The Mos Eisley Mafia: SWLCG "Press the Attack" Force Pack Review - Dark Side

Maw of Madness (209-1): 7 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4.5/5) – The objective’s ability is great. When it enters play you get to discard a card at random from your opponent’s hand. If you happen to have balance, then you discard 2. Early game, you could get lucky and discard something good. Will probably be better mid-game when you might have balance and the cards your opponent has in hand are ones they were saving for some reason.

Majestaat (2.5/5) – Pretty worthless in your opening flop. Underwhelming most other times. Even if you're discarding their initial resource or a main, it's all luck-based, and because of the pod system, there are about equal chances to discard something useless anyway.


*Maw (209-2): 8 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4/5) – Maw has good stats for a main. He costs 4, has 3 health but has the potential for 3 guns if you win edge and his Edge [1] is a welcome addition to Sith who really don’t have a lot of units with Edge bonus. His reaction is interesting. Sometimes you might get lucky and discard an enhancement at random from either your opponent or yourself (if you’re defending with Maw) and put it into play. You could potentially set up your own hand during an edge battle to make sure you could use Maw. But more often than not, it’s a crap shoot that at least will discard a card from your opponent’s hand. Only 2 icons is a bit of a drawback.

Majestaat (4/5) – Maw isn't your everyday Sith main. He's low on pips and lacks elite, making him a subpar choice to contest the Force.
He does have 3 guns and edge, however. This is easy to dismiss, but that's actually pretty big. Then we have one interesting reaction. While it may seem like you attack and use it to steal things from the LS, chances are your opponent will simply edge any valuable enhancements. So you make use of Maw's great stats for defense and simply play around his ability to get free enhancements. If you're not facing multiple edge battles during the LS turn, edge everything but an enhancement. You'll get free resources or extra abilities out of nowhere, and if this piles up, you're already on a steady way to victory.


Fallen Jedi (209-3): 7.5 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (3.5/5) – This guy is a built-in All Out Brawl for your own units. On his own he’s not much with 2 cost, 2 health and 1 black gun, but his text is great in the right situation. Coupled with power units with targeted strike like Vader with his lightsaber, Mara committed or Boc at a mission and now you can take out most LS mains. It’s a bit of a downside that you have to put him in the line of fire to get the bonus, but that’s why you’ll want to play this set with Sith sets that have protectors like core Palpy and/or Mara.

Majestaat (4/5) – Boy did I underestimate this guy at first. Sure, he's pretty weak by himself, and the game isn't known because of big battles with multiple units. Despite that, his boost to your strike economy is massive. I'd much rather have him and a trooper that can now deal 3 damage instantly, than 2 troopers with 2 guns each. This makes it so that, even though he's pretty cheap, the Fallen Jedi is likely to attract attention for the first strikes of a battle.


Expendable Scout (209-4): 8 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (3/5) – As in Boc’s set, this chud is decent. He’s free, has a white blast and allows you to manipulate your hand or your opponent’s hand.

Majestaat (5/5) – Still free, still great. Can get a bit of damage done and then help cycle your hand.


Juyo Training (209-5): 9 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (5/5) – This enhancement is great for Force users, especially with the ruling that you can use it after a unit has used its icons for targeted strike and then hit something in the engagement. Since it’s a reaction, you get the immediately resolve the unit damage before your opponent gets to strike which is incredible. The presence of this enhancement will make your opponent think twice about which units they put in an engagement.

Majestaat (4/5) – A good card that suffers from the Entangled syndrome. Players like to swing with units in singles, so it may be hard to trigger. Fortunately, it has two edge pips, and Maw can get you it for free. With his 3 guns, he'll become a monster with Juyo, working very similarly to Jabba's Rancor, in that he should be wrecking two units instantly if you win edge.


Force Pull (209-6): 7 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4/5) – A good event for 1 cost. You can steal a resource and use it as your own if your opponent discards it or better yet, live the dream and steal Luke’s Lightsaber after they discard it and before they can put it on Luke to use as your own! You then get the advantage of it and since Luke’s saber is unique, that will put an end to Luke saber shenanigans.

Majestaat (3/5) – I like this a ton, yet a single force icon and uselessness early in the game (especially against vehicle/pilot decks) won't allow me to rate it higher. Later on, if you manage to steal the likes of Shien Training, that could be the game right there. Wish it worked on your own discard pile as well. That would help a ton to get the correct combos with lightsabers.


Overall: 7.5 out of 10 possible points.

yodaman (4/5) – The set is a decent addition to the Sith toolbox. It’s tough to see if this set should be a 2 of or just 1 of in decks. It has some good tricks, but in playtesting with it, the set seemed like it was missing something and had more situational cards than I expected initially. Only having 7 icons is a bit of a drawback too.

Majestaat (3.5/5) – For the most part I'd call this a silver-bullet pod against decks heavy on enhancements. If your LS meta revolves around them, I'd suggest you consider this set. Outside that, you CAN actually make it work well if you build accordingly, though I feel even then, you're depending too much on Maw himself.


