Union Arena Meta Matchup Guide

Critical Weaknesses Within Union Decks

No deck can truly excel at anything and everything consistently. If that were the case, we’d have a bunch of mirror matches between players using one, singular, solved deck. We’d be functionally playing chess, where the only determination there is to make between players and their pieces is who goes first and who goes second.

Still, it can be daunting looking at the latest few releases of Union Arena. Ever since Ruroni Kenshin, there have been strong decks well above the average power curve, making it daunting to figure out what to do against these decks and what kind of counters you could bring if you have a particular vendetta against one of them. Here, I hope to detail a few of the stronger decks in the format and how to deal with them. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it should help you dissect some of the most common decks in a tournament. 

Red Kenshin Himura

The Good (Energy Line Disruption)

A lot of decks will have a singular card that can push a unit into your opponent’s energy line. Jin [YYH-1-015] from Yu Yu Hakusho is a prime example of this, a card that shows how even one application of this effect can be powerful. In Jin’s case, this is mixed in with some event card protection. In a similar case of Laplace [NIK-1-092] from Nikke, this When Played is complimented by a potential Damage 2 keyword. These are unique, yet restrained examples.

Pretty much every Kenshin just… has this effect stapled onto it and makes it seem like a downside when it so seldom is one.

Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-106] gets this same effect to push into energy line when played while also always having Impact on him. The way Impact damage is processed as well, Kenshin doesn’t need to necessarily ‘kill’ the unit he’s attacking into to get his Impact check in - he only needs to defeat an opposing character in battle, giving you both his push back into energy line as well as getting your free check in for any opponent foolish enough to block without Negate Impact. And what could possibly make this better? How about a pseudo-Double Attack via Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-090]? Getting two pushes back into the energy line alone is going to shred your opponent’s life. Just these two cards are powerhouses, but I’d be remiss not to include a card like Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-088] which can even play active at the cost of one card in hand. You can even use Step offensively in this deck with your zero-energy Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-085] able to hit cheap, early-game swings before your opponent can even react, making some slower-to-start opponents feel like they’re playing the game with one or two less life than usual around mid-game. Who can even stand up to this aggressive assault?

The Bad (Red Kagurabachi)

What if we found ourselves with a deck that plays so ignorantly and so aggressively, it just steamrolls anything in its path? A deck that doesn’t remove front line with effective attackers and calculated spot-removal, and instead just bowls over the characters in its way? That’s Red Kahurabachi for you. There may be one downside to playing Red Kenshin, and that’s once an opponent establishes a pair of two-energy back line units, they can pocket two blocks and push those units into the back line where they’re safe, and they’re only going to come back in the future to cause you more problems.

Kenshin also has some difficulty when its best units are removed from the board quickly. Don’t get me wrong, Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-090] is still a beast of a card, but it shines when there are multiple turns where it gets to throw itself at your opponent’s life and your opponent can’t out-value it. If it’s removed from the field the turn after it’s played, you feel like you just got scammed out of an easy win. As if it wasn’t disrespectful enough, you’ve got Hakuri Sazanami [KGR-1-047] taking your bit and pushing cards into the back line. Wasn’t it nice when you raided out of life and got to push an attacker into energy line with Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-106]? Yeah? Well guess what: It can happen to you too now. The dusting of powdered sugar on top is Togo Shiba [KGR-1-050] coming in for free and active at the cost of teleporting one character to the top or bottom of the deck, potentially freeing up another space in your opponent’s back line. In one turn, it’s not uncommon to see a Chihiro raid, Hakuri raid, and then Togo come down after that, replacing three strong bodies you may have spent a Ryuutsuisen [RNK-1-100] or two to remove.

That being said, it’s not all doom and gloom. Keep in mind, I’m assuming that the Kagurabachi player has both an established curve and access to all three of their playmakers in sequence. You can still play smarter than your opponent, and with luck, even make them feel like they got the short end of the stick. You just need to hold fast, make sure each play extracts as much value as possible, and for god’s sake, please target a Kenshin with Kaoru Kamiya [RNK-1-071] to tax the Red Kagurabachi player’s hand if they want to mess with you.

