Before I discuss the main topic, it’s important to note the specific rules surrounding command cards. Each player must have a Command deck composed of fifteen Command cards (no more and no less) with a total cost that does not exceed 15 points. All Command cards range between 0 and 3 points, with the idea that the 3-point cards are more powerful than the 0-point cards. In addition to the point cost, most Command cards also feature some kind of restriction on use – such as “Trooper” or “Han Solo.” These mean that the card can only be used with that unit.

During the game, acquisition of cards occurs in a few ways. First, each player draws three command cards at the start of the game. Then, at the end of every round (during the Status Phase), each player draws one Command card, AND an additional Command card for every terminal he or she controls. Note that the drawing of Command cards during the Status Phase happens before you resolve any end of round effects– therefore, any command cards drawn during the status phase that are resolved at the end of round can be played the same turn they are drawn.

Beyond that, there aren’t many other rules. Command cards in your hand are kept secret from your opponent. A player cannot play multiple copies of the same Command card at the same time. If there are no Command cards left in your Command deck you cannot draw Command cards. And, when a figure suffers strain, it suffers damage equal to the strain, BUT that player may prevent that damage “by discarding one Command card from the top of his deck” for each damage he wishes to prevent.

There is still a lot of ambiguity surrounding Command card timing (like when do I have to play a Command card that modifies an attack or defense roll?) and it’s not clear to me if your opponent gets to have full knowledge of your Command deck before a game starts – but overall the rules are pretty simple.

Command Deck Building Basics

I want to get one thing out of the way – I can’t tell you how to build a specific Command deck in this article. Command cards are always dependent on the deployment cards you run and on your play style. As more deployment and Command cards are released, the cards that are “indispensable” will be less obvious. Therefore, I want to share the tools I use when building a Command deck – assuming nothing is a given. Instead, we are going to assess and evaluate based on the conditions necessary to play a card and the value we get from that card if those conditions are satisfied. I admit that this is a high-level approach to describing the process, but it’s meant to be. Detailed rules and restrictions based on the current meta or even my current beliefs aren’t going to serve you if a new meta or list archetype emerges. We need to be able to analyze the strategy of our list and build a Command deck that serves that strategy. Anything less will be suboptimal in competitive games.