Assault on Echo Base - Jedi and Smugglers Review

Knowledge and Defense (53-1) - 3/5
This card has a nice ability, albeit limited and conditional. Jedi rely on a few heavy hitters to stay in the game. This helps them do that. Because of that, I think that it has potential. As others have said, there are currently better options for Jedi support pods; it is hard to beat the Secret of Yavin 4 and/or A Message from Beyond. That said, I have been surprised with this in play-testing; it performs better than I had expected it to.

Daughters of Allya (53-2) x2 - 3/5
I love the synergy these have with Questionable Contacts and A Message From Beyond. I have had fun in the late game saving Luke or Han with an Old Ben's Spirit on the DS turn, and then proceeding to damage Questionable Contacts to move one damage, damaging A Message From Beyond to get Old Ben's Spirit back, dropping Old Ben's Spirit again, and then playing the Daughters and committing them in that turn, negating the damage I just did to my own objectives. As far as weenie characters go, they are pretty decent, but defensive in nature, which is both their positive and negative aspect...At this point they seem fun, but not competitive.

Yoda's Protection (53-4) - 2/5
It is free and it helps objectives stick around. In practice, I have not been too impressed with it. It is good to stick on Knowledge and Defense, just so your opponent can't send a weenie through to get an unopposed damage on it and shut off its ability.

Confronting the Terror (53-5) - 2/5
I have been able to get this card to do some serious work for me in a few games during play-testing, and also had my opponents surprise me with it. Against DS decks with massive damage ability, such as Capital Ships, this card can be nice.

Protection (53-6) - 4/5
I love this card. It goes off before DS Heat of Battle and DS Target of Opportunity, and you can place the shield on any unit or objective, not just those in the engagement. This card is solid.


Overall - 3/5
I think this set has potential. As I mentioned, it is hard to cram it into a Jedi deck right now, given the other options. But, I can see it becoming great in the future.

Knowledge and Defense (53-1) - 2/5
I have to admit that this Objective's effect can be powerful. Although it doesn't get around the best spot removal (Force Choke/ Lightning), it does present a big problem for the Dark Side player, giving you repeated access to your heavy hitters or, at the very least, subsequent Edge advantage. With even a cursory amount of shielding and healing this can be a real pain. Or it can be blank.....

Daughters of Allya (53-2) x2 - 2/5
While I do like the utility (2 Force icons, Tactics, synergy with Knowledge and Defense), most of the time they just won't do nearly enough. This card is just on the wrong side of the Force. As a Dark Side card, this would be very playable. As a Light Side card, more punch is needed.

Yoda's Protection (53-4) - 1/5
Yoda's Protection is another card that simply doesn't do enough for me. Yes, keeping Knowledge and Defense clear is nice, but because it targets only one Objective, its use is so limited in scope that it will be close to useless in all but the most unlikely situations. The really unfortunate thing is that it also only has one Force icon, making it sub-par for Edge battles as well. It also can't shield defending units, only the Objective itself. Even drawing a card when it was played would be something. Against the Sith, this is literally a dead card. Wait, that's not true....it provides one more Force icon than a basic Resource, so it has that going for it. I hope someone can prove me wrong and tell me some normal situations where this card is at all valuable.

Confronting the Terror (53-5) - 3/5
This card is obviously powerful and has an effect that can really turn a game. Then again, a 3 cost event ought to do something crazy. While I don't think this is on level with Desolation, it does have 3 Force icons, a game-changing effect, and it will hardly ever be unwelcome. I suppose it makes a decent bluff too, even if it requires three open resources to pull off. This just feels like one of those cards that will be crazy good 20% of the time and average or below more often than not. Still, 3 icons for an Edge battle is never unwelcome.

Protection (53-6) - 4/5
I am a big fan of this, especially since it doesn't target something IN the battle. Combined with Preparation for Battle this card can do some amazing things. It can even shield Objectives in a pinch. Very solid, versatile card all around.

Overall: 2/5 - Runs into very poor comparisons with Secret of Yavin 4 as a support set. For all the tricks, it's a Resourceless, do-nothing set that I can't see shoehorning into a deck.

