Game Tutorial by Tolarian Community College:
Game Demo for UniVersus TCG at Gen Con 2019:
For those who don't know, UniVersus TCG is a rebrand of the old UFS (Universal Fighting System) Trading Card Game / Collectible Card Game by Jasco Games and has been around since the late 2000's spanning source material mostly from mega popular Anime / Manga and Video Games most particularly Fighting Games such as Street Fighter, SoulCalibur, SNK / King of Fighters, Darkstalkers, Mortal Kombat, Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho, Mega Man, Tekken 6, and Penny Arcade. The game is now currently focusing on the popular My Hero Academia Anime / Manga Series by Kōhei Horikoshi with focus on other Intellectual Properties (IPs) expected to follow down the line once the source material is finally completed.
I've been playing this card game for several months now and it's actually pretty fun. If you're familiar with the gameplay mechanics of the old Score Entertainment Dragon Ball Z / GT Trading Card Game / Collectible Card Game then it plays similar to it except players don't share a turn and you can't mill your opponent out in order to win since they can reuse their discard pile later. There is a format from what I've heard where you can actually mix UniVersus TCG cards with old UFS cards which is either the Standard or Retro format since My Hero Academia has their own format with cards pertaining to just the IP itself. Unfortunately this is an English exclusive card game so it doesn't have as much of an international audience like Final Fantasy TCG for instance.
Jesus Christ, Who Is God Revealed In The Flesh, Bless America.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Jasco Games has rebranded as UVS Games and announced new IPs for the UniVersus CCG system.
The rebranding occurs as Jasco tries to open up a new chapter in their company's history. Jasco Games has been around since 1998 and had primarily been known for their UniVersus Collectible Card Games. About a year and a half after being bought by POW! Interactive Holdings Corp. (see "POW!"), Jasco will now rebrand as UVS Games, which synergizes with the branding of the UniVersus CCG line of games. The rebrand will also come with a new logo and card back for UniVersus CCG games (old card backs can be used in the same decks as new ones, as long as the deck is sleeved).
Along with a new name, a new logo, and new card backs, UVS Games announced a new product type for their IPs, the Challenger Series. The Challenger Series is a new UniVersus CCG preconstructed deck and collector's booster product type designed to carry different IPs. The first two products for this series will be Challenger Series: Cowboy Bebop and Challenger Series: Trigun Stampede. Trigun Stampede is an entirely new IP to the UniVersus CCG product line.
“Our recent rebrand to UVS Games with a new logo and card back will have players buzzing with anticipation," said Paul Wharshavsky, co-founder UVS Games. "Cowboy Bebop, Trigun Stampede, and My Hero Academia franchises coming to the UniVersus card-collecting franchise marks the beginning of our new brand UVS Games.”
My Hero Academia will also get a new CCG set with the UVS Games branding upgrade. My Hero Academia: Jet Burn will feature the character Hawks as well as a new type of UniVersus card: alternate art character cards. Jet Burn will also be the first release to feature the new UniVersus card logo and card frame. This set will hit stores in time for the holiday season.
Jesus Christ, Who Is God Revealed In The Flesh, Bless America.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Also returning to UniVersus CCG back when it was known as Ultimate Fighting System (UFS) is Yu Yu Hakusho which covers the Dark Tournament Arc. The last IP that UVS (formerly Jasco) worked on before re-launching the game with the My Hero Academia IP was in fact Yu Yu Hakusho in which this Dark Tournament expansion will contain reprints of cards from the last Yu Yu Hakusho set released before UVS (formerly Jasco) launched My Hero Academia:
UVS Games announced the return of Yu Yu Hakusho CCG to the UniVersus CCG system.
The Yu Yu Hakusho CCG first rolled out to market with Score in 2003 (see "Score Plans Two-Prong Push for Yu-Yu CCG"), and headed to Jasco Games (now UVS Games) in 2019 (see " 'UFS: Yu Yu Hakusho'"). Now, after a brief break in production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Yu Yu Hakusho CCG is coming back with the Dark Tournament expansion. Dark Tournament was the second set published in the original Score run of the game (see "Free Tournament Kits"), and was very popular upon its initial release. The UVS version of the expansion will features fan favorite reprints and will only be available at FLGS, which can sign up for special prerelease events for the set.
