The Mos Eisley Mafia: SWLCG "Galactic Ambitions" Deluxe Box Review - Dark Side pt. 1

MEET THE FAMILY (aka - THE REVIEWERS):
-chunkygorillas, host to the Ion Control Podcast (In no condition for reviewing yet. He's now in the Bacta Tank)
-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 5 Cards (more because ties):
1 – *Vader's Meditation Chamber (Dark Lord of the Sith), with 20 out of 20 possible points.
2 – *Emperor Palpatine (Power of the Dark Side), with 20 out of 20 possible points.
3 – Come With Me (Dark Defenders), with 20 out of 20 possible points.
4 – Entrenched Defense, with 20 out of 20 possible points.
5 – *The Inquisitor (Encounter at Stygeon Prime), with 19.5 out of 20 possible points.
6 – Early Warning System (Entrenched Defense), with 19.5 out of 20 possible points.

Overall best rated Objective Set (there's a tie!):
Dark Lord of the Sith, with 19.5 out of 20 possible points.
Out of the Mists, with 19.5 out of 20 possible points.


THE REVIEWS:

Dark Lord of the Sith (217-1): 18 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – This objective is just plain nuts. For the cost of running mono-Sith (or close enough to give you a solid chance of having all Sith objectives on the board), your opponent now has to focus one of their ready units when THEIR combat phase starts. That’s before shields. There are really only two ways around this. First is to run predominantly vehicles, which is becoming more of an option, although in my opinion it’s still too inconsistent enough to be a major factor. Or spam the board with enough units to be able to “soak” this focus. What’s that? Sith also like unit removal? Right, good luck keeping a large enough board to have this not be a significant hindrance.

yodaman (4.5/5) – A great objective, but it’s basically blank against vehicle decks and is also less effective if the LS is trying to just get out a lot of cheap units. However, it will pull its weight against Jedi main decks that rely on having a couple powerful units out rather than chuds as it will force the LS player to focus a unit they’d probably want to use as soon as the LS player’s conflict phase starts.

pantsyg (4/5) – This is a super-oppressive effect early. While it’s useless against vehicles, vehicles have always been a hard matchup for Sith. Against any character deck that only plays a Main on turn 1, this will get a lot of value. Nudj poops on it, though.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – We're off to a great start. You need 3 Sith objectives out to get this powerful effect. Very strong early game. It usually falls off as the game progresses unless you've built and done a good job at controlling the enemy board, which quite frankly, isn't hard to do as Sith.
Thankfully, most pods in the game provide a chud to counter this. SpecOps Pathfinders are remarkable, as they can ready via their own text anyway, making Shield Generator Assault a great pick if you need a way to deal with Dark Lord and Tarkin Doctrine.


*Darth Vader (217-2): 17.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – Vader morphs from one type of beast to another. Where core Vader is more a defensive monster that can go offensive when he finds his saber, this Vader loves going on an aggro beatdown, even when defending. He can do that with his pseudo-targeted strike, which works on both offense and defense. There are multiple ways to make sure there are two focused out LS units, thus giving the Dark Lord a third built in black gun, as well as guarantee that whoever you want to direct those guns at is locked down. Thrown on the saber from Boc’s set and you get a real beast that can take out pretty much any LS unit out there. He does lose his nickle and dime damage off of events, which is effectively free damage he can spread around. And if you can’t find all your focus effects, it might be hard directing him at the target you really want dead.. Still, I don’t think any LS player will be happy to see this Vader hit the board.

yodaman (4.5/5) – The newest version of Vader is pretty powerful. His stat lines (5 cost, 2 health, 2 black guns, 1 black blast, 1 white blast) are still the same and he’s elite of course. But, after playing with him since the release of GA, I find myself slightly preferring the core version still. Sure you get a modified version of on-demand targeted strike since you can assign this Vader’s unit damage to an exhausted unit instead of something in the engagement, but core Vader’s reaction is still incredible since it can go off on both the LS and DS player’s turn and Sith decks tend to have a large number of events to make use of him.

pantsyg (4/5) – Naturally, any Sith Vader card is going to stand in comparison to the absolutely insane Core version. It’s hard to beat core Vader’s text, as that ability could influence games even when Vader wasn’t participating in engagements. This Vader needs to be in the thick of the fight to get the most out of his text, making him more vulnerable to tactics. That said, this Vader is a better brawler; it’s not difficult to ensure he has the magic 3 guns to one-shot most Mains. His ability to hit any exhausted unit is excellent, as it grants a form of targeted strike that doesn’t require an enhancement, and can be used on defense when the opportunity arises. He just doesn’t change the game when he hits the board in quite the same way his Core version does.

