WhileUniVersusis mostly known for sets based on anime and fighting games, nothing is off the table for the IP-mashup TCG. Perhaps the best example of this is its upcoming Challenger Series based on the D&D Actual Play megahit Critical Role.
Across two decks, the Challenger Series is bringing the world of Exandria and its characters to UniVersus. The first deck focuses on the heroes of Critical Role’s first campaign, and perhaps its most famous: Vox Machina, and we’ve got every single card in the deck to show you.
Description
Vax’ildan, Cunning Thief
Character - Thief - Vox Machina - 6 Difficulty - 6 Check - 0 Block - Air/Death/Water - 7 Hand Size - 22 Life
Enhance:Your Ranged or Weapon attack gets +3 speed. It gets -1 speed for each other attack in your card pool.
FormCommit, Commit 1 foundation: Your rival loses 1 health for each attack in your card pool. Clear 1 card from your card pool.
Vex’Ahlia, Resourceful Hunter
Character - Hunter - Vox Machina - 6 Difficulty - 6 Check - 0 Block - Air/Earth/Life - 6 Hand Size - 29 Life
Before the game begins, search your deck for 1 copy of “Mark Your Prey” and put it in your discard pile.
The first copy of “Mark Your Prey” you play each turn does not count toward progressive difficulty.
Response:At the start of your Combat Phase, add 1 copy of “Mark Your Prey” from your discard pile to your hand.
EnchanceCommit: The next Ranged Weapon attack you try to play ignores progressive difficulty and gets +3 damage.
Mark Your Prey
Action - Ranged - Spell - 3 Difficulty - 5 Check - 2 Block - Air/Earth/Life
While this card is in your card pool, your Rangted and/or Weapon attacks get +1 speed.
Enchance[Your attack]: Your rival flips 1 foundation.
Enchance[Card Pool] Mill 1: If you milled an attack this way, your Ranged attack gets +3 damage. Otherwise, it gets +1 damage.
Trinket
Asset - Ally - Unique - 2 Difficulty - 5 Check - 2 Block - Air/Earth/Life
EnhanceAdd this card to your card pool: This attack gets +4 damage.
EnchanceAdd this card to your card pool: This attack gets -4 damage. If your character is Vex’ahlia, add this card to your hand after this attack resolves.
Arrows & Daggers
Attack - Ally - Ranged - Weapon - 5 Difficulty - 3 Check - 2 Block - Air/Death/Life - 4 Low Speed - 5 Damage
EnhanceDiscard 1 card: If you have 3 or more attacks in your card pool, destroy 1 rival foundation.
Vax’ildan Response:If this attack deals damage, the next Weapon attack you try to play ignores progressive difficulty.
Vex’ahlia Enhance:This attack gets +1 speed for each attack in your card pool.
Dagger, Dagger, Dagger
Attack - Ranged - Weapon - 6 Difficulty - 3 Check - 2 Block - Air/Death/Water - 3 High Speed - 6 Damage
While this card is in your card pool, each of your attacks with “Dagger” or “Daggers” in its name gets -1 difficulty.
EnhanceSpend 1 momentum: Add 1 card with “Dagger” or “Daggers” from your discard pile or momentum to your hand.
Fiery Dagger Flourish
Attack - Ranged - Weapon - 4 Difficulty - 3 Check - 2 Block - Air/Death/Water - 4 Mid Speed - 4 Damage
Enhance:If this attack deals damage, destroy 1 committed rival foundation.
Flaming Arrow
Attack - Powerful: 3 - Ranged - Spell - Weapon - 4 Difficulty - 3 Check - 1 Block - Air/Earth/Life - 5 Mid Speed - 3 Damage
“Powerful: 3 — EnchanceSpend one or more momentum: This attack gets +3 damage for each momentum spent to pay the cost of this ability.”
Piercing Dagger Strike
Attack - Stun: 1 - Weapon - 4 Difficulty - 3 Check - 2 Block - Air/Death/Water - 3 Mid Speed - 5 Damage
“Stun: 1 — Enhance:Your rival commits 1 foundation.”
Storm Of Arrows
Attack - Echo - Ranged - Spell - Weapon - 5 Difficulty - 3 Check - 2 Block - Air/Earth/Life - 4 High Speed - 5 Damage
You may spend Ranged Weapon attacks from your card pool as though they were momentum to pay for this attack’s Echo ability.
“Echo — ResponseSpend 1 momentum: After this attack resolves, you may attempt to play it as your next form this turn. If you do, flip it after it resolves.”
Venomous Dagger Flash
Attack - Weapon - 5 Difficulty - 3 Check - 1 Block - Air/Death/Water - 4 Low Speed - 5 Damage
After this card leaves your card pool during the combat phase, your rival loses 1 health.
