Return of the Heroes
By Ryan Searby

For thousands of years the Jedi were the protectors of peace and justice in the galaxy. They held sway during the most pivotal moments in history. Whenever conflicts would arise they would be sent to ensure the peace and keep balance in the force. Inevitably during these peace keeping missions, heroes arose from the ranks of Jedi obscurity and forged a new future where the ideals of Jedi could remain for centuries to come.

Jedi themes decks have been popular with Light Side players since the beginning of the game. They are some of the fastest and most powerful units in the game. With the release of the Fall of the Republic (FOTR) expansion, we get a plethora of new and improved powerful Jedi cards to revitalize our old Jedi decks, particularly in the Character arena.

Character
Since the release of The Empire Strikes Back expansion set, there has been one character who has dominated the Character arena: Darth Vader. With that expansion, the Dark side now had a ten build cost monster in Darth Vader (K) that could not only hold the Character arena with his Evade ability, but also destroyed the Light Side's ability to play one of its main characters, the Chosen One: Anakin Skywalker. Since the highest build cost Anakin up to that point was 7 build, there was no practical way to play Anakin without losing contests to Vader. Things only got worse as Darth Vader (K) was replaced by an even more deadly Darth Vader (R) in the Revenge of the Sith expansion. The use of Anakin by Light Side players fell by the wayside.

With the release of the Fall of the Republic (FOTR) expansion however, the Light Side finally has an Anakin to compete with Darth Vader; Anakin Skywalker (N). This card truly reflects the chosen one's awesome power. For ten build you get a very healthy 50/8/7 unit with a strong evade, built in automatic damage prevention, and an invaluable Lucky ability. All of these things combined make for a unit that may be even stronger than the once unstoppable Mace Windu (A).

Supporting Anakin are two other well known Jedi heroes: Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. These two are a necessity since having Obi-Wan in the character arena grants Anakin (N) his automatic damage prevention. Yoda is there for two reasons; first he is widely considered the best Light Side Jedi in the game, and he can actually help Anakin directly as well. Since most versions of Anakin are Jedi Padawans, you can stack Yoda (G) underneath Anakin to not only get the bonuses of another card in his stack, but an extra card in the stack as well. If you can get five cards in an Anakin (N) stack, you will never have to worry about seeing Darth Vader again!

Ground
Speaking of Jedi heroes, where would this deck be without the card that bears that namesake? Jedi Heroes provides a fast (50 speed), hard hitting (6 power) unit with its own built in damage prevention, all for six build. This card is a must have for any Jedi deck.

The release of FOTR introduced a fundamental shift in how the ground arena will be played. With units like Crab Droid and Grievous' Wheelbike (A), the Light Side no longer has the luxury of knowing it will go first. A 50 speed unit in ground is no longer a rarity, and so the Light side must do all that it can to ensure it gets to attack first to try and take down some of those Patrol Mode Vulture Droids, Commerce Guild 81-X Droids, or the new 501st Legion (A). The answer? Speeders! There hasn't been a more tried and true Light Side ground card than the Unmodified Snowspeeder since its release in the Rouges and Scoundrels set. While it doesn't fit the theme of the deck, you can't go wrong with this wonderfully powerful ground unit.

Of course you have to include one of the fastest units in the game, Anakin's Podracer (A). While not a Jedi itself, it was crafted by the Chosen One in his youth, and its abilities reflect that early Jedi power.

Finally, we have some Coruscant Speeders to add to the mix. While not as fast as their other speeder cousins, they more than make up for it in other abilities. Being able to draw that one Jedi card that you need could be the difference between victory and defeat. They can hold their own in a fight and they have their own Evade.

Space
FOTR gave us arguably the best Light Side Space card to date in the Jedi Interceptor. This beauty will serve your purposes on a variety of levels. First off it is a Jedi unit and thus fit the deck theme perfectly. It has all the stats of a Delta-Six Starfighter, with an extra intercept ability added in for only one extra build point. It's like a Delta-Six and an X-Wing Red Three rolled into one! This baby will see a lot of play in all future Light Side decks.

Of course just because something better comes out doesn't mean you forget a card that was already good. Keep in those cheap Delta-Six Starfighters and you can have a swarm of Jedi ready to take down any Space unit the Dark Side might throw at you. Finish off your fleet of starfighters with an Anakin's Starfighter (A), and Luke's X-Wings (B) and (C).

