In a very surprising announcement today, hot on the heels of announcing a Mob Battle mode, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is adding a… card game? Titled Dragon Ball Card Warriors, this mode will come in a free update that releases tomorrow, October 27. The trailer released by Bandai-Namco provides a general overview of how the game plays. It contains elements of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Legends of Runeterra, and even Hearthstone.
The card game will feature a training mode to play against the computer, casual battles, ranked, and “tournament battle.” Tournament battles will be held once a month and players will be randomly assigned to one of three teams. Those teams being red, blue, and green. Seems like a missed opportunity to name the teams something like Ginyu Force, Z-Warriors, or Frieza Force, but I digress.
Whichever team has the most wins will receive an as of yet unnamed reward. So, in reality, this is less of a “tournament” mode, and really just a faction battle similar to Mortal Kombat X. Placing players on random teams though does not seem like the best way to truly see which group of players is better, and it is unclear whether your team will change with each monthly tournament.
A tale of two playerbases
The game mechanics themselves seem interesting enough, if not very basic. One very important piece of information that was not given in the trailer was how these cards will be obtainable in the game. Whether they are microtransactions or available in the game world, it is just not known at the moment. This announcement has caused a stir in the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot community, as well as players of the physical Dragon Ball Super Card Game.
Kakarot players are upset that there is still no release date for the next DLC, especially those who purchased the season pass. Likewise, DBS players are upset that playing the physical game online has been extremely difficult. The issue stems from complications of the pandemic, but also the lack of a dedicated online client like Magic: The Gathering Arena or even Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links.
So, it is very confusing and a little frustrating that Bandai has announced this new mode despite all of that. But maybe Dragon Ball Card Warriors will be worth it. We will find out either way when the free update releases tomorrow, October 27. You can purchase Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot right now on Steam.
