Star Wars LCG: "Imperial Entanglements" Deluxe Expansion Review - DS part 1

MEET THE FAMILY (aka - THE REVIEWERS):
-chunkygorillas, host to the Ion Control Podcast ;
-doctormungmung, Massachussets' evil genius;
-yodaman, he who you seek when numbers are involved;
-pantsyg, jankmaster general;
-Majestaat, the one to blame for typos and delayed articles.


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 clearly 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.

THE BIG DEALS:



Top 10 Cards (they're actually more with all the ties and reprints):
1 – The Tarkin Doctrine, with 25 out of 25 possible points.
2 – Grand Moff Tarkin (The Tarkin Doctrine), with 25 out of 25 possible points.
3 – Chimaera (Might of the Empire), with 25 out of 25 possible points.
4 – Gorc (Brothers of the Sith), with 25 out of 25 possible points.
5 – Fleet Staging Area (Might of the Empire), with 24 out of 25 possible points.
6 – Imperial Entanglements, with 24 out of 25 possible points.
7 – Customs Blockade (Imperial Entanglements), with 24 out of 25 possible points.
8 – Jabba's Summons (The Hutt's Menagerie), with 24 out of 25 possible points.
9 – Stormtrooper Assault Team (The Tarkin Doctrine), with 23 out of 25 possible points.
10 – DP20 Corellian Gunship (Might of the Empire), with 23 out of 25 possible points.
11 - MSE-6 "Mouse" Droid (Enforced Loyalty), with 23 out of 25 possible points.
12 – Ion Cannon (Imperial Entanglements), with 23 out of 25 possible points.
13 – Jabba's Rancor (The Hutt's Menagerie), with 23 out of 25 possible points.

Overall best rated Objective Set:
The Tarkin Doctrine, with 25 out of 25 possible points.


THE REVIEWS:

The Tarking Doctrine (178-1): 25 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – Anything that forces to make your opponent play differently then they want to is generally amazing. Even with the restrictions, it’s still a 5/5.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Time to start of the Navy craziness with one of their awesome new objectives. What this objective does is that it either protects a key objective of yours from being attacked, or it effectively reduces the LS resources for the turn by two. And it stacks with itself! Because of how reactions work, if you have two out, you can use one and then wait to see how your opponents deals with that before choosing to use the second one. Power and flexibility all in one package. Navy has several “undamaged” objectives that provide powerful effects (such as Imperial Blockade) that will now have a lot more impact on the game. You just need to keep in mind that this requires three Navy objectives out, so if one ever does bite the dust (or is out in a mixed faction deck), it’s a blank objective.

yodaman (5/5) – Right out of the gate, Navy gets an objective with a crazy ability that doesn’t disappoint and makes Navy competitive. The “Tarkin Tax” changes how the LS has to play the game, especially early. As most people who have had the time to experiment with IE since its early pre-release at GenCon and OCTGN have found out, this objective coupled with another one from the deluxe, Enforced Loyalty, is simply oppressive, just as the Navy should be. Sure it’s Navy only and you have to have 3 Navy objectives out to make it work, but with the power cards Navy just got in this set, that won’t be an issue. Simply amazing.

pantsyg (5/5) – This is a really strong effect, especially in the early game. It’s not really a big deal for decks that can hold the force, build up a board, and attack when they have a good number of units and free resources, but it gives you early breathing room to set up defenses and can be a thorn into the late game if you can keep your opponent on the back foot by eliminating their big threats.

Majestaat (5/5) – Very restrictive in its deckbuilding, but with good reason. The reaction is incredibly powerful, allowing you to keep your strongest objective around for longer (especially valuable with "while undamaged" objectives), or to deny the LS a bit of unopposed damage when their swarming and you'd rather focus your defenses. If your opponent does decide to pay the tax, then you should be safe from his strongest events, allowing you to execute your defense safely.


*Grand Moff Tarkin (178-2): 25 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – Amazing stats for 3 cost, and one of the strongest abilities in the game. It can turn off the most annoying cards, like Chewbacca or Shien training during a battle, or stop their powerful objectives from triggering, and even (thanks to some rulings) destroy enhancements attached to units.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Statwise Tarkin is very good. One of each icon, with the tactics being black, three health, three force icons for three cost. Plus he provides a resource on top of all that. Even with blank text he’d be bordering on a four out of five. But then there’s his text. Hooooo-boy. For the cost of a Navy resource, once per turn, he can blank a card for a phase. Heroes and Legends out and threatening a Kyle loop? Nope. Yoda running around with tons of unit damage or tactics? Uh-uh. Rogue Squadrons about to go to town? Not this combat phase. And the interaction with attached enhancements makes this even more powerful. You can send cards like Shien Training or Hobbie right to the discard pile from play. GMT is pound for pound probably the best control unit in the game. His only downside is that later in the game, there are frequently several good targets for his text, forcing some tough decisions.

yodaman (5/5) – Tarkin 2.0 is incredible, especially for his 3 cost and 3 health. His combat icons are decent with the black tactics and white gun and blast, but his ability is the game changer. Being able to blank the text of any LS card is incredible by spending one navy resource, even if it’s rightfully limited to once per turn. FFG’s ruling that if Tarkin’s ability is used to blank an enhancement attached to another card (like Shien Training or a pilot) causes that enhancement to be discarded, has caused some controversy, but it just helps make Navy better. The fact Tarkin comes with his own resource so he can trigger himself is awesome.

pantsyg (5/5) – Knocks Yoda, Falcon, MTFBWY and Rogue X-Wings down to size, neutering the abilities that make them obnoxious. Due to a (IMO bad) ruling, he’s also a pilot assassin. I like that his blanking happens at the beginning of a phase rather than action speed, so there’s a skill element to making sure he targets the strongest part of your opponent’s board. He’s not the dominant force Thrawn is, but for 3 you can’t argue with with elite, a tactics and the ability to pay for his text himself in a pinch.