UniVersus will also include the Attack on Titan IP in 2024 including Cowboy Bebop, Trigun Stampede, Godzilla, and Critical Role:
UVS Games had an excellent year in 2023 during which they changed their name, redesigned the look of the UniVersus cards and had their biggest event ever: Pro Hero Nationals in Dallas, Texas. UniVersus is their signature CCG, featuring classic and fan favorite pop-culture franchises and characters. Looking ahead to 2024, there are a wide variety of products coming to UniVersus - both booster sets as well as Challenger Series decks.
Here are the various IPs coming to UniVersus in 2024:
Previously announced, Cowboy Bebop: Challenger Series and Trigun Stampede: Challenger Series will be released on January 19th 2024.
Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament boosters will be released on February 23rd and will feature a special release event available to UGN stores.
Critical Role
Two Critical Role Challenger Series will be released on March 21. First is Vox Machina: Challenger Series, featuring the twins Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan and their adventures through Exandria during Campaign 1. The second release, Mighty Nein: Challenger Series, based on Campaign 2 will feature Jester and Nott from the Mighty Nein. Preorders start right now at your local game store.
My Hero Academia: Girl Power & More
Coming May 17th, the My Hero Academia: Girl Power booster set will feature all your favorite female students, heroes, and villains. Every character card will have an exclusive, never-before-seen alternative art version. This release will also feature a prerelease event occurring on May 11. In addition to Girl Power, we will have products featuring My Hero Academia releasing in Q3.
Godzilla
Godzilla, The King of the Monsters, is joining the UniVersus collectible card game. With two Challenger Series products, these giant and powerful creatures will significantly impact the UniVersus game and players’ collections. They will be available in your local game stores on June 21.
Attack on Titan
The first set, Attack on Titan: Battle for Humanity, will be released in Q3 2024. Along with the boosters, a Challenger Series product and Clash Decks will be available. We will release a second Attack on Titan booster set and a Challenger Series product in Q4 2024. Based on the manga, these releases will bring a fresh look to this popular franchise. More details will come about these exciting releases, including details of the Prerelease Events for UGN stores.
Sci-Fi IP To Be Announced
Another franchise that will blow everyone’s mind is also being developed for Q4, 2024.
Products Coming to UniVersus in 2024 -
Cowboy Bebop and Trigun Stampede (January 19) - Challenger Series
Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament (February 23) - Booster Set
My Hero Academia: Girl Power (May 17) - Booster Set
Godzilla (June 21) - Challenger Series
My Hero Academia (Q3) - products to be determined
Attack on Titan: Battle for Humanity (Q3) - Booster Set & Challenger Series
Attack on Titan (Q4) - Booster Set & Challenger Series
Sci-Fi IP To Be Announced (Q4) - Challenger Series
UVS Games will continue to make announcements on the details of these products in the coming months. You can find information about releases, their UGN play program and more on their website UVSGames.com.
Since the dawn of UniVersus time (2006), the heart of the game has always been about battles between players using their favorite characters from popular creative worlds. Whether that was Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, Cowboy Bebop or even My Hero Academia, the promise has always been for fighters to prove which world’s fighting style is the most powerful. Building on that history, 2023 has been a big year of announcements and exciting changes to the game where worlds collide!
Today we’re sharing some exciting updates and clarifications about our play formats for UniVersus. This information will help you plan your training regimen as you prepare for epic battles against the best UVS fighters in the land.
A Few Things Before We Begin
A “format” defines the types of cards players can use to battle one another in a UniVersus tournament. There are three additional terms that further define the parameters surrounding who and what is allowed to play in the event. They are:
Limited: Events that are “limited” include formats like Booster Draft and Sealed Deck in which fighters are limited to using the cards provided to them at the tournament.
Constructed: Events that are “constructed” include formats like Standard and Retro where fighters construct their decks with their own cards before attending the tournament.
Team: The term “team” refers to events in which more than one player battles per side. We don’t have any updates on team events today, but they’re a popular part of the tournament pantheon for UniVersus players.
So how do we at UVS Games think about formats? Because UniVersus players enter our world of play through recognizing one of their favorite worlds being represented in it we think of our formats in three categories:
Formats that are good for engaging players new to the game (such as Sealed and Spotlight Constructed)
Formats that are ideal for tournament play, like our primary tournament format Standard
Formats that provide a higher complexity ceiling, like Booster Draft or Retro
Let’s dive further into what each format is.
Booster Draft and Sealed Deck
Our Limited formats are perfect for players who want to explore the world of a specific universe, train up in the strategies of that plane, and be prepared to adopt those tactics in future battles. Sealed Deck is ideal for new players as you don’t need to have any cards before playing and you’re limited to the six packs you’re given at an event for building. That’s why we use it for our Prerelease events!
