Thousands of Geonosians fill the Stadium fixated on the arena floor below them. Three captives await their fate: death by public execution. Elsewhere, a large fleet of Starships drops into the system and starts to deploy its gunships and walkers to the planet's surface. A battle rages in the execution arena as many Jedi fight the waves of droids sent to eliminate them. Soon, the flailing Jedi will be surrounded and their doom awaits them. A Gunship circles over head and provides cover for the remaining Jedi. Jedi Master Yoda has arrived with a clone army. The Battle for Geonosis has begun!

From the release of Attack of the Clones, the SWTCG has been promoted as a way to replay all those epic battles from the movies, and it is true that in the early days of the SWTCG this was so. As more and more expansions were released, the good old epic battles saw less and less play as more competitive, non-themed decks rose to become the cream of the crop. So today I bring you a battle report of one such epic battle.

After our last battle, Shaun and I were discussing when we should play next and what the theme should be. We decided that, since in our last battle we showcased what could be done with the newest SWTCG set, we should provide some insight into the cards that started it all; the cards from the first SWTCG set, AOTC.

On the 10th of September 2006, two players pitted their decks against one another. The theme: Attack of the Clones ONLY. Now that the stage is set, let's meet the participants and their decks:

‘Grand Admiral’ Shaun Valjin

"In league with the wicked Count (Grand Admiral) Dooku, more and more planets slip…" His newly formed Droid army is prepared to unleash a new assault with new deck strategies. Hmm… The cloud of the Dark Side has fallen. Begun this Clone War (Droid War) has. I have printed out some extra copies of the cards and am able to use them for this deck. It was difficult to resist my urges to put some extra single cards in. I will rely on the Space arena, its slow bombarding battleships and ultra light droid fighters, to provide some orbital support for the Ground arena which will be providing ground support through Commerce Guild Droid Platoon. Tyranus, along with his bodyguard Jango and his execution pet Nexu, will assault the Character arena. Also, my standard stock of Battle card trickery is included. In the words of Master Yoda, "The Dark Side clouds everything, impossible to see the future is."

Trent ‘IVIaceWindu’ McCrow

When we chose to play an AOTC-only game, I was lucky enough to get to play the Light Side. Playing my AOTC-only deck again brought back so many memories of the good ole days and I remembered how when deploying those 3R3's into Space always crushed the Dark Side player's spirits. For this match, I decided that I should go for the best strategy (IMO) that came out of the AOTC set: attack first and attack hard! To implement my strategy, I have enlisted the aid of a few key units; Luxury Airspeeder in the Ground arena, N-1 Starfighters in the Space arena, and most importantly, Padmé Amidala (A) in the Character arena. It won't all be easy sailing for me, though. After tweaking Shaun's deck to give him a better chance, this match could go either way, but I'm confident in my deck and my strategy. With any luck, I should be able to get the first strike in and deal Shaun a blow he cannot recover from! Let the Battle for Geonosis begin!

Set Up
Dark Side Draws 7 cards:
Surge of Power, Pilot's Dodge, Droid Control Ship, Jango Fett (B), Tyranus' Solar Sailer (A), Destroyer Droid Squad and Nexu.
Light Side Draws 7 cards:
Mending, AT-TE Walker 23X, AT-TE Walker 23X, N-1 Starfighter, Obi-Wan Kenobi (C), Padmé Amidala (A) and Anakin Skywalker (C).
Dark Side Mulligans:
Surge of Power and draws Tyranus's Solar Sailer (A).

Dark Side Setup

Deploy	Draw
Tyranus' Solar Sailer (A) Jango Fett (B) Destroyer Droid Squad Nexu Trade Federation War Freighter Nexu (3B)	Geonosian Fighter Padawan's Deflection Nexu Trade Federation War Freighter Splinter the Republic Jango Fett (D)

Light Side Setup

Turn One

Ready Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
4F = 4	4F = 4 BRoll 4

Command Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
B = 5 Draw = Battle Droid Squad 2B -> Nexu -> Deployed 1B -> Jango Fett (D) -> Stack under Jango Fett (B) 2B -> Battle Droid Squad -> Deployed	B = 5 Draw = Departure Time 1B -> Obi-wan Kenobi (C) -> Deployed 2B -> Departure Time -> Completed -> N-1 Starfighter Discarded -> +4B 2B -> Mending 4B -> Naboo Defence Station

Trent's Commentary
Shaun was able to get a better setup than in his previous games against me and I'm starting to regret providing those tweaks to his deck. I was definitely outgunned in Space but I was able to transfer the build I spent in the Space arena through Departure Time. I'm still confident my first strikes will cripple the Grand Admiral beyond help, now all I need is the die roles to do it.

Battle Phase

Space Battle
Trade Federation War Freighter -> Bombard 3 -> Luxury Airspeeder -> 3 Hits -> 3 Dmg -> Luxury Airspeeder Discarded.

