The Mos Eisley Mafia: SWLCG "Chain of Command" Force Pack Review

MEET THE FAMILY (aka - THE REVIEWERS):
-chunkygorillas, 2014's Canadian champion;
-doctormungmung, Massachussets' evil genius;
-yodaman, he who you seek when numbers are involved;
-TheMAC, the french connection (he's not actually french though...);
-pantsyg, jankmaster general;
-Blake333, the nicest bastard you'll meet;
-Majestaat, 2014's Chilean champion and the one to blame for typos.
Yes, a bunch of new people. We are on the right track towards world conquest. Soon we will be dozens, then hundreds, blah blah blah.
Anyway, I hope more people means the reviews as a whole become more attractive due to more diverse points of view. Furthermore, if someone has problems in the future, we will still keep a decent number of reviewers to keep the articles consistent.
Of course this also means more work for me. As always, I'll try my best to keep the article pretty and free of typos, but do understand if you see more mistakes than usual. Unfortunately, I'm not a robot (yet).


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 5 Cards:
1 – Gran Admiral Thrawn (The Last Grand Admiral), with 35 out of 35 possible points.
2 – Unfinished Business (A Hero's Beginning), with 35 out of 35 possible points.
3 – Owen Lars (A Hero's Beginning) with 33 out of 35 possible points.
4 – Surprising Maneuver (Breaking the Blockade), with 32 out of 35 possible points.
5 – Sate Pestage (The Imperial Bureaucracy), with 31 out of 35 possible points.

Overall best rated Objective Set (we have a tie!):
-A Hero's Beginning, with 29.5 out of 35 possible points.
-The Last Grand Admiral, with 29.5 out of 35 possible points.

THE REVIEWS:

A Hero's Beginning (161-1): 26 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – I don’t really like the risk of the ability, ya it can help out in edge battles but Jedi doesn’t need help in edge battles… and you can just get some of your best cards stuck under the objective.

doctormungmung (4/5) – This ability is a double edged sword. You get to increase your hand for edge battles considerably, and it helps thin out your deck to find those key cards, but you also run the risk of having those key cards wind up being underneath the objective. Still, Jedi have some decent recursion capabilities, so losing both Yoda’s to an edge battle because they were under this objective isn’t the end of the world. Also considering that in pitching those high value cards into edge, you’re likely to have won it as well. Just having cards here makes edge battles easier as your opponent has a much harder time clearing your hand for a free edge win.

yodaman (4/5) – The ability to have extra cards for edge battles is outstanding. Fate cards or something like a Wolfman, which you’d probably edge anyway, are ideal cards to have under the objective. However, there is always the risk that you could bury something you might really want to use. Having Yoda and Obi-Wan as 2 of the 3 cards under it would certainly help you win an edge battle, but mains are better on the board. If DS starts Scum, you might not want to put this out to start since Shadows of the Empire can immediately bury it and throw any card advantage you’d hope to have out the window. Those small drawbacks are why I can’t give it a 5.

TheMAC (4/5) – Three extra cards for edge battle can make a big difference in the game. With the high number of force icons usually present in Jedi decks this objective can pretty much guarantee that you will win edge battle if you need to use tactics or enable the icons on the Moldy Crow, for example.

pantsyg (4/5) – Card advantage during edge battles? Yes, please. There’s a small risk that you’ll end up "capturing" units you’d rather have available to play, but the reaction occurs after you’ve drawn your starting hand, so you can choose to skip it if you think you need the cards in your deck. It’s a bit of a riskier reaction if flopped in the mid-late game, especially if you’re digging for an essential card to finish the game, but remember that it’s not a forced reaction so you can choose whether or not to trigger it based on the situation at hand. This versatile ability slots into several decktypes, whether you’re trying to win early edge battles to establish a tactics lock or need to bolster your edge hand after you play out a large board.

Blake333 (3/5) – While I love the effect on this Objective, I don't really think Jedi NEED this card. In my playtesting it’s almost always helped me out, but... it is all about luck. If you’re the type of player that goes for luck, it’s amazing. If you’re the type of player that goes for hard numbers then it can and will be your worst nightmare.

Majestaat (4/5) – It's similar to Counsel of the Sith/Mission Briefing in that it strengthens your edge by supplying extra cards. Key differences are the potential for a big powerspike since you can use all three cards at once. On the other hand, once you use those extra cards this becomes a blank objective. Not a big deal. If you play smart you put enourmous pressure on your opponent by not using the cards, and you're almost guaranteed to win a key edge battle when you do use them.


*Luke's X-34 Landspeeder (161-2): 27 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) - The unit has good icons, and a pretty good ability but 3 cost is a lot for this, especially with the 2 health.

doctormungmung (4/5) – A three drop with two blast and a tactics is a pretty good bargain. The health is a bit light, but being a vehicle, it’s immune to Force Choke, so it has a bit of staying power over a similar character unit. But the key thing here is the ability. Being able to attack an objective twice is pretty huge. Get double unopposed! Or, more significantly, get around things like The Tarkin Doctrine’s ability. If Navy skyrockets to the top of the pack with IE (here’s hoping!), then I think cards like this and the spoiled Endor Han will be key in getting damage on key objectives, whether they are protected or not.

yodaman (4/5) – Jedi are still the top LS affiliation, but one thing that you can sometimes find yourself a bit light on in a Jedi deck is objective damage. This unit’s 3 combat icons are worth the 3 cost especially with 2 blast and 1 tactics if you get edge. The ability to resolve an engagement against a different objective is a mechanic that looks like we’ll see more of in the Endor cycle and adds a new element to consider. The Speeder trait means it can benefit from cards like Hoth Ops and Wedge, but the 2 health does make it a bit vulnerable to many DS units though if you lose edge.

TheMAC (3.5/5) – The combat icons are ok and the ability to actually damage the same objective twice can be good, especially to finish the game. However the speeder does not have the effectiveness of many awesome units that Jedi already have access to.

pantsyg (4/5) – In my opinion 3-cost, 2-health units need to have great icons or text, and this one delivers both with blast, tactics, and a potential gamechanger ability. The vehicle trait makes the X-34 less vulnerable to Choke + Vader, so the low health isn’t as big a deal as it is for characters. While the combat icons are good for its cost and the extra blast damage is particularly welcome in Jedi decks, this unit’s main strength is the unpredictability it brings to combat math. When this is on the board, deciding how to block becomes a real challenge for the opponent. It’s particularly useful for attacking unopposed to finish off objectives damaged earlier in the turn (and getting a bonus tactics in the bargain), but just making the opponent have to second-guess how many units they need to commit to a given defense can be a major advantage.

Blake333 (4.5/5) – What’s not to love in this amazing card? 3 cost, check! 2 health, check! It's not a character so no Vader's Force Choke combo, check! The ability to jank more damage onto a different objective than the one you attack, CHECK! Oh, hey, you want more? Add the fact that it has two blast and one Tactics!

Majestaat (4/5) – Those two blast icons are a pretty big deal for Jedi. Their units usually deal negligible damage to objectives, making the Landspeeder a nice addition. And thanks to its ability you can quickly dispatch a particularly troublesome objective. While it's immune to Force Choke, you can't defend it with The Survivors or Qu Rahn, so it's quite vulnerable to the good ol' 2-blasters chuds.


*Owen Lars (161-3): 33 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Owen is really a better version of the Sith Holocron, except that it can get killed by Vader+Force Choke easily. It would be a 5/5 but I find almost always I don’t need to use his ability! Jedi cards are already so low cost that often I pay this guy and he just kind of sits on the force in till I manage to find the need for 3 extra resources.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Who doesn’t think that Sith Holocron is an awesome card and totally game changing? Well, now Jedi have their own version in a crotchety old farmer. Being a unit, he’s a bit more exposed than the Holocron, but with two health, he can survive Choke. Plus, he can be protected, or snuck in via things like Unfinished Business (more on that in a minute) for a surprise resource ramp. And because Jedi units tend to be cheaper (Yoda), having Owen around can lead to a pretty big turn (like putting both Yoda and Luke out for four resources).

yodaman (5/5) – Wow! Best card in the set. The Jedi finally get their own holocron and Owen goes back in your deck when you sac' him so you can recycle him and potentially use him again. This can lead to some crazy LS first turns like a free Yoda and another main like Luke or Obi-Wan depending on the objective flop. The resource acceleration it provides can be insane.

TheMAC (5/5) – The Jedi holocron! This is a wonderful way to speed up your game and catch the dark side player short handed by playing two mains in the same turn. This is a great card.

pantsyg (5/5) – This guy is a reusable Holocron for Jedi, an affiliation already known for its crazy cost-effective Mains. He can be an annoying draw in the late game when you might not need his resources, but he can also let you ramp out a nightmare board at any phase of the game or play an expensive event to seal the deal.

