Posts Tagged ‘Deck’

UPPER DECK ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE, LONG-TERM TRADING CARD DEAL WITH USA HOCKEY

Carlsbad, CA (December 11, 2025) – Upper Deck, the worldwide leader in sports and entertainment collectibles, today announced an exclusive, long-term trading card deal with USA Hockey, one of the most established and innovative organizations in sports. As the top manufacturer of hockey collectibles, Upper Deck will bring that expertise and experience to help connect fans with some of hockey’s best players as they represent their country. 

This deal will introduce Upper Deck’s first-ever jersey patch sponsorship, with the company’s logo being displayed on the USA Hockey U18 men’s and women’s team jerseys in upcoming international competitions. This collaboration also marks the first time Upper Deck USA Hockey trading cards will be produced – celebrating top prospects, stars, and legends of the program. 

“Upper Deck has been at the forefront of helping fans celebrate hockey’s most elite athletes for 35 years, whether that’s established superstars or the next generation of talent,” said Jason Masherah, President of Upper Deck. “It’s a very special moment for players to represent their country on a national stage, and just as significant for fans rooting for their country as well, and this collaboration will let us capture iconic, emotional moments and reproduce them through trading cards.” 

To mark the start of the agreement, Upper Deck is releasing its first-ever USA Hockey trading card set. Available now exclusively on the Upper Deck e-Pack® platform, the 2026 USA Hockey Showcase set features four USA Hockey stars and Upper Deck exclusive athletes: Cole Eiserman, James Hagens, Cole Hutson, and Taylor Heise. In addition to base cards which fall one per pack, collectors can also look out for several different parallels, including blue, USA Hockey Logo, USA Flag, and an autograph variation that will come as an additional bonus card in select packs. Achievement cards will also be available, including autographs. 

An Upper Deck Authenticated USA Hockey memorabilia collection is also available for pre-order. The collection features four Upper Deck exclusive athletes. Fans can purchase signed items from Taylor Heise, Cole Eiserman, James Hagens, and Cole Hutson at UpperDeck.com now, and can stay tuned for future products from USA Hockey players. 

“Upper Deck is synonymous with hockey, and their experience creating premium collectibles made them a natural fit for USA Hockey,” said Tony Driscoll, Assistant Executive Director of USA Hockey. “We’re excited to further highlight our players and provide fans a way to connect with them as they play on the global stage.”  

Hockey fans and collectors can find the latest information on upcoming USA Hockey trading cards and memorabilia at UpperDeck.com. 

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About Upper Deck 

Upper Deck is a global entertainment company creating trading cards, memorabilia, collectibles, games, and online platforms that deliver the experiences collectors crave. Upper Deck has set the unmatched industry standard for quality, authenticity, and innovation, and continues to bring generations of fans closer to their favorite athletes and characters with unique and authentic sports and entertainment product offerings, as well as its digital trading ecosystem. The company prides itself on creating collectibles that produce invaluable experiences for sports and entertainment’s most dedicated and loyal fans, with a goal to deliver excellence to the community across the most coveted properties as a means to develop memorable moments for collectors of all kinds. 

Find more information at http://www.upperdeck.com or follow us on Facebook (/UpperDeck), Instagram (UpperDeckSports), X (formerly known as Twitter) (UpperDeckSports), and YouTube (UDvids).  

Upper Deck Media Contact: 

Nicole Curro, nicole@carvecomms.com 

About USA Hockey 

USA Hockey, established on October 29, 1937, and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, provides the foundation for the sport of ice hockey in America; helps young people become leaders, sometimes Olympic or Paralympic heroes; and connects the game at every level while promoting a lifelong love of the sport. USA Hockey is more than a million strong, including players, coaches, officials and volunteers that span all 50 states. The National Governing Body for the sport in the United States, USA Hockey has important partnerships with the NHL, PWHL, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation. For more information, visit usahockey.com.

The post UPPER DECK ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE, LONG-TERM TRADING CARD DEAL WITH USA HOCKEY appeared first on Upper Deck.

Rush of Ikorr Merciless Battlegrounds – Xmucane and Xpiacoc, Maize Origin Deck Recipe

Xmucane and Xpiacoc Maize Origin is a Devotion Prophecy Avatar. This is a Sacrifice deck that utilizes trading your Champions in for greater benefits with the intention of bringing them back for greater value. This deck has a high curve but utilizes Influence manipulation to make it feasible through different phases of the game. For instance Xmucane and Xpiacoc’s Avatar Power is “Sacrifice a champion. The next champion you summon this turn costs X less to summon where X is the sacrificed champion’s influence cost”. Further playing into Influence manipulation Xmucane and Xpiacoc’s RUSH Ability is “Choose X allied players. Each of those players gain an exerted influence from their influence deck.” This is the first time a permanent ramp effect has been introduced in Rush of Ikorr.

© 2025 UDC.