Majestaat (5/5) – Trust me, I won't just complain on Tarkin keeping elite and having a damage capacity boost while Lando didn't. The new version of the Grand Moff is both a good support unit thanks to his black tactics and high HP, and also a strong control element due to his reaction, which he can pay by himself. Blank units to make combat easier, blank objectives to deny your opponent from precious utility, or even blank unit enhancements to erase them from the map. Thanks a lot FFG.


Stormtrooper Assault Team (178-3): 23 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – 3 unit damage with targeted strike…. That is just amazing; they are edge enabled though so it’s not quite a 5/5.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Navy gets a unit that doubles as Vader or Mara with their saber for a cost of two. Whaaaaat? That’s pretty nuts. Used in a mono-Navy deck, having a targeted strike of three is massive. Just throw these guys at an enemy objective, and your opponent has to defend. Even if you lose edge, you’ve now probably pulled out a unit that was committed to the force, or opened up an avenue for further attacks. In a way, the Assault Team provides the same sort of ability as cheap tactics units. The only reason it isn’t a five is that some people will splash this set, drastically reducing the threat these guys provide.

yodaman (5/5) – For 2 cost, we get a chud with Targeted Strike with up to 3 edge enabled unit damage depending on how many Navy objectives you have out. Tarkin’s set already encourages playing Navy only so most of the time, you’ll get the full value of 3. Ideally, you’ll want to play one of these guys when your opponent has no ready defenders or hardly any cards in hand so you can make use of its ability. The fact the unit damage is edge-enable and that is only a slight drawback. I love this card.

pantsyg (5/5) – Yeah, the damage is edge-dependent, but the new Navy breaks the old “Navy sucks at edge battles” trope, and this set even comes with a Twist! They’re Main/RSX-killing defenders, and their Targeted Strike gives Navy a powerful and unique removal option. Very efficient for 2! My favorite card in the set.

Majestaat (5/5) – As long as you're playing mono or very heavy on Navy, you get one of the best 2-drops in the game. On defense it will force the LS to overcommit in edge or risk losing an important unit. On attack it's like tactics on steroids since it effective removal instead of a delay. May be the only trooper in the set, but it's powerful enough you will want to include it into trooper decks.


Rule by Fear (178-4): 20 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – It’s pricey, but if you have the extra resources it is an amazing effect. Against decks that are running “mains”, it can just shut down their entire turn, since you can bounce a unit like Luke Skywalker, and they just won’t have the resources to play another main or play Luke again.

doctormungmung (4/5) – This card is a big frak you to your opponents mains. Having this on the table you can usually stall out a turn pretty easily. What does your opponent do? Play the Falcon just to see it bounce, or play a suboptimal unit and either hope that RbF goes away, or just never let the main see the table. Vs most decks, if you are bouncing a unit that costs three, you are getting good value from this card. You do lose efficiency vs weenie decks, although sometimes it’s still worth it to bounce the Rogue Squadron X-Wing. It is a little expensive, but even that has a plus, in that it makes it immune to Saboteurs.

yodaman (4/5) – I admit it, my opinion of this card has changed the more I’ve played both with it and against it. When I first saw it, I thought the 3 cost might be too steep and this wouldn’t see that much play despite its great ability. I was completely wrong. This card is Imperial Blockade on steroids and helps shut down decks relying on costly mains. You can basically force your opponent to waste an entire turn just to get rid of it and that allows you to have more time to build up your defenses. The only reason I’m not giving it a 5 is because LS has some ways to get around it via things like Defense of Yavin 4 and Owen Lars, which are appearing a lot these days and its 3 cost is a bit steep.

pantsyg (4/5) – I was tempted to go 5/5, but the cost means you better get a good tempo swing out of it because in the early game, when it will be most impactful, you’ll have a weak turn playing it. Falcon, Luke and Yoda drops will cry; even bouncing cheaper units deprives your opponent of resources, adding to the objective’s punch.

Majestaat (4/5) – If I have a unit that can keep the Force then I'll play this and call it a day. May not be particularly good against Rebel or Smuggler vehicle swarms, in which cases it is only decent, but it's pretty strong against everything else. Anything that buys you more time as the DS is good. The board may not change much, but the dial should get to advance one or two ticks.


Moment of Triumph (178-5): 22.5 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – This can just shut down vehicle decks, since they run a lot of 2 cost vehicle decks, it can also just destroy most of Jedi decks support characters (and Nudj’s) . It does hit your own stuff, but Navy does not run a a lot of 2 cost units so this card generally comes out in favour of the navy player.

doctormungmung (4/5) – If Rule by Fear is the anti-main tech, Moment of Triumph is the anti-weenie tech. Wiping out most of the vehicles in a Rebel Fighter deck is totally worth two resources and a few units of your own. This will also take care of Nudjs, Guardians of the Peace, pretty much any resource unit, etc. And if you aren’t up against a weenie deck, or your opponents doesn’t have many out, it’s pretty decent in the edge battle with two force icons.

yodaman (4.5/5) – Board wipes are always welcome. The key is using this when it’s going to affect your opponent more than you since it gets rid of all units that 2 cost or less, including your own. It probably won’t be as good against Jedi main decks, but then you just pitch it into edge. However, this card gives an extremely effective way to get rid of those pesky Rogue Squadron X-Wings and Sleuth Scouts which have seen a bit of a comeback lately thanks to the last cycle.

pantsyg (5/5) – Worth noting this is the cheapest board wipe in the game, excepting objective-based ones, but one of the more limited. Shuts down the menacing Rogue Squadron-based decks hard, and wipes out annoyance support units like Nudjs, Guardians of Peace, Jubbas, and activated Spiders (if those are still a thing). Less good against a board of Jedi or Smuggler mains, but it’s such a low opportunity cost include against vehicles that it’s hardly a downside—and it comes with 2 pips.

