The Search For Skywalker - Light Side Review

In part two of our Star Wars LCG The Search For Skywalker Objective Set Review our reviewers will be covering taking a look at the Light Side Objective Sets.

First up are the Rebels with Sensors Are Placed (43-1):

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Sensors Are Placed - 3/5

This is a rather solid objective as it gives you another version of Obi-Wan's ability to put into play. The only issue I have with it is that since you are required to have more Hoth objectives than your opponent it can at times be inactive. Definitely not an objective to take lightly, but when the Light side has so many solid objective options this just falls in the middle of the road.

Echo Defender (x2) - 1/5

I really want to like this unit because it has potential, but sadly all that potential is stripped away because all of this units combat icons are edge dependent and the Rebel faction currently has a somewhat weak chance of winning edge battles without Speeders in play. The tactics icon is about the only saving grace of this unit but most opponents will just avoid the potential unit damage by either winning the edge battle or not committing units against this guy. I understand why this unit was made, I just don't see it having any impact on the game environment other than being yet another unit to throw around as needed.

Echo Base - 4/5

If it weren't for the Echo Base Shield Generator this would be my favorite card in this pack. Adding one additional damage capacity to all of your Hoth objectives may not seem like a huge deal, but adding that sixth point of damage capacity to most objectives is actually really huge. This prevents the Devastator from being able to one shot objectives and majorly screws up the math for most attacks. Sadly you can only have one in play or it would be so many times better.

Echo Base Shield Generator - 5/5

I really like this card mainly because it is reusable and has multiple purposes, and in case you were wondering the whole "giving something a Shield" isn't too shabby either. The way I envision blowing my opponents mind with this card at some point in time goes as follow: Get 2 damage on the enhancement, swing in with a unit, add a shield, return objective to hand, play objective in Edge battle, win game. This will more then likely never happen, but one can always dream. Until that time though this card is very good because it adds another source of protection for Rebel decks.

First Marker - 2/5

Against Imperial Navy decks this card can win you the game (almost), against Sith decks this card is nothing other than something to throw away for edge battles and start of turn discards. That double edged sword of never knowing if this card will be useful until you start a game means that you cannot reliably add this card to fulfill any one function in a deck. It certainly has some wonderful uses but they are somewhat limited.

Overall - 3/5

Sensors Are Placed: 4/5
I really love this objective. Standard stats and it doesn't really work outside of a Hoth-centric deck, but when you do get it, having perma-Obi Wan goes a long way towards shoring up Rebel's difficulty in winning edge battles. In my games so far people have been gunning for this first.

Echo Defender: 3/5
I love these guys. I think they cost just the right amount and getting those tactics icons en masse is very cool. Yeah yeah, I know that everything they have is edge dependent, but in a Hoth deck even the threat of 3-4 unit damage can be enough.

Echo Base: 4/5
More resources, check. Okay edge icons, check. Two great passive abilities, check. Echo Base is just a very solid base card that I always like to see in my hand and on my board.

Echo Base Shield Generator: 3/5
It's really strong, but I've found it's also really expensive. The saving grace is the 3 icons for the edge battle. That alone makes it worthwhile. If you can find the resources to play it without losing tempo, it can also be a really strong save against tactics icons like Palpatine.

First Marker: 2/5
Except it's actually a 5/5 against Navy Vehicle decks. Right now I don't see a ton of those played, but it absolutely shuts those down cold, especially if you draw both of them. So while that's good in a narrow field, I'm not sure I like how good and narrow it is from a design standpoint.

Overall: 4/5
Now, a caveat to all the above ratings: these rating assume you are playing a deck that is majority Hoth objectives. If not, this objective set is pretty terrible. But the amount of Hoth keyword support it gives, plus the icons and abilities for edge battles, makes this almost an auto-include for Hoth decks.

Sensors are Placed. 3/5 (Likely to increase)

I really quite like this card. Obi-Wans ability is actually really damned annoying. Stopping your opponent from bluffing with a Twist of fate as their only card in an edge battle is immense. When more Hoth objectives are released I will up my score.

Echo Defender 3/5

Whenever I see tactic icons on cheap disposable weenies, I get a shiver down my spine. I find tactics to be the more powerful icon of the 3. Now when its edge dependant on a Rebel Alliance card, not so much. Of all the factions, the 2 fleets are the ones who suffer most in the edge battle and this means this card will often be a poor performer. The added unit damage is a nice touch though so it will more often than not have some use.

