Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has officially hit the Universus tcg lineup and that means we got a new starter deck. Make sure you always support your LGS when buying Universus, but you can always pick up the new starter deck and other TCG product on TCG Player through my affiliate link. It really helps me out if you do.
Universus just released the Street Fighter 6 challenger series decks, and I have a copy of each. Always support your LGS, but you can pick up the Ryu challenger deck on TCG Player using my affiliate link. Here is the Ryu deck list for those who need it:
Edge of Exile has officially launched their Kickstarter for the newest set of Genesis: Battle of Champions, Metamorphosis. With a goal of $29,202, this all or nothing campaign promises to bring exciting new mechanics like dual sided cards and equipment cards. This will be the second set for the new backs and design, and I am sure there will be a lot of passion poured into it. $95 gets you an early booster box of the Metamorphosis, which discounted from its intended $120 MSRP.
What is Genesis: Battle of Champions?
I have covered this game before, so make sure you check out some of my earlier content. Essentially, Genesis is a card game for the miniature wargamer that doesn’t want to fiddle with minis or dice roles. Players control a champion and an army of minions on an epic battle for supremacy. Unlike most games, there is no mana system, deck size, or card limit. Players start with a set pool of points that they spend to cast their spells and creatures until they run out. What makes Genesis unique is the movement mechanic. Players move their cards across a 5×6 grid map, and orientation and range matter. It is sort of like chess, but with a few extra rules and a lot more flavor.
My Thoughts
I was sent a bit of product to review last year before their first failed Kickstarter. The game is very fun with interesting mechanics and interactions. I also love the art, especially the new direction the game is going towards. Unfortunately, the initial Kickstarter was aimed towards fans of the game as it only had alt arts exclusives of champions. Unless you already play the game, and play it a lot, there was no real reason to back the project. Unless of course you want to support the game and get to Metamorphasis.
This time around, I wasn’t asked to cover the game. I am doing it because I think the game is fun and it deserves some attention. I have been following the updates, and there seems to be an online game in the works that might help with a bit of on boarding. I don’t have a local scene, but there seems to be enough interest, especially in Canada, for competitive scene. They have a big tournament coming up.
Unfortunately, I think the initial sudden closure did its damage. Fans who enjoyed the gameplay have had time to move onto other titles that have risen to take its place. The fact that the new set is on Kickstarter doesn’t create much confidence in its popularity. If the game had enough of a following, they wouldn’t need a Kickstarter. 30k seems reasonable so they might just need a little bit of help. The risk is supporting a game that has died once before and it is unclear how long it has left. I am not trying to be mean, I am just being realistic. $120 for a box that won’t get you enough cards to be competitive for a game that might die is a lot of money. The challenge will be getting store and players to start populating LGS’s and creating that demand. I don’t see it in my area, and it is going to be difficult to see it considering the strong competition it faces. Again, not trying to be mean, just being honest.
With that out of the way, there is clearly a lot of love and passion for the game. The game itself is well made with fun and interesting mechanics. The cards are good quality and the art is very cool. This game deserves more attention. If you can find people to play with, splitting up some of the costs or just checking out existing product may be the move. The starter decks are pretty cool. You can pick up existing product on Indie Pro Games.
The Kickstarter runs until August 25th. I wish them luck, and don’t forget to support if you’re interested!
We are officially in Distorted Reflections spoiler season! This is a very good looking set and I can’t wait to see what is in store. As always, I will be collecting all spoilers in one convenient space, updated daily at the end of my day, pacific standard time.
Distorted Reflections comes out on July 25, so make sure you put in preorders if you still can. Always support your LGS, but you can always help me out and buy from TCG Player through my affiliate links. You can also support me by signing up with my newest sponsor, NordVPN (if you happen to need the service).
We are officially in Distorted Reflection spoiler season, and this set looks so good! The mechanics look sound, but as a collector, I am a huge fan of the style and world building. I will be following and collection spoilers as they release, so stay tuned for that!
The set comes out on July 25, so make sure you put in preorders if you still can. Always support your LGS, but you can always help me out and buy from TCG Player through my affiliate links. You can also support me by signing up with my newest sponsor, NordVPN (if you happen to need the service). Without further ado, here are the spoilers:
With Distorted Reflection just around the corner, lets check out the starter decks. Let’s take a look at our boy, Ciel, Mirage’s Grave, the Fire/Umbra Guardian deck! The deck releases on July 25th with an MSRP of $14.99. Make sure you always support your LGS, but you can always grab your Ciel, Mirage’s Grave Starter Deck on TCG Player through my affiliate link. It really helps me out if you do.
