With Two Starter Decks
Once you have four copies of every card, the deck becomes much stronger at the two things it aims to do: gain energy and slow down the match. Indeed, with four copies of each Paragus, you are already in a much more comfortable situation to slow down the early portion of the match through summoning plenty of Shamoian. Then, you are also incredibly more reliable when it comes to finding Turles and Broly : BR, both cards in charge of turning the match around after your ramp phase. In particular, this will make the choice of which card to place in your Energy area, a key part of this deck, less of a headache. Indeed, with four copies of each of your most powerful cards, you can use one for energy early on without fearing your late-game might be ruined as you won't find the other copy.
The only debate here would be whether to use only two Raditz, the card being used to fill the last two slots, or balance it with Moah, to have a stronger trading power early on. I could definitely see both cards played three times, or even reverse their split if you face a lot of aggressive decks and want a 15,000 power card to threaten your opponent's early development. Also, Raditz has a 10,000 combo power when Moah only provides 5,000, so both cards have their upsides.
Great Booster Pack Cards to Strengthen the Deck
FB01-087 Son Goku
With this card in play, Broly's awakened ability has no downside, and you have a free 30,000 power hit every turn with your leader. Plus, it fits the intended curve of playing Destructive Strength into a 5-cost card.
FB01-082 Android 19
I really like Angol as the Critical ability denies cards from the opponent when their leader gets hit. Yet, Broly wants to focus on battle cards first and foremost, so finding a card which can scale into the later part of the match makes more sense.
FB01-093 Trunks : Future
Exactly the same idea we covered with Android 19 except we have a great card to attack rested Battle cards early, but won't be able to pressure an awakened leader late in the match.
FB01-090 Son Gohan : Childhood
Broly's only concern in the game is to lose before it can get set. Extra life can always help in that regard. There is a whole synergy around Son Gohan : Childhood and the Androids but it felt like too many cards to collect to include here. Still, this could be a nice standalone to round out the deck.
FB01-089 Son Ghan : Childhood
Another solid 5-cost to consider in the deck, but to control the field rather than ramp this time. The great upside of this card is that you will play it on turn four if you used Destructive Strength, meaning you could destroy the 4-cost your opponent just played.
Game Plan
Broly is all about dominating the late game with bigger cards than its opponent, which can attack without fearing to be in Rest mode during your opponent's turn. Plus, with a 25,000 power awakened leader, Broly is a little bigger than everyone else, representing another advantage late in a match.
The most important part of Broly's game plan is to figure out how to safely get to a time when you can slam Broly : BR and such cards, which your opponent will get tired of really quickly. Most of the time, when you start playing your big bombs, the only way out for them is to target your leader and try to finish the match as soon as possible. Then, in order to get ready for this last offensive, we need to have a couple of key points in mind through the whole match:
- Awakening is a significant part of Dragon Ball Fusion World, except for Broly, who loses the ability to draw a card in exchange for the added power. You could awaken for the extra energy you get from it, but slowing the game down will also get you that energy naturally. Keep in mind that Double Strike exists, and some colors have access to battle cards with 25,000 power for just two energy, so they could play several in the same turn late in the match. Then, awakening can be more of a detriment rather than a benefit with broly, a leader looking to just get into the late game.
Ideally, you want to awaken and then be in a position to stop your opponent from freely attacking your hero anymore. Aiming to awaken around the time you will play your 5-cost card seems like a good balance, this will get you immediately to eight energy (Turles adds an energy, awakening is another one, plus the energy phase next turn). Until you are comfortable balancing your leader's health and your need to draw cards, I would recommend adopting a defensive mindset early in a match.
- In addition to awakening your leader, Broly also has no benefit helping the opponent awakening theirs. As such, unless you only have their leader to attack, and really want that extra card from your hero attack, I would suggest you refrain from dealing damage to your opponent's leader until you have the game under control. Basically, you aren't really trying to beat them, just create a situation they have no possibility of winning because you have more cards, bigger battle cards, and more energy to work with.
You might have guessed it by now, the green starter is all about keeping the opposing battle cards in check, building its own side of the field, and protecting Broly himself from the few lethal attempts from its opponent. Then, although you can play Broly as a basic ramp deck, gaining energy to race up to five, and then eight for your big bomb. The next step would be to know how much power the opponent is likely to attack you with, or how many attacks are on their way when they are coming for the kill, and prepare adequately.
Amongst the four starters, I would say Vegeta definitely is the hardest one to contain, as their leader will hit you for 35,000 power every turn once they awaken. However, Frieza should be much easier to go against, as it also focus on a defensive strategy, which you can safely ramp against early on.
Closing Words
Broly represents an archetype we all know, from Druid in Hearthstone, to Electro in Marvel Snap, or Elves in Magic the Gathering, ramping to slam big cards on the table is a basic of the card game genre. While it isn't necessarily my favorite way to play the game, I do see a lot of upsides to starting your Dragon Ball journey with Broly.
First, this leader has a clear goal of outlasting its opponent to make the match about who gets the bigger cards, a fairly simple way of playing the game, perfect for a beginner. Plus, Broly also relies on a key mechanic of the game: card advantage. Indeed, as you aren't trying to kill your opponent anytime soon, you will focus on the cards they can play and how to protect yours. Then, playing Broly will teach you how to manage your different resources efficiently to reach your goal, from your leader's health, to removing an opposing card, or using your combos at the right time.
Overall, Broly is neck and neck with Vegeta to be the best starter you could pick early in Dragon Ball Super World Fusion. Considering both have a very different play style, you can pick entirely based on your own preferences.
I hope this guide was a nice first look at the green starter deck. We will have similar pieces for every leader in the game, so you can make an educated choice on which you want to invest into before spending money, or in game currency. I wish you a lot of fun on Dragon Ball Super Fusion World, and feel free to reach out for any question you might have, in the comment section or through my Twitter page.
Good Game Everyone!
