Operation: Dark Lord
By Cody Barnett

Viceroy Nute Gunray suppresses a shiver as he stares into the cold, desolate eyes of the holographic figure. Darth Sidious, although located on the other side of the galaxy, manages to intimidate his pawns even via communication devices. The corners of the Dark Lord's mouth depress into a scowl as the Viceroy relays the latest developments in the blockade of Naboo. For an instance, Nute Gunray debates the wisdom of aligning with Lord Sidious; his trepidation melts away as the callous voice of the Dark Lord spills forth.

"Begin landing your troops."

A stunned Nute Gunray can only comply, and gives the order that sets a chain of galactic events into motion. Several Trade Federation transports descend from the blockade ships, landing precariously across the surface of the planet. Thousands of battle droids disperse from the dropships, eventually taking the capital city of Theed and establishing the Trade Federation's dominion.

The invasion of Naboo has begun.

This week, it is my pleasure to preview the latest card from Invasion of Naboo: Trade Federation Dropship!

Since The Phantom Menace, the predominant theme of Trade Federation decks has been swarm tactics. Nute Gunray (C) and Trade Federation Hangar combine to lower the cost of your Trade Federation Droids, allowing you to pump an infinite horde of cheap units into each arena. Not only does Invasion of Naboo complement the swarm theme, but the set also looks to expand the Trade Federation's options in fulfilling this goal.

Trade Federation Dropship is a prime example of one of the new methods to overwhelm your opponent. For 5 build, Trade Federation Dropship allows you to place the top 4 cards of your deck underneath the unit. When Trade Federation Dropship is discarded, any unit card with a build cost of 3 or less that was placed under the transport is put into its respective arena. Considering Trade Federation's ability to swarm with cheap, effective units, there is little doubt that player's using the new Space unit will be swamping each arena with free units gained from Trade Federation Dropship.

The card is useful as a 'damage soaker.' Using Nute Gunray (C)'s granted Intercept, Trade Federation Dropship absorbs damage from your opponent's units. This allows your other Space units to freely attack with impunity. Then, when Trade Federation Dropship finally endures the last hit, the effect kicks in and the arena has the potential to be replenished by a new swarm of Droid Starfighters!

Experienced players will note that Trade Federation Dropship is not limited to Trade Federation units. The new Space unit can put any card with a build cost of 3 or less into the respective arena. Asteroid decks suddenly have a new, useful tool, as both Medium Asteroid and Small Asteroid fit the mold for Trade Federation Dropship's ability. The popular Yinchorri Fighter can also be pulled by the ability. In general, Trade Federation Dropship makes a great addition to any swarm deck.

An interesting combination with Trade Federation Dropship is Darth Vader (L). This long-forgotten version of the Sith Lord allows you to set aside the top three cards of your deck whenever Darth Vader (L) attacks. At the end of the Character battle step, you can put any unused cards back on top of the deck in any order. Although the order of the cards isn't important, knowing what cards are on top of your deck is critical when using Trade Federation Dropship. Darth Vader (L) allows you to time the deployment of Trade Federation Dropship to maximize the benefits.

Probot is another handy unit when paired with Trade Federation Dropship. Many players are famaliar with the combination of Mas Amedda (A) and Probot. By using the Chagrian's ability on Probot, you discard the Droid, draw 5 cards, and gain 1 build point. Then, you put an amount of cards on top of your deck equal to the amount of damage counters on Probot. The last ability is useful with Trade Federation Dropship. Probot's ability doesn't specify if the drawn cards are the ones returned to the top of the deck; any card in your hand is fair game. Thus, you can 'stack the deck' and return any units with a build cost of 3 or less to the top of your deck. Using the nifty build point gained from Mas Amedda (A)'s ability, you can then deploy Trade Federation Dropship and grab the cards you placed on top of your deck.

Trade Federation Dropship is one of the many new tricks that Trade Federation decks will be able to employ after the release of Invasion of Naboo. Trade Federation will now have nine new Space units to help enforce the blockade and reinforce the swarm!

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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.