Majestaat (5/5) – Another Vader, another beast (except for Hoth Vader, because Hoth Cycle). With his pod focus on... well, focusing stuff, it's not hard to get his third gun, at which point he's a huge threat against most units. With quasi targeted strike, he also brings some removal to make up for the lack of it on the rest of the set.


Sith Warrior (217-3): 15 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – Hey look, we get a defensive oriented chud. Two guns, two health for two cost. But what makes this guy stand out above the rest is that he has the incredibly powerful keyword “shielding”. There are a ton of LS units out there with just a single tactics icon, which can ruin your day. Just one shield will keep your really important unit ready to strike. And he’s also Force Sensitive, which means he can be equipped with a saber in a pinch, upping his damage and potentially getting him a tactics icon, depending on the flavor of the saber. Overall the Sith Warrior is a very efficient way of spending two resources.

yodaman (4/5) – A 2-cost, 2 heath unit with shielding and the potential for 2 guns if you win edge. Very cost effective chud. Sith doesn’t have a lot of shielding cards so this is certainly nice to see and gives a way to help combat LS tactics. Force Sensitive is a nice trait to have since it means you can toss a lightsaber on him or clear him off with GA Palpy.

pantsyg (4/5) – Quite a bit better than your average 2-drop, close to Royal Guard good. In Sith I like chuds with 2 guns, and shielding is even better than a third point of health. Force Sensitive means he can wield Sith Lightsabers, making him a mini-Main.

Majestaat (4/5) – Vader got a great sidekick this time around. A Force sensitive with two guns and shielding is pretty efficient. He's dangerous against similarly costed units. When the ocassion calls for the big guys, he provides the support they need so that a single tactics won't ruin your day.


*Vader's Meditation Chamber (217-4): 20 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – One for one resources seem to be rare these days. Especially if they are affiliated. How about a zero for one resource? That sounds even better. Admittedly, this isn’t going to allow for the first turn Vader, as you have to have a force <something> unit on the board for the discount, but after first turn, this should hit the table for free just about every time. And unlike the Fleet Staging Area, there’s no restriction on how you use this resource. Nice work Dennis (Dennis Harlien designed this card as the first Star Wars World Champ)!

yodaman (5/5) – A 1-1, Sith-affiliated resource that comes into play for free if you have a force user or force sensitive unit on the board. It may be unique, but you’ll always want it and I’d much rather have this than a Sith Library given the choice.

pantsyg (5/5) – A 1-1 resource that can become a 0-1 if you play basically any Sith main or select chuds (Sith Warrior and Shadow Guard come to mind, as do the Tuk’ata from the new Creature set). Unique is a downside, but speeding out Vader or Palp is excellent.

Majestaat (5/5) – This is free 9 out of 10 times, even turn one. Unique and a single pip to keep it in check. It's still an efficient resource, even if you're not packing a lot of force sensitives/users in your deck.


Telekinetic Strike (217-5): 18 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – Here’s a free way to get a focus on a LS unit, two if you have the force. Well, free in resources anyway. You have to focus your own unit of equal cost, but usually that’s not a problem. Considering you can play this at action speed, you can wait until you see if you win edge or not, then if not, focus out your big defender that’s going to get tactics placed on them, or killed via Yoda’s guns, and focus out the unit that was going to take them out. Or if the LS sends in a low cost unit to draw out defenders before a bigger offense, use one of your chuds to negate that. And if you’re up against just vehicles, at two pips it makes a pretty solid edge card.

yodaman (4/5) – Long-time readers of the Mos Eisley Mafia reviews will know I have a soft spot for free events. This one is no different as it allows you to focus any LS unit down by focusing one of your own DS units which costs the same or more and you get to put 2 on the unit if balance is with the DS. Coupled with the objective itself, as long as you have a decent unit first turn, you can often keep your opponent from attacking and/or taking the force back. You can also use it to prevent a unit from defending if you need. The only reason I’m not giving this a 5 is because MTFBWY is still a thing so sometimes focusing your own unit to put tokens on one of theirs may not be the best trade-off. Also, with 2 pips, it’s decent for edge in a pinch.

