Though it’s a trading card game that’s been around since 2006 – originally as the Universal Fighting System, or UFS – UniVersus relaunched in 2021, initially focusing on popular manga/anime series My Hero Academia.
Since then, the card game has built up a dedicated fanbase, with numerous My Hero Academia sets launched and many more on their way!
However, 2024 isn’t just about My Hero Academia for UniVersus.
In fact, the team at publisher UVS Games have been picking up some very interesting, impressively high profile properties to bring to UniVersus, which is made all the more intriguing when you know that all UniVersus sets are cross-compatible with each other.
Want to take characters from My Hero Academia into battle against those from Cowboy Bebop or Critical Role, or even Godzilla?
UniVersus makes that possible!
There’s much more to come, however, so let’s take a look at what sets UVS Games have announced for release in 2024.
1. Challenger Series: Cowboy Bebop and Trigun Stampede (January 19th, 2024)
We’ve already mentioned these two behemoths of manga/anime; we’ve also already had a close up look at what these decks offer, in our Cowboy Bebop and Trigun Stampede Universus CCG article.
So what exactly are the Challenger Series decks?
Well, rather than larger sets of cards to collect via booster packs, which is the usual way that UniVersus cards are released, the Challenger Series decks are more self-contained, pre-constructed decks that peek into a new universe.
So, for the first releases in the Challenger Series, UniVersus has gone beyond My Hero Academia; bringing decks based on Cowboy Bebop and Trigun Stampede to the game.
Both are perennially popular properties; each originated in manga and anime form in the 90s, and have also seen more recent adaptations hit screens too.
In the case of Cowboy Bebop, Netflix released a live action adaptation and Trigun was rebooted in animated form, in the 2023 series Trigun Stampede.
The sets can be purchased as 60 card, pre-constructed decks, each of which has numerous foil-treated cards and a choice of two characters to take into battle.
Additionally, each box also has a Collector’s Booster pack, which features all alternate art, foil treated variants of cards from the specific set.
Though it’s a decent entry point to UniVersus for fans of either property, these decks are fairly powerful and, given their relative complexity, may not be the right way to learn for absolute beginners to card games or UniVersus in general.
For players more curious about UniVersus, we’d definitely recommend checking out the My Hero Academia 2-Player Rival Box sets or Clash Decks, each of which provide a better, more accessible way to jump into the game.
However, given the spectacular foil treatments on many of the cards in the pack, they’re excellent as collector’s items for fans of either Cowboy Bebop, Trigun Stampede or both!
2. Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament Boosters (February 23rd, 2024)
Yu Yu Hakusho is another classic manga and anime series; the original manga made its debut in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump way back in 1990.
Since then, the supernatural story has made its way into anime, video game and card game form too.
A Yu Yu Hakusho CCG was originally released in 2004, with another named Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files emerging in 2019, which used the UFS, now UniVersus, system!
So the new boosters are technically not the first time that Yu Yu Hakusho has come to UniVersus, though it is the first time since the game was released in its current form.
Coming exclusively to specialist game retailers, the Yu Yu Hakusho Dark Tournament boosters will contain a character card, six common cards, three uncommons, one foil rare, and one reprint card.
The set will feature 160 brand new cards, highlighting The Dark Tournament story arc, as well as seeing the return of Yusuke Urameshi and his team in UniVersus.
Secret Rares, alternate art cards and even very limited, serialized Chrome Rares can also be pulled from Dark Tournament boosters.
Four serialized Chrome Rares are distributed in boosters; there are just 100 of each Chrome Rare, numbered #1-100 on each card. Naturally, these will be highly sought after by Yu Yu Hakusho and UniVersus fans and collectors!
There are 35 cards returning from the previous UniVersus Yu Yu Hakusho set as Time Shifted Reprints; these will be in the modern format, using the new, updated card frames (and card backs – check out more details in our UniVersus card back design guide).
Additionally, specialist game stores will also be holding special release events, in which players can compete for entry into the Wish Tournament, as well as potentially winning a playmat and special promotional card too!
The Wish Tournament will see players fighting for Chrome Rares, with the top 4 players all receiving ‘Top 4’ stamped versions of the four Chrome Rares from the Dark Tournament set.
In a neatly thematic touch, the overall winner of the tournament also gets to make a wish; choosing from one of the following:
- Wish 1: One of every UVS Games product released in 2024
- Wish 2: Create their own UniVersus card
- Wish 3: Gen Con 2024 UniVersus VIP Experience
You can check out where to find a tournament near you, as well as stores holding stock of UniVersus products in general, using the UniVersus store locator.
3. Challenger Series: Critical Role: Vox Machina and Mighty Nein (March 21st, 2024)
The streaming-live-roleplay series Critical Role has been a huge success, with many tie-ins based on its campaigns being released, including an animated series and even Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks!
So it was surely only a matter of time before Critical Role made it to the tabletop in card game form – and it’s on the way, as it’s being adapted for UniVersus.
So, what can we expect from the UniVersus Critical Role sets?