The List
Material Deck Spirit of Fire x 1 Ciel, Loyal Valet x 1 Ciel, Omenbringer x 1 Ciel, Mirage’s Grave x 1 Bauble of Abundance x 1 Grande Aiguille x 1 Bulwark Sword x 1 Leporine Masque x 1 Life Essence Amulet x 1 Tariff Ring x 1 Manxome Armoire x 1 Grande Sonnerie
Main Deck Coy Bauclier x 3 Sablier Guard x 3 Stalwart Shielmate x 4 Vigil Rampart x 3 Whimsy’s Warden x 4 Conflagrant Sentinel x 4 Torch Marshal x 3 Heavy Swing x 4 Lamentation’s Toll x 2 Flamme Sorcel x 4 Tempered Steel x 3 Idle Thoughts x 4 Martial Guard x 2 Overpowering Defense x 2 Ombreux Chavalier x 4 Sinistre Stab x 3 Umbra Sight x 3 Reverse Affliction x 2 Nocturne’s Oblivion x 2 Devotion’s Price x 1
With Distorted Reflection just around the corner, lets check out the starter decks. First up is Diana, Moonpiercer, the Water/Astra Ranger deck! The deck releases on July 25th with an MSRP of $14.99. Make sure you always support your LGS, but you can always grab your Diana, Moonpiercer Starter Deck on TCG Player through my affiliate link. It really helps me out if you do.
The List
Material Deck Spirit of Water x 1 Diana, Aether Dilettante x 1 Diana, Judgment’s Arrow x 1 Diana, Moon Piercer x 1 Bauble of Abundance x 1 Foresight Lens x 1 Ranger Boots x 1 Refluxal Ribbon x 1 Seeker’s Aetherwing x 1 Tariff Ring x 1 Aquamirage Whisper x 1 Pleiades, Celestial Genesis x 1
Main Deck Aetheric Calibration x 4 Backstep x 4 Charge the Soul x 4 Idle Thoughts x 3 Prudent Nock x 4 Reposition x 4 Stalwart Shieldmate x 4 Corsair Captain x 3 Dissuading Aether x 4 Drown in Aether x 4 Undercurrent Vantage x 3 Astra Sight x 3 Constellation’s Blessing x 4 Guided Starlight x 2 Meteoric Volley x 2 Poised Occlusion x3 Sidereal Spellshot x 3 Starbirth x 2
Universus sent the Critical Role: Heroes of Exandria clash decks, the Grog playmat, and a few packs to cover on my blog. While I am very grateful, these will be my honest opinions of the set. I will be using TCG Player affiliate links where possible, but make sure you always support your LGS.
What is Critical Role: Heroes of Exandria?
As of writing this, Heroes of Exandria was Universus’ last set. Universus is a unique card game that sort of feels like a fighting game. If you’ve never tried it, you should at least get a couple decks to try them out. The game uses various popular IPs as flavor, and the mechanics are sound. Now Heroes of Exandria is a very good looking collaboration done with popular IP, Critical Role. The set includes 8 Chrome rares, which you’re going to want to collect, and some very good looking art if you’re a fan of the series. What makes Heroes of Exandria unique is the inclusion of unique boss cards for an even more unique PVE experience.
PVE Boss Cards and Rules
Heroes of Exandria introduced PVE rules to shake up the hobby. There are 6 bosses to defeat, each with a unique ruleset and flavor. I am a little bummed the cards are included as a randomized boxtopper, but its nice of them to provide the rules and proxies online for free. Make sure you go to the official site for the complete rule breakdown, but I’ll leave the images of the cards bellow. The Briarwoods is definitely my favorite, but the all the cards look pretty cool.
The Chrome Rares
I love the art in this set, and the chrome rares are no exception. As a collector, I definitely want to go broke chasing these serialized beauties. As a fan of the series, I can only appreciate the amount of flavor that went into each and every card. Since I lack the luck to pull any of these cards, here is what they look for to get you hyped:
Ultra Rare Alt Art
Heroes of Exandria definitely has some of my favorite art of the card game. Even the commons in this set look good, but I really like the IP so there is some clear bias. That said, the Ultra Rare Alt Art cards are the reason to buy into this set because they are just beautiful. I love the use of color, the character design, and the amount of flavor that goes into each and every card. I don’t want this post to be too long, so I pain painstakingly chose a few of my favorites, but maybe I’ll do a post with all of them in the future. You can find the entire visual card list on the official Universus site as well.
