Uh… as of right now now, there is only a Japanese edition. This hasn’t been released in english yet.
Anyways… as for Gotenks, unfortunately he just doesn’t stand that well on his own. He’s not bad by any means. In fact, he’s one of my favorite characters and he’s got his pluses, but he also has limits that hinder him from serving as a central character. His combos are alright, but unfortunately he just doesn’t have enough damage output to dominate head-to-head. Also, while he’s got a good beam super, the ghosts and the seal-B/Y super, he just doesn’t control enough space to maintain a trap or rush-down game. Gotenks does serve well as a secondary character however, especially in decks that need to control/maintain meter.
Hmmm… let’s see, in response to LeeBee’s post:
Luffy, I agree is an odd choice for the 2nd tier, especially considering his weak combo abilities. However, considering his bamazing ability to use single attacks and supers to control space and build traps, he stands very well on his own as a battle character. Those that chase him carelessly are going to suddenly find themselves trapped in a barrage of punches for lots of garaunteed damage.
Arale is another weird choice for 2nd tier, but I think she’s got a few attributes that bump her up from just a secondary character. First, while her combos aren’t terribly long, her attacks come out quickly, hit under high attacks and have good priority. You don’t want to end up with your back to a pit against her. Second, her long life bar makes her able to stand up under pressure long enough to fight back against and escape from traps. Third, while her good beam super is a plus, her tossing supers (rock/pink poo) fit really well into trap decks. Use support characters to set up a trap, learn the timing for when to hit the super and land the toss for big damage.
As for Sanji… I agree that his weakness is definitely vulnerability to to support characters, but I think there really are ways to cover his weaknesses depending on the rules you’re playing under. First, if they’re allowed you can use invincibility/steel wall on approach. Second, you can seal supoorts. Third, you can switch from Sanji.
I know its strange to suggest that a strength of Sanji is being able to switch away from him, but remember that his big power is Pose of Love, which sticks around after you switch to another character. Having Sanji in your deck is like having the best Help/Support Koma in your deck that can double as a solid battle character. With pose of love, you can power up other great characters best attacks and traps. Without it, he’s still a great comboer who does good damage.
Meh… I’ve got more to say, but I’ve got errands to run today. Maybe later LeeBee and I can review the 3rd tier of characters and their strengths/weaknesses. What do you think LeeBee? Want to start it off?