Blake333 (4/5) – A human Sith Holocron for the Jedi! The only thing that could make this better is if it were an enhancement and even that is highly debatable.

Majestaat (5/5) – A "reusable" Holocron. Not as strong as in Sith as you should be able to play any main with just your objectives + affiliation card, but it accelerates you a lot and that's always a good thing. Play a main and a support unit or put an enhancement on the former. Then you get a chance to play Owen again later for another strong deployment phase. I do have some reservations about running 2x Owen, as you wouldn't want to keep seeing him later into the game, but I guess you can always discard or edge him to prevent him from shuffling back into your deck.


Moisture Vaporator (161-4): 25 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – This card is pretty bad to use on your own turn since it’s also helping your opponent a lot but at the end of your turn or before they draw on their turn it’s good to use, since you get an extra card and it doesn’t help them that much. Not a bad card, just not great.

doctormungmung (3/5) – More cards are good. Giving your opponent more cards, not so much. Still, if you need to find that one card, the Vaporator can help. And some clever timing usage can help alleviate the advantage your opponent gets out of it (like triggering it at the end of your opponent’s refresh phase). And who knows, maybe Freeholders will start showing up more frequently again.

yodaman (3/5) - It never hurts to have extra cards, but timing (like when using the Zygerrian Slaver) is the key with it as you want to make sure to use its ability at a time that doesn’t really give card advantage to your opponent. The best time to use it is probably either at the end of your own Force phase or the end of the DS Refresh. With 2 pips, it might see more edge battles than actual play.

TheMAC (4/5) – This card looks like it will help both players with an extra card but as you choose the best moment to trigger it I find it very useful. Trigger it before the opponent’s draw phase for an extra card advantage for edge battles.

pantsyg (4/5) – This card may seem to be a double-edged sword, but if you focus it after the opponent’s refresh, you draw a card while giving them one they would have drawn anyway, turning it into the LS version of Counsel of the Sith. Obviously better early, but it can help any time you find it and have a resource to throw it down; if not, there’s 2 edge pips for you. There’s also some potential for synergy plays with Dash or Freeholders, both of whom like enemy cards in hand. If you’re a true masochist (or undercover brilliant deckbuilder), start a moisture farm with Embers of Hope to get cards while denying your opponent.

Blake333 (4/5) – 1 resource for card draw is neat. I'd drop it to a 3/5 if you're somehow forced to focus it at suboptimal times, but that should be a rare ocurrence.

Majestaat (4/5) – Having extra draw for only one resource is a real bargain. It's not unique, it's not limited, it's neutral and it has two edge pips, making it easy to play and still useful when you can't do that. Just use it at the proper time and you basically have a Counsel of the Sith (would say Mission Briefing instead, but I bet you don't even remember that objective). If this was a DS enhancement, I would give it a 5/5 no doubt.


Unfinished Business (161-5): 35 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – The reason you run this set… They took a good card, Infiltration, and made it even better! With the various ways to get what you want into the discard pile in this game this card just become ridiculous, especially when you use it to get the Falcon…

doctormungmung (5/5) – This card leads to some really incredible turns. Most of them will involve the Falcon, but that’s ok, as the Falcon is a great card and likes running with Jedi anyway. With UB, you can pitch the Falcon to the edge to win a battle, play UB and bring the Falcon back for another battle, where you then use it’s ability to bring it back to hand, thus saving it from the end of turn discard. That’s a unit during the conflict phase plus probably two objective damage all for one cost! Then there are the things you can do with the likes of Owen, to get three resources out for the cost of one for that surprise My Ally is the Force.

yodaman (5/5) – Another top-notch card and probably only slightly behind Owen for the honor of being the best card in the set. The fact it can bring any unit back makes it even better than cards like Infiltration and Secret Guardian. Lots of people have not surprisingly been running this set with Falcon just because you could potentially get Falcon from discard for 1, then bounce Falcon to put in another unit and avoid having to discard Falcon. You can use it to get back that Yoda you edged or even finish off a game with a timely Moldy Crow going in for unopposed. Love it!

TheMAC (5/5) – You just tossed away Obi-Wan or Luke in an edge battle? No problem, he’s coming back. You have the Falcon in the discard pile? Just bring it in play during the conflict phase, attack and then use its card text to bounce it bacj to your hand and get a character in play. I could go on for a while on how I find this card to be so good, but I’ll just say that almost every time I drew it, it had an impact on the game.

pantsyg (5/5) – I’ll admit my bias now, I love this card. For 1 resource, the event offers a bounty of value. Had to pitch a Main early to win edge? Bring him back for another go. Use Heroes and Legends to bring that main back to hand and cheat having to put him back in discard. Edge the Falcon when you can’t afford it, then bring it in for one, drop a main, and put it in your hand. Bring in the Crow for the coup de grace when your opponent runs out of ready defenders. My favorite combos are with Kyle and Cloud City Operative, which can both help unfocus your units and/or focus down the opponent’s, but any unit that can bounce to hand or has a strong effect when it enters play is a great target. If you hate value, edge it for 2 pips. This card is huge. Did I mention it only costs 1?

Blake333 (5/5) – Infiltration on crack! I really don’t see the need to explain why this card is amazing. Pay one, win a game. True story!

Majestaat (5/5) – So for one resource you get to select ANY unit in your discard pile and get to play it for a turn. Kyle to focus key targets, Moldy Crow to blow up objectives, Qu Rahn to keep your other units alive while dealing damage. Don't even get me started on the Falcon. This one goes directly into the list of cards that wins games. Thank the Dark Lords some DS event cancels have already been spoiled, because with the current cardpool there's almost no counterplay to this.


Supporting Fire (161-6): 21 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (2/5) - With the lower edge count in this set I don’t really like seeing this card. Furthermore, it doesn’t work with the objective, which is kind of anti-synergy.

doctormungmung (3/5) – I’m not one of the haters of this fate card that some are, but you want to have decent cards to hold back for the double use it provides. With Jedi you generally do have those decent cards in reserve, so if anyone is getting the most out of this fate card, it’s them. And with the lack of Twists in most current Jedi builds, having a pseduo Twist is definitely better than no Twist at all.

yodaman (3/5) – The more I see of this fate card, the more it’s growing on me. It’s not Twist or Seeds, but can be really good in the right situations.

TheMAC (3/5) – This is far from my favorite fate card but it can help to hold cards in hand if you expect a Twist of Fate and you don’t want to toss in Yoda directly.

pantsyg (3/5) – Some players love this card, others don’t. I like it, especially in decks with lots of high-pip Jedi cards. It lets you bait out or play around Twists, and adding pips to edge after revealing the cards is super strong. With their plethora of tactics units, Jedi particularly enjoy being able to dictate the edge battle, but it does contribute only one pip itself so it’s definitely not the kind of Fate card you want more than 2 of in a deck.

Blake333 (4/5) – I love this card. I love it even more with Jedi. Thought process behind this is: while Jedi have loads of high force pip cards, they also have a decent amount of weak edge cards. This one lets you see if you really “need” to throw down a main unit or not.

Majestaat (3/5) – I've lost count of how many times I have reviewed this card throughout this cycle. While the set doesn't include any 3+ pips card to make it particularly appealing, Jedi should have quite a few of those no matter their build, making this a nice addition to deal with Twist of Fate.


Overall: 29.5 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – Ya I know this set keeps showing up in winning lists but I don’t like it. This set overall isn't that good. People are running it for Unfinished Business mostly, and Owen is a nice bonus, but overall this set just isn’t as strong as other things we have been seeing out of Jedi.

doctormungmung (4/5) – This is a fantastic support set that even has a bit of offense. Still, it’s mostly a support set, and thus will have a bit of trouble finding it’s way into Jedi decks just because of all the awesome sets they already have. Still, that just highlights one of the interesting aspects of the objective set deck-building mechanic: tough choices become magnified because they ultimately have a larger impact than in a game with standard deck-building.

yodaman (4/5) – This set will undoubtedly see a lot of play. Even though there are ways to get units (Owen and Unfinished Business), the fact it really only has 1 unit keeps it from being a 5 for me. It’s not MTFBWY (what is?), but it’s a very good Jedi set that will also work well in multi-affiliation decks.

TheMAC (4.5/5) – In my opinion this is an almost perfect support set. You have in a single pod some help for edge battles, resources, card draw, engagement control, and unit recursion. I wouldn't be surprised if this is included in many decks, and I will probably play it in my jedi decks as well.

pantsyg (5/5) – The only thing keeping this set from being in every Jedi deck is the number of high-quality Jedi sets running around and clamoring for inclusion. It’s got a mini-Main, resource ramp, card draw, and a truly obnoxious event; it’ll be hard to pass this set up. This is a great add for more aggressive Jedi decks, particularly those running the Falcon, with Owen and Unfinished Business giving you tools to really amp up early pressure.