Majestaat (5/5) – This is the kind of card I've been waiting for. Destroy the Jedi support line, or basically the Rebels' whole army. Careful though, as a good part of Navy's economy still consists of cheap officers. Hopefully, the rest of your units are expensive enough to be unaffected, or, if playing troopers, you get a ton of objective damage and recursion thanks to Imperial Discipline and Tagge respectively.


Twist of Fate (178-6): 25 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – Nothing wrong with a Twist of Fate.

doctormungmung (5/5) – The best Fate card, and one we haven’t seen much of in a while. Navy can get more use out of it than the other factions, because in general it has lower force icon totals.

yodaman (5/5) – Still the best fate card in the game. Until now, Navy only had access to it in Defense Protocol. The fact it’s in an objective that’s going to most likely be included as a core set in Navy builds for the foreseeable future is awesome.

pantsyg (5/5) – Obvious A+ for the king of Fate cards. Insane in a set with 7 pips already.

Majestaat (5/5) – There is, in fact, a thing such as too many Twists. Fortunately in this context, Navy doesn't have easy access to them, making this just perfect for current and future builds. I must say, it's quite impressive this set has 7 force icons and a Twist. Normally, this fate card means only 4 or 5 pips in the whole pod.


Overall: 25 out of 25 possible points.

chunkygorillas (5/5) – This is the ultimate control set; it just has some many different options to just shut down what you opponent is doing. This set is an easy 2 of in any Navy deck.

doctormungmung (5/5) – This set is one of the BEST control sets in the game, if not THE best. The only thing keeping it from that title over sets like The Emperor’s Web or Masterful Manipulation is that it doesn't splash all that well, having three cards that key off of other Navy cards (although one of those (Tarkin himself) is easy to alleviate by using the Navy affiliation). Still, you can totally shut down your opponent with all six cards in this set in one situation or another. This set by itself brings Navy into tier one, and will become as ubiquitous as Web has been from the beginning of the game.

yodaman (5/5) – This is a set that Navy wanted and needed. It has certainly shaken-up the meta. It may only have 7 icons, but with a twist, that’s fine. Totally incredible and top-notch set.

pantsyg (5/5) – Pretty obvious that this set is money, with hard counters to both Rebels and Jedi in the same set. There’s no resource except Tarkin, so that has to go into your calculus when considering this for the core of a deck, but any mono-Navy deck is well served by taking the Grand Moff. Also, it’s probably the best Twist set in the game, though less splashable than Counsel.

Majestaat (5/5) – While Thrawn may be the Navy equivalent to Xizor and Palpatine, this is no doubt the Navy set that's equivalent to theirs. It provides answers to a plethora of different situations and decks, potentially making it the best set in the game to go competitive. The combination of high cost and no resource (Tarkin will likely use his own to fuel his ability) is of concern, but there's absolutely nothing I would change here, since that's a good leverage to avoid making this set completely broken. If you want money, you have good options in Imperial Command and Repair and Refurbish anyway.


Might of the Empire (179-1): 22 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – 5/2 objectives with text are rare, and this one is really good. Making your Star Destroyers harder to lock down or make it easier for them to go on the force is really good.

doctormungmung (4/5) – By stats alone, I generally place five / two objectives between a three or a four. And while the text here isn’t even close to the awesomeness that is the Tarkin Doctrine, giving all your capital ships elite is very solid. Now you can commit ships like Death Squadron Star Destroyers, or the upcoming DP20 or Raiders, and not worry about them getting double focused when they invariable go on defense (or offense). Navy has a good collection of capitals, and that’s likely to only expand as more expansions come up, upping this objective’s usefulness even more.

yodaman (4/5) – I always like objectives with 2 resources since they can help you build a board quickly in a pinch. The fact it has the ability to make all your capital ships elite is good, but you definitely need to build around that to make it worthwhile.

pantsyg (5/5) – Wow! A 2-resource objective with very strong text that combats one of Capital Ships’ main weaknesses: vulnerability to tactics.

Majestaat (5/5) – Any 2-resource objective with an ability should be at least a 4. While this one is rather limited in that it only affects capital ships, tactics was such a big problem for them that Might of the Empire is THE objective they needed. 5 or 6 cost units should be hard to deal with, after all.


*Chimaera (179-2): 25 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – This unit is just super versatile, its great on the offensive, and one of the best blockers, with 3 unit damage and a tactics icon.

doctormungmung (5/5) – This is what I’ve always wanted out of a Star Destroyer. It’s got offense with two black blast and tactics. It’s got defense with three black unit damage and tactics. It’s got three force icons for holding the force. It’s got elite to make holding the force and still going on offense/defense viable. It’s got four health so it has a lot of staying power. And it only costs five. Vader needs to see other cards to be worth five. Chimera is completely self sufficient, and worth every penny/credit/choose your own unit of currency.

yodaman (5/5) – For 5 cost, you get a 4 health, elite capital ship that has a great spread of combat icons (2 black guns, 1 black blast, and 1 white tactics) and the ability to add an extra black gun or black blast when it strikes. The ability is very versatile since it can be used offensively or defensively. Outstanding main for the set.

pantsyg (5/5) – This unit is value to the max. I love the option to pack 3 guns on defense or when my attacks are blocked by a Main. The addition of a tactics icon on a sturdy body makes Chimaera the go-to unit to make your initial charge or block, forcing your opponent to block or overcommit.

