"Between the Shadows" Deluxe Expansion Review – Dark Side

"Between the Shadows" Deluxe Expansion Review – Dark Side




THE REVIEWERS:
-chunkygorillas, 2014's Canadian champion.
-colsanders, author of the Fearless and Inventive articles.
-doctormungmung, Massachussets' evil genius.
-Majestaat, 2014's Chilean champion.
"What, no Toqtamish?" Sadly, that's the case. He made a valiant last-minute sacrifice fighting canadian snowstorms so that the rest of our party could pull through to face the final boss.
And since his loss was so late into the game, there was no way to get a replacement character. Talk about a bad RPG.
More importantly, being only 4 reviewers this time, expect the average scores to be a tad more unreliable now.


THE RATING SYSTEM:
It's to be noted that due to the SW:LCG's unique way of deckbuilding, it's impossible to just pick the stronger cards. You're likely to stick with some undesirable cards no matter what. Hence, the different scores could be seen as:
1 – Poor – Edge fodder. Drops the total value of its objective set.
2 – Bad – Most likely edge fodder. Either too situational or not strong enough for its cost.
3 – Average – Not stellar but does its job decently.
4 – Good – Solid card with guaranteed impact.
5 – Great – Gamechangers you will always be glad to see and play, if able.
* = indicates unique card.

Due to the amount of work involved this time, overall scores for the sets as a whole were skipped. Expect them to make an appearance for the Rogue Cycle reviews!


THE BIG DEALS:



Top 10 DS Cards (ignoring reprints):
1 – Boba Fett ("No Disintegrations") with 20 pts.
2 – Masterful Manipulation (Masterful Manipulation) with 20 pts.
3 – Shadows of the Empire (Masterful Manipulation) with 20 pts.
4 – Prince Xizor (Masterful Manipulation) with 19 pts.
5 – Snoova (The Hunters) with 19 pts.
6 – General Tagge (Family Connections) with 19 pts.
7 – Virago (The Best Credits Can Buy) with 18 pts.
8 – Rise of the Black Sun (The Best Credits Can Buy) with 18 pts.
9 – Boushh (The Hunters) with 18 pts.
10 – Official Inquiry (The Investigation) with 18 pts.

Overall best rated DS Objective Set:
Masterful Manipulation, with 105 out of 120 possible points total.


THE REVIEWS:

"No Disintegrations" (134-1): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – A solid 5/1 objective that in the right deck can really mess with some of the Lightside plans, and finally a good way to counter Chewie and Wookie Life Debt

colsanders (5/5) – Finally, the the REAL Fett set arrives. We saw this ages ago, and the ability is still as good as I thought it was then. The more and more Bounty Hunters/Mercs we get, the better.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Removing protect is huge. Now when you want to get rid of Luke of Yoda, you shoot Luke or Yoda, and not the Jedi Guardian sitting over on the side. It works well with vehicles as well (even more so, because in general it takes less damage to kill a vehicle than it does to kill a Jedi). Scum have no lack of Bounty Hunters and Mercenaries to shoot things with, so I think this objectives ability will see a lot of use.

Majestaat (3/5) – Doesn't mean much against Jedi, though it can provide that little bit of extra damage to deal with their mains. Assuming the Rogue cycle makes swarmy decks more popular, this will be ruining everyone's day.


*Boba Fett (134-2): 20 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – He is a 4 cost unit that in the right situation can blow up objectives in 1 shot! That is crazy good, on top of that he is an awesome defender, and with 3 force icons and elite he can help hold the force too.

colsanders (5/5) – Now this is what I'm talking about for a Scum main. Elite with 3 Force Icons, which was desperately needed for Scum. Three health, agressive array of combat icons, and my, oh my, that reaction. He is wonderfull as an attacker or defender. I have yet to use a Spice Visions on him for even more carnage....

doctormungmung (5/5) – We finally get a new Fett, and boy does he make up for a lot of disappointment. Three health will help him stick around to get off his built in double strike, whether he’s committed to the force or not. Unopposed he can one shot an objective. Even opposed he can likely kill an objective if he has the edge, since he’s also dishing out four unit damage. Being elite means that he’s hard to pin down with tactics, and can hold the force and still be useful in combat. This version of Fett is a combat monster, and he wants you to know it.

Majestaat (5/5) – "He's shut down by tactics". Just like 80 or 90% of the units out there. Honestly, he would be beyond broken if that wasn't the case. Good mix of combat icons suited for both offense and defense, 3 force icons and the Elite keyword, making him a strong Force holder in the Scum context. Then there's that reaction... yeah, it relies on the edge to unleash its full potential, but man can Fett ruin your day. If there are no available tactics or not enough unit damage, he can basically stomp over anyone and take an objective in a single engagement. If tactics worry you, use Scum's own abundant amount of tactics to pave the way.


Freelance Hunter (134-3): 11 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Pretty good 2 drop, the extra black objective damage is really nice for scum to help them speed up the game.

colsanders (3/5) – While I like that Scum is getting some blast damage now, in this particular set I would have liked to see the normal black unit, white blast. It would have just worked better considering the objective stops Protect.

doctormungmung (3/5) – This is what Scum has needed, cost efficient blast that’s not edge enabled. And she’s both a Mercenary and Bounty Hunter, so she works with the likes of No Disintegrations or Lucrative Contacts. Two health means she doesn’t get killed by Han, and some edge enabled unit damage makes more dangerous to block then just the blast would. Solid unit.

Majestaat (2/5) – Black unit damage is better than black blast for DS, and with more reason given this set's objective.
That said, Scum was in need of affordable and reliable blast damage. This guy does the trick well enough. Won't be on your priority of plays, but as other cheap units does fair damage when unopposed, and more importantly, can shut down that "while undamaged" objective without caring about the edge.


Flamethrower (134-4): 14 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – I really wanted to love this card when I first saw it, but ultimately I think it’s too expensive. The ability is really strong, but I just have found so far I haven’t been in many situations where it does enough to justify spending 2 resources on it.

colsanders (4/5) – This unlike the chud unit works wonders with the objectives ability. Getting this onto one of your cheap Scum units makes them quite the damage dealer, ex. Jawa, Galactic Scum, Pig.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Scum gets some “area of effect” damage. But it’s got some significant drawbacks, namely its cost and the fact that it’s an enhancement. Two resources is a lot to invest for a unit enhancement. If you can’t protect the unit it’s on, they now have a huge target on their heads. And they also have to be able to strike, so tactics will shut this down. But, put it on Mara with a Royal Guard around, and the LS is pretty much hosed. And it has decent edge if you don’t want to risk it.

