Analysis: A wretched hive

Greetings, followers of both sides of the Force. The Opposition Cycle keeps going on step by step and this second pack brings us a great variety of cards and surprising strategies that we are not used to see: Recycling events, enhancement interactions and a lot of black blast that points to faster matchs and stronger strikes for each faction (except for the Sith, which is at the tail of the Dark Side). Who will survive in such a wretched hive? It seems that Zeb will do…

Set 236

Resourceful Survivors 10/10

Rebel Alliance is, perhaps, the faction with less events of its own, but there is no doubt about their destructive power. Playing one (or several) Rebel Assault from the discard pile after having played it before is a wreck. It also allows you to make 2x1 Concentrated Firepower if you have enough shields to resolve it and you will discard a Desperation without concern because you know that playing it is only a matter of time. In addition, it is Yavin 4, so if at your own risk you play with Dodonna, you can draw one card when you pay with it. Indeed a card a lot of strategies will revolve around, that gives a great and necessary (fire)power to the Rebels and opens a new pace to matches. The only downside if you build around it is that maybe you can't get it out. 

General Vander Willard 7/10

The illustration shows a younger character than the real Vanden who, had he been Elite, would be a perfect -Navy- character. His stats revolve around the number 3 (a good thing) and all of his combat icons are black (a better thing although he has only one blast). This rebel Leader can full throttle your deck if you are able to play events once or more times with the effect of his own objective. If so, it will be easy to use him as some sort of Inquisitor. But only "if so". 

Alderaanian Survivor 5/10

He will help to the deck’s synergy or he will do exactly nothing. If at least his cost was 0… If at least he would have a blast (even a white blast)… Because this weenies sometimes seem to be doing the same thing with a blaster (even a black blaster) that without it. Being a Trooper is also not very useful in LS (maybe one day…). He is for those lucky players who need two damages to win, play the Survivor and draw a Rebel Assault. Achievement unlocked!

Peaceful Resistance 6/10

It is a rebel event, and that is good, but … how many times are you going to discard from play a DS non-limited enhancement? Yes, there are a few of them, and they are really good, but it seems that this event will be placed in an edge stack or in a discard pile more than be played. It may work if we go against an early Rule by Fear or a Fortified Holding Cells, and it can be effective while the new Navy set is being tested, but after that…

A New Hope 8/10

It always has seemed to me a great event in a very bad set and now is reprinted in a very playable one (it is a good idea recycling the best events of each faction in better sets). If you get to play it at the right moment it will make your victory easier, specially if you have Freeholders and a table plenty of mains (and your opponent hasn’t, of course).  Remember that you can play it from your discard pile if you have the objective, so you must not worry about keeping it in your hand. It is killer being played during your opponent’s turn, or while his mains are focused and he must choose between defending with weenies or leave the big guys in play. Although it can do nothing depending on what your opponent has on table, it is always a good life belt.

Preparation and Planning 9/10

A new fate card with a high strategic value because it allows you to hide the strategy that you have in your mind (and in your hands). It has synergy with its set and with the entire Rebel faction because gives you sweet Assaults for free, and if you have nothing in your hand at least it gives you two force icons for the edge and your opponent will be scared for a moment. Warning! It works until the turn ends, so you will be able to do tricks during the Force phase if you want to. Very good.

This is an heterodox set with a powerful objective but weaker cards. Had it had more powerful events, it would have been better to build around. As it is, is mostly a supporting set, but it is clear what is going to share deck with, and the damage that it is going to bring. Again, the worst thing is that if you don’t see the objective your strategy will be strongly punished, but it is worth trying because it can be really devastating.

TOTAL: 7/10

MVC:  Resourceful survivor

Set 237

The Last Warrior 7/10

It will be useless if you have not Specter units or your opponent has nothing to draw (this is less probable than the other). But if both conditions exists this objective can be a strong pain.  It will become better when the Cycle is over, but in the meantime it can be helpful and, above all, it has Influence.

Zeb Orrelios 8/10

This is a good adaptation of the first sketch of a wookie drawn by Ralph McQuarry to an animated character, and it’s a good adaptation from the animated character to the illustrated one (learn something, Sabine!). A new Specter unit to the band (we have half) with two abilities that together can be none or almost none. I mean:  the first one will help you to clean the table, but it will depend on how much you have built your game (hi, Momaw Nadon, what’re you doing?) The second one will seldom be effective because your opponent will choose to discard a card from his hand (but, at least, this is a good thing for you). Anyway, this is a very good unit by itself, and will be better if Han helps it with a  DL-44 Blaster Pistol…(does anyone remember the Hold-out Blaster?). Anyway, if yo get him with two guns and running... BOOM!

