Recently, in a video explaining Sealed deckbuilding, I said the words “Resupply should never get played, ever, in anything”. Oh, how foolish I was in my younger days! It turns out that Resupply is actually, sometimes, exactly the thing you want and/or need. After listening to feedback from viewers and other members of the community (fun fact: Most members of the Star Wars: Unlimited community have not actually seen this video!), I have come to the conclusion that a mea culpa is necessary, and some specific cases where Resupply would be useful need to be addressed.
The examples below are not the be-all end-alls of Resupply usage. They may either be a be-all, or an end-all… but never both. Also, keep in mind that the game hasn’t even been released yet. I can’t stress this enough. We’ve had some exposure, but once the big brains in the local game groups and online get their hands on the cards, we are going to see some stuff we probably haven’t anticipated. It’s going to be great! Enough stalling… let’s see where I really pooched it.
The Why of Resupply #1 – Big Villain Leaders
Both Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor Palpatine: Galactic Ruler love their resources. Like, really love them. Coming out at 7 and 8 resources respectively, they require a lot of juice to hit the field. Aside from that point, Vader enjoys some expensive cards to take chunks out of his opponent, while Palpatine needs resources to pay for the many sacrificial… ahem, valued units that he likes to field.
For these Leaders, Resupply is just straight up gas to get from point A (the start) to point B (the field). Speeding up a slow Leader is one way Resupply is a fantastic use for this card. Expect most Palpatine and Vader decks to use two or three of this card.
The Why of Resupply #2 – All Hail the ECL
Energy Conversion Lab is one expensive card. It costs 5 HP to be able to play a unit that costs 6 or less from your hand, giving it Ambush. Resupply helps these decks because it allows a deck to get to 6 more quickly to get the most value from the 5 HP cost. Most 6 cost units are better than most 4 or 5 cost units. If I’m going to burn my Epic Action on Energy Conversion Lab, I want to do it with the best option possible.
It’s right in the name, really. For it to be a lab that converts energy, Energy Conversion Lab needs… ENERGY! I don’t know that you’ll always see Resupply in a deck using this base, but I would never be surprised to see two or three depending on the Leader.
The Why of Resupply #3 – Fuel for the Speedsters
From swoop racing to… podracing, the Star Wars universe loves speed. The Star Wars: Unlimited universe is no different. Entering the first meta of the first set in the first cycle, aggro is king. Nothing is more aggro than speed. Leaders like Leia Organa: Alliance General who like to go wide, those who like lots of Resources such as Boba Fett: Collecting the Bounty, and head honchos who like a little of both (i.e. Han Solo: Audacious Smuggler) can all get some use from Resupply.
Speedy Leaders are not hurt as badly by Resupply’s inherent flaw, which is the fact that it grinds your tempo to a halt. You are trading your rounds (or at least a huge chunk of it) for the privilege of getting to do something twice you normally only get to do once: Playing a resource. Faster decks will recover tempo much more quickly than a plodder.
Look, it’s okay to make mistakes. Learning what is good and admitting when you are wrong is a key to improving. Also, it makes for good content. Regardless of the purpose of this article, I have (re)learned a valuable lesson: Don’t dismiss a card, tactic, or unit out of hand. Give it a try. Put it in your deck. Swish it around in your mouth a bit to see how it tastes. If you don’t, you’ll end up saying something silly on a video to be etched into the granite walls of YouTube forever.
What cards have you been wrong about? Is there something that you know is good, but no one else will listen? Let us know, so we can share in your shame, or bask in your glory.
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