Open IP has continued to spread beyond its original online testing groups, and more players are beginning to give the format a serious chance.

Several local communities across the United States have now reported and recorded Open IP box tournaments. These events have given players an opportunity to build around combinations that standard Union Arena deck construction does not allow, while also producing valuable information about which strategies are performing well in actual tournament settings.

MomentoJuan, a newer Union Arena YouTuber, has already started organizing an Open IP event for his local game store. Seeing newer creators and local organizers take an interest in the format has been especially encouraging. Open IP was created to give players another way to enjoy Union Arena, and local support is an important part of giving the format room to grow.

Rumble Rama has also continued hosting its monthly Open IP event. The next Rumble Rama Open IP night will take place on August 20.

Outside of organized tournaments, players have been arranging pickup games throughout the Union Arena community. Open IP matches are being played across several online groups and servers, allowing players from different regions to test ideas, compare lists, and experience the format without needing a dedicated local event.

The amount of interest and support the format has received has been genuinely appreciated. Every tournament report, decklist, match result, rules question, and piece of feedback gives us a better understanding of how Open IP is developing.

The Open IP Balance Committee has been listening closely to that feedback. Our current focus is keeping the format healthy, diverse, and enjoyable while preserving the unusual mechanics and cross-IP interactions that make it worth playing. Some combinations will require attention as the available card pool grows, and balance decisions will continue to be based on tournament results, repeated testing, and community experience.

Upcoming Rumble Rama Open IP Event

The next Rumble Rama Open IP night will use paid entry.

Entry: $10 per player Date: August 20 Participation: Each player will receive Union Arena Weekly Event Packs Top 4: Each Top 4 player will receive half a booster box from sets to be announced Additional Prizing: Winner cards will also be included

More information about the selected booster sets and event registration will be announced once those details are finalized.

Thank you to everyone who has played the format, organized an event, shared a deck, submitted results, or helped another player understand the rules. Open IP is growing because members of the Union Arena community are choosing to spend their time building and supporting it. We are excited to see more local groups, stores, creators, and online communities continue experimenting with the format.

Current Restricted List

The following restrictions are currently active:

Saitama and We Fight Now!!

If your deck contains Saitama UE06BT/OPM-1-061 Saitama, you may only play 1 copy of We Fight Now!! We Decide This Right Here!! UE10BT/AOT-1-064 We Fight Now!! We Decide This Right Here!!.

This restriction only applies when both cards are being used in the same deck.

Evangelion Test Type-01 (Spear of Gaius) Evangelion Test Type-01　(Spear of Gaius)

Evangelion Test Type-01 (Spear of Gaius) UE15BT/EVA-1-033 Evangelion Test Type-01　(Spear of Gaius) is now limited to 2 copies per deck.

This restriction applies to every Open IP deck using the card.

Evangelion Test Type-01 Restriction Explanation

After reviewing recent tournament results and the direction of newer card releases, the Open IP Ban and Restriction Committee has decided to restrict Evangelion Test Type-01 (Spear of Gaius) UE15BT/EVA-1-033 Evangelion Test Type-01　(Spear of Gaius) to two copies per deck.

Spear of Gaius was already being monitored because of how powerful and oppressive it can become when supported by the wider Open IP card pool. Recent sets have continued to add strong purple cards with broad character and Raid searching, making access to Spear increasingly consistent across a wide range of decks.

Cards such as:

Denji UE22BT/CSM-1-008 Denji Uta UE18BT/TKG-1-037 Uta AAA Wunder UE15BT/EVA-1-053 AAA Wunder Jaken UE23BT/IYS-1-003 Jaken

give purple decks several reliable ways to find important characters and Raid targets. These are all strong and useful cards on their own, and they allow purple decks to maintain a high level of consistency without committing heavily to one specific engine.

The issue is what that consistency means when it is applied to Spear of Gaius.

As more generic search tools are added, Spear becomes easier to find and easier to build around without requiring meaningful sacrifices during deck construction. Its power level, combined with that growing consistency, has started to create games that feel too repetitive, too difficult to interact with, and too restrictive for diverse deckbuilding.

The concern is broader than one individual pairing. Purple now has enough flexible search tools that Spear can be supported in several different shells while still appearing reliably. Allowing four copies gives those decks too much access to an effect that can take over games and discourage interaction.

For that reason, Spear of Gaius is being limited to two copies.

The goal is to reduce how often the card appears without removing it from the format entirely. Players may still build around it and use the card as part of a purple strategy, though they will have to accept less consistency and make more deliberate deckbuilding choices around finding it.

Updated Watch List Status

Evangelion Test Type-01 (Spear of Gaius) UE15BT/EVA-1-033 Evangelion Test Type-01　(Spear of Gaius) is being removed from the watch list because action has now been taken.

AAA Wunder UE15BT/EVA-1-053AAA Wunder remains legal at four copies. The current restriction applies only to Spear of Gaius.

Updated Legal Status Summary Saitama UE06BT/OPM-1-061 Saitama is legal. We Fight Now!! We Decide This Right Here!! UE10BT/AOT-1-064 We Fight Now!! We Decide This Right Here!! is legal. If both cards are included in the same deck, We Fight Now!! We Decide This Right Here!! UE10BT/AOT-1-064 is limited to 1 copy. Evangelion Test Type-01 (Spear of Gaius) UE15BT/EVA-1-033 Evangelion Test Type-01　(Spear of Gaius) is legal and limited to 2 copies per deck. AAA Wunder UE15BT/EVA-1-053 is legal at up to 4 copies. The other existing watch-list cards and pairings remain legal unless stated otherwise.