Vanilla (バニラ Banira) is a term used in various trading card games that refer to cards without any abilities.
Overview[]
In Z/X -Zillions of enemy X- TCG, vanilla refers to Z/X that has no ability of any kind in their card text. Those kinds of Z/X are referred to as Z/X with "no ability" (能力なし Nōryoku Nashi) in the official card database.
While those Z/X do not seem to provide any direct advantage compared to Z/X with ability, they possess high Power which is enough to outclass most Z/X of the same Cost in battle. With few exceptions, Z/X with no ability also sets the highest possible printed Power for Z/X of their Cost without any kind of limitations or drawback, which is [ Cost x 1500 + 500 ]. They might also receive support or are required by abilities or effects that specifically mention Z/X "without ability" (能力を持たない Nōryoku o motanai) in their text.
As of the latest set, there is no Cost 1 vanilla and Cost 8 or higher vanilla.
| Cost | Power |
|---|---|
| 2 | 3500 |
| 3 | 5000 |
| 4 | 6500 |
| 5 | 8000 |
| 6 | 9500 |
| 7 | 11000 |
Other than the aforementioned definition, Z/X with only a single keyword ability (e.g., Start Card, Life Recovery, Void Bringer) and no other abilities sometimes also referred to as vanilla (more specifically, a "French vanilla"). Free cards with time-limited abilities (i.e. "This ability is available until...") or Z/X with only a single-use ability are often also treated as such. However, as they still have some kind of ability in their card text, they are not "true" vanilla.
The inclusion of vanilla in sets and their usage in general have fallen over time, with Set 28 as the last main set to include a single vanilla Z/X as a part of the then-newly-introduced Tribe. Only a few vanilla Z/X have been released since then, mostly as promotional cards. However, they might still find some niche in specific decks.