Booster Draft is our most skill intensive format challenging players to both figure out what strategy they’ll build their deck around on the fly and defeating their opponent through combat with that strategy. Both Booster Draft and Sealed Deck are fantastic formats for building your collection for playing other formats while learning the fighting styles of these worlds.
Starting with Undaunted Raid in My Hero Academia we’ve redesigned UniVersus to power fun Sealed and Draft formats, including a character card in every booster pack. These formats are some of the most fun ways to play the game, and offer unique gaming experiences you can’t find in any other format. In fact, in 2024 we’re going to be leaning into Sealed and Draft beyond our Prereleases in ways we haven’t before. Stay tuned for full details coming soon from our Organized Play team.
Spotlight Constructed Format
Spotlight Constructed has fighters build their decks for battle using only cards from a specific universe. Fans of My Hero Academia will recognize this as the “My Hero Academia Only” format from the past few years. Moving forward we’ll call that format “My Hero Academia Spotlight Constructed,” and you’ll be hearing more about it for play next year as we announce our organized play schedule for 2024. The cards in a Spotlight Constructed format include all cards printed from that world, including those from boosters, promos, and Challenger Series.
As an example, the first Yu Yu Hakusho set was released in 2019. In 2024 the second set, Yu Yu Hakusho: The Dark Tournament, will be added to the YYH Spotlight Constructed format. We’ve got a special experience centered around The Dark Tournament that we’re excited to share with you soon that will make this world a one-of-a-kind adventure for UniVersus players unlike anything seen in card games before!
Spotlight Constructed is a great format for taking the collection you’ve started building through Booster Draft and Sealed and trying the fighting strategies in that world before colliding with other worlds!
Standard
The first step into the arena of worlds colliding is our most important tournament format: Standard. Historically it’s featured the worlds we’ve visited over the past ten booster releases, allowing players to experience the thrill of pitting the fighting styles from Cowboy Bebop against the sonic booms of Street Fighter. With a shift in our product releases and an increase in the worlds UniVersus will be visiting we’re adjusting Standard slightly: instead of covering the past ten sets, Standard will now feature cards printed as far back as the two years preceding the current year.
What does this look like in practice? In 2024 we’ll “rotate” cards from Standard that were printed before 2022. This means the first My Hero Academia expansion and any promo cards printed in 2021 will no longer be legal for play. Cards printed from Crimson Rampage forward will be legal for Standard play, including all cards from 2022, 2023, and 2024. This includes Challenger Series cards, promo cards, and the Yu Yu Hakusho expansion. In 2025, cards from 2022 will rotate making Standard consist of cards from 2023, 2024, and 2025.
We’re making this change for two reasons:
To allow players more time to play with their cards in Standard as we visit more worlds each year.
To make it easier to explain to newer players what cards they can play in Standard as our community continues growing.
The rotation will happen alongside the first booster release each calendar year. In 2024 rotation will happen alongside the Yu Yu Hakusho release. Cards that are reprinted in new products after they’ve rotated from Standard will become eligible for play in that format again. Standard will also transition to being the marquee combat format for UniVersus fighters; stay tuned for exciting announcements on this front from our organized play team soon!
Retro
The Retro format is where all worlds collide, and celebrates over a decade of epic battles between extraordinary fighters. With the exception of banned cards, anything goes in Retro, including using our “classic” rules set. All expansions, promos, and additional products like Challenger Series are legal in Retro. Players new to the UniVersus arena may want to consider working their way through the ranks of the other formats, training to ensure they’re ready before tackling the black belts who inhabit these events.
We’re very excited to provide this update to our fans on what our formats are. Up next: our announcements about organized play for 2024. We can’t wait to share what we’ve got in store for next year, including representation of all the formats we’ve discussed today and more!
