Overview
It’s that time of the year again! 2020 is upon us, thus it’s time to look back to remember the things that have characterized this year. It’s been a tough and long year for Dragon Ball Legends. The Game has seen multiple impactful changes and not all of those have been well received from the Community, starting from the introduction of LFs and ending with the latest Updates, featuring the new Star System and the Zenkai Fighters.
However, something we can all agree with as a Community, is the pain we’ve dealt with facing some particularly frustrating Fighters in PvP throughout the year, or joy when using them. PvP is the soul of this game, thus most of the discussions are focused on the new Meta-Breaking Fighter that will appear in your nightmares. This Article will specifically be centered around this concept, showing a top 10 made by me of the most soul crushing Fighters, that have brought us experiences we never wish to go through again, and then each of remaining Writers of Dragon Ball Legends will pick his personal Best of 2019 Fighter.
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Top 10 by Ema919
10 - SP FF Coora BLU
There have been a lot of Lineage of Evil Fighters that have turned our beloved Saiyan Teams into ashes, however the one that has been there for the longest is SP FF Coora BLU.
His toolkit spoke trouble from the very beginning, boasting Offensive Power that would make you cry if you ever got Comboed even once and a Blast Armor that was particularly annoying pre-Battle Version 2.0 due to being able to refresh Vanish.
His longevity has been amazing he’s been released back in January and he’s still going strong. His most defining period probably is the Lineage of Evil Meta after SP FF FP Frieza YEL’s release, truly terrifying.
9 - SP SSJ Youth Gohan YEL
He’s the youngest on this list, both going by date of release and by canonical age, but SP SSJ Youth Gohan YEL is already in the worst memories of some Dragon Ball Legends Players. SP FP Boujack PUR is just as guilty as him, but SP SSJ Youth Gohan YEL has something in him that makes you have the most humanly horrible thoughts every time you face him.
It doesn’t matter how well your game was going, if an opponent SP SSJ Youth Gohan YEL Transformed at the right Time, you might as well drop the phone, the outcome would’ve been the same.
Cover, Dragon Balls Removal, Lock-In, Amazing Damage… it’s like they picked all the most hated Abilities in the game and put them on a single Fighter. The only reason he’s not higher on this list is because he’s been released recently, so he’s not been relevant for as long as other Fighters.
8 - SP Angry Goku BLU
Imagine that you’re freely walking in the streets, your coffee was particularly tasty, your boss has given you a raise, and you’ve got a nice family waiting for you at home. Then out of nowhere a car brutally hits you and sends you to the hospital. That’s a pretty fitting analogy to SP Angry Goku BLU’s impact in PvP.
Raise your hands if you’ve ever been killed in three Cards by him, or even worse, one-shotted by one of his counters. No one? Ok.
One thing is for sure, SP Angry Goku BLU will be an unpleasant opponent in 2020 as well, as he’s still one of the best Fighters in the Game.
7 - SP SSJ Bardock BLU
He’s very similar to SP FF Coora BLU, in the sense that his Offensive Impact might’ve made you consider dropping this Game, however he managed to be even worse somehow. While he certainly didn’t last as long as SP FF Coora BLU, the Holy Trinity Era is maybe the best example of a single Team unquestionably dominating over all others. No other Team has been capable to consistently win in the first 10 Timer Counts.
The sounds of the Critical Hits smashing you became like a Requiem, those three months of the Super Saiyan reign can be summarized as one of the worst states this Game has been in.
6 - SP Mai GRN
The queen of Future deserves a lot of credit for her Team ending Holy Trinity’s reign, but maybe Future’s was just as obnoxious. Pre- Battle Version 2.0 her Strike Canceling activity looked like a freestyle, in no time she was able to gain 7 Dragon Balls and it wasn’t a stretch for Future to use THREE Rising Rushes in a single Game, which is especially impressive for a Tag that is canonically devoid of Dragon Balls..
Not only that, but her Healing Main Ability, Long Combos, Stunning Extra Move and Damage Support made her Team both incredibly Durable and frustratingly good Offensively.
But the worst is yet to come.
5 - SP Zamasu RED
The king of Future is what made that Team truly unbearable to face. Shortly put, his supreme Durability was nigh impossible to go through, even for the most powerful Offensive Fighters in the Meta back in the day.
His Main Ability coupled with Mai’s could make Future Heal by 50% each Game and his Endurance Effect has been one of the best Counters to Rising Rushes in the history of the Game.
4 - SP SSJ2 Youth Gohan RED
We’re close to the podium. The fact SP SSJ Youth Gohan YEL is not the highest ranked Gohan on this list says a lot about SP SSJ2 Youth Gohan RED. Goku’s son hasn’t been incredibly annoying from the very beginning, since he was held back by his terrible Teams. However, when Legends Step Up Vol.3 released, everybody realized that is physically possible to hate pixels, even if they have the shape of a teen.
Just like his father SP Angry Goku BLU, he was a phone-breaking-inducing Last Man Standing Fighter, maybe even worse since he nullified Element Disadvantage too.