Knowledge and Defense (53-1) - 4/5
The success of Knowledge and Defense revolves around how long you can keep it undamaged. While the ability of this objective is active it causes so many issues for the dark side because you never truly can get rid of those pesky characters and when you do you are potentially giving your opponent more cards to win edge battles with. I really like this objective as a way to counter Force Lightning and Force Choke mid combat, but against a deck that can be aggressive and get early objective damage it loses some of its luster. As a side note, killing Luke Skywalker with Force Choke while Knowledge and Defense is out then striking with a Z-95 Headhunter to capture the Luke never gets old.

Daughters of Allya (53-2) x2 - 3/5
All around a solid addition to Jedi decks. With a cost of two, two edge icons, two health, a decent ability, an edge enabled Tactics icon, and to top it all off she is a Force user there isn't much more you could ask for. What makes the Daughters ability viable in my opinion is that you can wait to use it and it removes damage from all your objectives. So if you have out a Secrets of Yavin 4 you can spread the damage around a bit, commit a Daughter and all of a sudden your objectives are back at full health. Overall the Daughters are a decent addition to Jedi decks as a low cost efficient Force user that provides added utility.

Yoda's Protection (53-4) - 3/5
It pains me to give Yoda's Protection a three because I actually think it is a better card then that but it has issues. The biggest issue is that you have to attach this to a single objective so all your opponent has to do to negate its effect is NOT attack that objective. You can use this to your advantage by placing it on a highly useful objective; such as Knowledge and Defense. If this had been a "play area" enhancement that let you place a shield on the first objective engaged each turn it would have been orders of magnitude better, as it stands I won't even be sad to see Yoda's Protection but I also won't be jumping for joy.

Confronting the Terror (53-5) - 2/5
Confronting the Terror is one of those cards that you want to love and will hold on to even when you know you shouldn't because you just know it will win you the game on the next turn. The ability can be game changing, just think of redirecting a Devastator or Vader attack back in their face, all the while preventing that damage to one of your units or objectives. The downside is that you are going to channel playing this card from a mile away and since your opponent can spread the damage out it may not hurt as much as you had hoped. Oddly enough I could see this card being rather good in a Rebel deck.

Protection (53-6) - 4/5
I absolutely love Protection, mainly because it doesn't require you to choose a unit or objective in the current engagement. Being able to choose anything you want to shield makes this card super versatile and I have often found I will play it during an unopposed attack just to get its free Shield out. The two force icons are nice too as Light Side needs some higher edge value cards at times.

Overall: 4/5

Knowledge and Defense (53-1) - 2/5
A neat little effect, but the limitations of it being undamaged and only applying to within engagements give it weaknesses to all types of DS decks.

Daughters of Allya (53-2) x2 - 3/5
After using them, they aren't terrible. The tactics is a really nice option to have, more Force Users are fun, and the ability is fine. Not amazing, but very playable.

Yoda's Protection (53-4) - 1/5
Just not a huge effect, especially since it's only protecting the damage rather than the double duty it would do on units, defending from tactics.

Confronting the Terror (53-5) - 1/5
The more I think about this card, the less I like it. It costs a lot, telegraphs your plays, and does very little when you actually use it. Maybe its day will come, but not yet.

Protection (53-6) - 4/5
Great to have more diversity in fate cards and this is a good effect!

Overall - 2/5
Not great right now, but if there are more cards that allow Jedi to play defensive then this will be extremely cool. I like the idea and the direction its going.

Knowledge and Defense (53-1) - 2/5
Not a huge fan of this card. I tend to find all of the "While undamaged" objectives a little little lacking. More often than not its irrelevant after a turn or 2. Regardless of that, the ability to bounce characters back is hardly new to the Jedi, Redemption has been available since the beginning of the game and has rarely seen play. Even so, it can be frustrating to finally kill a Luke or Yoda to have it played again next turn, or to have it pitched in the next edge battle is again pretty useful for the LS player. Not a terrible objective but nothing groundbreaking either.

Daughters of Allya (53-2) x2 - 3/5
Not terrible but not inspiring either. Certainly a good chud for taking the force having 2 icons and an ability relevant to that particular mechanic. With the amount of pressure the DS played can put on with cards such as A Dark Time for the Rebellion the ability may be more useful than what it originally looks. The edge dependant Tactics icon can be useful as a defensive measure which is very much in the flavour of this card.