Majestaat (4/5) – Doesn't mean much against Jedi, though it can provide that little bit of extra damage to deal with their mains. Now, assuming the Rogue cycle makes swarmy decks more popular, this will become a huge threat.


Prized Possession (134-5): 16 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – I am super happy this set has a resource; every mono Scum deck I have built so far with “Boba Fett” in it has really needed this resource.

colsanders (4/5) – I like this with a big main like Boba.

doctormungmung (4/5) – It’s a standard one for one limited resource. Scum doesn’t really lack for resources, but having one in a key set that does something other than provide resources is very welcome. It helps focus deckbuilding and streamlines the resultant deck.

Majestaat (4/5) – You always need a handful of these when running bigger units like Boba.


Entangled (134-6): 11 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This card can be really powerful, but it’s pretty conditional on when you can actually play it, I find more often than not I just end up throwing this card into the edge.

colsanders (2/5) – Very situational. Your opponent can kind of plan for it if they see any of the set, if Jedi shields remain popular it might get trigger a little more. Only one Force Icon makes it a junky edge card as well.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Being able to control the order that your opponent’s units attack can be very big. Now you have the opportunity to deal with a Luke or a Yoda before they get to attack if their going into an engagement with friends. With the No Disintegrations out, you can potentially kill them outright when they thought they were in control of the situation. Costing zero means that they can never really know if you have an Entangled ready for them, and even the bluff of one can really throw off how they do their engagements.

Majestaat (2/5) – Man, I love this card. But big mains can simply attack alone, making this pretty worthless, especially at only 1 force icon. If your opponent expects it and you don't have tactics or enough unit damage, he can also attack with his weakest unit first then use his big hitter. At least it's free and actually gets to do a lot of stuff if the ideal situation arises.


Masterful Manipulation (135-1): 20 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – I think this may be one of the best objectives in the game, it gives you 2 resources and then instead of being locked out for a turn like most 2 resource objectives you can just shuffle it away and grab a new objective, getting rid of the downside that 2 resource objectives have. Also if your opponent attacks it and doesn’t end up destroying it, you can once again just shuffle it away getting rid of the damage essentially making their attack pointless

colsanders (5/5) – Oh no! Four health objective! Only a downside if they can one shot this bad boy. Two resources everytime it hits play as well. Just so much goodness going on here. The Scum only drawback is a bummer, but not enough to drop the rating from perfect.

doctormungmung (5/5) – This objective is amazing! Even with four health, it’s very hard to kill, as it’s only around for one turn. It always provides two resources, since your next turn it will be replaced by a fresh objective in your deck. And the icing on the cake is that when you put it back into the deck, you get to draw a card. The only slight downside is that it’s Scum only, which means you can’t use it in a mostly Scum deck. I guess we can’t have everything.

Majestaat (5/5) – One of the best objectives in the game, period. Yes, it's only 4 damage capacity and restricted to Scum affiliation, but you get 2 resources that you can actually use without getting locked the next turn if you decide to trigger its reaction (if you're lucky, you might draw MM again for another 2 resources!). Speaking of which, it provides some self insurance as long as the LS can't destroy this objective during a single engage. You also get to draw a card to cycle through your deck a bit faster.


*Prince Xizor (135-2): 19 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – I love this unit, a great defender, with tactics and unit damage and his reaction is a great way to turn on the Scum objectives that need captured cards. Also, like Boba Fett, he has 3 force icons and elite so he can really help win those force struggles what Scum is usually not amazing at.

colsanders (5/5) – This is the guy I wanted to see the most out of this box, even more than Boba. My favorite SW book was Shadows of the Empire, and the Prince does not disappoint. Three Force Icons and Elite, just like Boba, and an even more impressive combat icon spread. The reaction is icing on the cake that works wonderfully with his objective, and perhaps another card...

doctormungmung (5/5) – Scum finally gets a character to rival Vader and the Emperor. Jabba is good, but not on their level, particularly as he’s lacking elite. But Xizor is elite, and has a boatload of combat icons to play with, two of which are tactics. He holds the force well with three icons. His health is sturdy at three. And his ability is also really good. Hand control is powerful, even random hand control. Between Masterful Manipulation, Scum’s new offensive capability, and the LS trying for their own win condition, there will be plenty of objectives leaving play for him to trigger off of. Vehicle rush might give him a bit of a problem, as they tend to empty their hand, but then, that’s what the tactics and unit damage are for.

Majestaat (5/5) – What Palpatine is to Sith, Xizor is to Scum. Not as many force icons as the Emperor, but he has enough to make a very solid force holder. A very wide array of combat icons makes him excellent in any combat situation. His cost of 5 makes him easily playable T1 given Scum's high amount of 2-resource objectives, including MM, which by the way makes his somewhat situational reaction much more usable. By capturing cards from your opponent's hand you get to weaken their edge a bit, fuel some Scum objectives like Jabba's Reach and who knows, maybe steal that last copy of Luke.


Black Sun Headhunter (135-3): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This unit has amazing value for 2 cost so of course it must have a downside, but the downside isn’t that bad, I find myself almost always being able to spare the extra resource to keep this unit alive, but I really don’t like have more than one out at a time since paying 2 resources a turn to keep them alive is quite a bit to lose.

colsanders (5/5) – Talk about a bargain. Two cost for all those juicy stats? So what if I have to pay a resource for a turn or two. I'll gladly pay 3 or 4, and considering Scum has cards like Pay Out and a lot of cheap units, who cares? Of course, remember those Talon Rolls as well...

doctormungmung (4/5) – Speaking of Scum’s new offensive capability, the Headhunter comes with two blast for two cost and four health. That’s an incredible bargain. Add to that shielding so that will will be able to get that blast in, now you’re really talking. It’s forced reaction is interesting, but I don’t think will be that big of a downside. Most likely it’ll stick around for a couple of turns, then get replaced by another one. And being a fighter, it can get a lot of mileage in a Navy fighter deck that’s running Talon Rolls.

Majestaat (5/5) – You get an outstanding package for only 2 resources, and it's one Scum needed with their severe lack of blast damage. The mix of high HP and shielding means this unit will get to deal damage no matter what. While this mean guy does have an upkeep, it more than pays for itself with its very reliable damage. If your opponent leaves the Headhunter alone, it will be dealing tons of damage. If he does defend, you still deal decent damage while receiving minimum damage yourself.


