Imperial March - "BETWEEN THE SHADOWS" DELUXE EXPANSION REVIEW – LIGHT SIDE

This really took longer than I could have anticipated. The whole proccess, from recruiting reviewers, to coordinating with them and writing the proper article was much more work than I initially thought. I did learn a ton of stuff from this, so hopefully, the DS part and future reviews will come along smoothly.
My utmost respect for others who do these kind of articles. Never expected them to be this tiring to put together. - Majestaat


THE REVIEWERS:
-Toqtamish, LCG playtester and host of the Ion Control podcast.
-chunkygorillas, 2014's Canadian champion.
-colsanders, author of the Fearless and Inventive articles.
-doctormungmung, Massachussets' evil genius.
-Majestaat, 2014's Chilean champion.
Many thanks to all of them for their time and colaboration to make this possible!


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 LS Cards (ignoring fate cards and reprints):
1 – Luke Skywalker (A Hero's Trial) with 25 pts.
2 – Funeral Pyre (Sacrifice at Endor) with 25 pts.
3 – Dirty Secrets (Calling in Favors) with 23 pts.
4 – Commando Raid (Commando Raid) with 22 pts.
5 – Obi-Wan Kenobi (Following Fate) with 22 pts.
6 – Yoda's Hut (The Master's Domain) with 22 pts.
7 – Noble Sacrifice (Following Fate) with 22 pts.
8 – Size Matters Not (Journey Through the Swamp) with 22 pts.
9 – Yoda (The Master's Domain) with 21 pts.
10 – Speeder Bike (A Hero's Trial) with 21 pts.
**If we were to include reprints, R2-D2 (Following Fate) and Lightsaber Deflection (The Master's Domain) would take 3rdand 4th place with 24 points each, effectively removing Yoda and Speeder Bike from the list.

Overall best rated LS Objective Set:
Following Fate, with 126 out of 150 possible points total.


THE REVIEWS:

A Hero's Trial (127-1): 18 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – Being able to ambush in an enhancement can have great potential benefit. Now this can be somewhat telegraphed since you need to have resources free to play it. However this is not new to Jedi. They often want to have a free resource or two for some of their great events.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – There are no downsides to this objective, standard 5/1. The ability can surprise your opponent, but not super powerful. It can also help you get more resources out since you could play another resource on your opponents turn.

colsanders (4/5) – Standard 5/1 objective, so nothing new there. However, it packs one heck of an action. This has potential for great tricks already with In You Must Go, but every time a 0 cost enhancement is designed, this objective has to be taken into account.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Standard 5/1 with no restrictions is good to start with. I think the ability can be pretty powerful. It’s a no cost action, so the objective doesn’t need to be free. Although most enhancements have a non-zero cost, so a resource somewhere will have to be open, which leaves a bit of telegraphing. But still, a surprise Old Ben’s Spirit can really throw off your opponents battle math. Overall not uber powerful, but a nice solid objective.

Majestaat (3/5) – Standard damage capacity and resources, nothing to say here. The action is interesting. I really like it. It can mean one big headache for the DS player when you are consistently dropping lightsabers mid-battle, messing with their math. Or go for Ataru Training when they don't have many cards in hand. You have as many options as enhancements are in your deck. On the negative side, you need the right card at the right moment and some free resources.
In You Must Go and A Message from Beyond should synergize pretty well with this set, but then again, those two aren't stellar sets to begin with. They could actually end up dragging the whole deck down.


*Luke Skywalker (127-2): 25 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (5/5) – Glad that he is Elite. Use his action lets you get an extra attack out of him either during the same engagement or lets him be ready for the Force struggle and your opponents turn. However you need to have enhancements on him to do this and sometimes you might be better off keeping it than discarding it. His Reaction is great as it rewards you with free damage for something you benefit from already. Two unit and one edge and non edge blast damage is good icons to have. Three damage capacity helps him to stick on the board. Another solid Jedi main. I'm not convinced he is better than Core Luke but this one seems almost a better fit with Core Yoda who also really likes enhancements and even with a set like Message from Beyond and its Old Ben's Spirit.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – This version of Luke is incredibly strong, I don’t think he is just straight up better than core set Luke, but more on the same level. This new Luke really requires a good enhancement to make him super good, but if you get something like his lightsaber that comes in this set, he becomes a super powerful double striking unit. Losing the targeted strike is a pretty big hit, but gaining elite and an extra force icon makes him much better than core Luke in a force control deck.

colsanders (5/5) – So what is this, the 10th Luke Skywalker? Regardless, this guy is an absolute beast. Easily the closest thing the LS has to Darth Vader, which Luke should be. All of those random training enhancements now have a much better reason to be played, Makahashi Training for some Targeted Strike? How about Soresu Training? Oddly enough, the best enhancements are in the original Luke's set, unless he gets a better Lightsaber....

doctormungmung (5/5) – - Four cost for four force icons is a great start. Health and icons are also very solid, and having elite is pretty key. The action/reaction pair is interesting. He effectively has Vader’s reaction, but triggered off of enhancements instead of events (they don’t need to be Jedi enhancements), and can then pitch those enhancements to get an extra swing in, or to ready on your opponents turn. Enhancements aren’t as cheap as events, so it’s not quite as easy to pull off, and can’t be used on your opponents turn (most of the time), but it’s not limited to characters. I wouldn’t say he’s better than Core Luke, but he’s definitely got more tricks available to him.

Majestaat (5/5) – While I prefer core Luke, this one is pretty amazing in his own right. The extra force icon and elite keyword make him better for holding the Force if needed. His action may be costly, but allows to strike multiple times or attack then defend just like core Luke if not commited. Also makes him absurdly hard to lock down with tactics.
As if that wasn't enough, he also has a reaction that makes him a LS version of Sith Vader, and we all know how crazy powerful that direct damage ability is.
All in all, this Luke is geared for slower, control-heavy Jedi decks.


Speeder Bike (127-3): 21 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – Really good at two cost considering it has two black tactics. It's Forced Reaction is suitably deadly and also thematic in that if you lose your edge while driving one you're gonna hit a tree. Getting this guy in unopposed can help you shut down the DS units. I'd even use it to attack first. Your opponent is all but Forced to block it as otherwise he is allowing you to exhaust one or two of his units. If he defends successfully you've still at least drawn off one of his defenders.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – This is the card that makes me want to run this set over “A Heroes Journey”; the amount of board control this unit gives you for only 2 costs is insane. This card is balance though, seeing on how you need to win the edge battle or it is destroyed. The bike having Edge (1) will definitely help keep it alive though.

colsanders (5/5) – Seriously? WTF? A 2 cost vehicle with edge and 2 black tactics? In Jedi? Who cares about that Forced Reaction, Jedi don't really struggle with winning edge battles last time I checked. Also, it's a speeder, which Hoth Luke likes a lot. Again, showing that this set really works well with existing main sets.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Ok, this unit is just nuts. Two black tactics with two health for two cost and edge (1). With it’s reaction it’s like a Jawa on steroids, except that to be discarded, it has to be in the engagement that you lost the edge battle. Even if you never attack with it, it’ll be a huge target that your opponent will have to deal with, via either destruction or their own tactics. But more often you’ll be attacking with this first, and either emptying your opponents edge hand for your important conflicts, or locking down his two best units. I’ll take that for two, even if it doesn’t have any force icons. Oh, and it’s a speeder, so there is the option for some crazy Jedi / Rebel decks in there as well.