Blake333 (4/5) – This set is really awesome, and it leads to some real jank. Something I believe Jedi were kinda lacking until now.

Majestaat (5/5) – Do admit I'm giving the set a perfect score considering you play it as a 1x. I'm still not convinced doubling up on it is the right call, even in Falcon builds.
Anyway, some randomness in the objective aside, every card in this set works wonders, and while not all of them are mind-blowing, none of them are bad nor even situational cards. That's great for consistency. I find it funny that there's little internal synergy it this pod and it's still very strong.


Breaking the Blockade (162-1): 25 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Really strong ability, especially with vehicles like Sleuth Scouts.

doctormungmung (4/5) – LS had wanted a Talon Roll for a long time. Wedge was a nice stopgap, but not quite enough. Then the Rogues came in, and Rebel vehicles became a thing. This objective now allows those Rogues to strike one more time before ditching their pilot. Or Rogue 3 with Wedge can strike a third time. Black Squadron Formation is a great objective, and so is this one, just with a different limiter.

yodaman (3/5) – This objective is one that you really have to build around to get the most use of it. The obvious 2 cost vehicles that might benefit from this are X-Wing Escorts and Sleuth Scouts. However, you have to leave the resource open on the objective in order to use it and sometimes that resource would be better spent on something else. But if you can get a loaded up X-Wing Escort with Hobbie and an Astromech Droid with this objective out, the amount of objective damage you can do in one turn can be game changing. Seems like it works better with Rebel stuff than Smugglers overall.

TheMAC (4/5) – This objective has a nasty trick that offers double strike off piloted vehicles. While the pilot requirement and the cost 2 or less might look restrictive, it can be used on many good targets like B-Wing, Rogue Squadron X-wing, Sleuth Scout and Speeder Bike. Combine this with a Proton Torpedo or Astromech Droid and you have objective busters.

pantsyg (3/5) – A good, straightforward effect for the cost, allowing you to unfocus a cheap piloted vehicle at action speed. This would be good with Sleuths if they could still work in the Thrawn meta; suped-up Rogue Squadron X-wings are probably the best target. This ability might be hard to use unless you have Defense of Yavin 4 out or find a resource early, as this is probably going into decks with a bunch of 2-cost units.

Blake333 (3/5) – I really like this objective as a splash to go with Rebels. The tricks you can do with it are very neat. Sadly, it doesn’t work that well with other Smuggler sets.

Majestaat (4/5) – What really pushed Rebels into viability are the Rogue Squad X-Wings, and they love this ability. On set scenarios, Y and B-Wings can also deal absurd amounts of damage with this objective. The speeders from Preparations for Battle can become a royal pain if allowed to strike multiple times per turn as well. The fact you get a handful of free pilots in this set makes this ability more reliable than one would think at first.


Smuggling Freighter (162-2&3): 16 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (2/5) – Not awful, but the ability just seems to useless. I don’t love having to pay 2 for this.

doctormungmung (2/5) – This is a chud vehicle through and through. It’s got the standard stat line for a two cost, and an ability that is decent, but situational. In a swarm build, it’s alright. The one force icon is pretty poor for edge, but it’s better than none. But this unit can be put to good use as fodder for Defense of Yavin IV.

yodaman (2/5) – The objective set comes with these 2 cost ships that work with the objective, but really they’re kind of meh. It seems like there are much better options to use the objective’s ability on than these ships. The rest of the set at least gives them a potential use in a pinch so I’ll give them a 2. Most likely these are edge fodder and not even great for that.

TheMAC (3/5) – For me this is just a normal 2 cost unit with 2 icons, it has an ability that can be useful sometimes but nothing very fancy.

pantsyg (3/5) – I’ve never thought much of 2-cost units with this statline, and the text here doesn’t convince me. It’s a generic 2-drop for now, and with 2 in the set it’s probably best suited to swarmy, low-curve decks that just want cheap units to throw on the board. The text is irrelevant for the most part, but can be marginally useful if you’ve managed to enhance the unit’s damage in some way. I’m curious to see if these improve once the Well Paid discount in the next Force Pack arrives, making these into situationally better X-Wings.

Blake333 (2/5) – Cheap chud unit. I like the blanket blow through shield ability BUT it only has one unit and one blast damage, so it's still underwhelming against all targets.

Majestaat (2/5) – Standard chud with a situational ability. Normally would get a 3/5, but there are better 2-cost LS vehicles out there. Having black blast and a white gun instead would have helped a ton. As it stands, you want to draw attention with your Rogue X-Wings to then swing unopposed with these. But in that case, I'd rather pick Y and B-Wings.


Duros Smuggler (162-4&5): 18 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (2/5) – Just a useless card except for the fact that having pilots is important sometimes, he can be discarded to have Rogue Squad X-wings strike twice and is import for the event in this set. The fact that Hobbie is almost always free as well with the many pilot resource available though I don’t think these guys do enough.

doctormungmung (3/5) – These guys stat-wise are inconsequential. Except for their cost, which is key here: zero. That makes the smugglers terrific enablers. They turn on the objective for one. They allow you to pull off Surprising Maneuvers. But most significantly, they’re free pilots to feed to Rogue Squadron X-Wings. Hobbie is great, because he recurs, but there’s only one of him, and he’s unique. These guys come up to four in a deck, and you can recur them with SoTs. Between these guys and the Objective, those X-Wings will be striking for days. Now, admittedly, outside of a Rogue build, these guys are pretty meh.

yodaman (3/5) – So LS gets its set with cheap pilots. The fact they are 0 cost makes them great to throw on an X-Wing Escort just so you can sack them and double strike.

TheMAC (3/5) – With the ability of the objective and the stellar event that is included in this set, the smugglers are quite useful. They can also be tossed away from Rogue Squadron X-Wing, granting free refresh.

pantsyg (2/5) – The good guy version of the Academy Pilot, but lacking the Academy’s ability to contribute blast as a unit. Mainly they give you more things to put through Rogue Squadron X-Wings or to feed the cost of the event in this set. If you have units worth piloting these can be decent; otherwise, they don’t do much and won’t help you at all in the edge battle.

Blake333 (2/5) – This is really what “Rookie pilot” Should have been. While this pilot does help meet the requirement for “pilot” it does nothing other than sit on a ship.

Majestaat (3/5) – With how strong Rogue X-Wings and the objective in this set are, free non-unique pilots are a great addition. Unlike the DS Academy Pilot, these guys have no blast, meaning they're as bad as units can get when played as such. If you don't have anything for them to pilot, they're pretty worthless, and even when they can pilot something, not many LS vehicles really benefit from being piloted. In conclusion, the Duros will either be completely useless or absolutely fantastic, with little to no space for middle ground.


Surprising Maneuver (162-6): 32 ouf of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Really powerful effect, but it can be hard to get it to work. Saying that though even getting to kill one of their big mains, like Palpatine is worth it. Three edge icons is also awesome.

doctormungmung (4/5) – A free event that will wipe out all defenders is always going to be good. Admittedly, the incidental cost here of focusing two piloted units is a bit steep. But you don’t have to focus the units in the battle. And there are various ways to unfocus those piloted vehicles, already mentioned. And depending on the units that you’re destroying, the actual objective damage is almost incidental. Would you focus out two units to destroy Vader and the Emperor? I would.

yodaman (5/5) – The star card of the set. Boards wipes are useful in any form and even though this costs you the use of two piloted vehicles, the results can be devastating. DS can only even play around this card so much because a Stay on Target (or 2) played during an edge battle can turn what looked to be a safe engagement as a defender into a nightmare. With the cheap ships and 0-cost pilot which comes with the set, it’s begging to get some use.

TheMAC (5/5) – This the reason to play this set. Combine this with the trench run and you can have an event that just make you win the game if your opponent does not control well your board. With this card and desperation light side have access to quite a large number of wipes for that type of deck.

pantsyg (5/5) – Rating this event was hard. It’s a 0-cost event that destroys all defenders, which is obviously very strong, even if it only catches a solo-blocking main like Vader, Xizor, Palpatine, or Thrawn. It has excellent synergy with Rogue Squadron X-Wings, which can easily shed the focus after the event, but this needs to be run in a deck with enough pilots to ensure your vehicles are piloted when you draw it. It does come with 3 edge pips, which is awesome for a situational event. This card is the main reason to run this set.

Blake333 (4/5) - This is amazing! The meat of this potato pod is here. The amount of damage you can deal with it is crazy. If you have two piloted units and are holding one card in hand, your opponent has to keep guessing if it's Surprising Maneuver or something else, making it much more difficult to choose defenders.

