Greetings! Railgunfan75 with the third and final Power Up set review for the sets that released in Dec of 2016. For those who might be curious about the other 2 Power Up Sets, here are links to my articles on those two.

Weiss Schwarz Haruhi Power Up Set Review

Weiss Schwarz Railgun S Power Up Set Review

I have discussed this set previously (well at least the trial deck) so here is the link for that.  Weiss Schwarz Review: Kill la Kill Trial Deck

I will likely do a brief set review coming soon to fill in an obvious gap in my coverage. Once the set review is done, it will be linked here.

Kill la Kill was a set with a massive amount of potential, flavorful effects, an anti heal effect and interesting game ending options. Many expected the set to do well. However, subsequent releases exposed many of the flaws the set had. The set fell flat in a lot of areas especially when it came to maintaining hand size, lackluster utility, stock issues, and a underwhelming midgame (common themes with these sets it seems). While the set has some good things in it, it really suffered from consistency issues. I honestly rarely played the set of late as it just could not compete with many newer releases. The announcement of the Power Up Set was a pleasant surprise as I loved the anime and really wanted to play the set in a more competitive nature. Does the power up set bring Kill la Kill up a notch? Read on and find out.

KLK/SP03-01   家族と絆 流子＆マコ
Ryuko & Mako, Family And Bond
Trait 1: 家族 (Family)   Trait 2: 服 (Clothes)
[A] [(1) Rest 2 of your Standing Characters] This ability activates up to once per turn. When your card is placed from a non-Marker Zone to Marker Zone, you may pay cost. If so, look at up to 4 cards from top of your Library, choose up to 1 Character with either ::Clothes:: or ::Family::, reveal it, put it in your hand, and put the rest in the Waiting Room.
[A] At the start of your Climax Phase, choose 1 of your Characters, and that Character gains +500 Power for the turn.

We finally get an early game payoff for all of those marker effects that exist in the set and a good one at that. This first effect of this card is the centerpiece of many sets though most of the sets don’t have the option of spamming this effect with one card. Sure the check 4 effect typically doesn’t have a cost but 1 stock add to hand certainly isn’t bad either. Sure a better brainstomer would have been useful and expected but this card let’s you grab any character including Mako cards without having to mill a climax. This is limited by how many times you can place a marker card on the field but you have plenty of options for that and an event which can help you facilitate getting the cards needed in the waiting room. The effectiveness will vary from game to game but it is certainly worth any risk. The 500 power buff while not as useful in the late game is still a nice extra effect. It also color fixes for a nice game ending option (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-002) which also happened to be the first instance of that type of card ever printed. A must run card in any Kill la Kill deck.

KLK/SP03-02   “人衣一体”鮮血
“Man And Cloth as One” Senketsu
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 血 (Blood)
[C] All your other Characters with either ::Clothes:: or ::Family:: gain +500 Power.
[A] When this is placed from hand to the stage, you may look at the top card of your Library. If so, put that card face-down under this as Marker.
[S] [Put a Marker from under this in the Waiting Room] Choose 1 of your other Characters, and that Character gains +1000 Power for the turn.

The assist of choice in decks was this Mako from the booster (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-003). Now there is second option which could be seen as better than the Mako. One reason that it is better is because of the existence of Ryuko and Mako. This synergies nicely with that card because of the marker affect and allowing you to trigger the Mill 4 effect of that card. Speaking of the marker effect, the knowledge of knowing what the marker is is always really nice and it not restricted to certain cards like some of the others in the set. If revealed card happens to be a climax then you can pay it out and pump something by 1000 with a prime target for this being the next card. Let’s also not forget about the 500 global effect which is always a good effect. Great card and an easy 3-4 of inclusion in a deck.

KLK/SP03-03   片太刀鋏武滾流猛怒 流子
Ryuko, Scissors Blade Dual Decapitation Mode
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 武器 (Weapon)
[C] If there’s a Marker Under this, this gains +4000 Power.
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, you may choose either a ‘”Senketsu, Ryuko’s Outfit”‘ or ‘”Man And Cloth as One” Senketsu’ in your Waiting Room and put it face-down under this as Marker.
[A] When the Battle Opponent of this becomes Reversed, if “Fated Battle” is in your Climax Zone, you may choose a Character in your Waiting Room and return it to your hand.

This card has two potential marker targets, one is the previous card discussed and the other is this card (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-045 ) from the booster. Both cards are certainly worth playing especially Senketsu Ryuko’s Outfit which is a stable in decks that run red. Kill la KIll had no real means to consistently get their endgame cards or to replenish hand size. This card fills this need. We have another combo with a stock soul, this cone coming from the booster (). Unlike some other stock soul combos which are ususally fairly low on power, this card actually could get to over 7000 power. This is going to be enough to be successful most of the time. Add in the additional bonus of triggering the effect of the Ryuko and Mako card on play and you can potentially get multiple plusses on the turn you play this. Nice combo and nice synergy with other cards- this is a good card.