If you’d like to share your thoughts, join in on the conversations happening in our:
Jesus Christ, Who Is God Revealed In The Flesh, Bless America.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Jesus Christ, Who Is God Revealed In The Flesh, Bless America.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
My locals for UniVersus is currently struggling to get Organized Play going in our area since the LGS I go to is under such poor management that If you aren't Magic: The Gathering or Original Tabletop Gaming via Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer 40k then your chance of having events for your Paper Trading Card Game / Collectible Card Game doesn't matter. So far the main Paper Trading Card Games / Collectible Card Games they mainly focus on doing events for are Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon TCG, Disney's Lorcana, Flesh and Blood, One Piece CCG, and Star Wars Unlimited. They used to do events for Yu-Gi-Oh! though I think they mostly have them on Sundays. One of my friends is trying to contact some of his friends from his private Facebook group to get more players into UniVersus in our area. My friends are also trying to book events for UniVersus next year and in March for the Critical Role: Heroes of Exandria Pre-Release which is a $30 entry fee. One of my friends recently held game demos for UniVersus at another LGS which I myself have difficulty accessing.
So far it's just me and five other people in UniVersus at the LGS we go to. We're hoping that we'll get new players from upcoming Intellectual Property (IP) crossovers yet to be released for UniVersus with the biggest IP's being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) and Guilty Gear. Lack of disposable income as well as inflation and shrinkflation is also making it harder for players to spend money on Paper Trading Card Games / Collectible Card Games as well. In my situation a new LGS came into business that's roughly about a few blocks from the LGS I normally go to however it's located in an area where my parents believe has high crime rates or even feeling as If you're about to get mugged in an alleyway. To make matters worse they close much earlier than my ride is willing to pick me up from due to lease limitations on the property the owner of this new LGS is renting for. There's a rumor that he might relocate to where it's more public friendly at an empty police station or a city hall where you normally get your ID and drivers license from. Not sure how things will pan out in the future given more financial hurdles created by the new U.S. administration.
Here's the UniVersus decks I currently run in Standard format:
Character (1)
1 Izuku Midoriya, On the Move / Izuku Midoriya, Quirks Unleashed (Izuku VI)
Good Symbol
Attacks (20)
4 Quick-Draw Arrow
4 Fa Jin Flurry
3 Horse Toss
3 Switch to Vertical Maneuvering!
3 Deep Sword Thrust
3 Lightning Rod
Foundations (37)
4 Defiant Stance
4 Doopler Emissary
4 This Is How It Ends
4 Memory Upgrade
4 Spirit Beast Puu
3 Refreshing Blend
3 Third Wielder: Fa Jin
3 Mikasa Defeats the Female Titan
2 Moment of Normalcy
2 Cheerleader
2 The Shobijin's Message
2 Creative Counter
Actions (1)
1 Strategic Maneuver
Assets (2)
1 Team Dr. Ichigaki
1 Eri
Deck Total (60)
Strategy is to transform Izuku to his other side and charge attacks by committing foundations and ready them for other attacks to hit big numbers on speed and damage to make it hard for your rival to block your attacks. You also want to utilize cards that skips the Enhance Step of a turn via Cheerleader and Izuku, Quirks Unleashed to reduce an attacks' speed to 0 to draw a card AND skip the Enhance Step which is how Flash works in this card game unlike in Magic where cards can be cast at instant speed.
This deck is also very momentum hungry which is why I run cards like Third Wielder: Fa Jin and Fa Jin Flurry to charge momentum for BMI Buster and Cheerleader for card advantage. The more expensive version of this deck runs Phantom Threat over Spirit Sword Ultimate which combined with Izuku can get a ridiculous speed and damage boost that skips your rival's enhance step without needing to use Cheerleader or baiting an opponents' attack to go to blocks with Izuku, Quirks Unleashed.
4 Ultra Regeneration
4 #23 Pro Hero
4 Eager to Please
4 Inspiring Song
4 Swallowed By An Abnormal
4 Woodland Distraction
4 #10 Pro Hero
2 Toguro's Dominance
2 Family Secret
Actions (4)
4 City Rampage
Assets (4)
4 Takoyaki
Deck Total (60)
My friends dubbed this deck the "Mandate of Heaven" due to all the 6 checks in this deck to ensure that I NEVER fail my checks when playing attacks especially If I play City Rampage in my card pool first before stringing other attacks along for big speed and damage buffs. Nature's Tempest I threw in there to try to shutdown my rival's foundations in their stage with Fallen Angel's Revenge to try to unflip specific foundations that get flipped over with Nature's Tempest. Mount Lady II also has an enhance that If I have 10 size counters that she can make one of my attacks unblockable though I RARELY get there.
When going through these deck lists you'll notice that there are cards that contain "Attuned" Symbols. The way Attuned Symbols work when it comes to deck construction is that while regular Symbol cards need to match your Character, Attuned only cares about the Symbols listed on the Character you're running. For example, my Mount Lady II deck is primarily in Earth Symbol however since she also has the Chaos and Void symbols I can also run Attuned cards containing Chaos, Void, and yes even Earth as well. Think of it as playing colorless artifacts in a Commander deck for Magic. Same logic applies.