Majestaat (4/5) – High-risk, high-reward unit, the kind that should belong to the S&S affiliation, but that's beyond the point. Though it's true the black icons don't mean much since the unit is destroyed when losing the edge battle, that edge (1)makes a world of difference when compared with other 1 or 2 cost units with tactics. Not only will you draw the attention of a defender, you will also force a discard.
Worth mentioning it's a vehicle, so it's immune to Force Choke. The Rogue cycle should bring new stuff to affect vehicles though, so it could soon become a disadvantage (or even more of an advantage!).


*Luke's Lightsaber (127-4): 20 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – 1 cost enhancement is great both for Endor Luke and also Core Yoda. Being able to play this on Luke, strike with him, throw it away and do one damage, reattach to Luke, then strike again or be ready to strike again is the obvious best case scenario. I'm always a big fan of sets that have synergy with its cards. The fact it requires a Jedi resource shouldn't be much of an issue as most of this box encourages mono over mixed decks.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – If the Luke Skywalker from this set is not on the board this card feels like a slighter weaker version of “Jedi Lightsaber” with one of the unit damage icons being edge enabled, but if Luke is on the board this card can become insane, like I said in the “Luke Skywalker” review.

colsanders (5/5) – Wow. Just Wow. This Lightsaber is both awesome and thematic, which don't always coincide,(ex. Original Boba Fett) This is an amazing enhancement for both the new Luke, and the Old Luke. It's very interesting that they are making sets with mains that work well with the existing set for that main.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Extra unit damage with recursion and will trigger all of this set’s Luke’s abilities for a cost of one. That’s very solid. Two force icons means you can use it in an edge battle, then, win or lose, pull it out of the discard pile to ping a defender with Luke’s ability, and readying him to strike a second time. Or give it to Core Luke, and get a targeted strike of four. The only reason I didn’t give this a score of 5 is that it doesn’t have any blast damage, and getting the most out of the unit damage requires other objectives (like Heroes Journey).

Majestaat (4/5) – Inexpensive, decent edge count, immediate benefit. Obviously very strong on the new Luke, as it enables him to keep abusing his tricks, but it also turns about any unit into a very threatening defender. If that's not enough for you, then just remember the complaining on cards like Shii-cho and Makashi Training. Well. Luke's saber provides enough unit damage to make those cards more appealing.


I am a Jedi (127-5): 13 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – This enhancement is definitely at home on Core Yoda who wants more enhancements. It can also work good on a setup Endor Luke as once you've used its resources it can also feed his action.

chunkygorillas (2/5) – I really don’t like this card, having your resources attached to a characters is risky just because there are so many more ways to remove a character than there is to remove an enhancement . That being said though in the right type of deck this card can be a huge resource boon if you are trying to get a lot of enhancement on a unit like “Yoda” from the core set, and something like “Old Ben’s Spirit” works well with this card since it not only gives the card another resource value but will stop the attached unit from dying and sending “I Am a Jedi” to the discard with it.

colsanders (4/5) – I will be honest, when I first saw this card, I hated it. The fact that it's a resource that is restricted to your main annoyed me. Then I got to play them onto Core Yoda, while having IYMG in play. Notice I said THEM. Yoda sat there holding the Force, with two I am a Jedi's and Shii-Cho Training. On turn 3, I dropped Kyle, Luke, his Lightsaber, and a Twi-lek. How? With the 6 resources sitting there on Yoda. I really underestimated this enhancement.

doctormungmung (2/5) – As far as resource enhancements go, this one is a little meh. It has to be on a character, which means it’s much easier to remove from the board. Most times on deployment, it’ll be a resource loss the turn it comes out. That being said, it works really well with Core Yoda’s set, and has a somewhat open ended resource value, although typically you’ll be spending resources to increase that. And the more enhancements on a single unit just becomes a bigger and bigger target. This card hates Force Lightning, Captured, etc.

Majestaat (2/5) – Under normal circumstances you will actually lose some money the turn you play this, but since it's not limited, it can pair well with other resources to get a big economic advantage on the next turn. If you happen to have In You Must Go out, then this card becomes much better.
Because it needs some setup for an effect that isn't particularly strong, and because it only has 1 force icon, I don't feel this deserves a higher score.


Heat of Battle (127-6): 20 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – Helps to win edge battles and deal with the small fry while Luke takes care of the bigger threats.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – An always solid fate card and it fits in very well with this set with all the unit damage already in the set.

colsanders (5/5) – Not much needs to be said here, works great with Luke's ability.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Heat is a good fate card, but it works better for the DS. Still, it does work towards keeping the DS’s board presence down.

Majestaat (4/5) – While Target of Opportunity is usually more desirable for the LS, Heat of Battle is still as strong as ever and fits nicely with the theme of this objective set. If you're wiping every DS unit on the board, you get the unopposed bonus to compensate.


The Master's Domain (128-1): 18 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – 3 resource objective is good thing for mono Jedi with all of their expensive mains. 4 damage capacity certainly makes sense and comes as no surprise with an objective that rich. Again enforcing the Jedi stand alone theme of alot of the box.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – The early resource advantage this gives you is amazing, and will lead to some strong openings, but using all 3 resources will leave this objective exhausted for quite some time without an easy way to get focus tokens off it. It also really needs to be played in a mono-Jedi deck or at least very close to mono-Jedi.

colsanders (4/5) – Lower health objectives are starting to become a liability a little more for the LS. Savvy DS player's are starting to realize that they have to do some attacking to have a chance. I like the massive resource boost that you can get when you need it though. Guaranteed to get Obi or Falcon out on turn 1 if you like.

doctormungmung (3/5) – The first of several cards in this expansion prodding players to build mono-decks. As far as mechanics go, having resources based off the number of Jedi objectives is pretty good. And to help open it up again if you do spend three (and thus have it locked down for several turns), it has a lower health to entice your opponent to destroy it. It’s effectively a slightly better Heroes Journey. Being able to open with a main and a protector on your first turn is never a bad thing.

Majestaat (3/5) – Fragile and an outright terrible splash for other factions.
In the correct deck, 3 resources from the get go. Basically pays for a main by itself, leaving free resources for an extra unit or some enhancements. That's fantastic for Jedi. Just be careful on the next few turns. If you can't get a very clear advantage by using all resources instantly, then you should reconsider.


