Star Wars Destiny had Force Speed. Keyforge had Bait & Switch. Netrunner had Account Siphon. Every game, no matter how balanced, has a boogeyman show up early in its lifespan.

Star Wars: Unlimited players seem to think they’ve found one in Overwhelming Barrage.

The buzz on this one is wild. The word “busted” gets thrown around. A member of this very outfit is regularly, unironically playing it off-color for 7 (chill out Tyler!). We’re not even halfway spoiled on the first set and I’ve heard several folks theorize that it’s going to get errata’d.

I once saw a guy Waylay a Death Star Stormtrooper trying to play around it.

Let’s all take a breather here, shall we? I’d like to explore an alternative perspective on Overwhelming Barrage. Before I get going into why I think the card is overhyped, let me make a few clarifications:

1. I don’t think OB is a bad card. It’s a very good card.
2. I think Villainy/Command is going to be totally fine. Especially now that Shoretrooper is spoiled, it’s really easy for me to see this color finding success in a variety of different builds.
3. The reason I’m even talking about this is that this topic – whether or not OB is too strong – leads to some cool game-theory that might be valuable to, well, you! If you’re interested in learning more about how you might approach deckbuilding and piloting in SWU, I hope this is worth your time no matter what your thoughts on OB are.

WHY OVERWHELMING BARRAGE WORKS

Overwhelming Barrage has three key strengths worth noting up front:

1. It’s a double dip on value- the +2/+2 both buffs the damage effect and the targeted unit’s subsequent attacks, counterattacks, and survivability.
2. It gets more efficient the bigger its target is, and Command likes to play big units anyway.
3. Damage is distributed as you see fit. This is a rare effect so far in SWU, and it gives you a much better chance to get maximum efficiency and tempo from a given play of OB.

The above factors are why Overwhelming Barrage has made such a splash. Some of the things it does just aren’t done by other removal cards right now. It’s interesting to think about why that might be, isn’t it…? More on that later.

For the moment, though, SWU is an active game that players can dip their toes in whenever they like. That means it’s prudent to talk about what we can do to not get blown out by OB right now.

WHY YOU CAN WIN AGAINST OVERWHELMING BARRAGE

In short, you can win because Overwhelming Barrage is an inherently telegraphed card in a game that is all about generating tactical advantage.

I’m not making any promises. Sometimes your early turns are rough and your opponent builds a board, draws multiple OB, and you never have a chance to regain tempo. I’m not necessarily talking about those games. In some games I think it’s reasonable to assume that other uses of 5 resources could potentially have left you in a rough state, too. Sometimes you lost way back on Turn 2 and OB was just the card that sent you the memo. Card games are fickle beasts.

But in a tight game, respecting OB and learning how to mitigate it can absolutely be the difference between a win and a loss. Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

1. Overwhelming Barrage should rarely catch you off guard.
   OB is a lot of things, but it’s not sneaky. It costs 5, it’s double color, and there has to be a unit on the field, preferably a large one. These aren’t earthshaking hoops to jump through, but they’re notable, and you can start thinking about them before you even mulligan. Adopting this mindset – that knowing it’s coming means it can only hurt you as much as you let it – is the biggest hurdle. Taking an OB to the chin isn’t an auto-loss. You have a lot of opportunities to stay ahead in the resource race in other ways.
2. Overwhelming Barrage scales with attack value.
   This means by prioritizing the (efficient) removal of high attack units, you can make playing OB a lot more painful. This isn’t always possible, but it can often be the difference in the decision to make a trade or hit the base. If they’re forced to play OB on just a regular guy it’s a much less appealing prospect.
3. Overwhelming Barrage isn’t cheap.
   OB can be an excellent value even at 5, but this is a fast game, and 5 resources is a lot. Beyond just telegraphing its timing, it is crucial to note that playing large enough units for OB to be backbreaking often doesn’t leave enough resources to OB the same turn. It’s a real catch-22 for the OB player and can have interesting implications for how to tempo your round and when you play removal. For example, if your opponent plops down AT-ST and has no resources left, you have some math to do based on the current board. Should you take initiative right now so you can cast removal at the top of the next round? Or is it better to stall and try to play your removal this round, after they’ve taken the initiative? There are lots of opportunities to be disruptive towards the highest impact OB lines of play.
4. Overwhelming Barrage usually gives you a resource and (sometimes) tempo advantage for the rest of the round.
   The most backbreaking usages of Overwhelming Barrage are usually at the top of the round. That means it presumably is hitting units that you played in previous rounds. While OB regularly punches up in terms of value, it can often be a tempo hit, as you likely still have all of your resources available the round that a high-value OB is played. Taking advantage of how OB constrains the rest of their round can be a good way to recover some lost value. If it goes the other way and they’re delaying playing OB, don’t feed it with a juicy fresh target- make sure you’re exhausting and using your existing board first.
5. Overwhelming Barrage without using the buff is, mathematically, worse.
   Your opponent just cast OB on Vader. He’s now a 7/10 monster and your board just got wiped. But hey- you’ve got Leia in hand to tap Vader. That play may seem obvious in the moment, but mentally it’s important to note the win. Exhaust effects really do a number on OB’s math. Without the attack buff connecting with something valuable, the card doesn’t look as efficient. Every color has ways to minimize the impact of that buff, and it’s important to find those cards and be ready to go with them on an OB turn.

I derive these points from my fundamental outlook on SWU- that at its core, it’s a game about getting more out of your resources than your opponent does. It’s a tug of war and the rope is math.

OB’s core weakness is that it has to play a certain kind of somewhat predictable game to take its own math from good to great. You can deal with that. Keeping your own math great and your opponent’s merely good is exactly the kind of approach it takes to win games of SWU.

INFINITE PATHS

Playing devil’s advocate with myself here for a moment, there’s a question I think is worth asking- whether all this yapping about how to play around OB is fundamentally incompatible with the assertion that it’s not a problematic card. If I have to think this much about a card, doesn’t that speak to its value?

It’s a good question, and the answer lies in unspoiled territory. OB is on an island right now in terms of what it asks players to do to minimize it.

I’m definitely curious whether OB’s singularity is a result of…
A. Us just not having seen its counterparts in other colors yet, or-
B. This kind of broad damage effect is intended to be a semi-unique color specialty for Villainy/Command.

If it’s the former, I imagine learning to minimize the impact of a given color’s premier removal options will be essential to success in SWU. If the latter, I think that says some interesting things about unit swarm and what kind of tools a ramp deck might need to rely on to compete with a bunch of little efficient guys.

How OB fits into the game at large is a really fascinating question and I’m excited to uncover more. For now, though, I think it doesn’t have to be a monster in your closet. With good piloting and a faithful deck, it can be beaten. You may even be surprised by how consistently you can do it. Check out 2 gameplay videos below where Tyler played Overwhelming Barrage TWICE and lost both games! (editor’s note: Tyler disapproves of this!)

May the (overwhelming?) Force be with you!