Aggressive Negotiations
By Cody Barnett

A myriad of Trade Federation battleships encircle the pacific planet of Naboo. The peaceful Naboo fall prey to the Trade Federation's wrath as the robber baron bosses of the organization retaliate against a variety of taxation imposed by the Galactic Republic. A desperate Queen Amidala cries out for help, only to be swamped by the bureaucratic proceedings of the Senate. Encumbered by a massive political machine, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum dispatches a Jedi Master and his padawan to broker a settlement with the furious Viceroy of the Trade Federation.

I am proud to introduce the next set of spoiler cards for Invasion of Naboo: Radiant VII (A) and Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A)!

The first preview card, Radiant VII (A), promotes an underused ability: Reserves. Since the ability's induction in Jedi Guardians, Reserves has seen sparing use. As a matter of fact, only thirty cards currently sport the ability; half of these cards were produced by the Independent Development Committee in the last three sets. Radiant VII (A) looks to reverse this trend.

One obvious use of Radiant VII (A) is with Depa Billaba (A). This underused Character card combines astoundingly with Mace Windu (A), as she takes care of the smaller, support units so that Mace Windu (A) can take out the larger threats in the Character arena. Not only that, but with Mace Windu (A) in the Character arena, the junior Jedi Council member gains "Pay 1 Force -> Evade 3." By no means is this a minor Evade, especially since Depa Billaba (A) costs only 4 build points.

Now, you can take advantage of Depa Billaba (A)'s useful Reserves ability without keeping her in the build zone. Gaining 1 Force can give you a major advantage over your opponent; I've played several games where the extra Force to prevent damage has made the difference between victory and defeat. The extra Force allows you to play Mace Windu (A)'s massive Deflect in a single turn to further shatter your opponent's defenses.

After playing the Reserves, Radiant VII (A) comes into play by using its second ability. By merely tapping the Transport, you can move any Jedi - in this instance Depa Billaba (A) - with a build cost of 6 or less from the build zone to the appropriate arena. As if that wasn't beneficial enough, Radiant VII (A) also untaps that unit, thus allowing you to use the Reserve ability and attack in the same turn. This can be a handy trick when outmatched by an opponent relying on taking the Character arena.

The next card we will examine is Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A). Qui-Gon Jinn is one of the most anticipated characters from Invasion of Naboo, and his unique Equipment is no exception. Players of the game are expecting a combination of Jedi Master and lightsaber that will tear through the ranks of the Dark Side.

Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A) seeks to present the first facet of this deadly union. The general ability grants the Jedi or Sith +1 health, which is a major boost in the longevity of whatever card Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A) is attached to. This combines great with Qui-Gon Jinn (D), who already has an uncanny ability to survive for long periods of time.

The best part of this new card, however, is in the Character-specific ability. Should Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A) be attached to Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master receives some amazing benefits. First, Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A) grants "Pay 2 Force -> Deflect 1." Qui-Gon Jinn is notoriously known for poor defenses in the game; with Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A), however, the Jedi Master will at least be able to send one stray blaster bolt back at the opponent. Not only that, but Qui-Gon Jinn's Lightsaber (A) changes the arena that the Jedi Master can deflect to; the card now allows Qui-Gon Jinn to prevent damage and send it battering toward the Ground arena. Your opponent's Patrol Mode Vulture Droid won't seem as strong when Qui-Gon Jinn can safely deflect massive amounts of damage from the haven of the Character arena!

Both of these new preview cards combine amazingly well with the Independent Development Committee's new versions of Qui-Gon Jinn. When the set is released, Qui-Gon Jinn should finally reach his spot at the pinnacle of Light Side Character units.

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About the Author
Cody has been a collector of the game since its beginning in 2002. Due to lack of interest in his community, he did not begin playing until he joined the Rebelbasers online community in 2003. He is an avid Star Wars fan and enjoys the Trading Card Game. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Card Creation IDC sub-committee. He still posts on Rebelbasers under the screenname of Grand Moff Nicodemus Fett.