Majestaat (5/5) – At 0-cost, 3 edge pips and a devastating effect, the only (big) problem with this card is how much setup it demands. Is that enough to bring it down to a 4 or less? I don't believe so. Your vehicles should be cheap in a deck with this, and your pilots are basically free, so a single hand can be enough to have all the pieces in place.


Overall: 22 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – This set could fit nicely into a deck themed around 2 cost vehicles, especially with some extra pilots to help it out, but it’s just not nearly as good as some of the Rebel vehicle sets we have been getting this cycle.

doctormungmung (4/5) – I personally think this objective set has tremendous use in a Rogue Squadron deck. All the free pilots, vehicle refresh, and surprise defender destruction is worth the pair of chuds you also wind up with. Now, outside of that type of deck, I’d list this one as a two, tops. But I like my Rogues, so I’m going with the “official” four for this one.

yodaman (3/5) – In the right build, this set will see some use and win some games, but there are better sets out there for LS vehicles so it’s going to have to find its niche. Surprising Maneuver alone will probably get people to try this set in some vehicle/pilot builds.

TheMAC (3/5) – Why not a higher overall score? I feel there are very good tricks to be done with this set, like a Trench Run deck, but you have to build around it and there is not a great variety of decks you can do with this objective. The units included are below average compared to many other light side vehicle sets. but Surprising Maneuver can be a real game changer.

pantsyg (2/5) – I’m very on the fence about this set. It’s definitely a combo set that revolves around its event, but as a combo deck fan, I like it despite its initial appearance of mediocrity. The low overall cost of the set, and Surprising Maneuvers, begs to be played with a swarmy deck featuring Rogue Squadron Assault and Trench Run. While the event is very strong, the rest of the set often falls short outside of decks that are specifically looking to execute combos involving Surprising Maneuver. Consistent? No. Hilarious? Always. I could see this being a fun one-of in a vehicle deck to make Surprising Maneuver truly surprising, but its lack of gas makes me think this won’t be seeing much competitive play.

Blake333 (3/5) – This pod has a lot of chud units/pilots in it and makes it hard to double up on. But has one really great event that works well with a Rebel Fighter deck.

Majestaat (4/5) – What can I say? The Rogue X-Wings warp my perception. This set lives and dies by them. The Freighters will always be dead weight, but all the other cards just pair so well with the Rogues, so hopefully you see those core vehicles quick. If you can't manage to find the X-Wings in your deck, or worse, you're not running Rogue Squad Assault with this, I'll let you know that this set is only a 1 or 2/5 at most.


The Imperial Bureaucracy (163-1): 26.5 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Exact same text as A Hero’s Beginning, and I have the same thoughts about it in Sith, too risky.
doctormungmung (4/5) – This is the DS mirror of A Hero’s Beginning, and pretty much all of what I said there applies here. What Sith brings to the scene is already existing deck search and thinning. Counsel of the Sith and Fall of the Jedi are one of the things that have helped Sith be the dominant DS faction since the beginning. Combining IB with Counsel, you start thinning the deck of the serious threats, but you get more chance of consistently finding those threats.

yodaman (4/5) – The Sith version of Hero’s Beginning. Not much new to say here. Just replace “Yoda and Obi-Wan with Vader and Palpy as cards you probably don’t want to bury under it. At least it’s a little less likely to get destroyed before you can use the cards under it than its LS counterpart.

TheMAC (4/5) – The same way I find A Hero’s beginning a good addition for edge battle this set will come handy for Sith.

pantsyg (4/5) – It’s the same ability as A Hero’s Beginning, so I won’t go into huge detail here. I will mention that the recursion tools in this set make the risk of trapping cards underneath this objective much less of a burden.

Blake333 (3.5/5) – As with its Jedi counterpart. You will either love or hate this for the same reasons as stated before. The reason I added a .5 to the score is that, unlike my playtesting done with Jedi, I find this objective much more useful for my Sith games, especially against Jedi. Having the access to 5-6 edge cards while my opponent only has 3 in hand is amazing.

Majestaat (4/5) – Same as A Hero's Beginning. Even stronger in DS since it is more important for it to have cards during the LS turn. Add in Counsel of the Sith and you're guaranteed to win almost every edge battle when defending.
Downsides include the possibility of losing your key units like Vader, and this becoming a blank objective once you use all three cards. I can live with that, especially when the set has some built-in recursion.


*Sate Pestage (163-2): 31 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – This guy is crazy good, you can throw your best cards into the edge and then use him to get them back. If he could also get enhancements, mostly for Sith Holocron, or was elite I think I would give him a 5/5.

doctormungmung (5/5) – Sith get more recursion, and boy is it in a good package. Ignoring his ability, a black tactics and three force icons for three cost is pretty solid. He holds the force well, and is a solid defender. He is a bit squishy, but that feeds into his ability. Getting any card back from your discard that you want (save enhancements) is fantastic. With Sate you get it twice. He also helps alleviate the chance of losing a key card to the objective.

yodaman (4/5) – The ability to recur any non-enhancement card when he enters or leaves play is incredible. He’s better mid-game than early so then you have a chance to get something good back like a Twist, Palpy, or timely event like Force Lightning. I like the 3 pips and the black tactics.

TheMAC (4/5) – Not bad at holding the force, black tactics and a nice ability to recover cards from the discard pile. With the number of useful events usually included in Sith decks this come very handy and it pairs well with the Quarren Bureaucrat from it’s own pod. Sith has events for almost any situation and he is the one that can bring back the ones needed, either unit destruction ones like Deadly Sight, or Rage for focus removal. He is even more useful in situations where you can trigger his interrupt with Sggression for example and with 2 of them, Aggression recursion can be a nasty trick when you pull it off. His leaving play ability also means that your opponent might be hesitant to block and kill him while he does some control with his tactic icon.

pantsyg (5/5) – This may seem like a high rating for a non-Main, but the utility of this card is incredible. The ability to recur cards both when he enters and leaves play is huge for a faction that is often edging their powerful cards (Vader, Palpatine, and Executor) to win early edge battles or discarding them because they’re too expensive or situational. Sith also have several powerful events (e.g. Hand of the Emperor, Force Stasis, Force Storm, Deadly Sight) living in sets that are useful as one-ofs but can be dead weight as doubles; getting them back for a second go without having to include a second copy of their set can be gold. This guy brings additional consistency to Sith, and comes with a black tactics and 3 force pips to boot! The only downside is his cost, but often you won’t want to play him until the mid- or late-game, and by then you should have some additional resources out.

Blake333 (4/5) – This unit is amazing. I love cards that “react” twice, once going in and once getting out. The only downside about this card is that it has two health. But then again, I actually wish it had 1 health. Why, you ask? So I can Force Choke him, get bonus damage with Vader and get another card back immediately.

Majestaat (5/5) – I truly believe this is one of the best cards Sith have received since the Core box. Sate makes combo units like Vader and the Executor much better since he can potentially retrieve their tech twice. And that's just how Sith wins: by playing around their combo units. More Chokes, Aggression, or even Royal Guards for when Palpatine hits the table. While he lives, Sate also contributes an always very strong black tactics, and once he dies, you get to recover yet another card, maybe his second copy, turning him into an immortal phoenix. If all that is not enough, he's also got 3 force icons for edge or Force Struggle. His only weakness is his low HP, which is arguable since you may want him to die a fast, painful death.


Advisor to the Emperor (163-3): 24 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Seeing as how this set often takes the place of Counsel of the Sith in the decks it’s played in I think this is a great card to be in the deck, this guy can help you win the force, gives you’re a resource and can even be used for the tactics icon, though that is risky with only 1 health.

doctormungmung (4/5) – These guys have been around since the beginning, and they still pull their weight. Cheap resource enhancement that can hold the force, and threaten tactics all for the low cost of two resources. Their low health is an issue, but that’s what all the Sith protectors are for.

yodaman (3/5) – A classic Sith card that’s seen lots of play since the early days. Having the resource is useful since Sith usually needs a lot of resources to play events and mains. The 2 force icons and white tactics are always a welcome. Nice to see it reprinted here.

TheMAC (4/5) – These guys have been around since the core set and they are still played a lot. The mix of resource, edge enabled tactics and 2 force pip makes it my favorite 2 cost resource unit. In all the iterations of that concept of units I think none of them are as good.

pantsyg (3/5) – He’s a standard 2-1 living resource dude with some versatility. 2 cost is annoying for 1 health, but he features tactics and 2 force pips so he can pinch hit as an ad-hoc defender or force holder in the early game. I’m happy to see a resource card in this utility set.

Blake333 (3/5) – Good ol’ staple of Sith. 2 cost unit that can either be used for a possible tactics or 1 resource.

Majestaat (4/5) – Nice reprint. The Advisors were already good when Han and core Luke were running rampant. I've found they're less risky to play nowadays, and they still provide a ton: Sith resources, tactics, decent presence in the Force Struggle.