The Worst-Case Scenario (Green Kenpachi)

This deck might as well be the bogeyman. It is a massive impediment to Red Kenshin, and every single piece of it feels like it’s made to make your life hell. Let’s start with the obvious one: Kenpachi Zaraki [BLC-1-081]. Not only is this potentially removal, picking off your raided Kenshins, but it’s an Impact body that can’t be moved or played to energy line. Yup. If your Kenshins aren’t under the effect of Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-089]’s ability to remove During Your Turn effects on all Kenshin Himuras, this guy is just stuck on front line until you Special him. And you know what? There’s a card that actively resists that solution, with Kenpachi Zaraki [BLC-2-067]. This is a big, beefy, Damage 2 and Impact 1 attacker that’s going to knock your teeth out. I know what you’re thinking: Ohoho, it’s only a menacing attacker because of its When Played and to you I say: He’s got a brat in back line that turns it back on. Many a game as Red Kenshin have been lost to a Yachiru Kusajishi [BLC-2-064] deciding it’s your time to die.And guess what? He’s got another brat on his team. Not only sporting the best green color trigger card Bleach can offer in Toshiro Hitsugaya [BLC-3-009], this deck also commonly plays Toshiro Hitsugaya [BLC-1-085] as a raid which can freeze your attackers and backline. Geez, I hope you weren’t planning on using Kenshin Himura [RNK-1-090] to attack or Kaoru Kamiya [RNK-1-101] to draw a card. At least this isn’t terribly consistent, you might say in desperation, but you’re wrong again as Shunsui Kyoraku [BLC-3-007] can also search through their deck faster than before.

Red Kenshin’s worst nightmare, its bogeyman, its unequivocally worst match up… is a green deck with a dude who puts bells in his hair and a kid who can’t even grow facial hair.

Considering that this deck can run twelve copies of the Bleach New Selection pack cards and they’re all worth considering as four-ofs, your one true solace is this: Unless your opponent got on the Premium Bandai shop the second these cards were announced, they’re likely not going to be buying into this deck, as it’s one of the most absurdly powerful decks from Bleach curtailed solely by product scarcity. So yeah, count your blessings, and pray these aren’t reprinted in the Bleach Volume 3 starter decks.

Purple Shadow Army

The Good (Snipe-Impact and So Many Dudes)

Snipe-Impact is a super powerful combination of keywords. Since the dawn of Union Arena, this combination has proved its worth and it’s still kicking ass two years later. The supplier of this ass-kicking is our fearless necromancer. Sung Jinwoo [SLG-1-022]. The ability to lower his absurd energy cost by using Shadow Army affinity cards on field means that he can potentially be raided out for as little as five required energy, and you’ll often find yourself with more than that in the energy line. You can even combine him with the other Sung Jinwoo [SLG-1-021] to get lots of Impact attacks that’ll always eat one of your opponent’s front line characters and deal a damage, I suppose unless all you’re facing are Negate Impact characters. 

And then there’s his boys. His homies. His undead squad he rolls in twelve deep with, the Shadow Soldiers [SLG-1-030]. These are cheap blockers, boost-able attackers, and are able to scry the top of your deck when played. He’s got Tusk [SLG-1-031] and Kaisel [SLG-1-029] as wingmen, able to make his Shadow Army characters stronger or give them combat tricks. Iron [SLG-1-027] is his bodyguard, able to block more effectively than his Shadow Army and rise to massive BP amounts, meaning he’ll clear just about anything in front of him. Then, we have his shooter Beru [SLG-1-033] who can fight twice in one turn and Igris [SLG-1-028] who brings the squad back from the dead too. Top it all off with a bear that can Negate Impact called Tank [SLG-1-032] and you have the baddest mob of bastards to form up ever since the Wu Tang Clan.

On top of this heavy entourage of hard-knock soldiers, he can empower them with his Monarch’s Domain [SLG-1-035] to make them fight even harder, or bring them back from the sideline with Shadow Monarch [SLG-1-039]. True to his necromancer class, Sung Jinwoo is going to let his efficient fighters stay on the offensive and defensive while he gets ready in the back for a kill. If the game lingers too long, Sung Jinwoo is just going to win a war of attrition against you, blocking everything you swing at him with complete ignorance and then hitting you back harder.

