C3G Faction Strategy Guides

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"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Arch-vile again."

[Arch-vile]

Dragon Ball Z Faction Strategy

Overview
The Challengers are the Dragon Ball Z hero class. The class revolves around expensive, strong heroes like Goku or Vegeta. The weaker heroes such as Krillin provide synergy to the group and act as the glue holding the faction together. Generally, you will always want at least one source of bonding (an extra turn per Order Marker) in your Challenger armies.

Important Links

• List of Challengers
• List of Challenger Synergies
• List of Saiyans
• List of Saiyan Synergies

Main Challengers
These figures are the powerhouses of your army. They'll be the main figures you activate each turn.

• Goku (Super Saiyan) (380) - Goku is an offensive juggernaut, able to take on single foes or groups and bypass most defensive powers with his own versatile powerset. Moving anywhere with Instant Transmission, knocking an enemy into a line with Meteor Smash, then hitting multiple enemies at once with Super Kamehameha is a brutal move.
• Goku (base) (300) - Base Goku is designed to be an optional power-up for Super Saiyan Goku, nearly doubling his cost. But the ability to take double turns and wound enemies on defense is often worth it. The trick with Base Goku is knowing when to transform to avoid losing Order Markers on Base Goku - or when to put Order Markers on Super Saiyan Goku's card before he even enters the battlefield, in anticipation of Base Goku's destruction. Don't bother using Base Goku without another Goku to transform into.
• Vegeta (Super Saiyan) (380) - Vegeta is the same cost as Goku, so they can swap for each other in most builds. While Goku is more of a jack of all trades, Vegeta excels at close-range combat against single opponents. Play him aggressively.
• Vegeta (base) (220) - Good power-up for Vegeta (Super Saiyan) or a useful partner alone for any of the other Saiyans or Challengers. You can place all your Order Markers on Super Saiyan Vegeta and take turns with Base Vegeta via Prince of All Saiyans. Remember that Super Saiyan Vegeta's Atomic Rush is not moving normally, so you can use that to set up a boosted Galick Gun Special Attack.
• Piccolo (260) - Piccolo requires a bit of charging up to unleash an optimal Special Beam Cannon, so charging him up for the first turn of the game is often a good move. Piccolo is very much a glass cannon, so try to keep fire off of him. A good Special Beam Cannon roll can be game-winning.
• Android 18 (270) - Using Android 18 to break a key enemy's arm to permanently lower their stats is a strong ability. She also has some versatility with a useful special attack.
• Android 17 (280) - He leads Androids 16 and 18 in an 800-point army. Since Android 17 is the centerpiece to this army, keeping him safe is key, so pepper opponents with his ranged Photon Flash Special Attack, only going in for his normal attack when you need a key kill or you want to keep pressure off of someone else. Android 17 works well alongside just one of the Androids as well, since they can also benefit from the usual Challenger synergy.
• Trunks (Future) (250) - Trunks is another glass cannon, offering autowounds, multi-attacks, and figure movement to the faction. He excels against swarms or midlevel heroes.

Supporting Challengers
These figures are weaker but are designed to fill a supporting role to the main Challengers. Challenger armies should generally include at least one of these.

• Krillin (150) - Krillin bonds with Challengers and provides a limited but steady stream of offense. Solar Flare discourages opponents from going after Krillin unless they can move adjacent to him. Good choice of early placement is key for playing Krillin, as you want him in a spot where he can fire off plenty of Destructo Discs without having to waste a turn moving.
• Gohan (kid) (110) - Like Krillin, Gohan offers turn efficiency to the Challengers. He's a bit weaker (and cheaper) than Krillin, though Masenko can have a higher upside, and Gohan doesn't mind repositioning thanks to Unrelenting Barrage.
• Bulma (140) - Bulma will take a few of your early Order Markers so that she can collect some dragon balls. Two OMs in round 1 then one OM in round 2 fully charges her by the start of round 3. Then, when the time is right, you want to use her to either heal or resurrect your main fighter (which is likely either Goku or Vegeta). That's My Bulma! provides Bulma some protection from attacks in case she is attacked early.
• Android 16 (250) - Send Android 16 out first, using either his strong normal attack or Hell's Flash against hard-to-hit enemies. Bear Hug means Android 16 can function somewhat as a lockdown unit. You want Android 16 to die before the rest of your army to take advantage of 16 granting an extra turn to someone. Both Goku and Vegeta are good options for this extra turn, and Piccolo is also handy in order to fully charge and unleash a Special Beam Cannon with a single Order Marker.
• Yamcha (130) - The free turn from Enemy Interception can be nice, and Wolf Fang Fist will wreck low-defense heroes. But Yamcha dies quickly as well.
• Beam Struggle Story Card (50) - The Beam Struggle can be a useful save from a ranged attack, while also inflicting wounds on the attacker.