Majestaat (5/5) – Combining all that's good in this game, the Chimaera sure lives up to its mythical name. Its very strong base stats and adaptability make it hands down the best Star Destroyer thus far.


DP20 Corellian Gunship (179-3): 23 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – The stats aren’t amazing on this ship, but double shielding is amazing.

doctormungmung (5/5) – The Navy gets its cheapest capital ship to date, and boy is it a bargain. For three cost, the stats are fairly average. But what shoots it through the roof value-wise is its text. Every time you declare in an engagement, you get two shields. One has to go on an engaged unit or objective, but the other can go ANYWHERE. Now Thrawn can safely commit to the force and not worry about Seeds of Decay or Kyle Katarn. Or you can shield both copies of Enforced Loyalty that are out. And being a capital ship, it gets all the benefits from the objective, or Needa, or Admiral’s Orders. You can either play a DP20 for three, or you can play Needa for three, then use Needa’s resource to get a DP20 for one and you have the same board state plus Needa. Sweet.

yodaman (4/5) – For the “chud” in this set, you get a pretty effective ship. Sure it costs 3 and only has 2 health, but the ability to essentially shield not 1, but 2, things when it’s in an engagement is outstanding. With the objective out, it gains elite too, which is pretty nice.

pantsyg (5/5) – At first I looked at the 2 health and wasn’t a fan, but shielding and the ability to shield any unit or objective, even ones not in the fight, made me reconsider. I love the Fate card Protection because it lets you protect your follow-up attackers or defenders from tactics on units in earlier engagements; this unit gives you that ability each turn. Good stuff.

Majestaat (5/5) – It's rather edge-dependant to deal real damage, but that's not its forte anyway. You play it to make sure your real threats can't be shut down, or making your objectives incredibly hard destroy, especially in combination with The Tarkin Doctrine. If you play Sabotage in the Snow, you can even get a substantial amount of extra blast thanks to the Gunship's shielding + reaction.


Fleet Staging Area (179-4): 24 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – The majority of the good cards Navy plays are cost 3 or more, so this is almost just a free resource with no downside, what is amazing.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Free resources are great, except when the drawback is not worth the cost (most notably Remote Hideout). But in this case, only being able to use the resource for playing three-plus cost cards does not significantly reduce the greatness. Navy is flush with expensive cards, and with this expansion, they are now flush with three cost cards as well. Where things do fall short is when you have a hand of Decimators and Noghri, and you also need to keep a resource open for Tarkin, which will happen not all that infrequently now. But if you can find the right mix of cheap and more expensive cards, this resource will definitely pull its weight.

yodaman (5/5) – For 0 cost, you get 1 resource with only a slight catch, the resource can only be spent on Navy cards that cost 3 or higher. That really isn’t an issue since Navy cards can often be pricey. This is a great resource enhancement for Navy and helps play units like Chimaera turn 1.

pantsyg (5/5) – Free resources are awesome. The limitation is moot in Navy, just about every turn you’re going to play something that costs 3 or more.

Majestaat (5/5) – Quite possibly the best resource enhancement since the ones released in the Echoes cycle. Both units in this set cost 3+, all the important officers cost 3+, your big rigs like Walkers and Star Destroyers cost 3+. Seriously, if you're not splashing this in a TIE fighter deck, you should always be able to use the resource.


Tractor Beam (179-5): 20 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – This card has been around since core, it’s a pretty decent effect, and an amazing edge card.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Now that LS vehicles are a thing, there will be a lot more opportunities to use them to help free up your Star Destroyer or DP20. And Navy has a full spread of it’s own vehicles at all cost points to make a double striking Star Destroyer a reality (or getting four shields with a DP20). But even barring all that, with three force icons, this is a great edge card. Getting three of these in a deck (two from here and one from Imperial Blockade), Navy will be able to shed its reputation as a pushover in the edge battle.

yodaman (4/5) – This reprinted event can be great in lots of situations. For 2 cost you can set up your own double strike with a powerful ship and potentially lock down a LS ship at the same time. 3 force icons is also great for Navy. The one downside is that it’s neutral so you can’t use Fleet Staging Area’s resource to help pay for it.

pantsyg (4/5) – Would be 3/5 if it weren’t for the 3 Force pips. A situational card, but occasionally this will be huge. Great against LS vehicle decks, and can provide game-winning double strikes sometimes.

Majestaat (4/5) – A great reprint for this set. Having the Chimaera strike twice will demolish everything in its way, letting the Gunship participate in two different engagements means shields will rain. Furthermore, LS vehicles are more common now, even in Jedi. Even if not facing vehicles, you can always use you own to trigger Tractor Beam. If all that's not enough, then it's still got 3 force icons for edge battles. Sweet.


The Empire Strikes Back (179-6): 16 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – It is really situational, but when you do get to play it, it’s super powerful, and can help you win the game a turn earlier.

doctormungmung (3/5) – We get the Devastator’s ability as a free event! Sometime that extra dial tick is all you need. And being free, you can frequently surprise your opponent with it. But, if you aren’t about to destroy an objective, it’s not much use, as it’s a pretty poor edge card with just one force pip.

yodaman (4/5) – A situational event, but any card that allows for dial manipulation deserves a good rating, especially when it’s 0 cost. Most navy decks are designed to destroy objectives, so the happy alligator is always a welcome card later in the game. It will probably discarded or used in edge battles if seen early.

pantsyg (3/5) – Great effect, but it’s super situational. If you’re not in a position to destroy an objective when you draw this, it does nothing at all; if you draw it when you desperately need a dial click, it can be a game-winner. I’m looking forward to comboing this with Superlaser Blast and core Tarkin.

Majestaat (3/5) – The Happy Alligator can be a game winner. Sadly, you must be in a decent position, as to attack and destroy objectives. If you can't achieve that, it's only got a single edge icon, making it an especially poor draw early game.