Yoda's Protection (53-4) - 3/5
Not terrible at all. Shielding on one of your more useful objectives is nothing to sniff at. Against the more aggresive builds this can help buy you an extra turn which for Jedi is quite often enough for them to steal the win. A decent enough card for its cost.

Confronting the Terror (53-5) - 2/5
When do Jedi ever have 3 spare resources? Hardly ever. This card can be devestating but at what cost? Not only are you likely to be telegraphing your play but truth be told it really isn't that good. I'm not saying its a terrible card, it isn't, but at the same time 3 resources is an awful lot to pay for a card like this.

Protection (53-6) - 5/5
Edge battle shielding...yes please! Please Sir, Can I have some more?

Overall-2/5. Not what Jedi are in need of at the minute. Some decent cards but nothing that will replace any existing cards currently found in decks. Feels a little lacking to me.

Knowledge and Defense (Assault on Echo Base 53-1) - 2.5/5
I'm not quite sure what to think about this card. I originally thought it was all units are returned to hand when they die which was strong. However, it is limited to in combat which is rather limiting in a heavy sith environment. In many situations the DS player will damage a critical unit in the battle and then kill it after the engagement. Also, it is limited to decks that include Yavin 4 to keep it activated. In the current card pool I don't love it.

Daughters of Allya (Assault on Echo Base 53-2) x2 - 2/5
In the current card pool this card is alright. 2 for a weenie with an edge tactics is a bit too much. LS tends to have few enough resources that 2 is actually a substantial amount. To the point where I don't want to just throw this card away like I would a Twilek Loyalist. It's ability is certainly interesting and in a different pod this card would be great. Essentially for me in a vaccuum the card is decent but as the only character in a pod it is rather lackluster.

Yoda's Protection (Assault on Echo Base 53-4) - 1/5
The biggest problem with this card is that it does not work with with Secrets of Yavin 4. If it worked on the redirect it would be a useful card. As it is I think its a 1 force icon edge card which is pretty bad. Now in the future I could see this card being great against a Sith deck to keep alive a critical objective that completely warps the game. Right now I don't really feel like Jedi decks have objectives that fit into that category.

Confronting the Terror (Assault on Echo Base 53-5) - 2/5
Until Jedi decks get more resources this is a card that won't see much play. It is still a great edge card at 3 which is nice. The problem is this: if you save 3 back to play it you probably are playing close to nothing. It is a card that is telegraphed by leaving the 3 back. You could argue who cares if the Devastator attacks I still get 4 icons, but the Devastator doesn't have to attack. The DS can just keep improving its board position while you play nothing and hold back 3 resources. I view this card as one that would just crush new players, but more experienced players will see it coming a mile away. Now if Jedi ever gets a build with oodles of resources like the Devastating Sith then this card becomes phenomenal.

Protection (Assault on Echo Base 53-6) - 4/5
This is a great card. Nothing beats a surprise shield. Just the existence of this is a deck will disrupt your opponent's combat math. I really really wish it was in a better pod. Oh well.

Overall: 1.5/5
All but unplayable in the current meta. It gives no resources and little utility. Even in a Jedi weenie deck you would have to have Secrets of Yavin 4 out to make this obejctive set worth playing. As always I am reviewing this in the current card pool. This all could change with just one pack. But essentially you are getting no mains, 2 decent supporting characters, no resources, and one good fate card. That puts it really low in the pecking order of Jedi pods.

Last Defense of Hoth (54-1) - 2/5
This would be so much better if it was not dependent on being undamaged. It is a Hoth location, which is nice, and also gives some help to builds that traditionally have trouble winning edge battles (insert Top Gun style cough - "Rebel Alliance"). In my playtesting so far, it seems that when this card works, it really works. I have had it frustrate me playing as DS in quite a few games.

Col Serra (54-2) - 3/5
Serra is great, but he is trapped in an awkward objective set. His stock is going to surge in value once the expansion drops, to be certain. If you win the edge battle, he is a beast. If you lose it, he does essentially nothing. Having 3 damage capacity is what keeps us all looking at him while deck-building. He is good now, will become better after the expansion is released, and has potential to be excellent, if the right style of deck can be built around him in the future.

Renegade Squadron X-Wing (54-3) - 2/5
This is a decent small unit that can double as an overpriced Swindled. The FFG design team seems to like tossing vehicles into pods that seem character focused, and characters into pods that are obviously vehicle focused. It is one way to balance things, I suppose. I don't mind a 2-for-2 with a nice ability. This card is not amazing, but I think that it is better than some of the other 2-cost weenies in the game.

