Yoda’s Intervention (Attack of the Clones)

This basic damage prevention card was exceptional when it was released, and although it has been somewhat overshadowed in the 14 sets that followed it, is still not a bad card. It’s nice to have damage prevention that works in any arena, no strings attached. Consider playing it if you run slower units that can’t benefit from High-Speed Dodge.

Rating: 3.75

Impossible Victory (Sith Rising)

Creating a deck that wins consistently with this card would be an impossible victory indeed. No, really, this card is not good. It take’s 3 turns to power this baby up, assuming no Force use, drain, or extra gain, by which time you may not have 2 units left in an arena. Many Dark Side decks play with some kind of Force drain, and the Light side has to be extremely careful with each Force point. That said, any card with such a big effect can have its uses. Consider this for a fun combo: play a Jedi Master’s Meditation on Yoda (D) to gain 13 Force, Hidden-cost in and attack with Luke Skywalker (S), play Impossible Victory and attack with both. Sure you’ve used 20 build, 4 cards, and 16 Force, (and will probably lose the game) but you will have a memorable play! Some decks have units that require no Force, and this card could conceivably go there, but there are much better alternatives available.

Rating: 1.5

Han’s Courage (A New Hope)

This card does what good Battle cards avoid: it gives a bonus (at considerable cost) to one unit in one arena for one attack. The benefits of this card can be duplicated, with staying power, in cards such as Princess Leia (I), Mon Mothma (A), Rebel Control Officer, and others. As a point of comparison check out Power Attack, which provides a similar bonus but costs 0 Force. Good Battle cards have the power to sway the course of the game, and this one falls far short.

Rating: 1.25

Artoo’s Repairs (Battle of Yavin)

This combination of prevention and healing is a handy boost to Light side’s Space. A timely play of this card can net you an arena. If your deck is running droids and you plan on an aggressive offense in Space you should consider running Artoo’s Repairs. Because this is such a conditional Battle card, it is beneficial to have cyclers like Jawa Sandcrawler to replace it when it becomes ineffective (you either have Space locked-down or have no droids in play). Not for all decks by any stretch, but in the right one can have an impact.

Rating: 3.75

Rapid Recovery (Jedi Guardians)

Rapid Recovery takes on a whole new Light with all the attention diplomats have been receiving lately because of the sizeable benefits it provides for only 1 Force. Rapid Recovery works well at keeping Light side Characters healthy with Princess Leia (G) and Han Solo (G). It’s also nice with Mon Mothma (A), Princess Leia (I) and (M), and others. Any diplomat that taps for an effect (Bail Organa (A) or Orn Free Taa (A), Finis Valorum (B), Senator Palpatine (J), Queen Amidala (K) among others) is good for this card because it makes them available for things like Vote of No Confidence. These are only a few of the cards uses (it is fun to respond to your opponent’s Price of Serenity with this). Next time you make a LS diplomat deck consider how Rapid Recovery could improve it.

Rating: 4

Han’s Attack (Empire Strikes Back)

This card punishes your opponent for playing high-build units. I’d love to play this on an Ewok Warrior in an Ewok deck when the little guy attacks a fully-stacked and expensive Dark Jedi. If you are playing with a swarm, or have some low cost units for each arena, then this card can go into your deck to deliver the killing blow. The main drawback is that this depends on what the Dark Side is playing. If they have a swarm against your swarm than this card is dead weight. Intercepting units (such as TIE Fighter DS-61-9) can ruin your day when you want to play Han’s Attack on your starfighter against that Death Star II (A). The conditions will not always be right to play this effectively, but when you do: watch out Dark Side!

Rating: 3.75

Yoda’s Lesson (Rogues and Scoundrels)

It was sad to open a nice, fresh pack only to see this card as the Rare. It’s basically paying 4 Force to draw an extra card (it takes one card to replace Yoda’s Lesson). Furthermore, you could hold this card in your hand for 10 or more straight games before its second effect sees play. Far better draw engines are available.

Rating: 1.25

The Phantom Menace expansion contains no Light side Battle cards.

Desperate Bluff (Return of the Jedi)

Versatile and powerful, this card is Vader’s Grip for 5 less Force and the cost of tapping a Character. Tapping a Character unit is not that big a deal because you often have a support unit that is not needed for attacking. Desperate Bluff is nice with pilots—tap Wedge Antilles (B) (then move him to your speeder of choice. One problem with building huge Character stacks is once you control the arena they often just sit there unused. Put them to work with Desperate Bluff. This Battle card counters both Stealth and Hidden-cost (as long as it is not to the Character arena). Many people (rightfully) love Trap Door!, but Desperate Bluff, because it can be used against any opposing unit, is also worth consideration.