Debt Collector (135-4): 13 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – I hated these guys at first, but they have grown on me, the extra resource is nice and being able to play them and a limited resource in one turn is a great way to ramp up the resource curve.

colsanders (3/5) – An overcosted resource card. I'm not usually a fan of units with resources, but he does give you some options. Scum have plenty of 1 cost events that can really mess with your opponent, ex. Reversal of Fate, Carbon Chamber Testing, Pay Out, Explosive Charge and perhaps a few new ones...

doctormungmung (3/5) – Here’s a new solid resource unit. Two health means that it’s not nearly as flimsy as a lot of Duty Officers, and in a pinch, it has a black unit damage. Nothing really special here, but nothing bad either. The two for one resource exchange the turn it comes out is the worst of it.

Majestaat (4/5) – Boo, there goes our perfect set. This guy would likely be a 3/5 in a vaccum. It's a somewhat overcosted resource, yet a non-limited, Scum resource! Furthermore, it's a resource in a set with an expensive unit, that's always appreciated. Especially useful if you're splashing this objective and and, say, have Xizor or another Scum card in your hand but need your affiliation card to pay for the upkeep of the Headhunter.


Shadows of the Empire (135-5): 20 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – Getting rid of your opponents best objective is a fantastic ability, especially for one 1 resource. It is also another easy way to trigger Prince Xixor.

colsanders (5/5) – This card is absolutely fantastic. Getting rid of one of the many annoying LS objectives is such a blessing its crazy. My favorite so far has been to get rid of thier Secret of Yavin so I can go to town on another annoying objective, *cough*cough* MTFBWY.

doctormungmung (5/5) – The LS has several really powerful objectives that many of their combos key off of. Heroes and Legends, May the Force be with You, Secret of Yavin IV, Mobilize the Squadrons, Trust Me, etc. Being able to put that on the bottom of their deck for a cost of one is incredible. In general the only way to remove a powerful objective is to destroy it. Now you have another, much, much cheaper option.

Majestaat (5/5) – Deals with May the Force Be With You, Defense of Yavin IV, Wookie Life Debt and any other objective that is crucial for a particular deck. It's cheap, it has an extremely powerful effect and 2 force icons. Purrfect!


The Prince's Scheme (135-6): 16 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This is an amazing fate card, there has already been so many times where this card has stolen their "Yoda" from their edge stack, making winning the edge no problem whatsoever. It is conditional though and without a unique Scum unit it is just a blank 1 pip card.

colsanders (4/5) – This would be a terrible card for a faction like Navy, ok with Sith, but great with Scum. With all the cheap unique bounty hunters they have access too, as well as a ton of Twist of Fates, it works very well. Your opponent will always be guessing if you play one card and pass, "Is it a Twist? Scheme? Is he going to Reversal of Fate?"

doctormungmung (4/5) – While the Jedi’s new unique fate card is situational, this one is more generally useful. At its next to worse, it’s a hedge against a Twist (worse is with no unique Scum units, in which case it’s very underwhelming). At it’s best, it can really throw your opponent for a loop. It’s a bit harder to use than a Supporting Fire, as your opponent can counter it with any single fate card. But most of the time, a fate stack will have at least one non-fate card, in which case it goes directly to your stack. And because your opponent is losing it from theirs, the edge differential is doubled. That’s a good deal.

Majestaat (4/5) – An interesting toy, this definitely helps to mitigate Scum's weak edge, and like Reversal of Fate, makes more thematic sense than just trying to buff that aspect up to that of other factions.
The unique Scum unit requirement isn't too bad, as The Hunters and The Findsman's Intuition have two affordable uniques each. Remember Greedo? He is cheap and loves this card.
My main concern is its single force icon, making it very weak against pretty much all Fate cards. Watch out for Heats of Battle, Targets of Opportunity, Seeds of Decay, Echoes of the Force and the upcoming Stay on Target, and avoid playing only this card in your edge stack.



All Out Brawl (136-1): 15 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This card is tricky, it can be so good for the Darkside, but at the same time can be detrimental, if the Lightside is running units with targeted strike. Definitely needs to be put in a deck with this objective in mind.

colsanders (5/5) – Bring it on!!! Incredibly fun, thematic objective ability. If you run Greedo's pod, you get no penalty when they attack it, if they do even. All those cheap units become beast mode. Whatch out for your opponents dudes though. Core Luke and Han like this alot with that Targeted Strike.

doctormungmung (3/5) – This objective has an interesting ability. All units gain a unit damage, both you and your opponent. What this ultimately means is that the side that gets out the more units will likely be the one to control board presence. All of a sudden Duty Officers are armed, and the Twi-Lek loyalist who didn’t win edge will still be able to do something. Scum has access to a good amount of low cost units. Particularly Galactic Scum, as they cost one, and have three health, meaning that most opponents units, even with extra unit damage, won't be able to one shot them. This objective isn’t for every deck, but I think in the right ones it will shine.

Majestaat (4/5) – A fitting name, as this will turn out the game into a massacre, massacre I tell you.
I think that many cards aren't too good now because of Jedi dominance. This objective, on the other hand, is so good just because of the current Jedi meta. If there's a faction that depends on single, big drops to be effective, that's Jedi, while all DS factions (except Sith, to some degree) can do well with just a handful of cheap defenders. Very simple math, you will gain much more damage than your opponent. Popular units like Galactic Scum, Trandoshan Hunters, troopers in general and the Sith bodyguards all become incredibly threatening defenders when this objective is out.
Not a 5 because it is, by nature, a double-edged blade. Furthermore, Rebel and some Smuggler decks can get a ton of extra damage from this as well, not to mention targeted strike threats like core Luke and Han.


*Zekka Thyne (136-2): 17 out of 20 possible points.
chunkygorillas (5/5) – Zekka is basically the best blocker ever, 3 unit damage and a black tactics for 4 resources is great value. His interrupt is amazing too, in the right deck it can be used when it works best for you and if your opponent is ahead they will also be afraid to attack when he is blocking since their entire board is in trouble if he dies.

colsanders (5/5) – Man this guy is nasty. This is one unit you always want up for defense, so you can use all those black icons. Having him on your board will automatically make your opponent change their playstyle a little. Getting locked down is the worst for him.

doctormungmung (3/5) – This unit has fantastic stats, but a very dangerous ability, for both sides. Board wipes are strong, but this one is one neither player completely controls. You never want Zekka destroyed on your turn, because that means your opponent has a clean board on their next turn. Thus it is very dangerous for Zekka to ever attack, but with his starts, he’s more suited to defense anyway. Still, you want to be wary of things like Let the Wookie Win, or Lightsaber Deflection, which are rather more common now. If you think your opponent might be running those, you probably just want to pitch Zekka to the edge.