*Yoda (128-2): 21 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – 3 white tactics has potential. Edge battles are not something Jedi struggle with. Good unit for controlling the Force and opposing units.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – Much like the “Yoda” from EotF, the 3 cost, 3 health, 5 force icons, and a strong ability make him a super good unit, but this version of Yoda has the downside that you have to win the edge battle for him to really do anything, but if you are winning the edge this unit is effectively a 3 cost “Palpatine” what is just insane.

colsanders (4/5) – The worst thing this Yoda has going for it, is the fact that Echoes Yoda exists. Statistically speaking this Yoda is amazing, 3 health 3 cost and all those Force Icons and combat Icons. But he is only truly viable in a Mono-Jedi, which is what takes him down to a 4. The inability to splash it what holds him back, just a little though.

doctormungmung (4/5) – The second card in the expansion prodding mono decks is Yoda. He has the standard Yoda five force icons, elite and three cost. He has the Echo’s Yoda three health. Black unit damage and objective damage, so he’ll always be able to do something. The edge enabled tactics linked to the number of Jedi objectives is interesting. Lots of tactics is always good, and in a mono-Jedi deck, he’ll be loaded out to Emperor levels. But, being edge enabled takes away from his utility. Jedi can win edge pretty easily, but it’s not a guarantee, and if he loses edge, he loses a lot of his luster. With Echo’s Yoda, you didn’t really care if you won edge or not, particularly if he had a shield. That’s why I feel this version is slightly worse.

Majestaat (5/5) – A serious contender to MTFBWY Yoda. Yes, you're forced to go mono-jedi with this version and yes, you must win the edge battle. That doesn't change the fact it's an impressive package for only 3 resources, and nothing is stopping you from playing with more than one version.
Not much else to say. This is the new king of control for LS.


Bogwing (128-3): 8 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (1/5) – 0 cost is a plus. Otherwise really only good as a defender or maybe some unopposed attacks. With the likely 3 damage capacity can probably survive most engagements to the end.

chunkygorillas (2/5) – I just can’t stop comparing this unit to the “Dagobah Nudj” and this unit so much worse than the “Nudj”. That being said for 0 cost you are still getting a unit that will often have 3 health and 1 unit damage what can help block, just not amazingly.

colsanders (2/5) – Another creature with Yoda, and this one is nowhere near as good as the other. Strike 1, no Force Icons. Strike 2, only works in a Mono-Jedi. Strike 3, the name isn't nearly as cool as Nudj.

doctormungmung (1/5) – Another free creature, but unlike the Nudj, he doesn’t do anything for you. Sure, it can get more health the more Jedi objectives there are, but so what? Unless there are three of them, it doesn’t have any combat icons. And with no force icons, it can’t hold the force, or do anything but bluff in the edge battle. Maybe if there are some interesting creature tricks coming down the road this guy will get better, but right now, it’s pretty worthless.

Majestaat (2/5) – This one is tough. It's free, it's potentially durable and has some unit damage, making for a great defender. But at only 1 unit damage there aren't many units it can kill by itself. Zero force icons make it useless for the Force Struggle or edge battles alike.


*Yoda's Hut (128-4): 22 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (5/5) – Fantastic Force control and a resource. Helps free up your mains to be more aggressive and less needed to help control the Balance.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – I think this card is phenomenal and definitely my favourite 2 for 1 resource yet. This is the card that makes me want to run this set over “May the Force Be With You”, always granting 2 extra force icons during the force struggle is so strong and at times will really make it hard for your opponent to take the force, and it still gives you a resource!

colsanders (4/5) – Whenever you can hold the Force without working for it, it's a win. Clearly the set is meant for Mono-Jedi, and this is really the best bonus out of all the cards so far. It's also a non-limited resource which are started to become better and better. I do wish it had a second Force Icon.
doctormungmung (3/5) – Yet another mono-Jedi card. As far as resources go, it’s alright. Two for one, not limited, but unique. It’s a bit like Jabba’s Palace, but instead of protecting your objectives, it protects your control of the force. When running all Jedi, having this out will help counter Plan of the Prophetess, and in general keep the balance of the force with the LS more often. Being unique, and with a conditional ability, I would have liked to see it have one more force icon, though.

Majestaat (5/5) – Wow, this is some simple, yet very serious business. I always liked Ancient Monument, and while this new enhancement is a bit pricier and doesn't have those 3 amazing force icons, it just provides too much. One jedi resource, 2 icons for the Force Struggle and it's not even limited. Hands down one of the best enhancements in the game.


Lightsaber Deflection (128-5): 24 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – Good card, glad to see it in another set.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – Not a new card so I won’t write much, but this card has seen a lot of play and now being able to run 4 in a deck is amazing, really helps combat against endless force chokes and has to pips so it’s always good in the edge.

colsanders (5/5) – REPRINT! Arguably one of the best events in the game, and now you have the chance to have 4 in your deck which is pretty insane. Do you really think this would get less than a 5?

doctormungmung (5/5) – If we’re going to get a recycled card, I’m glad it’s this one. Zero cost events are very hard to see coming, and when they mess with battle math as much as this one does, that can be a game changer. With two force icons, it’s decent in the edge in a pinch as well, although you really want to use it for its effect. In a way, Lightsaber Deflection is like the LS version of Force Choke. I’ll take four of that.

Majestaat (5/5) – Free events are good. Free events with amazing effects are better. We know it, we love it when we use it and absolutely hate it when used against us. Thought facing 4x Force Choke was a pain? You have yet to taste 4x Lightsaber Deflection.


The Jedi's Resolve (128-6): 18 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – Interesting unique Fate card. Downside is there is a number of Jedi cards that rely on you using them during the Force struggle. Skipping it could hurt you possibly. Using it on opponents turn seems like the best use for it either to steal the Force or make sure you don't lose it.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This fate card is super strong, and can really mess up your opponent, especially when they have things that react to them winning the force. The only downside is you completely skip the balance phase what can mess up your own cards that react to winning the force.

colsanders (4/5) – I am really starting to like these unique Fate cards that are coming out. This is a really flavorful card that works in a Jedi deck. The only reason I didn't go 5 of 5 is because if you have the Force already, there is nothing really special about it, but I still really like it.

doctormungmung (3/5) – New unique to the LS fate card! Break open that design space! In terms of fate cards, it seems decent but situational. With certain cards, this effect can be tremendous. Turn on Gotals mid combat for a nice surprise attack. Play during the DS turn and guarantee having the force at the beginning of the next LS turn. But, as has been noted on the forums, there are several LS cards that want the force phase to happen. Balance Obi, Gamor Run, Wolfmen. In the right deck, this card is great, in the wrong deck, it can really be counter productive.

Majestaat (4/5) – MTFBWY, Yoda's Hut and now this... yeah, don't even dream of ever taking the Force again as the DS. Most Jedi pods contain a unique unit, so the restriction doesn't matter much, while 2 icons make it good enough for edge battles. Worth nothing you won't get to play cards like My Ally is the Force if you use this, as you completely skip the Force Phase. You do slow down the dial and get some free damage on objectives.


