LordHoban Jabba's Hit Squad, number 5 (New and Improved!)
LordHoban Jabba's Hit Squad, number 5 (New and Improved!) is a Dark constructed list published on Game Players Network.
Deck info
- Player: LordHoban
- Published: 29 May 2003 (Game Players Network)
- GPN category: Theme/Fun
- Format: Premiere - Original VS3
- Side: Dark
- Starting Card: Court Of The Vile Gangster
- Strategy: Court Of The Vile Gangster
- GEMP Importable deck: Download (omits Kitik Keed'kak (V) (Virtual Set 2: Our Most Desperate Hour), Ket Maliss (V) (Virtual Set 3): not in GEMP)
Introduction
When you have no one else to turn to... turn on the TV, and watch... Jabba's A-Team, aka the Hit Squad. Johnny 5 is alive and he'll gladly take a bite out of you! (V Set 5 included)
Decklist
|
Objective Character
Starship |
Vehicle Location
Effect
Interrupt |
Strategy
--To Shewski; first off, activation is not a problem once you get out Jabba's Palace, Lower Passageways and Sail Barge (where did you get that impression?). That's 6 + starting 4, and 1 for yourself. With the insane cheapness of characters, 11 force per turn is plenty to work with, so I'm not worried about activation at all. For once, activation is NOT a problem, unlike in previous incarnations. Plus, you get whatever icons for any BGs your opponent pulls. You need We Must Accelerate for effects only, but it has a free function unlike Twi'lek for recycling mid and later game. Getting your effects out is more important than a 2/0 location you can't drain at (and thus, not effecient).
(and the docking bay, another 1, for 12, you've got plenty to work with without having to deal with 'gimmicks' like Mob Points and docking bays -which I never liked, nor used to good effect)
--Beedo is just one possible strategy and can work quite well. For example, you have Ket (v) out, Beedo at the Chamber, and Chall Bekan in hand. You look for Greedo, find out that Rodian (v) is in the deck. Chall comes down, pulls Rodian, which probably comes down for free (Chall and Scum), plus Greedo comes down for free. You can also then pull another Bounty Hunter with Rodian (v) (Bossk, for example, could come down for 1). So, using 3 force for Chall, 4 with Bossk, you have essentually 10-14+ power (Greedo and Rodian are each power + 2), plus, Beedo is power 4 as well at the chamber, which is why I especially like his text (it isn't restricted to 'other' Rodians, like most Chamber aliens). Not bad, plus with Ket (v) down, as I stated, and Tatoo (v), you've got an 8 forfeit and a 6 forfeit character that can be constantly deployed, forfeited to cover, retrieved, and redeployed. It presents a nice little loop there if you can get it going, and one of the possible strategies available in the deck.
--Chokk is a must and being a 3 destiny character also doesn't hurt. I saw Sabers as being potentially hurtful to the deck (not killing, just hurtful), Chokk alleviates that, while also drawing fire away from other potential targets (and armour = 4 despite ability 1 is also cool), which makes his position as a bodyguard very fitting (and if you don't target him, well, you can't reduce my characters' forfeit, either way, I'm good). Chokk, like many of the characters of the deck, presents options, both to you and your opponent. I like bringing those kinds of options into gameplay.
--For 3 droids, you have IG and 2 4-Loms. I didn't say 3 'different' droids. :)
--This is NOT a weapons deck. I initially tried to stick weapons in here (from the Vibro-Axe, to Dengar's Modified Riot Gun), there were just more important card choices to make, and at the end of the day, I'd rather add another interrupt or effect than a weapon that has only a small chance of actually going through because of lower than average destiny. Again, same reason for Oota (v). No point wasting card slots on destiny when you are going for power (plus, you do have Fett and 4-Lom for occassional destiny adding capabilities). And this is a power deck. Sometimes, you just got to realize the focus of the deck, and go for it. That's what I had to realize here, and so far, it works, and it's highly adaptable.
Regular deck strategy; Starting Effects are a very important choice. If playing against something like WYS, you may want to stick with Ket Maliss (v) instead of the Tatoo (v) or Location (v) to get your battling engine working faster.
Your key element is metaing against your local character exclusion. Find out what character exclusion methods are more used in your area, and modify the deck accordingly (for example, if WYS is big, throw in another They're Still Coming Through, but if you expect a lot of Clash of Sabers type stuff, then throw in cards like Strike Blocked). You don't have a lot of slots to meta with, so do some research and be knowledgable to the deck types used in your area.
Next question you may have is... 29 characters? Are you mad? Well, that's how the deck works. This is a battle deck. If that isn't your style or deck of choice, look elsewhere.
The deck is meant to be interactive, it's meant to outlast a battling opponent. It gets really calculating when you have the Aim High shield out, since every force thus counts, otherwise, you can pretty much go overboard on the overpowering front. Out battle, out last. Strictly adhere to that and you should have a blast, but don't overstretch yourself (as they say in poker, always try to leave yourself an out), and most of all, be adaptive. Adapt to everything your opponent does.
Your first turn, you need force. There are a couple ways you can do this, depending on the speed of opponent's deck. First thing you do, use your objective to pull Tatooine: Docking Bay (unless against WYS, which is a bad move), this way, you can see what cards are in your deck and what the best moves you can make.
You can, A, use 2 Force for Location (v) to pull Jabba's Palace, which then pulls Lower Passageways. Instant 4 extra icons to work with on your second turn. B, which is a good choice, pull Arica with Auidience Chamber to stop first turn damage from objective and avoid beatdown because she deploys undercover (if opponent gives you 2 icons, you can do both A and B). C, if scum is in your opening hand, deploy Chall Bekan (take into hand Rodian), plop scum down, Rodian comes down for free, R3 Bib comes down for free from Reserve (with Power of the Hutt), if Ket (v) is out, get Beedo down for 1 (or replace the Rodian if you have to for free, Rodian goes to used), or pull Beedo with the Rodian. Now, you have a good 13 power. This is only an option, and heavily dependant on opponent. For example, do not use the Chall start against Profit or anything that can seriously hurt you early on. Best bet is to do the Location (v) deal or Arica. I wouldn't worry too much about the first turn damage, since if you get the deck going right, you can get it back.
