“Go straight at ‘em. Don’t let these thugs scare you.”

– Poe Dameron, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The fires of war ignite the Spirit of Rebellion in warriors across the galaxy. Whether it’s the machinations of the Seperatist threat, the oppression of the Galactic Empire, or the tyranny of the First Order, there is always a need for heroes to stand up and fight against the evil that permeates the galaxy.

Today we’re looking at the soldiers and tacticians that make up the Red heroes faction in Spirit of Rebellion, the newest set of booster packs for Star Wars™: Destiny.

Maximum Firepower

A famous smuggler once said hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, and one look at Baze Malbus (Spirit of Rebellion, 26) tells you he lives by that philosophy. While his companion Chirrut Îmwe relies on his belief in the Force, Baze prefers the comfort of his blaster, and his abilities in Star Wars: Destiny reflect that. With three ranged symbols and a special ability that targets each of your opponent's characters for one damage, Baze on his own is a destructive force, especially if you pay for his eighteen-point elite version. With consistent ranged damage, Baze is the perfect target for Overkill (Spirit of Rebellion, 33), a new upgrade for Red Heroes that has four sides of modified ranged damage. Overkill is sure to help your heroes pack a punch, provided they are already an expert in the field like Baze.

Soldiers in galactic conflicts rely on their equipment to help lead them to victory, and nothing brings comfort quite like a Rocket Launcher (Spirit of Rebellion, 53) at your side. While every non-blank side on a rocket launcher costs a resource, the investment is well worth what you get out of it, with the potential for huge damage on three of its six sides. Additionally, a rocket launcher can completely remove an opponent’s vehicle from play with its special symbol.

Unsung Heroes

Of course, Red Heroes can also undertake more covert operations. A Rebel Commando (Spirit of Rebellion, 28), for example not only features ranged damage on two sides of their die, but also provides both a resource and discard symbol. The resource the Rebel Commando provides can be useful for their special ability, which allows you to remove one of your opponent’s die. While a Rebel Commando isn’t focused exclusively on damage, the disruption they provide is sure to give you the edge in battle.

Spirit of Rebellion continues the trend of introducing new non-unique characters like the Rebel Commando to help fill out your team, but also looks to extend the effectiveness of these characters in new and interesting ways. While on their own, these characters often play a support role, but with a little bit of Training (Spirit of Rebellion, 125), they can become heroes in their own right. Training allows one of your non-unique red characters to become elite, giving them a second die and allowing them to become much stronger than their point value would normally dictate. In the Rebel Commando’s case, their ability to lock your opponent’s die down suddenly becomes doubly effective, and that can make all the difference in Star Wars: Destiny.

Battle Tactics

Heroes aren't just born on the front lines, tacticians and strategists can determine the fate of the entire Galaxy from their war rooms and command ships, and no one exemplifies that more than Mon Mothma (Spirit of Rebellion, 27). The skilled politician may not be able to damage your opponents directly, but can make sure your allies have the ability to go on the offensive with two sides of her die providing resources, one providing shields, and two more showing focus symbols. Furthermore, any time you play an event, you may reroll a die that shares a color with that event. An Elite Baze Malbus with a plethora of ranged damage options supported by Mon Mothma and her focus symbols for 29 points total could make a devastating combination.

Of course, Red Heroes have plenty of support from outside sources, just look at helpful protocol droid C-3PO (Spirit of Rebellion, 30) , who can provide a supply, focus, or discard symbol. Even if you roll one of C-3P0’s two blank sides, you can remove them as an action to resolve another die however you would like, ensuring his die will always be useful. Especially if you also have Threepio's counterpart, R2-D2 (Spirit of Rebellion, 42) on the field. With no blank sides, R2-D2 can hit an opponent with melee damage, focus another die, disrupt an opponent’s resources, provide you a resource, or increase the value of another die and resolve it with his special ability. No matter what your team looks like, C-3PO and R2-D2 can provide the consistency and speed to lead you to victory.

Tacticians have the ability to see the battlefield as a whole, to understand the greater threats, and evaluate where they stand. A true strategist understands when it’s time to stand and fight, and when it’s time to order a retreat. If you’re staring down an imposing field, there’s no shame in ordering an Emergency Evacuation (Spirit of Rebellion, 90) to clear the field and provide you and your opponent a fresh start. Or perhaps your retreat can be turned into a tactical advantage—after all, timing is everything, and if you’ve used all your dice before your opponent, an emergency evacuation can ensure they have no chance to retaliate.

Bold Strategies

Red characters specialize in reaping multiple benefits from a single card, and that theme continues in Spirit of Rebellion. Costing your opponent a ranged damage die with Friendly Fire (Spirit of Rebellion, 91) not only lets you avoid damage, but deal it to an opponent’s character instead. Meanwhile, Planetary Uprising (Spirit of Rebellion, 97) expands the theme of Red characters thriving when you control the battlefield by damaging your opponent when you claim it. Red Heroes do whatever is necessary to get the job done, even if it means putting themselves at risk. Guerilla Warfare (Spirit of Rebellion, 92) lets you remove one of your red dice to put a single damage on a character. While this may seem minimal, turning a blank die into damage is a helpful turn of events, and the ambush keyword lets you take an additional action after you play the event, making Guerilla Warfare a quick and efficient card, especially if your opponent thinks you’re all out of tricks.

Plan Your Assault

Whether you're fighting endless ranks of battle droids or stormtroopers, the Red Heroes in Star Wars: Destiny will continue to make their stand in Spirit of Rebellion. But the pure damage of Baze Malbus and the commanding presence of Mon Mothma are only a few of the tricks these heroes have up their sleeves with Spirit of Rebellion; be sure join us next week for more previews!