The air is thick with tension. Before an audience of millions, Padmé Amidala, monarch of the planet Naboo, has delivered allegations of inhumanity against the Trade Federation; the represenatative of the organization, Senator Lott Dod, glibly stacks bureaucratic proceedings and red tape around the issue. The Galactic Senate is paralyzed by the weight of its own bureaucracy, and many blame the Supreme Chancellor, Finis Valorum, for the rampant corruption.

Senator Dod does not stand alone, however. Senator Aks Moe of Malastare quickly aligns behind the profitable Trade Federation by seconding the motion that a commission ascertain the truth behind the Queen's testimony. Frustrated by the bureaucrats' political jargon, Amidala retaliates by calling for new leadership. The cogs of Darth Sidious's plan to conquer the galaxy are set in motion.

It is my pleasure to bring you the first set of spoilers for the Independent Development Committee's (IDC) fifth expansion, Invasion of Naboo: Aks Moe (A) and Senate Repulsorpod.

Aks Moe (A) is a card that represents the new angle the Diplomat subtype will focus on. Rather than drain your opponent's resources, this new breed of politician instead immobilizes your opponent by focusing on the mechanism of Disrupt. Since its introduction in the Empire Strikes Back expansion, Disrupt has been a widely debated issue among loyal players of the Star Wars: Trading Card Game. This debate recently culminated in the restriction of the unhealthy Hotwire. Invasion of Naboo looks to expand disrupt in new, adventurous ways.

Representative of his roles in The Phantom Menace, Aks Moe (A) looks to benefit from this venture. The Gran Senator capitalizes on the crippling effects of Disrupt by allowing you to draw a card each time a Disrupt effect is played. A drawing engine of this magnitude can be critical in a Diplomat deck, especially considering the faction's focus on Disrupt in this expansion.

Politicians are characterized as playing both sides of the fence. Aks Moe (A) is no exception. Not only do you benefit from using Disrupt, but you also benefit from your opponent using Disrupt against you. Your opponent will now have to weigh the cost of you drawing a card against the importance of using the Disrupt.

Senate Repulsorpod is the first Equipment card to offer exclusive benefits to units with the Diplomat subtype. This Equipment continues the growing theme of Disrupt within the Diplomat faction, granting the Diplomat the opportunity to tap and Disrupt an activated ability. Politicians with a lower power, such as the aforementioned Aks Moe (A), will benefit from this granted ability; higher power units will be able to penetrate your opponent's defenses with the paralyzing effects of the activated ability disrupt.

Should you lack high power units, Senate Repulsorpod gives the Diplomat a fighting chance by also granting a +10 speed and +1 power bonus. Multiple Senate Repulsorpods could make the meager Diplomat quite intimidating to an opponent already strained by the stalemate produced by a Diplomat deck.

Keeping with the theme of new Equipment, Senate Repulsorpod offers great benefits at a relatively low cost. Diplomats are great resource generators and thus make it easier to attach Equipment to your units. With a cost of 1 build and an Equip cost of 1 Force, a single Senate Repulsorpod can be paid for by a Finis Valorum (B). The more attentive will also notice that Senate Repulsorpod can be attached to a Ground unit, suggesting an expansion of the political arena...

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