Character Alt Art
The character alts for this game is simply amazing. Hell, the regular version of the characters in this set are worth collection. I’ve always been a fan of how Universus handles their character cards, but they’ve truly outdone themselves with Critical Role. I love the retro fantasy vibe of the artstyle, and if they are anything like the Attack on Titan Alt arts, they are going to shine on any table. Again, because I don’t want this post to get too long, here are some of my favorite:
The Clash Decks
I did receive the sets two clash decks for free and have the deck lists available for both Percy and Beau. If you’re new to the card game, clash decks are Universus beginner product. They are basic decks aimed to help beginners learn the fundamental mechanics of the game. If you’re trying to get into the competitive scene, this product isn’t worth it. You aren’t going to find any meta defining cards, and they avoid the games more complex mechanics. These decks are designed for people who have never played a TCG.
That said, I had a lot of fun with the Heroes of Exandria decks. They are a lot better than the Attack on Titan clash decks, but you’re still not getting anything you can take to locals. The decks feel pretty balanced, although I preferred the Percy deck because the character art is cooler, and his abilities came up more often. If you’re just trying to play some casual Universus, or trying to teach someone the game, this is a fantastic product to add to your collection. Collectors are also going to want to pick these up because the character art is very cool.
My Impressions
Heroes of Exandria is easily my favorite Universus set, but I am strictly speaking as a collector. I enjoy playing the game, but I play very casually and can’t speak on how it fits in the current meta. That said, if you are a fan of Critical Role, there is a lot of value in this set in both art and flavor. I very much enjoy all the little details and references that is seen throughout the set, and the cards look great in person. Unfortunately, the print line on the foils still exists, and it drives me crazy. Its not bad enough where I wouldn’t buy the set, but I can’t ignore that it happens.
Either way, you can pick up all your Critical Role: Heroes of Exandria product from TCG Player using my affiliate link, but please make sure you support your LGS first.
Universus just released their Heroes of Exandria set and that means we got theBeauregard Starter deck list! Always support your LGS, but you can pick up your copy on TCG Player or GameNerdz using my affiliate links.
Decklist
Beauregard Lionett, Looking for a Brawl
4 x Swift Change 3 x Subdual Technique 3 x Strong Windup 4 x Radiant Visage 4 x Mystic Recovery 4 x Martial Prowess 4 x Everlight’s Grace 3 x Combat Evaluation 4 x A Day for Relaxing 2 x Spireling Fetch 3 x Upward Disarming Swing 4 x Staff Crack 2 x Predators Pounce 4 x Heavy Kick 2 x Great-Axe Chop 4 x Furious Charge 2 x Quest Board 2 x Peerless Footwork (Foil) 2 x Shoulder Toss (Foil)
Visual List
Swift ChangeSubdual TechniqueStrong WindupRadiant VisageMystic RecoveryMartial ProwessEverlight’s GraceCombat EvaluationA Day for RelaxingSpireling FetchStaff CrackPredators PounceHeavy KickGreat-Axe ChopFurious ChargeQuest BoardPeerless Footwork (Foil)Shoulder Toss (Foil)
Always support your LGS, but you can pick up the Percy Starter Deck and any other Heroes Exandria products on TCG Player using my affiliate links. It really helps me out. You can also get both Starter decks bundled for cheap on Game Nerdz if you’re buying enough for the free shipping.
Introduction
Universus just released their Heroes of Exandria set, and it is already my favorite set of the year. The art is great, the card quality is nice, and flavor is all there. Fans of the series will want to at the very least get in on collecting. Can’t speak on the power level since I just got the starter decks, but I’ll come back after some proper testing. More on that later.
I got my hands on the Percy starter deck and I’ll leave the decklist for your convenience. Spoilers, you’re going to want to get this deck just to collect the beautiful Percy champion card. It’s not as cool as the art cards, but its cool enough for any collection.
Deck List
Champion
Percival De Rolo III: Pepperbox Sharpshooter
The Deck
4x Weapon at the Ready 4 x Tarot Reading 4 x Show Off 4 x Inspired Design 4 x Imprisoned Noble 4 x Found Family 2 x Electric Resilience 4 x Collecting Components 2 x Shaun Gilmore 4 x Tinker Shot 4 x Pepperbox Fire 2 x Merciless Lead 3 x Golem Beating 3 x Bang Bang 3 x Alchemical Satchel Toss 3 x The List 2 x Quest Board 2 x Science Bros (Foil) 2 x Bad News Bullet (Foil)
Visual List
Bang BangBad News BulletThe ListAlchemical Satchel TossCollecting ComponentsMerciless LeadShaun GilmoreQuest BoardElectric ResilienceTarot ReadingShow OffGolem BeatingWeapon at the ReadyScience BrosInspired DesignImprisoned NobleFound FamilyTinker ShotPepperbox Fire