Overall: 22 out of 25 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – This set is super versatile; it’s got cards that are great on offensive, and defense. Another set that will probably become a staple in Navy, in both aggressive and control decks.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Another awesome Navy set. This one can fit in nicely with a capital ship deck, or a more standard Navy control deck just as easily. It can go aggro, or it can sit back and protect. And it’s also got nine force icons, which is just great in general. It is a bit weak against unblockables, but with the Tractor Beam it can even provide some help there as well, if the game lasts long enough.

yodaman (4.5/5) – Another really good Navy set that goes well with the other sets in IE as well as Navy capital ship builds. Couple it with Deploy the Fleet and now you’ve got elite Death Squadron Star Destroyers that shield. It seems like it will fit into a couple of deck archetypes quite well. The set comes with 9 force icons which is never a bad thing.

pantsyg (5/5) – The events are situational, but the units and resource are incredible. This set really shores up the weaknesses of Big Boats in this tactics-happy age, while remaining versatile enough to be worth a slot in decks that aren’t centered around Capital Ships.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – Great on resources, high edge count, strong units. While you get the full bonus if playing Capital Ships, the set works well in basically any Navy deck. Only The Empire Strikes Back isn't universally useful due to the situational trigger and single force icon. Definitely a 5/5 in a Navy deck heavy on Star Destroyers.


Enforced Loyalty (180-1): 22 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – It’s a really strong effect, but it’s pretty easy to get damaged.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Free damage on each of your opponent’s objectives! That’s crazy! Even with needing to be undamaged at the end of the LS combat phase to get that damage, that’s still really good. Combined with the Tarkin Doctrine, and all of Navy’s objective healing, that damage can really rack up. Even without protection, putting this on the board means the LS has to deal with it, thus potentially leaving other priority targets alone for a turn (like Imperial Blockade, or Imperial Entanglements). It is limit one per turn, so you’ll only ever get at most three damage a turn. But still, having two of these out just means your opponent has to put damage on two different objectives to avoid the pain, which isn’t always easy.

yodaman (5/5) – Deal one damage to each enemy objective if the LS turn ends with this objective still undamaged? Wow. This objective’s ability is simply insane and gives another set for what is fast becoming the new Navy core. Coupled with Tarkin Doctrine you often can keep the objective ability turned on for at least a turn or two and start chipping away at LS objectives. It helps DS set up the board for a situation like the early days of the game, where you can ping damage here and there, then blow up all 3 LS objectives when the dial hits 6 for the win.

pantsyg (5/5) – This will be the Light Side’s #1 target in any game it shows up. Comboed with Tarkin Doctrine, this gives you a ton of pressure that’s difficult to shut off, if you can keep the Force. Don’t expect it to win the game for you, but it will make your opponent’s attacks very predictable.

Majestaat (4/5) – It's actually quite poor if you don't start with The Tarkin Doctrine as well, since it's so easy to shut down its ability and you don't get an immediate effect as with, say, Imperial Blockade or The General's Imperative. Still, the effect is so powerful it will force the LS to play fast and deal with it. Against Jedi it can be particularly weak, as they can sit back and control the Force. Sure, their objectives will receive some damage, but the first point is usually no big deal, especially if it means you're not forced to go for an attack you didn't want.
As a final note, remember this is limit 1 per turn, which means you can trigger the effect only once, even if you have both copies of the objective out.


*Colonel Yularen (180-2): 20.5 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – The 4 damage swing that comes with his reaction is amazing, but the actual stats of the unit are bad, and you really don’t want to see this guy in the first couple turns.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Yularen is a bit like a short order cook, but instead of slinging hash, he slings damage. There’s no better feeling that seeing the look on your opponent’s face when you take that damage they worked so hard to get onto Enforced Loyalty and you put it on the Survivors instead. And with a black blast, he can then go in and almost finish off that freshly damaged objective himself. He’s decent on defense, or holding the force. And while normally being somewhat squishy would be a negative, you actually want him to die so you can play another copy of him for another order of the damage special. He does fall up short if your objectives are free of damage, and if he gets locked down you won’t get to play his second copy.

yodaman (5/5) – Yularen fits in well the theme of this set. For 3 cost, you get a unique, Navy officer with decent stats (1 black gun, 1 black blast and 1 white gun). But the Wulf is all about his ability when he enters play. When you play him, Yularen immediately triggers and you get to move up to 2 damage from one of your objectives to a LS objective. The fact he only has 2 health is actually a bonus since once you does his job, you pretty much want him to die so you can play another copy of him and do it all over again.

pantsyg (4/5) – The Colonel provides a big damage swing, allowing you to play defensively and mitigate damage or, as I prefer, be aggressive and use your opponent’s damage against him. Once on board he’s decent; he loses a point for being overcosted if you don’t have damage to trigger his ability.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – Yularen has what must be one of the best abilities in the game from a DS perspective. Healing objectives is really painful for the LS. So why is this not a 5? For starters, his combat icons spread is rather (big officer without tactics!). Second, you don't want to see him early. Third, a smart opponent can play around him, attempting to one-shot objectives or ping a single point of dagama before going for the other 4 in a subsequent turn, avoiding Yularen's full potential.


