On some cards, the value is obvious at first glance. Vader. Luke. Sabine. But not all are that way. Some take a little marination, testing and exploration to reveal their potential. Below are six cards we have our eye on at the GarbageRollers. These are cards that didn’t get a lot of buzz on reveal, but that we think could make a splash in the Set 1 meta.

Tyler’s Picks

Frontline Shuttle – She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts. The stats here are almost irrelevant, what matters is the ability to get multiple attacks out of a single powerful unit without having to jump through hoops like Admiral Motti does. There’s synergy to be had with Grand Inquisitor, Han Solo (unit or leader), Mace Windu, and a host of other units with solid On Attack abilities. But the potential uses don’t stop there. Any unit with Restore can befit from this ability- a same-turn play/attack from Home One, for instance, could be game-changing. Finally, any upgrade with an On Attack, Restore, or “When defeats” ability can generate value. I’m thinking particularly of Jedi Lightsaber attacking twice. Frontline Shuttle is low cost and low stats, but certainly won’t be low impact!

Devotion – You wouldn’t think an on-curve neutral upgrade would be that exciting, but I’ve gotta say, Devotion has won my devotion. First off, it’s a great anti-aggro tool. Especially on a space unit where its stats go further, this can consistently tamp down an opponent’s aggro push. Look for this swinger to see a lot of sideboard play from Blue decks hoping to survive Sabine or Leia aggro. There’s also a spicier angle that has me eyeing Devotion for 1-lane decks using Outmaneuver to outrace an opponent on base damage. In that situation, Devotion will provide a consistent 3-point swing in your favor.

Jayson’s Picks

Karabast – Folks were pretty low on this. What I’ve found in my testing and watching games is that it’s just not that hard to turn this on hot enough to get real value, and even to turn it on in a way that’s pretty proactive. A lot of times, it’s even kind of inefficient to play around. Here’s the deal- I’d rather play Karabast at 2 for 3 damage than Open Fire at 3 for 4 all day and twice on Tuesday. If Karabast deals 4 or more, you’re over the moon. But even if you deal 1 or 2 damage? It’s still going to be a useful card in a lot of circumstances, even if the value isn’t all the way there at the lower end. Sometimes that little chip of damage from hand is all you need to turn the tide.

I’m just convinced. I still like it at its floor and the ceiling is nuts. I think this comfortably sits alongside FACIBI and Heroic Sacrifice and cements Hero Red as the best event color in the game.

Jyn Erso – Look, there’s a good chance I’m wrong about this, but I just still believe. Jyn has all the makings on paper to make a really solid, efficient good-stuff deck that frequently gets to use the good stuff for one more turn than other decks would. A huge part of the reason we may not have seen it yet is that Hero Yellow is already fully spoiled, and a good portion of the cards are pretty underwhelming. But cards like Leia, Rogue Operative, and Millennium Falcon all really support the kind of value-first deck that Jyn seems to be calling out for, and so we may be closer than we think.

Whatever Jyn pairs with, she’ll need to really maximize that color to make up for the current issues with the Hero Yellow pool. I’m looking hard at Green, with its strong staple units, and Red, with its attack synergies, to potentially find a good shape for her. I just still believe in this particular ability’s capacity to warp games.

Justin’s Picks

Syndicate Lackeys – The initial response I saw from most was Lackeys being “draft fodder” and just worse than all the other 5 cost ambush options. While Bossk is generally the better card, I am still happy to run these guys in a lot of decks with the extra reach at 5 power. That comes into play a lot more than I’d expect, and you still don’t have any problems 2 for 1 trading Lackeys with your opponent’s board at the 4 health. They may not draw you a card like Kallus or provide a strong on-going ability with Bossk, but the Lackeys will definitely have their spots in the meta!

Death Trooper – Our first spoiler reveal, everyone saw the obvious initial synergy with Director Krennic decks. From my watching of games, it feels like people have slept on how amazing he is in any Villainy Vigilance/Command deck (especially Tyler, as you watch him resource Death Troopers). He is one of the best early game targets for Energy Conversion Lab and already slots in great to the Krennic and Iden/Command shells. Anticipating Emperor Palpatine’s reveal this week, hinted at being a control leader, Death Trooper may also find a role in Vigilance/Palpatine decks. Death Trooper is good in basically every Villain Vigilance deck, and we’re finally seeing more pairings where he can fit!

That’s our six picks for under-the-radar cards we expect to rise in the set 1 meta. What hidden gems have you found? Let us know in the comments!