Echo Base 5/5

I love this card. Increased Damage Capacity on Hoth objectives is damned good. Having it considered an extra Hoth objective is also very cool. Allowing cards like Echo Defender have more impact on the game is always welcome, considering how many cards are boosted by the amount of Hoth objectives in play. Also, it provides a resource. Theres nothing bad to say about this card.

Echo Base Shield Generator 3/5

It seems a little expensive to me but that ability is pretty good at helping you maintain a strong board presence. I think its main use is in assisting with the edge battles. That alone makes me want to REALLY like this card being that so many potentially good Rebel cards are reliant on that factor. After testing, this card could easily go to a 4/5 or even a 5/5.

First Marker 1/5 or 5/5.

Imperial Navy...Kiss your ass goodbye. This card is straight up nuts against them. I mean, in reality, theres very little the navy can do against a card like this. Sith on the other hand will barely be affected by it. Its very dependant on your opponents deck but at the very least you can always cycle it at the start of your turn. Scarily good card or straight up terrible.

Total score 4/5

Sensors Are Placed: 4/5
One of the Rebels biggest issues is actually winning edge battles. This card helps in that department. Information is key in this game and this objective provides you with critical info.

Echo Defender: 2.5/5
He's basically a more expensive Twilek Loyalist. You aren't going to win edge battles and get to use his unit icons. However, you might force your opponent to either let you tactics someone or waste their cards making sure you don't. As long as you are willing to chump attack with him and let him die, he can be a useful tool.

Echo Base: 5/5
All the bases released have been great and this is no exception. It synergizes with a number of Hoth dependent cards. Essentially it's a non-limited resource with a great passive.

Echo Base Shield Generator: 3/5
If this card was 2 cost and 2 shields I would love it. At 3 it feels too pricey. I'm sure it will be useful, but it's cost is to steep to warrant a 4.

First Marker: 4/5
It shuts down Navy. Any card that shuts down an entire archetype is pretty darn good in my book. Sure it does nothing against Sith but that's ok.

Overall: 3.5/5
This pod will be a backbone for Hoth based decks for the foreseeable future. It doesn't have any must have cards, but the Echo Base is really useful for Hoth based decks.

Sensors Are Placed (43-1)

So a 1/5 objective... it fits the pattern of a 1 cost + an effect and this is a powerful effect. We all know how powerful edge battles are. I think it is the most miss understood aspect of the game, with people over committing or under committing. This effect dose so much, Twists require an extra discard and small hand size opponents have their edge battles severally compromised. This dose nothing but work wonders for you. We have seen this effect with Kenobi, we know it is good. The real problem is the Hoth Quantity Check. I dislike effects that require a trigger form my opponent. They are unreliable and make a poor choice for building a deck design around. That being said the true power of this effect will not be seen for some time to come. Right now the card pool is small and we are salivating or new content. The deck building system means that large chunks of new cards are tested at a time and everyone is trying out the new PoDs. This means that you are guaranteed to see Hoth objectives on the other side of the table, weakening the Hoth Quantity Check. Yet in years to come when Hoth is a distant memory and we have a much larger selecting of cards to choose from you will find that you may see decks more often that have no Hoth in them of any sort. This is when Hoth Quantity Checks will shine, when you go back to the old keyword to bring that effect into the light as a surprise. This card and others like it will just get more powerful as the card pool grows, but for now it is an unreliable effect and not of a huge amount of interest for deck design.

Echo Defender (43-2) x2

I'm a little confused about this card It looks like the effect adds a Black Blast Icon, but the database is saying "This unit gains [Edge-Enabled Unit Damage] <snip>" Witch sounds like it is add a white icon, I mean a white icon is “edge enabled unit damage” right? Anyway I am pretty sure it is a black icon. Either way we can agree that tactic icons are probably the most powerful damage icon in the game. There is a strong tradition of weenie cards with white tactic icons that require edge and they have been performing wonders form the day of release controlling even extremely powerful units on the board. The 2 damage means it has a little more saying power than the Loyalists and protected a bit from direct damage effects, but these will still be targeted down fast if the other player is wise. The problem with this and other white tactic icon cards is the edge battle, now the objective helps, but only if you have it in play and your opponents board triggers it. You need a plan to use this unit, it isn't one you place on the table and hope to use it in the future, the longer it is on the table the weaker it is. Do not dump this and a bunch of other stuff, with out cards for edge it is worthless. A powerful card, that is difficult to play correctly... this is what makes a game good and this is a good card added to this is that there are 2 copies in a single pod, means that you can rely in its draw more than most.


