What’s Up Ballerz? I had the pleasure of getting some tips from Team Berserk’s (my team!) Nick Menard. Nick has a very unique perspective given that this is his first foray into card games and he only started playing DBS in Set 10! So continuing my 36 Chambers series we’re going to hear how he’s learned to sequence and master a number of decks in a relatively short time.
Nick – Team Berserk
I’ve known Nick for about a year now. He’s one of my most frequent playtesting partners and a very strong player in his own right. Nick is actually the one who recruited me for Team Berserk! Being the Bandai Webcam Finalists Champion with Cell Surge (Frieza Xeno Chain) and was even interviewed by Egman. We unfortunately played to a 1-1 draw in PPG’s webcam PPT Qualifier #3 and since I have known him, he’s a consistently winning/topping locals player in a number of weekly Canadian tournaments. Nick plays in online tournaments weekly such as 3 Kings Loot, 3 Mana, and Upper Hand, come join in on the fun if you are a Canadian player!
You can hear more from me and Nick by checking out our videos on the Team Berserk Youtube!
Sequencing
As someone with a record of strong performances for being relatively new to the game, I thought this would be a great opportunity to pick Nick’s brain about sequencing. Its worth noting, Nick plays a lot of deck that are sequencing-heavy (Cell Surge, Mecha-Frieza, Gogeta Xeno) where a miss-sequence or incorrect read can cause you to leak massive amounts of advantage.
“Sequencing is different for each deck, for Cell Surge, the end goal is the same [get your opponent to low hand size], but the sequencing for example is based on what I have in my hand.”
-Nick Menard
To really dissect this point, you need to identify the ‘goals’ for your deck, and how you can properly sequence to obtain those goals. For example, in a deck like Cell Surge, you want to be top 5 searching your unisons, Frieza Counterplays, etc. and ditching your Ribriannes and multicolour Cell cards so that way you can maximize your value from the drop area. In Gogeta Xeno, you want to take your turn 1, hopefully have SS3 Gogeta, Thwarting the Dark Empire, warp 5 cards to try to get a Goku and Vegeta in warp, then union-fusion to draw a card and board a doublestriker. If your opponent has a non barrier battle card, even one in rest, it would normally be correct to attack with your leader into the battle card first, but here you might as well swing on their leader, because SS3 Gogeta will warp the battle card anyway when it attacks due to its auto. This is just a basic ‘idea’ of early game sequencing. You will want to understand what your decks goals are for early game, mid-game, and end-game, and sequence accordingly.
“[In some decks], you just have to know the matchup.”
-Nick Menard
Sequencing can have the same themes or goals, but vary significantly. For example, in the Cell Surge v. Mechikabura matchup, you might have a Ribrianne and Multicolour Cell in your hand, in this case its better to drop the Cell off your leader skill, that way you can immediately warp the Cell to draw. If you drop the Ribrianne first, you run the risk of the Mechikabura (or Dark Broly) opponent interacting with your drop area and warping your target before you can get the skill. This, meaningfully, is a reminder to attempt to sculpt your opening hand, mulligan, and plays according to the matchups you have.
“What you have in your hand is going to dictate what you have to do… You don’t just tapout and Ribrianne, you tapout when you have enough cards that allow you to safely do so.”
-Nick Menard
A lot of decks have clear plays/big plays you want to make for value. What separates a good play from a misplay is knowing the optimal time and circumstance. For example, if I am playing Blue Baby I always want to resolve Majin Buu Unison on Turn 4. Lets say I am against a Soul Striker deck that has 2 mono blue energy untapped, I know I’m safe to tap 4 for my Buu unison, as my opponent misplayed and left 2 blue up instead of a blue and a yellow. Likewise, as much as I may want to attack to draw a card before playing anything, in this circumstance its better not to, as my opponent could senzu bean or dimension magic to fix their energy.
In the alternative, if my opponent has a blue and yellow energy up, I know he could have the Zamasu counterplay live and if I tap 4 for the Buu unison, my opponent can bounce it likely costing me the game. The correct play here is to pass and play it on turn 5 by tapping 5 energy. Otherwise, if you want to make a big play that you are unsure of, you need to be sure that you will not be subject to a clapback and lose because of it. This is a tiny element of sequencing that can mean the difference between a Win or Loss.
