If I had things my way, all playable personalities would go up to Level 4 and that’s it. No shortchanging personalities at Level 3 or playing favorites with Level 5. Unfortunately, we have to play the hand we are dealt. And oddly enough, sometimes a character’s Level 3 personality is one of their best levels and certainly better than some of the Level 4 and Level 5 personalities out there (but I could write a whole other article on that). This article is about some of the best personalities to use at Level 3 (whether they can go higher or not), a list oddly dominated by villains, Majin and Androids.
10. Android 19, Recharged
An attack that nets you two more cards as a secondary effect, with zero drawback (there’s not even a cost for this attack). He even has more power stages than the average personality. Unfortunately, the draw back to actually having to take full advantage of his power is that you must declare an Orange Tokui-Waza, a style not especially known for its friendliness towards leveling up with it’s lack of sufficient anger cards and reliance on drills. Still, if you can get to this level through Intensity Drill or even an Apocalyptic Battle (also great tech against the hordes of personalities with terrible Lv. 3 cards and a poor man’s Cell’s Threatening Position in a pinch), you could be looking at a six card hand with the Android (and that’s not even counting access to Android 19’s Dodge, one of the best blocks in the game).
9. Lord Slug
Another personality that essentially locks you into a style, but this guy can get ridiculous pretty quickly in the right deck. Fortunately you don’t see this deck far outside of the TUFF ENUFF format where Slug can just ARE YOU TUFF ENUFF??? (or Cosmic Ascension in Retro TUFF ENUFF) without fear of the Most Powerful Personality Victory or a Dragon Ball Victory shutting him down. This personality is all about the slow waiting game and a war of attrition in Slug’s favor. If you ever get locked in battle with Lord Slug at Lv. 3, you’ll be wising the second part of his power added life cards of damage instead of power stages, if only as a form of mercy to end the match quicker.
8. Majin Pui Pui the Flashy
The first Majin on the list and the first of a few powers on this list that has a high theoretical damage cap. He hits for life cards of damage off of a built in focused attack, and is one of the few personalities that has synergy with the very disruptive (yet seldom used) Dying Planet. He’s great in a Cell Saga Black Style Mastery deck (if you can get him up to level three reliably that is), but the Red Style has some attractive options as well with Red Feint and Red Slide in addition to it’s more natural leveling abilities. It’s a great feel when you hit for a 30+ life attack with Majin Pui Pui.
7. Android 20 the Schemer
Another attack with a very high damage cap, but this one can be used twice. Just having one Android ally (or even if the opponent has one) makes Android 20‘s power better than Gohan the Winner Lv. 5. A well timed Z Warrior’s Gather followed by a Goku’s Farewell (assuming you aren’t using the godawful Level 4) could be a 48 life card combo attack set-up. Even if you don’t go for the quick gimmick level, pretty much anytime you get to his Level 3 with some Android allies this quickly becomes the attack to block (twice).
6. Broly, Super Saiyan
The last personality on this list that forces you into a style, but it’s a style that fits Broly just too well. It’s a monster attack that you’ll most likely be able to use twice, pumping all your attacks by two life for the rest of combat, and coming off of Broly‘s comfortable “E” rating on the PAT chart. In Broly Saiyan, this is the kill level, and it can come quick if you aren’t careful. There’s no finesse or cute tricks here, it’s just brute strength and it works surprisingly well.
5. Kid Buu, Majin Buu
The first of two appearances that Majin Buu makes on this list (and really the only Majin Buu Lv. 3 to not make this list isn’t too shabby either). Like the previously mentioned Broly, Kid Buu is all about brute strength or at least on first glance. But not only does Kid Buu outdo Broly on power ratings by being firmly in the “G” bracket on the PAT chart, but Kid Buu‘s power is also pretty disruptive on its own. Taking out an entire discard pile can mess up a wide range of decks from Frieza to Tien to most kinds of Namekian styles. On top of everything else, just being able to regain all your power stages pretty much resets any physical damage done to you thus far in combat. When I play Majin Buu, this is the level I like to gun for.
