by Krysis

Welcome back, everybody!  I know you’ve all been anxiously awaiting the next SAGA article, so today I’ll be coming to you with an examination of my top 10 non-legendary cards from the Shadows of the Galaxy expansion.  In creating this list, I have taken into consideration how many decks I expect each card to fit into, and/or how impactful they will likely be within any given deck.  With well over 200 new, non-legendary cards to consider, this will surely be a fun list to revisit in a couple of months when the new meta is established.  As always, we at SAGA appreciate all of you!  Please be sure to subscribe on YouTube, bookmark the website, and tell your Star Wars friends and family!  So, without further begging for internet clout, off we go!

10: Cassian Andor (Rebellions Are Built On Hope)

Coming in at #10 on my list, Cassian Andor.  Cassian checks in as a 3-cost Aggression Heroism unit with a 3/5 stat line.  Based on this stat line alone, Cassian represents a hearty unit for Aggression Heroism decks.  However, Cassian also possesses the Rebel tribal tag, making him an easy addition to heroism aggro decks, such as those led by Sabine Wren and Leia Organa.  As if this was not all good enough, Cassian also sports a Snuggle (as we call it at SAGA, after a fateful auto-correct) cost of 5.  And when Snuggled, Cassian enters play ready… I mean hey, who doesn’t, right?  Cassian is sure to see plenty of play in aggro decks moving forward, giving them a new source of unexpected damage late game, or just a solid body early game.

9: Timely Intervention

​At #9 on the list, the new 1-cost Command event, Timely Intervention.  For 1 resource, Timely Intervention allows you to play a unit from hand, granting it the Ambush keyword for that phase.  Furthermore, Timely Intervention can be Snuggled at a modest increase in cost to 2 resources.  In my opinion, Ambush is the most powerful keyword currently available in the game.  So, with that in mind, of course Timely Intervention was going to find a spot in my top 10.  As somebody who played a great deal of Command Krennic in set 1, there were plenty of games where I had to make early use of my Energy Conversion Lab (ECL) ambush ability to deal with a threat, especially against aggro decks.  This would often leave me with units such as Gideon Hask and Steadfast Battalion a couple rounds later, but no ECL ability to truly maximize their efficacy.  Timely Intervention will quickly solve such issues!  When you consider the sheer volume of decks that utilized ECL in set 1, it’s just as easy to imagine a great volume of decks utilizing Timely Intervention in the set 2 meta.

8: Rival’s Fall

Next on our list at #8 is Rival’s Fall.  Rival’s Fall checks in as a 6-cost Vigilance event that allows you to quite simply “Defeat A Unit”.  The most notable thing about this card is that unlike its closest compatriot from set 1, Vanquish, Rival’s Fall allows you to defeat a Leader unit.  Rival’s Fall will rapidly become a staple removal event for Vigilance control decks as a clean and effective way to deal with massive Leader threats such as Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Boba Fett, etc.  It also represents one of the cleanest solutions to Krayt Dragon, which I discussed in my last article examining the Shadows of the Galaxy legendary cards.  I would also expect Vigilance mid-range decks, such as Rey or Luke Skywalker, to at least consider having 1 or 2 of these on the sideboard for problem leaders and large units they may otherwise struggle to deal with at times.  Given the existence of this card, decks playing a boss monster leader will need to strongly consider at least sideboarding hand disruption units/events so they are prepared to protect their most valuable asset.

7: Hotshot DL-44 Blaster

Checking in at #7 on our list is a 1-cost Aggression upgrade, the Hotshot DL-44 Blaster.  At 1-cost, the blaster grants a unit +2/+0.  Relative to other upgrades (or events) 1 resource for 2 damage is a strong rate of return on your resource investment.  However, Hotshot Blaster also packs a Snuggle cost of 3, requiring you to have the Cunning aspect, and when played using Snuggle, you attack with the newly attached unit.  While 3 resources for 2 damage is not nearly as good a rate of return, the ability to splash 2 extra damage out of your resource row will often prove invaluable in winning close games.  Consider how many times you have played a close, well fought game, just to find yourself 1 action behind your opponent.  Oftentimes, Hotshot Blaster will be that action cheat you need to pull out a win, akin to other cards such as Surprise Strike or Rebel Assault.  Moving forward, be prepared to be on the lookout for this card from the top ropes… err, resource row… when playing against Cunning decks.

6: 4-Lom (Bounty Hunter For Hire)/Zuckuss (Bounty Hunter For Hire)

Coming in at #6 on our list, and the first of my “2-for-1” rankings, the dynamic bounty hunting duo of 4-Lom and Zuckuss.  4-Lom checks in as a 4-cost Cunning Villainy unit with a 4/4 stat line and the Ambush keyword.  Zuckuss checks in as a 5-cost Cunning Villainy unit with a 6/6 stat line and the Saboteur keyword.  In a vacuum, both units individually are reasonably strong and would see some play in Cunning Villainy decks.  However, what lands them at the 6-spot on this list, is their synergy with one another.  4-Lom grants each friendly unit named Zuckuss +1/+1 and the Ambush keyword, while Zuckuss grants each friendly unit named 4-Lom +1/+1 and the Saboteur keyword.  So paired together, 4-Lom becomes a 5/5 unit with Ambush/Saboteur, and Zuckuss becomes a massive 7/7 unit with Ambush/Saboteur.  One of the more evident cases of some minor power creep in set 2, I expect good players to make a point to not allow these 2 to share the board together very often.  With that in mind, correctly sequencing a 4-Lom into a Zuckuss will result in many won games in the set 2 meta!

