The Mos Eisley Mafia: SWLCG "Redemption and Return" Force Pack Review - Dark Side

The Emperor's Promise (215-1): 20 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – This is either a super aggressive objective for the DS to have on the board, or a super defensive one. Typically the LS wants to do at least two attacks a turn. With one Promise, that means a guaranteed one damage on a LS objective, possibly two if there are other DS objectives out that need to be dealt with (like the Emperor’s Fist). If the LS is going to do three attacks, that’s two damage. Throw a mission into the mix and the DS could be more than halfway to destroying an objective just from LS engagements. And the text is active until the objective leaves the board, so no turning it off with a token attack. If the LS decides not to attack, then all the better. Sure you won’t have an easy time attacking, but you can then go back to Sith’s strengths of holding the force and defense. This is going to really up Sith’s game, and make the clock run even faster for the LS.

yodaman (5/5) – This objective’s ability is great and will most likely be an early target for LS attacks. Whenever the LS player declares an engagement against a different DS objective, Emperor’s Promise gets to do a damage to LS objective. It will be great to couple this set with other objective the LS player will want to also turn off and make them choose what to attack early, like Enforced Loyalty, Agent of the Emperor, Imperial Blockade, etc..

pantsyg (5/5) – Direct objective damage with no effort is excellent. Even better, there’s no limit to the number of times this can trigger in a turn. Pair with Enforced Loyalty if you want to hear your opponent groan.

Majestaat (5/5) – This does double duty, somewhat protecting other objectives if it is out, and dishing out damage if it is ignored. No wonder people have been trying it with Bones of a Fallen Master and/or Enforced Loyalty. This is yet another tool to pressure LS objectives without investing your units in an attack. The damage can add up over time, and the rest of this sets punishes the LS severely for having his objectives destroyed.


*Emperor Palpatine (215-2): 17 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – This version of good old Palpy has the worst incon spread of all the incarnations. There’s only one tactics, which is what he’s known for. He’s still got the killer force pips, good health and is elite. But he also still costs six. His text, though, is definitely the best of all his “brothers”. Getting to steal a LS unit straight out from destroyed LS objectives really puts the nail in the coffin. It’s kind of a win more effect, but being able to turn Chewie is just mean.

yodaman (4/5) – This version of Palpatine is neat but seems to not be quite as strong as Core Palpy or GA Palpy. The fact he only has 1 tactics seems odd even though he has a pretty good spread of combat icons. Palpy is still elite, costs 6 but actually has 4 health. His ability is something you really want to build around since it lets you take control of an enemy unit with 3 icons or less when an enemy objective is destroyed. You can’t take Yoda, Obi or some versions of Luke, but you can use Palpy to turn core Luke, Kyle, Leia, Han, Freeholders, etcc. to the DS. If he’s on the table when a LS objective is destroyed, it will most likely be game changing.

pantsyg (4/5) – I want to like this Palp more than I do. The extra health is nice, but for his cost I much prefer the versions with 2 tactics. Still, he’s elite with a ton of pips, and his ability is the sort that helps you spiral to victory in the late game.

Majestaat (5/5) – May be overrating him, but it's really hard to give a lower score to a 5-pips card. He's still good as a unit, but his combat icons are slightly underwhelming. Making his second gun black or sacrificing it for another blast would have differentiated him enough from his alter egos. Extra HP is appreciated, as Palpy has always had a terrible cost to life ratio, and this version in particular is more interested in attacking, so you'll be at a slight edge disadvantage.
Now what really makes him shine is his ability. More limited than his core counterpart in that it only works with enemy objectives destroyed. On the upside, you're not only getting rid of an LS threat (because you usually cycle a removal event with core Palps), but also gaining a valuable asset yourself.


Emperor's Royal Guard (215-3): 20 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – These are still pound for pound probably the best units in the game. More health than cost, two guns, and solid both in edge and holding the force. There’s nothing not to like about these, and now possibly being able to have four on the table at once is going to give the LS a migraine.

yodaman (5/5) – Awesome protecting unit that still might be the best 2 drop in the game. Great to see it reprinted here.

pantsyg (5/5) – Super efficient for the cost, making any characters a bear to remove. Still one of the best support cards in the game.

