Editor’s Note: This is a guest report from EdgySithLord who has been tearing up the north east regional season. You can also check out his Top 4 MD Regional write-up here. We’re very happy to bring you his NJ Winning Regional Report!

2019 NJ Regional Winner Report

Highlander Games in Boonton, New Jersey held the largest regional of this season with a whopping 78 players on February 16th. Big thanks to owner Scott and TO Dan, aka Lawlor, for hosting such a great event, the Golden Dice guys for streaming, and ABG’s Drew for the live commentary. Prizes were given away between rounds and store credit was awarded to top players which is phenomenal. This is the 3rd regional I’ve had the pleasure of playing in. I was thrilled to go all the way and win the event after falling short in CT and MD, to ABG’s own Dave Caruana. I traveled to the event with my team, Syndicate 10, from Northeastern PA. The name is represented through the number of players in our playgroup, Austin, Bill, Mike, Ben, Tyler, Jeff, Joe, Noah, John, and me. Our group has a great competitive mindset, and I feel it has made me a better player as a whole.

I stuck with my main man, Darth Vader. We go way back to the end of Awakenings, when I was just getting into the game and was on Vader/Raider. I’ve since then played some form of Vader at large competitive events, bringing Vader/Guard to Worlds and finishing 3-3 in swiss. I fell in love with this new Vader (heart shaped tin tells it all.) He’s a monster and pairs well with yellow with cards like Friends in High Places and Bait and Switch. After testing a bunch with Greedo and Bazine, I stuck with Greedo. Here is the list that I ran in NJ:

Everything is pretty standard, although I am running fewer weapons than most. Prized Possession continues to shine in the deck and I am sad to see it go with rotation. Taking a Vader die in the mirror is huge and almost always feels like an auto-win. I’ve taken dice from characters like Dooku, Snoke, and Beckett. It’s always felt worth it. My favorite play is to overwrite the possession with a big weapon once that character dies. I dropped an Ancient Lightsaber and a Maul’s Lightsaber from my other list for two Hidden Motives, just for some more removal options. I also added a second Fear and Dead Men due to the rise in 3-wide lists. At Odds and Mediation Chamber exist to give me a round or two extra against Mill. I’m excited to explore new options with Vader as the set rotation falls upon us.

I’d like to briefly cover each round here:

Round 1 – Shay – EVader/Greedo

I remember briefly chatting with Shay at the MD regional and seeing him a lot at the top tables. He’s a really cool guy! He dropped a Grappling Boa turn 1, which put a lot of pressure on my hand with Vader’s Power Action. I was worried about multiple removal early, but he didn’t see it. I put something like 8 or 9 damage into his Vader turn 1. He was setting up for a Rise Again, so I needed to put Vader down fast. I used a force speed special to reroll and luckily hit lethal to finish Vader on the second turn before he could play it. This was super lucky for me.

Win 1-0

Round 2 – Erik – ETarkin/ESnoke

He saw very few upgrades early on but hit me with the four discard from a Snoke Power Action. I put a good amount of damage into Tarkin turn one, which allowed me to kill him turn two. With one upgrade on Snoke, he scooped to me at the beginning of the third turn. I was very fortunate this game.

Win 2-0

Round 3 -???? – EYoda/ELeia2 Taking Ground

Unfortunately, I don’t remember my opponent’s name, but he was a great guy! I played an Ancient Lightsaber and Force Speed turn 1. I didn’t do a whole lot of damage this turn if I recall. He hit a Commando Raid for three cards on the second turn which hurt. Luckily, I rolled pretty hot which allowed me to spike Leia with a force strike at the beginning of the next turn. From here on out, I had to kill Yoda with a Force meditation and Force Jump. I was able to eat through an illusion and finish him off with around six cards in deck and four left in hand. I rolled pretty well this game, which caused him to mainly take resources off his Yoda specials, relieving some pressure off my deck.

Win 3-0

Round 4 – Edwin – ETarkin/ESnoke (Stream Game)

The current World Champion and ABG’s own Edwin Chen. He is such an outstanding player and great guy to play against. He gets a good Probe against me turn 1, taking a FIHP and a Fear and Dead Men. I forego my ramp by using Bait and Switch into my second Fear and Dead Men to put 8 damage on the board. He ramps pretty hard with a Sith Holocron and a Handheld LS-1 Cannon, as well as doing 11 damage back to me. Turn 2 Edwin starts by rolling matching sides on Tarkin which forces a Force Illusion out of my hand. I then play an Ancient Lightsaber. I was trying to avoid the Anger play, but I am forced to roll in. I roll some big damage with a +3 on the Ancient die. He plays Beguile and the Ancient rerolls into the +3 again, but he blanks and mitigates a Vader die. After using Vader’s Power Action, Edwin misses with a hidden motive, then plays Imposing Presence. I take my last reroll and am able to put 5 into Tarkin this turn luckily. He does 11 damage again this turn, with four being taken into my Force Illusion. I roll Vader in to start turn 3 and hit a natural 7 damage. Edwin rolls in Tarkin who is sitting with 1 health left and hits matching sides. I play FIHP for a Vader’s Fist and roll into three indirect. Edwin uses Tarkin’s Power Action to deal 4, and I proceed to put down Tarkin and take Snoke to three health remaining. He doesn’t have any mitigation for the indirect and I finish Snoke off. Super fortunate roll for me leads to a Vader’s Fist and enough damage to kill both characters. Well played by Edwin!

