Collective Supremacy
By Trent McCrow

In the trees Snipers carefully select their targets waiting for the order to unleash their deadly accurate firepower. Walkers trudge forward to meet the approaching enemy like a herd of Bantha's to the feeding grounds. Wookie's wait fearlessly, eager to engage the invaders of their home world. The invasion force approaches from the water, heading towards the strongholds on the beach. A Separatist Spider droid rises from the waters deep greeting you with its laser fire. Terror…. has arrived.

With the release of the Fall of the Republic (FOTR) dream card expansion set developed by the Independent Development Committee (IDC) a new supremacy surfaces, the Separatist Supremacy. FOTR has provided the tools for the first Separatist themed decks.

Since the release of the Phantom Menace set, Trade Federation decks have been a staple deck-type in most players' collection. A droid deck is very easy to build and when it comes to the Trade Federation it can be quite lethal. In previous sets we have been given various Droid units, like Hailfire Droid and Commerce Guild Droid 81-X that have been great units but lack the support that Trade Federation units have. Finally, in the Fall of the Republic set, the Separatists have combined to have a Collective Supremacy.

Character Arena
Undoubtedly, the most important Character in this deck is Viceroy of the Trade Federation himself, Nute Gunray (C). He reduces the cost of your Trade Federation units and we all know build is the lifeline of your reinforcements. But most importantly he provides all his Trade Federation buddies with Pay 0 Force ® Intercept, keeping Nute safe from your opponents attacks. The 1 point build reduction might seem a little lackluster, but as most players have experienced when coupled with certain locations (which I'll cover later) Nute can help pump out all reinforcements you need while your opponent struggles to hold off your onslaught.

What would a Separatist deck be with out their fearless Cyborg leader, General Grievous (A)? Nute Gunray (C) is a massive target and will attract a lot of your opponent's firepower, with Grievous in the arena your opponent will think twice about contesting the character arena. Both General Grievous (A) and General Grievous (C) are great attacking units and his other versions can power him up. With Grievous by Nute's side you'll have a forceful duo, one that can hold it's own in the Character arena.

In order to protect Nute and Grievous, this deck has enlisted the use of their minions, Droids. Infantry Battle Droid B1 Series can often deploy for zero build and can take the hits for the Viceroy. Most importantly, when B1 Series is discarded you can draw a card to replace him. I've found that your hand will run out very fast, Infantry Battle Droid B1 Series helps stock your hand so you can strengthen your arenas. It is fitting to add Grievous bodyguards into the fray, IG-101 Magnaguard. IG-101 does not have the Trade Federation subtype but he can intercept for Nute if you have run out of Battle Droids due to their Pay 0 Force ® Intercept.

Ground Arena
The Crab Droid was the first taste of the FOTR set and will make its presence felt in this deck. Typically, in the Ground arena, Droid units have sacrificed speed for destructive power, Crab droid ignores the trend. With 50 speed the Crab Droid will generally have the first strike and will usually draw first blood as well due to its 4 power and Critical Hit 1. With cost reduction it is easy to fill the ground arena with these nasty droids, something your opponent won't like.

The Trade Federation STAP is a little beauty. Often deploying for free and able to intercept this little gem is just the unit you need to make your opponent sweat. High speeds and Accuracy 1 mean the STAP can come get that extra 1 or 2 damage you need to clear the Ground arena.

The lifeblood of this deck is having units in your hand able to benefit from all the cost reduction, the Trade Federation MTT is the card for the job. Expensive at 6 build this 10/4/4 unit is unattractive, lower the cost to 4 and it is a different story. The MTT's true worth comes from its ability, when it's deployed you can search for 3 Trade Federation Droids and restock your hand.

The Patrol Mode Vulture Droid completes your ground forces, the most expensive unit in the ground arena, but when reduced to 5 build you'd be stupid not to use it; 20/8/8 Accuracy 1 and Shields 1… What more can I say.

Space Arena
Invisible Hand (A), the Flagship of the Separatist Fleet, is not only a Capitol Ship destroyer but helps pump out those cheap Droid Starfighters even cheaper! The Invisible Hand (A) shares the title of 'Most expensive unit' in this deck with General Grievous (A) and for good reason, 30/7/6 isn't that good but when it comes to unleashing your Droid swarm this unit is invaluable.

The Lucrehulk-Class Battleship is similar to it's predecessors in past sets, slow and powerful with the ability to supply ground support. Unlike it's predecessors it can benefit from both the Trade Federation and Separatist subtypes which will come in handy as more Separatist cards are released.

