“Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side.”

–Emperor Palpatine, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Over millennia of galactic history, the Jedi and the Sith have battled each other. The Jedi stand for noble, self-sacrificial virtues: knowledge, defense, and peace. The Sith seek only personal power. Now, countless years of struggle have come to their conclusion in one confrontation: Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi Knight, standing alone against the Dark Lords of the Sith aboard the second Death Star. Determine the outcome of this eons-old struggle with Redemption and Return, a new Force Pack that will be available on July 7th at your local United States retailer.

Advance to the explosive conclusion of the Endor cycle for Star Wars™: The Card Game with Redemption and Return. Like the other expansions in this cycle, you’ll find new mission cards that invite you to choose your own targets, rather than simply attacking the objectives your opponent has chosen. Plenty of new fate cards give you ways to interact with missions and ground the entire cycle on the planet of Endor by focusing on the Endor trait. Finally, this expansion focuses specifically on the conflict between Luke Skywalker and the Sith at the climax of Return of the Jedi. With new versions of Luke Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine, you’ll be able to reenact the duel from the movie or create your own stories in every game.

Join Me

The original version of Emperor Palpatine (Core Set, 51) has been a staple for Sith decks since the game’s inception, offering a well-rounded objective set with an emphasis on control through events and tactics icons. Now, the Redemption and Return Force Pack introduces a new objective set with Emperor Palpatine that focuses, instead, on launching a powerful offensive against your opponent.

The set opens with a new version of Emperor Palpatine (Redemption and Return, 1046) as he appeared at the climax of Return of the Jedi. Here, Emperor Palpatine isn’t a schemer, plotting the demise of the Rebel Alliance from the shadows. Instead, he is the ruler of a galaxy-spanning empire, utterly assured of his own victory and eager to destroy those who stand in his way.

You’ll instantly notice that the new version of Emperor Palpatine features a different array of combat icons and a higher damage capacity, making it much easier to commit him to an attack. What’s more, Emperor Palpatine’s ability keys off of destroying your opponent’s objectives: after an enemy objective is destroyed, you can take control of an enemy unit with three or fewer printed Force icons. Obviously, this ability won’t trigger many times in a single game, but even a single usage can be devastating. Imagine the possibilities of taking control of Luke Skywalker (Core Set, 92) in the middle of your conflict phase! By simultaneously depriving your opponent of a key character and gaining him for your own side, you can turn the tide of an entire game in your favor.

If you’re launching regular attacks against light side objectives, you can also benefit from the Secret Objective (Redemption and Return, 919) fate card. By allowing you to switch your engaged objective at a moment’s notice, Secret Objective forces your opponent to defend each engagement as if it targets his weakest objective. In many cases, he won’t have enough forces to defend all of your attacks, allowing some of your units to slip through and reach their target.

Of course, you don’t need to simply attack the objectives your opponent has chosen—with the release of the Endor cycle, you receive an assortment of mission cards that you play as objectives under your opponent’s control. Many mission cards offer powerful rewards when they are completed, and Lure of the Dark Side (Redemption and Return, 1048) is no exception. As soon as this mission is completed, you can take control of any target unit with four or fewer Force icons—in other words, almost every powerful light side unit in the game. If you can complete this mission while you have Emperor Palpatine in play, you’ll steal two of your opponent’s units, almost certainly sealing the game in your favor.

And naturally, while you're focusing on your missions, you'll want to enlist the aid of the Imperial Security Bureau. With the help of an ISB Officer (Redemption and Return, 1047), you can complete your attack on Lure of the Dark Side or another mission and complete your assault with flying colors.

The dark side can pursue decks with more offensive capabilities, but they must never forget that their ultimate goal is to hold out against the light side attacks. For the dark side, attacking is a luxury, not a necessity. Therefore, this objective set offers two cards to keep your defenses strong, even as you plan your future attacks.

First, you’ll find another copy of the Emperor's Royal Guard (Redemption and Return, 52). This unit simply bears the protect Character keyword, but its efficiency and defensive power make it an excellent unit to guard your other units. What’s more, the objective of this set— The Emperor's Promise (Redemption and Return, 1045)—punishes your opponent for declaring multiple engagements. The Emperor’s Promise reads, “Reaction: After an opponent declares an engagement against an objective not named The Emperor’s Promise, deal 1 damage to a target enemy objective.” If your enemy can’t destroy this objective in a single attack, he’ll have to choose between forgoing additional attacks or allowing you to damage his objectives and fuel your military machine!

Our Moment of Triumph

The dark side’s power has grown strong as Luke Skywalker is led into the Emperor’s throne room. Will Luke be able to rise above temptation and fear to defeat the Sith? Or will he be corrupted and fall to darkness, ushering in a new era of despair for the galaxy? You decide the answer with the stories you tell through Star Wars: The Card Game!

Prepare to pick up your copy of Redemption and Return at your local retailer next week.