pantsyg (5/5) – Any (free!) event that focuses a unit at action speed is going to be strong. Having to focus an equal cost unit is quite pricy unless you’re pretty far ahead on board, so it’s a point away from perfect. Still, it can freeze mains in place to get killed, lets Kuati Security equivalents stop tactics chuds cold, and is a good desperation play if you need an out from a strike you can’t otherwise stop. Since it’s an action, you can also use this preemptively in the conflict phase, or right before going to Force to shut down a high-pip committed unit.

Majestaat (5/5) – Because DS can be happy just stalling the game, a focus-effect free event is a perfect tool to have. It doesn't matter if you "lose" a unit for the turn, as you're locking an equally threatening enemy. Bait your opponent into investing some cards in edge, then play this to make their investment worthless. The more I use this card, the more I like it. And if I'm somehow not using it, it's still got two pips.


Visage of the Dark Lord (217-6): 19 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – This is a very good fate card. Everyone agrees that Seeds of Decay is one of the strongest fate cards out there. Well, this is Seeds minus the targeting restrictions of a unit committed to the force. Sometimes those units are already focused, in which case Seeds does nothing. Visage can focus anyone in the engagement, even if they are already focused via other methods (like Thrawn). So you can lock someone out, but more often you’re just negating their best unit and allowing your best unit freer reign to cause havoc. Really the only thing holding it back from total greatness is that it only has one force pip, so it’s not really helping you win edge.

yodaman (5/5) – I love this fate card. It may only have 1 force icon and you have to have a unique Sith unit in the engagement, but Sith is all about mains so that’s not that big of an obstacle. As long as you meet the condition you get to put a focus token on any LS participating unit. The fact it hits any unit and not just characters is awesome. Now you can keep units like Falcon or Home One from striking in addition to Yoda or Luke.

pantsyg (5/5) – While it doesn’t help you win the edge battle, in many situations just focusing a big attacker is effectively the same result. Best when you have units with lots of black guns to follow up. This card has the potential to just blow opponents out.

Majestaat (5/5) – The Sith special fate card functions quite similarly to Seeds of Decay. You can edge it against a LS main and call it a day. Has some clear downsides with its single pip, unique Sith unit requisite and restriction to participating units only, but it's almost always very impactful. Any free way to deal with your opponent mains is worthy of a high score.


Overall: 19.5 out of 20 possible points.

doctormungmung (5/5) – This is a great set. It takes the theme of core Vader’s direct unit damage, and changes that to direct focus “damage”. You won't be clearing boards as much with this set, but you will be locking down the board more, and then Vader can do his thing and work on clearing out the dangerous LS units. You’ve got a killer main, a potentially free resource, and shielding chud that can kill things on it’s own, and a great fate card. And all that is on top of one of the most oppressive objectives the DS (and most certainly Sith) has available to it. I think this will see a lot of play going forward.

yodaman (4.5/5) – A very good Sith set that is certainly on par with staple core Sith sets even though it does different things. Whether it replaces Core Vader in decks will probably be a matter of personal taste or dependent on the goal of the deck. But it has a great main, a very useful chud with shielding, a resource, free event, fate card and 9 icons total. Nothing wrong with that.

pantsyg (5/5) – A very solid addition to mono-Sith that breathes a little life into the control archetype. This set has to be compared to core Vader’s, but the two are different enough that the new set isn’t a strict upgrade or replacement for the old. I personally lean toward new Vader in decks with other focus effects, like Administrative Detainment and the Inquisitor, while core Vader remains viable in event-heavy builds. Honestly Core Vader is probably the better include in most Sith decks as events are key to the faction’s playstyle, but the resource really is a big point in this set’s favor, as is the super-oppressive objective.

Majestaat (5/5) – The most versatile Vader pod, mainly because it includes a resource, giving you some more flexibility with the rest of your deck; and because this Vader doesn't need you to spam a certain type of card. That said, you do need to go down a mono-Sith or almost mono-Sith route for all pieces to reach their full potential. Fortunately, that's very easy to accomplish.
While core Vader's pod is dedicated towards unit damage, this one is all about focus control. It's usually stronger against mains, but it's clearly weaker against more swarmy builds.


