Michael Mikaelian Yavin 4 Counterstrike

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InQuest #20, December 1996, page 38.

Michael Mikaelian Yavin 4 Counterstrike is a Light constructed list published as Killer Decks II in InQuest #20 (December 1996, pages 38–39).[1]

Deck info

Introduction

"Don't be so proud of this technological terror you've constructed," said the Vader to the general. It's also a warning that every Dark Side deck should heed. Just because they can pump out a Star Destroyer every other turn doesn't mean the Light Side can't compete in space. If the Dark Side is careless, they could end up losing an entire fleet in no time flat. Even if you have a worthy opponent, they may still fall for this Rebel deck's little bait-and-switch tactics... or should it be baste-'em-and-waste-'em? You decide.

The key to building a killer Star Wars: CCG deck is getting your cards to cooperate with each other. If your deck has a lot of unique Starfighters (the ones without pilots), it should have at least enough pilots to man all of them, and then some. If you want to make an Attack Run on the Death Star, you'll want all sorts of things: Rebel Techs, Death Star: Trench, unique Starfighters, scientific calculator, lucky rabbit's foot... While the combos in this deck aren't that difficult, being familiar with which cards help which other cards is the key.

The driving force of this deck is combining Rebel Planners with General Dodonna and Commander Vanden Willard. If you can put all three of these cards in the Yavin 4: Massassi War Room, all your X-Wings at the Yavin 4 system will be +2 power (+3 if you control the War Room). In this case, each X-Wing could be as big as a Victory-Class Star Destroyer! Not bad for a one-man fighter.

There are many ways to take advantage of this. The best way is to deploy some ineffective-looking X-Wings to lure those two Star Destroyers over to Yavin 4. The turn after they move there, slam down Willard, Rebel Planners, Dodonna and a few more X-Wings. Even if you can't provide the full treatment at once, adding extra points to fighters already in play can tip the scales in your favor.

To make sure your souped-up fighters stay in play, deploy the "Bantha" Droid to the Yavin 4: Docking Bay. Now all your starfighters are immune to attrition less than 3. Against the big Star Destroyer decks, your opponent may never draw a high enough destiny to knock one of your ships out with attrition.

Decklist

Location

Character

Starship

Interrupt

Effect

Weapon

The magazine printed substitutions outside the 60: 1 Han Solo, Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi — appropriate "Back" card (Han's Back, Luke's Back); 1 Chewbacca — 1 Wookiee Roar; 1 Wedge — 1 Biggs Darklighter.

Strategy

On the ground, things are a little trickier. One of your early advantages is the lack of Dark Force icons on Yavin 4. This means that you can marshal your forces in the War Room. Every time you deploy another character, it makes it harder and harder for the Dark Side to win a battle there. With characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and the mighty Chewbacca, the party can get pretty rough.

But be careful; being on the wrong side of the War Room can be very dangerous. Once you're generating enough Force each turn to suit your needs, play a Revolution on the War Room! If you do it while the Dark Side has characters there, you'll be able to hear your opponent's eyes pop out of his sockets. Making sure the War Room stays "revolved" is key. This will put the Dark Side in the uncomfortable position of getting drained for two Force per turn unless they're able to do something about it. For some extra Force drain, throw down a Lightsaber. Now see if the Dark Side wants to come and attack you...

Of course, no one said it's always going to be a breeze. The Rebellion had their share of problems during the war, and if your opponent is prepared, so can you. For example, you might encounter someone who's philosophy is "prevention is the best medicine." If the Dark Side plays U-3PO, draining in the War Room just won't happen until you get rid of the deadbeat. Solution? Wioslea. Just steal his sorry tin ass. If the Dark Side tries to Alter or Boring Conversation a card you consider crucial, stop them. Alter is a prime target for What're You Tryin' To Push On Us?, and then Sense it. You can also use the Push to suck Scanning Crews out of your opponent's deck.

If the tide starts to turn against you, don't give up. In a tournament, you're bound to come up against one of those players who's learned to read his cards. If you're losing, just start chucking cards that aren't absolutely necessary and wait for your opponent to spread his forces out. Then lay into the weakest group with all you've got. It may be too late for him to do something about it. Remember, a win by one point is still a win.

The magazine closed: "Michael Mikaelian won the Star Wars: CCG tournament at Gen-Con by threatening to rip his opponents' arms out of their sockets if he lost."[1]

Top 10 Light Side cards

The same spread printed Mikaelian's Top 10 Star Wars Light Side cards.[1]

  1. Obi-Wan Kenobi: Easily the most powerful Light Character, he's got the best numbers — 5 Power, 6 Ability, 9 Forfeit. Give him his Lightsaber and look out, evil! Obi + Chewie + Jedi Presence = big Wookie!
  2. Beggar: This Effect lets you spend your opponent's active Force as if it were your own. The only drawback — if you spend more than 1 of their Force a turn, you lose Beggar. Oh well, a little each turn, or a lot all at once. Either way, it sucks to be the Dark Side.
  3. Luke Skywalker: Luke's central to all the best battle destiny bonus cards — Don't Get Cocky, Skywalkers, Gift Of The Mentor and The Force Is Strong With This One. Immune to attrition <3, Luke also lets you activate an extra Force when he's away from Tatooine.
  4. Kal'Falnl C'ndros: Kal reduces your opponent's battle destiny to 0 if your draw is higher, but only when both players draw one. Dark Side to lose Kitik Keed'kak when the two are at the same site.
  5. Mantellian Savrip
  6. Out Of Nowhere
  7. Figrin D'an
  8. Grimtaash
  9. V-35 Landspeeder
  10. How Did We Get Into This Mess?: This card lets you put your hand in the Used pile and draw the same number of cards from your Reserve deck. Late in the game, if you only have a few Force left in your deck and many more cards in your hand, you can literally swap stacks!

Pictures

  • InQuest #20, December 1996, page 38.
    InQuest #20, December 1996, page 38.
  • InQuest #20, December 1996, page 39.
    InQuest #20, December 1996, page 39.

See also

Sources

  • InQuest #20, Internet Archive (Wizard Press, December 1996)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Michael Mikaelian, "Killer Decks II", InQuest #20 (December 1996), pp. 38–39. Scan: InQuest #20, Internet Archive.
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