KLK/SP03-04   “暴走”流子
“Berserk” Ryuko
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 武器 (Weapon)
[C] This cannot Side Attack.
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage or via effect of [A] ability of “Ryuko, First Encounter with Senketsu” to the Stage, reveal the top card of your Library. If it’s a Level 0 or lower Character, put it in your Stock. (Otherwise put it back where it was)
[A] When this becomes Reversed in battle, put this on the bottom of your Library.

This card shares a name with a card from the booster (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-047) and is the better option of the two. A change target of the anti-heal of the set (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-046), this card is certainly worth playing on that fact alone.The anti heal is one of the draws to the Kill la Kill deck and it makes sense to run this if you are running the anti heal.  Add in the fact that this card is a big body which can reach 9000 power easily and you have a force to be reckoned with here. The downsides are certainly manageable. The inability to side attack doesn’t matter too much as this card will be stomping over most things anyway. And the bottom deck condition on reverse is midigated by the fact that this set has plenty of means to cycle through the deck. The fact that you can possible recover the stock also helps the case for the card. One obvious weakness is that is will die to level 1 reversers which can hurt a bit especially if you ended up not recovering the stock with it’s on play effect. A second drawback is that it costs a stock. It is certainly a stronger play if you get this on the field at level 0 versus level 1 as it will recoup your stock cost for it much easier. This card is worth considering especially if you are running the anti heal card.

KLK/SP03-05   “鮮血更衣”流子
“Senketsu Koui” Ryuko
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 武器 (Weapon)
[C] If there are 2 or fewer Climax cards in your Waiting Room, this gets -1 Level while in your hand.
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, look at up to 3 cards from top of your Library, choose up to 1 of them and put it in your hand, and put the rest in the Waiting Room.
[A] When “Graduating from Sailor Uniform” is placed in your Climax Zone, if this is in your Front Row, choose up to 1 Character in your Waiting Room and return it to your hand, and this gains +3000 Power for the turn.

I was actually a bit surprised that the set included two plussing combos and this one comes on an early summon. This combo has the benefit of not having to reverse it’s opponent to plus and it combos with a card (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-068) that also combos with another great card from  the booster (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-041). This card also gives you a nice level 2 option with an easy to meet condition and and an ability which lets you dig through your deck a bit and maybe get the climax in hand. This is worth running for the early summon condition alone and the climax combo is a nice bonus. Running this with the level 1 means that you shouldn’t have difficulty setting up for you endgame. Another great card.

KLK/SP03-06   “神衣純潔”皐月
“Kamui Junketsu” Satsuki
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 武器 (Weapon)
[C] If there are 2 or fewer cards in your Stock, this gains +1500 Power.
[A] [(1) Discard a card from your hand to the Waiting Room] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, you may pay cost. If so, search your Library for up to 1 ::Clothes:: Character, reveal it, put it in your hand, and shuffle your Library.

This card while not the most interesting is a nice multipurpose card. In the early game it can serve as a nice beater, can color fix for blue, and can give you a search option for most of your key cards. Nothing really interesting here, but a card that is certainly worth consideration.

KLK/SP03-07   人類の生存のために 皐月
Satsuki, For the Survival of Mankind
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 武器 (Weapon)
[C] ASSIST All your Level 3 or higher Characters in front of this gain +2000 Power.
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, you may choose a “Junketsu” in your Waiting Room and put it face-down under this as Marker.
[A] [Put a Marker from under this in the Waiting Room] When your other “Ryuko, Decided to Wear and Finish the Fight!” is placed from hand to the Stage, you may pay cost. If so, you may look at the top card of your Library. If you do, put that card face-down under that Character as Marker.

The 2k assist to level 3 effect is becoming a common effect of late and in many case is replacing the level x assist. In this case, this card should definitely be included over the level x from the booster. This card follows the trend of marker cards, and the marker card that it works with is also works well with other cards.There are two versions of the “Junketsu” event (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-066 & http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-095 ) both of which can be a worthwhile inclusion in the deck. There are two main reasons to run this card. The first is that this provides a nice power buff to any level 3 in your deck especially the early summon. The second is that it syngeries nicely with the Ryuko Level 3 (http://www.heartofthecards.com/code/cardlist.html?card=WS_KLK/S27-042). With this card, you can still get a marker even if you can’t meet Ryuko’s marker condition or you can potentially get two markers under her and make her burn more effective. A must play if you are running the Ryuko Level 3 from the booster and a good caard.