The Bad (Red Kenshin)

We’ve already described a lot of Red Kenshin in the section above, but if we’re talking about energy line disruptors, Kenshin Himura is Public Enemy #1. Double Attacking, shoving guys back into energy line, and even non-sidelining removal make this man a menace. As if he wasn’t strong enough, they’ve given us Yakiho Myojin [RNK-1-092] back, making the early-game aggression of this deck so menacing it’s able to step back into its own energy line early game if you’re unwilling to play chaff in the front line to take hits. It’s pretty easy to see how the premier energy line disruption deck is going to cause you issues.

Here’s the thing: There’s still hope. Kenshin has to pick its spots and play them accordingly. Sometimes, you’re just fine with eating a Double Attack and seeing what the life triggers might be. You’ll have a space in back to bounce Shadow Army into. Even if a Shadow Army is sent to the removal area… who cares? You run like eight to twelve of them, what’s one or two in removal going to hurt? You can still Impact, or even Snipe-Impact cards off of their front line. Those Yakiho’s are also super strong, but an opponent with one card in hand fishing for a lethal combo of cards, is going to be furious if it shows up late-game.

The Worst-Case Scenario (Purple Todo)

Did you know that Sung Jinwoo [SLG-1-022] costs 12 energy to play? Granted, you’ll get this cost way-way down over the course of the game, and it’s not like Shadow Army is lacking in energy generators with Tusk [SLG-1-031], Kaisel [SLG-1-029], and the glorious Monarch’s Domain [SLG-1-035] site. But what if you… didn’t have the energy to play this guy? What if the five-energy Sung Jinwoo [SLG-1-021] was the best you could climb up to?

See, Purple Todo has this uncanny ability to mess with your energy line with ease. Aoi Todo [JJK-1-081] is the primary offender in this regard, able to select not just one-energy generating units, but two-energy generating units. The value plays you would have had with Tusk and Kaisel in backline? Gone. Perhaps you’re saving a Sung Jinwoo [SLG-1-016] in the back line to generate energy to raid into later? Oops, he’s just been promoted to a blocker. That precious Monarch’s Domain has to be safe at least, right? Your opponent can’t force an illegal game state by pulling a Site into the front line, yes? Correct! But, Ultimate Mechamaru, Mode: Absolute [JJK-3-027] can blow it up. But the time you’re trying to put those Monarch’s Domains into play, they’re being blasted off of the board, and even if you don’t have one up, a 3500BP or lower blocker (which, this deck has a ton of) will get blasted off of the board instead. Todo even has built-in counters to cards being sidelined. Using Boogie Woogie [JJK-1-098], the deck can place your cards on the bottom of the deck, unable to be fished out of sideline if and when you’ll need them. 

The moral of the story is this: If you see a muscled man without a shirt approaching you, rapidly clapping his hands, you’re in for a rough time.

Oh, and you’ll also have a rough time playing against Purple Todo too. Just thought I’d mention that other nuisance above if it ever comes up. You know. People like to cosplay, so… it never hurts to be mentally prepared.

Yellow Evangelion

The Good (Wait, I Gain How Much Advantage With This??)

Do you like women in latex? Are you thoroughly immersed in internet squabbles about the ‘best girl’ from this anime? Well guess what: Now, you can have it all. You can have the sideline recursion loops, the Impact, the Sideline a Character, as well as all the latex in Super Rare you can reasonably expect to be printed for a game intended to appeal to general audiences. But worry not, you can still get utterly freaky with one of the most notoriously efficient decks in the game.