Encounter at Stygeon Prime (218-1): 14.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – Elite is what helps keep the LS attack engine going vs all the tactics the DS can throw at it these days. A common use for Tarkin is to blank Yoda or Endor Luke at the beginning of the LS refresh phase when they have two focus on them to keep them locked down for the turn. Here we have an objective that does that for free, and to ALL LS units. The LS can shut this off, but they have to put three damage on the objective, which is not trivial, especially if there are other objectives out that are higher direct threats, or if you have other ways to manipulate where the LS wants to attack. There are even a few corner cases where having two of this objective out actually gives you something (like when Inspiring Presence is out giving a unit double Elite). Still, most of the time, you’ll be wise to bury a second copy if you see it in your opening four.

yodaman (3.5/5) – This is a useful ability since it turns off LS elite if the objective has 2 or fewer damage on it. However, typically you’ll have better objectives to start with so it may not hit the board as much.

pantsyg (3/5) – Losing Elite is a big deal for many decks, especially Jedi, and this effect is harder to turn off than those on “while undamaged” objectives. Some decks don’t really lean on Elite, so it won’t be universally useful, but while May the Force be With You is around, this objective can pull its weight.

Majestaat (4/5) – Talk about controlling mains. This objective makes it mucher easier to do so, and it's your everyday "while undamaged" objective. This needs three damage to be deactivated (hope this gets used more in the future). That will demand some dedication from the LS, and when their best units are all getting locked down, that can be pretty hard to achieve.
It's worth noting this counters a single instance of elite, so if a particular unit is getting an additional one (ex: Yoda with Niman Training), they'll keep the keyword and its benefits.


*The Inquisitor (218-2): 19.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – On the surface, you generally want more than three combat icons for four force, but getting two black unit damage and a black tactics for four is very good. Chuds are in danger, and if the LS loses edge or doesn’t have shields, heavy hitters don’t get to strike. He also has three force icons and health, and can use a lightsaber, so he’s solid in just about any situation. But where he really shines is his text. First, he’s elite, which means it’s pretty hard to lock him down. But even if he does get locked down, once on your and your opponent’s turn, you get a free Dark Precog! Sith have always been great at filtering through their deck for the cards they need at the moment, and the Inquisitor does that just about better than all the other options, because he’s repeatable.

yodaman (4.5/5) – The Inquisitor is a really solid unit. He costs 4 which means you’ll always be able to play him turn 1. At 3 health, he’s sturdy, plus he’s elite so he’s hard to lock down. His combat icons are all black (2 guns, 1 tactics) and he’s basically a card cycling machine with his ability. Being able to draw a card each turn (both yours and your opponent’s) and get rid of you least helpful card is awesome. With so many LS mains having 3 health, he can’t one shot them on his own, but that’s what lightsabers are for.

pantsyg (5/5) – Perfect 4-drop stats (sorry, Sariss) and a built-in Dark Precog is the recipe for a must-include Sith main, but I just love card draw. The Arden Lyn synergy is obvious, but even without her the Inquisitor provides a ton of value. The ability to upgrade your edge hand on both your and your opponent’s turn is not to be underestimated.

Majestaat (5/5) – I swear, this guy is making it to every Star Wars game out there. I don't mind, he's a really cool character. Although he may be missing a combat icon for his cost, it's understandable that would be the case with such solid stats, including two black guns and black tactics. That's about the best possible array for a DS unit.
He's also Arden Lyn's secret lover. An in-built Dark Precognition makes it very easy to get her for free, or simply maximize your hand's strength at any given time.


Stygeon Prison Guard (218-3): 11 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – I really like these guys. On the surface one cost for no icons and one health is rather dubious. But really, they have a pseudo black tactics. As long as they strike, one of the LS ready units is getting focused. Now, if they’ve gotten a big enough board presence, that might be inconsequential, as they just focus 3PO who was sitting in the corner waiting for a Force Lightning anyway. But early game, or after you’ve cleared out their board, that’s a tremendous thorn in the LS’s side. And he’s a trooper, so you could mess with that aspect of things with Tagge and the like.

yodaman (3/5) – The chud in the set is cheap and fragile with 1 cost and 1 health. He has no combat icons, but when he focuses to strike he’s got a pseudo tactics since the guard forces your opponent to place a focus on a ready unit. As a support unit in a battle he can be very effective, but more often than not he might get killed before you get to use his ability.

pantsyg (2/5) – A dumb-fire tactics that’s only really good if your opponent has a single ready unit. Still, he’s cheap, and can activate Vader’s third gun in the worst case.