I recently switched Izuku VI to Ryu. Here's the list:
Character (1)
1 Ryu, World Warrior
Fire Symbol
Attacks (24)
4 High Three
4 Rupture Driver
4 Hashogeki
4 Rising Uppercut
4 Double Fists of the Mortal Flame
4 Special Report
Foundations (30)
3 I'm Awesome
4 Battle Holds the Answer
4 Stealth and Cunning
3 Moment of Normalcy
4 Attitude Selector
4 Item Menu
4 Incubating
4 Memory Upgrade
Actions (4)
4 Drive Parry
Assets (2)
2 Donny's Bo Staff
Deck Total (60)
There's so many speed and damage bonus resets in the current format like with Moment of Normalcy and My Fists Solve All My Problems to the point where Izuku VI does little to no damage at all to opponents. He even loses easily to Chun-Li, Martial Arts Master with Reversals making a comeback via Aerial Kikosho and Rising Uppercut. For those who don't know, Reversals were attacks that you can play from your card pool during your opponent's turn after being used as a block as long as you pass a check to play them. It created an interesting dynamic to the game. As for the deck, Rupture Driver is in here to draw off of removing cards in hand with Attitude Selector and Item Menu. Drive Parry is for being able to ready I'm Awesome or Moment of Normalcy during the enhance step. Most importantly you're stacking 6 checks with Ryu to pass checks easier.
Jesus Christ, Who Is God Revealed In The Flesh, Bless America.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Not sure how I feel about King of Fighters when they could've went with the recent Fatal Fury game. Godzilla getting a second set seems awkward since he's already getting more support in Chaos and Earth from the upcoming Guilty Gear set. My Hero Academia makes sense to cap off the final arc of the Anime / Manga. Tekken 8 returning sounds interesting.
With Street Fighter 6 returning to UniVersus I'm hoping we get more Reversal attacks. Fairy Tail was thrown in obviously to capitalize on the Critical Role and Guilty Gear cards since the set's going to have Spells. Lucy I think is probably going to revolve around either Backups or Allies since she summons zodiac spirits like Aquarius. Natsu is going to be Fire Aggro.
Jesus Christ, Who Is God Revealed In The Flesh, Bless America.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
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https://uvsgames.com/
Game Tutorial by Tolarian Community College:
Game Demo for UniVersus TCG at Gen Con 2019:
For those who don't know, UniVersus TCG is a rebrand of the old UFS (Universal Fighting System) Trading Card Game / Collectible Card Game by Jasco Games and has been around since the late 2000's spanning source material mostly from mega popular Anime / Manga and Video Games most particularly Fighting Games such as Street Fighter, SoulCalibur, SNK / King of Fighters, Darkstalkers, Mortal Kombat, Cowboy Bebop, Yu Yu Hakusho, Mega Man, Tekken 6, and Penny Arcade. The game is now currently focusing on the popular My Hero Academia Anime / Manga Series by Kōhei Horikoshi with focus on other Intellectual Properties (IPs) expected to follow down the line once the source material is finally completed.
I've been playing this card game for several months now and it's actually pretty fun. If you're familiar with the gameplay mechanics of the old Score Entertainment Dragon Ball Z / GT Trading Card Game / Collectible Card Game then it plays similar to it except players don't share a turn and you can't mill your opponent out in order to win since they can reuse their discard pile later. There is a format from what I've heard where you can actually mix UniVersus TCG cards with old UFS cards which is either the Standard or Retro format since My Hero Academia has their own format with cards pertaining to just the IP itself. Unfortunately this is an English exclusive card game so it doesn't have as much of an international audience like Final Fantasy TCG for instance.
What do you guys think?
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/55182/yu-yu-hakusho-returns-universus
UniVersus will also include the Attack on Titan IP in 2024 including Cowboy Bebop, Trigun Stampede, Godzilla, and Critical Role:
https://icv2.com/articles/sponsored/view/55813/sponsored-critical-role-my-hero-academia-girl-power-godzilla-more-coming-universus-2024
Also be sure to check out the UniVersus CCG Gaming Network at https://play.uvsgames.com/
UniVersus CCG Formats Explained:
https://uvsgames.com/all-news/the-future-of-universus-formats
Since the dawn of UniVersus time (2006), the heart of the game has always been about battles between players using their favorite characters from popular creative worlds. Whether that was Street Fighter, Soul Calibur, Cowboy Bebop or even My Hero Academia, the promise has always been for fighters to prove which world’s fighting style is the most powerful. Building on that history, 2023 has been a big year of announcements and exciting changes to the game where worlds collide!