Echo Base (43-4)

Now this is a strange card. a 2/2/1 resource enhancement is all well and good, resource-gen is a good thing right? The +1 dmg capacity is of course great. 1 dmg doesn't seam much but it can really add to the turns needed to take out an objective. So already this is a good resource card, it doesn’t replace its resource when you play it but it has a nice effect on your Hoth objectives. Then there is this other effect of the enchantment adding +1 to Hoth Quantity Checks. This feels like a stop gap measure to force the Hoth Quantity Checks into the current meta early before we have a full compliment of Hoth objectives as fule, but it is really much more than that. This effect is the real star, this is the effect that you want from this card, the other stuff which is arguable good enough on their own is just icing. Wether it is in the current meta or years form now when Hoth Quanity Check are easier to trigger this card just makes them trigger that much easier. Splashing an objective or 2 out of Hoth no longer will be an issue if you are trying to gain advantage through the Hoth Quantity Check. The Hoth Quantity checks are powerful, but hard to trigger and also opponent based, this smooths out those triggers making the deck function so much better. One of the Hoth Quantity Check's greatest weaknesses is that there is no way to force it if you have a bad draw. This addresses that, it addresses the current attractive Hoth pool witch causes lots of Hoth to be used on both sides and it addresses the future meta when you wish to run Hoth but have a lot of other great pods to choose from and can not stomach the thought of near / mono Hoth to force those triggers.


Echo Base Shield Generator (43-5)

Another great enchantment for this PoD. It combos well with Fleeing the Empire and Mobilise the Squadrons. We have all played about with Guardian protection deck and found it wanting, yet were shocked at the power of damage soaking. Shutting down Direct Damage, slowing down objective destruction, aiding rush decks that use wienies, changing the scope of a battle to keep your dudes alive? Shielding is awesome, this is what we learnt. What we basically have here is a 3 cost event in a way. I expect to see this used in a single turn more often than not, to protect it form enhancement destruction and the recursion places it in the position to be used again, or even to fuel edge battles as it has a hefty 3 value. Yet there is power in having this out and the threat of action speed shielding at any time, with no cost.. wow. This is an efficient card that can drastically change the board. It has from play recursion and it can bounce directly into hand after use for no cost to fuel an edge battle at any given time. Just fantastic.

First Marker (43-6)

Am I the only one that thinks this is lame that the graphic is not a frozen Tauntaun? I have already talked about my hate for cards that require your opponents cooperation to trigger and that is the definition of a deck counter card. Witch is what this card is. It is a card to help with protection and slow down heavy character DS decks. It also has use if your opponents deck is not character based as a +1 edge card so it is never exactly dead. Deck counters are a low priority, it is more important for your deck to function in a vacuum than have an answer to every deck in the meta that you could possibly meet. Yet you need counters to the meta in your deck if you wish to beat a large number of players, as the larger the player pool the more decks you will see and therefore be exposed to a wider representation of the meta. So you need to have these answers to decks that you have only a chance of meeting and that requires you to weaken you decks functionality, witch you do not want to do either. This is the deck building nightmare that plagues card games and has deck builders agonising over a single card here and there before an event. The PoD system really takes a lot of the hard deck building choices form the player and allows them to behave with much more deck building skill than they otherwise might show. This card is not a card to really care about, it is edge fuel.. but if you see a heavy character deck, it is the card to have to slow it down. Putting it in a PoD that has a high chance to make it into Hoth decks is great design, and shows that the developers have a deep understanding of how the PoD system effects classic deck building.

Overall
All in all I find this to be a great PoD and one that I feel will not only make it into many decks during the Hoth run but also become a must include for decks for years to come that wish to run Hoth Quantity checks and still have room to play objectives form the other sets that will become available. Its real power is in its utilities, while a 2/1/2 character with white tactics icons that appears twice so you can plan on its draw is a good thing, it is enchantments that make this a PoD to choose. It even knows it has a high chance of inclusion so they added a deck counter card. Of coure if your not running Hoth, then you would not run this PoD. I expect to see this PoD in decks for a long time, not only smoothing Hoth decks right now, but also in any Hoth decks of the future (or past.. I forget witch one it is with Star Wars)

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Renegade Squadron Mobilization - 4/5

Card advantage is always a key aspect of winning decks, so having an objective that can provide you with a potentially large amount of card advantage is going to be very good. In games where you are just rolling your opponent this will help keep your hand fueled with cards for edge battles and this just keeps getting better with cards such as Han Solo or Rebel Assault that you can target kill units with all while gaining cards. I see this objective having a bright future ahead of it, especially once more Smuggler cards are available.

Renegade Squadron - 3/5 (after Edge of Darkness 4+/5)

Currently there aren't enough ways for your opponent to capture cards to make this units effect fully useful, despite that this is still a solid unit although it is a bit pricey. The combat icons are a nice spread of the spectrum and allow this unit to multitask very effectively. I could easily see this finding its way into Rebel vehicle decks as it would provide them with a source of much needed Tactics icons.

Renegade Squadron Operative - 2/5

This is how you build an effective two cost unit FFG!! While not stellar or game breaking this is a solid unit that is going to hit play and you aren't going to complain about drawing (I'm looking at you Echo Defender). A nice solid two cost unit for the Smuggler faction.

Munitions Expert - 3/5

Combat tricks abound with this guy on the board, being able to add that last bit of extra unit damage at will can be huge and mean the difference between success and defeat. Efficiently costed this guy will have a noticeable impact on the game and I am really liking the direction the Smugglers affiliation is taking as a whole so far with all their combat shenanigans.

Echo Caverns - 5/5

This is the kind of card you can build an entire deck around and is useful in pretty much any situation. It lets you steal icons from your opponent or add an icon on a focused unit to one that is about to strike. It is even useful early game when you just use it for the resource it provides while you are still building your board presence. This is one of those cards that will continue to see play through the entire life of the game and that people will use to great effect, too bad you can only have one in play at a time or things could quickly get out of hand.

Overall - 4.5/5

Renegade Squadron Mobilization: 4/5
Standard Stats with a very nice little ability. So far I haven't been able to (or at least remembered to) trigger the reaction as much I thought I would be able to, but card draw is card draw and this gives you a good amount of it.

Renegade Squadron: 4/5
I really want to give it a 5. It has pretty much everything: a good mix of non-edge dependent icons, elite, lots of health, and a unique and powerful ability. But it's also expensive, could use one more force icon, and doesn't do much damage. No matter the number, this is a very very strong card.

Renegade Squadron Operative: 3/5
About as vanilla of a chud as they come. But it's costed fairly and has non-edge dependent icons, so it's certainly playable in a pinch.

Munitions Expert: 2/5
A kinda fun little guy, but nothing special. Most times he'll discard or edge, but icon manipulation can definitely come in handy sometimes.

Echo Caverns: 5/5
This card is absurdly good. If one card in this force pack will shift the meta, it's this. The ability to take an icon from a DS defender and give it to one of your attackers or even a future attacker (as the transfer lasts for the entire phase) provides huge levels of versatility. Or you can transfer an icon from a unit you've already attacked with to your current attacker. Or you can move an icon from their current defender to someone not in the battle. I can't get over how good this card can be.

Target of Opportunity: 3/5
Always a nice card to have, especially for this objective set where there are so few blast icons.

Overall: 5/5
This set is a 5 because of Echo Caverns alone. I'm hoping that it turns out to be like the Heavy Blaster Emplacement and we just need some time to adjust to it and figure out how to deal, but even so this is a very solid set. Smugglers & Spies only have 2 objectives right now, but they might be the most powerful faction anyway.

Renegade Squadron Mobilization 5/5

This card is awesome. Good solid stats and perhaps one of the better draw effects available in the game at present. Its not limited as you can essentially draw as much as you can kill. Certainly puts the pressure on the DS player. 2 of these working in tandem is a terrifing prospect.

Renegade Squadron 4/5

A good solid unit. Not quite sure how useful the ability is in the current environment but Im sure it will have a use when the Scum get more love. A decent spread of icons for the cost and the threat of a potential 2 tactic icons is one of the more appealing things about this card. Also Elite is nuts good.

Renegade Squadron Operative 4/5

Now this a solid weenie. No frills, just cheap and perfectly capable of shooting you in the face. I think we need more units like this.

Munitions Expert 3/5

Its not to bad for its cost. Not gonna take the world by storm but he has his uses.

Echo Caverns. 5/5

This card is amazing. Icon manipulation and Resources all rolled into one single well costed card. Being able to deny certain icons to your opponent is priceless but stealing them...well thats just rude. A very thematic card that feels right at home in the S&S faction and will make for some very frustrated opponents. I love it!

Target of Oppurtunity 5/5

Nuff said..

Overall 5/5. A great starting block for S&S.

Renegade Squadron Mobilization: 5/5
Draw wins games and this card provides oodles of draw. Han and Swindled synergize well with this objective. Han initiates a battle and kills a resource chud. This allows you to draw one more card for the edge battle.

Renegade Squadron: 3.5/5
A useful card. Essentially it provides Jedi decks the opportunity to run with 8 big characters. Clearly it's value will rise as more capture cards are released. I usually use this as an edge card currently but if my other main characters elude me, I'm always happy to see it.

Renegade Squadron Operative: 2/5
If this was a Sith card I would love him. However, in decks like the Smuggler's Den, he's basically the worst unit in the deck. In fact I usually end up discarding him to draw other cards. Having no tactics or blast icons, means he isn't adding much. You already have guys with targeted strike to clear the board. I'm going to call him fools gold. He looks decent until you use him.

Munitions Expert: 3/5
I like this chud. At only 1 cost he adds quite a bit of versatility. With targeted strike characters he gives them even more board clearing power. Moreover, since it is until the end of the phase he works well with Trust Your Feelings. Allowing Luke to make 2 strikes at 3 or 4 unit damage.

Echo Caverns: 5/5
This is the best card in the pack. There is so much room for skilled play with this card. Remember you can steal your own icons, your opponent's icons, and even move your opponent's icons to other opponent targets. The latter is often critical in the Navy matchup if you have no vehicles. Tactics one unit and then move a blast damage to that unit. Simply put an amazing versatile card.

Target of Opportunity: 2/5
In a Jedi deck this seems unnecessary. While it's nice to do a free damage to an objective, it's even better to grab board control. However, in a Rebel deck the rating would go up.

Overall: 4.5/5
This is going to be a popular choice for a long time. Echo Caverns is a pro card and the other cards in the pod are all quality cards.

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Preparation for Battle - 5/5

By far the best utility objective to date. During the early game your shielded units are protected, allowing you to build board position and make strategic attacks and profitable defenses choices. Then late game this will allow you to start pushing through that extra objective damage you need in order to close the game out. Not many objectives have this kind of utility.

Hoth Scout - 3/5

This card fits the theme of the objective set perfectly and gives yet another way to add shields to units. Having to sacrifice the unit to do so seems like a fair trade off, and means that you can first strike with the unit to get even more utility from it.

AAC-1 Speeder Tank x2 - 4/5

Tactics icons for vehicles... yes please!! True the icon on this unit is edge dependent, but luckily enough this unit is also a speeder meaning that it gains the benefit of Hoth Operations making this task a bit easier. Add to that the fact that this unit also has Shielding and it starts to become obvious why this unit is going to be a key fixture for Rebel Vehicle decks. Seriously what more could you ask from a two cost unit?

Tauntaun - 2.5/5

When I first saw this unit I was very disappointed as it seemed completely useless. Then I wised up and took another look at the card and realized that it provided a resource. In an already stacked objective set to also throw in a resource providing unit (all be it neutral) just seems like a bit of overkill, but I won't complain instead I will embrace. As an added bonus here is a corny joke: What is the internal temperature of a Tauntaun? Luke warm.

Shelter from the Storm - 1/5 (in a Vehicle Deck) 5/5 (in a Character Deck)

In and of itself this is a very good card as it gives a Character unit a shield and makes it not targetable and immune to damage. However that single underlined word in the previous sentence makes this card a double edged sword. In a vehicle based deck this card loses all of its value and really doesn't add much to the overall strength of the set. On the opposite end of the spectrum this card is an absolute game changer in a character based deck where you can shrug off even the best laid plans with a well timed Shelter from the Storm.