Majestaat (3/5) – It's been a hit or miss unit for me. Even if it's a super weakened tactics, it's still a one cost unit that can block the likes of Luke or Home One. When the opportunity cost is so low, I don't mind some inconsistency for a potential huge reward.


*The Inquisitor's Lightsaber (218-4): 12 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – I think the Sith Lightsaber has me spoiled. Now whenever I look at any of the other lightsabers and just see a base bonus of a single unit damage I’m unimpressed. That said, a bonus damage will still go a long way to turning most force users/sensitives into real threats. The rider ability when the Inquisitor is equipped is pretty strong. Stopping the Survivors, protection, Lightsaber Deflection, etc makes those Jedi and wookies a lot less sturdy.

yodaman (4/5) – Lightsabers are always good and this one has the standard 1 cost. The Inquisitor’s gives an extra black gun which can help take out a 3 health main, but on the Inquisitor it has the extra ability that the damage can’t be prevented or reassigned. That means Rahn and Survivors among other things are useless for the LS if the Inquisitor strikes with his saber. Not quite as powerful as the generic Sith Lightsaber, but still pretty good.

pantsyg (2/5) – Probably the weakest available lightsaber. The extra gun is fairly standard, but Mara’s has significant upside when matched with its owner while the Inquisitor’s may have no effect at all, depending on the matchup. An extra gun is usually good on DS, but often I hold it for edge instead unless I have a strong hand.

Majestaat (3/5) – Pretty average. One cost for one extra gun. That's usually enough to put the LS in an uncomfortable spot. Gettng the combo with the Inquisitor can be huge against certain decks, ruining Qu Rahn's or the Defiance's day. However, it's not like Sith didn't have tech to counter protect already. The Imperial Functionary in Dark Counsel is still super playable, and probably better in most scenarios.
I'll admit I'm somewhat shocked this doesn't allow the Inquisitor to strike from outside the engagement (or at least resolve his guns) considering how much he likes to throw his weapon around in the TV series.


Hunted (218-5): 13.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – If you’re going to have an enhancement for an enemy unit, it better be free, and also have decent edge value. So far, so good. It is limited to only working on characters (which is normal for Sith). But against characters, it allows you to turn every instance of unit damage, whether from a unit, an event, or wherever, into an instance of unit damage AND tactics. That’s pretty good. Now you can lock down Yoda by striking first with a Sith Apprentice. Protect, shields and the like will muck that up, though. Still, this is a good card to see early game before you set up with your mains, as it allows your chuds to exert some control of your opponent’s units.

yodaman (4/5) – This free enhancement fits in well with what seems to be the overall theme of the GA Sith sets. You put it on a enemy character unit and that unit receives and extra focus token anytime it takes damage. The crazy combo is to get both this and Dark Memories on a character which in turn will mean a damage or focus token on that unit will cause it to be destroyed. With 2 pips it’s always good for edge if you’re playing a match-up against vehicles or just need the icons for the edge battle.

pantsyg (3/5) – Most enhancements on enemy units are a bit of a waste, but given all the ways Sith have to deal direct damage, this card is actually quite good. Turning a Heat or Choke into a bonus tactics is pretty solid.

Majestaat (3.5/5) – Free, two pips, very decent effect. Can be particularly valuable when you're short on tactics, as this will allow your guns to work in their place, more or less; and it synergizes with all sorts of direct damage as well, like Choke and Give in to your Anger.
If you're into nasty combos, pair this with Dark Memories. Yes, very specific cards, but it's still a free way to deal with just about any character. Fun card.


Bones of a Fallen Master (218-6): 16.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – Everyone usually groans when they see Enforced Loyalty show up on the other side of the table. Bones of a Fallen Master should have the same effect. Put this on the least offensive objective to the LS you have out, and watch them squirm. As long as this is on the table, they now have to commit an engagement to make sure their objectives aren’t whittled down to the point where the lower blast Sith can still destroy them to close out the game. And it’s great for turning off “while undamaged” objectives. Considering that Sith now have a lot more “focus LS units” abilities, getting in an attack on a minor objective becomes more challenging, either speeding LS objectives downfall, or keeping your key objectives out and healthy that much longer.

yodaman (5/5) – This enhancement is very similar to Enforced Loyalty and we all know how good that is. It’s free and your opponent must declare an engagement against the objective you attach it to or else you’ll be able to damage each one of their objectives after the conflict phase ends. So put this on the objective that is causing your opponent the least amount of trouble and force them to attack it while saving your other objectives.

pantsyg (3/5) – This is probably a solid play in the early game, forcing the opponent to attack before he’s ready or protecting valuable objectives by steering the opponent toward weaker ones. Once the LS board is large enough, though, this card becomes easy to play around with diversionary chud attacks.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – The Sith version of Enforced Loyalty. Has its ups and downs. Light Side can't deal with it via force control or Rebel Assault, for example. On the other hand, it's enough to simply declare an attack against the enhanced objective. Doesn't matter if you then stop the unit and prevent all damage.
Still, it's free and puts some extra pressure on the LS, especially early game. Makes up for Sith's usual lack of blast.


Overall: 15 out of 20 possible points.

doctormungmung (4/5) – This is a good supporting set. Although support is a bit of a misnomer, as it has a solid main and good edge. But what it doesn’t have is a resource, which means that it will compete with spots in decks with the likes of Core Vader, Adren, Boc, Gorc, Endor Palp, etc. Paired with Counsel, you should be able to find just about any card you need by the time you need it, while also stymieing the LS offense through focus and engagement manipulation.

yodaman (4/5) – This set has some interesting cards and is good in the right builds. People have tried it with standard Sith control decks and also as a support set for decks with Core Tarkin/Enforced Loyalty and Emperor’s Promise. 9 force icons is certainly good, but sometimes you just need blast to close out a game and this set doesn’t have any.

pantsyg (3/5) – The Inquisitor carries this set despite the mediocrity of most of its cards. He’s a solid defensive Main and I love his card cycle ability, but the rest of the set just seems wimpy outside of decks dedicated to getting value out of Bones with Emperor’s Promise and Enforced Loyalty.

Majestaat (4/5) – A surprisingly cheap set with a fantastic main. Although most cards here are rather combo-ey, they do work well enough on their own, making this a decent support set as a 1x. Furtunately, it's perfectly playable as a 2x if you build around it, looking to abuse the different pieces offered here. The Reawakening, Ghosts of the Dark Side and The Emperor's Promise all have some elements that can increase the power of this pod substantially. Watch out for the resources though.


Power of the Dark Side (219-1): 19 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – Anything that can cause a point of damage up to three units (or more if Lost Masters are around) on each turn is very powerful. Even if it’s not that easy to pull off, it will change how the LS approaches the force struggle. Nudjs now become almost a liability on the force. One misstep and the DS can get a free dial tick. If there are force chokes around, it becomes that much easier to kill off important units like Yoda. Having to win the force by three means you won't be getting this damage off every turn, but it will likely mean that the DS will be winning a few more force struggles each game.

yodaman (5/5) – An objective ability that your really need to build around. Sith can often win force struggles be 3 or more, even against Jedi, and when you do that you get to do a damage to each enemy unit committed to the force. Now your opponent will have to think twice about committing things since they could end up being pinged by this objective and if they don’t commit, that will help DS keep balance and move the dial up.

pantsyg (5/5) – AOE effects are really good. This is a little difficult to trigger against decks that are competent on the Force, but 1 damage on all committed units is a lot when most mains only have 3 health.

Majestaat (5/5) – It's a 4 if you're just splashing this in a deck that has zero support for it. With a bit of help, however, this can easily become a real engine of destruction. Use Echoes and Abandoned Hideout to commit desirable targets, then Seeds, simple tactics or superior force hounds to get the advantage. Finally, watch as the LS units are burned to a crisp by lighting.
If your opponent is afraid of commiting units, that's good enough. The dial will tick up to 12 real fast.