Majestaat (5/5) – Doesn't matter if this Palpy in particular doesn't need them, they're still about the best 2-drop in the game, having excellent stats and protect. One of the most efficient units in the game, no doubt. Quite honestly, they're so good and are already present in such a great set that I didn't expect to see them ever reprinted.


ISB Officer (215-4): 10 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (2/5) – This guy is almost the definition of chud. Still, I’ve always liked to be able to get a black gun on the table for one cost, so I won't complain. Possibly getting a pair of black icons for one cost is actually really good, so he wants to see you find and play your missions. And between Order 66 and Lure of the Dark Side, Sith certainly has some good ones to choose from. But because that second icon is situational, and he does nothing for you in the edge stack, I’m not rating him higher.

yodaman (3/5) – A rare 3rd unit appears in a Sith set via the ISB Officer. He’s nothing special for 1 cost and 1 health, but he does gain a black blast if you have a mission out so that’s not too bad.

pantsyg (3/5) – A little cheap blast, but nothing special.

Majestaat (2/5) – I've been spoiled by Expendable Scouts. Paying one for a fairly inconsequential unit with only conditional blast doesn't sound like a good deal. What hurst him most if his total lack of force icons. No edging or Force stealing in a pinch for this guy.


Secret Objective (215-5): 16 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – This is slightly worse for the DS than the LS, as the DS generally attacks less, and isn’t as concerned about multiple attacks vs one objective, or needs to get around things like the Tarkin Doctrine. Still, it’s a three pip edge card, and that never bad.

yodaman (5/5) – Still think this fate card is great. 3 pips for edge and the ability to double strike at an objective if timed right.

pantsyg (3/5) – It’s a 3-pip Fate card. At the moment LS doesn’t have anything that really requires being sneaky about which objective you attack, though occasionally it’s nice to cheat a chump attack onto a “while undamaged” objective.

Majestaat (4/5) – This Palp wants objectives destroyed ASAP. This allows you to do that while boosting your edge stack.


Lure of the Dark Side (215-6): 17.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – This is a good mission. Getting to take control of a LS unit from play is big (as previously discussed). Having the only limitation on that unit be that it has to have four or less force pips means you can grab any unit other than Yoda. That’s a pretty big list of possible targets, including Luke, Obi Wan, Home One, etc etc etc. Even if you do nothing with that unit, you’ve now stopped the LS from being able to do anything with that unit either, and they were most likely counting on that to help them win.

yodaman (4.5/5) – Sith gets another mission and this one is extremely powerful even though it costs 1. When you destroy the mission you get to take control of a target unit that has 4 or fewer icons which means Yoda is the only unit you can’t lure to the DS. If you can take control of a power unit Luke, Obi-Wan, Home One, Falcon, it will certainly change the tide of the game. This mission has people crafting ideas to build decks with this set and Ultimate Power so you can Superlaser Blast the mission in one shot and take control of the LS player’s best unit.

pantsyg (5/5) – As missions go, this one is very strong. The tempo swing of stealing a big unit can break the back of an LS deck, and stealing a unique prevents the opponent from playing another copy. The only downside is having to spend 1 to get it on the table.

Majestaat (4/5) – Combine what I said for Luke's objective and the new Palp. Normally would substract a little extra because DS isn't so eager to attack, but the set supports aggression well enough to make this score correct.