*Lieutenant Mithel (180-3): 20.5 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – An amazing blocker against vehicle decks, and still a really good 2 drop even if you don’t get to use the reaction.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Cheap tactics is always nice to see. But cheap tactics with three health is great to see. There will be times when your opponent forgets how sturdy this guy is, and it will come back to bite them. He’s also good at holding the force or diving into an edge battle. And if that weren’t enough, he can really shut down the rush of a vehicle deck by negating a single black blast and a single white blast on the first striking vehicle. Now, with the right selection of units, the LS can work around this somewhat, but early game he’s really going to shine.

yodaman (4.5/5) – At first glance, Mithel’s text might seem a bit odd, but he’s essentially a 2nd main for this set. He’s another unique Navy officer (hello Imperial Fist), he only costs 2 and for that, his combat icons are decent (you get a white tactics). He has 3 health so he’s going to be tough for LS to get off the board. Where he shines though is against vehicle decks because of his ability. If he’s in an engagement, you get to stop 1 black and 1 white blast from the first vehicle that LS uses. With so many LS vehicle decks out now thanks to the last cycle, he’s going to get the chance to make an impact. The fact he’s not as useful against character heavy decks is his one downside, but he’s still a well above average unit.

pantsyg (4/5) – He’s not lighting the world on fire, but his stats are solid and he comes with an ability that really helps the vehicle matchup. Worth noting that he hits RSXs hard, since they lose their damage for the duration of the engagement—no amount of double-striking will get it back!

Majestaat (4/5) – Tactics and 3 HP for 2 resources is very nice, although this set's weak edge doesn't play favorably to his icons. His ability goes from strong to completely useless, depending heavily on matchup. Worst case scenario, he's still on the stronger side of the spectrum when it comes to 2 cost units.


MSE-6 "Mouse" Droid (180-4): 23 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – This is almost the Dark side version of the Nudj. It’s such incredible value at 0 cost. Free card draw is amazing, and even if they focus a unit to stop it, that is still great.

doctormungmung (5/5) – This card is nuts. A free, non-limited unit that gives you a card every turn. And you can have two of them. Wow. First turn, or vs a LS focused out board these guys are really going to help you sift through your deck. And you can even use their drawback to your advantage by saving them for your opponents turn. Focus just after the LS finishes deploying, and they either give you a free card for the edge battle, or they lose an attacker/force holder. That’s certainly worth the cost you paid for the droid. Just watch out for angry wookies.

yodaman (4/5) – These things are frustrating to play against and great for card advantage. The little mouse droids are free and by using their action, you force your opponent to choose between letting you get an extra card or focusing one of their units in response. Early in the game, they are great for helping you dig for other cards and cycling your deck. Later in the game, they’re not quite as helpful since LS often can afford to cancel them.

pantsyg (5/5) – Card draw with zero downside, enough said.

Majestaat (5/5) – Doesn't really have any clear downside. When a card could cost one extra and you would still play it every time you drew it, you know it's really good.


Control Room (180-5): 13.5 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – I don’t love control room, 2 for 2 vanilla resources just aren’t as good as vanilla 1 for 1’s.

doctormungmung (3/5) – As far as limited resources go, it’s one of the worst ones. Two for two is not really efficient, but it’s the standard that Navy gets, so they’re somewhat used to it. And sometimes you do need that extra resource, just like with a two resource objective. It is an enhancement, which is harder to get rid of or focus out than a unit resource, which the Navy seems pretty flush with. Hopefully you draw these early, because late game they’re almost a dead card, particularly with zero force icons.

yodaman (3.5/5) – The original Navy 2-for-2 resource gets reprinted again. Navy can always use more resources so this never hurts. It’s also an affiliation matching resource which is great. 1-for-1 resources are more versatile, but that’s okay. Sets with resources always go up a notch in my eyes.

pantsyg (2/5) – Ugh, I hate Control Room, and I hate that it’s Navy’s standard resource. 2 for 2s are just not good resources in a game where cards refresh one token per turn. I play them because I have to, not because I want to.

Majestaat (2/5) – Not only is Control Room a subpar resource, but it's also really puzzling its inclusion here because the set is very cheap. Despite that, in the end they still give a slight boost to your deck, I guess.


The Imperial Fist (180-6): 20 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Like Yularen, the damage swing is fantastic, but seeing it on turn 1 or 2 is pretty bad, what brings it down a bit.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Here’s Yularen in Fate card form. As Navy’s “unique” fate card, it’s very good. Offense or defense, you get up to a four damage swing in board state, which can go a long way towards ending things in the DS’s favor. There are enough unique Navy units that getting it to trigger won’t be too hard (although it doesn’t work well in TIE decks, as there it’s the pilots that are unique). It does only have a single force icon, so it’s not going to help you win the edge battle, but a Damage Special more than makes up for that. It does suffer from the same drawback that Yularen does, though, in that if none of the DS objectives are damaged, you’re left with a crappy edge card.

yodaman (5/5) – A completely game changing fate card, that might be the best one not named Twist of Fate. Imperial Fist is essentially another copy of Yularen only for edge battles since it also allows you to move up to 2 damage from one of your objectives to a LS objective. You have to have unique Navy unit for it to trigger, but that’s rarely going to be an issue for decks that utilize this set.

pantsyg (4/5) – Situational in the same way as Yularen, though if it’s set up it’s a big swing. The challenge will be finding unique Navy units you want attacking.

Majestaat (4/5) – What I said about Yularen applies here. Even if this one is free, it requires a Navy unique unit, only has a single icon and can be Twisted,. Do note it has edge priority 10, while the LS Target of Opportunity is 9, so you get to deny that damage. While this fate card is good, I still think The Prince's Scheme is the best out of all these special cards. Reason is that Scheme almost automatically wins you an edge battle, which means less icons for your opponent, and the DS getting to kill/focus some attackers immediately. All in all, that saves much more damage than Imperial Fist.