You got Asuka Shikinami Langley [EVA-1-013] who can play active, and either rest a character or sideline a 5000BP or lower character on your field, sidelining and re-playing characters to do so. She can even gain +1000BP and Impact by discarding two cards from hand. She’s got amazing effects, albeit they seem to tax cards in hand quite heavily. That’s where Mari Makinami Illustrious [EVA-1-018] comes in. She has an effect to stand a differently named character at the cost of 1AP, and you still get to draw. That’s right, your AP draw can be used to add offensive pressure now, typically by re-standing that +1000BP and Impact’d Asuka. Rei Ayanami [EVA-1-005] is our next massive advantage generator, able to play a two-energy or less Rei from sideline onto your frontline… active. It’s functionally a Purple Color trigger on a body that triggers when it’s sidelined. What does this bring out exactly? Oh, you know, a Rei Ayanami [EVA-1-110] that draws when its sidelined, giving you even more advantage. Short of that? A Rei Ayanami [EVA-1-004] that can boost another character +1000BP and even acts as a Negate Impact body if you truly can’t block their 5000BP Impact attacker without taking damage. You even have Misato Katsuragi [EVA-1-008] who lets you play cards with Get triggers to your field rested as your opponent checks them in life, with the sole cost being a card in your hand to do so.

This value-generating engine makes your primary resource cards in hand. A lot of effects require you to discard a card for them, but a majority of them you’d be happy to do so because you’re not spending AP to activate those effects. I’m sure that Asuka Shikinami Langley [EVA-1-013] would not be the powerhouse of a card it is if you had to pay 1AP to activate her +1000 and Impact. And even if you need cards in hand, so many of the life triggers in this deck are either Get or Draw triggers, adding a lot of cards back into your hand as you take damage.

The Bad (Purple Evangelion)

Sometimes, the best way to stop an Evangelion deck, is with an Evangelion deck. I feel this analysis was a lot more pertinent before the nerfs to this deck, but the general principles still apply, as well as showing how Purple Evangelions still has teeth.

Evangelion Test Type-01 (Spear of Gaius) [EVA-1-033] really needs no introduction. Facilitating a resource loop that plays characters active without paying AP is always a good sign. Your rapid card draw character Asuka Shikinami Langley [EVA-1-051], while at the time of this article’s writing is restricted, is a prototypical example of this. You’re playing a 5000BP character from hand, active, for free or the small cost of sidelining a weaker card on your front line. Nowadays, people can begrudgingly add in Mari Makinami Illustrious [EVA-1-057] in Asuka’s place, though it’s clear she’s far less ideal. Still, recurring a card you can raid onto on a future turn is still a strong value-oriented play.

The value-generating monster of a character card in this deck is the AAA Wunder [EVA-1-053], a “must block if able” attacker on the turn it’s played that allows you to search for your five-or-greater-energy characters to set up the Test Type-01 when you’re ready. It’s supplemented by Evangelion 13 [EVA-1-034] in post-restriction builds which helps add offensive pressure with its Damage 2 keyword fairly easy to achieve. Offensive pressure lets you crack boards on your opponents turn, giving you time to set up the conga line of Evangelion Test Type-01s to block, attack, and generate more advantage with.

This was a strong opponent versus Yellow Evangelion, especially before its restriction. It can still brawl with Yellow Evangelion at its level, with newer builds showing ingenious levels of flexibility when it comes to mixing in the other two purple Evangelion strategies into its line-up to always be unpredictable.

The Worst-Case Scenario (Green Saitama)

Yellow Evangelion likes decks that attack it to fish out advantage from their life triggers. Take a lucky guess what Green Saitama, especially King [OPM-1-041] doesn’t tend to do. Yeah, he kinda can’t attack your opponent’s life. A few decks have this gimmick, stalling out until late game where an overpowering late-game win condition swings the game massively in your favor. Green Saitama is one of the decks where it does it best.

While King [OPM-1-041] generating energy on front line and sidelining your opponent’s characters is dangerous enough as it is, it’s merely a means to an end. Once Saitama [OPM-1-062] comes back home from getting the milk, he’s going to beat your opponent to a pulp assuming they aren’t already on death’s door from this deck’s other aggressors. Sidelining a character as he attacks means Yellow Evangelion is  going to need two Rei Ayanami [EVA-1-004] just to survive the attack at three or less life.