Following Fate (129-1): 19 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – A powerful and easy to trigger effect at the start. Like pretty much every while undamaged objective it will be an early target of the DS to shut it off. DS decks often tend to lean heavily on some pretty powerful events like Force Choke, Tallon Roll and others. Event increasing each by one can help slow them down in that they won't be able to play as many cards as they might wish. Still it is pretty easy to turn off this one. Definitely also encourages mono Jedi with its other requirement.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This objective’s ability is really strong; it will really mess with your opponent till they can damage it what most likely will be their second turn at the earliest. The only thing keeping it from being a 5/5 is that you basically have to run it in a mono-Jedi deck to make it work and you have to keep in undamaged, though it might be way too good if it worked while damaged.

colsanders (5/5) – Fantastic reason to run Mono-Jedi. No free events is just amazing. This forces your opponent to attack this objective if they have even a few key events. If you happen to have Secret of Yavin out, ouch. That is almost as annoying as Vader's Fist with Killing Cold.

doctormungmung (3/5) – In keeping with the theme of Mono-Jedi, this objective requires it to not be blank. If it’s not, you’ve got a very powerful effect for the first two plus turns of the game, since the DS relies to heavily on their events. But, also being active only while undamaged means that it’s pretty easy to turn off, unless Secret of Yavin IV is out. In effect this is just Vader’s Command, but being a LS objective, you get more time before your opponent can damage it, and a bit of protection keeping it active. Knowledge and Defense gets a bit of a boost from this, as does Last Minute Rescue for their healing.

Majestaat (5/5) – Lord Vader's Command for the LS. Arguably better on this side of the table since the most competitive DS decks are still eminently defensive. Force Choke, Tallon Roll and Pay Out are some popular DS events that aren't nearly as good with that additional cost.
"Okay, so just attack once to make is useless for the rest of the game". It might indeed be easy to deactivate, but how much are you losing on the process? Jedi are extremely powerful on defense. If by any chance Knowledge and Defense becomes a worthy addition, the Daughters of Allya and this objective could make your life a nightmare.


*Obi-Wan Kenobi (129-2): 22 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (5/5) – Stats similar to the other Obi-Wans we have. But his Interrupt has the most meta shaping potential of any of them. Obviously in a Jedi deck you will have other Force User units it even works when he is destroyed since it is an Interrupt. Alot of DS decks right now tend to be Sith/Scum with this card that trend will likely change depending on how popular he becomes where you play. Even then there is plenty of powerful neutral units that can be taken out with it.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This new Obi-Wan is definitely my favourite version. While he is on the board your opponent will have to be careful about killing really any main Jedi character. If the meta is in a place where dual coloured decks are common this guy Obi-Wan will probably see a ton of play. Only downside is compared to the rest of the Jedi mains he is pretty expensive at 5 cost.

colsanders (5/5) – I love the Balance Obi-Wan. This version packs another great ability, possibly Meta altering, only time will tell. To get this working really well, we are going to have to get more decent cheap force users. The Gotal Outcasts are the best cheap force users IMO, mostly because they also come with good cards like Soresu Training, and Heat of Battle.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Same stats as the other incarnations of Obi, which are very good, except for the cost, which is a bit high. His effect is situational but very powerful. You get to punish your opponent for not also running a mono-deck. This hurts the currently dominant Sith/Scum quite a bit, considering that the dominant faction in a deck will be the one not matching the affiliation. This will also take care of neutral units, although a pure Sith deck doesn’t have many of those. You still have to lose a force user to use the ability though, so it’s not as powerful as it could be. But, Knowledge and Defense just so happens to come with a couple of cheap force users….

Majestaat (4/5) – Still a tad fragile for his cost, Obi is nonetheless a very strong defender and Force holder. More importantly, he completely ruins the day for the current top DS decks (generally, Sith with cheap Scum tactics). If people start playing mono-faction, Obi can could still remain relevant depending on how common it will be for future sets to include neutral units, or if Jedi receive cheaper force users (ex: Lost Master).


*R2-D2 (129-3): 24 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (5/5) – Free resources. What's not to like.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – Not a new card, but definitely a really good card. This free resource will really help get Obi-Wan out early and he can always swing for some unopposed damage!

colsanders (5/5) – Another great reprint! Finally an Obi-Wan with a resource, a free resource at that.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Go R2! Another recycled card, and another winner. A free resource that’s immune to Force Choke. What’s not to love. The only downsides to “him” are that he’s unique, and he doesn’t have any force icons, so that spare R2 in your hand doesn’t do anything but bluff in an edge battle. Other than that, awesome card.

Majestaat (5/5) – Free non-limited resource that can deal unopposed damage in a pinch, nuff' said. Zero force icons isn't enough to give the little guy less than a 5.


*Obi-Wan's Lightsaber (129-4): 19 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (5/5) – 1 cost saber that gives any Force User shielding and Obi-Wan protect. Great card. Would go good on new Luke too or any Yoda. Still giving a decent unit like Obi-Wan with his 3 damage capacity allows you to protect your other units and control when his Interrupt is triggered either by his own or another units death.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – Shielding is starting to become very amazing for Jedi decks, not only does it help counter tactics heavy decks, but can also be combo’d with “Asteroid base” to grant extra damage. Plus this gives “Obi-Wan” the “protect unit” keyword what makes him even more powerful and gives him another way to get his interrupt going by sacrificing himself to save another unit (so thematic!!).

colsanders (3/5) – Finally, we get his unique saber. It however it is a little underwhelming to me. First, it only has the 1 force icon, which is a bummer, because these sabers can only go onto force users, which means they get pitched into edge battles a lot. The shielding is great, but Soresu training does the same thing, is free and adds damage capacity. I wish there was 1 combat icon added.

doctormungmung (4/5) – I find it interesting that they’re trying to branch out in what lightsabers do. Obi’s is purely defensive. Shielding can be very powerful, but requires the right deck to take advantage of it. But even in the wrong deck, it’s still useful. And Obi’s special use of the saber is pretty awesome. This is the first time protect unit has come up. All other instances have some sort of limitation (character, vehicle, unit committed to the force, etc). Obi can now protect R2 or 3PO, or Home One, or Luke, or even a Nudj. That’s some powerful versatility there. Chain him with some Guardians, and you can protect anything you have for quite a while.

Majestaat (3/5) – Honestly wanted to give this a 4. Pay one to gain shielding (and protect with Ben!) is extremely strong. A few things ultimately dropped it to 3. Unlike other lightsabers, this one can only be attached to Force Users, no love for Force Sensitive units. Furthermore, it only has one force icon, making your potential second copy fairly useless if the first one is already in play.