Freelance Slicer 10/10

Hi? Is anybody there? That is what the real Freelance Slicer that broke into FFG was saying before he wrote again this card, because this is the only explanation we can imagine for this wreck. Black blast, he allows to play enhancements for free from the deck and he can be put into play with the Spark of Rebellion. If you play the Slicer soon and with a Children of the Force you will be able to play a lot of everything at lightspeed. If you don’t, at least you know what are you going to draw. This guy must be killed at the very moment he enters play, what is possible by the eternal return (if he ever left) of core Vader –keep on reading below-,  or as soon as possible if you don’t play Vader. Simply brutal.

Bo-Rifle 8/10

It cannot enhance whatever you want, but if we take the decks in which we play it into consideration, that is pointless. It is very useful if you want to cheat Tarkin and tease everybody by playing it as an Action during the conflict phase on the most profitable unit. Draw!

Improvised Defenses 10/10

This is another card powered by the freelance’s hand, because he didn’t want to come back home thinking that Smuggler and Spies had only garbage since Imperial Entanglements was printed. A 2x1 enhancement that can be played for free as an action (with the Freelancer), gives more damage capacity to the objective and comes back to your hand so that you can play it again or put it in an edge stack (and then take back to your hand again through the Ithorian Junk Dealer's action). Perfect. All hail to the freelance runner who overpassed all of FFG's ice! (Sorry, wrong game reference). 

Well Equipped 10/10

A new fate card of great tactic value that, again, it’s in a synergic set in which can remove a focus token of a enhanced unit with the Bo-Rifle or from the objective enhanced with the Improvised defenses. A great synergy with Specters, due to Sabine’s set (which contains it, too) and attention, because if Commando Raid is in play, it will be like a free Force Rejuvenation. Pure versatility and strategy

A good set for Specters with a great weight by itself into its own faction. Black blasts and synergy, tons of synergy, whatever you want play it with.

TOTAL: 9/10

MVC: Freelance Slicer

Set 238

The Emperor’s Cabal  7/10

Too many people from the prequels there… Anyway, Coruscant objective, which always let the mind fly and imagine bizarre decks. Its ability seldom (or even never) will be used against Jedi; but besides that it allows you to have a Force Choke in your hand each turn if there are four in your deck and the cycling goes on, or even more dangerous events like Force Lightning or Telekinetic Strike can be there again and again. Be careful with it , though,because it will block your hand if you only draw events and no units. Interesting anyway.

Sim Aloo 5/10

Bridge partner of Sate Pestage (no, they do not play sabacc), this guy is a sort of half Winter if he manages to strike and you have an event in your hand. Too many difficulties for an ability that sometimes can be very annoying or give you a break, but more frequently won't do a thing maybe because the guy doesn’t strike or you have no events in your hand or there isn’t  any enhancement which return to the deck. He must, nonetheless, return his clothes to Prince’s heirs. 

Imperial Senate Guard 7/10

A new guard with guard stats and with a true guard ability. It’s good that it is once per turn (and no 1 per turn) and it can be a salvation in your most difficult moments. Very good, but it has a handicap: sometimes it won't have no fuel (events) to use his ability. And also, and the sooner we accept ir the better, comes in a mediocre set. Mediocreeeeee! (sorry, wrong movie reference). 

Executive Override 3/10

Maybe it would be funny watch your opponent’s face if he cannot use his Trust your feelings or his Shien Training, but all of us know that this card is going straight to the edge stack ALWAYS (as Crisis of Identity). You cannot use it when you want to, so you must keep it in your hand until your opponent do something with an enhancement, what maybe never happens and, if it does, maybe it is no so relevant either. Bad card.

Cruel Procedures 8/10

Pain. And the cause of the return of core Vader (again, if he ever was gone). You can build an unbreakable wall if you have enough damaged units and protectors that can unleash a feeling of frustration and agony in your opponent only comparable to play against pre-Faq Navy. The fact that its cost is 1 resource is balanced but provokes anger. However, we have…

Preparation and Planning 9/10

It allows you to play Lightnings for 1, the brutal Anger for free or There is no Escape for 2. (if you are really into Coruscant bizarre) A pity that Join me! must be paid but, as Sim Aloo uses to say to Sate Pestage: Nobody's perfect. 