Majestaat (4/5) – Wow, talk about powerful defenders. This guy has enough to destroy one unit and lock another in a single strike, even when losing the edge.
Then you get that crazy interrupt. It can easily push you back into the game when in a tight position. Beware though, as all LS factions have some way to turn Zekka against you. Keep an eye out for Rebel Assaults, Let the Wookie Win and My Ally is the Force.
Not like the DS doesn't have ways to help trigger him. Sith in particular offer you Force Lighting and Deadly Sight. In the Scum department, while not as reliable, you could pick Spice Visions. Can be that last tick of damage you need to trigger Zekka, and if not... well, proceed to kill and lock more LS units, not bad.


Debt Collector (136-3): 12 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Same as the ones before, All Out Brawl makes them a little better though since with 2 black unit damage they become much better blockers.

colsanders (3/5) – Same as above.

doctormungmung (3/5) – I covered him in Masterful Manipulation. Nothing new to add in the page of text since then. TLDR: solid resource chud.

Majestaat (3/5) – Yes, I gave it a 4 in Xizor's set, and I explained why. In this pod, that resource isn't nearly as valuable as it is in Masterful Manipulation. You can play Zekka just with your base resources, and all other cards in this set are free. Furthermore, he is a resource you will lose if Zekka triggers.
He does make for a decent defender with All Out Brawl though.


Armed to the Teeth (136-4): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – I have a hard time holding on to this card instead of just putting it in the edge, the effect can be powerful, but more often than not its best use is it’s two force icons.

colsanders (5/5) – Boy is this a really fun set. This free event is crazy good. Turning any Star Destroyer, or pretty much any unit with a healthy number of combat icons, into a murder machine is pretty awesome.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Another zero cost event that messes with combat math! And boy does this one mess with it. Turn all combat icons into unit damage. Did you lose the edge with Greedo? Armed to the Teeth lets him swing in for three unit damage (more if All Out Brawl is on the table). The nice thing about this is that most units with edge enabled icons on the losing side of an edge battle tend to be last in order of targets. Which means that the right unit who is “armed” can pack a very disruptive punch. Or, if you really need Luke dead, send in the new Fett and hit him for four that can’t be protected. This card provides options, and options are good.

Majestaat (5/5) – It's free and it's got a couple edge icons, so it should always feel useful.
This event is pretty impressive, can turn virtually any 2+ cost unit into a solid, if not deadly defender, especially with All Out Brawl on the table. Because it turns even edge-enabled icons into black unit damage, this can mean a nasty surprise for that Jedi unique who focused one your own mains, thinkin the weenie posed to real threat without the edge.


Entangled (136-5): 11 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This card can be really powerful, but it’s pretty conditional on when you can actually play it, I find more often than not I just end up throwing this card into the edge.

colsanders (2/5) – Same as above, also really makes me to not want Zekkax2 and Bobax2 in a deck.

doctormungmung (4/5) – And I covered this one in No Disintegrations. Short summary, zero cost combat manipulation is good.

Majestaat (2/5) – Same arguments as in "No Disintegrations". If anything, the event is somewhat worse here as the LS weenie will hurt more if All Out Brawl is out.


Heat of Battle (136-6): 19 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – Makes sure that important threat dies.

colsanders (5/5) – Even more synergy, bring the pain!

doctormungmung (4/5) – The DS gets more from Heats than the LS does, as a destroyed unit isn’t going to do that much objective damage. And for a set that likes to do unit damage, this card fits right in.

Majestaat (5/5) – Incredibly strong on the Dark side of the table and works wonderfully with this unit damage focused set.


The Best Credits Can Buy (137-1): 15 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – The ability on this objective is great, and will probably get even better with the next cycle adding a lot of vehicles, but it is just a blank 5/1 against character heavy decks.

colsanders (4/5) – This can easily get bumped up to a 5 of 5 depending on how crazy ships can get in the next cycle. Still, shutting down the likes of the Falcon, Home One, and Liberty is juicy.

doctormungmung (3/5) – This card is made with the future in mind. Being able to turn off vehicle abilities will be big when vehicle decks become more popular (as opposed to the current character based meta). Considering the next force cycle is all about vehicles, I’m confident this set will be at least a 4 / 5 if not higher by the time the cycle is fully released. Perhaps one of the biggest things that this objective counters is vehicle protect, as that’s an ability. So those Renegade Squadron Y-Wings get one shot at protecting, and that’s it. Also, if you manage to ping the Falcon with a Heat of Battle during the edge battle, you can then kill it in the engagement, as it won’t be going anywhere. The stock of this set is only going to go up over time.

Majestaat (4/5) – THE Scum set for the Rogue Cycle. Actually a 3/5 now, as vehicles aren't too popular, and some like the Moldy Crow and Sleuth Scouts aren't even affected by this. In fact, you could even be helping the Skipray Blastboats from the Calling in Favors objective set.
The Falcon might be hard to affect as well, as it might use its action before receiving damage.
Anyway, with the Rogue Cycle being all about vehicles, this should become incredibly powerful.
I'm betting on this score, yes, but I think it's a fair bet.


*Virago (137-2): 18 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – The ability is interesting but so far I haven’t been very impressed with this card. The black blast is good for helping speed up the game but the card could really use elite to make good use of the 3 force icons.

colsanders (5/5) – Scum is 4 for 4 as far as mains go. Another great bargain here, 3 Force Icons, Combat Icons and Health. The all important Fighter and Black Sun Traits, and a really sweet Action. Stealing Elite, Targeted Strike, and Protect all seem like fun ideas.

doctormungmung (5/5) – From the stats alone this unit gets good marks. Three cost for three health, three force icons, and three combat icons (see a pattern?) is great. But then there’s its ability. Keep stealing keywords as long as you have the resources for it. Don’t like that Luke has Targeted Strike and you don’t? Well, pay one and reverse the situation. Think Chewbacca is too dangerous with his Protect? Then take it from him and decline to protect any of his friends. It’s as if the DS now has their own version of Echo Caverns. Fun times.

Majestaat (5/5) – Very solid numbers and icons for its cost, making it effective at virtually any role, from attacker or defender to force holder and even edge fodder.
On top of all this, you have a most impressive action. Virago is sturdy enough, so protect comes in handy. Shielding always helps. Those 2 unit damage make Targeted Strike neat as well.
Sadly, there's no action window before focus tokens are removed during the Refresh Phase, so Elite is kinda pointless. Still, you have many options here. That versatility coupled with the Virago's already great numbers make it a 5/5 in my book.