This green deck also has a ton of defensive options. It’s hard to push for advantage when there are characters custom-built to intercept your high-pressure attackers. Even the most defensive of their line-up still tend to swing at 4000BP, so you’re taking that damage or losing your precious front line girls. Silverfang [OPM-1-049] proves as a strong blocker that also makes the eventual arrival of Saitama’s return only come quicker. His 4500BP base combat stats also means he’s going to be a nuisance to deal with as he attacks too. There’s even another Silverfang [OPM-1-110] you need to watch out for, offering a blanket of protection over all of your Heroes that’ll hurt Yellow Evangelion more as it’ll contribute to the taxing of your hand. Oh, and just to mention it: Heavens forbid Genos [OPM-1-048] gets hit with an Active trigger, or you’re getting stuffed out of two attacks. There’s a lot of strong defensive options in this deck, and when the primary threat of this deck is an OTK on a stick, it can be hard to keep up when Misato isn’t playing cards out from your life.

Yellow Sakamoto

The Good (Wait, I Gain Even MORE Advantage With This???)

Sakamoto Days was a massive bombshell to the Union Arena meta. The Yellow Sakamoto Hybrid deck came out in force, punching so many tickets for a cakewalk into a Top 64 finish. The deck’s counters are still being developed, but there’s really very little to contend with. Perhaps in the future, you’ll have issues with Inuyasha and his very aggressive plays like a juiced-up Red Chihiro… but for now? You can roll over anyone not ready to play your game the way you want to play it.

There’s the one, the the only, the legendary man Mr. Taro Sakamoto [SMD-1-026]. He’s the star of any yellow Sakamoto deck, even if you’re playing the Sakamoto’s variant of the deck. Free-playing a unit onto the field and swinging with a 5000BP Impact attacker is well worth the cost of him not lasting more than the turn he’s played. He’ll also likely leave behind a different Taro Sakamoto, like Taro Sakamoto [SMD-1-021] or Taro Sakamoto [SMD-1-024], both quality defensive options that’re worth leaving on a board in order to protect the other pieces you’ve put in so much effort in building. You could even let it ride and raid into Taro Sakamoto [SMD-1-025] for what is, in my opinion, the best defensive card Union Arena has printed and will likely ever print for months, if not years to come… and this guy is a rare. Considering both Sakamotos raid for only four energy, he can come out relatively early and get a move on your more aggressive plays ahead of your opponent. Leaving behind a Taro Sakamoto [SMD-1-024] is likely the best target, as he insulates your Sakamoto’s characters besides himself from removal, which includes and Shins you may have in your deck (Sorry, but Heisuke is still getting the smoke, he doesn’t do his shopping at Sakamoto’s).

Which speaking of Heisuke Mashimo [SMD-1-008], he brings a certain energy to the deck. A certain, “Why does this deck gain Snipe-Impact for only five energy cost” kinda energy I’m not the biggest fan of. Hell, at least Sinon (Sun Goddess, Solus) [SAO-1-025] requires you to be at death’s door to get that kind of effect, and this guy just needs to be played after a Shin Asakura [SMD-1-017] hits the field. What gives?? If you can’t tell, this card is premium removal. He’s half of your pay-off for this deck, a character that can look at your opponent’s face up cards and if he counts to three, you’re being life-checked on a really safe piece of life or he’s swinging into an unknown piece of life and letting you wallow in anguish he flipped up a Final that’s not triggering any more (if you opponent has any common sense at least).

Speaking of Shin Asakura [SMD-1-017], it feels like whoever made this card on the Union Arena design team doesn’t understand how powerful hand knowledge is in pretty much any TCG. Cards that work like this get banned in Yu-Gi-Oh!, dude, how is this guy allowed to do it in such a low powered game? At 4000BP he’s still a threatening attacker. He’s even a draw engine for your deck as if he needed that effect too. Shin is the bogeyman in this deck. If you don’t get a Draw trigger in life or you AP Draw for turn, you’re basically stuck with your current hand… so I hope you like it.

The Bad (Yellow Evangelion)

Sometimes, the only way to stop a Sakamoto deck, is with an Evangelion deck.

I feel like this joke landed better in the above section. Eh, whatever.