Rating: 4

Unity of the Jedi (Revenge of the Sith

It is exceedingly difficult to get conditions right to play this card. Chances are, if you can get three Jedi with different names into the Character arena, they probably need the 3 Force for damage prevention. However, if you can somehow pair this with It's Not Over Yet, then you have a devastating Force in Character because Unity of the Jedi's bonuses last 'til the end of the turn. But the chances of pulling that off are even more remote. This Battle card is far too conditional--limited as it is to one arena that is already well in hand (with 3 Jedi to look after things). Look elsewhere for attack boosters.

Rating: 2

Wookiee Tactics (Fall of the Republic)

Wookiee decks are still in their infancy, and until they mature this card will not make the cut. Wookie Characters are notoriously expensive—the cheapest are two versions of Chewbacca ((K) and (L)) for 5 build and the Wookiee Warrior for 6. Furthermore, they require almost as much Force as Jedi in order to use all those Retaliates. Most Wookiee units already have Retaliate, and, since they are so pricey, it is unlikely that you’ll have enough units in play to make Wookiee Tactics improve on the abilities they already sport. If a Wookiee swarm ever becomes possible, then this card could flourish, but for now it’s not enough.

Rating: 1.75

I’m Nice Men (Scum and Villainy)

I love the cards that key-off specific Characters (Luke’s Wrath, Anakin’s Rage, Kiss From Your Sister, Snowtrooper Elite Squad, Lover’s Farewell, among others) and hope the IDC continues producing them. This Battle card is nice because it gives you two great bonuses (damage removal and Force gain) for tapping Leia. I’m Nice Men is better than Kiss From Your Sister because Han and Leia make such a great pair—particularly if you match their (I) or (G) versions. This card is not one of those Battle cards that shine in all decks, and requires you to build your deck around it. Good combo with Rapid Recovery.

Rating: 3.75

Anakin’s Redemption (Battle of Endor)

Corruption is another theme that has yet to fully develop. As a Light Side player you have far more immediate threats than corruption to consider when constructing decks. Most often Anakin’s Redemption’s “gain 2 Force” will be what benefits you. This is much better than either Trust Your Feelings (I NEVER guess right. . .) or Obi-Wan’s Defense. Is a gain of 2 Force worth a card slot in your deck? Depends. Sometimes 2 more Force is all you need to save a critical unit or play that pivotal Battle card. Jedi Master and Apprentice (A) likes this card, as does Sympathetic Delegation. Luke Skywalker (S)'s critical hit ability is great, and with Anakin's Redemption you can utilize it without fearing massive Dark Side Force-gain.

Rating: 3.75

Force Orb (Republic at War)

Your 4 Force lets your Jedi Character attack any Ground or Space unit with unpreventable damage. Look for this card to be the focus of the Dark Side’s disruption. If you know your opponent is packing lots of disrupts, consider playing Surprise Attack (an awesome and rarely-used disruption counter) on the turn you plan to play Force Orb. This is a good play because the 4 Force to play this card in a Jedi-centered deck can be difficult to acrue--especially with stuff like Forests of Endor and Carbon Freezing Chamber's seeing a lot of play--and holding onto even more Force to disrupt your opponent's disrupts is generally not feasable. Force Orb is great for taking out Sith Master and Apprentice (A) or or Asajj’s Starfighter (A) or because they can’t prevent the damage counters, or a unit with Armor, Shields, or with swarms of interceptors. It’s best to play this after you’ve got the Character arena under control and on a high-power Jedi.

Rating: 4

Diversion (Invasion of Naboo)

I liked this the moment Invasion of Naboo released. Fun Diversion combo's: Rebel Trooper and Han Solo (I)/Luke Skywalker (S)/Princess Leia (I), Jedi Youngling and Qui-Gon Jinn (A) (for all the potential Force gain)/any powerful Jedi, N-1 Starfighter and Anakin's N-1 Starfighter (A), Corellian Corvette and MC-80 Star Cruiser, and the list goes on. This card can provide big payoffs, but it depends on having the right cards and Force at the right time.
Diversion loses points to Clever Escape or Fett's Determination because it requires more care and finesse, but gains points on them because it can strengthen any Light Side theme. I think this card, sort of a reverse Desperate Bluff. It has potential and I hope it sees play.

Rating: 3.75

Conclusions:

There you have it: one Light Side Battle Card from each expasion save one. Do you agree or disagree with my ratings? Do you think my strategies unsound? Opinions are welcome on Rebelbasers.

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