Ground Battle
AT-TE Walker 23X(1) -> Battle Droid Squad -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg.
AT-TE Walker 23X(2) -> Destroyer Droid Squad -> 3 Hits + Crit Hit 2 -> DS Pilot's Dodge -> 3 Dmg.
Destroyer Droid Squad -> AT-TE Walker 23X (2) -> 2 Hits -> 2 Dmg.
Battle Droid Squad -> AT-TE walker 23X (2) -> 2 Hits -> 2 Dmg -> AT-TE Walker 23X (2) Discarded.

Character Battle
Jango Fett (B) Stack -> Anakin Skywalker (C) -> 2 Hits -> 2 Dmg.
Anakin Skywalker (C) -> Jango Fett (B) Stack -> LS Surge of Power -> 4 Hits -> 4 Dmg.
Padmé Amidala (A) -> Jango Fett (B) Stack -> 3 Hits -> 3 Dmg -> Jango Fett (B) Stack Discarded.
Nexu (1) -> Anakin Skywalker (C) -> 3 Hits -> 3 Dmg -> Anakin Skywalker (C) Discarded.
Nexu (2) -> Padmé Amidala (A) -> 2 Hits -> 2 Dmg.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (C) -> Nexu (1) '2 Hits -> 2 Dmg.

Arena Check
Space Arena: Dark Side
Ground Arena: Contested
Character Arena: Contested

Shaun's Commentary
"Get on with it! I want to see her suffer!" - Nute Gunray. This battle is going my way with the Space arena already under my belt. My Trade Federation War Freighter is ready to rain down the fire seen in the picture of Trent's remaining AT-TE Walker 23X. It shouldn't be hard to knock it off with one of my remaining Ground units. I have a chance in the Character arena, if he can't deploy a faster Jedi. Padmé would attack one of my Nexu, I'll deflect damage back to her and my remaining Nexu will get the kill it never got in the movie. The future is not so difficult to see after all!

Trent's Commentary
I'm disappointed with my walkers as they should have been able to take out his ground arena. Unfortunately I played this first turn all wrong and like an amateur player so I only have myself to blame. In the Character arene I was lucky that Jango's attack didn't pack the punch it should of and with 2 Nexu's out damage prevention was almost out of the question. Shaun has me on the back foot already and due to my error in managing the Ground arena it is going to be a tough battle to get back on top.

Turn Two

Ready Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
4F = 6	4F = 7 BRoll 2

Command Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
B = 3 Draw = Hero's Dodge 1B -> Splinter the Republic -> Completed -> Draw Battle Droid Squad 2B -> Battle Droid Squad -> Deployed	B = 2 Draw = Naboo Starfighter Squadron Completed Mending -> Padmé Amidala (A) -> -2 Dmg 2B -> Naboo Defense Station

Trent's Commentary
A higher build roll would have helped my situation but alas I was not able to reinforce my arenas. It is going to be a tough slog this round and I will need all of my luck to escape from the Ground arena when it is virtually 4 against one. (Bombarding War Freighter.) May the Force be with me!

Battle Phase

Space Battle
Trade Federation War Freighter -> Bombard 3 -> AT-TE Walker 23X (1) -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg.

Ground Battle
AT-TE Walker 23X(1) -> Destroyer Droid Squad -> 3 Hits + Critical Hit 2 -> 5 Dmg -> Destroyer Droid Squad Discarded.
Battle Droid Squad (1) -> AT-TE Walker 23X (1) -> 0 Hits -> 0 Dmg.
Battle Droid Squad (2) -> AT-TE walker 23X (1) -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg.

Character Battle
Padmé Amidala (A) -> Nexu (1) -> 4 Hits -> DS Padawan's Deflection -> 3 Dmg -> Nexu (1) Discarded -> 1 Dmg to Padmé Amidala (A).
Nexu (2) -> Padmé Amidala (A) -> 2 Hits -> 2 Dmg.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (C) -> Nexu (2) -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg.

Arena Check
Space Arena: Dark Side
Ground Arena: Contested
Character Arena: Contested

Shaun's Commentary
Hmmm… It didn't go quite as I had planned it. My victory has been postponed and both the units I targeted are still around. The odds are still in my favour, but "One can never be too sure."-Obi-Wan Kenobi

Trent's Commentary
I am so relieved. Now I am definitely regretting tweaking Shaun's deck. He was able to use Splinter the Republic and reinforce his Ground arena. When combined with the Bombard from above my remaining Walker had little chance against his Ground units. I was able to take out his Destroyer Droid Squad and survive the turn however. The Character arena gave me a scare. Padmé almost fell victim to Shaun's Nexu. I hope she will be able to emerge from the execution… err Character arena to fight another day.

