What builds from Set 1 are sitting uncompleted?

When Spark of Rebellion dropped there were a TON of deck ideas we wanted to try. And, thanks to a nearly seven-month spoiler season, we had time to put almost all of them together. We got a lot of good decks, but not everything came together. Some of the archetypes we really wanted just didn’t have the ammunition to make it to Prime Time.

Now, with Set 2 around the corner, let’s look at our unfinished builds and see what might be getting help!

Tyler – Trooper Swarm

I don’t think I was the only one that was salivating a little when General Tagge dropped. At the time, Tarkin/Red was still one of the better available decks and troopers seemed in decent supply. However, he didn’t quite gel as more cards were spoiled.

The Idea: Play a bunch of trooper units, buff them with Tagge and Veers, and go to town.
What held it back: There just weren’t enough decent Imperial/trooper units in the colors we needed to make it work. There also wasn’t a way to play multiple units per turn, beyond Vader.
Hope for Set 2: We now have a solid leader that wants to play with these guys, Moff Gideon. He also comes with a pimped-out starship that helps us play 2+ units a turn. There’s also been some new quality troopers, like Incinerator and Phase 3 Dark Trooper.

Tyler – Hero Red Hand Control

The designers of the game have committed to putting hand disruption in Red/Yellow, particularly Hero. In Set 1, there was Force Throw, K2SO, Forced Surrender, and Spark of Rebellion. This seemed like an interesting bunch to combine!

The Idea: Play several different hand control cards together in Hero Red/Yellow, making my opponent’s late game a top-deck nightmare.
What held it back: There weren’t enough Force units available to the deck to make Force Throw (one of the best events in the game) playable. The deck also struggled to put together an answer for aggro.
Hope for Set 2: Grogu is a piece of the puzzle. He gives us a Round 1 Force unit, as well as a control piece. There are also several new hand control cards, like Cripple Authority and Poe Dameron. Augmented by some all-around powerful tools like Wrecker, the deck might just get there.

Jayson: Bounce Castle

Bounce! An archetype I’ve loved in several games, the concept of getting your own units back into your hand for value is often among the most fun you can have slinging cardboard. Is it there yet? Uh…no. But WHAT IF!?

The Idea: Our first real glimpse into the possibility of this was Pirated Starfighter, whose self-bounce is mandatory (and has tripped up plenty of folks) in exchange for an above-rate body. That’s the kind of action this archetype is looking for, and it opened a lot of players minds to what cards might come down the pipe in this arena.
What held it back: Not enough cards doing it, for one thing. Also limiting things is that bounce decks need real payoff, and we haven’t really seen that printed yet. Where’s Hit Monkey when you need him? (and no, he doesn’t count)
Hope for Set 2: If I’m a betting man, I’d say I’m confident that the first big deck in this vein will heavily feature Ma Klounkee, which has by far the best value payoff we’ve seen on a bounce effect so far. It’s also one with an abundance of targets, since Underworld was prevalent in both Set 1 and is one of the main tribal keywords in Set 2. We also need to talk about A New Adventure, one of the most terrifying cards we’ve seen so far. That card’s versatility and potential are nearly limitless. Criminal Muscle also lets you target upgrades, which definitely has some applications. There could be something here if the pieces come together.

Jayson: Villain Vigilance Midrange

This deck can definitely exist, and it does. I actually just recently touched on my favorite iteration of it. But undoubtedly, the cardpool for Blue/Black in Set 1 was best suited towards giving juice to Control and Hard Control decks. I’m optimistic, however, that control isn’t all this slice of the color pie can do…

The Idea: When I think of Midrange in these colors, it’s hard not to remain attached to Director Krennic, Cruel But Goober. His ability is perfectly suited for board tempo and positive battlefield trades, which are right in midrange’s wheelhouse. So yeah, the idea isn’t complicated- just pile this guy or another similarly-inclined leader up with a bunch of solid cards and get to stomping.
What held it back: While there were some highlights, including early staples like Death Trooper and Power of the Dark Side that are just plain always good, a good portion of the Set 1 options that might have fleshed this out just weren’t quite good enough. Looking at you, Academy Defense Walker.
Hope for Set 2: A lot is trending positively. Lom Pyke is weird, but definitely above curve in terms of stats, essential for these decks. The Client is flexible enough to work outside of Control and give insurance against good aggro starts. And First Light is a great top-end option that seems tailor-made to help Krennic in particular seal the deal before things get too insane at the high end of the curve. As long as we keep seeing solid, versatile units printed in these colors, we’re bound to hit a critical mass that lets a 50 card pile of good stuff sing.

It’s All Coming Together

As more sets release, it’s a good bet that every player and every piece of the color pie will have their day in the sun. What kind of deck are you hoping gets fleshed out soon? Let us know in the comments!

And as always, may the force (and the development cycle…) be with you!