Protect the Generator (210-1): 9 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4/5) – The objective text is decent since it forces your opponent to place an extra focus token on the first unit that strikes during the first engagement against a Navy objective. However, if you use Tarkin Doctrine on the first engagement then this reaction won’t work. Also, MTFBWY or elite units can easily get around having a second token being an issue.

Majestaat (5/5) – Wow, here's something strong. Can help a ton to slow down LS, especially if you're packing a few extra tactics to lock even the elites. Doesn't work if you use The Tarkin Doctrine for the first engagement though, and that's probably a good thing. You'll just have to put more thought on your decisions.


*Colonel Dyer (210-2): 8.5 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4.5/5) – A very solid and cost effective main. You’ll want to be playing Dyer with Endor objectives to get the most of out of him. He comes with a black tactics and bonuses of black guns for each Endor objective you control. If you have a lot on Endor out he becomes a killing machine. Also, he gains a black blast for each Endor objective your opponent has. He may only have 2 health, but you’ll probably want to play this with Thrawn so you can have some protectors or promote him with the enhancement in the set and just let him sit back.

Majestaat (4/5) – Dyer can go from a subpar unit to a walking ball of destruction. Even if you do get him to seven icons, he's still fragile, making Thrawn's pod a considerable addition to get a few protectors.
Just don't go crazy on the Endor objectives. You should never give up your best pods just for the possibility of getting one more gun.


Endor AT-ST (210-3&4): 7.5 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (3.5/5) – Black blast is always welcome. You get 2 of these units and then only cost 2 and have 2 health. The do have the ability to double strike if you focus an Endor objective or enhancement so you can get some damage in with them. Not bad for secondary units.

Majestaat (4/5) – I love it when chuds have two pips. They go from edge fodder to useful edge fodder. But wait, these walkers can actually be pretty good when played too. Refreshing abilities are super powerful, and this is no exception.
Obviously, with only one blast and one gun, it won't normally make too much of a difference if the AT-ST gets to strike twice, so you'll want to find ways to buff them. Orbital Bombardment is great for that, and Motti isn't getting enough love nowadays.
But if you don't want to invest extra slots for that, Promotion may be more than enough for you.


Endor Command Post (210-5): 9 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4/5) – It’s a 1 for 1 Navy resource which is nice since Control Rooms can sometimes slow you down. The fact it has an added ability is just a bonus. The added benefit may seem odd on the surface, but if you know you have an officer you don’t plan to use, you can focus him and free up a surprise resource to use for Tarkin’s ability or some event. The Endor trait helps in terms of the AT-STs in the set and for Battle of Endor pips.

Majestaat (5/5) – I guess any resource looks amazing when you're accustomed to Control Room. Fortunately, this one gets a 5 out of its own merit, and not by mere comparison to a subpar resource.
1-1 affiliated, with the Endor trait to boost your Battles of Endor.
Then you have an ability that can get you one more resource to play an event (many officers already provide resources tho', so this isn't exactly true), or perhaps refresh your Endor AT-ST.


Promotion (210-6): 10 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (5/5) – This is the money card in the set. Ever since it was spoiled, people have been crafting ways to abuse Promotion. Put it on Thrawn and now your Decimator might have 2 tactics and strike first. Use it with Dyer to gain tactics and guns or blast. Even being able to use icons from Tarkin or Mithel is welcome. This card makes this set worth running.

Majestaat (5/5) – One of the best unit enhancements in the game right here. Best case scenario is seven icon Dyer. He'll get to stay out of combat and still contribute huge combat capabilities, while being fresh to use the ability on your Endor Command Post. Great synergy right there.
Thrawn, Tarkin, Zed are all amazing targets, but you don't need to wait for these powerhouses. Even gaining a couple extra guns via Yularen or Chiraneau is pretty good already.


Overall: 8.5 out of 10 possible points.

yodaman (4/5) – Another really strong Navy set that can slot in lots of builds, but may be more of a matter of taste since Navy already has so many good sets to use. You can couple it with Endor stuff to make use of Dyer’s bonuses or build an officer based deck to take advantage of Promotion. It only has 7 icons, but it does come with a resource.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – There's not a single bad card here. And I'd say they're certainly better than average when on their own. But there's no doubt they're all combo cards that need some pieces to tap their full potential. That, and slightly underwhelming edge stops this from getting a perfect score, but it's one darn good set, for sure.


Hunter for Hire (211-1): 8.5 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (3.5/5) – The ability on this objective is great except it’s a bit too conditional for my taste. The LS player can often play around this to avoid it triggering. Still, when it goes off you’ll be able to do a damage to a unit committed to the Force and that will make your opponent hesitant to commit those 1 health units like Nudjs since they could immediately die. In the right build, this might cause a lot of trouble, but I’m not sold on the objective yet.

