The Mos Eisley Mafia: SWLCG "Solo's Command" Force Pack Review - Light Side

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


THE RATING SYSTEM:
It's to be noted that due to the SW:LCG's unique way of deckbuilding, it's impossible to just pick the stronger cards. You're likely to stick with some undesirable cards no matter what. Hence, the different scores could be seen as:
1 – Poor – Edge fodder. Drops the total value of its objective set.
2 – Bad – Most likely edge fodder. Either too situational or clearly not strong enough for its cost.
3 – Average – Not stellar but does its job decently.
4 – Good – Solid card with guaranteed impact.
5 – Great – Gamechangers you will always be glad to see and play, if able.
* = indicates unique card.

THE BIG DEALS:


Top 5 Cards:
1 – Illegal Modifications (The Droid Revolution), with 25 out of 25 possible points.
2 – *Han Solo (Shield Generator Assault), with 23.5 out of 25 possible points.
3 – Warriors of the Forest, with 23 out of 25 possible points.
4 – Scout Trooper (The Emperor's Legion), with 23 out of 25 possible points.
5 – *Lieutenan Renz (The Emperor's Legion), with 22.5 out of 25 possible points.

Overall best rated Objective Set:
Shield Generator Assault, with 22 out of 25 possible points.


THE REVIEWS:

Shield Generator Assault (185-1): 20 out of 25 possible points.


chunkygorillas (4/5) – It’s not amazing, but if you do get a mission out, or if your opponent is running any Endor objectives you can really punish them for going after your Endor objectives. Or in a heavy Endor deck it can be used to keep objectives undamaged or key objectives from blowing up.

doctormungmung (4/5) – As more Endor objectives show up, this objective will only become more useful. As it is now, there aren’t all that many Endor objectives out there, particularly that get played by the DS. And that’s important, as you’ll want to be pulling damage from your objectives and tossing it across the board. But you can also shift damage around solely on DS objectives (neither in the target effects needs to be friendly), helping you close out one that’s near death. This will also help in keeping Crix’s objective undamaged, and thus shutting off your opponent’s fate cards. And of course, there’s whatever Endor mission you get that you can give to your opponent (hint hint). In short, objective damage manipulation is powerful, even in limited environments.

yodaman (4/5) – A thematic objective ability to start off the cycle. If your opponent has some Endor objectives out, you can move damage back onto them. It’s even better when you can do that to help keep your own Endor objectives that have “while undamaged” capabilities, like Commando Operations, turned on and/or move damage to an Endor mission you may have played.

pantsyg (4/5) – Obviously at its best when you and your opponent both have Endor objectives in play, but because the set also comes with a high-impact Endor-traited Mission and a way to get damage onto your own Endor objectives, this objective is generally worth starting—especially in low-damage Rebel character decks.

Majestaat (4/5) – We will obviously see more Endor objectives in the Endor cycle (duh), making this a solid pick for the future. Like Empire's Elite at the beginning of the Rogue cycle, this one may feel rather situational, but it's still got a few very good options to make that ability shine, like Commando Operations.


*Han Solo (185-2): 23.5 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – It might be crazy to give this guy a perfect score, but I think is is phenomenal. He has amazing stats, like Jedi character level stats. Plus an ability that can really mess with your opponents planning, you can attack an objective twice, and it can even help counter The Tarkin Doctrine.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Han is back with his original icons and his beefed up health. Just looking at him stat-wise, you get good bang for your buck. He’s more control than objective killer, but tactics and blast (even limited blast) is a great combination. He’s also elite, so he’s hard to lock down, or can help with the force. His ability is pretty interesting. Tarkin-tax? What’s that? Han can make sure your damage goes where you want it. Or, if the Tarkin Doctrine isn’t an issue, he lets you attack a single objective twice in a turn (more if you can ready him between engagements (hint hint). In a faction that likes to nickel and dime objectives, Han helps get around all that Navy repair that’s out there.

yodaman (4.5/5) – The newest version of Han is really good. He has the same combat icons as the previous versions, so he has the slight downside of only having 1 white blast icon. That’s a bit of a drawback since LS ultimately needs to blow up objective. However, this Han has 3 health like pilot Han and is Elite like Hoodie Han. His ability is awesome though and is the start of LS starting to get some answers to the Navy fortress decks since it allows you to change the objective you’re engaged with to another one. 3 force icons is good too.

pantsyg (5/5) – Finally, a new incarnation of Han worthy of the character. His stats are perfect for his cost, and Elite is very welcome in Rebels. The reaction is awesome, giving another way to thwart the Tarkin Doctrine or launch sneaky double attacks on objectives.