Quarren Bureaucrat (163-4): 27 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Jedi and Rebel currently have a lot of good enchantments that they are running so being able to shut them down at a key moment is pretty good.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Ever groan when Luke decides to Trust His Feelings? Or have a similar reaction when Wedge jumps into Rogue 3? Well, this guy can help with that, if only for a bit. The sacrifice is a pretty steep cost, but if it gives the DS another turn, sometimes that’s all they need. And you can recur him with Sate if needed.

yodaman (4/5) – I admit it, I really like this card because at only 1 cost, this is a pretty powerful ability. Use him to get rid of pesky Hobbie and stop the recursion or to keep a unit from double striking via Wedge or Trust Your Feelings among other things. Not every LS enhancement “triggers” but enough do that this seems to always have a chance to cancel something good. Plus since you sack him to do it, you could potentially trigger Executor.

TheMAC (4/5) – There are so many times I wished I could just neutralize Trust your Feelings or the recursion of Hobbie on Rogue Squadron X-Wings. Now, I have access to a one cost unit with 1 unit damage and the ability to neutralize the annoying enhancements, popular in Jedi and Rebels alike.

pantsyg (3/5) – He’s situational, but sometimes those situations are going to be major. Cancelling Keyan Farlander, Luke’s Lightsaber, Trust Your Feelings, Force Cleansing, Hobbie, Force Lands, Resupply Depot, Shien Training, Echo Caverns, Funeral Pyre, etc. will occasionally be big plays. It’s telegraphed, much like C-3PO, but often there won’t be much the LS player can do about it. The sacrifice cost adds to this set’s synergy with Executor, and I’m OK with 1-cost black gun units on DS just to add a little unit damage in engagements or have enough survivors to prevent unopposed.

Blake333 (5/5) – I love this card! Let me repeat: LOVE THIS CARD! Oh, you want to “Trust your Feelings”? I’m sorry, I’d love to let you do that but can I see your papers first? No papers? Well, tough luck, boy. Nothing to trust today.
Also the unwritten text on this guy is awesome. “IF you have targeted strike you should probably be striking me!”.

Majestaat (4/5) – He is part of the select group of 1-cost units that are actually useful. Gives you a crucial window of opportunity against many strong enhancements like Trust your Feelings or Shien Training. Effectively shuts down Hobbie as well. Since he doesn't need to be ready, LS can't deal with him via tactics, having to invest other tools. Finally, since the Quarren is sacrificed, you will get to see the happy alligator face of the Executor.


Endless Bureaucracy (163-5): 21 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Good to have another shot at drawing important cards. It also triggers Vader and keeps coming back so you can trigger Vader again.

doctormungmung (3/5) – More recursion! And this time it’s totally free. Admittedly, the card goes back to your deck, which means you might not see it again, but some chance of seeing it is better than no chance. Although this doesn’t actually mesh that well with Sate, as he wants the important card in the discard pile. So you can be left with some hard decisions if you see this card before him. Another nice thing about bureaucracy is that you get to keep doing it as long as objectives keep leaving play.

yodaman (3/5) – For 0 cost, one could do worse than having a way to get the top discarded card back in your deck so you have a chance to draw it again. It’s also a free event that can always be used just to trigger Vader’s reaction and the fact the card itself recycles fits well with the structure of this set.

TheMAC (1/5) – Other than triggering Vader’s ability I don’t know many good things you can do with this card. Reshuffling a card in the deck is much of a gamble to when you can actually draw it back. Also it does not fit well with Sate as the card you might want back won’t be in the discard pile. Having only 1 force icon makes it almost useless for edge battle.

pantsyg (4/5) – Another recursion card, though somewhat more situational than Pestage as it only returns the top card in your discard and puts the card back into your deck, not your hand. Still, this can be useful to recover important Fate cards (or that Palpatine you just edged), and adds consistency to cards in your one-of sets by giving you another shot at drawing them. This card also comes back to your hand when an objective leaves play, giving it synergy with Palpatine, and it’s free fuel for Vader.

Blake333 (4/5) – This card is another amazing one, assuming you time it right. Not only does it let you recycle the last card you played/discard/edged; it can also be returned to your hand for a second shot. Even if you don’t want to play this card again, how many times in ANY card game has your deck just NOT been firing and you wish you could shuffle it on the off chance you start getting better cards? I know I have!
The only reason it isn’t a 5 of 5 is that there is the top card restriction so you do hafta worry about timing.

Majestaat (3/5) – Vader loves free Sith events. Even more if they give him extra chances to keep playing other events. Because you must shuffle the top card of your discard pile, pay more attention to the order in which you discard after edge battles when playing this set. If you play smart, you actually have good control on what you get to recover.
Obviously, since the card goes back to your deck, it's perfectly possible you won't see it again, giving EB little immediate impact if Vader is not on the table.


Supporting Fire (163-6): 20 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (2/5) – Similar to what I said with the Jedi set, it just does not synergize that well with the set.

doctormungmung (3/5) – More Supporting Fire. Still good hedge against a Twist, and with the high edge cards that Sith has, a good hedge against pitching an Emperor into an edge battle when you don’t have to.

yodaman (3/5) – As with Hero’s Beginning, this fate card fits here since you the set includes a way recur cards and you can have extra cards available for edge battles if the objective is out.

TheMAC (3/5) – This is far from my favorite fate card but it can help to hold cards in hand if you expect a Twist of Fate and you don’t want to toss key cards directly in. I wish, however, this was a twist of fate.

pantsyg (3/5) – I mentioned my thoughts on this card in the Hero’s Beginning review, though I’ll add it’s more useful for Jedi and Sith, who have a greater concentration of high-pip cards to swing the edge.

Blake333 (3/5) – Again, I love this card. And it really doesn’t show up more in my Sith Decks mainly due to the fact that it’s only in 1 other (bad) Sith pod.

Majestaat (3/5) – How many more times must I review this card? It's decent. Sometimes it will save you, other times it will blow due to its single icon. Let's proceed.


Overall: 27.5 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – It’s a really strong support set for Sith that has some great tools to help them in the current Meta. One thing that could have made it better would be to switch out Supporting Fire for a Twist of Fate, but honestly that might have made it too good.

doctormungmung (4/5) – This is a very good support set. Between the deck thinning and card recursion, you can really tighten up the consistency of whatever deck it’s in. The only real problem is deciding if this set goes in your deck in conjunction with the other good support sets Sith has (namely Counsel), or do you start swapping one for the other. If you had to choose one over the other, I don’t think there is a clear winner, but I’d lean more towards the Bureaucracy. Getting another use out of a Force Lightning or Deadly Sight can really help cement a board lockdown.

yodaman (3.5/5) – I’m not sure this is a set you’d build your whole deck around but it’s a great support set which I can easily see being used in mono-Sith, Sith/Thrawn, or Sith/Xizor builds because of the recursion ability.

TheMAC (4/5) – This pod is a great addition for Sith decks but I will ask another question: “Is this pod better than Counsel of the Sith?” Both sets offer a nice combination of features that will support Sith control decks and Counsel of the Sith had been a center of that type of deck for a long time. I might be wrong but I think The Imperial Bureaucracy cannot totally replace Counsel in that type of decks because Endless Bureaucracy is a useless draw and Supporting Fire is nowhere near the power of a Twist of Fate. However, in the enhancement heavy meta we are facing right now, Sate and Quarren might make this pod better than Counsel on certain situations, but it depends on the kind of matchup you are facing.

pantsyg (4/5) – This is a great support set for Sith decks, and could easily be slotted into current popular builds in place of one Counsel of the Sith. I see this set as very similar to Counsel, but here we trade card draw for card recursion. The set is particularly useful for Sith Control as it has high synergy with the core Sith pods, but any deck with high-value mains or events could benefit. Like Counsel, it can find a home in any deck, making it a very strong consideration if you’re looking for a final pod.

Blake333 (4/5) – This pod isn’t an auto-include but it damn near should be, at least as a “one of". The card recursion is amazing and nearly always helpful. Nearly every card works off of the other one. Overall an extremely well balanced set.

Majestaat (4/5) – Good support set with overall low cost and some recursion tech, making it ideal with the already mentioned Vader and Executor. People have been pairing it with Counsel for great success. Now I recognize the effectiveness of such decks, but I think there's some strong overlapping between the two, and eventually, people will have to pick one or the other. I prefer Bureaucracy, but Counsel has the added benefit of an extra resource and a Twist, both of which can be crucial.


The Last Grand Admiral (164-1): 22 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Boring 5/2. Navy has way too many blank objectives… but the art is really nice.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Almost a vanilla objective, but of course Thrawn can’t be vanilla, so he gets the elite of the vanilla objectives. I’ve really come to appreciate how much more you can accomplish with a two resource objective since I’ve started playing. Effectively it’s a short term loan that will give you the option of having a bigger turn when you really need one. Also, I almost gave it a four rating for the art alone.
yodaman (4/5) – Typical Navy objective with 2 resources and 5 health. Nothing special, but the Coruscant trait makes it a bit interesting. Maybe someone will find a good build with this and Heart of the Empire or Jerec’s set to take advantage of the trait.

