How to Win the One Punch Man UNION ARENA Release Event
I’m surprised by how nice the One Punch Man UNION ARENA winner card looks. I won it at my one and probably only release event for the set, and the foil finish totally makes it stand out from the regular release event card.
Shortsmaster, Joseph, Vexten, Ronin from left to right
If you’re wondering whether or not you should attend a One Punch Man UA release event, or maybe if you’re wondering if you should invest in the set at all, my answer is a firm and resounding – do it!
One Punch Man is easily one of the best UNION ARENA sets we’ve seen to date. I would put it right up there as a close second to the phenomenal Code Geass set that brought with it two of the strongest decks in the game.
But how can you pilot your deck to victory in the One Punch Man Five Pack Battle?
See below for how my matches went and what cards to look out for to secure victory.
Cards that came in handy
I should preface this section by saying I won’t be getting into each and every aspect of how the Five Pack Battle works. If you are unfamiliar with Five Pack Battles, check out my article on the UNION ARENA Five Pack Battle. While this format is pretty random because you don’t construct a deck but are essentially given one at random via five packs (hence the name), I found the One Punch Man Five Pack Battle to be particularly satisfying. There are so many cards that are strong on their own in this set that it makes for a lot of fun trying to string them together into game winning combos.
However, as should be the case, focusing on your rush game and storing up enough 4000 BP bodies in your hand to overwhelm your opponent is probably the best strategy.
One Punch Man offers handy, incremental removal
If you’re prepping for a One Punch Man release event, keep in mind the various different kinds of removal outside of a straight special this set has to offer. There are so many cards that have the capacity to remove characters from the field, and not all of them are straightforward.
For example, a card that I used to gain the edge early on in my first match versus my teammate Vexsten was the powerful Hellstorm event card.
This card may not seem like a lot on the surface, but in the Five Pack Battle format is can be very strong. I prioritized hanging onto it in my hand at the expense of a 4000 BP attacker knowing it would be highly effective in a format where players often promote low BP attackers to the front line in order to rush.
Double Block is insane in Five Pack Battle
In both my games, four-cost Genos with Double Block came hugely in handy. I managed to raid him each time, meaning I could block two lower BP attackers easily.
With this character it’s handy to save him to attack later in the lineup order in the Five Pack Battle format. Normally you’d attack first with a solid attacker like this one but in this format odds are pretty solid you won’t hit a special off of life. Attacking later in the order helps force your opponent to block the Genos, letting you draw a card.
Removing my own life for the win
There was some pretty insane back and forth in my battle against Vexsten. Towards the end of the battle, I looked to remove my own life via Mosquito Girl in order to buff the BP of my Deep Sea King. Not only did Deep Sea King boost to 3500 BP, but I could grant another character 1000 BP that turn via Mosquito Girl.
This helped soften up my opponent’s front line when I attacked – a manuever which is the primary way you’ll be looking to escape the gridlock once you both have established a solid wall of characters on the front line.
The final kill, however, was achieved by combining Pig God with Flashy Flash. I talk about this move a bit in my Metal Bat deck. But essentially you use Pig God to remove the characters that could block Flashy Flash, and then attack directly for a life.
This was my hardest match of the night and I only barely won it. But onto the second round and I had a much easier time. My opponent did manage to field a powerful five-cost Saitama and special my raided Genos in the same turn.
However, going all-in on rush meant he had low life by the time Saitama got onto the field. I essentially cleared his life in a single turn via a full front line after Saitama attacked and stayed resting, and that was it.
Because I was undefeated after two rounds and Vexsten won the second round in the down pair, I was the victor!
I said it at the start of the post and I’ll say it again – One Punch Man is a killer set and the release events are a load of fun. If you’re feeling hesitant about investing in the set, I’d highly encourage you to attend a release event to get a taste for how solid this set can be.
It may not be based on as popular of an anime as Demon Slayer, but the mechanics and decks you can build from this set are all varied, competitive, and fun.
I hope these tips and tricks helped you prepare better for your own One Punch Man event! If so, leave a comment below!