Black Sun Headhunter (137-3): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This unit has amazing value for 2 cost so of course it must have a downside, but the downside isn’t that bad, I find myself almost always being able to spare the extra resource to keep this unit alive, but I really don’t like have more than one out at a time since paying 2 resources a turn to keep them alive is quite a bit to lose. Having this in a second Black Sun set makes it very hard to run this set with “Masterful Manipulation” since you don’t really want 4 of these cards in one deck.

colsanders (5/5) – Even better than in Xixor's set because of the no Affiliation restriction.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Covered in Masterful Manipulation. Awesome unit.

Majestaat (5/5) – Same as in Masterful Manipulation. Still as good as ever.


Rise of the Black Sun (137-4): 18 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – Really good in a black sun heavy deck, can be really useful to free up defenders or to double strike on offense to destroy objectives.

colsanders (5/5) – Yet another great 1 cost event. It really makes Xixor, Virago, and the Headhunters pretty scary. Talon Rolls and this event for your fighters? Yikes.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Pay one to remove a focus from a Black Sun unit. With this expansion, there are now plenty of those to choose from, not the least of which are in this objective set. Double strike with impunity. Surprise attack after being focused down by tactics. Jump in as a surprise defender. The only way this would be better is if it were free, but it’s not like Scum are lacking for resources.

Majestaat (5/5) – Actions that remove focus tokens are always a 5 or close to that. No exception here.
This objective already has a couple of worthy targets. A Virago with Targeted Strike can wipe the board. A Headhunter will be demolishing objectives. Other worthy mentions are Xizor, Zekka and the Outer Rim Space Pirates. They all can put some serious focus on the table while dealing tons of damage, and in the case of the Pirates, you can strike then remove the focus to use those 3 resources on a big event.


Warning Shot (137-5): 14 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – Pretty good card, can help finish off a damaged vehicle, or it can damage a vehicle to make it so The Best Credits Can Buy will affect it. This card like the objective will get better if the ever meta shifts towards vehicles.

colsanders (3/5) – Just like the objective, this can really go up in value depending on the Rogue Cycle. Still, Force Choke for vehicles is pretty cool. Getting rid of a pesky Y-Wing can help alot.

doctormungmung (3/5) – This card is a Force Choke that targets vehicles. Unfortunately it doesn’t trigger Vader’s reaction, but you can’t have everything. As with the objective, in the current meta, this card is ok, but not great. In six months or so, it’ll be a whole different story. What’s really nice is that this card combos with the objective perfectly. Did the Falcon hit the table? That’s not so scary with this in hand and The Best Credits Can Buy on the table.

Majestaat (4/5) – Vehicle-based Force Choke would be a 3/5 in this character focused meta if not for the fact that this synergizes so well with the objective. This combo will absolutely crush the Falcon, as it won't be able to strike then use action or immediately bounce if the edge was lost.
Will also deal with any potential support vehicle that prefers to stay out of combat or is difficult to reach (ex: Outrider). If vehicles become as viable as I want them to be, I see no reason to not give this a 5/5. For now, I'll be optimistic, but while keeping some reservations.


Target of Opportunity (137-6): 15 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Not as great as a card for the darkside, will do nothing on defense, but if you are trying to be aggressive it is much better.

colsanders (5/5) – Makes sense to have this toy in the set with the starfighters.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Similar to how Heat of Battle isn’t quite as good for the LS as the DS, Target of Opportunity isn’t quite as good for the DS as it is the LS. Still, it’s a good card with a good effect. Just remember that an aggressive DS player likely needs to destroy four objectives before the LS gets to three.

Majestaat (4/5) - That extra bit of damage to destroy that annoying LS objective, get the extra tick on the dial and maybe even win the game. Great fit here.


The Hunters (138-1): 16 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This objective is amazing in mono-Scum, but sadly is basically a blank 5/1 if played in a multi-faction deck.

colsanders (4/5) – No benefit if you splash into another faction, GREAT in Mono-Scum. Jabba's Palace, and Corrupt Officials are already a thing, so...yeah.

doctormungmung (4/5) – The first truly mono-Scum card from the set, and it’s pretty good, as long as you stick to that mono-Scum theme. Adding one health to each of your objectives means that the LS has to do three more damage to win the game. With Scums ability to stall, that can be significant. Combine it with Jabba’s Palace early enough in the game, and you’ve now added six damage to the LS’s win condition, which is basically a fourth objective. Not shabby at all.

Majestaat (4/5) – Not a good splash, but Scum really shines when going mono-faction, so I don't think this matters much. That additional point of damage capacity can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Your capture engines like The Slave Trade and Tatooine Crash become incredibly hard to destroy (add in Jabba's Palace if you really wanna be annoying), so it takes longer for the LS to recover his cards. Your, capture-dependant objectives like The Findsman's Intuition are all the harder to blow up. Yes, the LS can simply focus The Hunters to make you lose the bonus, but that alone means your other objectives are staying around for longer. Pretty solid in my opinion.


*Boushh (138-2): 18 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – What a fantastic 2 drop, the black tactics makes him a fantastic blocker and the 2 force icons can really help with winning the force. Plus as a bonus he has an amazing ability, that is hard to trigger, but if you do it even once or twice a game it is amazing value. Getting extra clicks on the dial for doing something you already want to do, yes please!

colsanders (5/5) – Kind of a chud/main hybrid. He has the great cost of 2 for 2 health and Force Icons, plus 2 black icons. His Reaction is all business, extra clicks of the dial is always, always good. Even if it is situational, his stats make up for how rare it is to trigger.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Boushh has great stats for his cost. Two resources give you two black icons, one blast and one tactics, both always in high demand for Scum. He’s also got two health, and two force icons. His ability is situational, but useful. The trick is finding a unit that captures a unit from play. Currently there are only four of those (original Fett, Bossk, the Kihraxz fighters and Snoova). Of those four options, two are pretty underwhelming, but because of Boushh, they might see more play. But anything that helps the DS, and Scum in particular, advance the dial is a good thing. Overall, though, I wouldn’t expect to get more than a single click per game.

