Part One of a multi-part series, DBM takes a look at some of the best cards for tournament play from each set. In this installment, DBM reminisces about the Saiyan Saga and it’s lasting effect on the game.
Cards that can go infinite with themselves? Ah, the Golden Age of Score Entertainment!
10. Goku’s Physical Attack
A big part of Infinite Goku, this card also has a lot of importance in Freestyle Goku decks. It was one of the first cards in the game that showed how powerful modifiers can be, by being a boring vanilla physical attack that just happened to be able to be used twice. Use Goku’s Relentless Spirit to bring it back from the removed from game pile.
9. Vegeta’s Physical Stance/Nappa’s Physical Resistance/Nappa’s Energy Aura
Remember when these weren’t limit 1 per deck? The crazy part is that none of these were even Rare. Making them restricted and all being removed from the game after use, it always demanded a second of thought before using them to stop all of your opponent’s attacks.
Let’s face it – not all Dragon Balls were created equal. The insane card advantage of 3 & 5, along with the combat control of 5 and 7, made this the most powerful Dragon Ball set throughout the entire life of the game. #7 even allowed you to plan out your next hand from your discard pile. Even after cards like Goku’s Dragon Ball Quest came out and gave power to the other sets, Earth Dragon Balls continued to reign supreme.
7. Orange Lifting Drill/Orange Focusing Drill
Went with both of these cards, and while Orange Focusing Drill is easily the more popular of the two, they worked together in order to give Orange decks the edge over one another, and over all other decks that would’ve wanted to run Drills.
6. Goku’s Lucky Break/Vegeta’s Plans
Another example of cards that ran away with things before being restricted. You’ll see this theme repeatedly in Saiyan Saga. Once the rules were settled and erratas delivered, these cards still proved to be staples in Ball decks for years.
I wonder why they went with this picture? There were plenty of naked Gohan shots in the Saiyan Saga that would've fit the name of the card a little better.
5. Earth Dragon Ball Capture
One of RetroDBZCCG’s Cards of the Week, this card was run in almost every deck I used throughout the game. Non-sphereable, not an attack, and you could redraw the same card with Dragon Balls like Dende Dragon Ball 3. Definitely one of the best ever.
4. Teaching The Unteachable Forces Observation
Another Ball deck staple, this one saw limited play in control decks as well. Anything that messes with the rules of the game (another card like that is also coming up on this list) is always going to be powerful; and making someone unable to declare combat sure rates high on that list.
3. Dream Fighting/Nappa’s Blinding Stare
Combat Enders. This was a big problem for the game for awhile, where cards like these could be used as blocks and instantly end combat. How frustrating! Before cards like Straining Energy Move hit the scene, these were dominant.
Making 10-card hands a terrible reality since 2000.
2. Saiyan Truce Card
Remember when I mentioned earlier about cards that broke the rules of the game? Yeah, well, this one is still one of my top 10 cards of all-time. So much that, in Kid Buu Saga, we invented a card that would search this out of your deck. If played on your turn, you would gain 2 entire turns of card advantage over your opponent. Needless to say this got restricted fast, and it was amazing in Ball, Physical, Energy and control decks as well. If Broly beats managed to play one of these on you, your time was short.
In GT, they had the choice of either reprinting this card or Goku's Mixing Drill. Guess which one they went with...
1. Goku’s Capturing Drill
Last but not least, another Ball deck staple. See a pattern here? Get one of these out and your opponent would easily get frustrated, especially if comboed with Orange Focusing Drill from earlier in the list.
 Best Tournament Cards From Saiyan Saga!){kind=link}
Thanks for writing another great article.
A disturbing amount of talk about balls in this article. =p
No more than you’d get in a five minute conversation with me.
Interesting read, looking forward to top 10’s from other sagas and top 5’s from subsets? Kinda surprised battle pausing didn’t make the cut, one of my favorite cards from the saga.
@Garrett — thanks!
@great saiyaman — Battle Pausing was a hard one to cut, but it’s usefulness really dwindled post errata. definitely another Saiyan Saga classic, though. also, I have no plans at this time to include the subset cards…but that could change.
Teaching the Unteachable Lesson Forces the Learned Students to Observe the Experienced Practitioners
or something like that