Noble Sacrifice (129-5): 22 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (5/5) – Wow. Another great 1 cost event for Jedi. Again it points you towards playing mono Jedi. Not only does it allow you to trigger Obi-Wans Interrupt to destroy a unit but it also shuts down any DS unit with a stack of Focus tokens. Hard not to like other than the one Force icon but it is not likely edge card anyway.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This is an insanely strong effect; it can just lock out your opponent’s best unit. Plus if “Obi-Wan” is out you will not only lock out a unit but also destroy one if they have a unit that doesn’t match their affiliation.

colsanders (5/5) – So you have to be mono-Jedi, but this is a perfect reason to do it. This will lock a unit down for the rest of the game considering all the tactics that Jedi have. If you have a main that is ready to die, and the other copy in your hand, why not just nuke the old and drop the new.

doctormungmung (4/5) – At the cost of a resource and a force user, you can lock down any unit in the game except an undamaged Executer. That can be huge. Ideally you don’t want to sacrifice your more powerful force users like Luke, Yoda, or Obi, but you can in a pinch. While relatively rare, there are cheaper options, such as the Daughters of Allya, Gotals, and Jedi in Hiding. If you have one of those available, this card is great. Otherwise, the cost is a bit high, so you have to be a bit careful how you use it.

Majestaat (4/5) – Was a tough call, but its one of those effects that can win you a game, period. It's only one resource and usable on any kind of enemy unit. Of course, the popular Force Users are all expensive uniques, so you reallu do sacrifice a lot, but if that will let you destroy that last objective, it's well worth it.


Target of Opportunity (129-6): 20 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – Some blast damage in a set that was lacking in that department. This will help you win faster.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – I will never complain about having a target in a lightside set; only downside is that it’s just a blank card with 2 pips while on defense.

colsanders (4/5) – Good inclusion, the set is lacking support units that can attack, and the force icon count is low without this.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Blast damage is what the LS needs to win, and this fate card provides it. Can’t argue with that.

Majestaat (4/5) – A perfect fit to balance this set out in terms of offense, defense and control. Let Ben and Noble Sacrifice clear a path, then swing for unopposed + Target to quickly dispatch an objective.

Journey Through the Swamp (130-1): 14 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – my least favorite of the new sets. One that will likely improve as we get more creatures for the LS.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – There aren’t a ton of great creatures of the lightside that this objective can grab; I guess the best would be the Jubba Bird in this set and having one of those out for free first turn can be really good.

colsanders (3/5) – The threads for a new deck archetype start here for creatures. For now though, they will continue to be support units. Starting the game with a resource, or unit is always a good thing.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Getting a free card in play is nice, but right now there aren’t very many creature cards available to the LS. Nudj, Tauntauns, Jubba Birds, Knobbly White Spider and Bogwings are what’s available. Perhaps this could work with some weird Tauntaun deck, but that still seems underwhelming. Getting the Spider on the table for free is probably the best option, or a Jubba Bird if you aren’t facing Sith. Perhaps in the future there will be something more interesting to work with, but right now, you’d just be clutching at straws.

Majestaat (2/5) – Rather lackluster given the current cardpool. Available targets are Tauntauns (I love the idea of a Tauntaun army deck, and the extra resource T1 is nice, but doubt Hoth + Dagobah will make a good pair), Nudj (could give you the time you need midgame), the new Bogwing (he's free anyway, so...), Jubba Bird and Knobby White Spider.
I assume we'll get a good 3-cost creature at some point, but for now it seems like one of the weakest objectives LS received in this box.


Jubba Bird (130-2&3): 15 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – 1 cost with 2 Force icons can help you get early Force control. Using it's sacrifice ability to target an Emperor's tactics icons is a pretty powerful option.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This is a pretty strong effect for only 1 resource, and is great support to help your big main units get past defenders, though if they are playing with vehicles these birds don’t do much. Having two copies of this card also makes it hard to justify doubling up on this pod though, really don’t want 4 of these Birds in a deck, but that might be a good thing since that leaves more room for other sets.

colsanders (4/5) – Nobody is giving love to the birds. I am really liking them though, 2 force icons is always nice, if they absorb a force choke, so what. If they stay alive though, that ability will win you many games. Not as good as Echo Caverns Icon manipulation, but very close.

doctormungmung (2/5) – Good force icons for the cost and a great effect. Too bad it only has one health, which makes it Force Choke / Vader bait. But, if the meta shifts to broaden out on the DS these guys’ stock will go up. Until then, their best use is to try and actually bait out the Force Choke so that it doesn’t get used on the units you want to keep around.

Majestaat (4/5) – Cheap Force holder with a powerful, versatile effect, even if it's a one time thing. Need to attack but Palpatine will focus your whole board down? Throw him an explosive Jubba Bird. New Boba Fett is about oneshot your objective? The bird is the word.
Depending on what you target, it can be as strong as a focus token, without involving the risks and rewards of the edge battle, and knowing that refreshment tricks like Rage won't be useful.
Not being able to target vehicles should hurt throughout the Rogue Cycle, but I simply can't imagine characters completely disappearing from the competitive scene.


Knobby White Spider (130-4): 16 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – An interesting card. 1 cost for 5 damage units is decent as you can pop it out whenever you want to.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This card can be a great defender, but having to continually pay the 1 resource to use it can be tough though. Also with all the ways Scum and Villainy have to deal with enhancements, I have found this card hard to keep on the board.

colsanders (5/5) – A 1 cost enhancement that has 3 black icons and 5 health on command? What is not to love. Hired Hands and Galactic Scum are the only better bargains IMO.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Having a unit that can’t be targeted except when it’s in combat is pretty good. No pre-emptive Force Chokes, Captures, Targeted Strikes, etc. And for the cost it’s got great icons and health. It has been ruled that damage on it stays when it turns back into an enhancement, so it’s not getting five health every time you activate it, but that’s probably for the best. Even still, having a Twi’lek Loyalist that doesn’t need to win edge to pull out a defender is pretty good.

Majestaat (3/5) – Under normal circumstances you get a beefy and threatening defender for 2 resources total. Activating it a second time still seems worth it in my opinion. If it hasn't died already, I wouldn't consider it for a third round of combat unless I absolutely need to lock someone down no matter what.


Life Creates It (130-5): 15 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – 1 cost to bring back all of your Creatures seems decent and again will improve as we see more creatures for the LS.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Like I said earlier there aren’t a ton of good creatures so this card isn’t just going to win games, saying that though it does lets you recur the “Jubba Birds” and “Nudjs” what will really slow down your opponent.

colsanders (4/5) – So right now we are restricted to birds, nudjs, tauntauns, and spiders, but there will most definitely be more to come. This is another card that will only get better the longer the game is out. Even now though, getting all your birds, nudj, and spiders is pretty nice.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Getting all your creatures back in play for just one resource is pretty nice. All those Jubba Birds and Nudjs that went down to Force Chokes can come back and be annoyances to your opponent yet again. It even works with the Spider. Although perhaps its best use would be as a resource accelerator with Tauntauns. Still, until there are more useful creatures, this event is kind of lackluster.

Majestaat (3/5) – One could get huge benefits from this. Recovering a Nudj and a couple of Jubba Birds seems fantastic to either stall the game or remove the problematic enemy icons to swing safely against an objective.
Only one Force icon is a problem in any combo card. The Dagobah objective requirement is another issue as I can't imagine anyone playing with more than 3-4 of them with the current cardpool.


