Damn exciting card for AM decks, and lack of loyalty also makes it damn exciting for Orks and for Ragnar.

Can't wait to see this in play.

Yep this makes Straken a rock-star. 

Edit: You do have to build your deck around this card however to get the maximum worth out of it. As such re-rated to 4/5.

So, since this says you "Deploy" a unit with cost 2 or less instead of "put a unit with cost 2 or less into play from your hand" does that mean I have to exhaust this card AND pay the resource cost of the unit in question? I ask because "Deploy" is a game term and other cards like Infernal Gateway or Gift of Isha or Elysian Assault Team don't use the term "Deploy" in their similar-sounding text.

So, since this says you "Deploy" a unit with cost 2 or less instead of "put a unit with cost 2 or less into play from your hand" does that mean I have to exhaust this card AND pay the resource cost of the unit in question? I ask because "Deploy" is a game term and other cards like Infernal Gateway or Gift of Isha or Elysian Assault Team don't use the term "Deploy" in their similar-sounding text.

Yes. It's like giving Ambush to a valid unit of your choice.

it essentially turns all your low cost armies in hand into useable combat tricks. too often i'll have a hand full of armies that clog my hand until the next deployment, this card is a great answer if youre low on events or had an odd draw.

Cost error reported on Deckbuilder/Card Database Errors thread

Staging ground + Crushface. think about it. let it sink in. yeah. mmm.

Available targets are:

-Bad Dok (not a real asset in battle unless you have Nazdreg and a KFG, maybe).

-Enraged Ork (similar as Bad Dok, if you can't force damage on this one, he's got no ATK).

-Goff Boyz (only useful at first planet, so not really that versatile).

-Rokkitboy (decent, but AM offers better options).

-Shoota Mob (this one works well enough, orkish Eager Recruit).

-Sniveling Grot (doesn't need discount)

Not particularly interesting.

Yeah and Crushface isn't crushing face unless he's discounting like 3+ guys, and this taps to use, so it's not letting you vomit out the boyz proper.

This support is nuts! Welcome to new meta where your warlord is dead even if you won the economy game. With new ork units in play this is just absurd what this card can do. In my opinion this is much stronger than orbital city.

Having tried both in their right contexts, I'd say both are excellently strong supports. I would however say that Orbital City in an Aun'shi deck is stronger than this card in any deck. I'd never play Aun'shi with fewer than 3 Orbital Cities, whereas I'd probably run a maximum of 2 Staging Grounds in any deck (as while its non unique, there is definite diminishing returns), and some decks that can use Staging Grounds don't use it at all (most Space Marine decks that ally into AM, for example).

Not that the comparison really needs to be made, of course, as no Warlord is going to need to choose between these two. Its more of a case of comparing decks as a whole.

I've been having real trouble to get this card to work in my AM decks (admittedly I'm a Tau buff, but still!)h paying that resource and going -1 card in hand to then further pay costs seems to be too expensive for units that don't deal alot of hurt. I understand that it can be used as a combat action (psuedo-ambush, nice!) but it just never seems to work for me, even though I play lots of low cost army units. Any tips or tricks from lovers of Staging Ground? 

What split are you using? If you go Orks, both Warbikers and Thug can hit hard out of SG. Mystic Warden is good either way because it can be used even without resources.

I generally don't hold back units for SG unless I have a specific plan (though if I can only play some units anyway, I might keep the heavier hitter in hand), but use excess units or those drawn from Command.

Also note it can buff a pre-emptive barrage, or be combined with Catachan Outpost for a truly scary hit (e.g. Warbiker + Outpost hits for 6).

Best use is for ambushing an enemy warlord. The mere presence of SG will make the enemy careful about commitment and battles - it also means even with no presence on Planet 1 you can potentially steal it or force an enemy overcommit.