Second turn, again, heavily dependant on opponent's first turn actions. I won't go into specific strategies against certain opponents, since they are pretty general and dependant on local meta (like, plopping down Come Here You Big Coward shield against LS Hoth or using the new T-47 Formation canceler). So, I'll go into specific card choices.
Your 3 Droids. Very important in case R3 Leia decides to show up and stall you. If she's common in your area, pack another droid or two (P-59 and that anti-Jedi droid are good). Your droids are cheap, even cheaper with Lyn Me out. 4-Lom is especially useful.
Jabba, the man. 4 seem like too many? I once would have agreed with you, but A, he's cheap, 3, 2 with Scum. He's got good forfeit, and he makes other aliens deploy cheaper. He is your Leader, your primary driving force. He is THE MAIN in this deck, like Vader is to Hunt Down, or Lord Maul is to Lightsaber Combat. Accept no substitutes. To quote an infamous smuggler, 'She may not seem like much, but she's got it where it counts.'
Chokk, I originally had 1 in the deck, just added the second in place of P-59, which pained me, but I realized, he is just more important. He is the DS Delever, he prevents forfeits from being reduced, and getting him out multiple times is very helpful.
Your Bounty Hunter Squad; 4-Lom, Aurra, Beedo, Boba Fett, Bossk, Dengar, Feltipern, Greedo, IG-88, Jodo Kast, and Snoova. That's 11 Bounty Hunters (13 with extras), each + 4 forfeit using Court and the Tatoo (v) (that's 44 extra forfeit in this deck, 52 if you count the dupes, not including the forfeit they already have). I chose each for very specific reasons.
Reductions; Chall, Jabba, Lyn, Sail Barge, and Scum, all are good for making your aliens barebones cheap. With the right set up, it isn't too hard to get out 25-30 power for under 10 force.
The Praying Mantis; Kitik, reason he's in here is 4 for 8 power. You have naturally low destiny, a little attrition helper also can go a long ways.
Jabba's Backup; R3 Bib and Ephont (who goes great at the Sail Barge site to prevent most unwanted guests), each are pullable. Bib is the best backup you can have for Jabba, and Ephonts works well for backup or guarding the Passenger Deck. If you want, you can add Boelo, but I don't think I've ever used him, he never gets out because he's always 3rd in line. So, go figure.
Xizor is just a well rounded character. Plain and simple, and his text to prevent battle destinies is nice. If you want to add Guri, ok, but the reason I didn't was because she costs too much, provides no ability towards drawing bd, has no reductions because she isn't an alien or bounty hunter, and thus, no bonus forfeit either. I think Bossk (v) is a suitable enough replacement for her anyway. He has a more restricted version of the reason one would consider using her.
Effects; Wrapped up allows you to keep characters from coming back, as well as retrieval at the dungeon and victims for the almighty Sarlacc. First Strike makes your battling even more vicious. Ket (v) is almost like a back card for Greedo and Beedo, since you lose them, retrieve them, and pull them right back out. Krayt (v) gets your creatures out (if Bubo can help you against your opponent early on, then start with Krayt). No Escape makes your objective damage immune to Honor, but also can get a key card back from your lost pile, possibly for an encore. Scum makes battling wholesome and advantageous, as well as massive reductions to the costs of your aliens. Search just gives you added damage incase your opponent hides or stays out among the stars.
For Adding; You might want to put in a Cane Adiss, pull it with the shield Fanfare, so if your opponent stays to nonbgs to battle, or if you want to bring your Sail Barge wherever your opponent is for some added fun, you can. Just imagine dropping a Sail Barge on Endor or Yavin 4.
Interrupts; Depends on local meta, I've seen Insurrection gone amiss in many decks, which allows the abuse of Elis to return, especially with so many characters. If you've gotten seperated from your Sail Barge, you may have to Elis to get around. Masterful Move and Occupation is just general meta I usually include in decks. They're Still Coming Through, if WYS is big in your area, add a second one. You'll probably only use it once during the game, but it also cancels Barriers. We Must Accelerate helps to get your effects out, and a good 5 destiny for tracking. Sniper is probably a good choice to add...
The Sail Barge; I love this thing, -1 to deployment of aliens, aliens aboard are Immune to Attrition < 6 with Power. Ephont is good at the Passenger site, as I mentioned before, because it also makes the Barge immune to attrition itself.
Starships; Kind of miniscule, but just get the Zuck in Mist, 4-Lom, and Fett combo together for some major pain in space (though not quite as major if the deck drew awesome destinies, just be sure to track or have good luck). Attack when they realize you aren't coming after them and they decided to spread out. Against space, just get damage going as early as possible.
If you build this deck, do not do it with less than 25-26 characters. You build this deck to overpower and outlast, which you can't do consistently with less than 25 characters. Trust me on this, I've put together and played many versions of this deck. What you have to do to be successful with the deck is to know your meta. With a decent early draw, you can outlast just about any confrontational deck. With the right meta, you can probably deal with those other problemsome decktypes as well (space will probably always be a problem, though). This isn't an assured winning deck, as it was meant for fun, but it could certainly surprise a few opponents. Surprise is the key. Have fun!
See also
Sources
- Jabba's Hit Squad, number 5 (New and Improved!) (Wayback, 20051102154456)
- GPN Star Wars Decks page 24 (Wayback, 20050430203312)