This is a Goku ball deck I threw together right before Gen Con. We didn’t have a true Dragon Ball deck in our rotation and we’ve always lacked a Goku, so this deck covers both. It’s actually more enjoyable to play than most DB decks, since this one doesn’t mind getting its hands dirty in a combat or two. Let’s take a look.
Sensei Deck
Allies
Dragon Balls
Drills
Non-Combat
Where There’s Life There’s Hope
Physical Combat
Energy Combat
Combat
Hercule’s Amazing Techniques x3
Defense is the strategy. First turn, you want to get out Chi-Chi with South Kai Sensei so that you can block two physical attacks per turn. Sometimes if I need a Goku’s Capturing Drill or if I have a Trunks Guardian Drill in play, I’ll use the searching part of Goku Lv.1‘s power, but more often I’ll just fail to search unless I need to thin the deck. You need Goku’s Capturing Drill in play right away to protect your Dragon Balls before you play one, since the deck has very few ways to capture back a stolen one.
The deck might’ve gone faster if I played the Earth Dragon Balls, but then I’d have to worry more about duplicate balls being played and having to devote more cards in my deck to capture those back. That’s rarely a problem with the Dende Dragon Balls. Alt. Dende Dragon Ball 3 also makes it so you don’t have to put in location/battleground hate, although it does cause you to miss out on Dende Dragon Ball 3. Try to keep Dende Dragon Ball 2 for last, as that can shuffle you back a ball if you had one stolen.
One of the surprises of the deck is Trunks Effortless Drill and Straining Energy Move. It’s an instant way to get out of combat, specifically if a Majin Buu’s Fury has been played. True, it won’t do anything about Gohan’s Kick, but ironically the only thing in the deck even affected by Kick is Straining Energy Move itself. Goku can function in combat, so unless you’re staring down an 8-card Saiyan hand, you should be fine with a Goku’s Flight, Chi-Chi and your level 1 power. Try to always block with Chi-Chi first, in case they have any ally discard. Also, don’t be afraid to hold a Goku’s Capturing Drill (if you’ve got one in play) or Goku’s Lucky Break in your hand, in case you need to chuck one for your Freestyle Mastery to get a Goku’s Flight.
Finally, I use the Retro Sensei Deck rules to my advantage with Hercule’s Amazing Techniques. I keep Energy Lob in my side deck, since any deck running 3-4 copies of Hercule’s Amazing Techniques and an attack that is “Limit 1 Per Deck” should put that restricted attack in the Sensei Deck to increase your odds of getting it by threefold. I put three other Straining moves in the Sensei Deck as kind of a tool box that can work with Trunks Effortless Drill. Straining Neck Move can clear out drills and Straining Jump Kick Move is devastating against an Orange Drill deck (not to mention that the damage can capture you a Dragon Ball). Straining Spirit Bomb Move is a “Goku Only” card that can be lethal against other Dragon Ball decks, either with its whopping 12 life cards of damage or the ability to clear out all Non-Combats (like Where There’s Life There’s Hope). Use it with discretion though.
Later, BroZ.
This deck does look pretty fun to pilot, if only for the Straining Spirit Bomb Move. Quick question, is there a reason why you aren’t running Vegeta’s Smirk? It seems that you have enough DB search though, I am mainly just curious.
I was trying to keep it 50 cards, and it’s easy enough to recycle Goku’s Dragon Ball Quest with all the recursion that I felt it just wasn’t that needed.
I love Goku freestyle ball decks, because of the number of directions that you can go in with the deck itself. The direction I would send the deck in is using: Goku The Puppet, Goku’s Physical Attack and standard Dende DB3.
While it is more of a risk of running 50 cards with that deck you have a possibility of balling out turn 1 ( assuming they have no physical blocks and you’re looping Goku’s DB quest with Goku’s Physical Attack and Goku The Puppet’s power ).
No Krillin’s Concentration or Piccolo and Heroes Gather to help speed up getting the limit 1 Goku’s DB Quest? Also, you aren’t playing Time/Stance/etc/etc? Interdasting.
Chippy
I left out things like time mostly because in this deck I feel that Goku’s Flight is the superior block. Combined with Chi-Chi and Goku Lv. 1, just having one Goku’s Flight (which is tutorable with the mastery) stops four attacks in a combat. Thats not to mention the physical attacks I can let through if I tutor out a Dende Ball and power back up to full. Adding in TIAWT adds a spherable block and a kickable card, which is just a liability for this deck.
I did not add Krillin’s Concentration because I wanted to limit the amount of Non-Combat cards I put in by as much as I could.
Solid
Goten’s Flying Drill would be excellent in this deck. Tutor out a Flight without even needing your Mastery, and you can Tutor multiple copies with multiple Flying drills.