Size Matters Not (130-6): 22 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – Best card in the set by far. Being able to shuffle around Focus can help you get multiple attacks or free up a unit thats been focused by your opponent. You can also use it to help exhaust an opposing unit assuming another unit has multiple focus on it.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This card is pretty great, it can allow some of your big threats to strike twice or free them up for defense. It does require to focus out one of your units, but there are lots of cheap units in Jedi sets that don’t really matter if they are focused out of not, like the “Jubba Birds” in this set or “C3PO” or even a “Nudj”.

colsanders (5/5) – Bonkers. Crazy. Insane. Ludicrous. Anyway you look at it, this card is just amazing. One of my favorite Star Wars lines, and the card delivers. Having it be 0 cost is what makes it so great, and its balanced by being in a set that you likely won't run 2 of.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Now here’s an even to write home about. Free up one of your heavy hitters to strike again, or defend, or hold the force. Focus down a defender on the opponents side. It’s a little bit like a Bamboozle crossed with a Cloud City Operative. Both of those are fantastic cards, and so is this one. The only thing holding this one back is the set that it’s in.

Majestaat (5/5) – This one works similar to Cloud City Operative. Because it's free and can be played at any moment, it feels much stronger for me, even if you can't put your own focus on an enemy unit. You should always find a use for this, be it to strike time and again with your mains, redistribute focus tokens, keep the Force, defend in a pinch. That versatility really makes this card shine.


Sacrifice on Endor (131-1): 16 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – I like the art as it depicts part of the Battle of Endor we never saw before. This set is a lynchpin in the Ewok decks we are finally able to play. With Ewoks relatively low cost it allows them an easy way to control the Force. Jedi don't have trouble with Force control but Ewok decks will likely have less of the Jedi mains to help with that.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – The condition this objective has to make it work is hard to accomplish without running heavy on the ewoks, what really brings down the amount of big units in the deck. If Ewok tribal decks become a thing, this objective will be much better though

colsanders (4/5) – Ewok decks are officially here, and here is the objective that completes the deck. Those furry guys aren't exactly strong force holders, so let the Objective and enhancements do it for you.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Standard stats, so as with most objectives, it’s the ability that makes or breaks it. Here, we have a reason to stick as many ewoks into a deck as possible. We’re getting to the point where having three ewoks out shouldn’t be that difficult. And in that case, getting a free three icons added to your force struggles are huge. That will go a long way to countering Plan of the Prophetess, or just general Sith force mastery, leaving you with units that you won’t have to choose between attacking or holding the force. There aren’t enough ewoks yet to make this a must have set (at least enough with some blast), but it’s close.

Majestaat (3/5) – Ewoks are cheap and Impersonating a Deity helps you find them. Will that be enough to trigger this objective? As of now, a deck can have up to 12 Ewok units, but they're quite fragile and if you spam them you're not playing the uniques you need as a Jedi player.
3 extra Force icons is good, but seriously, Jedi have such an easy time controlling the Force already that this comes as overkill. Sith can still contest with them though, and as such, they may be forced to burn some of their tricks to keep the Ewok count low.


Ewok Hunter (131-2&3): 19 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – A great little Ewok that I am glad we get to see two of. It's enter/leaves play ability to draw you cards is a good benefit and both work no matter how it enters or leaves play. Definitely not a powerhouse but even still winning an edge battle or an unopposed engagement gives you a cheap tactics icon. 2 damage capacity makes it of course vulnerable to cards like Force Choke but even then you still get another card.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – I really like these Ewoks, getting card draw and an edge-enable tactics for 2 resources is really good. Can be sent out for the first engagement of a turn to help lock down a defender and if it dies that’s okay, since you get to draw a card, and everyone loves drawing cards!

colsanders (4/5) – A 2 health ewok is a vast improvement. Tactics another improvement. Card draw, twice, another improvement. Great little units, and they are neutral so no resource match problems.

doctormungmung (4/5) – These guys are very solid. Two health for two cost, edge enabled tactics, black unit damage, and card draw on coming in and leaving play all add up to a very cost efficient card. This is similar to Twi-lek Loyalist, in that it’s cheap tactics. But for the extra cost, you get a lot. Being able to replace the card when you play it is huge, for both finding the right unit or event that you need, to just making sure you have enough cards for the edge battles you’ll need to fight.

Majestaat (4/5) – Really solid 2-cost drop. Beefy for an ewok, so it can hopefully stay around long enough to make the best out of the ewok tricks. Get a card by playing him, then swing to deal with the big enemy defender. Except you get an additional card if you lose the edge and your hunter.


*Funeral Pyre (131-4): 25 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (5/5) – 1 cost enhancement that helps you stop Vader, Emperor, Boba Fett or any other character. Yes please. While its cost may seem high it conveniently includes units you don't mind as much when they leave play in the set. 4 force icons means great edge card assuming you already have one in play and you are relatively certain your opponent has no enhancement control.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – This effect is insane! You can sacrifice cheap units to this to lock out their best characters. If character units continue to dominate the meta, this card will probably see a lot of play. Nothing like sacrificing a 0 cost unit to lock down their big 5 or 6 cost unit.

colsanders (5/5) – Whoa. The force icons on it alone make it great, but that action is nuts. It has great synergy with both the new Obi-Wan, and the creatures. Start sacrificing creatures, then get them back with Life Creates It, Profit. With Obi-Wan, lock a guy down, and then kill another, Profit.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Any card with four force icons is going to be a good card, even if all the other text was blanked. But here we have an enhancement that’s cheap, and allows you to focus down your opponents characters as an action. The cost is a little steep, but for a repeatable effect, it should be. This card works very well against the current DS meta king of Sith, as well as Scum and Navy Troopers. That’s a pretty wide swath of deck types to get support against for just a single card.

Majestaat (5/5) – Low cost? Check. Insane amount of force icons? Check. Reusable character lockdown? Check.
It's good, it's crazy good no matter what. Most Jedi pods have the big unique and one or two very cheap units. Use the latter to lock down the main enemy threat and the former to keep the pressure on objectives. Who would have thought the Jedi would get so much from burning ewoks...


Unexpected Help (131-5): 18 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – Allowing you to hit twice with a unique like Luke or Yoda is never a bad thing. This event can also help you ready one of your units that could have been the focus of your opponents tactics icons. All for the low cost of one resource. Situational but useful. With only one Force icon pretty useless in edge battles.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – Really great effect, it can clear tokens off your big mains to double strike or be ready to defend.

colsanders (5/5) – Getting to attack with your main units multiple times can only lead to good things. With Tribal Support, you can even get to attack with the ewok by removing a shield. Win-Win.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Being able to unfocus a unit is a huge effect, and will always be useful. Here the cost is reasonable. Again, it’s a bit like the Cloud City Operative, but you don’t get the option of locking down your opponent in the process, or getting a unit on the table. Unlike the objectives ability, you only need a single ewok on the table to get use from this card, which is significantly easier to accomplish. This pairs very well with Ties of Blood, and the ewok unfocusing event.