Today we’re sharing some exciting updates and clarifications about our play formats for UniVersus. This information will help you plan your training regimen as you prepare for epic battles against the best UVS fighters in the land.
A Few Things Before We Begin
A “format” defines the types of cards players can use to battle one another in a UniVersus tournament. There are three additional terms that further define the parameters surrounding who and what is allowed to play in the event. They are:
- Limited: Events that are “limited” include formats like Booster Draft and Sealed Deck in which fighters are limited to using the cards provided to them at the tournament.
- Constructed: Events that are “constructed” include formats like Standard and Retro where fighters construct their decks with their own cards before attending the tournament.
- Team: The term “team” refers to events in which more than one player battles per side. We don’t have any updates on team events today, but they’re a popular part of the tournament pantheon for UniVersus players.
So how do we at UVS Games think about formats? Because UniVersus players enter our world of play through recognizing one of their favorite worlds being represented in it we think of our formats in three categories:- Formats that are good for engaging players new to the game (such as Sealed and Spotlight Constructed)
- Formats that are ideal for tournament play, like our primary tournament format Standard
- Formats that provide a higher complexity ceiling, like Booster Draft or Retro
Let’s dive further into what each format is.Booster Draft and Sealed Deck
Our Limited formats are perfect for players who want to explore the world of a specific universe, train up in the strategies of that plane, and be prepared to adopt those tactics in future battles. Sealed Deck is ideal for new players as you don’t need to have any cards before playing and you’re limited to the six packs you’re given at an event for building. That’s why we use it for our Prerelease events!
Booster Draft is our most skill intensive format challenging players to both figure out what strategy they’ll build their deck around on the fly and defeating their opponent through combat with that strategy. Both Booster Draft and Sealed Deck are fantastic formats for building your collection for playing other formats while learning the fighting styles of these worlds.
Starting with Undaunted Raid in My Hero Academia we’ve redesigned UniVersus to power fun Sealed and Draft formats, including a character card in every booster pack. These formats are some of the most fun ways to play the game, and offer unique gaming experiences you can’t find in any other format. In fact, in 2024 we’re going to be leaning into Sealed and Draft beyond our Prereleases in ways we haven’t before. Stay tuned for full details coming soon from our Organized Play team.
Spotlight Constructed Format
Spotlight Constructed has fighters build their decks for battle using only cards from a specific universe. Fans of My Hero Academia will recognize this as the “My Hero Academia Only” format from the past few years. Moving forward we’ll call that format “My Hero Academia Spotlight Constructed,” and you’ll be hearing more about it for play next year as we announce our organized play schedule for 2024. The cards in a Spotlight Constructed format include all cards printed from that world, including those from boosters, promos, and Challenger Series.
As an example, the first Yu Yu Hakusho set was released in 2019. In 2024 the second set, Yu Yu Hakusho: The Dark Tournament, will be added to the YYH Spotlight Constructed format. We’ve got a special experience centered around The Dark Tournament that we’re excited to share with you soon that will make this world a one-of-a-kind adventure for UniVersus players unlike anything seen in card games before!
Spotlight Constructed is a great format for taking the collection you’ve started building through Booster Draft and Sealed and trying the fighting strategies in that world before colliding with other worlds!
Standard
The first step into the arena of worlds colliding is our most important tournament format: Standard. Historically it’s featured the worlds we’ve visited over the past ten booster releases, allowing players to experience the thrill of pitting the fighting styles from Cowboy Bebop against the sonic booms of Street Fighter. With a shift in our product releases and an increase in the worlds UniVersus will be visiting we’re adjusting Standard slightly: instead of covering the past ten sets, Standard will now feature cards printed as far back as the two years preceding the current year.
What does this look like in practice? In 2024 we’ll “rotate” cards from Standard that were printed before 2022. This means the first My Hero Academia expansion and any promo cards printed in 2021 will no longer be legal for play. Cards printed from Crimson Rampage forward will be legal for Standard play, including all cards from 2022, 2023, and 2024. This includes Challenger Series cards, promo cards, and the Yu Yu Hakusho expansion. In 2025, cards from 2022 will rotate making Standard consist of cards from 2023, 2024, and 2025.