TheMAC (3/5) - Blank text and 2 resources are pretty standard now for objectives. It can come in handy but it is nothing mind-blowing.

pantsyg (3/5) – Standard 5/2 blank objective. I used to not think much of these, but their prevalence this cycle has made me come to appreciate them. They’re great for getting out those 2-1 resources while maintaining 4 resources into the next turn, or if your deck includes several 3 or 5-cost units.

Blake333 (3/5) – Blank 2 resources. Not much to say, really. Other than... OMG ,IT’S THRAWN. IT’S THRAWNNNNNNNNN!!!

Majestaat (3/5) – Another one in the growing list of vanilla 2-resource objectives. Particularly useful when the pod does not include a resource unit/enhancement, which is the case here, so the objective will make your opening healthier despite not seeing extra resources.


*Grand Admiral Thrawn (164-2): 35 out of 35 possible points (I didn't even need to count here to know the result, hooray!).



chunkygorillas (5/5) – Wow, this guy is amazing. And rightfully so, he is an amazing character in the books. Two tactics with those stats for 4 is already really amazing and on top of that throw in an amazing ability that can shut down any unit that isn’t shielded and a blast icon for extra versatility, you have the makings of one of the best Dark Side units ever made. Now count how many times I said amazing. He's that good.

doctormungmung (5/5) – We finally have my favorite EU character in the game, and boy, he does not disappoint. Solid stats for a good cost. He holds the force. He has some durability. He can lockdown a board and do some objective damage if needed. But on top of that, his ability just really is the bee’s knees. At action speed, you can focus out anyone in an engagement, and he doesn’t even need to be participating (Thrawn)! He’s kind of like EoD Chewie with WLD out. It makes it very hard to attack and get through. Unless you have shielding, the LS’s best unit is getting focused one way or another. And again, that art!

yodaman (5/5) – The man, the myth, the legend. He’s finally here and he’s great. The ability is amazing since you can use him to tactics out the best LS unit (assuming they can’t shield it first) and if you win the edge battle you can essentially get off two strikes before your opponent can get their first one by using Thrawn’s ability then striking with your best unit. Having two black tactics is great and makes him a fantastic control unit.

TheMAC (5/5) – Well, this one is mind-blowing. 4 cost is a real sweet spot cost that allow to play it without the need of additional resources. He has 2 black tactics and elite, which is already good for 4 cost unit. Add to that an awesome ability to focus any enemy units without even striking in an engagement and you have the master tactician that is Thrawn. If you lose edge you can focus down the most threatening enemy unit before it strikes. If you win the edge you can do the same and strike first in addition. You can also use the ability instead of striking if you are committed to the force and don’t want to get double focus from striking. Thrawn is simply the best unit in Navy faction.

pantsyg (5/5) – I can’t remember the last time a card had as much put on its shoulders pre-release, and the Grand Admiral delivers on his promise, giving us the control unit we’ve always wanted for Navy. 2 black tactics and Elite for 4 is a great start, but his text is the real reason you’re including him in your deck. Placing a focus at will, even from outside the engagement, is huge. I could go on for days about the potential sick plays to be made with his text, but instead I’ll just leave a cautionary note that his ability does require him to be ready, so he is going to be a magnet for tactics and Seeds of Decay. Often if I can get him and a chud out first turn, I’ll commit the chud to avoid getting turned off by Seeds. If you don’t have a choice and have a read that your opponent has a Seeds, use his ability before the edge battle and watch the Seeds fizzle.

Blake333 (5/5) - Thematically, mechanically, artistically, I love this card. Thrawn was/is one of my favorite EU people out there. He is a powerful, powerful card! The pure ability for attack or defense with him is amazing.
Being able to tactics someone down before the edge battle is amazing. Did you somehow lose the edge battle due to an unforeseen Twist of Fate? Focus Thrawn to lock Yoda/Luke/Kyle etc. etc. etc.

Majestaat (5/5) – Few times have I seen so much hype around a card. Deservedly so! Thrawn is like the IN version of Palpatine or Xizor, and likely the most disrupting unit in the game. With decent HP and two black tactics he can survive against most units and still focus the opposition. If you're expecting a Protection fate card, or you got hit by a surprise Heat of Battle you can use his exceptionally strong ability instead. You only get to focus one participating unit, but it's incredibly difficult to stop, moreso when Thrawn is sitting comfortably back at home. If you haven't had that bad experience yet, some friendly advice: don't commit Thrawn. Kyle and Seeds of Decay will give you a headache, ruining the great plan.


Noghri Bodyguard (164-3&4): 23 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – These guys would rate way lower, but now that Imperial Entanglements is kind of out we have seen that these guys do some serious work in Navy decks. I also think that these guys are really well designed since they help make Thrawn not just a super obvious choice for a Sith deck, since it comes with the downside of filling your deck with this 2 drop that won’t do a ton in a Sith deck.

doctormungmung (3/5) – These guys are solid. Take Motti’s Stormtrooper and give him protect Officer, and you get these guys. Admittedly, they aren’t troopers, but that’s ok, they’re ninjas! Thrawn becomes much harder to remove from the board, along with Motti, Tarkin, even Veers. There are a lot of power officers that the Navy has, who have always been prime targets for all the targeted strike, LSD, Hans itchy trigger finger, etc. Now they get to stick around and do their stuff longer. I just kind of wish there weren’t two of the Noghri in the set, as having four almost seems like too much.

yodaman (4/5) – Protect is always welcome, especially for DS and we get two of them here. Even though the protect ability is restricted to officers, these guys are basically stormtroopers with a bonus. They’ll be even better once Imperial Entanglements is released to the masses.

TheMAC (3.5/5) – This one was hard to rate. Obviously he was made to protect Thrawn but with the incoming Imperial Entanglement, they will have more VIPs to protect. Using only the cards currently available they are not that good but as more and more good officers will get played the value of these little bodyguards will only get better.

pantsyg (3/5) – I like Heavy Stormtroopers (and generally 2-cost units with 2 guns on DS), and these are Heavy Stormtroopers with Protect. The pool of Officers worth protecting is small at present, but Imperial Entanglements is around the corner and keeping a Motti, Thrawn or Veers safe from Rebel Assault or targeted strike is a good enough utility for now. These will gain value when the new Tarkin drops. Plus there’s two of them in the set, which helps to keep your unit count healthy.

Blake333 (3/5) – A specialty protector that only protects officers. It does synergize with Thrawn, and the number of officers rise with IE. Good times ahead for these guys. I really wish it had 3 unit damage; two white and 1 black. That way he could get behind an attacking Yoda or Luke. But overall this is an all-around decent card.

Majestaat (3.5/5) – Cheap 2-gun units are quite useful for DS, and these guys have protect to boot. Granted, it's limited to officers, but those are about the only Imperial units that really need protection, so that you may keep their powerful support abilities online.


Chain of Command (164-5): 24.5 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Amazing in 2v2 and still amazing in 1v1, being able to use Thrawn’s ability and then still strike with him is just too good, and now there are a ton of other good targets for this event to be used on now as well.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Here we have a one cost event that will free up Thrawn for another round of his massive board control. You can also get a bit of double strike opportunity with some other officers, but for the most part, this card is meant to be used on Thrawn. That limits its usefulness somewhat, but still, if there was an event that removed a focus from the Emperor for one cost, it would be run in just about every deck that good old Palpatine is in as well.

yodaman (4/5) – For 1 cost, this event is great. Obviously one of the best uses of this card is by using Thrawn’s ability then using Chain of Command to free him up to use his 2 black tactics. It will also help free up other officers who might get buried in tactics.

TheMAC (3.5/5) – Focus removal is always good in a deck, and DS seems to have very few options to do so. This one works on officers only, making it very restrictive but, again there are good Navy officers coming in the future and this is another card that will become a lot better once imperial entanglement is out. For now, you can use it on Thrawn to flood the board on tactics but this card will get its value in the future.

pantsyg (3/5) – It’s a Tallon Roll for Officers! Like Tallon Roll, it’s super situational unless your deck has a critical mass of Officers for it to hit, though unlike its Fighter counterpart it’s not free. Sadly, it’s harder to build a good deck with lots of Officers than a good deck with lots of Fighters as Officers are usually support units rather than the core of a deck. I like to see Navy getting more combat tricks, but right now Thrawn himself is the only really intimidating target for this card unless you count an attacking Colonel Starck or the truly once-in-a-lifetime Admiral Piett with Fate cards. Probably the best use is allowing Thrawn to participate with his icons after he uses his ability, though freeing up focused Officers to unexpectedly participate on defense or pushing damage in the late game are nice little plays as well. This will gain value if/when more Officers with relevant combat icons or abilities are released, but focus manipulation is almost always useful and it’s got 2 force pips, which is always nice on a situational card. Obviously much more valuable in 2v2.