Win 4-0

Round 5 – Tony – ETarkin/ESnoke

I started early with a Vader’s saber and put some quick damage into Tarkin. He didn’t see any upgrades turn 1 other than a Force Push which he later played. Turn two I played a FIHP for a Prized Possession to take a Snoke two focus. I finished Tarkin with a Force Strike and from here finished Snoke. I put a lot of pressure on him early, so he wasn’t able to utilize Tarkin’s Power Action at all.

Win 5-0

Round 6 – Anthony – EVader/Greedo (Stream Game)

Also know as “Frenchie”, Anthony was my most fun match of the day. We essentially just joked around and had a good time, despite both of us being 5-0. I start with Theed, which lets me play my Vader’s saber turn 1. He rolls into four damage on Vader and then a reroll nets him into 8. He only resolves one of the fours, despite having the resources to play both. I had a big roll prior, so I am able to play FIHP for a Prized Possession on the die that he did not resolve. I finish Vader off the next turn after he puts some good damage into mine. He leaves my Vader with two health remaining, but with a full health Greedo, I am able to finish his off without the worry of dying to Greedo’s ability. Great game!

Win 6-0

Round 7 – Chris – EBeckett/ECiena Armored Reinforcement (Stream Game)

I drop an Ancient Lightsaber turn 1 and he gets the Firespray out and a mod. I do a total of one damage to Ciena, whereas he does four. I am able to ramp with a resource side on Vader and Theed. Turn two is where all the action happens. I hard play fist from hand and play The Price of Failure for some good damage, although he was mitigating well. With the last card in my hand being a Fear and Dead Men, I resolve a three-melee side to finish Ciena and put damage into Beckett. Fist gives me some shields and we go to the next round with Vader having 9 damage on him and some shields. He plays an Arc Caster and decides not to activate. I roll Vader out and hit a natural 11 damage with the Ancient Lightsaber. He plays partnership and is only able to resolve five damage to me, giving me the win.

Win 7-0

Round 8 – Jack – EYoda/Cassian/Anakin (Stream Game)

I was pretty excited for this one as Jack is a good friend from the Golden Dice Podcast, and I haven’t had the pleasure of playing against him since Worlds in 2018. I play a Force Speed and Vader’s Lightsaber turn one. I have Fear and Dead Men but am unable to play it due to great sequencing and mitigation on Jack’s part. I do zero damage turn 1, and he gets a good number of cards off me. Turn two I play an Ancient Lightsaber, but again, fall short on damage. Jack mitigates well, and I have really sub-optimal rolls. I sneak one measly damage onto Yoda as he puts the pressure on my deck. Turn three I play a Darksaber and roll decent but am met with a big Into the Garbage Chute. I resolve what damage I have for four damage into Yoda. Turn four I have no cards in deck and five in hand. I roll huge damage, but he plays a Mind Trick. Each pool results in a dead Yoda, so I was able to get the kill. He drops a Podracer and rips four cards from my hand. He chooses not to take a reroll with his last card, which is Beguile. He plays it the next turn when I roll decent and I am not able to finish. It was a rough loss, but I am glad it guaranteed Jack a spot in the Top 8!

Loss 7-1

Top 8 – Isaac – EVader/Bazine

I’ve watched Isaac play on stream before, so I know how great of a player he is. He had a profound turn one playing an Ancient Lightsaber, a FIHP for a Vader’s Fist, and a Mediation Chamber. He put a lot of pressure on me early, finishing my Greedo on the second turn to turn off The Price of Failure. I get a decent Rise Again off in the next round to Prized Possession a Vader Die, but his ramp is to much for me to handle, even after I play a Vader’s Fist of my own, and he takes Game 1.

In Game 2, more things seemed to go my way. My ramp got going early with a Force Speed and a Vader’s Lightsaber. I then played a FIHP for a Darksaber and put 7 damage into his Vader. Turn 2, he mitigates my Darksaber and I put some more damage into Vader, leaving him with 3 health remaining. I overwrite the Darksaber with a Prized Possession to keep myself ahead. I finish his Vader turn 3 and then play Bait and Switch the following round for the win.

