Separatist Machinations
by C. J. Williams

Over the planet, hyperspace jets shriek like tortured metal as starfighters dash around the way gnats on a corpse do, spitting bright bolts of green and red. On the planet's surface, the sound of servos spin and whine as massive duranium legs crash down, smashing rock and scraping stone, one after the other. A single red eye focuses in on its target. In its sights...you.

This week we introduce you to the first 2 of 10 spoilers for the Fall of the Republic (FOTR) dream card expansion set developed by the Independent Development Committee (IDC) formed by players concerned for the future of the game.

Droid Security Escort was the very first Separatist unit introduced in the Revenge of the Sith (ROTS) set, accompanied by the very first unit addressing the Separatist Subtype, Separatist Fleet. Both are nice units, but neither has an exceptional appeal in application. However, one thing they do have is a certain unique flavor. The Droid Security Escort is a strong medium-build unit, with abilities that can be very useful under specific conditions and different than the usual Droid configuration. The Separatist Fleet has a damage removal ability that is good in any type of deck relying on the various factions of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Do these units give an indicator of what the Separatist subtype has in store for us? If they do, then we have room to grow and some interesting units and effects to look forward to.

Since the release of the Phantom Menace set, Droid decks have been a keystone in the game for both new and experienced players. Easy to build and easy to execute, Droid decks, particularly Trade Federation Decks are both powerful and overwhelming.

Up to now, dark side Droid Space units have been cheap and expendable, and Droid Ground units have been powerful, but typically slow. Today, in a similar vein to the pioneering Separatist units of the last set, we turn these conventional ideas on their heads with two special units.

Despite its modest appearance, when you compare the following Droid with previous Droid Ground units, you will find that it is actually the third best Droid Ground unit in the game and a good alternative to the more expensive Patrol Mode Vulture Droid to accompany the gloriously cheap Commerce Guild Droid 81-X.

The simply named Crab Droid, based from the LM-432 crab droid that made its debut in the Revenge of the Sith video game, expresses its seemingly unobtrusive nature. However, toss in cost reducers from this set and previous sets, and this unit becomes an attractive solution. Besides its first- or second-strike 50 speed, use Crab Droid as an Intercepting unit with Nute Gunray (C)'s ability to protect either PMVD or 81-X, or them protecting the Crab Droid (depending on your strategy). An arena full of these guys can make your opponent sweat, while at the same time not causing your opponent to abandon the arena. With it, you can maintain a steady advantage in the arena, perhaps even instilling a false confidence in your opponent's mind.

Need a unit to protect your Droid Missiles and Buzz Droids? In ROTS we were introduced to the Droid Tri-Fighter, which quickly became a staple in many decks both Droid and non-Droid. In FOTR we present the first Droid Space unit worth more than 4 build: Droid Tri-Fighter Squadron. Having left the sore mistakes of the Droid Starfighter Wing and Droid Starfighter Assault Wing in the past, with the aforementioned cost reducers, this unit can help your Droid decks take control in the Space arena. It can even assist its namesake, and will benefit from any card to benefit Separatist. With 4 health, it has enough staying power to take a hit or two and with 4 power and Critical Hit 1, it can give a Jedi Starfighter of any kind a run for its money. Try it out and see how it works for you.

Existing cards that can help draw these units are Trade Federation MTT, Tatooine Sandcrawler, and Jawa Supply Trip. It is interesting that these units are both Separatist and Trade Federation. If only there were a way to benefit Separatist units in general . . . hmmm . . . perhaps by damage removal, like the Separatist Fleet . . .

All said, there will be 18 Separatist units in the new set and 1 Location affecting Separatist and other associated subtypes.

Next week we look at a couple of cards that complement each other and contribute further to a slowly growing elemental subtype in some interesting ways.

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About the Author
C. J. has been a player of the game since 2003 and is currently the Text Finalization Leader of the IDC Rules Sub-committee. He has written seven articles for Rebelbasers.com and is the SWTCG Hope of the Jedi tournament coordinator and founder of the Free-League. C. J. Williams has been a member of both the Wizards and Rebelbasers forums since January of 2004, posting under the name Corjay.