New Battlefields
By Trent McCrow

Imperial troops have blasted their way into the rebel strong holds on the icy planet of Hoth while a thundering herd of AT-AT's continue to assault the fleeing rebels. In orbit the Imperial Star Destroyers of Death Squadron open up their main weapons on the planet beneath them as the rebel shield can no longer protect their hidden base.
You line up the rebel trenches for one last bombing run. You hear your new orders over your comm unit; destroying the fleeing rebel transports. Immediately you bring your TIE Bomber about and head towards the rebel transports attempting to escape into hyperspace. You finally catch up to them just as they are leaving the atmosphere and you engage the enemy. Space is a new battlefield for you in today's combat.

This week I have the honor and privilege to introduce you to the fifth and final card in our preview lineup (not including the Scavenger Hunt cards) before you can get your hand on the Independent Development Committee's (IDC) sixth expansion Battle of Hoth (BOH).

Since the IDC announced BOH back in late June the BOH main page has had the following listed as its game features:

Based on the frigid battle in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Battle of Hoth introduces:
* Multi-arena units and the Switch keyword
* A new subtype: Arctic
* New strategies for older subtypes, including Imperial and Rebel
* A mechanic that allows the player to utilize cards in his or her hand.

Although there has not been as much speculation about the introduction of Multi-Arena unit cards, for those of you who are curious, the cat is out of the bag today!

Death Squadron TIE Bomber is your first glimpse into the possibilities presented by Multi-Arena units. For a build cost of 4 you get a 40/2/3 unit with Doublestrike and the new Switch keyword.

"Switch, written as "Switch: [Insert bonuses]/[Insert bonuses]/[Insert bonuses]", meaning that when this unit is in the Space arena, it gets the bonuses or keywords to the left of the Space slash. When this unit is in the Ground arena, it gets the bonuses or keywords to the right of the Space slash. When this unit is in the Character arena, it gets the bonuses or keywords to the right of the Ground slash. If there are no bonuses or keywords for one of the unit's arena types, it will say "none", meaning that it gets no bonus for that arena. There will not be a slash for an arena not listed in the unit's type. Switch does not allow units to change arenas during the battle phase."

With this Multi-Arena unit, a Space/Ground unit the "/" separates the bonus given to the unit card when in the Space arena and when it is in the Ground arena. Here is what this unit would look like in the Space and Ground arenas respectively:

Death Squadron TIE Bomber (Dark Side, Space - Imperial Starfighter)
Build: 4
Speed: 40
Power: 2
Health: 3

Bombard 2
Doublestrike

Death Squadron TIE Bomber (Dark Side, Ground - Imperial Starfighter)
Build: 4
Speed: 50
Power: 3
Health: 3

Doublestrike

This is just the core idea of how Multi-Arena units and the Switch keyword. Make sure you check out the BOH Rulebook (when released) with all the specific rules regarding Multi-Arena units and how you can implement them into your deck.

This game just got a whole lot more interesting! Join me in celebrating our great Star Wars Trading Card Game with the release of the IDC's sixth expansion Battle of Hoth next week!

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About the Author
Trent is currently doing what he loves best and that is be involved with the SWTCG and the IDC in particular. He is a moderator at Rebelbasers.com and is looking to revive the RB community. Trent is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts with a specialization in Communication and a minor in Graphic Design. He hopes that his involvement with the IDC will prove to be a valuable experience as he seeks to start his career in the professional gaming industry. Despite all that, he still has time to introduce the game to new players…KEEP THE GAME ALIVE!