We’re making this change for two reasons:
- To allow players more time to play with their cards in Standard as we visit more worlds each year.
- To make it easier to explain to newer players what cards they can play in Standard as our community continues growing.
The rotation will happen alongside the first booster release each calendar year. In 2024 rotation will happen alongside the Yu Yu Hakusho release. Cards that are reprinted in new products after they’ve rotated from Standard will become eligible for play in that format again. Standard will also transition to being the marquee combat format for UniVersus fighters; stay tuned for exciting announcements on this front from our organized play team soon!Retro
The Retro format is where all worlds collide, and celebrates over a decade of epic battles between extraordinary fighters. With the exception of banned cards, anything goes in Retro, including using our “classic” rules set. All expansions, promos, and additional products like Challenger Series are legal in Retro. Players new to the UniVersus arena may want to consider working their way through the ranks of the other formats, training to ensure they’re ready before tackling the black belts who inhabit these events.
We’re very excited to provide this update to our fans on what our formats are. Up next: our announcements about organized play for 2024. We can’t wait to share what we’ve got in store for next year, including representation of all the formats we’ve discussed today and more!
If you’d like to share your thoughts, join in on the conversations happening in our:
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Discord
Also the Official Ban List for the My Hero Academia Block Constructed Format is as follows:
- Coordinated Effort
- Stronger in Darkness
- Unwavering Slash
- Frog Lashing
- Amphibious
- Crow and Frog Takedown
- Ready, Get Set, GO!
- One With Nature
- Capture Evil-Doers
- Back Alley Haymaker
- Snack Time
Official Ban List for UniVersus Standard Constructed:"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Remaining Products Coming to UniVersus in 2024 -
- My Hero Academia: Dark Hero Arc (October 11) - Challenger Series
- Tekken 8 (November 8) - Challenger Series
- Attack on Titan: Origins of Power (November 8) - Booster Set
- Star Trek: Lower Decks (December 6) - Challenger Series
https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/57689/uvs-games-unveils-2025-universus-lineupProducts Coming to UniVersus in 2025 -
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
So far it's just me and five other people in UniVersus at the LGS we go to. We're hoping that we'll get new players from upcoming Intellectual Property (IP) crossovers yet to be released for UniVersus with the biggest IP's being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) and Guilty Gear. Lack of disposable income as well as inflation and shrinkflation is also making it harder for players to spend money on Paper Trading Card Games / Collectible Card Games as well. In my situation a new LGS came into business that's roughly about a few blocks from the LGS I normally go to however it's located in an area where my parents believe has high crime rates or even feeling as If you're about to get mugged in an alleyway. To make matters worse they close much earlier than my ride is willing to pick me up from due to lease limitations on the property the owner of this new LGS is renting for. There's a rumor that he might relocate to where it's more public friendly at an empty police station or a city hall where you normally get your ID and drivers license from. Not sure how things will pan out in the future given more financial hurdles created by the new U.S. administration.
Here's the UniVersus decks I currently run in Standard format:
Character (1)
1 Izuku Midoriya, On the Move / Izuku Midoriya, Quirks Unleashed (Izuku VI)
Good Symbol
Attacks (20)
4 Quick-Draw Arrow
4 Fa Jin Flurry
3 Horse Toss
3 Switch to Vertical Maneuvering!
3 Deep Sword Thrust
3 Lightning Rod
Foundations (37)
4 Defiant Stance
4 Doopler Emissary
4 This Is How It Ends
4 Memory Upgrade
4 Spirit Beast Puu
3 Refreshing Blend
3 Third Wielder: Fa Jin
3 Mikasa Defeats the Female Titan
2 Moment of Normalcy
2 Cheerleader
2 The Shobijin's Message
2 Creative Counter
Actions (1)
1 Strategic Maneuver
Assets (2)
1 Team Dr. Ichigaki
1 Eri
Deck Total (60)
Strategy is to transform Izuku to his other side and charge attacks by committing foundations and ready them for other attacks to hit big numbers on speed and damage to make it hard for your rival to block your attacks. You also want to utilize cards that skips the Enhance Step of a turn via Cheerleader and Izuku, Quirks Unleashed to reduce an attacks' speed to 0 to draw a card AND skip the Enhance Step which is how Flash works in this card game unlike in Magic where cards can be cast at instant speed.