Majestaat (5/5) – Potentially the best version of Han as of yet. While he lacks the board wiping potential of his core counterpart, he does gain an extra point of HP and elite, making him much more difficult to deal with. Furthrmore, he offers an ability that is a very strong counter to any meta in which Imperials reign supreme. Unlike Luke's Landspeeder or the Secret Objective fate card, his effect triggers mid-battle, easily allowing you to reallocate what would otherwise be excess damage when you're attacking with a swarm of units. On the contrary, you won't get to trigger it if Han gets locked before he strikes, but fortunately, the set adds way to keep him ready.


SpecForce Pathfinder (185-3&4): 18 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (2.5/5) – Sadly, these guys don’t let your damage missions you play, you have to pay the cost of the damage on an objective you control, what makes them a lot worse. You can get a combo going where you damage your own and use Shield Generator Assault to move the damage to a mission, but it seems most of the time these guys are just a cheap blast icon.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Talk about cost effective! One (edge enabled) blast for one cost is great! Sure, he only has one health, but even if choked out by Vader, the loss on your investment is minimal. And potentially having four of these guys on the board, even Vader can’t take care of them all. Then there’s their text: damage one of your Endor objectives to ready this unit, or Han! That’s a small price to pay. Particularly when you have an ability to toss that objective damage at your opponent. One key thing to notice is that you can use this refresh on ANY Han. Want to clear your opponent’s board, fit core Han into your deck and shoot first up to FIVE TIMES in a turn! The only thing keeping these guys from a five is that their blast is edge enabled, and Rebels aren’t the best at winning edge.

yodaman (3.5/5) – A decent chud and you get two of them. For 1 cost and 1 health, you get 1 white blast and a crazy ability that lets you remove a token for itself, or more likely, Han by damaging an Endor objective. Remember though that you can only pay costs with your own cards, so you can’t try to damage a DS Endor objective or an Endor mission you played since that ends up on the DS side of the table. This guy needs some protectors or shields around though to help keep him alive.

pantsyg (4/5) – I was going to rate these guys lower owing to their one health, but my estimation improved greatly after seeing firsthand how useful their self-refresh ability can be. They’re super vulnerable against Sith, but I can get behind 1-cost units with blast damage. Have Han and other tactics units lock the board, then let these guys go in for some cheap shots. Especially awesome in the early game, when you can often overwhelm the defense simply by having too many attackers to block all of them.

Majestaat (4/5) – These guys compensate for Han's low blast. Obviously, you'll want to refresh Han if he's in play since you also get extra tactics and maybe kill more defenders if its a big fight. But refreshing themselves is perfectly fine, especially when they can go for extra unopposed attacks. While they're super vulnerable to all forms of damage (we can't see it, but Vader's got a huge smile on his face right now), it's cool they don't care much about defenders that only have tactics icons, like Advisor to the Emperor and Jawas, letting you squeeze in some damage in simple cases where not even your best mains could.


