Where the Jet Troopers were a no-brainer for me, I am most conflicted about the Royal Guards for quite a few reasons. First, since the FAQ where their abilities were slightly reworked, I think Royal Guards are in a bad place relative to other units in their point range. I don’t think they are over-costed (at 7 I think they would be a steal), but at the same time, at 8 points they make up a significant amount of my total points without offering the ability to close out a game (my opinion). Moreover, they’re competing with Captain Terror, the Grand Inquisitor, Elite Storm Troopers, and the like in the 7 to 10 point range, and arguably those units are better to varying degrees.

All that said, I’ve decided to include them in my list because they are high health units with good speed and possess some useful abilities that complement the rest of my squad. As already discussed, they provide a free block that adds survivability to the Jet Troopers. Moreover, if a Jet Trooper happens to fall, they are rewarded with a free focus – not bad in my opinion. At 5 speed, the Royal Guards also have a decent amount of objective-control potential. With command cards like Urgency and Fleet Footed, the Royal Guards can move and claim an objective from locations that may surprise your opponent. Finally, it never hurts to have a stun available with Banthas and Rancors running around. I think the Royal Guards have a lot of potential, but if my lack of experience hurts me anywhere, it will be with these units.