Majestaat (3/5) – Having your big hitter ready at any time is always good. Between the cost, restrictions and single Force icon, this card isn't particularly good though. Not much else to add since it's essentially a worse Size Matters Not.


Retreat into the Forest (131-6): 14 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – 0 cost and allows you to keep recurring your Ewok Hunters with their card draw after sacrificing it to the Vader bonfire. It's great for zero cost. Again 1 Force icon makes it pretty lackluster in edge battles.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Not a great card, but not bad. You can use it to get extra mileage out of your “Ewok Hunters” or save any Ewoks you sacrifice to “Funeral Pyre”.

colsanders (3/5) – It's zero cost and can keep your units around for a little while. Works wonderfully with Funeral Pyre. Now if there were only some unique ewok units, like say WICKET! Come on FFG make it happen.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Ewok recursion is something we’ve already seen, but having another path for it is useful, as we’re just about at the point where ewok decks are a thing. This works with Funeral Pyre, which is very nice, especially if you are sacrificing an Ewok Hunter for the cost. That’s a lot of card draw you have available.

Majestaat (3/5) – Give your favorite ewok a second chance at life! Though you have to pay for his services once again... greedy furballs. If you still have a need for the support abilities from your fragile ewoks (or simply their body to burn it once again) this will definitely help. But in many cases, between protect, shields and Lightsaber Deflections you have enough to stop them from dying in the first place.


*Commando Raid (132-1): 22 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – Standard 5/1 objective but it's ability is phenomenal. Allowing you to play Fate cards at any time you can play an action is not only another great trick in the Rebel character builds arsenal but has great potential for helping you win. Obviously some Fate cards have better use than others Seeds of Decay on your opponents turn for example.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This ability is so cool, if your opponent blocks with a 1 health unit you can use a “heat of battle” to kill them before the edge battle even happens. I think the best use though is using a “Seeds of Decay” to focus down your enemies that are committed to the force to stop them from blocking in the first place or to help you win the force.

colsanders (4/5) – This is my favorite objective set for the LS. The Limit 1 per deck is a real bummer, but the action is still great. Also with these new unique fate cards coming down the way, there could be some really cool interactions.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Standard stats for an objective, but a fantastic ability. For no direct cost (and an indirect cost of weakening your edge hand), you can use any fate card effect without worrying about it being twisted away. Heat, and Target still need to be played in an engagement, but you could play a Heat after defenders are chosen to pick off a one health defender, possibly saving the need for an edge battle. Others can be played at any time. Heal a Hoth objective that you need to turn back on its “while undamaged” effect. Focus out Mara before she gets a shield on her. Uncommit your opponents only committed unit just before the force struggle. The options are huge. The only negative about this is that it’s limit one per deck and once per turn.

Majestaat (5/5) – Sometimes a Seeds of Decay is all you need to win the game. Unfortunately, you have to push through 4+ DS Twists of Fate. No more!
This is as versatile as the fate cards in your deck, and it can fit anywhere. Thumbs up.

*Lieutenant Judder Page (132-2): 14 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – Decently costed, okay combat icons. Two health can be a liability for Characters still. The Interrupt however helps you get even more use out of your Fate cards. Play a Heat, get it back and use it again with the objectives Action or the same with a Target of Opportunity. One blast damage is often all you need to blow up an objective.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – His ability is pretty good, but at 3 cost I'd like to see better icons. When compared to the Jedi version of Leia it feels like you aren't getting as much for the same cost.

colsanders (3/5) – I really wanted to get him 4 of 5, but that two health is such a downer. He is still a really good unit though, but with Rebel characters not having protect yet, it hurts a lot for a main. His icons are perfectly fine as well as his 2 force icons. His ability is where he shines though, looping seeds is awesome.

doctormungmung (2/5) – His ability works very well with the objective, so you can get double duty from a fate card, or make sure it goes off if it gets twisted away. Unfortunately he has to be in the engagement, which limits it somewhat. His stats are alright for a three cost unit, but he suffers from the Rebel problem of low health. Two health is such a liability when facing Sith that it’s hard to justify playing a unit if Vader is one the board. If Rebels had access to Trooper protection, this would be a different story.

Majestaat (3/5) – Overall an okay unit. His interrupt is crazy good, but at 2 damage capacity, I doubt he will get to recover more than one fate card before dying. Wish that last icon had been an edge-enabled blast instead.

Page's Commandos (132-3&4): 19 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – Two copies is fine. Good cost and again allows you to get extra use of your Fate cards.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – Really great two drops, the ability is pretty good, and all black icons, espically a black objective damage, is really nice at the two cost.

colsanders (5/5) – Holy crap I love these guys! Two cost with 2 black icons is great, blast being one which the rebel characters needed. That reaction is just so great though. Playing the same Twist of Fate 3 times is just demoralizing to an opponent. Huge card advantage.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Even with blank text, getting two black icons (which includes objective damage) for two cost is a good deal. Having two health is even better. They’ll still die to a Vader Force Choke, but otherwise they’ll have a decent chance of getting to strike in at least one engagement. Or they’ll draw tactics from your other units, leaving them able to strike. Their ability is decent, although typically will be useless in the first couple of turns of the game. Overall it’s a nice solid unit.

Majestaat (4/5) – Solid stats for 2 resources. Their ability will keep your hand both healthy and menacing for edge battles, getting some extra damage or control from your already spent fate cards. Only downside is seeing them too early, when you haven't discarded/played fate cards yet.

Heat of Battle (132-5): 21 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – Thanks to this set, this good card becomes better.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – Fate cards are even better in this set so it's good to see some.

colsanders (5/5) – Talk about synergy. Now the Rebels are getting it. Two great fate cards for a fate card set. I was kinda hoping for a new Endor specific one though.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Heat is a good fate card, but it works better for the DS. Still, it does work towards keeping the DS’s board presence down. And with the objective out, you get a few more tricks to use with it.

Majestaat (5/5) – Due to this pod's nature, the value for fate card raises. As simple as that.

Target of Opportunity (132-6): 22 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – A perfect fit. Free blast damage that becomes reusable thanks to this set.
chunkygorillas (4/5) – Once again, nice to see fate cards in this set, getting extra uses out of this card using the characters in this set is pretty awesome.

colsanders (5/5) – Talk about synergy. Now the Rebels are getting it. Two great fate cards for a fate card set. I was kinda hoping for a new Endor specific one though.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Blast damage is what the LS needs to win, and this fate card provides it. Can’t argue with that.

Majestaat (5/5) – Same as above.


