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Frieza is kind of the odd Starter Deck of the bunch in the Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World Open Beta. First, it is probably the most difficult one to play, as it requires to already know which cards to target in your opponent's deck in order to leverage the "put opposing cards to rest" synergy the deck is built around.
Then, Frieza isn't very flashy as a leader to play compared to Vegeta, Goku or Broly. The vilain doesn't rely on big numbers like Vegeta can, or has the biggest card in the game like Broly. Instead, it relies on an off-tempo type of strategy, which might not be very enjoyable for a novice playing Dragon Ball Super World Fusion for the first time, as it is the most technical of the starter decks.
I have no doubt Frieza will end up being a fine leader to play, and there are plenty of synergies to take advantage of in the starter deck already. It should be a nice pick for players looking for a reactive play style, where you look to deny your opponent's development so they can't get set, and slowly build an advantage as a result.
I'm not sure this type of strategy fits the way they have promoted this "super-aggressive card game", but Frieza remains a leader with a unique ability nonetheless, and could become extremely annoying to face once mastered. It might take longer to become popular compared to the three Saiyans in the other starter decks, but Frieza for sure offers a different way to play the game.
Ready to dive in the most complex starter deck, led by the Yellow leader?
Base Deck and Immediate Improvements
The good thing with Frieza is that a big part of the deck's strength lies in awakening your leader, so you can switch two cards back to active mode per turn. This allows to dictate the trades, and keep your important battle cards away from trouble much more efficiently than any other leader currently. Without this unique ability, I would have quickly dismissed Frieza to be honest, as the other mechanic the deck is built around is to put your opponent's card in rest mode so you can attack them.
Unfortunately, most of your strongest cards to do so are limited to two copies in the deck. As such, Frieza feels like a leader you really want to get two decks for, so you can get all of these cards to four copies, and make your deck much, much more reliable.
Note that there are plenty of strong yellow cards in the booster packs as well, but for the price of a deck, you are unlikely to get eight cards worthy of adding to your deck out of the 32 you will open.
Build With Two Starter Decks
With a more reliable build, Frieza is immediately more annoying, and capable of dominating the early part of a match. In particular, Zarbon and Frieza (2) are clutch with their 20,000 power and their role in awakening your leader. Thanks to a beefier early game, and the ability to unlock your most important ability, your Frieza deck is now a threat against other starter decks.
Your goal doesn't change with more of the good cards, you are still aiming to dominate early in the match, and then be super efficient thanks to switching two cards back to active mode. However, you should create a favorable situation more often, and be able to turn on the heat onto the opposing leader earlier in the match.
Great Booster Pack Cards to Strengthen the Deck
FB01-106 Appule
This is a solid ability to abuse once we are awakened and able to switch it back to active mode after drawing a Frieza's army card. In the end, the game is a lot about card advantage, especially in a disruptive deck.
FB01-127 Banan
The whole point of the deck is to abuse your leader's awakened ability. This card is half of it, and can work on itself if you have no other target.
FB01-136 Supernova
A solid spell to support your push to finish the match. It will both represent a big boost for a trade or a leader hit, while also making sure a card you didn't want to deal with won't act next turn.
FB01-124 Neiz
This is Zarbon (2) except you get 5,000 power more for your combos but can't turn down the On Play ability. It opens playing more cards to help your awaken or just replacing Zabon as you get Neiz.
FB01-121 Chilled
Several copies of this card could push you to play a deck with more "Frieza Clan" cards in your deck, a special trait you already have plenty of in your starter deck. There are a lot to grab in the uncommon cards from the boosters.
FB01-120 Sui
The Critical keyword is a good one for a deck aiming to control the pace of the game. Plus, this card being a 30,000 power during your opponent's turn makes it very resilient until the bigger cards come around turn 5.
Game Plan
I would say Broly is a difficult opponent for Frieza, as their scaling ability is difficult to stop long term. Even in rest mode, their big cards aren't simple to KO so we are very reliant on finding Golden Frieza to stop those from switching back to active mode. However, against decks aiming to dominate through trading your cards in battle, Frieza will quickly be a pain to deal with. Indeed, even if other leaders have access to buffs or debuffs to leverage their trades, Frieza can turn opposing cards into rest mode, or its own back to active mode.
Ideally, Frieza will fight for the lead early on, focusing on the opponent's battle cards first and foremost. Except against a green deck, there doesn't seem to be that much value in attacking their leader except to get a card with our own leader's attack when we have no target available. The goal in this early phase is to gain initiative on the board, so we can start removing opposing cards in rest mode, or have enough tempo to get them in rest mode ourselves. Theoretically, we should take a few hits from our opponent if against a blue or a red deck, so awakening shouldn't be too hard. With two starter decks, our four copies of Zarbon and Frieza (2) will be clutch in that early phase, contributing to both dominating the board, and making sure we awaken by turn four or five.
Once the lead is secured, Frieza appears to be a "shut the door" kind of leader. The villain isn't looking to race the opponent, and would much rather cover every possibility, only attacking with disposable cards, or the two it plans to switch back to active mode at the end of the turn. Then, unless you have a reason to focus the enemy leader, such as beating Vegeta before the repeated 35,000 power attacks gets you down, your focus should remain on their battle cards if possible, keeping your opponent to the bare minimum when it comes to flexibility. As time passes, and you keep abusing your leader's ability, you should see the cards available to both players clearly tilt in your favor. Then, you can rely on Golden Frieza to close the deal, pushing for lethal with its Double Strike keyword.
If you can't find your power card, you probably want to try to maintain that status quo, attacking the opposing leader with enough to set up for the kill, or keep milking them of their combo cards. Except if your opponent is Broly, you don't need high power cards to do so. Indeed, as you aren't in a rush, even attacking with 20,000 power cards will either land a hit, or draw a combo card from your opponent's hand, widening the card advantage gap.
Just make sure you are safe from a potential push from your opponent, which could play a Double Strike of their own, or multiple 2 or 3 costs cards to attack multiple times in a turn. Yet, your deck has many blockers, and the lead in cards available should allow you to just guard against a big hit if necessary.
Closing Words
Frieza can look like a bad leader at first, as you realize the opponent cards can attack immediately after being played, meaning the ability to switch cards to rest mode can often be useless. However, Frieza's ability as an awakened leader might be the strongest when it comes to building your card advantage. Basically, you could see it as having two extra actions per turn, and constantly denying your opponent the ability to pick their trades.
Sure, it isn't as simple to picture as Vegeta just hitting for 35,000 power repeatedly or Broly being the sole 25,000 power leader. However, a more intricate ability typically means a more flexible one, and it precisely where Frieza's strength resides. The ability can be used with Blockers, "When Attacking" abilities or those requiring you to switch the card to rest mode, in addition to simply protecting a card from being a potential target for your opponent.
Then, even if I wouldn't recommend Frieza as your first leader, especially if you have little card game experience, I believe the yellow starter has tons of potential later on, in the hands of a more experienced player. As such, you could see Frieza as a challenge to learn more complex strategies, with a lot more decisions to make during a turn. I'm sure the early losses due to making mistakes will be worthwhile down the line.
I hope this guide was a nice first look at the yellow 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!