KLK/SP03-08   迷いなき志 皐月
Satsuki, Unwavered Will
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 武器 (Weapon)
【自】 このカードがアタックした時、このカードの正面のキャラのレベルが3以上なら、そのターン中、このカードのパワーを＋6000。
【自】 相手のアタックフェイズの始めに、あなたの控え室に「因縁の戦い」があるなら、そのターン中、このカードのパワーを＋3000。
[A] When this attacks, if the Level of the Character Opposite this is 3 or higher, this gains +6000 Power for the turn.
[A] At the start of your Opponent’s Attack Phase, if “Fated Battle” is in your Waiting Room, this gains +3000 Power for the turn.

I have a mixed opinion of these types of cards. One one side of the argument, the ability to kill early plays or other level 3s is a nice option.The ability for one stock to kill an opponents character which cost two is a nice trade off.  In addition this card combos with a climax you would be running anyway.  On the other hand, these cards are so situational that they are almost not worth running and giving you a specific climax discard outlet. This set now has 2 early play level 3s which are considerably better options than this because they do more. This would probably  be better if this were an anti change reverser because it guarantees a victory in battle. Also there are plenty of cases where you might just want to play and not discard the climax.  This card isn’t bad and I wouldn’t fault people for running it, but personally I believe there are better options.

And we have two promos released with the set as well. To my knowledge the first promo came with the Power Up Set and the second is a shop promo.

KLK/SP03-09   野望のために 縫
Nui, For Ambition’s Sake
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 眼帯 (Eye Patch)
【自】 このカードが手札から舞台に置かれた時、他のあなたの《服》のキャラが4枚以上なら、あなたは自分の山札の上から1枚を、ストック置場に置いてよい。
【自】［(4) 手札を3枚控え室に置き、このカードをバトル中のキャラの下にマーカーとして裏向きに置く］ 他のあなたのバトル中のマーカーを持つカード名に「羅暁」を含むキャラが【リバース】した時、あなたはコストを払ってよい。そうしたら、あなたはそのキャラを【スタンド】する。
[A] When this is placed from hand to the Stage, if you have 4 or more other ::Clothes:: Characters, you may put the top card of your Library in your Stock.
[A] [(4) Discard 3 cards from your hand to the Waiting Room, put this face-down under the Character in battle as Marker] When your other Character with “Ragyo” in name that has a Marker becomes Reversed in battle, you may pay cost. If so, Stand that Character.

This card has a specific place in the Green/Blue decks and kind of provides an interesting finishing option. There is no Ragyo level 3 in the set so this has to be used on a level 2 or lower card. This effectively turns any Ragyo into a re-stander which is a neat idea. The cost on this effect is really expensive though. If you really want a game ender for the blue green decks than this an option sure, just not one that you will likely be able to use more than once. At least with a full field this is 2/0 which helps the cause.

KLK/SP03-10   冬の光景 流子
Ryuko, Winter Scene
Trait 1: 服 (Clothes)   Trait 2: 武器 (Weapon)
【自】［(2)］ あなたがこのカードの『助太刀』を使った時、あなたはコストを払ってよい。そうしたら、あなたは相手のレベル2以上のキャラを1枚選び、そのターン中、ソウルを－1。
【起】【カウンター】 助太刀2500 レベル2 ［(1) 手札のこのカードを控え室に置く］ （あなたは自分のフロントアタックされているキャラを1枚選び、そのターン中、パワーを＋2500）
[A] [(2)] When you use the BACKUP of this, you may pay cost. If so, choose 1 of your Opponent’s Level 2 or higher Characters, and that Character gets -1 Soul for the turn.
[S] [Counter] BACKUP 2500, Level 2 [(1) Discard this card from your hand to the Waiting Room]

Now Kill la Kill has an anti damage counter. This card can potentially save you that one damage which would cause you to lose the game. However, it doesn’t stop all damage from an attack and even the 1 soul reduction could actually backfire as it can make an attack easier to stick in the late game. A very situational counter which is better then the vanilla counters the set has.Might be worth an inclusion as a 1 of.

The Kill la Kill power up set included a lot of cards which helped the set considerably. Kill la Kill now has nice options in the mid game, can execute it’s endgame plan more consistently, and should not have any problem getting the cards it needs throughout the game. While not including anything which will change the game or make the set broken, the Power Up Set makes Red/Blue or Red/Blue/Yellow decks specifically function on a much consistent level than they used to. If you own a Kill la Kill deck and are looking to upgrade, this is certainly a worthwhile investment. If you are looking to get into the set and want to use this as gateway, then this set is a good way to start.

This concludes my three stop tour of the Power Up set releases. Next up will be an Index/Railgun essential card post and a brief Kill la Kill booster review. Of course deck profiles for all three sets, post Power Up Set will come soon as well. Rabbits set content is still in line for the future and of course once the set releases there will be Re:Zero content coming. So until next time, this is Railgunfan75 signing off. See ya soon!