Dark Machine…Twisted and Evil
By John Bustamante

Deep in the underbelly of the Second Death Star, the battle continues……

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, is fighting to turn his son to the Dark Side. Together with Emperor Palpatine, he fights to corrupt Luke and continue the lineage of the Sith.

This week, I have the pleasure of revealing the 15th and 16th preview cards for the upcoming Battle of Endor IDC Expansion.

Allow me to introduce Darth Vader (X), Imperial Dark Jedi Knight – Sith Lord. 50 Speed, 6 Power, 6 Health, Parry 1, Pay 2 Force -> For this attack, Vader gets +X power, where X is the number of corruption counters on the defending unit. Play only if Vader is attacking. and Pay 2 Force -> Evade 2. All for a total of 8 Build Points. When I first saw this card, I thought that it was just an average unit that had a fair ability, and then I investigated previous Darth Vader’s. I started by looking at all the Vader’s that had the same Speed, Power, and Health for 8 Build. I found 2; Darth Vader (A) and Darth Vader (I). So, I compared them to look for any improvements that Card Development added in.

Darth Vader (A) doesn’t have the Imperial Subtype, so that may hinder anyone who wants to use and Imperial theme. As for Vader (A)’s abilities they are pretty average. Anyone could use the Intercept and Evade combo to help protect weaker support units. As for the “Force” retreat ability, I think it’s mediocre compared to many of his later versions. Also, the ability doesn’t see much use at this time because Vader has become more of a WMD (weapon of mass destruction) than a troop support unit. Vader (I) on the other hand is purely support. He has the 50 Speed, 6 Power, and 6 Health. He also has an adequate defense with Pay 2 Force-> Evade 2 but, his ability is equally as mediocre as his (A) version. With so few Dark Side Battle cards that aren’t too expensive or extremely consequential the ability, again, is of little use to the current meta-game.

With Vader (X), I think my favorite Sith Lord has imbued with the power to exterminate those who are corrupted by the Emperor. I am thrilled to see that Vader and the Emperor can now have an effective tag-team strategy with the Emperor dishing out corruption counters and Vader dishing out damage. Whoever can make this happen will be able to rule the character arena.

Moving on to Darth Vader’s Lightsaber (A), at 2 Build Points to build and 1 Build Point and 2 Force to equip it has the same cost as Luke’s Lightsaber (A). As for its abilities, it offers any Jedi or Sith +2 power and more importantly, it gives Vader Pay 2 Force -> Deflect 2. This bonus to Vader is almost priceless. Many versions of Vader have had wondrous abilities that boosted the Dark Side’s ability to dominate but, with one flaw, Vader usually gave up the ability to defend himself. With Vader’s Lightsaber (A), versions of Vader that have exceptional offensive capabilities can now gain a defensive edge that will allow them to last a few more turns. Think of the possible Vader’s that could hold their own with this ability. Any version of Vader could take up his lightsaber and wreak havoc upon the helpless Light Side characters but, this is not just damage prevention. It deflects damage back on the attacking unit. This ability is the embodiment of Darth Vader and I believe it can allow many previous versions to creep out of the woodwork and be used.

All in all, Vader (X) is a unit that has been designed to work hand in hand with the Emperor. He is a balance unit alone but, with the Emperor feeding corruption to the Light Side, Vader (X) rises to remove any character that the Emperor wishes to taint. Darth Vader’s Lightsaber (A) is the chosen tool of Vader himself. Crafted to enhance Vader’s attack and defensive capabilities, any version of Vader will find this tool a blessing.

Thoughts or comments? Visit the message board thread for this article here.