4. Majin Buu, Piccolo Absorbed
This is the only personality card on this list that was included with the intention of not staying on Level 3. Short of the amazing Broly Lv. 1, this is one of the best Most Powerful Personality Victory friendly levels in the game. Certainly no slouch in the damage department with his high power levels and generous damage buff, the real goal of this guy is getting to a stupidly powerful Level 4 personality or on to an MPP Victory in two moves or less. Either angle you take, no one wants to be sitting across the table from this guy. I rank him higher than the other Majin Buu simply because I feel victory is much more imminent when you get to this dickhead.
3. Android 16 the Battler
Finally, we at last get to a personality that *could* be played as a hero. In the same vein as the HT Trunks Lv. 1, except almost four times as strong and added defense against physical attacks with a built in Orange Haulting Drill. If it weren’t for having to start out at Level One and the occasional “if successful” effects running amok, you would barely need to even bother including defenses (pesky life card dealing physical attacks are always a bother). The biggest drawback for Android 16 (besides this being a Level 3 power), is that the guy barely has any ways to capitalize on this power. But then again, with the opponent’s attacks all but neutralized, there’s hardly a rush on the Android’s part.
2. Chi-Chi the Wife
The heroes have arrived! Chi-Chi is an odd personality with decent Level one choices (depending on the deck) and named cards. While not good against *all* decks, Chi-Chi can wreak absolute havoc on anything that needs non-combats from Drill heavy decks using Orange Vegeta’s Assault to making an Earth’s Spirit Bomb all but impossible by picking off The Help of Earth. The most obscene thing about Chi-Chi is that she has her owned named card that will immediately level her in combat (just watch out for her slow Level 2).
1. Krillin the Great
The “King of the Overkill”, Krillin is basically an unlimited damage buff to all of your energy attacks. You don’t even need Krillin named cards to work with his power, any named card will do. In a Freestyle deck, a late game Krillin’s Heat Seeking Blast could reasonably be doing an unstoppable, unpreventable +30-40 power stages of damage (and that’s from a single attack). Late game with Krillin the Great could realistically mean you are one or two energy attacks away from winning game, no matter the deficit. Talk about a surprise upset!
Later, BroZ!
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Just missing Vegeta, the Last Prince or whatever his HT is from the Cell Saga. An A18 Stare Down every combat is pimp
I miss these top ten articles!
I love the synergy of Pui Pui with Eternal Dragon Sensei. Great article!!! Thanks for writing.
Yeah, I felt the vegeta html 3 was needed for this list. Other than that, dead on.
This is Garrett. Joshman, your articles are always not bad but good. This is Garrett.
Android 16 should be number 1 since he trumps all of them in a head to head showdown.
I dunno. Both Pui Pui and Android 20’s power would tear right through Android 16’s shield.
I’m not questioning your ruling but whats the rational behind the ruling that Android 16’s power doesn’t cap life card damage from physical attacks to 0 like vegeta lv 4 and trunks lv 4 from Trunks saga do?
Android 16’s power specifically only caps power stages of damage for physical attacks, and not life cards.
So for example if you somehow do a physical attack for attack for 10 power stages while Android 16 is at 0, you would only do three life cards of damage because 16’s power would cap the power stage damage before it was converted to life cards.
However, if the physical attack does damage in life cards rather than power stages than power stages then 16s power has no effect on it. For example Android 20’s power attacks directly in life cards so if it did +6 life cards of damage, then all of that would go through. If for some reason lets say there was a drill that added +5 power stages of damage to the attack (so lets say the attack does five power stages and six life cards of damage), the power stage damage portion would be capped at three but all the life card damage happens unimpeded. Even if Android 16 was low enough that the power stage damage would be converted to life cards, the power stage damage is still capped at three while again the damage that specifically is dealt in life cards would be unaffected (making the attack do three stages and six cards of life damage in this example).
To specify since Joshman didn’t bring up Vegeta and Trunks, their powers do not cap. They reduce all damage to a single power stage of damage. The CRD clarifies that “all damage” includes both power stages and life cards of damage.