Rochester Retro - Suspended List
What Is Rochester Retro?
Rochester Retro is an eternal Universus format curated by Rochester CCG. It aims to bridge the old-school Retro card pool with the experience of modern Universus gameplay. Unlike Standard, this format celebrates the legacy of Universus while adjusting for balance across generations of cards. This format still uses the Retro Ban and Errata list in tandem.
While Universus Games defines which sets are legal and how cards function, the Rochester Retro Committee actively curates the metagame through a Suspension List—a rotating group of cards temporarily removed from legal play to keep gameplay fresh and balanced.
Suspension Policy
Suspended cards are not banned. They may return unchanged in future updates.
The list will be reviewed and updated every two months.
Suspensions are primarily targeted at character cards and singular effects that shape the game state disproportionately.
Suspended cards will always maintain their printed text, no errata will be issued through this list.
Current Suspended Cards (as of May 1st, 2025)
🔻 Suspended Cards
Colossus’s Thermal Blast – AoT01 287/297
Devil Jin – PROMO24 46
Sheeva – DLC04 7/32
Goro – MK01 037/190
Nick Ragan – PROMO25 52
Resurrected Evil – MKT DLC04 6/12
Geoffrey 1 – 7thX01 28/88
Suspicious of Mr. X – MM03 45/108
✅ Returned to Legal Play
Ken 2 – SFvDS01 31/82 (Suspended March 1st, reinstated May 1st)
Why Were These Cards Suspended?
Colossus’s Thermal Blast
While fair in Standard, Retro decks can cheat this 13-difficulty attack into play as early as turn 2, causing instant board wipes with little setup. This creates polarizing games, especially with characters like Nehtali and Drill Man.
Sheeva & Goro
These four-handers are powerful but inconsistent by design. When they win, it’s often a blowout; when they stumble, it’s nearly unplayable. The swinginess leads to unbalanced and unsatisfying matches.
Devil Jin
His synergy with [Card Pool] and the Multiple keyword gives him unmatched combo potential. He can ignore progressive difficulty, generate long attack chains, and blow out opponents with little effort.
Nick Ragan
A unique case: Nick himself requested the suspension of his card. His design echoes cards like Eva2 and Technical Sphere, scaling off exiled cards. In Retro, this mechanic becomes dangerously explosive with access to a decade of support pieces.
Resurrected Evil, Geoffrey 1, Suspicious of Mr. X
These cards were printed during an era when character cards could be played from hand for a Difficulty value, acting as both starters and active cards. That’s no longer true for modern characters, which lack printed Difficulty and break the intended interactions. These cards can now permanently lock down or exploit newer character designs in unintended ways.
Rather than introduce custom errata, these cards are being suspended until a future design solution is found.
Want to Provide Feedback?
The Rochester Retro format is shaped by community feedback and player data. If you have questions, comments, or want to advocate for a card’s return, reach out directly to:
📧 Sean O’Brien – sobrien@rochesterccg.com
🌐 rochesterccg.com
Next Suspension List Update
🗓️ July 2025
Stay tuned for updates every two months as the Rochester team continues shaping Rochester Retro into the best blend of legacy and modern Universus.
Credit
Content and decisions provided by Sean O’Brien of Rochester CCG