It should be an exciting time to be a Star Wars Unlimited player- after all, Set 2 is just around the corner, and the cards seem like they’re going to be a blast.

The problem, of course, is that everyone is preoccupied with worrying over whether they’ll be able to buy them.

Product Limitations

Allocation has already happened with Set 1 of SWU after a massive sales spike rendered what FFG had thought was an overprinting insufficient to cover demand. Things will level out eventually, but it’s looking like the same thing will happen in the second set, though to what degree remains a bit open-ended.

Today, after weeks of rumors and various tidbits that your uncle who works at Nintendo heard from their Asmodee sales rep, a bit of seemingly official official information stumbled out into various Discord servers and discussion hubs. It looked like this:

Interesting stuff, to be sure, and despite this containing some unequivocally positive news (including the much hoped for fresh OP kits!) the tone of the dialogue around this info has largely been a continuation of previous anxieties related to Set 2 availability.

Before we speak to this, some caveats- we have a global audience, and do not assume to know everyone’s situation perfectly. I’ve seen time and time again with collectible games that problems in my own area often hardly correspond at all to those of my friends abroad, and vice versa.

That said, here’s a couple of tips that I’d recommend heading into Set 2 that could ease your mind about product availability.

Tip 1: Plan Ahead To Buy A Little Less

I’ve lost many of you out of the gate, I’m sure. But if you’re anything like me, you ended up with substantially more bulk of Set 1 than you really needed. With hindsight, I do wish that I had spent a little less on boxes and a little more on singles.

This might be particularly good given the nature of Set 2’s reveals so far. There are great cards here, but in particular the Legendaries available could very well be a little less intense on the secondary market. A lot of the best cards in Shadows of the Galaxy are at Rare and below. That was also true in Set 1, but the chase Legendaries there were with characters a little more iconic and with abilities that were a little easier to get hyped on. Shadows may just be one of those sets that doesn’t require a large buy in for players to get what they need heading into the upcoming metas.

Since it appears that fewer of us will be capable of buying in large quantities, developing a plan for this set to shell out for a little less product could go a long way towards avoiding disappointment. One great way to do this? You could…

Tip 2: Play More Sealed

The allocations as described seem to have a strategic purpose- to reduce potential purchasing dollars spent by secondary market hawks, and orient those opportunities towards actual players. We’ve seen two sets in a row now where FFG has limited product in ways that are specifically designed around encouraging stores to run more sealed events and to use their product for those events.

Leaning into this focus as a player seems sensible- it spreads out the product that you acquire over a longer period of time, and you also get to play the game in one of its best settings. That’s a win-win.

Tip 3: Look To The Future

The reality is that every card game has eventually stabilized its product issues.

It’s so exciting to get in from the beginning of a game as special as this one, and that means it can be particularly frustrating when product runs short. But this season of the game’s history is just that- a season. These days will pass.

In the meantime, take your cues from what’s looking to be limited product over the next few months- if you plan to buy more singles and direct your purchasing towards the avenues that FFG is also prioritizing, you could end up riding this wave and finding it smoother than expected.

Whatever happens, we’ll all find out together. May the force be with you!