DBZ Villains
While these figures are not Challengers and have no synergy with the above figures, this guide is designed to teach the strategy of all DBZ designs. Every hero needs a villain to fight!

• Frieza (380) - As a Sadistic Conqueror, Frieza works well alongside the Arthrian Invaders, the Crime Syndicate, or now the Frieza Force Soldiers. Frieza likes to pick on the wounded with Death Beam, so have your other figures soften up enemies before sending Frieza in. It's valuable to use your Arthrian Invaders as lockdown units so Frieza can stay protected and chip away at the enemy with Death Beam, only going in for the kill with his normal attack if absolutely necessary. With the Crime Syndicate, using Frieza more aggressively is recommended, as Ultraman is the figure you most want to keep alive there.
• Frieza Force Soldier (80) - A cheap ranged flier that bonds with any Invader. This is the core of any Frieza Force synergy.
• Great Ape (300) - Allows for any Saiyan to transform into it upon death. This can cause a lot of carnage due to the Great Ape's high offensive potential! Great Ape also functions well in Invader builds alongside the Frieza Force Soldiers, even without using his transformation power.
• Super Buu (900) - Start every game with a Human Extinction Attack to weaken the opposition. You'll then have to decide whether it's a better plan to go after the opponent's biggest threat, or whether you want to destroy some weaker figures first to power up Super Buu's attack. Use Majin Resilience's free movement often to move enemies to low ground.
• Broly (800) - Use Lariat often to throw figures to low ground and potentially wound them. Wounds from leaving engagement attacks power Broly up, after all. If you can carry enemies away from their allies to limit the amount of attacks Broly has to take, Broly will be in a good position.

The Ginyu Force:
The Ginyu Force are five figures that form their own 1000-point army. As Invaders, they can be played individually alongside the Frieza Force Soldiers as well. Notably, their last member Guldo was not completed in C3G 1.0, but you can substitute a Frieze Force Soldier in instead.

• Captain Ginyu (280) - The leader. All Order Markers should be on Ginyu. Attempting Body Change is risky but can be game-winning.
• Jeice (220) - Supports the rest of the Ginyu Force by granting them rerolls. Keep Jeice adjacent to other members so you passively build up Ginyu Force markers.
• Burter (180) - Speedster that can move allies and enemies alike. Move allies adjacent to Jeice or Ginyu while moving enemies to low ground.
• Recoome (240) - An offensive brute. Defensively benefits from Jeice's rerolls.

Army Build Examples:

700 Points

• Android 17, Android 18, Krillin
• Captain Ginyu, Burter, Recoome
• Recoome, Great Ape x1, Frieza Force Soldier x2

800 Points

• Broly
• Android 16, Android 17, Android 18
• Goku (Super Saiyan), Android 18, Krillin
• Vegeta (base + Super Saiyan), Krillin, Beam Struggle Story
• Goku (Super Saiyan), Piccolo, Gohan, Beam Struggle Story

900 Points

• Super Buu
• Goku (Super Saiyan), Vegeta (Super Saiyan), Bulma
• Vegeta (base + Super Saiyan), Great Ape x1
• Goku (Super Saiyan), Gohan (kid), Piccolo, Krillin
• Android 16, Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, Gohan (kid)