This set follows the Pestage’s path (handling the discard pile and hindering with your opponent’s enhancements) but it’s too far of being as good as its predecessor. The Guard and the Cruel procedures are remarkable, but you are not going  to remove anything to add this set (even the maximum one copy it deserves).

TOTAL: 6/10

MVC: Imperial Senate Guard/Cruel procedures

Set 239

Pattern Analysis 7/10

It is not the over-the-top objective that we are used to see in Navy, but this objective enables without doubt a new strategy that can be as interesting as the Edge ability on DS always does. It has been limited to be useless with pilots, but it can be funny played with Sith. It’s enhancement time!

Agent Kallus  10/10

Characters from Rebels always rock, specially if he is the bad guy and is portrayed as a very, very angry Liv Schreiber. But all of this is nothing if you compare it with his ability, nothing else but a total extermination. Be careful, because he can give you the fright of your live and has a great trick: you can attack one objective to activate his ability and after that play a Superlaser Blast or an Imperial Fist targeting another objective and not the engaged one -and using his ability as well-, so you clean the table and also keep your hands clean. KA-BOOM!

Academy Engineer 6/10

So these are the ones who have  the f**** white blast of the Alderaan Survivor! They are like Superlaser Engineer but they will not make you throw up (neither cry if you have nothing more to play). If you are Well Equipped with enhancements, as it seems that is going to be, they maybe will be helpful (and also they get resource enhancements, so...). 

Squad Leader 5/10

The Mysteries of the Rim’s enhancement for Imperial Navy. Ok. It will go straight to an edge stack if you don’t draw it early, unless you had committed to the Force someone you should not. It will give you more edge if you have its objective in play. Circumstantial.

T-7 Ion Disruptor 6/10

Did you mean Bo-Rifle? It is worse for Navy than for Smugglers, but if the objective is on the table your business can go better. Make it aggro. 

Well Equipped 10/10

The fate card that justifies so many enhancement Is the one that makes them actually powerful. This card allows you to cause great havoc and opens the door to a large number of events. Let’s polish our Flamethrowers!

A strange set if we compare it with its predecessors, but it would create interesting dynamics and combos. The main character can save a match by himself, only with a bit of fortune and trickery. We keep on watching what will be on Navy side…

TOTAL: 7/10

MVC: Agent Kallus

Set 240

I don’t like you, either 10/10

A criminal version of Trust me! because of its faction and its ability. I think that FFG doesn’t know what it has done with this card which can win games by itself. It cannot be played with the Superlaser Blaster, at least. Most "comboable" card ever. 

Dr. Evazan 9/10

Scum main, cost 2, tactic and an ability that can be a real pain if you have units of all costs and sorts (so it is supposed to get better when the game advances). An almost perfect kit, but as the Scum unit’s malus are often the reactions you are not able to blank a Headhunter neither an Energy Spider to your full advantage and you will have to settle with...

Ponda Baba 7/10

A tank that will easily be played by 2 and that is useful to activate his partner’s ability (which is very thematic). However, if you cannot blank him, he maybe will cause you trouble by attacking when it is not appropriate. It seems this version has both arms. 

Coerced 7/10

2x1 taking "mains off", plain and simple. Also great card for the edge, but if you don’t draw it soon… Have I said a great card for the edge?

Prized possession 10/10

The Scum resource card in a great set which is not so focused in one particular mechanic (unlike the droid’s one). The resource card that this faction needs.

He doesn’t like you 6/10

It is designed for attacking with Ponda, spiders and the rest of the Scum bulls when you know that nobody is going to defend. Or when you know that all but one are going to defend and that one is who you want to eliminate. Very good, but it may stay on your hand way too long if you are in a defensive strategy, if your attack is a suicide or if you have not enough pistols.

A very well designed set, almost thematic, a broken objective and two mains (hello Prince’s Scheme). It matches in an aggressive or rush deck, specially if you can play the objective and the events (yours and opponent’s).

TOTAL: 8/10

MVC: I don’t like you either

This force packs brings variety and balance, except for the Sith, that remains the less powerful faction in DS nowadays. Very good objectives, above the media of the rest of cards, and another taste of Specters, which soon are going to be in a deck that will work by itself if the Spark is on the table. Anyway, it seems that the level of the cards keeps high and strategies are more varied. We really hope this way never changes.