Majestaat (5/5) – Object of much criticism because of how hard it is to trigger his reaction. Ignore it for a while. Two damage capacity, two force icons, two black combat icons (one being tactics!) and very useful traits for only 2 resources is incredibly good. Unique is a pro or con depending on perspective. You can't have both copies in play, but he can trigger The Prince's Scheme.
Now add a very conditional reaction that doesn't cost anything, really. In fact, it pushes you closer to victory. Honestly, if you could trigger this reaction with just a bit of deckbuilding, Boushh would be beyond broken. Think of it as a bonus, not a necessity for the card to be useful.


*Snoova (138-3): 19 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – This set also comes with a fantastic 3 drop! Snoova will trigger boushh and can get some really good captures if they are running a multi-affiliation deck. Even if they aren’t lots of annoying lightside units are neutral what “Snoova” can also capture, like “Hired Hands”, “C-3PO”, “Nudjs”, and Ewoks galore! He is also just a solid body that is good on defense and on offense.

colsanders (5/5) – Possibly Meta-defining. THE reason to always run this objective in a Scum deck. Another 2 Force Icon unit, with great stats, and is unique(I'm looking at you Prince's Scheme). Like Boushh, he has two very Important traits, Bounty Hunter and Black Sun, giving him all kinds of good interactions. Slimiest Scheme comes to mind, as does the next card in the set...

doctormungmung (4/5) – Speaking of capturing from play, we get an option in Snoova. Here’s the first DS card that punishes the LS splashing sets, and it’s pretty decent. He’s a Bossk 2.0, in that he’s a bit cheaper, and doesn’t have to double focus, but his restriction is a bit less conditional. He can capture any type of unit, so vehicles are fair game, and a lot of vehicles are neutral. And neutral units never match their affiliation. His stats are decent, although he is a little light on the health.

Majestaat (5/5) – Another strong package for his cost. Every unique Scum units in this expansion has turned out to be pretty amazing. Thanks FFG.
Back to Snoova, we should really be commenting on his reaction. He stomps dual-faction decks, getting to capture big priority targets on those. Against mono-faction decks, his reaction still brings a lot to the table, being able to deal with any neutral unit.
On top of all this, he synergizes with Boushh and all those objectives that require capture cards to function, so you can actually get huge dividends from playing Snoova at the right time.


A Better Offer (138-4): 12 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (2/5) – This event has to be drawn at the right time to be of any use. It can be good to save a Scum unit before they die of to use a unit like “Snoova” or “Bossk” again. Overall though it seems to just be a dead card often.

colsanders (4/5) – This is a fantastic utilty card. For nothing you can save your last main from getting the axe, or get him out of that mountain of focus tokens Yoda has buried him in. Or use it on Snoova and Bossk for some big time removal.

doctormungmung (3/5) – There are several reasons why you might want to pull a unit back to your hand. You could cycle Snoova or Bossk to trigger more captures, and get more dial bumps from Boushh. You can free up a unit buried under focus icons or near death to reset them. Or you could pull in a unit just prior to a key edge battle. A Better Offer enables all of these, and it’s free. It’s unlikely to be huge, but on occasion this can help seal a game.

Majestaat (3/5) – Use this during a suicide mission so the LS defenders get focused down in vain. If one of your units is buried in focus tokens, this will work like a charm, giving you a second chance for deployment or simply give you those critical extra edge icons for battle.
In the best of scenarios, you bounce units with powerful "enter play" effects like Bossk, Snoova or Salacious to trigger them again.


Pay Out (138-5): 16 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Not a new card, but as we have seen with “Zuckuss’s” set this card can make for some pretty explosive turns in mono-scum decks.

colsanders (5/5) – The more I use this card, the more I like it. You can set up so many burst turns with Scum that its pretty crazy. It also can free up resources for more fun surprises on your opponents turn, like A Price on Thier Heads.

doctormungmung (3/5) – The resource refreshing event from Zuckuss’ set is back. It’s not quite as good as a straight up resource as it can be cancelled, and being limited, can slow down your resource curve, but being an event, it can be played on your opponents turn, which can lead to some surprise plays. If used on your turn, it should net you three extra resources which is not bad at all.

Majestaat (5/5) – Because this set isn't as splashable as The Findsman's Intuition, I'll assume you'll play this one in a mono-scum deck, in which case this card is a fantastic economic boost, especially if you have one or two 2-resource objectives out.


Show of Force (138-6): 15 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – In a heavy Black Sun deck this card has the potential to just end the game if the darkside has a discard pile full of Black Sun units. In a not so heavy Black Sun deck it is a great edge card, scum really needed more cards with 3+ force icons for the edge.

colsanders (5/5) – Here is your home run card. If you can draw this late after setting up that discard pile, your opponent will be in a world of hurt on offense or defense. The three Force Icons make it a very nice edge card if you draw it too early in the game. Just a bonkers card that will get better the more Black Sun we see.

doctormungmung (3/5) – For a large cost, you can flood your board with units to hopefully close out a game. With Between the Shadows, there are now quite a few Black Sun units to fill a deck with, ranging from board control (Xizor or Zekka), to out and out offense (Headhunters). Unfortunately, the resurrected units will only last the phase, so you have to make it count. The event itself is only really useful late game, but it has a good edge count, so if you see it early, it wont be wasted.

Majestaat (4/5) – If you're playing this, better turn on some heavy music, because the match just got real. A steep cost, no doubt, but you may be gaining much more in the process. Another capture from Snoova (with Boushh's reaction on top!), crazy damage from Headhunters and important lockdown from Xizor.
Although it's expensive and requires some setup in the form of Black Sun Units in your discard pile, it can certainly win you the game, and if it's still to early to play, those 3 edge icons come in handy.
Remember that by the end of the phase you lose ALL your Black Sun units, not just those you fetched with this event. Shouldn't matter much, but it's not to go unnoticed.


*The Investigation (139-1): 12 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Since in most cases you shouldn’t know what you opponent is running this card can be hard to use, but when in doubt just name the best card in the current meta and hope that it helps. It really sucks that this objective is limited to 1 per deck since this objective would be amazing part way through the game when you know what your opponent is running.

colsanders (4/5) – The limit 1 is probably a good balancing tool here. There is a little guesswork required to make it work if you open with it, but depending on the faction showing, there are some pretty good assumptions you can make. Luke is always a pretty good call if you see Jedi, but a better card in my opinion would be Dagobah Training Ground.

doctormungmung (2/5) – Being able to limit the cards your opponent can play can be incredibly destabilizing. Fortunately for balance, the designers used multiple ways to limit that. First, it’s limit one, so it’s a crap shoot you will see it in any one game. Second, the restriction is while it’s undamaged, which means it can be turned off relatively easily. But most significantly, due to the order of objectives revealed at the beginning of the game, you will not have seen anything but your opponents Affiliation card before you have to hazard a guess to what card to name if this is in your opening flop. It is this last fact that really reduces the power of this objective, in my opinion. But if one or two decks dominate the LS meta, this could be a good counter.