1000 Points

• Vegeta (base + Super Saiyan), Trunks (Future), Krillin
• Vegeta (base + Super Saiyan), Gohan (kid), Bulma, Krillin
• Goku (Super Saiyan), Piccolo, Trunks (Future), Gohan (kid)
• Android 16, Android 17, Android 18, Krillin, Beam Struggle Story
• Frieza, Great Ape x1, Frieza Force Soldier x4

1100 Points

• Frieza, Arthrian Invaders x4
• Goku (base + Super Saiyan), Android 18, Krillin
• Android 17, Android 18, Krillin, Piccolo, Bulma

1200 Points

• Goku (base + Super Saiyan), Vegeta (Super Saiyan), Bulma
• Vegeta (Super Saiyan), Android 18, Krillin, Piccolo, Bulma

1300 Points

• Vegeta (base), Goku (base + Super Saiyan), Android 16, Krillin
• Vegeta (base + Super Saiyan), Android 17, Android 18, Krillin

List of Challengers by point value:

Spoiler Alert!

50 - Beam Struggle Story Card
110 - Gohan (kid)
130 - Yamcha
140 - Bulma
150 - Krillin
220 - Vegeta (base)
250 - Android 16, Trunks (Future)
260 - Piccolo
270 - Android 18
280 - Android 17
300 - Goku (base)
380 - Goku (Super Saiyan), Vegeta (Super Saiyan)
400 - Battle Beast

[Alexandros]

Quick note:

Originally Posted by Lord Pyre

800 Points

• Spider-Man (Otto), Spider-UK, Spider-Man (Assassin), Spider-Ham

900 Points

• Spider-Man (Otto), Spider-UK, Spider-Man (Assassin), Spider-Ham

This team is listed twice. It is 800 points, not 900 points.

Thanks again for all the hard work involved in making these guides!

[IAmBatman]

Good catch, thanks! I went ahead and deleted it from the 900 grouping.

[Arch-vile]

I'm glad they get used! Let us know if there's any other factions you all are wanting a guide for, or if there's any expansion/clarification wanted on any of these guides.

[Lord Pyre]

Sorry about the confusion! Must have been some sort of copy paste error.

[Skinderella]

Originally Posted by Arch-vile

I'm glad they get used! Let us know if there's any other factions you all are wanting a guide for, or if there's any expansion/clarification wanted on any of these guides.

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but these guides are both the main way I discover new factions (like Outsiders and Thunderbolts), and help me settle on teams for larger factions (like Mutants, Teen Titans, and Fighters).

They're also a great starting block to your own builds, playtesting or not. For example, I often swap Ronin for Wolverine (Laura) for any team using him that needs 100 more, and recently made a slightly different X-Men team in the guide using Cyclops (Utopian), Nightcrawler (II), Sage, Maverick, Magik, and Jubilee, which ended up being a lot of fun!

As for new faction guides, might be a big undertaking, but I'd love to see a Guardians of the Galaxy one (both thematic teams and optimal teams), and a Suicide Squad one.

[japes]

Originally Posted by Skinderella

As for new faction guides, might be a big undertaking, but I'd love to see a Guardians of the Galaxy one (both thematic teams and optimal teams), and a Suicide Squad one.

Excellent choice.

[Shiftrex]

Would definitely like to see that too! Faction guides help with testing a lot.

[Arch-vile]

I'd love to see a Guardians guide. Gamora II is the only design I'm really familiar with.

Expect a Suicide Squad guide up soon-ish, though!

[IAmBatman]

Nebula is probably my favorite factional add-on to Star-Lord.

[toyhandle]

Best thread!

Some may need to be filled out before its reasonable, but here are some factions/groups that I'd like to see guides for:

Agents
A.I.M. and Hydra
Asgardians
Blue Lanterns
Creatures
Crime Lords
Devourers (Dinos and Zombies)
Excalibur
Hell Lords
Indigo Lanterns
Insane
Justice League Dark (Batman Occult synergies)
Legionnaires
Mercenaries/X-Force
Misfits
Rebels/AoA
Soldiers
Star Sapphires
Symbiotes
TMNT
Transformers
Young Avengers