His Son Family was so powerful that it made the Future/Regen matchup look like a funny gaming experience. To this day, he’s still a great Last Man Standing, but all his other perks have fallen off a cliff.
3 - SP SSJ Broly PUR
This behemoth has been the best Fighter in the Game for the first quarter of 2019. He’s been dominant in two different Teams, namely Super Saiyan and Sagas Warriors. To understand how impactful he was in the first part of his supremacy, one sentence is enough: If you didn’t have SP SSJ Broly PUR and your opponent did, your chances of winning were closer to 0 than to 50% right off the bat.
Not only SP SSJ Broly PUR was head and shoulders above the rest of the roster both Offensively and Defensively, but also, it wasn’t possible to Color Counter him for part of the Match due to his Element Disadvantage removal. To this day, SP SSJ Broly PUR is the most unfair thing that has ever been released in this Game, he only gets surpassed by the remaining two since they lasted longer.
2 - SP Super Vegito PUR
In similar fashion as SP SSJ Broly PUR, SP Super Vegito PUR took the Meta by storm and basically made PVP a cluster of mirror matchups at release, everybody was playing Fusion Warrior. To be fair, at the beginning his Team didn’t seem particularly unbeatable, but as soon as SP Vegito RED gained his 7* the terror began. A matchup between Fusion Warrior and any different Tag was very similar to Vegito’s fight against Buuhan in Dragon Ball Z.
The Team had the capability to manhandle you right off the bat, and just when it seemed like you could have a glimmer of hope, here came Lock-in and Buffs Removals Effect that could basically end the Match when activated. Basically, at Anniversary. PVP transformed into Fusion Warrior’s playground, and it remained like that for months.
1 - SP Perfect Cell YEL
Welcome to my Cell Games.
If SP Zamasu RED and SP Mai GRN were Future’s king and queen respectively, SP Perfect Cell YEL was an emperor. This guy here has been a staple in three nightmarish Teams, namely Future, Regeneration and Androids. Nobody in this list has been as good as him for as long as him. Even now, he’s still very relevant after SP Super Baby 2 BLU’s release.
Let’s date back to the date of his release. Future was a very durable Team, but it lacked a bit of Offensive Power, thus SP Perfect Cell YEL was like a godsend since he hit like a truck. Also, his Nullifying-Cover made the Team’s Defense even more obnoxious.
How about Regeneration? Having two Fighters with countering Extra Moves is balanced right? Pre-Battle Version 2.0 these moves where even more overpowered, as Tap Blasts were slower.
Androids? Incredible Z-Ability Bonus and versatility, SP Perfect Cell YEL was very important in order to counter the powerful Purple Fighters of the Meta.
More than six months later, Regeneration again?? SP Super Baby 2 BLU magnified his Healing capability and his Damage output still feels like a slap in the face.
For some reason this Fighter never dies for good in the Meta, he always manages to sneak his way into a Top Team thanks to his Tag versatility… will it ever end?
Honorable Mentions
SP FP Boujack PUR
Mind if I cut in? SP FP Boujack PUR deserves to be placed in this list about as much as SP SSJ Youth Gohan YEL, but the latter felt more representative of the frustrating feeling you have when facing Sagas Warriors.
Nevertheless, nullifying most Moves when changing Cover is a game-breaking Ability that managed to make the Team much better than it would’ve been otherwise.
SP FP FF Frieza YEL
| Critical | |
|---|---|
| Ki Restore Speed |
It has been very hard to exclude him from the main list. The culprit of Saiyan’s genocide came really close to do the same in game, as his Lineage of Evil Team was the first real problem for Fusion Warrior in the Meta. In particular, he countered SP Super Vegito PUR perfectly and his Tankiness was reminiscent of SP Zamasu RED’s.
SP Ribrianne BLU
Female Warriors are the oddest Tag in the Game. They’ve only been relevant two times this year, namely back when SP Ribrianne BLU got released in the first quarter of 2019, and recently when her Universe 2 friends got released. Both times, Female Warriors jumped from being irrelevant to being Top Tier in one swoop, just to become irrelevant again in the blink of an eye as not many would pull for them.
When SP Ribrianne BLU got released, she was arguably better than SP Gogeta BLU, can you believe it? The goofy and cringey “Power of Love” supporter had an absolutely amazing toolkit, with glimpses of almightiness like her Damage Reduction coupled with Crisis, or her Lock-in.
SP SSB Goku BLU
Of all the God Ki Fighters he’s the most representative, because he’s been a staple ever since the Tag got revived during Anniversary. Somehow he managed to get better throughout the months, and now he feels better than ever. In fact, the Star System revamp really helped him as he’s been in many Banners since his first release.
Trying to inflict Damage to SP SSB Goku BLU is like trying to break a wall with your bare hands and his Offensive Damage output is as good as it’s ever been, since after Anniversary the Offensive Unique Abilities haven’t been particularly powercrept.
Other Writers
Now the other Writers will pick their best Fighter of 2019.