*Emperor Palpatine (219-2): 20 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – Here we get our third (second in terms of release) Palpatine, and I think he’s one of the best. His icon spread is better than core Palpatine, as he can still lock out multiple units while also potentially killing a third, or bringing a key unit like Luke near death. He’s a beast on the force, and his ability allows you to attack with the likes of Vader or Mara, and still keep them around for defense. That’s not quite as good as Rage, as it won’t win you the game outright, but it will make it significantly harder for the LS to win at all.

yodaman (5/5) – The GA version of Palpatine is really good. As with the original, this Palpy is pricey at 6 and only has 3 health. His combat icons are different, but he has a whopping 6 including 2 of each type (2 black blast, 1 black gun, 1 white gun, 1 black blast). Even though he’s got one less tactics, this Palpy essentially has a built-in, limited yet repeatable version of Rage when he’s committed to the force. When you win a force struggle at all, you can remove up to 2 focus tokens from any Force user or Force Sensitive unit you control. Now you can attack with Vader or Mara and have them freed up for defense. Palpy doesn’t even have to be ready to use this ability which is a bonus.

pantsyg (5/5) – My favorite Palpatine so far. While he loses an edge tactics compared to his core version, his ability will have much more immediate impact on the board state. His text shores up a crucial weakness of Sith (getting big mains locked down), and allows you to use your Force User-based targeted strike effects more liberally without giving up a defender for the opponent’s turn. Most dangerously, he can refresh Ephant Mon, who is a true removal terror.

Majestaat (5/5) – My favorite and most likely the strongest version of Palpatine, considering how easy it is to trigger his ability. Core and Endor are good, and situationally more devastating. This one is all about reliability, giving you a reusable Rage just by winning a Force Struggle, even if by a single icon. Being able to attack with your biggest unit -as long as it's a force sensitive/user, Palptine included- and then have it available for defense is stupid strong (see May the Force be with you), as Josh Johnson (aka Letux) demonstrated through Gencon 2016.


Royal Guard Champion (219-3): 18 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – Sith get their version of Obi’s Wolfmen. This guy will almost always come into play for free, and he’ll give you edge one for your most important edge battle each turn. The turns where he isn’t on the board, he’ll still help win an edge battle with his two pips. While his health isn’t anything special at two, he will come back from the dead time and again. It doesn’t take much effort for Sith to win the force by three on their turn. He’s not going to be doing much in terms of blowing up objectives, but two black guns goes a long way towards killing units, and that’s what Sith is good at.

yodaman (5/5) – Everyone knows how great the Wolfmen are Sith gets their own version here. These are almost carbon copies of the Wolfmen except they have 2 black guns rather than 1 black gun, 1 black blast. You get edge 1 and you can avoid the 3 cost by bringing them back into play as long as you win a force struggle by 3 or more icons. Great support unit for Sith.

pantsyg (4/5) – I had a middling impression of this card at first, but the edge help alone is very nice and any recurring 2 gun card is perfect for a control deck.

Majestaat (5/5) – Remember all the times you got wrecked by T1 Kyle into Wolfmen? Now you can do the same. Discard him, play Mara/Gorc/Inquisitor/etc and get a free unit with two black guns and edge, making him an amazing defender. Unlike the regular Royal Guards, the Champ is a force sensitive, allowing him to synergize with sabers, GA Palp, Meditation Chamber, and my favorite: Hunters of the Jedi.


Sith Library (219-4): 15.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – Resources are resources, and the Library is the poster child of Sith efficiency. It’s been a staple since the beginning, and while you don’t want to have your deck (really just your hand) flooded with limited cards, having a six cost unit in your deck means that you’ll want at least a few resources to try and make sure the Emperor hits the table.

yodaman (3.5/5) – Standard 1-1 Neutral resource that is always helpful since Sith has expensive units and events, but resources are always good.

pantsyg (5/5) – It’s a 1-1 in a foundation set with an expensive main, perfect.

Majestaat (4/5) – The classic, efficient resource. You need some of these to play Palpy.