Overall: 23 out of 25 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This set has a low edge count and 2 cards you don’t want to see early but it has some amazing effects, and damage removal is so good, so it’s still a really good set, it just has some risk. (getting flooded with Yularen and Imperial Fist early is awful…).

doctormungmung (5/5) – This set is more than the sum of its parts. While all the cards in it have some situationally significant drawbacks, the benefit you can get out of it when those drawbacks aren’t around is tremendous. Coupled with The Tarkin Doctrine you get an almost degenerate board for the LS to deal with. One TD and two EL, or two TD and one EL are going to net you on the order of nine damage a game. And the pair can be splashed into other factions and retain most of their effectiveness as well, which is an interesting thing to contemplate.

yodaman (5/5) – This is another simply amazing Navy objective and on par with Tarkin Doctrine Play these two together to maximize the oppressiveness of the Imperial Navy. It’s actually probably more splashable than Tarkin’s set. Great internal synergy as the set thrives on dealing indirect damage to LS objectives and it includes 2 officers to help you do it. Don’t let the relatively low amount of force icons (it only has 6) fool you. This set is most likely going to be a staple in a variety of decks for quite a while and it’s worth playing 2 of it.

pantsyg (5/5) – I think this set is the real core of new Navy strategies. Want to slow-play and ping damage anyway? You got it. Want to get aggro and send the opponent’s damage back? We’ve got tools for that too. Even better, this set can find a home in just about any deck.

Majestaat (5/5) – The combined package is certainly much more than its separate parts. For me this is the Navy version of Counsel, in that's is quite weak combat-wise, instead focusing on utility. However, its utility revolves around damage, which becomes quite relevant the more aggressive your deck is. But even if you take the most defensive of approaches, all the healing here and potential draw from the Mouse droid should prove to be invaluable assets, as long as you draw them in a timely fashion. A great addition to the DS as a whole, it should find home in many Navy and Sith decks. Scum can use it as well, but it's a bit more complicated since they really like going mono, and even need to use the green affiliation to play the juicy Masterful Manipulation.


Imperial Entanglements (181-1): 24 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Strong ability, and synergizes well with the units in this set.

doctormungmung (5/5) – This is like a slightly better version of All Out Brawl. While you only get one extra unit damage on your first striking unit, thus getting a lot less unit damage overall, your opponent gets nothing, unlike with Brawl. This helps turn a lot of units into threats. All the various troopers that are sporting one black and one white unit damage now care a lot less if they win edge. And if they do, they can pop a Rogue Squadron X-Wing or an unprotected Yoda or Luke. That’s some significant fire power. Of course, this objective pairs really well with Decimators, who can guarantee you two unit damage for each engagement they’re in. Sometimes, though, the unit damage can be overkill (like on Chimera), or can be a rather big drawback if you are gunning down a unit with Shien Training.

yodaman (5/5) – The objective with the same name as the deluxe box was bound to be good, and boy is it ever. While it’s in play, the first DS unit that strikes in each engagement an extra black gun. Some people have already tried building decks with this an All Out Brawl to turn seemingly innocent units into killing machines. All those 3 health units the LS has are now a lot easier to deal with since this objective helps DS upgrade units so they can one shot them.

pantsyg (5/5) – DS always wants more guns. Here they are.

Majestaat (5/5) – Simple, yet effective. Decent to good in about any deck. Absolutely crazy in a dedicated build. If anything, it evens the odds against The Survivors.


Imperial Raider (181-2): 19 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – A pretty annoying unit to deal with, but it really needs this sets objective out to be a solid blocker.

doctormungmung (4/5) – While bland, the Raider is almost the definition of good stats for the cost. For three resources, you get three health, which is really great. It has two black icons, one each of unit damage and blast, which is a little underwhelming, but not bad by any stretch. It also has two force icons, which makes it decent at both edge and holding the force. But its shining star is shielding. Getting to toss a shield on one of your key objectives can go a long way to keeping its ability turned on. It’s also a capital ship, so it can get the Needa or Admiral’s Orders discount. It can also jump into an engagement after you lose an edge battle, and because you are declaring it as a defender, you get to use its shielding. What you can’t do is declare it if it’s focused, though.

yodaman (4/5) – The Raider is a decent main. It has 3 cost, 3 health and shielding with okay combat icons. It’s nice that you can sneak it into defense if you lost the edge battle and suddenly need the extra body and/or shield.

pantsyg (4/5) – Decent stats for a non-unique 3 drop with shielding. The real power is in the reaction, which lets you declare after losing edge—meaning you can pop in and dump a shield on your defender to prevent damage or tactics. I love shields, especially when they come in unexpectedly.

Majestaat (4/5) – Rather average statwise. However, with shielding and only black icons it is super reliable with the damage it deals. Its reaction can be a real lifesaver in close games. You invested all you hand and still lost edge? Send the Raider to shield the objective and possibly prevent unopposed damage as well.


VT-49 Decimator (181-3&4): 19 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Like the Raider, this unit is a really annoying blocker for the LS to deal with, but it needs some other cards out to make it a super solid blocker.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Decimators are neat. They have average stats for a two drop, but that’s only half the story. When defending alone, they get to strike first, period. And considering that their unit damage is not edge enabled, that means a guaranteed one damage to an attacker. On its own, that’s fairly underwhelming. Where it really gets to shine is when you start comboing in other cards, like, for example, Imperial Entanglements. Now you get two to three unit damage. Add on an Ion Cannon, you also get one or two black tactics. That’s a serious threat. If it wasn’t so combo dependant to get to that threat level, I’d rate it higher, but as you’re not guaranteed any of those, I’m comfortable leaving it at a three.

yodaman (5/5) – Unbelievable units. These ships show just how much better FFG has gotten in creating sets with internal synergy. For 2 cost, these ships get to strike first when defending alone. They only have 1 black gun, but coupled with copies of this objective or All out Brawl they can get 2, 3 or even 4 black guns and shoot first! They only have 2 health, but if LS has to spend resources to Rebel Assault or Swindle them, no big deal. It’s great the set comes with 2 of these since you can get up to 4 in a deck and start gunning down the LS!

pantsyg (4/5) – Decent 2-drops that don’t care about edge, but since they need to be defending alone to work, and they only come with one gun natively, their value really depends on whether they’re getting bonus damage or tactics. Take Heats to maximize the value of these guys.