Majestaat (3/5) – This one really is hit or miss and depends much on the player's personal knowledge on his opponent's deck or on a solid established meta. Regardless, some cards are simply so strong and/or popular that you will always have some safe options to bet on.
Limit 1 per deck is a real bummer, but then again, with two copies of these in a deck, I can imagine some games becoming too frustrating, to say the least.


*Ysanne Isard (139-2): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – I think Ysanne would be a 5/5 if I could run two of her in my deck. If you build a deck around her, with things like Tatooine Crash and The Slave Trade, you could really just shut down your opponent and stop them from really playing anything.

colsanders (5/5) – Wow does she fit in nicely with a Scum deck. If your running two Slave Trades and Tatooine Crashes she is going to have a lot of option's potentially. Her icons are pretty darn impressive as well. Only having one will limit you from building around a lockout deck with her, which is good. That would be a major NPE.

doctormungmung (4/5) – If you can get the right setup, this unit can be devastating. She has the option of totally negating a deployment. But, she first has to have the right card captured, which isn’t trivial. She will really hurt Heroes and Legends decks, as long as she has a few different avenues to get captured cards. Beyond her ability, she has solid combat icons, good health and force icons, and isn’t too expensive. Similar to the objective, having only one of her in your deck means you can’t reliably get her out every game. With that in mind, she likes to be paired with the Slave Trade, as you can use the Slavers to dig her out of your deck while trying to find the right card to have captured.

Majestaat (4/5) – Excellent, versatile unit. Her reaction is pretty crazy, from denying economical expansion to stopping units from hitting the table to sort of cancel those critical events. Just wish Sith had some more capture to work with this. As it is, Ysanne requires very specific Scum sets to really shine. Not like that's terrible, but a certain build path is forced upon you if you want her reaction to be usable at all.


Imperial Intelligence Officer (139-3&4): 13 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Pretty good 2 drops, cheap tactics is pretty nice and being able to see your opponent’s hand can give you so much information. The one health is a pretty big downside though, especially against the new “Luke Skywalker”.

colsanders (4/5) – I really want to rename this set, the Knowledge is Power set. This little chud works great with, yet again, more Scum sets. Get me Solo loves these guys. Having the two icons help give them some combat options as well. Quite the bargain.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Tactics for two cost is great, although being edge enabled is a bit of a drawback, and since this set wants to be paired more with Scum than Sith, winning edge battles will be a bit more challenging. But, getting knowledge of your opponents hand will help out with that. Unfortunately, looking at your opponents hand at the beginning of your turn is just about the worst time. You really want to see what the LS has in hand right after they draw. Still, seeing one to three cards that your opponent has held on to can still help out, particularly if paired into an aggressive DS deck.

Majestaat (3/5) – Would have given up the unit damage to change the reaction into something like "when this unit enters play, capture the top card from your opponent's deck", as that would have enabled Ysanne to work better with her pod alone.
Still a solid unit. Is fragile indeed, but between the icons and reaction this shouldn't cost 1. The intel these gals can provide is huge, helping a ton with decision-making at a fair price.

Confiscation (139-5): 13 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This is a really good card to combat Jedi decks that often run a lot of attachments, and if youre playing against vehicles it is still a good edge card.

colsanders (3/5) – A very situational card to be sure, thankfully it has two Force Icons. More than likely this is going to be an edge card.

doctormungmung (3/5) – This is a very situational card, but with a very high payoff when it happens. During your deploy phase, you can now remove all attachments from a single LS character, as the action portion of Confiscation is free. Were you staring down a monster Yoda or Luke, with Lightsabers, Trust Your Feelings and Force Rejuvenation? Not anymore. Jedi are likely to be popular for a while, and so will character enhancements. But vehicles are looking to make a strong comeback shortly, and when they do, this card will drop in value.

Majestaat (3/5) – Doesn't matter much if this one is a situational play, as it costs zero and has two force icons. Fairly useless against Rebels and Smugglers. Against Jedi, however, this is a perfect counter to those dual-wielding knights. Even if you're not capturing anything at all, you can play this preemptively to make sure the enhanced unit won't receive support from lightsabers.


Official Inquiry (139-6): 18 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – As we have seen with “Zuckuss” this ability of looking at the top 3 cards and capturing one is very powerful, being able to know what they are going to draw and steal their best card coming up is amazing, and you can capture their units so “Yasanne” can stop them from playing any other copies of them.

colsanders (5/5) – One cost Zuckuss trigger? I'll take that. Again so much synergy here for capture Scum decks. Only one Force Icon, but I'll most likely play this card whenever I get it.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Zuckuss’ ability in the form of a one cost event. Yes please! No needing to risk Zuckuss in a battle. No worrying about being buried under focus tokens. Did your opponent just use Rahn’s Guidance and stacked their draw? See what they have lined up and take their best card. Facing an Attack Pattern Delta deck? Make sure they don’t get to flop a vehicle. This synergizes well with Isard. No matter what deck this card finds itself in, it will always be useful.

Majestaat (4/5) – Information and easy capture on a single card and resource. I'll take that. This is a reliable way to get some fuel for Ysanne while knowing what the LS will draw next.

Family Connections (140-1): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – If you are able to start your turn with a few troopers on the board this objective can get pretty crazy. Shields are proving to be very important with all the tactics icons on the Lightside.

colsanders (5/5) – Without a doubt, the strongest effect on a DS objective in this set. There are so many units that this can affect, and it's on unitl they blow the thing up. Just a crazy good ability. Wow.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Shielding for troopers alleviates a lot of their problems. Low health troopers can now survive a one damage ping (from Han, for example), or a single focus, and still contribute their guns to the fight. Unfortunately this objective provides a shield when the DS refreshes, which will be after the troopers you put out last round have already been through one turn of combat. If you still have half the troopers you deployed last turn, you’re doing well. That said, this objective can have a snowball effect, and if you have just one turn that you keep a majority of your troopers on the board, you are in very good shape.