To compliment your fleet of starfighters you will need units that can hold their own in Space as well. While not Jedi, the Republic Fighter Wing is a great fit for this deck. It is very representative of the help that the Jedi received along their way and with the vast numbers of space units you will accumulate in the Space arena, it will not be uncommon to see this unit's power grow to eight, nine or perhaps even ten power!

Finally, there was one space unit released in FOTR that was simply too good to pass up. The V-Wing Squadron is also a wonderfully cheap, but powerful unit, that simply cannot be ignored. While at 40 speed, it will be a snail in the Space arena, but it has enough health to take a hit or two and then deliver a devastating punch back. Remember if you want to keep that six power around, just use your Jedi Interceptors to get in front of any potentially lethal blows.

Battle
There are three fairly straightforward battle cards you should use with this deck: Dismiss, High-Speed Dodge, and See You in Hell. These three cards provide a perfect balance of offense, defense, and disrupt.

Dismiss is by far the best disruption card out there and there is nothing better than ruining your opponent's best laid plans with a carefully played disruption.

Since the vast majority of your cards are over 50 speed, High-Speed Dodge is the obvious choice to help keep them around a little longer. Its prevention of three damage for only one force is unmatched.

And finally, to give your units a devastating punch, there is no better card that See You in Hell. Need to get rid of the Death Star? No problem, use this on any of your Space units and watch the "ultimate power in the universe" fall to pieces. Wash rinse and repeat for any daunting unit your opponent may have out there.

Mission
Since you will always have a multitude of Jedi in your battles you will need one thing: Force. Whether it's for your units activated abilities, your battle cards, or because your opponent is running a Force draining deck, you will need all the Force you can get. Recognition of Valor is a perfect fit for this deck. You will never be in short supply of Jedi so the amount of Force gain will always be worth the price tag of three build. For the same price, you could also use Jedi Master's Meditation. You lose the attack of one of your Characters for a turn but you will get about the same amount of Force each time you play it, which is not the case with Recognition of Valor. Of course if you're feeling lucky, you could throw in a couple Jedi Tests. It really doesn't matter how you get the Force, just know that you're going to need lots of it.

Another great utility card from the FOTR expansion is Emergency Code. This card is perfect for this deck because it lets you fish out the Jedi cards you need to make the deck work and for two build this mission is a steal. Didn't draw Anakin (N)? No problem! Just play this baby and get him along with a Delta-Six, or perhaps a Coruscant Speeder for even more drawing power. Emergency Code is a very useful mission that may just turn the tide of battle in your favor.

One of the major weaknesses of this deck is that it doesn't have any Locations. For this deck there simply aren't any locations that are practical, and you need other cards elsewhere. This is can become a major problem, especially if your opponent is getting bonuses from all three locations. To avoid this throw in a couple Melt Your Way In's. They can get rid of that annoying Forests of Endor or the new Utapau Landing Platform.

Of course you can add location cards instead of Melt Your Way In, but I have found the best locations to fit this deck are too arena specific (namely Character), and really aren't worth the money to put in. I find it much more satisfying to discard my opponent's locations anyway. However, it is a matter of preference. Play around with it. Add your own flavor to the deck as you like.

Equipment
There is only one equipment card worth having in this deck, and that tis the newly released Obi-Wan's Lightsaber (A). True it may be a little expensive, but if you can spare the resources it will make any of your three jedi near invincible, especially if put on it's proper owner: Obi Wan Kenobi (O).

These Jedi heroes should prove daunting for any Dark Side deck that may be thrown your way. Remember that the freedom of the galaxy is at stake, and it is up to you to see that freedom survive. May the Force be with you!

Deck Tips
-Yoda (G) is a great boon but can't be deployed in setup. Try to keep a padawan version of Anakin on top after setup to stack Yoda, then Bring Anakin (N) in.
-Mulligan any Battle, Mission, or Equipment cards you have in your hand to start. Knowing exactly which two arenas to deploy in early is crucial to this deck.
-Once you pick the arenas you want to fight in, stick with them. The cost of your units, and the lack of build increase makes coming back in an arena extremely difficult.
-Remember that Force is key to this deck. Even if you're facing a popular force drainer deck, you should have enough ways to build your force to high enough levels to support all of your Jedi units.

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About the Author
Ryan, a self-described "newbee" , first started playing in March of 2005, right before the release of Revenge of the Sith. He was an IDC Card Development Workgroup Associate on the Fall of the Republic expansion and is currently helping develop the next set.