Renegade Squadron Recruit (54-4) - 2/5
Well, you certainly can't beat free as far as cost is concerned. But, you definitely get what you pay for. A decent meat shield for zero cost. Not awful. I wish that he was S&S affiliated.

A Stinging Insult (54-5) - 2/5
This card has definite potential, but is frustrating, being in this pod. My first inclination would be to use this to force the DS to defend with one of their heavy hitters, such as the Devastator, with me attacking with a weenie that I don't care about, just to focus one of the DS's main units. But, the pod doesn't give us a minor S&S character, which makes the thought of splashing this objective set less appealing. For instance, if you splashed this pod into Jedi, Serra would be your only target for this card. The limitations of it having to be a character and having to be a S&S character make it significantly less appealing to me right now. It might get better after the expansion, when solid S&S deck archetypes develop.


Don't Get Cocky (54-6) - 2/5
You have to win an edge battle by two or more force icons, and this pod has five total; this seems bad. But, the potential for a little bit of blast damage is nice in a pod that only has two blast icons, and both are edge dependent and on the same character. I think that this should have been zero-cost. The condition on the card is harsh enough to warrant this having been zero-cost and still not overpowered or broken.

Overall - 2/5
This pod seems bad, good, awkward, and odd, all at the same time. I just need to see the expansion before my feeling about it can settle.

Last Defense of Hoth (54-1) - 3/5
Keeping it undamaged for too long might prove difficult, but this effect is very, very strong. Free Edge cards. Multiple times a turn. Every turn. Looking at the card still gives you plenty of advantage, even though the card itself is random. I like things that force the Dark Side to attack, and this makes a tempting target. You are one unblocked Espo Trooper away from futility, and although the effect is good, it won't be good for long.

Col Serra (54-2) - 2/5
If you lose the Edge battle, this guy is a severely overcosted paperweight. While he forces the Dark Side to go over the top to stop him, it's not always necessary, as he doesn't do too much for a 4 cost guy. He has no unit damage and, unfortunately, just isn't on the same level as Luke and Han for taking control of the game. On the plus side, there are plenty of ways to give Col extra icons during a battle, which can make for some decent attacks and bad decision-making for the Dark Side. All in all, I don't feel that the hype surrounding him will pan out, and his 4 cost does not seem justified. In fact, I'm going to go bold and say he is pretty bad.

Renegade Squadron X-Wing (54-3) - 4/5
This little guy is a sneaky, solid card all around. He is also another way to trigger Leia on your terms. The Tactics icon is handy, and it seems like he will be worth his 2 cost in most situations. This is another card that makes the Dark Side make bad plays. He screws up defense and attack choices, and just the fact that he's sitting there will be enough to add an extra level of thought to every move the DS player makes, especially if Leia is in play. I like him.

Renegade Squadron Recruit (54-4) - 1/5
"Many Bothans died to bring us this information." I can see why.

A Stinging Insult (54-5) - 3/5
Forcing your opponent off of his predetermined blocking plans is a good thing, and this card does give you some good situational flexibility to nab the Force, screw up your opponent's defense order, or just plan be a jerk and double focus a committed unit. Pulling a focused character into the battle to kill it can be a beating. It does cost 1 and doesn't offer much Edge help, so it gets some demerits there.

Don't Get Cocky (54-6) - 2/5
At first glance, I really liked this card more than I should have. At second glance it starts to look a little worse. Yes, it can be explosive, but the math on it is all wrong, and the hoops you have to jump through to get it to work can be rough. It's effect is very good, but it's the ancillary stuff that makes this card a lot worse than you think: It costs 1 resource, has only 1 Force icon, comes in a set that severely lacks Force icons, and, in general, you will have to be at a card disadvantage to use it if the way isn't completely clear.

Overall: 2/5 - The Objective's ability is good in a bubble, but the SEVERE lack of force icons in this set is a real tragedy. If you're using Last Defense's ability to counteract the set's low Force count, is it really that big of a bonus? Not impressed.