Secret Objective (185-5): 21 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Well first off, 3 force icons is amazing, plus the effect lets you do basically what Han’s lets you do (with the added restriction that you can’t have already engaged it).

doctormungmung (4/5) – We get our second three force pip edge card. Those are rare, but powerful. If it’s text was blank, it would still be a great edge card. As is, it’s a limited form of Han’s ability (or Luke’s Speeder). You can’t double tap an objective, but you can get around the Tarkin-Tax, or feint in on an undamaged objective to hopefully get some minimal defenders to then swing in at one that’s near destruction. Like the Battle of Hoth, sometimes this will be a blank fate card, but at three force pips, who cares?

yodaman (5/5) – I absolutely love this fate card. It gives LS the ability to get around the Tarkin Doctrine and, like Luke’s speeder, engage something the DS is trying to protect. It may be the best LS fate card not named Twist of Fate given the current meta. Even if you don’t need to use it to get around Tarkin Doctrine, the card has 3 force icons so you’re getting good bang for the buck in edge battles.

pantsyg (4/5) – Any 3-pip Fate card is automatically excellent. Like Han, this lets you strike in unexpected places, or get around Tarkin Doctrine with clever use. Loses a point for only having utility on the attack, but again, it’s a 3-pip card.

Majestaat (4/5) – If you thought edge battles were stressful already, think again. Why is your opponent attacking that appearently useless objective? Does he have this fate card to actually destroy your most valuable one or is he trying to make you think that? Those 3 juicy pips is the other obvious pro of the card. Downsides are that it only works on offense and you don't really gain much from playing several copies in a single edge stack.


Ground Support (185-6): 19 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – We don’t have a lot to compare this card to yet, but the effect it gives you for completed the mission is pretty amazing, it’s just you will really want to get it out early. If you draw this card in the late game it won’t be very useful, since it doesn’t immediately affect the board.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Our first mission, and it packs a punch. Getting to Home One your opponent's entire board (units included) can go a long way to sealing a LS win. Not having played with missions yet, I’m not sure how effective they’ll be in the long term, but even without nifty effect text on destruction, getting to attack a fourth time in a turn opens up some interesting options. Now sending your tactics chud in to pull defenders doesn’t stop you from potentially taking three objectives in a turn.

yodaman (3/5) – On the surface, this objective seems like it could be decent, but in the few games I’ve played with missions so far, it seems like they just aren’t there yet. You’ll always have to ask if it’s worth paying the 1 resource to get it on the table. If you complete it, you do get to do one damage to each enemy unit and objective, but do you really want to attack something like this as opposed to Counsel of the Sith or Enforced Loyalty? I’m not convinced.

pantsyg (5/5) – The inaugural Mission, and what a card. When Missions were spoiled, I was concerned about whether they’d provide enough impact to really justify going after them over opposing objectives. This one is definitely worth going for, and as a bonus, it’s Endor, giving you a target for Shield Generator Assault even if your opponent isn’t running Endor himself. Pair this with Leia’s Command for some true nuttiness.

Majestaat (4/5) – So far I've seen Missions' performance depend largely on your opponent's drawn objectives. If there is something particularly threatening across the board, the opportunity cost to play and focus on the mission can be too big, even if the reward is better, theoretically. In Ground Support's particular case, I think it does a fair bit for you thanks to that Endor trait, making Shield Generator Assault better, and also the Pathfinders, not because they can use their ability on it, but because they like moving around everywhere trying to get some damage done, so having an extra target is actually a pretty big deal, especially when you take into account the extra headache from Secret Objective. It will also make the upcoming Battle of Endor fate card stronger.
You get one neat bonus if you complete it, bringing other objectives closer to destruction, but overall I'd say it's how well that Endor trait synergizes with the rest of the set what makes the card a worthy play.


Overall: 22 out of 25 possible points.
chunkygorillas (4/5) – Although the chuds are very vulnerable -especially against Sith-, the set as a whole flows well enough. Han is a beast by himself, and once you start putting the rest of the set together, every single card can become very good.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Navy’s brief rise has now officially turned into a decline. Part of their power was controlling which objectives get attacked. This set is almost custom built to counter that. And even if you aren’t up against Navy, this set provides a lot of offense, and some nice ways to get that offense where you want it. As a Rebel character set, it’s still vulnerable to Sith, but if you don’t splash in some Jedi protectors, it’s in line to try to swarm past their defenses. And getting some solid refresh abilities will help against all the tactics that the DS likes to throw around. Perhaps the time of a viable Rebel character deck is upon us (or is at least close)!