We both started with Ancient Lightsabers in Game 3. A good amount of damage was dealt on both sides and he finishes my Greedo. He plays a FIHP for a Dagger of Mortis as well, so he had really good ramp here. I’m forced to play defensively on the next turn, using a Force Illusion to soak a good amount of damage. He puts 7 damage into me and his Vader is left with 7 health remaining. This turn seals the deal. I play a Darksaber, then roll into a ton of damage. I play FIHP for a Vader’s Fist and finish off his Vader and put 3 damage into Bazine. He does play a Vader’s Fist the next turn, but I am able to Bait and Switch to finish Bazine before he can get going. Thanks for the great games Isaac!

Win: 2-1

Top 4 – Edwin – ETarkin/ESnoke

I want to start by saying my Vader hates Edwin. I don’t know why, but he just does. I’m not sure Edwin was able to hit a single Hidden Motive call out of any of the games we played, which had me feeling a little salty for him. I open with a Force Illusion and Ancient Lightsaber Game 1. Edwin slaps down a few upgrades and goes to work with his indirect damage. He gets a good Force Speed into Anger play to resolve 4 damage against myself. I take 3 resources hoping to play Rise Again the next round seeing some weapons in my discard from the Force Illusion. Turn 2 I play Rise Again for a Vader’s Saber and put some good damage into Tarkin. He play’s Vader’s Fist and puts the pressure on. I soak more indirect into Greedo and play The Price of Failure, allowing me to finish Tarkin. Turn 3 I roll out Vader, put a good amount of damage into Snoke, then finish him with a Force Strike. Edwin played great, but missed both of his Hidden Motive calls, which put him behind unfortunately.

Game 2 Edwin gets good ramp with some zero cost upgrades and a Hand Cannon. I do some damage to Tarkin and take resources to play a Vader’s Lightsaber. He read me like an open book and focused to the two discard with three cards left in hand. Having soaked some indirect into Greedo, I play The Price of Failure, doing 2 indirect damage onto Snoke. He takes both my cards and I roll into a natural nine damage, finishing Snoke turn 1. Turn 2 I am able to finish Tarkin with a Force Strike after eating through a Force Illusion. I was fortunate to roll great both games and to not have Edwin hit a single Hidden Motive call is unbelievable, when he has about a 67 percent chance to hit on Vader’s Lightsaber. He played every game perfectly and it was easy to see how he made Top 4. Thanks for the awesome games Edwin!

Win 2-0

Top 2 – Tyler – EBeckett/ETalzin Profitable Connections

Tyler beat both Jack and Mike Gemme from the Hyperloops on 3-wide mill to make it here. He is hands down the best Beckett/Talzin player I have seen as he plays very critically. I get Theed to start but don’t draw any upgrades early. I do a measly three damage to Talzin and he plays a Vader’s Fist. He puts 6 damage into Vader and takes some shields. Turn 2 I roll into a four-melee side and he plays Truce, then Reversal to throw it back at me. I use Vader’s Power Action. I play a Force Illusion as Vader only has 5 health left. I want to use the Illusion to put an upgrade in my discard pile for Rise Again, but I don’t see any. I play Rise Again for the Force Illusion to stay on the defensive. I then reroll into double 4s and I am able to quickly finish Talzin and put some damage into Beckett with Greedo. Next turn I play a Darksaber and use it for 3 discard. I then overwrite with a Prized Possession to take a Beckett die. I play a Force Illusion to ensure I don’t lose Vader this turn. Turn 4 I play a Vader’s Saber and roll in. I hit 6 damage and he plays Overconfidence. It’s Spot Blue, so the action passes to me and I finish Beckett for the win.

Game 2 he drops a Beckett’s rifle early. I play a force speed and put 5 damage into Beckett with Vader and 2 damage with Greedo. He rolls pretty well and puts 5 damage into Vader. Turn 2 I play a Vader’s Saber and roll decent. He takes a Vader die and I Power Action back in showing 9 damage with a Force Speed focus. He plays a Force Illusion and heals Beckett with Witch Magick, which forces me to one shot Talzin. He puts Vader to 10 damage. Turn 3 I roll some crazy modifiers on my Ancient Lightsaber that came down and Vader’s Saber. He mitigates a die and I roll back into a base damage side, then Bait and Switch to split the damage into a pool of six and seven damage. He isn’t able to Force Illusion the damage and I finish Beckett. Tyler played great and was super fun to play against.

Win 2-0

I did it! The last regional of the season and it feels great to take it home. Big thanks everyone for making it a fun and successful day! Huge thank you to the Arrow Brook Gaming guys for giving me the opportunity to do a full write-up.

If you aren’t already, I would highly recommend checking out ABG’s Patreon. They post exclusive testing videos and deck techs and are very active. I am in the Tester tier as its worth every penny!



– “EdgySithLord”