Turn Three

Ready Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
4F = 7	4F = 12 BRoll 3

Command Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
B = 4 Draw = Trade Federation War Freighter 4B -> Trade Federation War Freighter (2)	B = 3 Draw = Departure Time 1B -> Departure Time 2B -> Naboo Defence Station -> Deployed

Battle Phase

Space Battle
Trade Federation War Freighter -> Bombard 3 -> AT-TE Walker 23X (1) -> 0 Hits -> 0 Dmg.

Ground Battle
AT-TE Walker 23X (1) -> Battle Droid Squad (1) -> 2 Hits + Crit Hit 2 -> 4 Dmg ' Battle Droid Squad (1) Discarded.
Battle Droid Squad (2) -> AT-TE walker 23X (1) -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg.
Naboo Defence Station -> Battle Droid Squad (2) -> 3 Hits -> 3 Dmg -> Battle Droid Squad (2) Discarded.

Character Battle
Padmé Amidala (A) -> Nexu (2) -> 0 Hits -> 0 Dmg.
Nexu (2) -> Padmé Amidala (A) -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg -> Padmé Amidala (A) Discarded.
Obi-Wan Kenobi (C) -> Nexu (2) -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg.

Arena Check
Space Arena: Dark Side
Ground Arena: Light Side
Character Arena: Contested

Shaun's Commentary
My forces have been pushed out of the Core and into the Mid Rim. My Space fleet remains unopposed, but alas, my Ground forces have been destroyed. My Nexu did make Padmé suffer, DEATH! But Obi-Wan exacted his revenge. Character will become my new focus if I'm to defeat Trent.

Trent's Commentary
I was able to bounce back from my mistakes in the first two turns and I took the Ground arena. It was a close fight as Shaun kept a steady onslaught of orbital support from his Space fleet. Some good action in the Character arena could have won me the Game but after the Grand Admirals influence on my die rolling skills, the game could go either way.

Turn Four

Ready Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
4F = 11	4F = 16 BRoll 6

Command Phase

Dark Side	Light Side
B = 6 Draw = Weapons Response 3B -> Trade Federation War Freighter (2) -> Deployed 3B -> Droid Control Ship	B = 6 Draw = Obi-Wan Kenobi (B) 1B -> Departure Time ' Completed -> AT-TE Walker 23X (1) Discarded -> +4B 2B -> Obi-Wan Kenobi (B) -> Stack on top of Obi-Wan Kenobi (C) 5B -> Padmé Amidala (A) -> Deployed

Battle Phase

Space Battle
Trade Federation War Freighter (1) -> Bombard 3 -> Naboo Defence Station -> 0 Hits -> 0 Dmg.
Trade Federation War Freighter (2) -> Bombard 3 -> Naboo Defence Station -> 1 Hit -> 1 Dmg.

Character Battle
Obi-Wan Kenobi (B) Stack -> Nexu (2) -> LS P2F = Critical Hit 2 -> DS Weapons Response -> 4 Hits -> DS Hero's Dodge -> 2 Dmg -> Nexu (2) Discarded.

Arena Check
Space Arena: Dark Side
Ground Arena: Light Side
Character Arena: Light Side

Trent's Commentary
VICTORY!
"I have to admit without the Clones it would not have been a victory."-Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Victory? No not victory. The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen, begun the Clone War has."-Yoda.

'Grand Admiral' Shaun Valjin
Well as the movies progress towards episode III, the Separatists and Count Dooku are defeated. We started out strong and put the Republic on defence early on and had it on its knees. Unfortunately, my draws failed me and my reinforcements faltered at the time. With only the Space arena unopposed and with my Ground and Character units battling it away, slowly losing numbers, I was left with only my Battle card trickery. Eventually, that wasn't enough to save my Ground or Character forces and ultimately the game. I think this deck had potential, but my draws cost me the game. The knowledge of losing a critical unit and still having other copies in my deck is getting attractive to me and I might kill my urge to include every unit. At least I have the comfort of knowing that the Republic will be defeated…from the inside!!! Mwah huh huh…

Trent 'IVIaceWindu' McCrow
What a battle! After the improvements made to Shaun's deck, I knew it would be close, but I never would have guessed how close it would be. I'm pleased with the final result, although I'm disappointed in my mistakes during the game; they should not of happened. Unless Shaun was using a Jedi Mind trick against me…"Split your attacks. These aren't the Droids you want to attack"… The key point in the game was when I deployed the Naboo Defence Station, and luckily for me I started to build it on the first turn instead of the back up Padmé I was going to start building. This has been our closest match so far and I hope that those of you reading this report will be able to relive the glory of the old days of the SWTCG. For those newer players out there, you may not be too familiar with the cards featured in this Battle Report, but I hope you can appreciate the origins of the great game we know and love today. So until the next IDC set is released, why not go through some of the older sets and relive the excitement and replay the epic battles. Until we meet next time, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!