Majestaat (5/5) – Yeah, Majestaat giving navy cards 5 stars, what a surprise /sarcasm.
Huge for troopers. So much that there may be times when you'll be happy drawing both copies right from the start to make sure you can keep this ability for long. The shield just does so much for you. Defense against damage and tactics is what all those cheap troopers need to grind through the LS units. You can also get some insane amounts of blast damage if you play with Sabotage in the Snow.
Others pros... since this isn't exactly shielding, it's not shut down by Moldy Crow. Also, because of its timing, your troopers are basically immune to focus tricks that could disable them before a battle actually starts.
Main con is the troopers needing to survive for a turn before receiving their shield, and because it's not proper shielding, you can't use the troopers to shield your objectives or more valuable units.


*General Tagge (140-2): 19 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – Even without the ability 3 cost for 3 health and 2 black blast damage is pretty good for Imperial Navy. The ability is also crazy, it really helps make sure you always have troopers to play.

colsanders (5/5) – Three cost, three health main officer with some black icons. But talk about synergy with the trooper theme. You know what the number one thing that troopers do? Die. Now they get a 1-up. The fact that his icons are blast really helps the troopers with another weakness, closing out the game. Great, great unit.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Tagge brings some great help to a trooper deck. He’s relatively cheap for an officer, and has a great effect. Recursion for cheap units that are going to die anyway will help keep a wall of guns between your objectives and the LS. Most troopers cost two or less, so most will give you the option of bringing them back to hand when they die, for either edge fodder, or reinforcements next turn. His three health means that he should be sticking around recurring your troopers most of the game. He’s decent at holding the force, and has a pair of black blast damage, which troopers generally lack, so in the late game he can help close things out.

Majestaat (5/5) – So now you can have an infinite supply of troopers, that's perfect for a meatgrinder strategy. Like most officers, his support role enables him to sit back and simply contribute to the Force, being a big nuisance just by existing. He can, however, swing for offense and hit real hard. At 3 damage capacity, the LS will have a hard time shutting him down.


Security Task Force (140-3&4): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Protect is always a good thing, and it’s very synergistic with this set, since General Tagge can send them back to your hand when they die. My complaint though is that the only have 1 black gun, compared to the “Emperor’s Royal Guard” they just aren’t nearly as good.

colsanders (5/5) – Protect, in any form is good. You get two of these guys in here, and once they soak up all the damage, Tagge will just bounce them to your hand. So, so, good.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Protect is such a strong keyword, and giving it to a trooper that can protect other troopers will go a long way to making sure that those troops will get a shot at firing their guns, or just staying alive until they can get a shield next turn. Two health can go a long way towards that end. When this unit dies, Tagge can bring it back to your hand to be deployed next turn. And to top it off, it has a black unit damage, as it is a trooper, after all. The fact that there are two of them in the objective set means that you can get a lot of protect on the board, which leads to a larger mass of guns, which is what troopers are all about.

Majestaat (5/5) – Was hard to give these guys a 5. A 4 may be more appropiate but hear me out. You'll likely have 4 of them in your deck, making it very easy to distribute damage around your units even when the LS is trying to focus them down, maximizing your damage output. They're troopers, and cost 2, so they have excellent synergy with every card in the trooper arsenal, while keeping with the concept of "spam units, overwhelm opponent". Only one unit damage is a letdown, but seriously, how often do you win the edge with trooper decks? In a void, the Task Force is a 3 or 4. But all things considered, I really think they deserve that 5.


Imperial Discipline (140-5): 17 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – It is really strong, but since the opponent gets to pick what objective to damage it isn’t as good as I hoped. Still it can be very helpful in getting extra damage done to speed up the game.

colsanders (5/5) – You know what I said before, about how the best thing that troopers do is die? Well that's ok now, whittle those objectives down to the last couple health then BAM! Oribital Bombardment. So, much, synergy.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Even with shields and protect, a trooper deck will be losing troopers right and left, considering the average health of a trooper is a little less than two. This card gives you something for that, and also covers one of the troopers main weaknesses: objective damage. This gives you the ability to keep up with the war of attrition, slowly chipping away at your opponents objectives while they chip away at yours. This will greatly help close out games when the combo cards that do give troopers blast comes up. The best part is you don’t have to sacrifice your defensive capability to inflict this damage, allowing your troopers to do what they do best.

Majestaat (5/5) – Great way to apply some pressure on enemy objectives while playing defensively, and it's absurd if you have both copies out since they stack, getting to deal up to 6 damage per phase, especially if you're playing with the free Espo Troopers. Your opponent deciding where the damage goes is a balance measure which I feel is fine. You likely need an objective destroyed for the extra dial tick, not to get rid of its text anyway.


Precision Fire (140-6): 16 out of 20 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This is pretty crazy, this card has helped me clear my opponent boards of their threats then using Imperial Discipline got a bunch of damage on some objectives, then General Tagge brings back all the 2 cost or lower troopers back to your hand so on your next turn you can flood the board with troopers again.

colsanders (5/5) – So, we already got Protect in this set, now we get Targeted Strike as well? It also only costs one! If you get the perfect storm of Tagge, Disicpline, and Precision Fire, it could be a really bad day for the LS. SYNERGY!!!!

doctormungmung (3/5) – When you just need to destroy a specific unit that has either been not attacking, or has been heavily protected, there is now this card. Giving all attacking troopers targeted strike can really clear your opponent's board in a hurry, particularly units that have been troubling you. And while you lose those troopers after they shoot, they can do double duty with Imperial Discipline. And Tagge can bring them back to your hand for edge on the defense next turn. Throw in a trooper assault, and you can do some serious damage to both units and objectives. Still, you need to make sure you aren’t giving up too much on defense in doing so.

Majestaat (4/5) – A much needed tool for troopers. This adds a bit of unpredictability and control countermeasures, finally giving your absurd amount of unit damage some purpose on offense. From picking a few Force holders or heavy hitters to completely wiping the enemy board, you're only limited by how many troopers you have in play and how hard you plan to commit. Losing your units afterwards isn't so bad given Tagge's and Imperial Discipline's abilities.

FINAL WORDS:

Another long read, no doubt, but you made it until the end, congratulations!

If anybody noted any mistake (ex: numbers didn't add up correctly, a reviewers name appearing more than once for the same card), please let us know.

Feel free to agree or disagree with the reviewers, comment and share your opinions.

Doubt there will be more Imperial March material until the Rogue Cycle, when we do a review for its first pack. If I do find the time though, I'm sure to write a new article for Troopers while we wait for the new expansion, so stay tuned!

Thanks again to Toqtamish, chunkygorillas, colsanders and doctormungmung for helping with this review for Between the Shadows. And thanks for all the patient readers who still bear with us.

May the Force be with you all!