As gamers ease into Star Wars Unlimited, Fantasy Flight Games post these Featured Decks, gathering the most devastating characters into play decks and this one compiled by Game Designer John Leo lays down the evil Emperor.
Do you enjoy a deck with a plan? No one has bigger plans than the ruler of the galaxy himself, Emperor Palpatine. The idea behind a control deck is generally to survive into the late game with “removal” cards, which defeat opponents’ best attackers or make them less effective. Vanquish and Takedown are both great for this purpose, but one of the most fun cards in the deck is Entrenched. We don’t mind playing it on an opponent’s unit, because that means the opponent has to attack our units instead of the base! By the time they clear through our cheap Sentinel units like Emperor’s Royal Guard and Cloud City Wing Guard, we have played a copy or two of Resupply, and defeated a couple of Superlaser Technicians, all to feed the Emperor’s desire for resources.
By the midgame, we should be well ahead of our opponent in terms of resources and cards in hand, thanks to Emperor Palpatine’s ability to defeat friendly units to draw cards. However, our opponent will likely be ahead “on board,” as they play cheaper units in an attempt to get past our defenses. With any luck, they’ll have deployed their leader and think they have the game in hand. That’s when you hit them with a Superlaser Blast. Delete every unit from every arena. It doesn’t matter if they have Shields, it doesn’t matter if they beg for mercy. It’s time for a fresh start for the galaxy; and if you have enough resources to play Superlaser Blast, that means you also have enough resources to deploy Emperor Palpatine himself. If you’re careful, you can even line up a powerful new ally by stealing an opponent’s damaged unit with the Emperor’s When Deployed ability. Maybe there’s some merit to letting that powerful enemy unit live…just long enough for them to become your servant!
If you have survived long enough to play a Superlaser Blast, then it’s time to close out the game. Even outside of Palpatine’s unit side and any new “friends” he might have made along the way, you also have powerful finisher units to multiply your advantage. Expensive, powerful units like Count Dooku and Avenger are a great way to make sure your opponent never claws their way back into the game as you tear through their base and any smaller units that may try to get in your way.
This deck has terrific odds against any deck that tries to win in the midgame by playing powerful, on-curve units. You simply answer them one-for-one until you reach eight resources, then deploy Palpatine and make their best unit your own! A control “mirror match” with this deck can be trickier, as it is sure to test your skill as both players maneuver for the endgame in a battle of wits.
- DIVE INTO THE GALAXY: Explore the Star Wars: Unlimited universe with the Spark of Rebellion Two-Player Starter Set.
- READY-TO-PLAY DECKS: Unbox two pre-built, ready-to-play decks—one featuring Luke Skywalker, the other featuring Darth Vader—for instant gaming excitement.
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- COMPLETE STARTER KIT: Includes tokens, poster playmats, and two deckboxes—a comprehensive package for new players.
- MASTER THE FORCE: Learn the game and embark on epic duels with iconic Star Wars characters.
