Welcome to the second entry in our Duel of the Fates series, where we make a pair of decks that are as dripping in theme as we can make them and leave it up to you, dear reader, to bash them into each other.

Part 1 took us to the trenches, with Leia, Tarkin, and the Galactic Civil War as a backdrop for two decks that duked it out with gritty soldiers fighting for their right to party. Or something. But as iconic as a Rebel vs. Imperial showdown is, there’s no denying that when people think of Star Wars, the first image that comes to mind isn’t one of soldiers- it’s of lightsabers clashing into each other, the hum of the glowing blades, the cyclical struggle of light against the dark. For so many of us, this is Star Wars, and I’m definitely in the camp that will have a Jedi deck on hand most of the time. Come on Qui-Gon!

We’ll likely have lots more leaders for this type of matchup as the game gets older, but for Spark of Rebellion, it’s hard to turn down the most obvious route here- Luke Skywalker facing off against Darth Vader in a force-forward duel! Read on to see how these two icons stack against each other.

Light Side

Duels of the Fates – Light Side

Our good guy deck is no slouch, featuring several awesome force powers and a veritable bevy of Jedi to utilize them well! Luke wants to use early Aggression tools like Sabine and A-Wing to get ahead early, and then close out with powerful tools like Luke Unit and The Force Is With Me.

Don’t forget to try to work in Luke’s shield to your round wherever you can- it often sets you up for success and helps you stay up on cards. This deck can play patiently or aggressively, depending on your draws. The Force Is With Me is your biggest blowout, and a well timed one can be game defining- try to set it up where you can. Keep Force units on the board, make good trades with your shields, and by the time the late game comes around, the top ends of your awesome force powers will seal the deal.

Dark Side

Duels of the Fates – Dark Side

Vader has emerged from his weird little egg and is ready to unleash the full might of the Dark Side! This deck wants to patiently hunt down opponents and then use its bevy of dark side powers to keep the pressure on. By the time Vader it’s the board, there’s no escape!

Like the Luke deck, Vader really wants to play units a little below curve to have a spare resource for their Leader ability. Also worth noting- lots of Vader decks run Command for ramp, but this one doesn’t! That means Vader’s 7 resource threshold to deploy will be a true test of patience. Playing a more control oriented game where you’re diligently hunting down the opposing board is the way to go most of the time.

The Future Of The Duel

It’s easy to imagine Force based decks getting better rapidly as time goes on, but as for these specific decks, I do wonder whether we’ll actually revisit them in the future. After all, these are far from the only iconic leaders within this general theme. I hope this series gets to do Obi-Wan versus General Grievous, or Yoda versus Palpatine, or any of the countless other great pairings from across the saga.

If you do keep refining these particular Luke and Vader shells, Guardian of the Whills is a weak spot in both decks. They’re here because we need every instance of Force possible, but fundamentally this is not a great card. Beyond that, swapping in more, and better, Force trained units as they come out will go a long way towards keeping these decks relevant. Right now our slate of force users is just what we have available instead of what we really want, so I’m looking forward to a future where these decks have more agency on what to include.

A Note On Purchasing

These decks, for the moment, are pretty reliant on having access to their most critical cards, but let’s talk some alternatives.

Without question Vader misses being in Command for access to his Legendary version, but it does make the deck easier to assemble. There’s really no getting around the Rares, since Dooku and Palpatine are so critical to the deck’s ability to close out games, but your single Legendary is Force Lightning, and you don’t 100% need it. Toss back in the third copy of Force Throw or Vader’s Saber, or maybe even throw in some Takedown, and you’ll be totally fine to ball on a budget.

Luke is a little trickier. You can sub out Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight and Mace, but you’ll have a hard time closing games and utilizing Force Throw. Try out Redemption and Guerrilla Attack Pod, but know that you’re going to be outside of your comfort zone. For the moment, light side force users really do need that Luke unit. Good luck with your pulls!

It’s Time To Duel! 

That’s all for this pair! Smack them against each other and let us know how the games go! Hopefully their clash makes for an evocative battle that shows you a little more about how great SWU can be at bringing the saga to life on the table. 

And as always- may the force be with you!