When fighting a value engine, the best way to beat it… is with another value engine. Saving the mirror match from consideration (because that would be a really weird counter), this is the most likely shot you have of keeping your opponent’s plays in check. You have to be as disruptive as possible, and decks like Yellow Evangelion with a plethora of removal are always going to be useful when it comes to dealing with a deck like this. Being faster than them is always a strong choice, but a lot of aggro decks tend to run out of gas just before the threshold of victory. You need to put as much effort into slowing this deck down and making sure that threats to your constant attacking are removed. Save Special events and non-sidelining removal for dealing with this deck’s threats, especially if your opponent is in the mood to spread around the protection effect from Taro Sakamoto [SMD-1-025]. 

The Worst-Case Scenario (Blue Roy Mustang)

This is a real long shot, but hear me out: Blue Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist is the gut-check for decks that can’t deal with removal. If you are having a hard time resisting this deck, it’s likely because its easy access to removal is so ever-present that you can’t rely on having your strong attackers punch through the front line because your opponent will always have a few cards in life that they can gamble on triggers with. Roy Mustang [FMA-1-055] and Riza Hawkeye [FMA-1-051] are an excellent team, reducing BP on units and sidelining said units in order to clear the board, and whoever can’t be cleared away is not going to survive blocking your higher BP units. There’s an obvious tax on cards in hand, but this deck has performed very well in its time and it’s still a formidable deck even if it’s slid off of tier lists in favor of other decks that do its shtick easier. Roy Mustang still has strong attackers you can soup in too from the Fort Briggs deck, like Alex Louis Armstrong [FMA-1-110] who just beats down your opponent, he just needs a turn to pass to get himself going. Not a single deck likes being hit with repeated removal and Damage 2 strikes. Edward Elric [FMA-1-040] is also ridiculously aggressive, especially if you don’t mind taking the life damage to have him come in active. This is another source of Impact as well to supplement Roy Mustang’s Impact when you don’t have cards in hand.

Red Kagurabachi

The Good (Excellent NEO-Katana Fighting)

Red Kagurabachi is the pinnacle of ignorance. It’s a mid-range deck that hits a power spike so tall and sharp you swear it feels like it comes out of nowhere. Chihiro Rokuhira [KGR-1-060] feels like he gets to be one of the most ignorant cards in the entire format, a card that reads “I will dump my entire hand to kill you right here and right now” which is… fitting if you’re familiar with the source material. He can even refill his hand if he pitches Kunishige Rokuhira [KGR-1-054] which replaces itself, or Char Kyonagi [KGR-1-043] which can replace a Chihiro or Char card you discarded for his effects. Sometimes, in ideal conditions, his Double Attack trigger costs a single card. And lemme tell you: even if he pitches all three, he’s still gonna do it to cause you problems. He comes in another flavor too, in Chihiro Rokuhira [KGR-1-059]. I mean…. Look at all that card text. Optional effects to +1000BP the board, gain Impact, plays active, draws a card on entry, this Chihiro is going to cause you problems if he’s not removed off of the field too, but he’s still somehow less of an issue then his more impressive SR version. 

His back-up comes in the form of Hakuri Sazanami [KGR-1-047], a supremely potent value engine for drawing cards back into your hand as well as disrupting your opponent’s front line by pushing units back with his When Played. Hakuri is seemingly the best card in this deck, as there are times you’d really like to hold onto Chihiro and use him when you have a high-value target to kill, but Hakuri is just straight gas. Finally, we have Togo Shiba [KGR-1-050], a character which teleports a unit off of your board in exchange for playing himself active, making his arrival always a surprise for your opponent. He’s the +1 attacker on board your opponent is praying you don’t have, and arrives just when they don’t want him to.

You play fast, you remove threats, you push into your opponent with full strength, and if you win with zero cards in hand, who cares that you didn’t AP Draw more often? Your opponent’s donezo, no AP Drawing is going to save them.

The Bad (Yellow Evangelion)

Sometimes, the only way to stop a Red Chihiro deck, is with an Evangelion deck.

Is this joke played out yet or what…?