Blake333 (4/5) – Works amazingly with attacking or defending units (I’m looking at you Thrawn). Basically a Tallon Roll for officers. If you want to go aggro, pair this with units like Colonel Starck.

Majestaat (3/5) – Rather limited in use. Because it costs one, it won't help to accelerate your economy. Now, the good thing is Navy officers have been getting better combat icons, especially much needed tactics. Tagge can severely damage objectives, Thrawn can keep focusing enemies down and new Tarkin does a bit of everything, to name a few.


Supporting Fire (164-6): 17 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (2/5) – I’m really starting to dislike seeing this card…

doctormungmung (3/5) – Chain of Command seems to be the Supporting Fire force pack. Again, not the best edge card, but not as bad as some people like to say it is. Personally I’d have loved to see a Seeds here, but that would probably have been too good. Like MTFBWY good.

yodaman (3/5) – I don’t like it quite as well in this set as the others as it doesn’t seem to synergize in the same way. It does help with Thrawn and figuring out if you’ll use his ability or take advantage of his 2 tactics.

TheMAC (3/5) – Again I find this fate card to be useful sometimes but not impressive.

pantsyg (2/5) – FFG should have named this box Supporting Fire! Worth noting that this card is probably slightly less valuable (maybe at its worst) in mono-Navy builds, which tend to lack high-pip single cards to swing the edge. Be wary of including this set 2x with Thunderflare, as you’ll be drawing a lot of these, sometimes when you’d rather see anything else.

Blake333: (2/5) – While I like this fate card, I’ve noticed that as Imperial Navy you don’t win the edge unless WIN the edge. Yes, circle thinking! What I’m trying to say is: I’m either going to WIN it 100% or just straight up lose. It’s been rare that it’s ever been really close in my experience.

Majestaat (2/5) - ...this again? Take all I've said a thousand times already. While you have a 3 icons card here in Thrawn, you sure as hell don't want to discard him, and Navy don't have good edge overall. For that reason, surprise surprise, I'll give it a 2 this time.


Overall: 29.5 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (4/5) – It’s close to being a 5/5 but the low edge count and blank objective hurts it, though I do think this set will be an auto-include in Navy officer lists.

doctormungmung (4/5) – This set is great, but I don’t think it’s quite a five. The only resource is in the objective itself, which helps stifle it a bit. There’s only so much room for non-resource sets in a deck, and now Thrawn has to vie for one of those positions. With IE on the horizon, that’s going to be very difficult. To get that five from me, I’d either swap one Noghri for a Fleet Navigator, or the Supporting Fire for a Seeds of Decay. Still, I’m sure Thrawn will see plenty of play and be a menace to the LS for years to come.

yodaman (4/5) – I really like this set, but it really isn’t the best set in this pack, IMO. When Imperial Entanglements comes out, I think this set’s stock will go up.

TheMAC (4.5/5) – Thrawn is one of the most impressive Navy units yet, and he alone can justify using this pod. The rest of the pod will need more cards that are not yet released to unleash their full potential. I think of this objective set as a prelude to Imperial Entanglement and the clever people at FFG actually make me eager to get my hands on it.

pantsyg (5/5) – While most of this set’s high rating comes from the insane quality of Thrawn himself, I like the pod overall. Besides Thrawn it’s not terribly sexy, but it’s a strong, defensively-oriented control set (with 3 units, I have to emphasize) that can either form the core of a highly defensive deck bristling with tactics and unit damage, or provide defensive backbone and tactics to clear the way for a more aggressive strategy. I see this set featuring heavily in Navy Control decks post-Imperial Entanglements, though the recent Nationals tournament showed he also contributes as a splash in Sith Control.

Blake333 (4/5) – I think this set is clearly amazing. It has so many answers Navy was simply lacking. I think it is a strong turning point for that affiliation. The pod has great synergy with itself, which is always key in a truly good, balanced set.

Majestaat (4/5) – While Thrawn is comparable to Xizor and Palp, his set sure isn't, and because our blue friend is so difficult to deal with, I'm almost tempted to say going 1x of this is the right call. Then again, Thrawn himself is so game-breaking I completely symphatize with those who double up on him. I do so myself anyway.


Nar Shaddaa Drift (165-1): 27 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – A strong ability that can help keep your vehicles from being locked down.
doctormungmung (3/5) – This is effectively the Endor Gambit, but for Scum. Getting a free refresh is never bad. The only problem is that Scum vehicles aren’t quite as prevalent as Navy. But, this refresh isn’t faction limited, so it’ll work with all those TIEs or Star Destroyers as well as Slave One and those pesky Z-95s. If you can get this paired with Slave One, you help alleviate its major glaring weakness: not being elite. That always makes me shake my head in wonder….

yodaman (4/5) – The ability is the same as Endor Gambit from the core set. It’s even more useful now with the current cycle.

TheMAC (4/5) – Scum’s version of Endor’s Gambit. Focus removal is always welcomed, especially in vehicle decks where the Elite trait is not very common.

pantsyg (4/5) – Same as the old Endor Gambit objective from the Core set, which I loved. Removing extra focus is always useful in these tactics-heavy times, though obviously you’re going to want a vehicle deck to make use of this.

Blake333 (4/5) - Who need Tokyo Drift when you have Nar Shaddaa Drift?!? To be serious, the reaction is awesome if you are running vehicles.

Majestaat (4/5) – I really love The Endor Gambit and generally anything that helps me ready my units faster. This is no exception. While the limit to vehicles isn't too restrictive, Scum doesn't have that many of those, so I'm thinking this might may be better geared towards Navy builds.


*Race Circuit Champion (165-2): 21.5 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – The pilot cost is nice and low but the ability is too specific, it won’t do a lot if it’s facing Character heavy builds.

doctormungmung (3/5) – As a unit, she’s decent enough, having the same stats as the run of the mill Stormtrooper. As a pilot, though, she can help whittle down the field of the LS vehicles. One damage may not seem like much, but putting a single damage on the Falcon makes it a lot easier to force a premature bounce. Free damage is free damage, and really, who’s going to turn that down? The only problem is making sure her ride doesn’t get buried under tactics, as that’ll shut down that free damage right quick.

yodaman (3/5) – She’s a pilot, which fits with the theme. It’s a bit of a shame she’s unique though. Her ability is really match-up dependent too. If you’re playing against Jedi mains, it probably won’t help much.

TheMAC (2.5/5) – The basic stats of the unit are those of a standard 2 cost chud. The pilot ability is very situational and it is unique so you cannot stack two of them in play. Basically this unit is mostly useless unless you are facing a Rebel vehicle deck and even against those decks the limited amount of damage you can actually pull out is not impressive. There are a few occasions where you might kill that Y-Wing but I think most of the time it won’t have much of an impact.

pantsyg (4/5) – This card’s value is somewhat variable. Against a vehicle deck she will obviously be insane, especially if you have ways to ready her vehicle during combat (Tallon Roll, Black Market Exchange, etc). With vehicle decks on the rise her ceiling is a little higher, though Jedi characters still predominate. Against characters, she’s probably better on foot as a Scum Stormtrooper unless you just need a cheap Pilot on something. She’s reasonable for her cost, but being Unique hurts her overall value.

Blake333 (3/5) – Decent enough pilot on her own. I really wish she wasn’t unique. Couple her with Tallon Roll and you could get to deal a ton of free damage.

Majestaat (3/5) – Unlike other pilots, she's a decent unit even at full cost. As a pilot, she's cheap and has an ability that works without needing to face danger (doesn't quite make sense when you take into account that art). It's slow and fairly useless when not facing Rebels. And even against them, or rather the Rogue X-Wings in particular, it shouldn't have big impact unless you have, say, The Best Credits Can Buy in play.
Do note the ability triggers only when the enhanced unit READIES, so if it's buried in focus tokens, you may not get to trigger her ability again.


Racing Swoop (165-3&4): 22 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Pretty vanilla unit, but cheap tactics is always nice.
doctormungmung (3/5) – It’s a tactics chud that can be piloted. Scum isn’t lacking in tactics, but more doesn’t really hurt, either. And TIE decks tend to be light on tactics, so adding these in can really help out with that. And here’s an instance where I don’t really mind getting two of the same chud in an objective set.

yodaman (3/5) – For 2 cost, 2 health, these two chuds are decent. Scum gets more white tactics and Boba has more vehicles he can enhance. Not bad.