This deck is also very momentum hungry which is why I run cards like Third Wielder: Fa Jin and Fa Jin Flurry to charge momentum for BMI Buster and Cheerleader for card advantage. The more expensive version of this deck runs Phantom Threat over Spirit Sword Ultimate which combined with Izuku can get a ridiculous speed and damage boost that skips your rival's enhance step without needing to use Cheerleader or baiting an opponents' attack to go to blocks with Izuku, Quirks Unleashed.
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Character (1)
1 Mount Lady II
Earth Symbol
Attacks (20)
4 Un-phased
4 Titan Cliff
4 Heat Ray
3 Canyon Cannon
3 Horn Dash Hammer
2 Smashing Stomp
Foundations (32)
4 Ultra Regeneration
4 #23 Pro Hero
4 Eager to Please
4 Inspiring Song
4 Swallowed By An Abnormal
4 Woodland Distraction
4 #10 Pro Hero
2 Toguro's Dominance
2 Family Secret
Actions (4)
4 City Rampage
Assets (4)
4 Takoyaki
Deck Total (60)
My friends dubbed this deck the "Mandate of Heaven" due to all the 6 checks in this deck to ensure that I NEVER fail my checks when playing attacks especially If I play City Rampage in my card pool first before stringing other attacks along for big speed and damage buffs. Nature's Tempest I threw in there to try to shutdown my rival's foundations in their stage with Fallen Angel's Revenge to try to unflip specific foundations that get flipped over with Nature's Tempest. Mount Lady II also has an enhance that If I have 10 size counters that she can make one of my attacks unblockable though I RARELY get there.
When going through these deck lists you'll notice that there are cards that contain "Attuned" Symbols. The way Attuned Symbols work when it comes to deck construction is that while regular Symbol cards need to match your Character, Attuned only cares about the Symbols listed on the Character you're running. For example, my Mount Lady II deck is primarily in Earth Symbol however since she also has the Chaos and Void symbols I can also run Attuned cards containing Chaos, Void, and yes even Earth as well. Think of it as playing colorless artifacts in a Commander deck for Magic. Same logic applies.
I recently switched Izuku VI to Ryu. Here's the list:
Character (1)
1 Ryu, World Warrior
Fire Symbol
Attacks (24)
4 High Three
4 Rupture Driver
4 Hashogeki
4 Rising Uppercut
4 Double Fists of the Mortal Flame
4 Special Report
Foundations (30)
3 I'm Awesome
4 Battle Holds the Answer
4 Stealth and Cunning
3 Moment of Normalcy
4 Attitude Selector
4 Item Menu
4 Incubating
4 Memory Upgrade
Actions (4)
4 Drive Parry
Assets (2)
2 Donny's Bo Staff
Deck Total (60)
There's so many speed and damage bonus resets in the current format like with Moment of Normalcy and My Fists Solve All My Problems to the point where Izuku VI does little to no damage at all to opponents. He even loses easily to Chun-Li, Martial Arts Master with Reversals making a comeback via Aerial Kikosho and Rising Uppercut. For those who don't know, Reversals were attacks that you can play from your card pool during your opponent's turn after being used as a block as long as you pass a check to play them. It created an interesting dynamic to the game. As for the deck, Rupture Driver is in here to draw off of removing cards in hand with Attitude Selector and Item Menu. Drive Parry is for being able to ready I'm Awesome or Moment of Normalcy during the enhance step. Most importantly you're stacking 6 checks with Ryu to pass checks easier.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Products Coming to UniVersus in 2026 -
- King of Fighters XV - Challenger Series
- Godzilla - Booster Set
- My Hero Academia - Challenger Series
- Tekken 8 - Booster Set
- Street Fighter 6 - Challenger Series
- Fairy Tail - Booster Set
Not sure how I feel about King of Fighters when they could've went with the recent Fatal Fury game. Godzilla getting a second set seems awkward since he's already getting more support in Chaos and Earth from the upcoming Guilty Gear set. My Hero Academia makes sense to cap off the final arc of the Anime / Manga. Tekken 8 returning sounds interesting.With Street Fighter 6 returning to UniVersus I'm hoping we get more Reversal attacks. Fairy Tail was thrown in obviously to capitalize on the Critical Role and Guilty Gear cards since the set's going to have Spells. Lucy I think is probably going to revolve around either Backups or Allies since she summons zodiac spirits like Aquarius. Natsu is going to be Fire Aggro.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"God never gave me what I wanted, but He always gave me what I needed." - Anonymous
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta