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The ''Universal Fighting System'' (''UFS''), released in 2006 and rebranded as ''UniVersus'' in 2021, is a
collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards. The genre was introduced with ''Magic: The G ...
published by UVS Games. Games of ''UFS'' represent a fight between two characters in hand-to-hand combat. Characters are drawn from original properties as well as a number of licensed ones, such as ''Mega Man'', ''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'', ''
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'' and ''
Darkstalkers ''Darkstalkers'', known in Japan as , is a fighting game series and media franchise created by Capcom. The series is set in a pastiche gothic fiction universe with characters based on monsters from international folklore, and features a stylized ...
''. The sets are cross-compatible – cards from multiple licenses can be included in the same deck, and characters from different universes may face each other in a match.


Gameplay

Players begin a game of ''UFS'' with the character they are fighting as in play. The character determines a player's hand size, starting vitality, and each has unique abilities for a deck to make use of. The main object of the game is to reduce the opponent's vitality to 0. Unlike most CCGs, ''UFS'' does not have monsters, creatures or similar. Damage is dealt by playing attack cards, which the opponent may try to block with using a card from their hand. Each attack has stats for speed (how hard it is to block), the damage it will deal, and a zone (high, mid or low) that the opponent's block must match to avoid taking damage. Attacks often have abilities on them, and may be enhanced by abilities on other cards. Also unlike other CCGs, the cost to play a card in ''UFS'' is not a set number of some resource. To play a card in ''UFS'', players must pass a "control check". A player discards the top card of their deck, and compares its control value (in the lower right) to the difficulty of the card he or she is trying to play. If the control is equal to or above the difficulty needed, the card is played at no cost. If the control is lower, the player must "commit" (turn sideways) foundation cards equal to the difference, or else the attempt to play a card fails and the card is discarded. Attempted cards get +1 difficulty for each card before it, and the turn player may continue trying to play cards until one of them fails, ending the turn. So the effective "cost" of a card can vary from zero to several resources, depending on its base difficulty, when it is played, and the value of the control check (which is not known until the card is attempted). Players draw up to their character's hand size at the start of each turn, and with most cards being low in effective cost early in a turn, a typical turn of ''UFS'' involves around 3 to 5 cards played by the turn player, plus any blocks or other defensive cards played by the opponent if they are attacked. Due to the large number of cards drawn and played, (nearly all of which have an ability or two) the risk-reward nature of the control check system, and the importance of guessing at and playing around the opponent's hand, ''UFS'' is generally considered to be one of the more complex and skill-intensive CCGs currently active.


Deck construction

''UFS'' has multiple formats, but most events are standard. Draft and sealed is used for release events, side events, or local change of pace, and there is also a smaller constructed format called Turbo. A standard ''UFS'' deck consists of a minimum of 60 cards (including the character), and no more than four copies of a given card may be in a deck. Due to the large number of cards drawn during a typical game, it is common for decks to exceed the 60 card minimum in order to increase the variety of cards available. For turbo, a deck consists of exactly 41 cards (including the character) with the same restrictions of no more than four copies of a given card. In draft and sealed, players build decks out of random booster packs they either draft, or are given respectively. Draft and sealed decks are also a minimum of 41 cards, but any number of copies of cards may be used. Deck building in ''UFS'' is driven by the resource symbol system. Each card has 3 symbols on it, representing various elements or concepts. Cards can only be played if they share a symbol with the character, and only if that symbol is on all prior cards played that turn. Therefore, it is normal when building a deck to choose one symbol on the character, and include in the deck only cards that have that symbol.


Card types

There are five different card types in ''UFS'', indicated by the color of their border and other traits: * Characters – A card representing the combatant a player is fighting as. This is the centerpiece of a deck. * Attacks – Attacks have an orange border. They represent punches, kicks, weapon strikes, and other moves used to deal damage to the opponent. * Foundations – Foundations have a grey border. They represent a character's training and background, and are the primary resource used to help pass control checks to play cards. * Assets – Assets have a green border. They represent locations or objects, and provide abilities more powerful than those on foundations. * Actions – Actions have a blue border. They represent various maneuvers and have immediate effects when played, allowing a player to use abilities that were kept secret in their hand.


Reception

In 2008, Scott Jon Siegel reviewed the game for
Engadget Engadget ( ) is a technology news, reviews and analysis website offering daily coverage of gadgets, consumer electronics, video games, gaming hardware, apps, social media, streaming, AI, space, robotics, electric vehicles and other potentially ...
, noting that his "play experience with the game was not the most positive one", but stressing the subjectivity of his opinion. The release of the
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
-themed expansion was covered by the British gaming website ''Tabletop Gaming'', in 2017 and the next year, the website also reviewed the game's
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-themed expansion. The reviewer of the latter noted that "Once you slog your way through the rules, UFS can offer highly strategic and intriguing gameplay." In 2024 the
Attack On Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to a ...
-themed expansion was reviewed for the
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
by Jenny Melzer, who gave the game 8/10, praising its artwork and multi-franchise nature, but criticizing the complexity of the rules. Same year, TheGamer covered the release of several of the UniVersus releases related to the
Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
,
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and
My Hero Academia is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kōhei Horikoshi. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from July 2014 to August 2024, with its chapters collected in 42 volumes. Set in a wor ...
franchises; the website covered the release of the
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-themed expansion in the prior year.


See also

*
Weiß Schwarz is a Japanese collectible card game created by Bushiroad. The game is separated into Weiß-side and Schwarz-side. "Weiß" and "Schwarz" are German for white and black, respectively. The game main attraction is the fact that its different e ...
- a Japanese game with a similar, multi-franchise concept


References

{{Reflist


External links


Universus website
Card games introduced in 2006 Collectible card games