If using Coteaz, assassination is even more viable, and ambushing in Henchmen gives you the option of delivering serious pain. Having an SG out in the first place gives Coteaz more commitment flexibility, given his dependence on units.

If using Straken some of the top picks e.g. Warbiker, are also Warriors/Soldiers, and again the signature squad isn't too bad either.

One important thing this card opens up - you can deploy units that you drew during command.

There's quite a lot of it other than just warlord assassination. It also lets you go around certain mass damage effects courtesy of Zarathur - you simply deploy once all the gleeful beasts and warpstorms have done their thing. I also like to counter Aun'Shi hopping about the sector, by dropping him a present: enraged orks or snakebites. Useful if he's about to claim Tarrus.

As said above, it works great with catachans, but not exclusively. I keep seeing my Warbikers becoming damage magnets whenever deployed manually, Staging Ground usually lets me wait until it's my turn to strike and actually connect with that blow.

Ah yes, dodging AoE etc. is another good use.

I've been having real trouble to get this card to work in my AM decks (admittedly I'm a Tau buff, but still!)h paying that resource and going -1 card in hand to then further pay costs seems to be too expensive for units that don't deal alot of hurt. I understand that it can be used as a combat action (psuedo-ambush, nice!) but it just never seems to work for me, even though I play lots of low cost army units. Any tips or tricks from lovers of Staging Ground? 

I use this in a deck heavy with support (9) and low cost soldier units.  Three staging ground, three ammo depots.  Also have three To Arms!  Ammo depot is hugely important in order to keep the hand from dwindling and also to generate additional units to deploy during combat even if you don't win card command.  To Arms makes the most of the supports.  I throw in the Infantry Conscripts also in order to make use of the high supports.  I use Straken, so low cost signature units and you get the additional bump of 1 for each soldier or warrior.

I include Tallarn Raiders, Mystic Wardens, Evil Sunz Warbikers, and other low cost soldiers/warriors. People don't expect the 0 cost mystic warden when you have no resources.  I can deploy the cards that gain +2 benefit from warlord where the warlord is, either mine or theirs.  Typically mine, as I don't play for assassination.  I include in my deck iron guard recruits and high command vehicle units to secure command so I don't take a command hit for keeping troops in my hand and stalling deploy.

There's a few other strategies in there that I won't get into but I find the deck extremely powerful, adaptable, and consistent.  Staging Ground is a crucial component to the deck.

I prefer staging ground over drop pod.  Especially under the context of the AM support deck - if AM had drop pod available I wouldn't have it in this deck.  The presence of supports in my HQ on their own beef up my conscripts, so its not a wasted cost, and its a definite result that can be repeated each round, sometimes more than once in a round with To Arms.  Drop pod is costly and not definite.  It takes up card space.  It does have 2 shields but in a deck running chimera, body guard, dozer blades, and rockcrete bunker and disposable units that can be quickly replaced with staging ground and assault team, shields are not important to me.  I don't see staging ground as useful in ork or SM.  I haven't tried it, but the play styles are so different for both and the unit costs generally higher that it doesn't seem like it would be an essential component.

Orks can get some mileage out of it with Zogwort (SG + Teleporta creates a serious threat-zone), though I still prefer the Coteaz version. The Planetfall AM guy, Broderick Worr, will likely be able to get mileage from it to since his signature unit will be a strong candidate (I think there are non-SG approaches that could be effective with him too though).

That was a really interesting read, thanks for everyone who replied, hopefully other users get to read these replies too! Stellar stuff!

Glad I read this thread. I had not picked up that you have to pay the deploy cost on the units. That makes perfect sense, but I had not read carefully and thought the card lets you put in play units, which really would have been great for Orks given my problems so far in winning command.

Now I need to rethink this vs. other cards. Maybe there is something that would work better.

Don't know if matters, but the cardgamedb summary of the action does not match what the card says:

Action: Exhaust this support to deploy a unit with cost 2 or lower at a planet. 

Leaves off "printed" cost