Furthering the trend of Influence manipulation are cards like Sap of the Severed Head and Xquic Blood Maiden allowing you to gain Influence for sacrificing Champions. The Grim Calabash Location card reads “ACTION – Sacrifice a champion: Refresh X where X is the sacrifice champion’s influence cost.” This will help get higher costing cards out sooner in the game, while allowing you to more deliberately plan the Champions you are going to sacrifice. Stargazer will gain you 1 Influence for the turn at no cost and no regret as it is an ideal card to sacrifice.

© 2025 UDC.

© 2025 UDC.

Cards that use the power of Reanimate to recoup the costs of sacrificing champions are a key component to this deck. Bennu Brilliant Return and the Enduring Spirit Infusion card are a few that we have included in this deck. However, get the Royal Necropolis Location into play and all allied Champions gain Reanimate. With two Locations to choose from in this deck we’ve added in Kukunochi Towering Grove to add protection to those high-cost Champions on the battlefield. Utilize Curse of the Defiler to “Summon target champion from your graveyard. It Gains Swift. During the end phase, destroy it” to get your other sacrificed Champions out of your graveyard.

© 2025 UDC.

Since this deck is primed with Influence manipulation you can get the heavy hitter Fabled Champions out earlier in the game. We’ve included cards like Ammit Soulgorger, Polyphemus Blind Devourer, Chaac Rainbringer, and Thousand – Armed Kannon to finish off the last bit of hope of victory your opponents had.

© 2025 The Upper Deck Company. 14+

Full Deck List

Stay up to date on all things Rush of Ikorr!

Get first looks of upcoming releases by following Upper Deck on Facebook @upperdeckent, Instagram @upperdeckent, X @upperdeckent, and YouTube @UDvids.

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The post Rush of Ikorr Merciless Battlegrounds – Xmucane and Xpiacoc, Maize Origin Deck Recipe appeared first on Upper Deck.

Rush of Ikorr Merciless Battlegrounds – Izanagi, He Who Beckons Deck Recipe

Izanagi, He Who Beckons is a Ambition Prophecy Avatar. We have crafted a tried-and-true Aggro deck utilizing cheap efficient champions, aggressive keywords, and high attack. This Izanagi deck is great for supporting allies in multi-player 2 vs 2 and 3 vs 3 formats. This is especially true when partnering with control decks. Izanagi’s Avatar Power says “If target allied player controls one or fewer champions, the next champion they summon this turn costs 2 less to summon (to a minimum of 1).” With a RUSH Ability saying “Choose an allied player. That player summons a champion with an influence cost of 6 or less from their hand.” This will be particularly useful for getting allied players with control decks up to speed by laying down Champions, rather than playing solely spells in the early game.

© 2025 UDC.

Exploit Izanagi’s Avatar Ability with Niobe Sulking Stone. Niobe Sulking Stone says “All cards cost 1 more to play”, with a health of 5 making it difficult to remove from play. Izanagi’s Avatar Power will help negate this effect on the allied side of the battlefield while disrupting your opponent’s strategy through the increase in Influence cost to play cards. Additionally, include cards like Homer Sovereign Scribe to further defuse the effects of Niobe Sulking Stone on your side of the battlefield.

© 2025 UDC.

Summon the ultimate offense with Amun Warrior, allowing you to gain +1 attack for each non-Fabled Champion you control. Add in Ra Warrior, gaining +2 attack on your turn. Cast the Prevailing Reign Spell which states “Until the end of this turn, champions you control get +2 attack and are Warriors in addition to their other types”.

© 2025 UDC.

Kaqutsuchi Fatal Flame is a heavy-hitting Fabled Champion with an attack of 6 with Quick Strike and Swift. However this 4 drop comes with a cost, Kagutsuchi reads “SUMMON – Deal 4 damage to an allied champion. If that champion is a God, destroy it instead.” Kagutsuchi is best paired with a Champion with Reanimate or in this case Swift Messenger infused with the Enduring Spirit Infusion card. This will allow you to reap the benefits of Kagutsuchi while still being able to bring your allied Champion back online. Burnt Incense Ritual will also help you get your sacrificed Champion back into your hand while also reducing its cost to summon it by 1.

© 2025 UDC.

Layer your hefty Champion deck with powerful aggro Spells. The Plague of Arrows spell card reads “Deal 1 damage to each opposing champion. Stun each Human dealt damage this way”. We’ve also included Heat Lightning, which is another Spell card that allows you to hit your opponents with non-strike damage.

© 2025 The Upper Deck Company. 14+

Full Deck List

Stay up to date on all things Rush of Ikorr!

Get first looks of upcoming releases by following Upper Deck on Facebook @upperdeckent, Instagram @upperdeckent, X @upperdeckent, and YouTube @UDvids.

Don’t miss a thing! Sign up for the Upper Deck Newsletter to have Upper Deck game updates sent straight to your inbox: https://upperdeck.com/sign-up-for-our-email-list/

The post Rush of Ikorr Merciless Battlegrounds – Izanagi, He Who Beckons Deck Recipe appeared first on Upper Deck.