The purpose of this article isn’t to argue whether or not a banned list is necessary for Star Wars: Destiny. I am going to try and make the case that, if there were a banned list, Vader’s Fist should be at the top of that hypothetical list.

Vader’s Fist may be the single most impactful card every printed in Star Wars: Destiny. In addition, it may also be the most powerful. The ability to resolve the dice 3 times the turn it is played, and twice every subsequent turn it remains on the board gives an almost unmatched power level in the game today, and quite possibly ever. By very definition, there will always be a card in the game that owns the title of “Best Card in the Game”, but Vader’s Fist surpasses even that and I believe it should be the first card considered for potential removal from the Meta for the following reasons.

Reason #1: Its Power Level

As I mentioned above, Vader’s Fist has one of the highest damage impacts per turn of any card in the game. At this point, I am sure everyone reading has enjoyed the pleasure of having 3 damage after 3 damage resolved against them, all without costing the opponent any resources. This onslaught of damage puts a lot decks in a difficult position when facing down a Vader’s Fist.

Since Vader’s Fist is a support, it is able to be played at various points in the player’s turn. The dice can be very hard to efficiently mitigate and there are not many zero cost events that are capable of interacting with it. If you spent your resources ramping up your own game plan, or your opponent was able to disrupt your resources, you may not be able to interact with a single activation of Fist, let alone 2 or 3.

In my opinion, the power level of the card is through the roof and that is reason enough why FFG should consider removing Vader’s Fist from the game. A powerful support would almost certainly take its place as the go-to villain support, but it would not be as powerful or consistent as Vader’s Fist.

Reason #2: Its Impact

When I use the word ‘Impact”, I am referring to the ability of Vader’s Fist to dictate the outcome of the game all on its own. I am sure there may have been cards in the past, but no card in my recollection has ever been able to push a deck ahead so fast or allow a deck to come back in a hurry, like Vader’s Fist.

For example, eChopper/C-3PO/R2-D2/Fateful Companions was a very popular deck at last month’s World Championship. A turn one Vader’s Fist can absolutely de-rail the deck’s game plan. Fist can single-handedly eliminate a droid turn 1, and put the player way behind from the onset. Vader’s Fist can establish an almost insurmountable lead for the opponent when it is played on turn 1 or even turn 2.

Vader’s Fist also has the ability to allow a player to come back and win a game that was almost certainly lost. While I do think there should be some ability to make a huge comeback in Star Wars: Destiny, I do not believe it should be contained within one card. It should be comprised of multiple cards and strong play. Vader’s Fist puts the opponent in a situation where they are trying to win the game before it can be played. To me, this is an indicator of a disproportionate impact on the game.