Majestaat (4/5) – On their own they're only slightly better than vanilla 2-drops, with the advantage that they easily deal with cheap and fragile LS tactics like the Twi'lek Loyalist. It's when they're supported that they become really terrifying. Imperial Entanglements, All Out Brawl, Ion Cannon, even Heat of Battle all pair very well with them to deal with similar sized to more expensive units. This is actually one of the few 2-drops that comes in pairs and makes me happy about that.


Customs Blockade (181-5): 24 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – Event cancel! Ya you can’t choose what events you cancel, you will just cancel the first event they play while this enhancement is ready, but decks don’t run that many events, so you will still be shutting down a lot of their stuff. And it makes it much harder to play Yoda you seek Yoda.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Navy continues being the DS faction you go to for event hate. While you won't ever surprise your opponent like you can with Imperial Suppression, you do just get to put them under a dark oppressive cloud. It’s a similar feeling as when Rule by Fear hits the board. Because this is an enhancement with a forced reaction, your opponent can play around it somewhat. They have to sacrifice an event to do it though, which if they don’t have a zero cost one available will cost them both in cards and resources. If played at the right time, that will buy them a couple of turns. But, if there are two Blockades out, the DS will still have protection on the following turn, because of the way multiple triggers resolve. The cost is excellent at one, and while it has two force icons, you really want to play this most of the time vs pitching it in an edge battle.

yodaman (4/5) – DS finally gets an event cancel in a more playable set and while it’s good, it’s not perfect. It only has 1 cost so it’s easy to get out. It also can be used repeatedly, but not abusively since the reaction on it is forced. You have to focus it twice to cancel the first event card your opponent plays each turn so you’ll have to wait an extra turn to free it up. A wise LS player might be able to force the cancel on an event they don’t care as much about to then get in a more powerful one like Yoda, You Seek Yoda. However, the enhancement is not unique so you can put both on the table if you play 2 of this set and then cancel events a bit more regularly, even though you can’t ever cancel 2 events on the same turn based on FFG’s ruling.

pantsyg (5/5) – Event cancel on DS! It can be played around, and only works every other turn, but the opponent still has to pay for the event that gets canceled. At worst it gives you a card and tempo advantage.

Majestaat (5/5) – At least, a way to deal with Yoda, you seek Yoda; My Ally is the Force and... well, everything else. While it's your opponent who has control over the effect, it's cheap and powerful enough that I don't mind at all. The LS will either have to spend resources on another event, which can prevent them from playing a unit, or the main event they wanted to play itself, giving you another whole turn to prepare.


Ion Cannon (181-6): 23 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Cheap tactics!, this card is really, really good on the decimators or the raider, but it’s also very good on any vehicle really.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Putting a black tactics on about half the ships that Navy has available to it is a steal at one cost. Particularly as several of those ships either have shielding or get to strike first. It’s probably a good thing that it can’t go on a fighter, as a Talon Roll will totally break this card. What’s really nice is that this card can go on all the units that come in its set. Internal synergy for the win!

yodaman (5/5) – One thing Navy vehicle decks have lacked since the start is tactics. Now we get a great enhancement that lets you add a black tactics icon to any capital ship or transport for just 1 cost. Ideally, you’ll put this on a Decimator so when you get to shoot first with it, you’ll be able to focus something down when you do. But it will work great on any ship.

pantsyg (5/5) – If you have even one Decimator on the board, this enhancement is solid gold. Also great on any of your aggressive Capital Ships to clear the way for big attacks.

Majestaat (5/5) – Good to see come control support for Capital Ships, which are normally all about damage and more damage. It's cheap and pairs extremely well with every unit in this set, which all happen to be cheap enough to be played together with this enhancement in the same turn. The Corellian Gunship in Might of the Empire is another great target for it. Also Death Squadron Star Destroyers, but now those may a little too expensive.


Overall: 20.5 out of 25 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This is a good set, but it’s hard to run 2 of it since often it seems like you just really don’t want 4 decimators in a deck.

doctormungmung (4/5) – As I just said, internal synergy for the win! This set is fantastic at defending. While it is somewhat combo heavy, the ratio of combo cards in the set means you’re likely to at least pull off some form of the numerous combos it enables each game. Even without seeing any of those combos, you still have decent to good units and a knockout enhancement to work with. It does lose points though for not having any resources, and while the average cost of the set is pretty low, there are no zero cost cards in it. Also, unit damage doesn’t play well with Shien Training, which is all the rage these days in Jedi decks. So just be careful where you point that thing.

yodaman (4.5/5) – Another great set. The main is probably the worst card, but even that is good. The rest of the cards make this set really shine. Just a tad behind the star sets of Tarkin and Yularen, but almost an auto-include in future Navy builds. This set will also splash well with scum sets like Behind the Black Sun and All out Brawl.

pantsyg (5/5) – Like the other sets in this box, this one has great versatility. The objective and Customs Blockade make this a very valuable defensive set, and the Ion Cannon gives aggressive Capital Ship decks some sorely-needed tactics.

Majestaat (4/5) – My favorite pod out of the whole box. It has very strong internal synergy making the appearently average cards quite powerful once the combos (which are rather easy to pull) fall into place. While it may be close to an auto-include right now because the objective is bonkers and DS desperately needed event cancel, it's low edge count, lack of resources and the fact that the Decimators don't have any trait that allows them to get bonuses from consolidated archetypes should ultimately make it much less tempting to run.


To be continued...