One of the biggest surprises I’ve had with Star Wars has been how fantastic the show Star Wars Rebels ended up being. Like many, I assumed it would be a “kid’s show”, and I was very wrong. It’s been great seeing how many people have embraced the crew of the Ghost… including game designers. So seeing our favorite troublemakers show up in Star Wars: Unlimited has been welcome.
With the latest spoilers from the gentlemen at Wampa Radio (episode “Uniqueness, Supply Concerns & Big Surprises!“ https://youtu.be/pEplQWszQzY?si=2XAwcJnwTzNP3wkg), we now have eight cards with the Spectre keyword. Let’s take a quick look at each one.
Hera Syndulla – Spectre Two
Hera is the Leader you want for a Spectre deck. Her main ability allows all of the crew to be played in a single deck without any Aspect penalties, so she is literally designed to lead the crew. On her deployed side she grants an Experience Token to another unique unit on attack, so she’ll be giving +1/+1 to her friends each time she takes a swing. If you are interested in using the Spectres as a group, there is likely no better choice than Spectre Two.
Sabine Wren – Galvanized Revolutionary
As a Leader, Sabine Wren is not great for a Spectre deck. She will have to resign herself to merely being, possibly, the best overall Leader in the game. Her ability to throw damage on bases will put her opponents on a clock. Also, her relatively low threshold to hit the battlefield puts her among the fastest to do so. She can definitely enjoy the help of some of her teammates, but they will probably not be the focus of any deck in which she is sitting at the big chair.
Kanan Jarrus – Revealed Jedi
This beponytailed 4 / 5 Jedi can cause a lot of problems with the right setup. Even without his friends on the field he is dealing, healing, and milling. What makes him the likely lynchpin of most of these decks is the way this ability grows with each Spectre in play. At his best (or worst, depending on where you are sitting) Kanan can remove six cards from his opponent’s deck, likely healing three from his base. This is enough to make him a priority target when he’s in the Ground Arena.
Sabine Wren – Explosives Artist
This is the Sabine that we’re more likely to see in any Rebels-themed deck. Once again, we see the designers kept the theme in mind by basing her innate ability off of the number of aspects among friend units (three). She keeps her speed by dealing direct damage to either a unit or a base when attacking. Add in another fantastic piece of art, and this card will likely be included in many Heroic Aggression decks in general and certainly on teams featuring our crew.
Zeb Orrelios – Headstrong Warrior
This card could be called “Fives”… except, you know, that guy may show up later. Good Ol’ Zeb is another strong Aggression card with great survivability. With that high attack, he stands a real chance of taking out two units for the price of none. The caveat for this Lasat is that he must survive his attack to deal the additional damage, but that should be easy enough to engineer.
Chopper – Metal Menace
The new droid on the block, Chopper is a meme for good reason. He’s a fantastic value at 1 resource and, if he has any of his friends with him, he gains Raid 1. His On Attack ability continues that light mill theme by pitching a card from the defender’s deck. If it happens to be an event, all the better as it then also drains a resource. Watch out Boba and Jabba!
Ezra Bridger – Resourceful Troublemaker
Finally, we have Ezra Bridger. While he is arguably the weakest Spectre revealed so far, he’s far from useless. If he can complete an attack, he gives you a bit of tempo and/or card knowledge. Sometimes this is exactly what a player may need to catch up or pull ahead in a close game.
Spark of Rebellion
One last card with the Spectre keyword, and it’s a doozy. Spark of Rebellion (can we call it eponymous in this case, or would that be pretentious and wrong?) is a targeted discard letting you get a peek at your opponent’s hand then dumping one card. It’s very powerful and, at a cost of only 2, very affordable. This is another card I imagine would be used in any aspect-appropriate deck.
Honorable Mention
Agent Kallus – Seeking the Rebels
Whoa, hold up a moment. Sure, he’s not a Spectre member, but he is in the same aspect as Hera (Command). He is unique, so he can get her bonus Experience token when possible. And his ability can give you a card when one of your Spectres is zapped. I think Agent Kallus should be considered for inclusion if you are going Rebels Route.
There we have it. The characters from Star Wars Rebels have been well represented in many of Fantasy Flight Games’ past Star Wars projects, and SWU is no different. These cards offer a great synergy removing options from our opponent, dealing a little direct damage, and healing a little as an afterthought. And, true to the message of the show, they are stronger when working together. Will we see any more crew from the Ghost in this set before release? Either way, I’ll be slapping together a Spectre deck when Star Wars: Unlimited releases on March 8th!
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