TheMAC (3/5) – Tactics, even edge enabled, on a cheap unit is always welcome. Scums now have access to a lot of very inexpensive units that could flood the board with focus token if they have decent ways to win the edge. It is a vehicle for pilots to be attached to and as they are not very expensive you can throw it at the black market exchange without much grief.

pantsyg (4/5) – Pretty standard 2-drops, but I bump them up a little from average because I love cheap tactics on DS; I want two guns or gun and tactic on my 2-cost DS units, and these deliver. The Speeder trait does little for them, which is unfortunate as this set seems best in a Fighter deck, but they do get to benefit from Vehicle synergies. Two in the set means you’ll see them reliably, which I’m OK with. Pilot Boba likes decks with lots of vehicles, and these help. Looking forward, imagine these with the upcoming Imperial Entanglements objective, or right now with All Out Brawl.

Blake333 (3/5) – By itself this is a very standard Scum chud card. Cheap cost, two health, two combat icons, one being tactics.

Majestaat (3/5) – Unless you can downright murder everything, you always want some affordable tactics in you decks. I think these are strictly worse than Jawas and Galactic Scum in most scenarios, but they can get the job done and benefit from other cards in this set, becoming situationally better.
Navy vehicles could sure use some extra control tools.


Black Market Exchange (165-5): 27 out fo 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – I really wish you didn’t have to focus the resource to use the ability but it is strong, being able to clear off Vehicles for defense of double strike with them is very powerful.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Personally I think this is the money card of the set. It’s a resource, so you can use it that way if you need to, but it’s other effect is great. It’s effectively a super Talon Roll, allowing for a double strike, even from a unit that’s committed to the Force. Later in the game, when the board is generally more crowded, it’s easy to overlook this enhancement in the backfield, and thus can lead to some nasty surprises. And late game is usually where a single double strike can win a game. The cost is a bit steep, considering the sacrifice, but there are plenty of cheap vehicles out there. And it’s another method of getting Boba Fett off of a ship and ready to do his thing again via Stay on Target.

yodaman (3/5) – For 2 cost you get a pseudo-resource that you can use in a pinch. The ability has a lot of conditions and is a bit pricey, but being able to free up a ship to double strike in the same engagement or strike twice is nice. Could be interesting if you could pair it with the original Slave I and have a bunch of captured cards. People may try running IG-88 for the cheap droids that could be used as sacrifice fodder.

TheMAC (4/5) – I think this card can be put to good use. One of the synergy is with Slave I in Hunter’s Flight. You can trigger the destruction of Boba’s ship to get it back to your hand for additional capture. Another silly idea is to combine with Executor to trigger its reaction at the same time as refreshing a unit. This card can also be a safety against tactic lockdown of your board and works with Cut Off and Race Circuit Champion. It is important to note that it works on any enhanced unit, I know there are only a few enhancements for characters in Dark Side, but if you actually get a Lightsaber or Flamethrower out it, will work on them too. In other occasions, it is a resource to help to play more cards.

pantsyg (4/5) – This is a super interesting card. I always love focus manipulation effects, and am happy to see one in Scum. In the early game this is likely just a resource, but in later turns could be big, and the possible synergies here are really broad. It enables the Circuit Champion and has obvious synergy with cheap vehicles and enhancements, lending itself to inclusion in a fighter deck with Superior Numbers and/or Training Procedures. If one of your vehicles gets locked down with tactics, sac it to fuel this. It can also be a way to get pilot Boba out of play so you can play your other copy, or set up a Stay On Target play. If you dare to dream, consider this with a Maarek-enhanced Executor and salivate over the unlikely but hilarious possibility.

Blake333 (4/5) – This card is really great if you are loading up your deck with vehicles. The tricks you can pull are fun! Attacking with two Swoop Bikes? Strike with one, then the other, then sack one to un-focus and strike for a third time in one battle. Need I say more?

Majestaat (4/5) – Tough one. Powerful ability and provides a resource (you do have to choose one or the other though...) make this a fantastic card. So many restrictions obviously drop its value, and while the DS doesn't feature as many unit enhancements as LS, that's bound to change sooner rather than later, making this reusable refresh for you buffed units invaluable.


Cut Off (165-6): 26 out of 35 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – It’s a good effect, but its usual timing doesn't really help it.

doctormungmung (3/5) – I’d have liked this to be free, similar to Succumb to the Cold, but I suppose that’s the cost of getting an extra force icon. You can get some nasty surprises with it if you pair it with Black Market Exchange, though.

yodaman (4/5) – For 1 cost, this is a decent event. You can usually ready a vehicle if your deck is focused on it and if you could focus their best defender for 1 that’s worth it.

TheMAC (4/5) – Spawning a focus token in other ways than striking in an engagement can screw up the opponent’s plan, and I like to screw up the plans if my opponents whenever I can. It also focus any of units unlike many card with similar abilities that only works against a particular type of unit.

pantsyg (4/5) – I like putting focus tokens on opposing units, and the trigger (readying a Vehicle unit) is fairly easy to achieve. This card will reward you for holding onto your Tallon Rolls into a defensive turn rather than pushing damage, or let you get extra mileage from your Tallon Rolls and Black Market Exchange while attacking. At worst it lets you focus something when you refresh, and at very worst it’s two edge pips. I can’t help but think this would cost 0 for LS though.

Blake333 (4/5) – At first glance this card isn’t all that great. I mean, it’s kinda like “Succumb to the Cold!" but costs one and requires your own unit readying.
But then you look at it closer... Oh, you freed Yoda up with May the Force Be with You? Well, when my Swoop Bike refreshes I’m going to pay one and focus him down. Get lucky and have the “Black Market Exchange” out with a bike with a champ on it? Ready your unit while focusing an enemy and locking another one.

Majestaat (4/5) – Succumb to the Cold is one of my favorite cards, and this one is pretty similar. Costs one and will normaly focus an opponent on your own turn instead of his, making it substantially weaker, but the effect is very strong nonetheless. Focus whichever defender remains, then use your Bikes and other units with tactics to lock the enemy board, maybe even destroy an objective. If you can couple it with other refreshing effects (ex: Tallon Roll), it can also work during the LS turn.


Overall: 24.5 out of 35 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3/5) – It’s a pretty decent set, but I’m not sure exactly where to fit it in, it doesn’t really go with a lot of the Navy stuff and Scum doesn’t really have a good vehicle deck yet.

doctormungmung (3/5) – This is a nice defensive set that slots into a lot of different vehicle decks, and can also run in a more typical Scum deck, since Scum’s vehicles tend to be more spread out and not in dedicated vehicle sets. Running two might be a bit too much, but one is not hard to place at all.

yodaman (3.5/5) – This set will find its place in vehicle decks as support, but I don’t think you’d build around it.

TheMAC (3/5) – This pod offers some good options and a few cards that are disappointing. Black market exchange would be the reason to play the pod but I wonder if I want to get stuck with the rest of the cards in my deck.

pantsyg (4/5) – A solid pick for Vehicle decks that are looking to add some control pieces, though it likely won’t do much for you other than add more tactics units in a non-vehicle build. Probably at its best in a swarmy TIE deck with Tallon Rolls, cheap fighters, cheap pilots, and cheap enhancements, possibly with pilot Boba for additional control. If we see more DS character enhancements this set may become useful in a character/vehicle hybrid deck, but I don’t think those will ever be as efficient a home as pilot decks.

Blake333 (4/5) – This pod is great thematically, and it really does work with itself so much that it should be the definition for synergy, which is something that Scum hasn’t had in the past. Unfortunately, I don’t think Scum has enough vehicle pods to make this work at its fullest, but it splashes so well with Navy that it isn’t even funny.

Majestaat (4/5) – Its internal synergy helps a lot, making it a 3/5 in about any build thanks to the cheap tactics, non-limited resource and strong event; and a solid 4/5 when it can better support the rest of your deck. Will admit it can be hard to find a good home for it at first glance, and it will require some out of the box thinking.


FINAL WORDS:

This one actually took much more time than I anticipated, and you can bet I now feel like I have brain damage. Exams have been unforgiving and I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in days.
Matters not, as we only had a slight delay this time. All things considered, that's mighty impressive if I say so myself!

Probably coming late, but let my welcome and thank the new reviewers for volunteering and investing their precious time to keep this little project alive. You can be sure they shall all become happy Force ghosts that will get to dance with Obi and Yoda in the afterlife.

Proper thanks to our readers as well. You guys rock.

As you likely have noticed by now, Imperial Entanglements has been fully spoiled. As much as I want to start working on its review, I think we'll go with Jump to Lightspeed first, for order's sake. This gives the reviewers a break and allows them to fully test IE via OCTGN or proxies for when the time for its review arrives. In any case, stay tuned, as new material will keep coming.

Like always, feel free to leave your comments below or in our forum thread.

May the Force be with you all!