Calling In Favors (133-1): 11 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (3/5) – It's hard not to get excited by the potential of what starting out with this lets you play. Of course it comes at a huge downside. While this set comes with a few ways to help you overcome that, I'm not sure it is enough, especially if you don't see them early when maxing out this objective is a bigger advantage. There's also BotF Dash's set that comes with Smuggling Shipment, which lets you remove focus from an objective.

chunkygorillas (2/5) – A 5 health objective with 4 resources is bound to have some downsides and the downside on this card is huge. If you don't draw a card that you get tokens off this objective it's going to be a dead card.
colsanders (2/5) – Okay, 4 resources is crazy, but that restriction is horrible. You can really drop the hammer if you draw a bunch of units, but you can't use it until your ready to explode.

doctormungmung (1/5) – Having a large amount of resources on an object can be situationally useful, but that is always counterbalanced by having to wait a few extra turns before being able to use any resources from that objective again. Here they’ve taken away that possibility, so it’s more like a loan with such a high interest rate that it will never be payed off. There are cards that can be used to remove focus from the objective, but if you don’t see those, you’re stuck with an objective (or two) that won’t generate any resources for you, and does nothing else.

Majestaat (3/5) – Initially despised this, but now I think it can be a worthy 1x in a deck. If you see it midgame, this alone provides the resources for a big main, so you still have a ton of money left your yet another main, support units or some powerful events, then push for the win.
Don't think I would ever want to see this objective early though. It's too much of a gamble, and I'm not one to gamble.


*Talon Karrde (133-2): 18 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – 3 health character is good especially since he is four cost. Double tactics also good. 3 Force icons but not elite. His Reaction obviously has synergy with his objective but also with the two vehicles in his set and Sleuth Scouts as well. Can help you sneak in an attack your opponent might not expect after he has stacked some focus on to a Sleuth or a Blockade Runner.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – I really like this card, if you don’t have his objective out he is still good since his ability can target fighters and transports too. He has pretty good icons at 4 cost, I just wish he had elite.
colsanders (3/5) – He is an okay unit for 4, the force icons are okay, the icons are fair, but his reaction really only works with the cards in this set. If he isn't out, those cards are not nearly as good. If he was elite, I would be much more okay with his cost.

doctormungmung (4/5) – The LS gets its Motti, if a little less versatile. He doesn’t work for every unit, (including himself), but what he does work with is pretty good. Clear up a two resource objective every turn (or try to make Calling in Favors into a normal blank objective). Make a Skipray non-force committed (effectively). Where he really shines, though, is freeing up Sleuths and Blockade Runners. He also combos nicely with Bamboozle and Cloud City Operatives. On top of his ability he has a nice set of stats and health for a reasonable cost. Two tactics are always very helpful.

Majestaat (3/5) – Overall decent stats and a neat reaction to clear your main attackers such as Sleuth Scouts and the Skyray Blastboats from focus tokens to obliterate the DS objectives.
If he was elite or had some blast damage, I'd have no problem giving him a 4. But as he is, he can feel somewhat weak when there's nothing on the board to make use of his reaction.


Skipray Blastboat (133-3&4): 14 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (2/5) – Being Forced to double focus can be a big downside without Talon Karrde being available to help them ready. Two black blast and being cheap makes them an obvious pairing with sets like Raise the Stakes to maximize their damage potential. Definitely a good thing they are not Smugglers affiliated.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Two black blast for two cost on the Lightside is pretty amazing so of course this card has a pretty big downside, but Talon Karrde helps mitigate that downside by refreshing an extra token off one of them. The problem is Talon can only target one thing a turn and with multiples of these and an objective that needs to have focus removed too, these guys might end up taking an extra turn to refresh
colsanders (4/5) – A unit for 2 with 2 black blast and 2 health is pretty darn impressive. The Forced reaction seems almost mandatory and isn't that bad of a setback honestly. Smugglers have another 2 cost unit that likes it when you have some extra focus tokens to remove, see Cloud City Operative.

doctormungmung (2/5) – These units are close to being very good. Two cost for two black blast is great. But their forced reaction effectively commits them to the force without any of the benefits. They’ll likely get to strike once, and then get locked down for the rest of the game. Karrde can help one a turn, but otherwise they’re kind of stuck. If the LS had access to something like Talon Roll, then maybe they’d be a bit better. But as it, you’re better off looking for your blast elsewhere.

Majestaat (3/5) – Cheap and reliable blast damage. If it was a S&S unit to get the bonus from Across the Anoat Sector, I would definitely give this a 4, as I believe this pod would synergize nicely with that one. At least they work with Raise the Stakes and can be protected by the Renegade Squadron Escorts, so it's not like they can't be supported either.
Karrde and Cloud City Operatives will help mitigate their forced reaction, so they might actually see action more than once.


Dirty Secrets (133-5): 23 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (4/5) – Another tool for Smugglers bat belt of tricks. Obvious good pairing with it's home objective but there is lots of DS objectives it could be used on to your advantage. Plan of the Prophetess, Kuat Reinforcements, Repair and Refurbish all come to mind.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – Really great card, it can turn your opponent’s best objective into a blank one so you don't have to worry about it. It can also blank your own "Calling In Favours" so it will refresh, but I think I would rather use it on one of my opponent’s objective.

colsanders (4/5) – So you read this an instantly think that it will only be useful on Calling in Favors. But then you start playing and realize, "Hey, Family Connections is really, really annoying." A very powerful enhancement.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Blank any objective! That’s an incredibly powerful ability. Turn off Council of the Sith, or Plan of the Prophetess, or Imperial Blockade, or Repair and Refurbish, or Defense Protocol. The list of potential good targets is very long. Or, if you feel like removing one of your handicaps, put it on Calling in Favors. If this were in a better set, it would be in just about every LS deck.

Majestaat (5/5) – This is always useful and can completely wreck some decks that depend heavily on a particular objective. Blank whatever counters your own deck or exponentially reinforces the opponent's deck. Colour me impressed.

Clever Ruse (133-6): 9 out of 25 possible points.

Toqtamish (1/5) – 2 Force icons helps with edge battles. It can also stop DS combat phase tricks on your turn when. An okay card. 1/5

chunkygorillas (2/5) – Not great, you can clear off your "Calling in Favours" objective to give you 4 resources but then you are just locking down another objective for quite a few turns.

colsanders (1/5) – I don't think that I will ever play this card. The only reason that it got a 1 is because it has 2 force icons. Just bad.

doctormungmung (3/5) – You can move focus from an objective you are about to destroy onto one that will be around next turn, thus locking your opponent out of a resource. That’s not a bad ability. If you do it with a two resource objective, you can lock your opponent out of two objectives the next turn. Or you can use it to free up Calling in Favors, but that’s a much less useful thing to do. It’s even decent in the edge if you’re not ready to take out an objective just yet.

Majestaat (2/5) – Too situational. Maybe you'll get to put one focus from the 2-resource enemy objective to another one, blocking any possible event or trick for the battle. You may also move the tokens from Calling in Favors to another objective if you think the extra money will give you the game that turn. At least it has 2 force icons so it's not half bad for edge battles.


FINAL WORDS:

Quite the long read. Congratulations for making it until the end, dear reader!
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.

The DS half should be done in a couple weeks, and after that we will keep going with Ready for Takeoff and the rest of the Rogue Cycle, so stay tuned!

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

May the Force be with You all.