What is going on everyone! JustJack from Golden Dice Podcast here and this time we will jump into talking draft!
If you missed it, be sure to check out FFG’s live-stream from January 3rd where they introduced all the official draft and sealed rules to us! They also dropped an article for people who prefer to read.
Drafting Basics
I did have the opportunity to draft some virtually before these rules were announced, and the biggest difference was that when we drafted, we had to draft the leaders! On the stream, though, FFG showed us that for SWU’s draft, you take and remove the leaders from all 3 of your packs. Then, you pick one and pass the rest two other times. So you will have your 3 leaders before you even start drafting the rest of the cards from the pack.
I am sure there will be mixed reactions to this, and I can definitely see how this might be clunky for a first-time drafter. Someone may accidentally pull extra cards out (or, worse, someone might intentionally try to look at more cards). But overall I don’t see a lot of downsides with the official method! My least favorite part of doing my previous draft was having to draft leaders out of the packs (along with all the other cards), so I am glad they are doing it this way, even with the small downsides it can present.
One thing to note is that everyone picks a leader simultaneously. This prevents people from reactively picking a leader because two players to your left picked a certain one. I really love that FFG went with this system, and I think this will feel good to new players and veterans alike as they sit down to draft. You also should note that rare leaders will appear in the leader slot of the pack (as opposed to the designated rare slot), so you don’t have to worry about having one later.
So now we know you draft leaders first, then do typical draft things as you fully open one pack, pick-and-pass the opposite way, and continue until all cards are drafted from the pack. Then rinse and repeat, swapping which way you pass each pack for the second and third rounds.
A quick note about bases: You can use any common base that is already on hand (from your collection, the store, etc.), so you don't have to use a base that comes from one of these packs. If you want to draft a rare base from a pack, you can.
So now that you know how to draft, the next question becomes, how do you approach the draft?
Drafting Strategy
Starting out, I want to point to an old Magic the Gathering (MTG) acronym, BREAD. This stands for:
- Bombs
- Removal
- Evasion
- Aggro
- Duds
Now I do want to say that SWU is not MTG, and MTG is not SWU. There are definitely arguments as to why this is not a perfect acronym for Star Wars: Unlimited, but I still think it is a great starting point! One of the biggest differences is the cost curve in this game. On top of drafting in the BREAD priority above, you also want to make sure you are using all your resources each round and not leaving 2 or 3 left floating at the end.
So how does the BREAD strategy look in SWU?
Bombs
These are cards that are a huge threat once they hit the table, and your opponent will likely need an immediate answer. If they don’t have one, you will have a very good chance of winning. I think we have some solid options right now on cards you’d love to see, such as Count Dooku, Darth Tyranus (SOR 38), Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight (SOR 51), Darth Vader, Commanding the First Legion (SOR 87), Han Solo, Reluctant Hero (SOR 198) and Mace Windu, Party Crasher (SOR 149). All cost 7 resources and can swing the game in a huge way if they don’t just outright win it for you.
I also do think that cards like Zeb Orrelios, Headstrong Warrior (SOR 146) and Bossk, Deadly Stalker (SOR 182) can fit this category a bit as they can certainly have a huge impact on the game if their abilities get off and your opponent can’t deal with them swiftly. I do think this will evolve as we get the full playset but even cards like Millennium Falcon, Piece of Junk (SOR 193) feel like bombs!
Removal
On top of you drafting bombs, your opponents also probably drafted several good cards as well. So we want to make sure you can remove them! I was tempted to include this specific card in Bombs, but our first shoutout has to be Overwhelming Barrage (SOR 92). This is a soft board wipe that can really swing games, especially in a limited format. I’ve been hit with OB on turns that Leader Unit Boba Fett, Collecting the Bounty (SOR 15) comes out in draft and it felt impossible to come back from.
There are some solid options like the newly spoiled Strike True (SOR 127) but also have classics like Open Fire (SOR 172), Surprise Strike (SOR 220), Shoot First (SOR 217), Takedown (SOR 77), and Vanquish (SOR 78). Be sure that you have ways to deal with your opponent's big units!
Evasion
Now this keyword comes from MTG and refers to flying, generally. The Flying keyword would make creatures without flying unable to block creatures with flying. The closest thing we have to this in Unlimited is Saboteur, which we don’t yet have a lot of cards featuring, and the units that do have it I just don’t consider insanely powerful. I do like the Saboteur ability on cards like Fighters For Freedom (SOR 143) (though the ability might not trigger a lot in draft, depending how your draft goes), Rogue Operative (SOR 194), and Seventh Sister, Implacable Inquisitor (SOR 133).
There are some other smaller options but I do also think with Evasion you want to think about the Space Arena! Most people can focus on the ground, but there are a lot of solid options in space. If you are able to draft a couple of ships like Green Squadron A-Wing (SOR 141) or Restored ARC-170 (SOR 44), and your opponent doesn’t have good options in space, then you certainly can run away with the game.
Aggro
These cards just do damage. Think cards that you see often in Sabine and Leia decks already. Millenium Falcon comes in ready, Sabine Wren, Explosives Artist (SOR 142) can ping the base, K-2SO, Cassian's Counterpart (SOR 145) can also burn your opponent's base, and "Two Tubes", Partisan Lieutenant (SOR 156) can buff your other units.
On top of that, there are events like Heroic Sacrifice (SOR 150) and Surprise Strike that can make your attacks bigger and help get to the goal of doing 25 or 30 damage to your opponent's base.
This area is also where you want to make sure you grab some of your low-cost units if you haven’t already. Things like Battlefield Marine (SOR 95), Death Star Stormtrooper (SOR 128), Lothal Insurgent (SOR 190), etc., are 1-3 drops that can still swing in for 3+ damage.
Duds
These are just your last few picks likely. They have a high chance of not actually ending up in your deck, as they are the cards that everyone else has passed on and may be out-of-aspect with your deck's leader/base combo. Worst case scenario, however, is you can simply resource these if you have to use some to fill out your 30-card deck. Not a very exciting category.
It's Almost Here!
I hope that this strategy can lead you to some success over the release weekend in March, as I am sure drafts will be happening all over the world! It should go without saying, but if you pull a legendary hyperspace foil or a showcase card, DRAFT IT!
JustJack
Golden Dice Podcast
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