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Conflicted Apprentice? It’s no wonder he’s conflicted. Poor Anakin. He so wants to be the hero, like we all do. But when we’re left with this decision, I am in no way surprised that he gave in to the dark side. When it comes to competitive play, we all do in the end.

I covered the issues with The Rivals box and draft as an entity last time out. My whinging took over though, and I ran out of column inches to actually discuss the cards themselves. It’s probably a good job really because Anakin is more annoying in his neutral cardboard form than he is in his Hayden Christensen cardboard actor form.

But let’s not jump the blaster. He will have his time in due course.

What are they offering us in this Rivals box and is it worth anything at all outside of draft? Well, we don’t know much yet and I’m going to do that irritating media thing where I try to evaluate new stuff without seeing the bigger picture. But it’s not like I have anything better to do. And neither do you otherwise you would have stopped reading this speculative nonsense some time ago. So…

We have a neutral character in all colours. And one in no colour which is a first. The yellow is Ketsu Onyo, a bit of a mixed damage mess in reality but probably solid in draft if you’re pushed that way. I’m not sure nine health for eleven cost is ever a good deal though. This lass is not sturdy, my friend.

Lobot has to be the least inspiring Destiny character I’ve seen. ‘Cyborg Aide’ he may be but the art work leaves me feeling like I’m playing a White House press secretary. He’s a firm utility player with a Luminaraesque special. And when was the last time you faced off against Luminara? That’s right. Never. He will still cost you ten points and still only offer nine health. He can gain Guardian if you control the battlefield. This may well be his redeeming feature if you draw no characters in your packs. Outside of draft, he is not priced to sell. You are not going to be excited to play this guy. He belongs in some weird, futuristic office, sorting tax returns.

Now the Jawa? Well that is an entirely different matter. This little utini squeaker is setting trends left, right and centre. He’s our first six cost character. He’s our first gray character. He is going to see play.

A bold statement, I know, but six points is a sweet spot if you’re wanting to round out your team and an extra body can go a long way. That said, this body is very small and very weak. Two blanks aren’t spectacular and a pay damage side is a tough sell. The little dude can also be blown away with a stiff breeze at only six health. But what exactly were you expecting for 6 points?

Ok. Deep breath. Anakin Skywalker, Conflicted Apprentice. This is your time. This guy is the pinnacle of the spoiler and, I predict, the pinnacle of the Rivals box. He is a low cost, solid beat stick to give you a little consistency in your draft deck. If you are going to be drafting, you will see a lot of Anakin’s moody visage scowling at you from the other side of the table. Nothing wrong with that. We need something to brighten the drafts if we open no characters and some generally anonymous masked strumpet (excuse my lack of canon knowledge. Who is she?) or old baldilocks with his headphones isn’t about to inspire us to get stuck in. Anakin is our saviour here.

But what absolutely grinds my gears when it comes to Anakin is that he perfectly illustrates the whole problem we have with heroes and villains in this game. And I cannot stand it.

Anakin represents everything that’s wrong with the hero/ villain divide in the game and it couldn’t be any clearer how FFG feels about it. He is the Rosetta Stone that translates the division between these two factions and exactly why heroes always come out at a disadvantage. Don’t get me wrong, the developers have made this very clear as we have gone along and the release of the A280 in EAW showed exactly what the hero mirror image of the villain F11D looks like. It looks like a steaming turd.

But in case it wasn’t clear, Anakin spells out what we all suspected and generally feared; somebody very important thinks that shields are just as good as damage. And this mentality has to end.

Nobody who plays this game thinks this is true. Nobody. And I can prove it with ease. If Anakin had five die sides showing 2 melee damage, would he be more or less playable than a character with five sides showing 2 shields? Nobody wants shields over damage.

Essentially this comes down to one simple rule: damage is always relevant, shields are not.

‘Oh but they are, old chap,’ you may well cry. ‘Qui Gon makes shields very relevant. And what about riposte?’ Of course, shields are sometimes relevant but their value is situational. Very situational. And they only really start to count when you can use them for damage! Why not just have damage?

In draft, it’s unlikely that shields are going to be useful for anything other than preventing damage. That said, you aren’t likely to be squaring off against many vibroknives in a draft so they will do some work. But you can still only throw three on any given character. There is a very low ceiling for this ability in hero. Is there a cap on the damage you can do? Of course not. Not until you bloody win!

We know how shields work in constructed. Every set we hope that they will feature as a reliable route to tier 1 victory but it never emerges. Anakin is not that route. His special is the same as the A280 but you have to ditch a card to get it. You aren’t going to want that in constructed. Especially when you have a hand of cards that you actually want instead of the guff you just got passed in a draft circle.

So what can be done about this thematic nonsense that plagues us? The idea that heroes must be about protection and villains must focus on destruction? I’ve heard suggestions regarding healing rather than shielding and I think that is a legitimate improvement. It does make the abilities more effective when shields are so easily negated. But still, healing is a reactive step. It always keeps you on the back foot. You can’t win a game by healing, you win the game through damage, pure and simple. Villains are well equipped to destroy your hand, destroy your resources, destroy your deck and destroy your characters. Heroes don’t do any of these things nearly as effectively and as a consequence, they don’t win games as effectively.

So yes, I hate Anakin. Not because of his snively, morose appearance, but because he is so much better as a villain than a hero. It’s no wonder he went to the dark side, who can blame him? Everyone else has. Just look at Nationals.

Written by Tim Meads

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