Overall - 5/5

Preparation for Battle: 3/5
This has the kind of ability that makes me want to build a deck around it. The problem is, you can't do that with this game because there is no guarantee that you will ever see this objective in play in a game. As well, the second part of the ability seems to come a little late for tournament play, as you want to try and win with them at 7 or less to feel good about tie-breaker chances.

Hoth Scout: 2/5
Shields are very nice, but at the cost of a unit (that might get force choked before she can trigger) it's a little steep.

AAC-1 Speeder Tank: 3/5
I was pleasantly surprised to see more speeders in this force pack! They are solid on their own but can be really amazing depending on the situation. They can be annoying on their own with the threat of a tactics icon or can fly wingman and shield Rouge 3 or Home One. Having two force icons certainly doesn't hurt either.

Tauntaun: 4/5
It's the Duty Officer of the LS, but even better because it has a blaster and is a tauntaun.

Shelter from the Storm: 4/5
The only reason it doesn't get a 5 is because it is for characters only and you need some Hoth real estate, so it's not as great for splashing. Even so, making a character like Luke with a Lightsaber invulnerable could be incredibly powerful. Haven't seen it actually played yet, but seems very strong.

Overall: 4/5
I was wavering between a 3 and 4 rating, but I think the large amount of in-set synergy pushes it to a 4. I'm not sure if this alone makes a LS shielding deck viable or if this is even worth splashing just to get some shielding, but I do know that it's a unique and interesting neutral objective I look forward to exploring more in depth.

Preperation for Battle. 5/5

I really like this card. Good stats as well as awesome text. Really allows the LS player to be able to build board position early on in the game and late game piles the pressure on. This will have a massive target on it as soon as it hits the board. Also, not limited to 1 per deck which is an added bonus.

Hoth Scout 3/5

Pretty average in fairness. But fits the theme of this objective well and for 1 cost can offer some support.

AAC-1 Speeder Tank. 3/5

More speeders makes the Rebels happy. Its a decent card for the cost. I normally have issues with a unit that is edge dependant but when it has shielding I am inclined to be a little more forgiving, especially when the objective is geared towards shield tokens. All in all a decent unit that fills that gap in the Rebel lines.

Tauntaun. 3/5

Its simple enough. A bestial equivalent of an Imperial officer but with unit damage. (Probably had more training than the Navy is willing to offer to its junior plebs). Its probably going to die but extra resources are always welcome.

Shelter from the Storm 3/5

Would have been a 5/5 if this had a place in a Jedi deck but is more likely to see play in Rebels. The card itself is very solid but more often than not will struggle for targets. If you can find a suitable target for it then this card will rock.

Summary. 4/5. The 2 speeders in the set will appeal greatly to Rebel players and the actual objective is very solid. I like this set a great deal.

Preparation for Battle: 5/5

Along with Hoth Operations these objectives provide the key elements for the quick Rebel rush archetype. Not taking damage means those Rebel units don't have to worry about those pesky edge battles. Then late game this objective allows Jedi decks to push through the win by turning into an orbital bombardment.


Hoth Scout: 2.5/5

A 1 drop chud that has a decent ability. He he had 2 force icons I would bump him up to at least a 3.


AAC-1 Speeder Tank: 4/5

Another key component of Rebel rush decks. Shields aplenty floating around for a mere 2 cost. Not to mention the 2 force icons for snagging the force or winning edge battles. Adding 2 speeders in one pack goes so well with Hoth Operations.

Tauntaun: 2.5/5

Every good objective should have a resource even if it's one Vader can insta kill.

Shelter from the Storm: 2/5

This card is too limited to be rated highly. First, it's character only which means it doesn't add much to Rebel decks. Next its protection only lasts until the end of the phase. So basically you have to play this at the start of the conflict phase if you want full use out of it. Then after the force struggle the card can still be hit be a myriad of nasty effects.


Overall: 4/5

This set is going to be the backbone of Hoth Speeder builds and fits well into Hoth and Rebel decks. Additionally, it complements Jedi as well. I wouldn't put it in over the Guardians of the Peace but if you feel the need to have infinite shields and want the late game push the objective provides it can be an excellent addition to a Jedi deck. Basically, if the new Smugglers and Spies objective hadn't come out, I would have slotted it right into the Smuggler's Den deck.