UNION ARENA: Code Geass Set Review
UNION ARENA continues its tour de force in its fourth (and possibly best yet) set: Code Geass. The subject matter, artistic direction, and game mechanics line up perfectly in this set, showing Bandai has really hit a home run in its fourth outing in the English version.
Let’s get into what makes this set so great, my own experience hunting for rare cards and trying out battle strategies and more.
What is Code Geass?
Based in an alternate universe where single world powers dominate the land mass and subjugate entire nations to their will, Code Geass follows the story of charismatic young Lelouch – an exiled Prince – as he works to overthrow his own family’s world empire. Geass is the special power an immortal witch gives him.
While that plot might sound like something that would fit well into a medieval fantasy world, Code Geass actually takes place in a futuristic one – where armored mechas piloted by skilled humans duke it out for world domination.
Code Geass source material makes for a compelling card game
Strangely enough, this rich and imaginative world that blends fantasy with sci-fi translates perfectly into the card game realm. Though most battles take place between robots, the human element is the most important in this show, enabling UA collectors and players to chase not only their favorite “Knightmare Frame” but also the character who pilots it. The Raid mechanic is the ideal way to blend the two worlds of human and machine, allowing players to “Raid” their Knightmares onto characters to unlock advantages.
It’s the most compelling use of the Raid mechanic to date, and similar mechanics in the game flow well with the plot of the show, creating a rich and immersive play experience that you can easily live within for hours.
Opening Code Geass is a main attraction
One of the worst things about opening TCG products is when you spend all of your hard earned money on a box that you’ve waited months to open only to get a bunch of duds. I’ve never had that experience with UNION ARENA. While some booster boxes are undoubtedly better than others, I always seem to get plenty of hits that make the purchase worthwhile.
The fact that you are likely to get Super Rare cards featuring unique artworks of your favorite characters make the experience of opening Code Geass packs thoroughly enjoyable.
Below, you can see a picture I took of the pulls I got from just four boxes of boosters containing 16 packs per box.
These are all of the cards that I got from my four boxes. Each of these cards is a super rare or above, meaning they contain unique artwork you won’t find replicated in the show. Additionally, I pulled several parallel artworks – higher rarity versions of the same card akin to alternate art cards you find in most TCGs.
While my picture wasn’t the highest quality, you can see a better photo below from UNION ARENA’s X account that really shows off the sheen and beauty these cards can have, especially at the parallel artwork level.
How many Code Geass booster boxes should you get?
Code Geass Booster Box
You can see the rare pulls above from the four booster boxes I opened. However, I also got what I needed to build the majority of three different decks. While your own experience opening boxes will vary greatly from mine, in general from opening UA products I would suggest three-four boxes as a good place to start.
Remember, these boxes are a little bit smaller than boxes in other TCGs like Pokemon or Lorcana. They contain 16 packs with 12 cards in each pack. While they come at a reduced price point to reflect the lower pack count, it also means picking up a few will take you farther than just buying one.
Playing the game
Of course, we don’t only get booster boxes so that we can collect rare cards. We also want to play the game!
Good news is Code Geass packs a punch in that department. The cards in this set introduce new mechanics to the game, while giving old ones a twist. Unlike past sets that had Raid characters that all worked largely the same, here we have multiple raid characters to choose from with slightly altered mechanics, like the basic model Guren that only gets added to your hand off a trigger instead of enabling you to raid.
At the same time, decks like Code Geass Purple don’t always bother much with taking out units but would rather skip them all together to attack your opponent’s life directly.
While Geass ups-the-ante for UNION ARENA in general, the same base mechanics of this game and abilities and effects with clear triggers on them make deck building a fun and relatively approachable experience as far as TCGs go.
The verdict
Code Geass is one of the best UNION ARENA sets to be released to date. It has plenty of strong characters, some of the best art cards in the game, and a slew of mechanics and strategies that can keep you entertained for hours.