5: The Client (Dictated By Discretion)/Top Target

​And now, the second of my “2-for-1” in the rankings, checking in at #5 is The Client/Top Target.  The Client and Top Target do not have any sort of combined synergy in the way that 4-Lom/Zuckuss do, but are combined into 1 ranking due to their nearly identical abilities.  The Client is a 3-cost Vigilance Villainy unit with a 2/5 stat line, and he enters play Shielded.  The Client sports a quite potent ability, allowing you to exhaust him as an action in order to place a bounty on an opposing unit (for that phase) that, when collected, allows you to heal 5 damage from your base.  Top Target is a 1-cost Vigilance Bounty Upgrade that gives the attached unit a bounty that, when collected, allows you to heal 4 damage from your base, or 6 damage instead if the attached unit was unique.  Both of these cards have the potential to be truly exceptional enablers for hard control/mill decks that simply want to control your board and outlast you to either their own large units, or a mill win condition.  Being able to pair either of these with a card like Vigilance, which will allow you to defeat a unit (with 3 or less remaining HP) and heal 5 damage from base, represents as much as 9-11 damage healed from base.  Needless to say, executing this just once in a game can be back breaking to the opponent.  Expect to see one or both of these cards in Vigilance hard control decks moving forward.

4: Bazine Netal (Spy For The First Order)

​Next up, at #4 on our list, is Bazine Netal.  Bazine checks in as a 2-cost Cunning Villainy unit with a 1/3 stat line.  Simply on the surface, Bazine is an underwhelming 2-cost body.  However, what is going to make her so good and so heavily used is her When Played ability, which allows you to look at an opponent’s hand and (you may) discard 1 card from their hand (and, if you do, the opponent then draws 1 card).  As we have seen with cards such as Bodhi Rook and Spark of Rebellion, being able to access the opponent’s hand and strip a card from it is extremely powerful.  And lastly, Bazine also has a Snuggle cost of 4, with the same When Played ability.  So, unlike Bodhi Rook or Spark of Rebellion, you can plant Bazine into your resource row and access her at the appropriate time, depending on matchup!  I expect Bazine will see some main board usage in certain decks, but also, again similar to cards like Bodhi Rook or Spark of Rebellion, Bazine will become a sideboard staple for nearly every Cunning Villainy deck as tech against control decks, or really any deck relying on a couple specific cards to function at its top end.

3: Maul (Shadow Collective Visionary)

​Kicking off our top-3 in the #3 position is the 7-cost hammer of Underworld Rage, Maul.  Maul checks in with a potent 7/6 stat line, and packs both the Ambush and Overwhelm keywords!  Furthermore, Maul has an On Attack ability that allows you to choose another friendly Underworld unit to deal all combat damage (that would otherwise have been dealt to Maul) to, which goes a long way to keeping Maul alive for the end game.  As a Command Villainy 7-cost ground unit, Maul represents direct competition to Darth Vader as the king of Command Villainy 7 drops.  While I believe Vader remains slightly better, the fact that it’s a conversation to have shows just how strong Maul is.  If nothing else, Maul appears primed to replace Vader in decks focusing on the Underworld tribal synergies.  I would also expect some mid-range decks, such as Command Boba Fett, to simply run BOTH of these units as their top end, ensuring no end to the barrage of Ambush units. 

2: Toro Calican (Ambitious Upstart)

​Checking in at #2 on my list is Toro Calican.  Toro comes in at 3-cost with the ever hearty 3/5 stat line, making him a viable deck include based on those stats alone.  However, what makes Toro really exceptional is his passive ability, which reads: “When you play another Bounty Hunter unit: You may deal 1 damage to it.  If you do, ready this unit.  Use this ability only once each round.”  In the proper deck build, this ability is going to ensure Toro is a force to be reckoned with, meaning he should have a longer shelf life than he actually did in The Mandalorian!  In a deck capable of featuring the full cache of top Bounty Hunters, such as mono Cunning Boba Fett or Aggression Cad Bane, Toro will demand an answer from the opponent as he will effectively be representing a 6/5 body most rounds.  This will only snowball should Toro see an upgrade or any effect that pumps up his power for the full phase (such as the +4/+0 via Cunning).  Sequencing here will be key, but Toro is going to reward good players piloting aggressive Bounty Hunter tribal decks.

1: Wrecker (BOOM!)

​Finally, coming in as my top non-legendary card from the Shadows of the Galaxy Expansion, Wrecker.  Wrecker checks in as a 6-cost Aggression Heroism unit with a healthy 7/6 stat line and the Overwhelm keyword.  Furthermore, Wrecker boasts a When Played ability that allows you to defeat a friendly resource in exchange for dealing 5 damage to a ground unit.  Similar to Poe Dameron in my examination of the set 2 legendaries, Wrecker offers some intense upside to hero aggro decks that… well, didn’t really need it!  Expect to see Wrecker find a home in Sabine Wren decks where he can be Ambushed into play via Energy Conversion Lab, or cheated into play with a card like Sneak Attack.  The ability to erase an opposing ground unit, to boot, represents the kind of momentum swing that these decks largely lacked in set 1 when mid-range and soft-control decks had begun to stabilize against them.  BOOM!, indeed.

Honorable Mentions: Frozen In Carbonite, Pillage, Spark of Hope, Swoop Down, Choose Sides.

​These cards did not make my top 10 list, but were in consideration for it at one time or another.  I would expect any of them to make appearances in the mainstream meta, should a featuring deck emerge.  If nothing else, I would expect to see some of them frequently in sideboards.

​This concludes my examination of my top 10 non-legendary cards from the Shadows of the Galaxy Expansion.  If you think there is anything I have egregiously missed, be sure to engage with the SAGA team on our Discord server!  As always, thank you for your time and support!