yodaman (4/5) – A very good Rebel character set which should hopefully help lay the foundation for more decks of that type. It has 9 force icons in the set, which is great in general and as many as any other Rebel set. The lack of a resource hurts a bit since you have to make sure any deck you build that includes this set takes that into consideration. Also, as more Endor sets come out, it should be very good in both mono-rebel and rebel splash builds.

pantsyg (5/5) – A great start to the Endor cycle. Every card is worthwhile and provides ways to sneak in extra damage, whether through self-refresh on the chuds, damage moving, or switching engagement targets after defenders are declared. The design of the pod really shows FFG’s increasing emphasis on in-set synergy, which is great. This set makes me hopeful that a Rebel character deck will emerge this cycle, though it’s definitely strong now with the available Endor Jedi sets or in a purely Rebel list.

Majestaat (5/5) – Not actually a 5 at the moment, but I think it's almost guaranteed this will be one heck of a set by the 3rd or 4th Endor pack, when the rest of your deck (and maybe even your opponent's!) have stronger synergy with it. Lack of resources isn't an issue in the set itself since it's actually super cheap, but it may have trouble finding space as a "core set" in the future if Rebels don't get a few resources elsewhere.


Warriors of the Forest (186-1): 23 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (5/5) – You’re going to play this in a heavy Ewok deck, and giving your whole swarm of Ewoks another blast is pretty amazing

doctormungmung (4/5) – Standard stats plus a very solid ability make for a good objective. If there’s one thing that Ewoks do well, it’s flood the board. One thing that they are lacking, though, is blast. Well, not anymore. If you get a pair of these objectives out, getting a hoard of teddy bears with double blast (on top of those that already have some) can really close things out quickly. Admittedly, in this situation, you’ve only got at most two “factioned” resources, so that could be a problem. Luckily, most (if not all) ewoks are neutral.

yodaman (4/5) – The first neutral LS objective the game has seen in a while is interesting and helps out in trying to build a powerful Ewok deck. I admit it; I’m a sucker for cards that let you gain icons even if those icons are edge enabled. In this case you’re getting a passive ability that adds white blast. It’s a bit restrictive since only Ewoks gain the white blast. Now if only there was a way to transform something into an Ewok, oh wait….

pantsyg (5/5) – So begins the march of the Ewoks. Can’t complain about extra blast!

Majestaat (5/5) – Definitely a perfect score in the "correct" deck (if you're playing Ewoks you're doing something very wrong, but oh well), which is to say, a build heavy on Ewoks, where they're not simply acting as the support units they've been so far, but as your main fighters. Ewoks have had a ton of crazy tricks for the longest time, but they simply couldn't close games due to lack of blast. Now you can play this objective and have Ewoks with grenades. This must be what the Apocalypse looks like.

*Wicket W. Warrick (186-2): 19 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3.5/5) – Not bad, but at that cost he could have really used elite, or another keyword. It does go well with the theme of stopping your opponent from being able to block that we have seen with some previous Ewoks.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Stat wise, Wicket is a bit over costed. Three icons is a bit light for four cost. But considering he can go up to two black unit damage, three white blast, he makes up for that a bit. He’s also sturdy for a little fuzzball. The key thing is that he can focus out potential defenders before they get a chance to jump in. Now, he’s not keeping the big hitters out, but that’s what things like Seeds of Decay or Ewok Scouts are for.

yodaman (4/5) – The original little furball is an interesting choice for the main of the set. The 4 cost is a bit steep for 2 guns and a white blast. He does come with 3 health and 3 force icons. His ability is good since you can put a focus on a DS unit that costs 3 or less, but that’s not quite as good as the much cheaper Ewok Scout from the core Tribal Support set which just flat out lets you keep any defender out of an engagement when it attacks. Wicket is an Ewok though so if you can win edge you can take advantage or the objective and do some damage.

pantsyg (4/5) – This card is unassuming, but potentially kind of insane. I’m not stoked on his icons as he needs to be attacking to make use of his text, but his ability is basically a black tactics that happens before edge. He can’t hit the scariest units, like Sith mains, but there are plenty of 3-and-under drops (Tarkin, Assault Team, Royal Guards, most TIEs, etc etc) that are worth locking out. With a shield and Native Support, he could be dropping two free focus a turn. Time will tell whether the cost limit on his ability makes him overcosted.