Overall: 16.5 out of 20 possible points.

doctormungmung (4/5) – This is a powerful offensive set for Sith, which as a faction doesn’t have too much in the way of offense. It does lose some control vs the other Palpatine sets, but it still has unit removal. You just have to work a bit harder to get that removal. And, the set has 11 force pips! Up to now, only Heroes and Legends had manage to reach that level. That’s a huge boon. Where things do fall short is the lack of a resource. Palpatine is EXPENSIVE, and relying on your other sets to get him out limits deck construction. Still, I can see this set being included as a one-of with one or both of the other Palpatine sets, and performing admirably. Getting the objective on the board puts the LS in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation that when combined with things like Bones of the Fallen Master will help the DS cruise along to 12 on the dial.

yodaman (4.5/5) – An overall strong set that most likely will lead to slightly different Sith builds from the past to take advantage of the new Palpy and the mission. While the set lacks a resource (which the other 2 Palpatine sets include), you get 3 units including a protector and a whopping 11 force icons in the set so that’s okay. I just wish Palpatine had a 2nd tactics.

pantsyg (4/5) – This Palpatine feels less impactful than the others we’ve gotten, but he’s a fun inclusion in a more aggressive style of DS. Boc, Echoes Mara, Colonel Yularen, and even Core Tarkin all want to go with this set.

Majestaat (4/5) – An incredible alternative for Sith players who somehow are more into aggression than control. Well, you do kind of control via stealing units, so...
Anyway, like with Luke's pod, the individual pieces are also pretty good here, and you do get more units. The big, BIG downside here is the lack of resources. This is a very expensive set, that revolves heavily around Palpy, but has no way to help put him into play. Guess the objective would have been way too good with 2 resources.
That reason alone makes this the hardest Palpatine set to play, but if you can build properly, it can be the most devastating.


The Lady's Lesson (216-1): 14 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – The effect of this objective is interesting. It’ll make the LS restructure their attacks, or leave it alone if they want any defenders (other than those freed up by MTFBWY and the like). Forcing an “all in” on an attack means the can’t send a tactics chud against it for a preliminary attack to peel off defenders from the major offensive. But, if the LS just wants to get as many engagements in as possible, they just have to attack this one last in the round. So I see it more of an annoyance than anything else, but depending on your opponent, it could be a big thorn in their side.

yodaman (4/5) – The text on this objective is pretty intriguing. It can only be engaged if the LS player uses all available units as attackers. The LS can certainly play around it by never attacking Lady’s Lesson or waiting to attack it after engaging all other objectives. However, if you capture cards here that they might want back, it will force the LS player to have to deal with it which of course will leave the DS player with an open board to swing at when their turn most of the time. Either way, the objective forces the LS player to have to consider it when deciding which objectives to engage and gives them more to consider. It is a Scum only objective so that needs to be factored into deck building with it.

pantsyg (4/5) – The passive text is solid, but subtle. Against decks that want to leave units behind for defense and the Force this will rarely get touched until the end of the game, but against decks that don’t mind going all-in it’s basically blank. It does make a good place to stash captured cards. Combos very strongly with Unrefuseable Offer if you want to put your opponent in an annoying spot.

Majestaat (3/5) – It's fairly easy to play around it in most cases. You either ignore it or attack it last. Sure, you won't be able to engage all 3 DS objectives and leave some dude to snatch the Force in the same turn, but to be fair, that would take a ton of units and won't usually happen unless you're running a very swarmy deck. It's thanks to some other tools in this set and the eventuality of a juicy stack of captured cards in it that the objective isn't just a blank in disguise.


*Lady Valarian (216-2): 20 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – Jedi Leia gets bitten by a werewolf! Leia was very good in the days when Sith and Scum liked to sit back and stop any attacks against them. Pinging future defenders and force holders is a good way to get long term board control. Lady Valerian does the same thing. She also brings in a heft punch on defense, letting her kill most units in one swing if she has the edge. She’s also sturdy at three health, brings a resource to the table, and can hold the force with the best of the non-force users. The only thing missing from her being pretty much the perfect unit is tactics, and I’m ok with that. She will really cause the LS heartburn anytime they take a building turn. Especially if the DS has the force.

