In my last “review” of Universus, I said the following:
“I think this game far outpaces the Pokémon TCG in terms of having levers to pull on, and I know I barely scratched the surface of the gameplay.”
This was, I know now, a severe understatement. I’ve played a lot more Universus in the intervening months, and I can safely say that I’ve passed the learning phase and entered the stay-up-late-dreaming-about-card-interactions-and-trying-to-make-them-work phase. I feel safe saying Universus is a very good card game, though that does not come without a few qualifications.
Universus is hard to learn.
This was one of my first gripes with the game, and it remains my opinion. And it’s not just me — Director of Game Design for Bill Stark addressed the idea of “mental load” in a blog post, the first in a series that “focuses on how Game Design tackles the challenge of helping to grow UniVersus.” There is a lot of information going on in a game of Universus, and as of right now there’s not an elegant way to convey that information to new players.
Universus is fun to play (and makes me feel like I’m smart)
When I’m playing a game of Universus, I feel smart and cool. The cards all seem overpowered, so I’m always excited to do the thing my deck does. As I said in my last post on the subject, I’m rarely thinking more than a turn or two ahead, simply because there is so much potential for new information and variance to be introduced.
Each turn I figure out what cards I definitely want to play, like attacks that are useful at this time or foundations if needed, balanced against how many cards I think I need for blocks, balanced against how many cards I think I can successfully check. But once that batch of cards is done with, I can almost always get a whole new hand of cards, especially if I’m playing a low hand size character like Woman.
Universus is flavorful
In my last look at the game, the flavor of Universus was one of my biggest gripes. I don’t think I’ve fully come around on this point, but I am beginning to understand it a bit more. Since my last post on Universus, I’ve been primarily playing with YuYu Hakusho cards, and subsequently have watched the show through the end of the Dark Tournament arc, which is the focus of the set. Armed with a better understanding of both characters and game mechanics, I can see a lot more instances of good flavor. In fact, there’s a variety of flavor that I think Universus is actually better at than Magic — the individual cards are often less flavorful, but the decks themselves are packed with flavor.
Take Kuwabara and Yusuke, two of YuYu Hakusho’s main character.
I was drawn to Yusuke as my first deckbuilding challenge because I’m a sucker for a good flag. This card says to me “fill this deck with Spirit attacks and go ham.” And to a certain extent, that’s right, and it’s flavorful to a degree. That is what Yusuke does. But my first few times playing the Yusuke deck weren’t very good, and the deck itself wasn’t good. Yusukue only has 22 health — if you over extend, you will be punished for it.
So I learned how to play more defensively. Build up a good series of foundations, especially Keiko’s Aid and Keiko’s support, plus a healthy scoop of Kuwabara-themed cards. Block judiciously. Utilize Genkai’s Training, both the card and the idea represented by cards like I’m Old, Yusuke and Borrowed Momentum to keep yourself safe while building up enough power within you. Then, on the turn where it matters most, at the last possible second, hit them with everything you’ve got. Double Spirit Blast, Echo Double Spirit Blast, Spirit Charged Kick (that’s a Kuwabara combo), Spirit Gun Mega, head to the discard for a Spirit Gun Final! Turn to your friends and unleash the power of the Spirit Wave.
Kuwabara, on the other hand, plays like a freight train. He doesn’t wait or conserve his resources — he doesn’t have to.
Kuwabara’s massive health pool and defensive abilities mean he can essentially attack and attack without fear of reprisal. He’s not going to try to block your attacks, he’s just going to count on the idea that he can stay alive longer than you.
This is where the flavor of Universus really comes alive. That being said, I do think YuYu Hakusho is the dream show for making this kind of thing sing. The Dark Tournament arc has at least a dozen interesting characters who only express themselves through violence. Not just violence, but the kind of metered, one-on-one, rules-heavy combat that one could reasonably expect to see replicated in a card game.
So when Yusuke takes hit after hit, sometimes half-blocking and sometimes just taking it to the chest, that feels like Yusuke.
Final Thoughts
Full disclosure, dear reader, the above was all written a little over two months ago and left abandoned in the Google drive. Since then, I’ve played a bit more Universus, and actually switched my primary deck from a Yusuke Good deck to a Woman Void deck, partially because I pulled a promo Woman at the MHA Girl Power prerelease. All in all, I’ve landed pretty positively on Universus. I’m excited to see what the new Attack on Titan: Battle for Humanity set brings, especially since it seems like they’re taking steps to make the game a bit more beginner-friendly.
If Universus comes out with an IP you like and you’re interested in a pretty crunchy game, I encourage you to check it out. The Godzilla clash decks are super fun to play, even if you’ve never played before. Each subsequent deck or set you pick up just adds to your collection — I’ve already cannibalized my King Ghidora deck for my Woman deck. I’ll be attending the Attack on Titan prerelease, and I’ll be keeping an eye on future releases for any IPs that grab me again. Personally, I’m hoping for Hunter X Hunter.