The X-Factor
By Ryan Searby

It might be the final approach to destroy the original Death Star, or perhaps Yoda pulling it from the muck in Dagobah. Regardless of the scene, everyone has their favorite moment from the Star Wars movies that involves Luke Skywalker’s durable X-wing. Such is the case amongst Star Wars TCG players. Every player has their favorite version of the card, and two of its versions: Luke’s X-wing (B) and Luke’s X-wing (C) are almost standard issue space units in any Light Side deck. This week, the IDC spotlights the latest incarnation of this staple of the game from the recently released expansion Scum and Villainy: Luke’s X-wing (E).

The Beginnings
From the earliest stages of Scum and Villainy development, the Card Development Sub-Committee (CD) of the IDC knew it was going to make a Luke’s X-wing card. They were on a mission to create a version of this already powerful and widely used unit that would be on par with its (B) and (C) versions, yet be distinctly unique in its own right. CD wanted a card that would be so useful and versatile that it would almost force players to include it in their Light Side decks. As a result, Luke’s X-wing (E) was one of the first cards to be worked on for the set. Achieving the lofty goals that CD had made for this card would, however; prove to be much easier said than done.

Although there was no shortage of idea submissions from the various members of CD for this card, all of the ideas for the (E) version seemed too closely related to previous versions of the card. Some of the ability ideas for the newest X-wing included Evasion and Critical Hit. Others offered Accuracy and Shields. Consequently most of the submissions contained some combination of those abilities in varying forms. Regrettably, none of the ideas really stood out, and progress on the card slowed down drastically. As a result, CD decided to take a step back from their current work with the card submissions entirely and build the card from scratch; starting by choosing different abilities that would make the (E) version stand out.

CD’s main purpose for the (E) version was for it to be different. So the members of CD asked each other: “What abilities don’t the other X-wing versions already possess?” Lucky immediately jumped out. Not only is Lucky a different ability from other Luke’s X-wings in the game, but it is also very representative of the way in which Luke gets himself out of a lot of tight situations in the movies using his beloved starfighter. The other ability which CD decided to give the (E) version, which wasn’t as obvious a choice, was Armor. CD had decided to stay away from Evasion as the card’s main damage prevention ability, so they went the direction of making the X-wing harder to hit, increasing the cards distinctiveness and playability.

Problem and Solution
At this point, CD felt like it had a fairly good unit. They gave the card stats (5 build, 60 Speed, 3 Power, 3 Health) typical of the other Luke’s X-wing versions that see major play and felt this version could be useful in certain situations…but the members of CD felt there was still something missing. The (E) version just didn’t have that “I must include this card in my deck” feel to it. CD knew that to get this they were going to have to come up with an ability that was not only unique for the X-wing, but unique for space units as a whole.

Earlier in the development process, CD had kicked around the idea of giving Luke’s X-wing (E) its own damage removal ability, similar to that of Obi-Wan’s Starfighter (A) or R2-D2 (D) or (J)’s pilot abilities. This was mainly due to the lack of “reliable” built in damage prevention (i.e. Evasion and/or Deflect). The idea was that this version would not only be hard to hit, but would heal itself as well. The only problem with this is that the healing abilities of cards like Obi Wan’s Starfighter (A) or R2-D2 (D), is that they only trigger once per turn. The healing ability is useless if the unit doesn’t survive the round.

This is where CD made the breakthrough they felt would give this card the playability they so desperately wanted for it. CD decided to modify the trigger time of the healing ability to each time Luke’s X-wing (E) is attacked. This way, players would get the benefit of the ability during battle, rather than after. This unique ability made Luke’s X-wing (E) almost untouchable to small space units! Something only space units with large amounts of health could claim before. Finally, CD had the card that they felt lived up to their initial vision and purpose.

Into Your Deck
The only restriction CD decided to add to the (E) version’s unique healing ability was to require a pilot be on the X-wing in order for the ability to work. However, since the LS Pilot themed deck is still one of the best and most popular in the game, this “restriction” is not a terribly burdensome one for the (E) version and CD felt the reduction on the card’s playability would be negligible. In any case, players will more than likely want to add a Pilot that grants Evasion to make it even harder to destroy.

Imagine a Luke’s X-wing (E) piloted by a Luke Skywalker (E) and an R2-D2 (D). You get a 70/4/3 unit with Critical Hit 6, Pay 2 Force -> Evade 2, Lucky 1, Armor, damage removal every turn, and damage removal every time it is attacked! It has the firepower to take down the Death Star, and can take more than its fair share of hits from your opponent. Now… imagine if you stack the X-wing… the possibilities of this card are nearly limitless! It is true that the (E) version shares the same Achilles heel weakness as its predecessors, in that one well timed Droid Missile can take it down, however the upside to this card is tremendous and far outweighs its drawbacks.

Finally, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, this little beauty of a card has one more surprise. For those players who have a keen eye, they will have noticed that Luke’s X-wing (E) has one other quality that its other versions lack. Look closely at the subtype and you’ll find that not only is the (E) version a Rebel starfighter, but a Jedi starfighter as well! This means that Luke’s X-wing (E) will grant and receive bonuses from other cards referring to the Jedi subtype. There is no reason that this card should not be in every Light Side deck, regardless of the deck’s theme. CD and the IDC as a whole hope you have as much fun unleashing the power of this card on your opponents as we had in bringing the card to you. That’s it for this week. Until next time, happy gaming!

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About the Author
Ryan Searby has been playing the Star Wars Trading Card Game since January 2005, and a member of the Rebelbasers community since August of that year. While relatively new to the game, he has been a workgroup associate for the Card Development Sub-committee of the IDC since its inception. He posts on the Rebelbasers forums as “pocketaces98”.