yodaman (5/5) – At major past tourneys, players like Mick Cipra and Jon Herr showed how good Endor Leia can be. Now Scum gets a unit with the exact ability. After the LS player’s conflict phase ends, the Lady can deal a damage to a target ready unit and 2 damage if DS has balance. When she’s out, the LS has to be careful about which cards may be held back for defense. She is a bit pricey at 4 cost, but her 3 health, potential for 3 guns and built-in resource certainly help justify her expense when considered in conjunction with her ability. Great Scum main that will definitely have an impact on games.

pantsyg (5/5) – Decent body for the cost, and any unit that can reach 3 guns is better than average. Leia’s ability is a menace, an on a unit that’s harder to remove it’s really scary. This ability is probably even better on DS, as LS needs to leave units on the Force (i.e., ready) if they don’t want to see the game end at light speed. Pair her with Core Vader or Palpatine for some really intense direct damage.

Majestaat (5/5) – Pretty much a Jedi Leia for DS, who will slowly chip away at LS units willing to hold the Force or stay back for defense. While she doesn't have as good combat icons as her, she's got the three guns to threaten most mains, and the resource can help you in a pinch if you're not drawing well.


Whiphid Enforcer (216-3&4): 13 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (3/5) – Cheap blast to take advantage of the more open board that the Lady provides. Other than that, there’s nothing special about these guys. Even their rider text is ho-hum. A three health unit that’s more offensive for the DS isn’t really doing much. But speeding up the end of the game by damaging LS objectives, or turning off problematic “while undamaged” ones is worth a unit or two.

yodaman (4/5) – The set comes with 2 of these chuds. They are good value for 2 cost since you have a black blast along with a white gun. While the Whipids typically only have 2 health, their damage capacity bumps up to 3 if Lady Valarian is out to help keep them around. Sometimes DS does have to attack to get damage in so these chuds will certainly help with that.

pantsyg (3/5) – Boring old 2-2, with occasional upside. Extra DC is occasionally big on defense to stop unopposed, and I like aggressive icons on Scum chuds.

Majestaat (3/5) – Can't stay I'm a fan of having two of these. They do compensate for the Lady's lack of blast, can also get a neat health bump and provide the pieces necessary to trigger Vicious Counterattack, but I'd still rather have something else instead of a second copy.


Unrefusable Offer (216-5): 14.5 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (4/5) – This is pretty mean. Especially if you have ways of controlling which objectives the LS can attack. Or if you have an objective that is doing nothing for you paired with one or two that are, you can help protect the important ones by playing this on the dud. You can also play this targeting Masterful Manipulation when the LS can’t blow it up and you’re only going to bounce it anyway.

yodaman (4.5/5) – For 1 cost, this event is pretty powerful since it forces the hand of the LS player to deal with it or be faced with 2 dial clicks! When your opponent’s conflict phase starts, you can use this event to force your opponent into a less than optimal turn just to make sure it doesn’t go off. Use it to protect an objective you really want to keep around or turned on like Spice Trade, Masterful Manipulation on the Scum side or even objectives from other affiliations like Imperial Blockade, Enforced Loyalty, Agent of the Emperor, etc… If you can manage to have cards to lock down the LS player’s units via cards like Administrative Detainment or lots of tactics, you can help guarantee the 2 dial click bonus.

pantsyg (2/5) – This card really wants Lady’s Lesson in play. Otherwise, it’s a resource and card spent for an effect that’s probably easily played around.

Majestaat (5/5) – Cheap dial acceleration? Yes, please. Lady's Lesson, Masterful Manipulation and Spice Trade if it shows midgame are some especially good objectives to have with this event. Lategame, you can use it on any undamaged objective to divert the LS from already damaged ones.
This isn't necessarily a tool to win faster, but also one to slow down the game by forcing your opponent to execute undesired attacks.