Force Manipulation (219-5): 14 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – Continuing with the theme of mirroring the Emperor’s Web, here we have a version of Force Lightning that keys off of the force struggle. As such, it’s harder to pull off, particularly considering that you have to win by three, like with the objective. But, on your turn, winning by three isn’t unheard of (just look at how often Wolfmen come back to the board). And on top of that, it only costs one, so you get some very cheap unit removal. Still, you’re not going to force the LS to bounce the Falcon before unopposed by leaving one resource open like you can do with Force Lightning. Personally, I’d liked to have seen this be a bit less restrictive in trigger condition, and have to pay one more.

yodaman (4.5/5) – This is an extremely powerful event that can change games as long as you can set it up. For 1 cost, after you win a force struggle by 3 or more you get to destroy an enemy unit committed to the force. The LS unit doesn’t even have to be focused to trigger this. Take out a power unit like Yoda or Luke and you can change the game. Now, if this set only included something to help commit units in order to take advantage of this card…. Oh wait, it does in its fate card.

pantsyg (3/5) – It is a kill card, but its timing restriction, often-difficult triggering condition, and target limitation mean I often have it languishing in my hand, waiting for its moment. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cheap and big when it goes off, but I generally prefer Force Lightning’s utility. Force Lightning can get you back in a game, but I feel like you’re already winning if this goes off. This card wants to combo with other Force manipulation (see what I did there?) effects like Echoes or Abandoned Hideout.

Majestaat (3.5/5) – Cheap removal. Needs some support to be played effectively, so it's a shame it's just got a single force icon. If you've built properly, it becomes quite playable and devastating.


Echoes of the Force (219-6): 17 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – Normally I’m not a big fan of this fate card, but with all the ways that the DS can affect units committed to the force these days, it’s definitely growing on me. On what’s likely to be a tapped out side, it’ll be nice to make sure that there’s a LS unit committed to the force to either take damage from the objective, or be a target for Force Manipulation. Or, if your deck also includes Bane, just giving him the target you want is well worth a fate card slot.

yodaman (4.5/5) – This fate card has always been a bit underrated. Being able to commit or uncommit a unit can really change the course of the game as it can tie up an opponent’s force card or help you avoid a Seeds if needed. It’s inclusion here makes perfect sense as you want to use it to commit something and then take advantage of Power of the Dark Side and Force Manipulation even if your opponent had been trying to avoid them. Great synergy.

pantsyg (4/5) – This often-underrated Fate card shines in this context, making your “win by 3” effects easier to set up or prepping a target for Force Manipulation. Even without those cards, committing dangerous non-elite attackers, uncommitting your own, or just freeing up Force cards on locked-down units are solid enough edge plays. My favorite is committing chuds to lock up Force cards so the opponent loses opportunities to abuse May The Force Be With You.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – With the set strong focus on Force tricks, I'm willing to give Echoes a slight bump to its score. Getting to pick who's commited on the Light Side makes the objective and Force Manipulation all the better.


Overall: 18.5 out of 20 possible points.

doctormungmung (4/5) – I think Palpatine got another very solid objective. Perhaps it’s not quite as good as core Palpatine, as this one is tied to winning the force by three or more, as opposed to just general usefulness. But what you do get when you win by three is very solid. And I’m sure there are plenty out there who prefer core Palpatine’s three tactics, I personally like this version the best of the three, primarily for the icon spread. Tactics plus unit damage in an amount to be a threat is a great combination. I don’t think this will replace any version of Palpatine, but I’m sure that we’ll be seeing plenty of this set for a good while to come. I think three Palpatine decks are going to become fairly standard. And really, can you blame people? He is the Emperor after all.

yodaman (4.5/5) – 10 force icons, Palpatine, a chud that basically never dies, a resource, powerful event and overall great synergy. This is a very good set that will see a lot of play. It seems to create a new Sith deck archetype too which is nice to see.

pantsyg (5/5) – I can see this being a staple of Sith decks for some time to come. Like Emperor’s Web it splashes well into other builds, notably with Scum as they’ve recently received a few strong sets that care about the Force synergies here.

Majestaat (5/5) – With excellent units, annoying objective, high edge and strong internal synergy, this is a set that can pull its weight no matter where you put it. If you build around it, then it's absolutely incredible. I'm still not sure if this is superior to Emperor's Web. That's a pretty high bar, and the fact Power of the Dark Side gets to compete at that level speak very well of it. It's definitely my favorite Palpatine pod.


To be continued...