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Diplomatic Stimulus
Package
By
Brian Weeks
Yes.
I've said it over and over and over and over...(you get the idea)...I
love the Diplomatic sub-type in the Star Wars TCG. And...if you
will allow me, I will quote mysef from my previous article "Diplomacy
is Best Served Cold" because it really covers the sub-type
so well. I said, "The Diplomat subtype has
become one of the most dominating subtypes in the game with the
release of the Invasion
of Naboo expansion.Intercept, Disrupt, Power, Force Gain, Build
Gain...Diplomats can do it all. And, as I have stated in the past
(over and over), the Diplomat deck can control the game. And of
all the Diplomats, the best combo available to the Light Side player
(IMO), is the Han/Leia
combo."
Now, I've discovered another card for Diplomats
that can give a Light side player a chance gain Diplomat abilities
over and over again, Advance the Cause.
For 3 Force, Advance the Cause,
allows you to untap a Diplomat. "But I can only use an activated
ability once per turn. So what good is it?", one might say.
Well, it's a very good card if you have a Diplomat unit with more
than one activated ability. And there are currently four Diplomat
cards that have two abilities: Lando
Calrissian (F), Mon
Mothma (A), Princess
Leia (I) and Squabbling
Delegates. Squabbling
Delegates is a Dark side Ground unit that allows you (with a
tap -> untap -> tap) to gain 1 Build point, draw 1 card and
make your opponent discard 1 card. That's a pretty decent return
for 3 Force. But...I want more!
Lando
Calrissian (F) lets you basically draw two cards with his abilities.
Nice, But I can do something similar with Jawa
Sandcrawler for free. Princess
Leia (I) is the next step up. She can give you Accuracy 1, 2
Build points and pay your Smuggler's Upkeep. Keep her Princess
Leia (D) version on top of her stack before the Build roll,
and gain another Build point. Not bad for 3 Force!
But, by far the best Diplomat
for Advance the Cause would have to Mon
Mothma (A). For the 3 Force cost, Mon
Mothma (A) would be able to reduce the Build cost of all your
Rebel units (Space, Ground and Character) by 1 Build point AND give
them ALL +1 Power and Accuracy 1 to top it off. Amazing! I can see
some Rebel decks making a come-back. Throw in Cloud
City Battleground and Advance the Cause will only cost
1 Force for all these benefits. Mon will be the focus of attack
because of these benefits, so be sure to have some Diplomat protection
such has Han
Solo (G) or Rapid
Recovery .
Well...there you have it. The
card that re-introduced Rebel decks. Let me know what you think
about these combos and yours on the forums. Until next time...
Thoughts or comments? Visit the message board thread for this article
here.
About
the Author
Brian Weeks (aka Skywlkr) has been playing
the Star Wars TCG since its introduction at Celebration 2 in 2002.
After playing the demo game and introducing it to RedneckJedi and
Darthwalls, Team 'Dude Where's My Card' was created. He competed
in three qualifiers, yet the closest he ever ranked was eighth.
As a member on Rebelbasers, SWDuelist and a writer for the now defunct
Diehard Online, he has tried to promote the game through information
and interaction.
He is married, has a five year old son, is an architect, has been
the Treasurer and Newsletter Editor for eight years for JediOKC (an Oklahoma
City based Star Wars Fan Club), was the IDC Card Development Chairperson
for Fall of the Republic and is now the IDC Public
Affairs Chairperson through all five expansions. Despite all that,
he still has time to introduce the game to new players.KEEP THE
GAME ALIVE!
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