Majestaat (5/5) – Do you hate Nudjs as much as me? Sucks when the LS focuses you down and commits one to take the Force. Now, this isn't stopping that from happening, but that Nudj will die right away. Same scenario, but Yoda takes the Force thanks to MTFBWY. That point of damage puts him in kill range, could even kill him, in which case the LS isn't commiting him and not taking the Force. More dial ticks for you.
Summarizing, this puts your opponent in a lose-lose scenario.


*Bane Malar (211-2): 9.5 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4.5/5) – A really good scum unit. He costs 4 and has 2 black guns and 1 white gun to go along with a black blast. His 3 health means he can stay around for a bit and he has Edge [1] to help make sure he strikes first. His ability which is a restricted version of targeted strike is awesome even if it depends on units being committed. Fortunately this set comes with a way to commit units so you can strike at them with Bane with the inclusion of Echoes. He’s also Force Sensitive so you can toss a lightsaber on him if you want.

Majestaat (5/5) – 3 guns and targeted strike against commited units... dang, Jimmy. He has edge to boot, that's crazy. Bane Malar is just very good on his own. You probably don't want to do this, but he can even work well as a defender and Force holder. Very good stats all around.


Lannik Lackey (211-3&4): 7.5 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (3.5/5) – You get 2 of the Lackeys and they aren’t too bad. They have 2 force icons so they can help you keep the force or use them for edge. They only cost 2 so they’re easy to get out and they have bonuses whether or not you commit them. The one downside is that if you commit them to get the black tactics, they’ll be out of use for a turn. Like Bane, the Lackeys are Force Sensitive which means you can make use of that.

Majestaat (4/5) – Again, it helps when chuds have a second force pip, especially if they're gonna come in pairs. A chance to get black tactics makes them more threatening than they should be.


Abandoned Hideout (211-5): 8.5 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (3.5/5) – A 2-1 resource that has an ability which goes well in this set. Moving Force cards can be a great way to mess with battle math or change the course of the game. You do have to focus this enhancement to do that though and that means it may not be a reliable resource. It isn’t limited so you can play this with another resource on the same turn.

Majestaat (5/5) – 2-1 resources aren't the best when coming with a 4-cost main. Fortunately for Scum, they have so many good 2-resource objectives that it shouldn't matter at all.
Now the ability is the interesting part here. Echoes of the Force is a subtle but powerful fate card, and this is like Echoes on demand.
Keep their weak units commited so you can win the Force and slow down the chuds. Or commit the mains if they're not elite. LS will lose a lot of firepower in the long term.
Also allows you to commit subpar holders early (like all the units in this set) without suffering much from that. Finally, it makes triggering some effects super easy. You could play with Jerec's inquisitors and gain a ton of resources every turn thanks to this.
Not to mention it easily allows you to set a big target on whoever you want to snipe with Bane.


Echoes of the Force (211-6): 8 out of 10 possible points.


yodaman (4/5) – A good fate card which synergizes well with this set. You can commit an opponent’s unit during edge to make them a target for Bane. You can commit a Lackey during edge to get a surprise tactics. Nice to see it included here.

Majestaat (4/5) – Talk about Echoes! Not much to say here, as it's pretty similar to Abandoned Hideout. It's not exactly the same though, as this isn't telegraphed, and doesn't move a Force card from a unit to another, but forces a commit/uncommit, so it works even when a player has nothing commited. Another great enabler for your other cards here.


Overall: 8.5 out of 10 possible points.

yodaman (4/5) – A good Scum set that actually may be better once Galactic Ambitions hits and it can be paired with some of the new Sith stuff. On the surface it almost seems more like a Sith set than a Scum set. It synergizes well internally and will probably show up in some good builds. It also has 9 force icons which is great for Scum.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – Objective with constant (albeit somewhat conditional) utility, great main, resources and high edge. Even though it's a super focused set in what it does, it can still more or less fit anywhere thanks to the mentioned elements. That said, you probably want it in a Force Hunters deck, as it's a massive boost to that archetype.



FINAL WORDS:

Probably one of our most delayed articles ever (and that says a lot, honestly).
Won't delve on it. Will just say I probably failed communicating and coordinating matters properly, making it impossible to come up with a contingency plan. Lesson learnt, I guess. Hope this won't repeat itself.

Naturally, I must apologize for the quality of the article this time around. With only two people at work, it wouldn't surprise me if some cards appear to be ver under/overrated, as it's obviously much harder to standarize the scores.
That said, many thanks to yodaman for stopping this from being just my own rambling. Now that would have sucked.

As you know, Galactic Ambitions is already out. The plan is to start working on that as soon as possible, but a deluxe having more cards than your usual Force Pack means it'll take some more time to review.
Depending on the circumstances, we may have the article for Redemption and Return first, or perhaps the Light Side cards from GA, then R&R and finally GA-DS. Fun times ahead...

You can check past reviews in our forum thread here.

If you're into listening instead of reading, chunkygorillas' Ion Control Podcast may be just what you need. Be sure to give it a chance.

Meanwhile, yodaman has basically turned his home into a cinema. If you're interested in watching SWLCG matches, pay a visit to Yoda's Hut .

May the Force be with you all!