Last Defense of Hoth (54-1) - 1/5
This objective is going to get people in so much trouble since you cannot choose to use the card for the edge battle or return it to the top of your deck once you use the interrupt. Add to that the fact it must be undamaged to even use the effect and it is a limiting factor on an effect that could cause as much harm as good. For all I know I am way off base and this will be the best objective ability ever, but I just foresee many tears coming from using this and your opponent having a Twist of Fate to get rid of your big unit to absolutely no effect.

Col Serra (54-2) - 3/5
Sometimes entire objective sets frustrate me beyond belief because they have individual cards that are fantastic, then as a whole the objective just fizzles out and doesn't do much. That scenario kills Col Serra for me because he is a good unit on his own but his objective set doesn't back him up enough to make him truly shine. Having Edge 1 saves Col Serra as he forces your opponent to play edge cards and his ability additionally forces them to win said engagement. Col Serra has potential down the road, too bad his supporting objective just lets him down.

Renegade Squadron X-Wing (54-3) - 3/5
This unit screams utility because you can send it into an engagement either alone or with other units and usually get good value out of it. Your opponent either lets it through and you get a Tactics icon to place or they defend and you potentially bounce a two cost unit back to their hand. A nice combat trick to add to the Smugglers growing arsenal of removal.

Renegade Squadron Recruit (54-4) - 1/5
My mother always said that if I don't have anything nice to say I shouldn't say anything at all, since this is a card review I have to say something: This card costs 0. In all seriousness though I really wish that this had one force icon at the very least, especially given the theme of the set it is included in. As a zero cost unit with one health and a unit damage this guy is just begging to be Force Choked or simply just ignored completely. At the very least this unit could have been a Smuggler affiliated card so he could be used in combination with A Stinging Insult.

A Stinging Insult (54-5) - 4/5
I really like the usages of this card as you can force your opponent into some very bad situations such as defending with Palpatine when they have no cards in hand. Also you can use this as a way to clear the road for more profitable attacks later on by forcing your opponent to block a lone Twi'lek Smuggler or Renegade Squadron Operative. Being limited to when a Character attacks limits it a bit, but in the right decks; I'm look at you Han Solo, it will be a solid way to get around your opponents defenders.

Don't Get Cocky (54-6) - 2/5
Winning an edge battle is decently tough for Light Side, winning an edge battle by 2 or more is a real rarity. The benefit from Don't Get Cocky is good enough to warrant a strict stipulation as giving a unit two objective damage is quite a huge swing for the Light Side. Overall not a horrible card, but very limited in the opportunities you will be able to play it.

Overall: 3/5

Last Defense of Hoth (54-1) - 3/5
I really like this ability, so I'm sad it can be easily turned off from damage. I wouldn't use it in every battle, but when you need to win that edge the extra icons (or even bluff of extra icons) can really be key.

Col Serra (54-2) - 3/5
I have some mixed feelings about Col. Edge 1 is amazing and really helps the attacker leverage his hand. He has 3 health, so he won't immediately die. What I like the most is that he has 2 blast damage (even edge dependent) and is a Character. There are many more ways right now to do shenanigans to refresh/improve your characters and not a lot of characters with that much objective damage. He's risky, but can do some real damage.

Renegade Squadron X-Wing (54-3) - 3/5
Tactics are nice and I love tricks with bouncing things back into hands.

Renegade Squadron Recruit (54-4) - 1/5
I have a hard time accepting units with no force icons at all. I'd take an Espo Trooper over him any day of the week.

A Stinging Insult (54-5) - 3/5
This will be much more interesting with more S&S units to use it with. My biggest problem is the timing of it. Because you have to choose who you are harpooning in to defend before they choose defenders, it seems like most of the time they'll shrug and say "okay, that's who I'll defend with."

Don't Get Cocky (54-6) - 2/5
It has a lot of requirements, but it also gives a whole lot of extra blast. Can be hard to save that one resource, so it's definitely something you need to plan around.

Overall - 2/5
It feels like there's something missing or just a bit off about this pod. Col is almost amazing, the events are almost really good, the objective sometimes saves your butt, but overall it just doesn't quite do it for me.

Last Defense of Hoth (54-1) - 2/5
A very limiting ability on the objective. Requiring it to be undamaged and having no choice whether to use that card or not after you use the ability can be a double edged sword. Seems very limited in its application. On the plus side, its about time S&S had an average objective.

