What’s up fellow enthSWUsiasts! With the lightsaber coming down on yet another Fett leader and a certain crafty smuggler getting put on the bench, the meta has opened up quite a bit.
This got me thinking about some fun options I could take with me to my local friendly game store that may have been overlooked. There are some leaders in Jump to Lightspeed that center themselves around a specific trait, specifically the struggle between the First Order and the Resistance.
I feel like when the set was still being spoiled, these leaders fell to the wayside because of their reliance on adding specific core cards to their decks, but that doesn’t mean the decks can’t still duke it out with the rest of them!
The First Order
Let’s take a look at some potential builds that have some decent tricks up their sleeves, starting with the First Order’s very own Chrome Dome.
View deck on SWUDB.comAt first glance, this deck may seem pretty unassuming. We are forced to work with a core set of cards that have the First Order trait on them, but some of these cards pack an unexpectedly mean punch.
Allegiant General Pryde, Ruthless and Loyal (JTL 133) is a great opener and can add up the damage pretty quickly if you are able to snag the initiative after playing him, which can net you 2 additional indirect damage to your opponent on attack. He also has the ability to discard opponents' non-unique upgrades, although this isn’t useful very often. General Hux, No Terms, No Surrender (JTL 134) has the ability to let us dig for cards as well as add a little punch to our First Order units if we can get them to stick to the board.
Of course our trusty friend from Shadows of the Galaxy, Kylo’s Tie Silencer, Ruthlessly Efficient (SHD 135), joins the fight as a solid 3/2 turn one play. Vonreg's TIE Interceptor,
Ace of the First Order (JTL 137) is a nice addition here, too, since it has some additional conditions we can meet on top of being a First Order unit. If Hux is out at the same time, the Interceptor gains overwhelm naturally, but if we attach our Darth Vader
Scourge of Squadrons (JTL 142) pilot onto it, it also gains Raid 1!
This also gives me a chance to talk about the star of the show in this deck, the Captain Phasma unit, On My Command (JTL 88).
When played and on attack, we can give a +2/+2 buff to another First Order unit, so this is especially good with our Energy Conversion Lab (SOR 22) Epic Action. This unit gives such a good versatility to our deck theme, and the ability can be used almost anywhere on any unit.
Looking at our top end, we have some familiar faces with Kylo Ren, Killing the Past (SHD 141), Ruthless Raider (SOR 134), and the menacing 7-drop Darth Vader, Commanding the First Legion from Spark of Rebellion (SOR 87).
Kylo Ren can be ECL’d out to buff our units and take care of pesky leaders, Ruthless Raider is a pain for any non-blue villain deck to deal with, and Vader puts on the pressure by ambushing in and bringing some low cost back-up with him.
Now we can talk about our leader, the Chrome Dome herself – Captain Phasma (JTL 10).
Her ping can certainly add up throughout the course of the game. Moreover, most opponents greatly underestimate the devastation she can cause once deployed to the ground arena. Deploying on 5 resources, she hits the field as a 4/6. But if she is joined by a copy of her Phasma unit companion, your leader can be buffed her to a 6/8. Or – in the dream scenario – you ECL in the Phasma unit to buff Leader Phasma twice (once for "When Played" and once again for the ambush "On Attack") to buff your leader to a whopping 8/10!
The damage piles on fast with this deck, and your opponents will never see it coming.
With the First Order looking pretty fierce, let’s take a look at how our favorite pink-haired planner plans to punish Phasma. (Alliteration is fun isn’t it?)
The Resistance
View deck on SWUDB.comAdmiral Holdo, We're Not Alone (JTL 7) allows us to buff our Resistance units whenever we want, which can be pretty sneaky down the road.
You can do some fun things with her buff, such as playing BB-8, Happy Beeps (JTL 145) as an upgrade after an initial buffed attack to give you the chance to ready and swing again with that buffed unit.
Our early game here is either Battlefield Marine (SOR 95) or a space unit in the new Black One, Straight At Them (JTL 147) or Resistance X-Wing (JTL 247), both of which get naturally buffed when upgraded/piloted.
With Admiral Holdo's ability being an optional ability instead of a burn ability, we don’t always need to play a Resistance unit early, but we do have a couple options here. The Dilapidated Ski Speeder (JTL 248) may have some damage on it coming into the fray, but paired with Biggs Darklighter, They'll Never Stop Us (JTL 150) we can turn that pain into gain, as others in the community have quickly figured out.
Snap Wexley, Resistance Recon Flier (JTL 98) allows us to search for Resistance units and fill our hand, giving us more options to dish out some pain. We can also get ahead with the help of our Poe Dameron units, both old and new. The new 4-cost Poe Dameron, One Hell of a Pilot (JTL 100) allows us to create a 2/2 X-Wing AND attach Poe either to it or another friendly un-piloted vehicle. Alternatively, we can always leave him on the ground as a 3/3. Old reliable aggression Poe Dameron, Quick to Improvise (SHD 153) remains our Swiss Army Knife. He allows us to deal damage, defeat upgrades, and/or attack the hand.
Buffed with our leader, we could swing Poe in for 8 or 10 (via his ability), play BB-8 as an upgrade, pay 2 resources, and ready Poe again, swinging for another 8-10 damage in one turn!
Another instance where our leader's buff ability can come in handy is the tactical heavy bomber (JTL 152), where, on attack, we can deal with indirect damage equal to that unit's power. So Holdo's ability could bump the direct damage from 3 to 5 and also the indirect damage from its On Attack ability from 3 to 5, resulting in 10 total damage from the attack.
Pair this with playing BB-8 or Koiogran Turn (JTL 179) to ready the unit again, and we can do 10 direct and 10 indirect damage in one turn!
Holdo has some real burst damage potential that is being underutilized right now. Her ability becomes free when she deploys on the 6-resource turn, allowing more devastating burst damage. Though the 3/8 statline may not be impressive, she has some great utility that can allow her units to swing for the fences.
Looking at our top end, we have our familiar staples of Wrecker, BOOM! (SHD 154) and Home One, Alliance Flagship (SOR 102), two units that can help us turn the tide.
Mace Windu, Party Crasher (SOR 149) fits in with our theme of readying and attacking with units multiple times in one phase. Our last new Resistance card, Raddus, Holdo's Final Command (JTL 104), also synergizes with Admiral Holdo well, as the Raddus gets sentinel automatically since we control a Resistance leader.
The Raddus slows down any space onslaught as a sentinel, but it also does additional damage once defeated, dealing damage equal to its power to another unit. Paired with Lightspeed Assault (JTL 127), this could be a large – and thematic! – swing to close out the game in style.
The War Rages On
The battle is heating up! Who will come out on top? Take a crack at these decks and see for yourself. Jump to Lightspeed has felt like a breath of fresh air, and personally, I am loving this set. I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am, and I hope you give these decks a whirl at your friendly local game store!
Until next time, may the force be with you!
Brian (ScuttlebuttGDP)
Golden Dice Podcast
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