A Mother’s Embrace
Foundation - 1 Difficulty - 5 Check - 3 Block - Air/Earth/Water
Response[Tenacious] Flip: After you clear a card from your card pool during the Combat Phase, ready this card.“Tenacious - This ability is playable while committed.”
A Trinket For Vex
Foundation - 2 Difficulty - 5 Check - 2 Block - Air/Earth/Air
EnhanceFlip: Your attack gets +2 damage. If you have an Ally card in your stage, it gets +3 damage instead.
EnhanceRemove, spend 1 momentum: Build 1 copy of “Trinket” from your discard pile.
Clasp Membership
Foundation - 0 Difficulty - 5 Check - 3 Block - Air/Death/Life
ResponseFlip: After you partially block an attack, gain 2 health.
Dragon Lore Expert
Foundation - 1 Difficulty - 5 Check - 3 Block - Air/Earth/Life
EnhanceCommit: This attack gets -2 speed. If it has the death or fire symbol, it gets -1 damage.
Elvish Tutoring
Foundation - 2 Difficulty - 5 Check - 2 Block - Air/Earth/Water
Vox Machina EnhanceFlip, commit: Search your deck for 1 attack, reveal it, shuffle your deck, then put it on top of your deck. (Only playable if your character has the Vox Machina trait.)
Flirting and Flattery
Foundation - 1 Difficulty - 5 Check - 3 Block - Air/Death/Water
ResponseFlip: After your End Phase begins, draw 1 card. If you played 1 or more attacks this turn, discard 1 card.
Prank War
Foundation - 2 Difficulty - 6 Check - 3 Block - Air/Death/Water
Response[Tenacious] Destroy: After your rival flips a foundation as a cost, destroy it.
Shameless Haggler
Foundation - 2 Difficulty - 5 Check - 2 Block - Air/Earth/Life
EnhanceFlip, discard 1 card: Draw 1 card and gain 2 health. Then your rival may draw 1 card and gain 2 health. If they do, draw 1 card and gain 2 health.
Twins' Bond
Foundation - Ally - 2 Difficulty - 4 Check - 3 Block - Air/Death/Earth
Enhance[Your turn] Remove: Choose 1 card from each player’s card pool and clear it. If the chosen cards share a card type, your attack gets +1 speed and has +1 damage.
Venture Forth From Syngorn
Foundation - 3 Difficulty - 4 Check - 2 Block - Air/Earth/Water
FormRemove: Draw 2 cards. You cannot play foundations for the rest of this turn.
Trinket (x2)
Arrows & Daggers (x3)
Storm of Arrows (x3)
Flirting and Flattery (x4)
Twins' Bond (x2)
Venture Forth From Syngorn (x2)
The Vox Machina deck focuses on the twin Elves of the Vox Machina, Vax’ildan and Vex’ahlia. Primarily, it is all about using ranged weapons and daggers to make frequent speedy attacks, while also setting up your hand with even more arrows and daggers to lash out with. It also loves playing with resources, with cards that affect foundations and the card pool in interesting ways.
For Critical Role fans, this deck is full of neat references and cameos to the first campaign. It gives us an insight into Vex and Vax’s early years in Byroden, before being sent to study in Syngorn and eventually set out on their adventures. We even get to see the moment Vax became a member of the guild known as The Clasp.
Considering the traumas the pair go through during Vox Machina, it’s always nice to see their more tender moments too. The day Vax gifted Vex her bear companion, Trinket, is depicted on A Trinket For Vex (and, of course, Trinket himself gets an Ally card), and seeing the pair in their element in Arrows & Daggers and Twins’ Bond is just lovely.
It’s not all the twins, though. Plenty of other characters from the campaign put in an appearance. Most notably, fellow Vox Machina member Grog Strongjaw is the unfortunate victim in Prank War, while the sorcerer shopkeeper Gilmore is facing Vax’s wiles in Flirting and Flattery, and Vex’s less effective methods in Shameless Haggling.
It’s cool to see what UniVersus can do when given its own art direction. For many of its anime-centric sets, it uses screengrabs from the show and adds most of the visual flair through foil treatments. Here, each illustration is brand new, and really showcases the personalities of Vax and Vex, as well as the wider Vox Machina story.
you’re able to play these cards on their own, or you can combine them with other UniVersus sets like My Hero Academia, Yu Yu Hakusho, or the upcoming crossover with Attack on Titan.
Vox Machina is just one of two decks bringing Critical Role to UniVersus, with the second campaign Mighty Nein backing it up. Both decks launch together on March 21.