Vicious Counterattack (216-6): 20 out of 20 possible points.


doctormungmung (5/5) – WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW! This card is nuts! For one resource and focusing two Scum units, you can kill any number of LS units, protection be damned. The units you focus don’t even need to be in the engagement. And you do this at action speed, so you can do this before declaring defenders to win a free edge battle and drop some tactics. Taking out Luke/Yoda with Rahn on the table just became super easy, even if they have Shien Training. Or Home One, or loaded RSXs. Heck, even a loaded Blockade Runner when you don’t have any two drops. Just make sure you have a couple of unfocused units on the board, and you don’t ever have to worry about a big attack.

yodaman (5/5) – Wow. Wow. Wow. If I focus 2 scum characters, then I get destroy all attacking units? This event is so incredible, it’s hard to believe it only costs 1 resource to go along with focusing 2 scum characters. Certainly you’ll want to build a deck that has a lot of scum characters in it to make sure you can pull this off, but lots of cheap scum units exist like Jawas, Galactic Scum, Debt Collectors and the Whipids from this set, hat you won’t mind focusing to get rid of powerful LS units like Luke, Yoda or Falcon. One of the most powerful events in game.

pantsyg (5/5) – Vicious indeed. Opponent’s trying to hit an objective that’s close to dead, or one they want to turn off (cough Enforced Loyalty cough)? Nuke ‘em. Get your game-winning attack blown out by a couple focus tokens on Jawas or Scum. Even catching just a single Main with this thing at the right time could be devastating. More, it will help you catch up from a slow start if you can get some chuds on the field, and Scum love to spam chuds. If you see one free Scum resource laying around on your turn, be scared.

Majestaat (5/5) – Now this is mean. Remember how good Surprising Maneuver is? This is the DS version. Costs a resource and doesn't have as many pips, but it's way easier to trigger. Heck, even lowly Jawas can be used to play the event, making it almost free.
This is one of those cards whose mere existence will have your opponent freaking out, and even if you're not fond of the rest of the set, this is so powerful it can carry the whole pod on its own to the competitive stage.


Overall: 18.5 out of 20 possible points.

doctormungmung (5/5) – This set is great. Even the chuds synergize pretty well, either having an open board to run attacks into, or sitting around waiting to focus for Vicious Counterattack. I really feel like this set is werewolf Leia’s set. The Whiphids are lycantropewoks, Lady Valerian might as well be Lady Vader (ok, I’m mixing references here, sue me). I think this set will find its way into a lot of decks, and be giving the LS headaches for years to come.

yodaman (4.5/5) – An overall amazing Scum set that will certainly impact how a LS player approaches a game when they see cards from it. 8 icons isn’t bad and no resources is a bit of a drawback, but Lady Valarain and the 2 events make up for that without a doubt.

pantsyg (5/5) – Scum continue their run of excellent pods. Sure it’s a 2-chud set with an event that’s super situational, but the Lady and (especially) Vicious Counterattack make this set supremely dangerous and versatile.

Majestaat (4.5/5) – Even though I don't like the objective, it synergizes well enough with other cards in the set. Two chuds isn't optimal, but makes Vicious Counterattack playable no matter what else you're picking. The rest are all really strong cards. In the end, it's main downside may be a lack of proper resource, though Lady Valarian is useful even if she's always focusing for the money and never seeing combat, so even that isn't too big an issue.
Certainly has enough merit to be ran as a 1x in most Scum decks. Easy 2x if you're really building around it.


FINAL WORDS:


And thus, another cycle ends, and what a cycle it's been!
All three Dark Side affiliations got some pretty amazing sets, which has been great for diversity.
Regarding the Light Side, Jedi didn't change much, as many of their sets were invested into Ewoks, who, by the way, seem to be short one pod that can make up for some of their very glaring weaknesses. Hope they get something akin to what The Hoth Gambit was for Speeders in the near future.
Smugglers did receive some pretty decent sets, though it seems like, just as Ewoks, they are missing a core pod that can put all the pieces together.
Finally, Rebels. Man did they get a huge boost between the Endor cycle and the Galactic Ambitions deluxe. Some players are finally figuring them out and coming with extremely strong decks out of them.

So GA is next for us. Its Light Side review should be coming in the next few weeks. Dark Side afterwards and then jump to the brand new Opposition cycle, which has the community super excited with an honestly overloaded first pack. We'll get there eventually.

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!