July 3, 2019

New toys are fun. We all have a tendency to want to play with the latest and greatest, and Star Wars: Destiny players are no different. Spark of Hope is about to shake up the meta, and over the next month or two leading to Gencon/Nova, I expect we will see a lot of new deck archetypes emerge – decks like high powered hero support decks fueled by C-3P0 and R2-D2, a new big/little deck with Maul and First Order Stormtrooper or another partner, a new crippling control deck with Thrawn, or even a thematic pairing like Kylo and Rey using the Temporary Truce plot, to name a few possibilities. It could even be Ewoks (Please don’t let it be Ewoks).

One thing I learned growing up though is not to abandon your old friends for a new one, or to neglect an older dog because there’s a new puppy in the house. The same is true with Star Wars: Destiny, as with other competitive card games – just because new cards come out that enable new combos, decks, or even archetypes, doesn’t mean the old decks lose all value; integrating a few key cards into an old deck can often allow it to continue to thrive in a new meta.

With that in mind, I’m going to share a few decks from this past metagame and look at some new additions that might keep them relevant, or at least make them stronger versions of themselves.

CAPTAIN PHASMA/SENTINEL MESSENGER/RETRIBUTION

Featured above is the list that Sarah Evans took to second place in The United Kingdom Grand Championships. The core of the list is clearly very powerful – we are all well aware of the destructive power of expensive supports like Vader’s Fist and Megablaster Troopers, and they are made even more dangerous with trooper-based synergy cards like Measure of Measure, Imperial Officer and Captain Phasma herself. On top of that, the list packs a ton of the zero cost removal available to villains we all love (or hate) and Riot Shields that are extremely efficient at keeping the deck’s heavy-hitting character alive. Anyone can see why this deck is very good at what it does and was the standard bearer for a two-wide aggro list last meta, especially following the nerf to Force Storm that lead to the demise of Palpatine.

Beyond the core of the deck, however, there are some clear tech choices – cards like vigilance, senate chamber, and even some of the event package are up for debate. So now the question is – what from Spark of Hope could fit in and potentially make the deck stronger?

AT-RT, Spark of Hope’s trooper-synergy support, jumps out immediately.

While I’m not entirely sold this makes the cut, it can definitely give a ton of value over the course of the game if you get it out early enough, as it can modify virtually any of the dice the deck runs. Looking at the list above, it’s certainly a consideration to potentially replace Senate Chamber or perhaps Vigilance, a very meta specific card.

Another option to consider for the Vigilance slot is Separatist Embargo.

Separatist Embargo is similar to Vigilance in that it’s a card to tech against what your opponent is trying to do – and while they are different in their effects, I’d argue that against the spread that Separatist Embargo is a superior “opponent hate” card. It doesn’t rely on your opponents having focus or focus effects but instead targets their key cards – and last I checked, all decks are built around cards!

Finally, I want to look at Counterintelligence as a potential slot in, possibly in place of Probe.

Counterintelligence, like Separatist Embargo, is a consideration for inclusion in any red deck. Compared to Probe, it does have a few drawbacks. You have to spot a leader, you will only get one card, not potentially two, and your opponent will get it back next turn. However, Counterintelligence also gives hand knowledge, lets you control which event you remove from their hand – and if they have one, you’re guaranteed one. Beyond that, putting a card back on top of their deck isn’t always going to be a bad thing as you can play around it next round, find a way to turn it off (e.g. kill a character they need to spot), or, at the very least, potentially slow them down from getting to other key cards they need. It likely competes with probe for a slot in this deck, but its a strong contender and one I think I would take.

DR. APHRA (AND HER VARIOUS ASSORTMENT OF FRIENDS)







Shown above is the Aphra deck I have been using lately (which I am partial to), but there are multiple ways to build her – not just in terms of the deck, but different character options including various combinations of General Grievous, Battle Droids, Sentinel Messengers, and others. However, they all operate on similar principles – play droids efficiently with Aphra and rain down indirect damage while taking advantage of synergistic effects, such as those featured on 0-0-0 or Aphra herself. Aphra and her robot cohorts have been one of the most powerful cores to build a deck around since Way of the Force – so what do you get the girl who has everything?