Swarming the Space arena are the Trade Federation Droid Bomber and the Droid Tri-fighter Squadron. The former will often deploy for zero build and supports both Space and Ground, with the use of Bombard. The later is your Starfighter killing machine, it has enough attack power and speed to rid most of your opponent's starfighters from the space arena.

Battle
Battle cards are like the Force, they pull everything together, use the right ones and your deck and you will be rewarded, use the wrong ones and your deck will turn sour. The most important Battle card in this deck is Dark Sacrifice. For 2 Force you can discard one of your units and all your other units in that arena get + power equal to the discarded unit's build cost. This card will is invaluable when used with your bigger units; Invisible Hand (A), General Grievous (A), Patrol Mode Vulture Droid and Lucrehulk-Class Battleship.

Painful Reckoning is a very powerful Battle card. For only 4 Force each damage counter placed on a unit in a specified arena another is placed. This is excellent for high speed decks as they can deal their damage before their opponent can strike back. When played with Dark Sacrifice you swarmed units can clear the arena out for you, but beware this great combo will be targeted by your opponent's Disrupt.

The final Battle included in this deck is Dismiss. Disrupting Battles is a major part of the Game and should not be forgotten. Although you have to discard a card that wont be a problem with this deck.

Mission
The first two Missions, Hatch a Clone and Take the Initiative bring all you low cost units back into their arena to fight another day. This is especially true for Space as it is the weakest of the 3 arenas. The third, and final, Mission can break your opponent's spirit. Sacrifice the Expendable allows you to discard one of your units so you opponent must discard one of their 5 build or lower units. When you discard one of your units you got for zero cost and they have to discard one of their units 5 build or lower they may never get their reinforcements into the arenas.

Location
Locations are the single most important part of this deck. Since this deck is about getting all your Separatists out as cheap as I have included two Locations that will help you make the most of your build. The first is a new addition to the game, Separatist Headquarters. For 5 build this Location might seem a little too expensive, however the benefits will be almost immediate. Every unit in this deck becomes 1 build cheaper to deploy with Separatist Headquarters in the Character arena and makes those units Nute Gunray (C) can't help a tiny bit cheaper.

The final Location will help you win in Space, Hoth System. Space not cheap enough with Nute Gunray (C), Separatist Headquarters and Invisible Hand (A)? Hoth System can help you win this arena by further reducing the toll on your build supply. The other reason to have this Location in your deck is to protect you from some of your opponents Space Locations.

Equipment
There is only one Equipment card in this deck and it is not your average 'add on' item. Fall of the Republic took Equipment another step by introducing unique Equipment. Lightsaber Collection (A) is, in my opinion, the best Equipment ever released. All the 'power up' options Lightsaber Collection (A) provides you can help you in your assault on the Character arena. If you roll a six all five abilities are given to the Equipped unit! When equipped to Grievous he can become nastier then many of the Sith and Dark Jedi. Equipping Lightsaber Collection (A) to Nute Gunray can have a surprising effect also, If Nute rolls a six and gains all five abilities then he wont need to hide he will become a Jedi killing machine….not really. If you're finding it hard to maintain the Character arena this little beauty of a card can help you maintain a 'safe and secure society.'

General Tips
· Get Nute Gunray (C) in the Character arena during set up. If you don't have him in your starting hand mulligan 1 or 2 of your cards. If you still don't have him deploy some chap units to draw him.
· Try and deploy your 'big guns' in setup. If you can get your Invisible Hand (A) and General Grievous (A) built in setup it will reduce the toll on your build later on.
· Don't deploy your Trade Federation MTT's during setup unless you really have to. Most of the time you can have 3 or 4 build counters on it to finish your setup. Wait till the first build step so you can draw more of your Separatist conspirators.
· Don't be shy to play Sacrifice the Expendable, Painful Reckoning and Dark Sacrifice. But don't waste them either.
After you have played a few games you will figure out how to make this deck work with your playing style. Remember the Collective Supremacy of the CIS forces and may the Build be with you!

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About the Author
Trent has been a player and collector of the game since Attack of the Clones and is currently the Software Workgroup Leader for the IDC Graphical Design Sub-committee. This is his first endevour at writing articles for the SW:TCG and he hopes to write many more. Trent McCrow has been a member of both Rebelbasers and the Australian Players Guild (APG) forums, posting under the name IVIaceWindu. He also currently runs the Dream Card Contest Reborn (DCCR) over at Rebelbasers.com.