Dani Diaz Dani Diaz

Tech Decks: Raphael, the Muscle

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is finally out, and Dani has a day 1 deck for you to try out! They go through all card types and point out how the strategy plays out for Raphael, the Muscle.

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Everyday UVS, Guest Cope Keenan Meadows Everyday UVS, Guest Cope Keenan Meadows

Guest Cope: Variance is the Good Guy - The Sweeping Daggers Problem

Keenan Meadows is making his debut on Coping with Cardboard, coffee in hand, to call out one of the sneakiest problems in deck building right now. Sweeping Daggers is quietly punishing risk taking players, stifling creative builds, and making low check strategies harder to justify. With sharp humor and pointed examples, Keenan argues for a simple errata that could bring the thrill of bad checks back into the game.

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Dani Diaz Dani Diaz

The Hunt For Peak Universus

“Peak Universus” is something that’s said often in the UVS community today. Dani pontificates for far too long about what Peak Universus is, what it may be, and what it can mean to you.

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Everyday UVS Thomas Lewis Everyday UVS Thomas Lewis

... So, You Built a Terrible Deck for Locals

In between Regionals and serious testing, there is a perfect window for chaos. That is when the brews come out, not to break the format but to break the routine. I brought Mina III to locals on Death, slapped together a janky ranged build, and immediately regretted my decisions. But that is the point. Locals are where you get weird, fail loudly, and maybe, just maybe, find something worth keeping. This blog is a love letter to those beautiful disasters and the lessons they leave behind.

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Derek Swearengin Derek Swearengin

A Louisville Regional Retrospective

Playing Universus is hard. 

Universus is one of the most complex card games out there where player skill is highlighted more than ever. For me this is a huge draw; I love being able to express myself with skill-based play, card selection, and deck selection. On the other hand, for newer players just picking up the game, no amount of conversation or warning can help push this fact forward. The retention rate of Universus, no matter how cool a player thinks it is, isn’t as high as we want it to be. Whether that be because of poor outreach programs, lack of grass-roots community level organization, or a lack of game stores it doesn’t change the fact that if you play this game, you do it because you love it. 

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Andrew Holder Andrew Holder

You’re Not Bad, You’re Just New

Andrew Holder writes about his perspective on growth in UniVersus, intentional practice, and being patient with yourself as you learn and improve in the game.

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Richard Bernard Richard Bernard

Hange Zoë at StarkDark

A short article discussing how Hange, from my recent Deck Techs article, squared up at the StarkDark event!

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Andrew Holder Andrew Holder

Leaving the Table

Andrew Holder returns with an exploration of burnout, balance, and finding your way back to a game on your own terms.

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Thomas Lewis Thomas Lewis

Rogue’s Gallery - Mt. Lady III is Casting Fireball

Welcome to the Rogue’s Gallery, where we celebrate the strange, the scrappy, and the stuff that probably should not work but sometimes still does. This series dives into the offbeat ideas that keep the game fresh when the meta starts to feel a little too familiar. If you are looking for something different or just need a reminder that decks can be fun and still hit hard, you are in the right place. This week’s feature brings some serious heat.

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Richard Bernard Richard Bernard

Tech Decks: Hange Zoë

Welcome to my first article in the series titled Deck Techs. Where we go over and highlight certain cards from decks that I am currently enjoying and think others will too! Our first character will be Hange Zoë!

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Derek Swearengin Derek Swearengin

Regional Ramblings: The Setup

Life is tough for a competitive CCG player when you don’t have enough time to test. Join me as I take you through my character selection and deck list refinement as I prepare for Louisville with very limited play time!

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Ban and Errata Lists Thomas Lewis Ban and Errata Lists Thomas Lewis

June 2025 Ban and Errata Update – Coping with Cardboard Breakdown

June’s Ban and Errata update brings a much-needed tweak to Nick Ragan, limiting his enhance ability to twice per turn while keeping his aggressive style intact. Several cards also received wording adjustments for clarity, ensuring they function as intended without changing their core effects. With no bans this time and the Attack on Titan set now legal, expect the meta to shift as new strategies rise to meet the moment.

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