Majestaat (3.5/5) – Now you know what the "www" in the internet stands for. Anyway, statwise he's a bit underwhelming for his cost. I think making the blast black would have been enough to make him really solid. However, those 3 edge pips do pull his weight, making WWW useful even if you don't want to play him.


Ewok Warrior (186-3): 17 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – This is actually a super good 2 drop, black blast is very important in a swarm style deck. The Ewok trait is a great trait to have, and there are many ways to protect characters.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Cheap (or standard cost) Ewoks with black blast are just what the witch doctor ordered. While nothing special, this guy will be chipping away, edge or no, and as a potential source of four objective damage (unopposed), he’s almost as good as a puller as a tactics chud. Still, he’s not winning you games by himself. That’s what the rest of the tribe is for.

yodaman (3/5) – Cheap black blast is always welcome. Another Ewok that can take advantage of the objective’s text. Not bad for a secondary unit for 2 cost and 2 health.

pantsyg (4/5) – Standard 2-drop, but the blast is black (awesome) and the Ewok trait is definitely gaining value—how good is this guy when Warriors of the Forest or Sacrifice at Endor is out? Awesome art, too!

Majestaat (3/5) – I think this is the first vanilla unit Ewoks have received. Black blast is nice as they desperately needed that, and he synergizes with all the... Ewokey stuff? But the same would apply to any Ewok unit, and among them, this is still on the weaker side of the spectrum.


Part of the Tribe (186-4): 19 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – Slightly above average card, it doesn’t do anything crazy, but the Ewok trait is very good though, with all these cards that trigger off it now, and cheap enhancements are good at stopping some of the newer Scum removal/capture cards.

doctormungmung (3/5) – Speaking of which, here we get a free enhancement that’ll bring a character or droid into the tribe. For the most part, things that interact with the Ewok trait do so while the target is in the discard, but that’s not universally the case (see the mission in this set as a key example). So in general, you aren’t getting much from this. But if you have the combo pieces out, the DS better watch out. BtS Luke loves this, as it’s a zero cost enhancement. If the Ewok combo pieces aren’t out, who cares, he’s still pinging and double striking off of it. If you just so happen to have Repel the Invaders out, Luke’s board clearing potential goes through the roof.

yodaman (5/5) – An extremely thematic card which has great synergy with the objective text itself. What’s not to like about free enhancement that gives a character or Droid the Ewok trait? Attach it and the unit is now eligible to gain the white blast from Warriors of the Forest and count towards things that count the numbers of Ewoks you have on the table like the objective text on Sacrifice at Endor or other cards that are forthcoming in this set. The obvious combo with this card would seem to be to put it on BtS Luke. Make him an Ewok, damage something with his reaction, give him more blast with the objective text and go to town.

pantsyg (5/5) – It’s free, and gives the enhanced unit access to focus removal (via Native Support), extra blast (Warriors of the Forest), and extra health (when Chirpa arrives), as well as adding an Ewok for Sacrifice at Endor and the cost reduction on the upcoming Ewok Horde. Obvious (and big) synergy with the Endor versions of Luke and Leia in Jedi, though admittedly it doesn’t do much without other cards on the board. Probably the best card in the set if Endor Luke is around.

Majestaat (3/5) – With all the bonuses Ewoks are getting, being able to turn other units into one for free can be fantastic. In that regard, the card is super powerful. But it has one big downside: you're playing an Ewok heavy deck (likely 6+ Ewok pods), leaving you with very little units that can actually make use of this. It's got only one force pip, so unless you see all the combo pieces around the same time, you will realize it's often dead weight in your hand.


Secret Objective (186-5): 21 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (4/5) – Same as before, 3 force icons is really good.

doctormungmung (4/5) – Repeat cards make for easy reviews. See above for details.

yodaman (5/5) – Nothing else to mention about this fate card that I didn’t say before. It’s great in this set too.

pantsyg (4/5) – See my comments above. If you run Han with your Ewoks, your attacks will be very hard to predict.