Col Serra (54-2) - 3/5
Col Serra has a very interesting design. The more cards I see, the more I think that S&S will have all manner of Edge battle trickery. That makes me want to like this guy a lot more than I actually do. Edge 1 is always pretty annoying for the DS player and the ability to be essentially invulnerable is awesome. However, as the same cost as Luke it is very hard not to compare the 2 and Skywalker comes out leaps and bounds ahead. Regardless of that, Serra is still a decent unique and will occasionally be golden.

Renegade Squadron X-Wing (54-3) - 4/5
More trickery for the S&S decks out there. I really like this card. Well costed and between the tactics icon and the ability to 'Swindle' another unit is damned awesome. A very versatile unit for its cost.

Renegade Squadron Recruit (54-4) - 3/5
Its free. I hear free things are good in card games. This guy is hardly going to set the world alight with his awesomeness but what do you want for a measly 0 resources. Regardless of that, hes just another niggly little chud to send into battle. Decent enough.

A Stinging Insult (54-5) - 5/5
Yet more trickery. This card has the potential to be so very vulgar. Forcing them to defend before blasting their defender from the battlefield is pretty useful, or denying them a force focussed unit has the potential to be quite frustrating. Combined with some other elements such as Echo Caverns this card is a beast, pure and simple. Best card in the objective for sure.

Don't Get Cocky (54-6) - 4/5
Interesting card. Normally I would say that the need to win the edge battle by 2 or more is quite a barrier but considering the amount of unit control the S&S have available to them this card will be surprisingly playable and thusly devestating giving your units that little extra bite. Great card.


Overall-4/5. Not the greatest S&S set we have seen but its about time we saw one that wasn't ridiculous. There are some solid cards here with some options for playstyle. Serra does seem a little underwhelming compared to say Luke but he is still a powerhouse. There are some solid control options here with Stinging Insult and the X-wing so I do feel this is still a very good objective set.

Last Defense of Hoth (Assault on Echo Base 54-1) - 2/5
This effect is pretty cool and makes it much tougher for your opponent to calculate their chances of winning an edge battle. However, this new undamaged mechanic seems to force you to run Yavin 4 and hope you get it.

Col Serra (Assault on Echo Base 54-2) - 1/5
Ok before you get upset take a deep breath. This rating is based on the current card pool. With Sith so popular and dominate, you will almost never win edge battles this character is participating in. I'm stunned by how bad he is for his 4 cost. Now in the future, if Navy becomes much more prevalent there will certainly be a build in which he will excel, but that time is not now. Just think of all the 4 cost units for ls and how much better they are than Col Serra.

Renegade Squadron X-Wing (Assault on Echo Base 54-3) - 4/5
I love this guy. I like tricks and he's one tricky dude. You can bounce their character. You can bounce Leia. 2 cost to bounce a dude and you get a tactics icon. Yeah I'll take that.

Renegade Squadron Recruit (Assault on Echo Base 54-4) - 2.5/5
He's fine. Nothing special. But he is Renegade Squadron so there is a lot of room for icon manipulation with Echo Caverns.

A Stinging Insult (Assault on Echo Base 54-5) - 3/5
This card is going to be amazing. However, right now it's kind of blah. Go ahead take a minute to look through the card pool. Yeah surprisingly there aren't that many Smugs characters. Many of them are vehicles or neutral. I'm guessing that after EoD this card will be real good. You better use that Motti every turn or he will be dying in an engagement he wasn't ready for.

Don't Get Cocky (Assault on Echo Base 54-6) - 3/5
I like this card quite a bit. Yeah you have to win by 2 but I think that's doable. It would have to be in a weenie deck in which you are attacking 2 or 3 objectives. You just hold back a Target for the one they let go unoppposed and then you drop this one them. Y-Wing = blowing up objectives. I think I like that. X-wing plus Target = blowing up objectives, hmm I like that even more.

Overall: 2/5
There just isn't a place for this pod right now. You can't win many edge battle you need to as the LS with most of the current builds. This objective relies heavily on winning these edge battles and gives you no way to do so. Add in Col Serra as the money card and you're in a bit of trouble. I do think in the future there will be a deck built around winning edge battles and this pod. I also think Renegade Squadron X-Wing might play a critical role in a heavy Leia recursion deck as well. This seems like a support pod that hasn't seen its hey day yet.