Well, just like Cowboy Bebop and Trigun Stampede, the Critical Role sets will be Challenger Series decks.
So we can look forward to two decks; one based on the first Critical Role campaign, Vox Machina, and another based on the second campaign: Mighty Nein.
A variety of foil treated cards are in each of the 60 card decks, and the Collector’s Booster Pack (one of which you get alongside each deck) will of course include even more variants; a random selection of alternate art and all foil treatment cards will be found in these packs.
4. My Hero Academia: Girl Power (May 17th, 2024)
It’s not all about exploring strange new worlds in Challenger Series decks for UniVersus in 2024, you know.
Nope, we’re heading back to the super powered world of My Hero Academia, with the seventh booster set, Girl Power, arriving on May 17th, 2024.
As you may have guessed from the set’s name, Girl Power will showcase female students, heroes and villains from My Hero Academia.
Along with plenty of alternate art cards in the set in general, each character card will have an exclusive alternate art version, new to the Girl Power set.
Unlike the Challenger Series decks, Girl Power is a full collectable card game set. That means you’ll be able to buy booster packs and boxes in order to hunt for those aforementioned alternate art cards and other rares!
There’s always plenty of rare, secret and alternate art cards to find too; check out our guide to My Hero Academia Card Rarities for a deeper look at what you can likely expect from Girl Power and all other My Hero Academia UniVersus sets.
As part of the announcement for the Girl Power set, we also know that more My Hero Academia products are due in the third quarter of 2024. For now, however, what these actually are is currently under wraps.
As soon as more information is released, however, you can be sure that we here at Card Gamer will be ready to update you with the details!
5. Challenger Series: Godzilla (June 21st, 2024)
Just in time for the King of the Monsters to celebrate his 70th birthday (that’s right, the original Japanese kaiju movie, Gojira, was released way back in 1954!), UniVersus is bringing two more Challenger Series decks to stores.
As with the Critical Role decks, information on what cards these decks will contain is not currently available; however, we can expect numerous kaiju from Godzilla’s wide cast to make an appearance.
We also know that there will be two different Godzilla-themed, 60 card Challenger Series decks, each with their own choice of two characters to use.
Each will also have a selection of foil treated cards, card guide booklet and Collector’s Booster Pack too.
Beyond those details, nothing more has been revealed; however, keep watching this space, as we here at Card Gamer will be watching and waiting for the kaiju to emerge and reclaim the tabletop from us pesky humans!
6. Attack On Titan (Q3 and Q4, 2024)
Perhaps one of the most exciting releases on the UniVersus schedule for 2024, little is known about the Attack On Titan sets that are due in the third and fourth quarter of the year.
So what makes them so exciting?
Well, the Attack On Titan releases are going to be the first sets, from the current incarnation of UniVersus at least, that will be heading beyond My Hero Academia for more than ‘just’ Challenger Series decks.
That said, there will be Challenger Series decks; however, the Attack On Titan products will also include booster packs, boxes and Clash Decks, based on the manga, too.
The first booster set, known as Attack On Titan: Battle For Humanity, is launching in the third quarter of 2024, accompanied by Clash Decks and Challenger Series Decks; the second, as yet untitled, booster set and other products will follow in quarter four.
Given just how popular the Attack On Titan manga and anime series are, this should definitely be a set to look out for.
Not only will it be a great way in to UniVersus for Attack On Titan fans, given that both Clash Decks and Booster Packs will be available, but it’ll also prove to be of interest to collectors too, with both the boosters and Challenger Series decks giving ample opportunity for alternate art, full art and special foil treatment cards to be found!
7. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2024)
With no release date yet announced, there’s very little information and no images of the UniVersus Star Trek set.
However, UVS Games have confirmed that the card set will focus on Star Trek: Lower Decks, the animated, comedic look at a previously little-covered side of the Star Trek universe.
We also know that the set will take the form of four Challenger Series decks, each with its own unique character card. Though not fully confirmed, it’s heavily implied in the UVS announcement that the characters heading up each deck will be Ensign Beckett Mariner, Ensign Brad Broimler, Ensign D’Vana Tendi, and Ensign Sam Rutherford.
UVS Games have also confirmed that they will be releasing a crossover with the ever popular deck building game, Star Realms. Though this won’t be compatible with UniVersus, the Star Trek Star Realms game will be both standalone and fully compatible with all previously released Star Realms products.
8. Tekken 8 (2024)
Finally, the last product expected for this year is a release which takes UniVersus right back to its origins as the Universal Fighting System, back when it was an excellent vehicle for adapting popular fighting video games into tabletop form.
Tekken 8, the latest in the fighting game series which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is on its way to UniVersus.
All that’s known currently is that the cards will feature characters from the most recent instalment of the Tekken saga; there has been no release date announcement at this stage.
However, we’ll be keeping a close eye on further news and will update this article as more information is announced.
Keep your eyes peeled for much more UniVersus news as the year goes on – we’ll be here with updates and new product reveals as they happen.
