UNION ARENA: Every Yu Yu Hakusho Deck, Ranked
Yu Yu Hakusho is a set with a wide range of competitively viable decks. While this set is unlikely to be meta defining the way the previous set – Rurouni Kenshin – was, it’s still got some very interesting plays here with at least one deck vying for the A tier.
So which of the six main Yu Yu Hakusho decks is strongest? Below, let’s look on which ones are likely to do well in the UNION ARENA English meta once the set releases.
#6 Purple Jin
Starting things off, we have this Jin deck. This deck is far from bad, but perhaps it’s biggest draw back is the fact that it looks to push characters to the energy line in a less effective manner than what other decks (like Red Kenshin) are capable of. The end result is a deck that while possessing some strong plays – like the 2 AP Chu character that comes in Active with Damage 2 raidless – falls short of reaching the power level necessary to compete in the current (and highly competitive) UNION ARENA environment.
#5 Hiei/Yukina
The Hiei/Yukina/Yusuke deck definitely has some solid plays into it. It can take advantage of Raid Hiei’s powerful removal effect while also benefiting from some pretty solid draw support. The most unique aspect of building Red YuYu Hakusho in this lower-to-the-ground way is that you can take advantage of Yukina’s three-cost color trigger character.
This Yukina character is very strong, letting you reduce the AP cost of the next event card you use from your hand or sideline by 1. This combos very effectively with the Raid Hiei’s effect, letting you sideline anything 5000 BP and under for free.
While the other red deck further down this list is my preferred deck and arguably stronger, there’s certainly a lot to be said for a low energy deck like this one that moves fast and hits hard.
#4 Kazuma and friends
If you’re looking for a green deck that features Yusuke, has a powerful Snipe/Impact play, but is also a little less combo heavy, consider this lower-energy alternative to the flagship Green YuYu Hakusho deck. This deck’s strongest card is arguably Kazuma.
Having a combo of Nullify Impact outside of the Raid box with a When Played that forces your opponent to block at only a four-cost is pretty incredible.
And while you can combine this deck’s Special with the Raid Kazuma, you might want to use it on one of your other Kazuma characters since this guy’s already got a strong forced block effect. Combine it with Yukina’s effect and you are pulling off a Snipe/Impact play at very low cost.
All-in-all I’m pretty impressed with the Kazama deck. It’s a solid option especially considering it’s really a backup deck in this set compared to the more main strategy that is the pure Yusuke build.
#3 Yusuke Urameshi
The green Yusuke deck feels a lot like another energy hungry green deck we’ve seen in the format: Kurapika. It has the same high-energy-high-reward payoff that lets you snipe a character (preferably with Impact). However, the other gimmick this deck has going for it is the additional focus on putting cards underneath cards on the field to unlock added effects.
And while this deck is undoubtedly strong, it probably a little too top heavy for what it’s trying to do to have a lasting impact on the meta. Decks like Purple Saito from the Rurouni Kenshin deck can achieve much the same sort of power and consistency for less energy, making this Yusuke deck more of a fan pick than a competitive powerhouse.
#2 Hiei and Kurama
Now here is a powerhouse deck for relatively low energy. Indeed, most of the cards in this deck can be played with just four energy or less, making it highly efficient. However, in order to play this deck’s strongest character, you will need to build up to six energy on the energy line. However, the payoff is more than worth it, as doing so will enable you to use the powerful six-cost Kurama.
Being able to Snipe a character with Impact at just six energy gives this character an edge over most other characters with Snipe. And also, this Snipe effect isn’t a one-and-done thing – something which is also unique among characters possessing Snipe. While it will be hard to boost Kurama to 8000 BP outside of the opening turn when she is played, it can be done thanks to additional boosting effects in this deck.
However, Kurama is far from the only powerful character this deck has to offer. Indeed, the four-cost Kurama is also very effective, easily gaining Double Attack while also acting as a reliable means to boost other characters on your field.
As if that weren’t enough, the four-cost Hiei brings solid removal into your deck by letting you play you removal special directly from the sideline while ignoring its energy requirement.
With powerful Snipe attacks, Double Attack, and removal like this, it’s hard to imagine this deck not performing well in the UNION ARENA competitive scene!
#1 Toguro Brothers
The Toguro Brothers deck is ideal for those with a “go big or go home” kind of energy. With decent performance in Japan and meta relevant over there, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that this very powerful deck could actually fair well on this side of the Pacific, too.
Of course, this deck’s strongest character is the impressive eight-cost Younger Toguro.
Toguro is one of the strongest big guys we’ve seen yet in UNION ARENA – rivaling even the legendary Lancelot Air Cavalry. However, this card is a little different than that one thanks to an increased Damage output – all but ensuring your opponent will be forced to block this character instead of taking a direct hit. Meanwhile, Toguro’s main drawback is that he can’t be played raidless. While that won’t matter most of the time, it is something that means you have to be very smart with how you handle your board so you can raid him out when the time comes.
To make playing this big guy significantly easier, however, you’re going to want to sideline your own zero-cost Elder Toguro first.
You have several cards capable of sidelining your own characters, so using one of those effects on this very important zero-cost characters should be relatively easy. Do this and you can play one of your big Younger Toguro characters with great ease – with the most impactful play being into the powerhouse eight-cost behemoth that acts as just a six-cost when paired with this guy.
Is the Toguro Brothers deck the absolute most dominant deck we’ve had to date in UNION ARENA? No. But it’s strong enough to do some incredible damage in the competitive scene and could even give our golden Lancelot boy a run for his money.