Yeah, yeah, I know. Yellow Evangelion isn’t a great answer for this, but it’s certainly an emblematic feature that comes with playing high-value decks: If your opponent can’t out-pace you, they likely can’t kill you. Remember: Red Chihiro is a mid-range deck at its heart. Chihiro is a five-energy raid target, so you need a minimum of one two-energy producing unit in the back line before you can even think about Raiding him. If you’re up against decks that can dismantle your energy line quickly or remove your units more belligerently than you can, there’s not a whole lot of clap-back you can provide. Shadow Army pushes its attacks with easily replaceable Shadow Army units, so if you kill them, they'll just come back. Yellow Evangelion cards play from their life area so long as Misato Katsuragi [EVA-1-008] is there to replenish them, and if you’re killing a Rei Ayanami [EVA-1-005] you might just be spinning your wheels into a conga line of infinite blockers. Yellow Sakamoto plays more units out for free as well, and its Raid units are just as powerful, if not more so than Chihiro. This red deck is best the more belligerent it can play. If you can throw everything at the wall and break through, then you’re going to go far. If you hit the wall and the wall hits back? You have my sincerest condolences.

The Worst-Case Scenario (Green Milim)

You know what Red Kagurabachi excels at? Killing 4000BP and lower units through Chihiro Rokuhira [KGR-1-060], brawling with them through Impact and Double Attack, and getting a tag-team assist from Hakuri Sazanami [KGR-1-047] when you need pressure. You know what really sucks to be opposite of playing Red Kagurabachi…?

A whole gang of crazy, destructive, pink-haired, 5000BP(D) women.

Milim [TSK-1-085] is an utter juggernaut of a card, the whole pay-off of Green Milim strategies. It blocks 4000BP attackers, it Snipe-Impacts them off of the board, it removes sites if your opponent is foolish enough to use them. It’s a mess of high-damaging attacks you simply do not have the bandwidth to deal with. Even lesser threats like Milim [TSK-1-084] can still become 5000BP until your opponent’s next turn and threaten nasty Damage 2 attacks. Combine that with a Milim [TSK-P-006] that’s unkillable for a whole turn when it’s played, and you have a recipe for problems. Even if Hakuri pushes one of these back into the energy line, guess what? It’s still coming back to the front line the very next turn to cause you problems. You can still win this battle, but you need to play a lot faster than you think you do, because once these pink women come out, you’re going to wish you could play six copies of Enten Kuro [KGR-1-082] and cut down on Chihiros. You’d think that playing a Hakuri, a card that pushes cards into energy line and disrupts larger energy lines, would be causing issues, but since Milim can move characters to their front line to generate energy, they can purposefully make a pocket in their energy line to hide into in case they’re being targeted by him. It’s a weird corner case, but I don’t think I’ve ever had an issue beating a Red Kagurabachi deck with Milim.

In Conclusion

The “worst thing that can happen” is something you have to anticipate, but not be overly prepared for. The “usual” is what you’ll need to understand. This is one of the intrinsic differences between meta and non-meta play. When you enter a room of strangers, you have no idea what goals, decks, and playstyles they will bring to the table, which to me is what makes Union Arena so exciting. It’s not knowing what you’ll be facing in front of you. In those environments specifically, there are little to no stakes. You can feel out the room. You can cut loose and have fun. If you go 0-3, you can still have a fun time making light of your misfortune. But what if you wanted to know what’s the “worst that can happen”? I have some idea.

What do you have to say versus Red Kenshin? Shadow Army? Yellow Evangelion? Yellow Sakamoto Hybrid? This is what you need to think of when you’re trying to make deckbuilding calls into a meta you understand. For instance: Purple Todo often does well at large, regional tournaments, but you’ll find most people remiss to call it a ‘meta’ deck. This might be due to its performance at smaller tournaments with a more loose and diverse pool of decks, where it might clash up against a deck it does miserably against. Sidelining field cards, non-sidelining removal, and energy line manipulation are all killers against the tippy-top decks in the meta, but if you’re playing against Green Gon Freecs? He’s just going to punch you to death. The worst case scenario is you enter a tournament unprepared. You can’t expect the unexpected, otherwise it wouldn’t be unexpected, would it? You should assume you’ll be brawling with the best, and I hope dissecting these decks has helped you understand that you don’t need to play the best decks to make your opponent sweat. Just be more prepared.

And maybe counter-pick them just to put the fear of going X-2 into their sweaty hearts.