UNION ARENA: One Punch Man Vol. 2 & Arknights Confirmed, Shadow Army Gets a Restriction

Three huge announcements were just made for the UNION ARENA English Version, including the announcement of two brand new titles that include One Punch Man Vol. 2 and Arknights, as well as a highly anticipated (and much needed) ban on the popular and dominant Shadow Army deck.

One Punch Man Vol. 2 confirmed

While all three announcements are huge for UNION ARENA, arguably the biggest is the announcement of One Punch Man Vol. 2. While the release date remains TBA, the launch could be another simultaneous release with Japan, as a Vol. 2 for this title has yet to be released in either version of the game.

One Punch Man was originally a strong set when it released back in 2025. However, the game has passed well beyond it, with its decks now seeing almost no play at the competitive level.

That being said, many of the One Punch Man decks have strong foundations. A well-balanced Vol. 2 could push them back into the competitive sphere once again.

UNION ARENA: Arknights gets a June 18, 2027 release date

Arknights is a well-loved set overseas where it has been available for a while, and it’s a set known for powerful mechanics. For the June 18, 2027 release, it looks like we will be getting both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 cards in the English Version special booster pack and starter deck.

This has happened before as when That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime came out (also in June but in 2026), and will happen before the Arknights release again with My Hero Academia in December, 2026.

Shadow Army gets a heavy restriction

Lastly, the highly anticipated and predicted restriction has at last come to Shadow Army. This deck has been doing insanely well this Championship Season to put it mildly, and of course it couldn’t be allowed to continue in that way given its unfair advantage into the current English meta. To settle the score, the Monarch’s Domain Site has been given a restriction to only two copies in the deck.

While not a crazy deep cut, this does solve one of the biggest issues in the deck: the ability to turn any character regardless of BP into a 4000 BP or more behemoth. Indeed, the play where you can use a Monarch’s Domain or two, Raid a twelve-cost Sung Jinwoo, and reactivate the Monarch’s Domain is almost impossible to deal with right now, making the restriction smart and timely.

While it won’t be enough to dethrone the Shadow Monarch, it will certainly put him in his place just enough to let the many other fantastic decks in the game shine.