Attack of the Clones

Jawa Sandcrawler

Despite this card being released seven years ago in the premiere TCG expansion, it is still a staple in nearly every deck type. The ability to draw two cards and discard two cards every turn is priceless, especially for four Build. Plus the fact that you can put it in both Light and Dark side decks makes it even more valuable.

Include this card in your decks at all times.

Sith Rising

Yoda (C)

There were some other great cards in this expansion, but by far Yoda (C) beats them all, hands down. One of the first direct damage units, Yoda (C) had everything a great card deserves. Great Power, great Health, a good Evade and the ability to tap him and do 4 damage to any Character in the arena.

While he shines on his own, he can be a power house in a Jedi deck. If you don't have a Jedi deck, use him to scare your opponent from deploying into your Character arena.

A New Hope

Darth Vader (B)

What was great about this card when it was released was that it was actually the preview card released for ANH. For a decent Build cost, you get an ability that can bump Vader (B)'s Power up from six to eight for only two build. And with his Pay 2 -> Evade 2, Vader (B) can stay around for a few turns while you build another one.

Battle of Yavin

Luke's X-wing (B)

This unit is still a staple in all Light side decks and despite several attempts to "balance" it out, it has still proven to be a thorn to the Dark side. For five Build, you get a Space unit that with Critical Hit 4, can take down most medium health units with ease and defend itself well enough with Evade 2.

Definitely a unit that is a must have.

Jedi Guardians

Homing Missile

A card that has been the subject of constant discussion regarding restriction or banning, Homing Missile is another great card that, for the longest time, was seen in every deck type and usually times four. For three Build, you had the ability to do three damage to a unit of your choice in any arena. Of course this damage was dependant on whether you were able to drop Homing Missile onto the defending card from a height of 20 centimeters.

Many a story can be told about the damage that never was as the card aeroplaned off of the defending card - three build points lost forever. In a sleeve, out of the sleeve, fans blowing across the table on a hot day, blowing on the card as it fell - we've experienced them all. And for that memory alone, this is my favorite card from this expansion.

The Empire Strikes Back

Cloud City Battleground

This expansion had some great cards, which made this a hard choice. But for shear usability and the fact that I still play this card in my decks, Cloud City Battleground is the one to beat. For 1 Build, you get to play all of your Battle cards for two less Force. For some Battle cards, costing one or two Build, this was basically a free play.

Roques and Scoundrels

Lars Homestead

This was a hard choice too, but considering how often I built decks around this one card, I had to list it as my favorite. I had decks where every unit would cost five Build or less and then included multiple types of cards for Build gain. Jedi, Clones, Tuskens, Jawas...it didn't matter. With Jawa Sandcrawlers to draw my deck., there were times were I could build out 4-5 units per arena on the first turn alone. And that in itself makes this card worthy to be called my favorite from RAS.

The Phantom Menace

Orn Free Taa (A)

Another great expansion with too many cards to choose from. But for the shear annoyance factor when I played this card, I had to pick it. Orn Free Taa (A), for one Build, allowed you to tap one of your opponent's Characters (usually the most powerful one). Then, if they even had more than two units in their arena, they would have to tap one of them to do damage given by a third unit...and that usually didn't happen often. Very annoying.

Return of the Jedi

Endor Imperial Fleet

A card that everybody hoped to get in their new packs (and yet I only ever got one and had to buy the other three online), the Light side cringed everytime Endor Imperial Fleet was deployed. Even though it costs ten Build to deploy, with the Hidden Cost ability, that cost was reduced. And if used in a Force gain deck, you could deploy one during the Setup and one at the start of the Space battle phase. The Light side would usually stay away from this unit if they could.

Revenge of the Sith

Darth Vader (R)

Yes. I know. Another Darth Vader. But most Dark side decks are incomplete without this Vader in it. For ten Build, you get Hidden Cost, Deflect, Evade and unpreventable damage. And in a Vader stack, this unit gets even more powerful and hard to stop.

Fall of the Republic

Clone Blaster

While there were quite a few "good" cards in the Fall of the Republic, the one that stood out in most Clone decks at the time was Clone Blaster. For a 0 Build cost and an Equip cost of 1 Build, Clone Blaster granted an equpped Clone Critical Hit 1. And since you could equip more than one Blaster per Clone, many players kept more than one copy in their deck to build up their attack damage.

Scum and Villainy

Kessel Runner

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

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

Clone Wars: 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

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

Battle of Hoth

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.

Thoughts or comments? Visit the message board thread for this article here.

He is married, has a six 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. Despite all that, he still has time to introduce the game to new players…KEEP THE GAME ALIVE.