Majestaat (4/5) – All said before applies here. But you also get a little plus here in that this card will allow your non-ewok units to attack the mission in this set.


Repel the Invaders (186-6): 17 out of 25 possible points.



chunkygorillas (3/5) – The effect can be fairly strong, but the limit of only Ewoks will hurt it, even in a heavy Ewok deck there will be some non Ewoks

doctormungmung (4/5) – There are pros and cons with this mission. Limiting attackers to Ewoks will sometimes mean that it’s going to be rather challenging to destroy if you don’t see your Ewok boosters. On the other hand, if you do, and you take this out, the rewards are substantial. Returning two units back to hand, even if limited to three cost, can be game changing. Having trouble with a couple of DP20s? No problem. A couple of Royal Guards ruining your day? Not anymore. (Although getting a pair of refreshed health guards could be an issue, so make the most of their temporary disappearance). Bouncing piloted vehicles back to hand will toss the pilots to the discard, so this is a good way of getting rid of pilot Vader (although make sure he isn’t in the engagement).

yodaman (3/5) – As far as missions go, this one has an interesting ability since if you complete it you can put up to 2 DS units back to hand. The most powerful DS units won’t be affected by it, but you could bounce a powerful 3 drop like Tarkin (assuming he hasn’t turned off the mission text) or annoying 2 drops like Royal Guards or Decimators. Still suffers from the fact that you have to pay 1 to put it out and you’ll have to decide if the resource is worth it.

pantsyg (4/5) – I love the effect, but you’ll definitely need to build a deck around Ewoks to make this worthwhile. Fortunately, it seems that Ewok decks are meant to be tribal, so the restriction shouldn’t hurt too much.

Majestaat (3/5) – Playing it safe because I'm having a ton of trouble rating this. Only ewoks can attack it. Doesn't mean you have a problem there, since most of your units should be ewoks if you're playing this set anyway. But unless you see Warriors of the Forest, your chances for completing this mission diminish substantially. Even then, you'll be super dependant on the result of edge battles. On to the reward, it's a pretty big deal, but if the DS is gonna lose his units, it'll likely send them all to defend, making it all the harder to complete the mission, but gaining the possibility of other unopposed attacks.

Overall: 19.5 out of 25 possible points.

chunkygorillas (3.5/5) – This seems like a really strong set, but it needs to be played in a heavy Ewoks deck to make us of it, the objective and the Ewok Warrior will probably make it pretty standard in most Ewok decks though.

doctormungmung (4/5) – I’m not a fan of Ewoks in the movies, but in the card game, I’m definitely intrigued by the thought of a competitive Ewok deck. This set goes a long way to getting me there. Board control and blast damage are hard to argue with. And it’s got some decent edge cards to help make sure that blast gets turned on. Sith is still going to be a problem, but perhaps the fuzzballs will be able to out swarm them.

yodaman (4/5) – I suspect many people won’t rate this set quite as highly, but it has great internal synergy, 9 force icons and can pack a serious punch if you win edge battles and have the objective out. It doesn’t have a resource so that is a drawback. I actually think it might be best as a support set for Jedi, pairing it with MTFBWY, BtS, Jedi Leia and 2 other Jedi sets with high icon counts so you can win edge battles and take advantage of the white blast bonus. Whether or not it ultimately becomes a set that can make Ewoks Tier 1 remains to be seen.

pantsyg (4/5) – I think neutral cards are visually boring, but this set has me excited for further Ewok releases. It’s got blast and tricks, two things that go a long way in y estimation of a set. I think this will be a core piece of any Ewok deck, as Part of the Tribe will let you augment the Ewoks with other powerful characters.

Majestaat (4/5) – The objective and high edge count really make this core for ewoks. In that regard it's very good. Whether ewoks will be good or not is another story. Don't think they have what it takes to be truly competitive yet, but their pod in New Alliances is already another strong addition that could put them closer to competitive status. Hope that happens. More chances to kill ewoks as the DS.