Getting the Ball Rolling on Sequencing
Sequencing starts with deck building. It doesn’t just happen.
-Nick Menard
Taking this into consideration, you should have some semblance of the deck’s plan or goal while you are building it. For assistance in deck building and ideas, I highly recommend you take a look at my previous article with Hermit Style. Once you develop a vision for the deck, and understand how you want to play it, you can start learning the sequencing.
Learning to play control is understanding what you are up against, its being able to control by knowing your opponent’s deck, and knowing how and when to say no.
-Nick Menard
Not only should you be learning your own deck, but if you want to play competitively you should have a good idea what other meta decks look like. I have a wealth of previous content on these subjects and its best to follow your favourite content creators to stay up to date on topping decks and lists. Being aware of your opponent’s curve, what they are playing, etc. can help you learn to answer them, see my previous Baby/Soul Striker example.
At the end of the day your deck is going to be different after each set, and the meta is going to change after each set... With some matchups you can get away with being lazy. More experienced players are going to be able to out-sequence you, and you need to be alive to what the opponent’s decks are capable of .
-Nick Menard
As previously discussed in other articles, staying ontop of the evolution of your deck and the meta will help guide you towards how to change your deck and sequencing lines for the meta. As well, watch gameplay from tournaments, other players, etc. to see what decks will do or what the playlines are so you can adjust your own sequencing to accommodate.
Practicing Sequencing
“You’ll have a better match and learning experience if you play against someone else, asking questions and challenging each other’s decisions to force you to explain why you made the choice, but also debate which choices are more optimal. The goal is not to leak value, and it is best to have someone else discuss these options with you.”
-Nick Menard
Whether you practice your own list or a topping list you took off the internet, you need to practice its matchups to do well. Nick will try to find an able opponent or play against himself with decks on Untap to practice optimizing and playlines to improve his skillset.
“Do not bring a deck you are not comfortable with to a Regional.”
-Nick Menard
If you want to play in a competitive environment and succeed, it is better to bring a deck you know the matchups for than a deck that may be considered ‘better’. Understanding the wider meta will be infinitely better than playing a ‘brute strength’ deck and for me personally, I have a style of play I like to stick to and do best with decks that embrace my control/value style of play. This should always be in your mind when prepping for an event.
“Not just playing with your deck, but playing against the top deck of each colour, and understanding your sequencing and lines of play. That’s how you top an event.”
-Nick Menard
When you want to do well, you should prep yourself by practicing against other players and decks that are both favourable and unfavourable so you can get a feel for different matchups, specifically if you intend to top an event! Remember, don’t be ‘imperfect’ if you can avoid it!
Philosophy
Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can.
-Bruce Lee
In life and in Dragon Ball, knowing your playlines, goals, and how to achieve them is certainly an assist on the way to success. You don’t necessarily need the best deck, the most expensive cards, or the strongest strategy if you can outplay your opponent and nail the fundamentals of how you are going to play your matchup.
“Relax and calm your mind. Forget about yourself and follow your opponent’s movement.”
-Ip Man
There is frequently a ‘sword’ and ‘shield’ analogy in DBS. You can be the proactive ‘sword’ or the reactive ‘shield’. It is difficult to identify when you need to switch roles, or what role you should play in each matchup, but a lot of it is defined by your opponent’s deck and first turn, look at what your opponent charges, what their leader is, and try to discern which route you need to take to maximize your playlines.
“Knowledge, know the ledge to where your heart is or fall off into the internal hell that’s uncharted.”
-Wu Tang Clan
Don’t get lost in your game. You need to be able to identify a misplay and recover to get back on track. Know the order you should be playing your battle cards, unison, and leader skills, then plan your turn accordingly for maximum value in each matchup.
Conclusion
Sequencing for every deck is different, but once you learn it the end goals are usually the same. You need to prepare for sideboard, aggro, etc. Sequencing starts with what you charge on turn 1, and could even lose you the game against an aggro deck by charging an important negate, so to be more competitive you should consider everything as you move forward and test your deck. I’m glad we could get some tips from Nick, he’s one of the best players in Canada and I’ve been learning Surge Cell from him, its a great deck and you’ll need to understand how it works so you don’t get caught sleeping. ‘Till then, keep ballin’.
Border City BallerZ 