Well, what if you got her something that lets her take away other people’s things? This card is insane, and should probably be included in any yellow villain deck. At zero cost, it can answer any support. Vader’s Fist got you blue? Gone. Entourage bullying you? Gone . You’re sitting down for a mirror match and their 0-0-0 hit the table before yours did? No problem, gone. While it does come at the price of taking indirect damage to yourself, you will typically prevent far more damage by removing supports that deserve to be targeted – and, specifically in Aphra, you can often take advantage of dealing yourself indirect damage, or at least be equipped to soak it with large health pools and bubble shields.

Aphra lists tend to be pretty tight, but this is a card worth making a slot or two for.

Design clearly created this card with Aphra decks in mind. It is one of a handful of Droid Mods added to the game by Spark of Hope, and the only villain exclusive one. At just one cost, it can add a lot of damage to a droid if it gets to roll out over multiple rounds. I’m not quite sure I’d find room for it in my list, but it is efficient for its cost, and given how many droids Aphra decks run its unlikely to wind up in your hand without a target. Droid mods also modify droid characters as well, so in a version involving Sentinel Messenger or battle droids this will have a target even round 1 if you whiff on drawing any droid supports.

Speaking of droid supports, here’s a new one! With three damage sides, no blanks, and a play effect that can remove dice that make the entourage engine work, this garners a look – especialy if you can play it out for just one resource utilizing Aphra. I don’t know that it ever makes it in the final 30 cards, but it is definitely a card that fits the general strategy of an Aphra droid deck.

HERO RAINBOW MILL



This list went 5-1 at the Seattle Galactic Qualifier. It includes meta call tech choices like Block and Dodge as well as standard mill cards like resistance ring and bartering. Notably, it’s missing Field Medic or First Aid (which are prime targets for Resistance Ring), but it did pretty well at the tournament it was played at nonetheless.

Another card the deck features is Anakin Skywalker’s Podracer, a card that has been staple of rainbow mill since the card was released. The podracer already was a very powerful card for the deck, and it just got stronger.

Hyperspace Jump is back! Granted, it is renamed and slightly less powerful – it now requires you to spot a vehicle and no longer allows you to switch the battlefield. Still, this card does what mill needs it to do, which is end the round, often times to immediately win the game once you’ve milled your opponent out of cards. This is the type of card that would make it worth adding a non-syngeristic vehicle into mill – the fact that mill already runs Anakin Skywalker’s Vehicle is just icing on the cake.

I think this is likely all that hero mill gets this expansion, but its a pretty big gift.

PALPATINE/WAT

The list above is another of mine – and it turns out that the aforementioned rumors of Palpatine’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Yes, Force Storm was nerfed – but the reason Palpatine needed a card like Force Storm that could win the game round one or round two was because he lacked cheap abilities to get his health built up to reliably survive to the late game.

That has changed.

Mastermind isn’t exactly a power house in this deck. but for one cost it will get you one health, additional focus sides, hand knowledge, and at worst provide a one cost discount when you overwrite it later in the game.

The Niman cards, on the other hands, reveal the true power of the Dark Side. Not only are they both affordable at one cost or two cost, but they add damage, both in terms of their direct damage sides and more importantly, via their specials – both of which can be used to turn Force Storm to a special! Thank the Maker that Force Storm got nerfed, because it would truly be out of control otherwise.

In the list above, I would change out Soresu Mastery and likely the Force Lifts for the Niman cards, and probably cut It Binds all Things for the Masterminds.

Palpatine decks could also include Admiral to great effect. By demoting him from Emperor to Admiral, he shall become more powerful than you can ever imagine when he gets the option to reset himself and all of his unlimited power. Aside from having great sides and no blanks, this card is an upgrade, so it can also be turned to the special sides by Niman Training or Niman Mastery.

You are in Command Now could also be included along with Admiral, as it discounts it. Perhaps more importantly, this event lets you play Admiral out of the discard pile. Admiral is card you want to play once Palpatine is already built up to take full advantage of the reset(s) it can give. Draw it early? Not a problem. You can always pitch it and fish it back out later via this zero (or really, -1) cost event.

I’m as excited as everyone else to try completely new decks, but regardless of what Kylo Ren advises, I am not quite ready to let the past die.

WRITTEN BY:

MOOPHISTO







