I know what your thinking. Cell is super playable. And you are right, Cell holds up as one of the best personalities in the game. I think the only viable Cell deck I haven’t seen is a Cell Dragon Ball victory (but Cell never showed any particular interest in the Dragon Balls anyway). Unlike my previous Uub article, this one focuses on only one personality card.
The Upside
Cell Lv. 2 HT takes advantage of one of the most sure-fire ways to dominate: card advantage. Cell can use any number of ways to draw cards for himself already through nearly any popular Saiyan or Namekian Style Mastery. Where he starts to get really ridiculous is when he uses all the card draw an opponent has as well, like Masteries, Personality Powers, Drills, Attacks, and Combat Cards. Cell HT Lv. 2 effectively neutralizes an opponent’s card drawing ability while making your own a true advantage. It’s not unreasonable to think that Cell could draw 2-3 additional cards per combat against certain decks.
The Downside
–Cell, Stage Two is arguably the best Level Two in the game. The potential for Cell HT Lv. 2 to draw cards is limitless, but not always realized. It’s incredibly hard, if not impossible, to justify running a level two that (at best) can draw you maybe an additional three random cards versus a level two that will always give you exactly what you think you’ll need in combat.
–Lack of rulings. The CRD makes no mention of Cell HT Lv. 2. This leaves some aspects of his power in the dark, like can you draw a card if you force your opponent to draw cards with something like Cell’s Aerial Maneuvers, a card that could theoretically allow Cell to continually draw cards until your opponent can ditch their hand? Does the wording of Cell’s power mean an effect an opponent creates or any effect? Would a combat of Cell HT Lv. 2 versus itself mean that the player with the least amount of life cards left in their deck draws out as soon as either player’s power triggers? Lack of use has lead to a lack of rulings, and with no “Score Official Rules” being released, how a complex power like this actually works is anyone’s guess.
–It’s a Level Two personality. Any cool tricks you can perform with this personality means that you at least need to play enough cards that get you to Level Two in the first place. This would be an incredibly interesting Level One personality, but the fact that it’s a Level Two makes it merely a curiosity.
Overall
A very interesting personality power stuck on a level that is not feasible to construct a deck around for the actual level of power that the effect gives you. Add to that the shear ridiculousness of the only other alternate to play on Lv. 2, you just have an outclassed Level One power stuck on an obsolete Level Two.
Later, BroZ!
Most of those Cell Saga redemption HT’s were crummy except for Cell lv. 1 and maybe Krillin and Tien (but with today’s power chart, Tien lv. 1 SS > Tien lv. 1 HT).
people always wondered why i ran lv2ht, this is why.
You bring up an interesting point with cells aerial manuevers. I’m half tempted to try a deck with that. Maybe even use the Let the Games Begin to get it rolling. But only half tempted…
“When your opponent uses a card or effect”
Your opponent isn’t using Cell’s Aerial Maneuvers to draw a card, you are. Him drawing a card is merely an effect from the card you used. At least, that’s how I would interpret it.
That is false. For Cell’s Aerial Maneuvers, the card performer is creating a floating effect that must be used by both players if they take damage. It doesn’t specifically say that the performer is using the effect against the opponent. I can see where the misinterpretation happens, though. CAM is boss using Cell HT lv. 2.
That is false. With the exception of Battlegrounds/Locations, a card or effect can only be used by a single player at a time, usually the player of the card (although there are exceptions like stolen cards). I would rule things along how Sayjin stated, but that’s just MHO. We should probably bring this up and put out something official about it.
Chippy
Silly, Complicated Game
I agree with you, Chippy: The authority should clarify.
I do disagree with how you rule it, though.
If the floating effect of CAM is created that now effects all players (because it is non-specific), and he (the opponent) chooses not to stop the attack to draw cards, is he not choosing to use the effect himself?
I will argue the fact that if I used card power that says, “Your opponent draws…” that I cannot use Cell HT2’s Power. But the way CAM is worded, it doesn’t say that “Your Opponent must…” it just simply says, “… whenever a player takes damage from an attack…”
I’m also going to take a dissenting opinion here. The stipulation by Cell is only “using” an effect, not creating it choosing to use it. The user of said effect has no choice in the matter, but is still required to use it.
A good dilemma would be “Kami’s Floating Island” that creates an effect requiring each player to draw a card. Both players must use the effect, but by your logic it only counts as using it if you own the card?
Conversely we can look at effects like Saiyan Style Mastery that does not give you the choice to use the “Draw a card” effect. Since you are not “choosing” to use the effect, would it then not trigger Cell’s power? How would the absence of choice there be different than “Cell’s Aerial Maneuvers” used by an opponent? In each case, the cards create an involuntary effect that must be “used”. The ownership of said effect is not stipulated by the power.
My $.02 on a scenario that is an… UNPLAYABLE DREAM!!!!
Where did “choice” mattering come into play? Chippy and I are saying the person who played CAM is the one using the effect that causes the opponent to draw a card, rather than whoever’s taking damage using the effect. Nothing about choice there. =P
Also Josh, Chippy said “with the exception of battlegrounds/locations”, so he covered your Kami’s Island thought.
Sayjin,
If what you are saying here: “the person who played CAM is the one using the effect that causes the opponent to draw a card…” is true, than the same would be the rule for all battleground and locations. Battlegrounds/Locations create an effect that must be used by both players.
The floating effect created from CAM doesn’t say “If your opponent…” or “Whenever your opponent…” or “…your opponent must…” anywhere on the card. Therefore, YOU are not using the card effect to make your opponent shuffle his hand and draw cards. Here is what I mean:
Let’s say you have CAM, and you play it. I stop it and pass, because I have a hand full of defenses. Let’s then say you play another attack. Now, I could stop this attack, or I could take damage, shuffle my hand and get a fresh set of cards. I decide that I am going to to take your attack, shuffle my hand, and draw x amount of new cards.
From that view, I am choosing to use the effect CAM.
Except that Battlegrounds and Locations are specified in the CRD and, I believe, the rulebook to be used by both players. Floating effects I don’t believe are.
And no, you are not “choosing to use the effects of CAM”. You’re choosing not to stop an attack, or whatever you want to call it. That just happens to trigger CAM. If you cannot prevent the effect through blocking, you are not “choosing” to trigger it, you merely have to accept the fact that it’s being trigger. You cannot resist it with free will or anything.
It seems like you are saying CAM is only considered using an effect by the person who actually played the card. So by that logic, the absence of choosing to create the initial floating effect means you are not technically “using” the triggered effect.
So at that point, if we continue to go by that logic, cards that allow you to draw a card through “triggered effects” like Saiyan Style Mastery or Cell Saga Goku Lv. 1 (which trigger when entering combat), would then be unable to trigger Cell HT 2’s power.
Either all “trigger effects” are considered to be “used” by a player or none are.
Ok, I think I see where Geoff and Chippy are coming from now. They have a good argument. Where there’s a definite gray area in my book is whether ownership of the effect matters in this situation as Cell only states when a player “uses an effect” and not if that effect was created by said player.
Though there are a few interesting interactions, if you and your opponent are both playing Cell level two HT and either player draws a card from effects the game comes down to who had more cards in their deck when the card draw happens.
That I would love to see actually happen in game!
I really wanted, and tried, to make this card to work for a very long time. But I beat decks using Cell, Stage Two that I don’t beat with Cell HT2. I get any physical or energy combat card (every time, guaranteed) or I pray my opponent runs draw effects. Scales don’t balance there.
At least you can take solace in the fact that if two people are playing this Cell, it is most likely in at loser’s table of an event.