UNION ARENA: Every Code Geass Vol. 2 Deck, Ranked
Code Geass set the bar quite high as one of the earliest and also best UNION ARENA sets to date. Complete with highly collectible and valuable cards, Code Geass also had an outsized impact on the meta, delivering what was (for a long time) the top deck in the format: Code Geass Purple.
With Vol. 2 coming to the UNION ARENA English version soon, what decks will be strongest? Below, we’ll be looking at every Code Geass deck ranked from good to great.
#9 Cupid Day Crisis
Almost a brand new deck, plenty of its core pieces were there in set 1 but not with enough fire power to make it truly its own deck. Now, in Vol. 2 Cupid’s Day Crisis is a deck in and of itself – one that looks to leverage the events in your discard to pay off in big ways.
For starters, your two strongest removal tools become super powered by just having three-four events in the discard. Meanwhile, you have other powerful draw effects that can be activated when you’ve hit either the two or four threshold, including one-cost Shirley and two-cost Lelouch.
However, it’s four-cost Anya that really starts to take off with this strategy, becoming a 4000 BP impact character. And don’t forget Raid Shirley – a character capable of additional draw and bringing back events (even specials) from the sideline.
It’s not Code Geass’s strongest deck. It’s not even close. But it’s strong enough, fun, and capable of insane draw.
#8 Blue Chinese Federation
Blue Shen Hu is an interesting deck with some intriguing combos that players desiring complexity should enjoy. With decent draw and a three-cost Tianzi that lets you keep the cards you discard with your draw effects from Shen Hu, the only problem with this deck is that it functions as a jack of all trades, master of none. Although it has removal, stun, multi-attack and draw, it’s capabilities in each of these categories is mid-tier. Decks that make their way into the S-tier for UNION ARENA typically excel at one thing above all else – indeed they are the best at one specific area of the game, giving them an edge in the competitive meta.
As such, Blue Shen Hu feels like a deck destined for the B-tier, despite how much potential is inarguably here.
#7 Four Holy Swords
Even in the base set, Four Holy Swords was an intriguing deck with some incredible combos. It’s biggest issue was how many triggerless cards it was forced to run, making its ability to come back based on life triggers difficult compared to most upper-tier decks. Post Vol. 2, however, that’s been fixed, and this budget friendly build feels like it has the tools it needs to combo its way to victory.
#6 Red Ashford Academy
Admittedly, Red Ashford Academy changes very little with the second volume. However, the deck was still strong enough to make top 16 at Gen Con in its basic form. All we’re really getting in the Vol. 2 to help the strategy is the Gino Weinberg character card.
Capable of switching another character to active the same way the Ashford Academy Site card does could help give this deck additional gas, and it doesn’t hurt that the effect is packaged in with a 4000 BP character.
#5 Blue Order of Black Knights
I can see the Blue Rolo deck being a ton of fun. It has a lot of power going into the meta, including solid resting effects, freezing, and a special that lets you either remove a character or rest them. Additionally, one-cost C.C. is one of the strongest Nullify Impact characters in the game.
While the Chinese Federation focused build has some intriguing elements to it, I like the Blue Black Knights better. There’s plenty of consistency in this deck, and the cards themselves and let you take advantage of a really solid lineup of combos based on resting characters on the opposing field and opening up holes in their defenses while also unlocking additional effects.
For those looking for a different take on a C.C./Lelouch deck than the Purple Black Knights, Blue Code Geass could be the right fit for them.
#4 Knights of the Round
Knights of the Round has failed to get much attention yet. However, I really enjoy my custom Lancelot/Knights of the Round Hybrid deck (pictured above). For me, this brings a much stronger early game into Lancelot’s wheelhouse, while bolstering the removal game pure Knights of the Round is lacking. Give it a try for yourself and see what you think!
Learn out more about my custom Lancelot/Knights of the Round hybrid deck list.
#3 Pizza
Code Geass Pizza is a deck popular for just how fun and iconic it is. It truly is built around the “Pizza” mechanic, with players hastily attempting to fuel their sideline with as many “Pizza” affinity cards as possible to access some seriously strong combos.
The main goal here is to power up the two-AP C.C. who rapidly becomes one of the strongest characters in the game. While this deck was strong enough to win you tournaments and rare battles already, it’s considerably more reliable after Vol. 2, with its greatest addition being a solid C.C. Raid character that lets you draw cards and even recycle your Pizza grabbing characters like Lelouch.
If not exactly an S-tier deck, Pizza should be a much more viable strategy with the added support it gets and easily make it into the A-tier for its speed, draw, and power.
#2 Purple Black Knights
Most of the hype I hear around Code Geass Vol. 2 seems centered on Lancelot and the new Nunnally card which makes building your energy line for the Air Calvary play easier. However, Code Geass Purple also gets a few new tools to use in Vol. 2 – enough so that it should rise back up in the ranks once again, if not quite enough to take the #1 spot.
Although the deadly combination of the Guren with forced block and Gawain was enough to dominate the meta and many tournaments after just the base set, in Vol. 2 we begin to see a more fleshed out vision of what this deck is really supposed to be. They key new focus here is a stronger emphasis on two-AP characters, especially the powerhouse five-cost Lelouch.
This five-cost Lelouch works as a combination of the two different two-AP Lelouch cards we got in the first set. By combining the best effects of both of those cards into one single card (and then some), we unlock much more value for the copies added to the deck. I could see this card being run as either a two-of or even a four-of depending on what players want the focus of their deck to be. Either way, it’s quite the strong tool to add to your arsenal.
Making it easier to play 2-AP characters is the new three-energy cost Kallen with two energy gen, a draw “When Played” effect, and an additional effect that reduces the cost of the next two-AP card you play from your hand.
Not only does this make it easier to play your Lelouch, it also makes combining your effects easier with your special – a card that always was something of a sore thumb because of its two-AP cost from hand.
Finally, there’s a brand new Guren model available for raiding in this deck. At only a three-cost, this Raid provides considerable versatility to an otherwise top heavy deck with plenty of five-energy cost characters. Use Guren to swoop in, take big attacks, or even close out games thanks to its “cannot be blocked by 4000 or more” effect.
While these upgrades aren’t enough to fully change the way Purple Code Geass is played, the added versatility does give you new ways to deal with the current UNION ARENA meta.
Learn more about how to play my custom Code Geass Purple deck.
#1 Green Lancelot
While never as dominate in the English meta as Purple Code Geass, Lancelot is going to be an S-tier deck following the release of Code Geass Vol. 2. While it doesn’t get the added utility Purple Code Geass gets, it gets something almost as important: a powerful energy generator helping Lancelot to hits its curve much more easily.
Nunnally is this deck’s secret weapon, granting you a two-energy cost character with two-energy gen the moment she is played, assuming you have a full energy line. Nunnally also lets you draw yet another card, helping you get to the cards you really want to see faster.
But Nunnally isn’t the only card the Classic Lancelot build gets. We also have yet another draw card brought into the fold thanks to the zero-cost Anya. Use Anya to build up the foundations of your energy line while also letting you draw a card.
Code Geass Green might have felt strong before, but after Vol. 2 it’s vastly more versatile, making it the best Code Geass deck of them all.