Gosen - Praise The Invincible
When Ema919 approached me with the proposal for this article, I was excited at the prospect of picking the most impactful Fighter over the first full year of Dragon Ball Legends. I knew the decision would be tough because the creators of our beloved game have certainly put their full effort into creating an entire buffet of unique strategies and Fighters who mirror their anime counterparts. SP Chi-Chi GRN’s power over her own family is a hilarious tribute to her characterization in the show and every Vegeta variant feels like they are literally too angry to die. As far as the most Meta defining Fighter over the last year, I had to pick everyone’s favorite rogue Kai.
While SP SS Bardock BLU and SP SS Broly PUR certainly dominated the field with their Offensive capabilities, SP Zamasu RED did something that few Fighters could claim to do, and he did it better than all of them; he checked the most controversial and powerful core mechanic of Dragon Ball Legends. SP Zamasu RED’s ability to tank a Rising Rush and keep fighting was an absolute game changer. No longer was a successful Rising Rush a guaranteed KO. The creators could have stopped there with the vengeful god, but then he would be no better than SP Vegeta GRN. Add in his gratuitous Team Heal, sky high Defenses, and then wrap it up with a needlessly powerful Cover ability made this Zamasu variant feel like he actually was immortal. SP Zamasu RED’s position in Z Tier took the most effort to rattle, as several counters to his Abilities in subsequent updates failed to dethrone the stoic deity, who maintained a Core position in every one of his Tags until natural powercreep finally aged the seemingly ageless.
Matzreal - Yoshaaaaaa!!!!
In my unbiased opinion, SP Super Vegito PUR is without a doubt best unit released this year. While his stats may not be #1 in anything, it's not an issue thanks to the fact he has access to borderline broken equipment options, such as 'This is Super Vegito!' and 'SP Vegito RED'. Recent addition of SSJ4s powercreeped his self Buffs on switch in, but with his infinitely revving up engine, after proper setup and couple timer counts he'll feel like Hit but with a team. Even after half a year after his release, Super Vegito remains one of the strongest units in the game, and knowing that his team will get even better sooner or later with release of a new Gogeta or Kefla in the game, he won't be dropping in ranks anytime soon.
Bones - An Ode To SP SSJ2 Gohan RED
Is he no longer the oppressive, centralizing force he once was? Sure. Was he as powerful in his prime as behemoths like Super Vegito or Angry Kamehameha Goku? Arguably no. Is this pick motivated by my SSJ2 Gohan Fanboyism? Absolutely.
Jokes aside, SP SSJ2 Gohan RED is one of the most storied Fighters in the game's history, and absolutely deserves to be paid his due. On release he was powerful on his own, but the Son Family Team that he would come to define was still in its infancy. After the Family Kamehameha Step-up Banner, Gohan rocketed into the spotlight as the Meta's most dangerous Fighter. He and SP SSJ Kid Goten PUR formed a dastardly duo - its power reflected in the usage stats of the subsequent Space Time Duel seasons. Calling Gohan and his Family's dominance over the meta anything short of hegemonic would be inaccurate. The Tag saw near 100% usage in the first LBR and the Las Vegas Showdown tournament that followed, proving that its ubiquity wasn't a fluke.
Son Family was one of the few Teams that could compete with God Ki and Fusion Warriors once the Anniversary Meta was in full swing. It wasn't seen often at the time, but its ability to resist that wave of power-creep was a testament to the quality of its core Fighters. The release of SP Angry Goku BLU brought Gohan back into the limelight, with a new Blast-Focused Son Family Build surging to relevance.
At this time of reflection, SP SSJ2 Gohan RED is no longer in the running for "Best Fighter in the Game;" heck, he's not even optimal on Son Family anymore, which has fully adapted to a Strike-Focused play-style (blame Transforming Gohan for that). Regardless, it's impossible to argue that he hasn't left his mark this year. While his Day of Fate has passed, those who were there to witness the peak of his power know not to utter his name in vain.
Raditz - ZimZam's Reign
As oppressive as the trio SP SSJ Bardock BLU, SP Super Gogeta RED and SP SSJ Broly PUR were, there was one Fighter that came along who helped provide not only a good check to them, but shortly thereafter became part of revolutionary teams himself that saw top tier gameplay for almost as long as the Holy Trinity did. That was SP Zamasu RED.
Granted he had almost equally game-changing help with SP Mai GRN, but SP Zamasu RED being so hard to take out was an excruciating experience for many. The amount of pressure he put on the opposing team was mind-boggling, as keeping him on the sideline was a foolproof way to avoid any incoming Rising Rush due to his revive.
His healing when paired with SP Mai GRN was off the charts. From his Health restoration after reviving, to both of their Main Abilities restoring Health, he was not only unbelievably durable but allowed for many mistakes that could be rectified with one Ability.
Normally brick wall Tanks would have trouble doing enough Damage, but SP Zamasu RED’s “Utopia’s Beginning” Unique Ability gave him a solid Damage output against some of the more popular Tags in the game in Hybrid Saiyan and Saiyan.
It wasn’t until seemingly targeted anti-Endurance counters were released over and over that SP Zamasu RED began to get phased out, but it took an iconic unit like SP Super Vegito PUR to do it for good.
