Darth Tyranus (K)
By the second Revan
Friday, June 27th, 2008

With the release of RAW, Darth Tyranus has become a playable card again. Both versions are great. Darth Tyranus (J) is an incredibly poweful card, however it is Darth Tyranus (K) that really shines.

Darth Tyranus (K)'s stats and abilities are nothing compared to Darth Tyranus (J) in combat, but that isn't the important bit. The important bit is his 'tutor' ability.

"When your build step starts, you may search your deck for a Dark Jedi, Gladiator or Equipment card, show it to your opponent, and put it in your hand. If you do, shuffle your deck."

This ability is powerful and there are many ways to use it. It's ability to find Dark Jedi can be used to improve your any arena (as long as you have the Dark Jedi to draw). Space can be bolstered with either Asajj's Starfighter (A) or (B). Emperor's Spire is another great card that can effect all 3 arenas and can be drawn because of it's ability to prevent damage. Since Gladiators can be drawn as well, Flalios (A) it a great compliment to a Dark Jedi deck, by granting them all +2 power.

However, my favorite card type to draw with Darth Tyranus (K) is Equipment. The IDC has done a lot to help the Equipment card type and has improved them tremendously from the high costing cards found in ROTS and FOTR. Now it is even easier to use Equipment in your decks. This can revolutionize your Characters. Asajj Ventress's Lightsabers (A) on Asajj Ventress (A), backed up by Flalios (A) and Swyy'm-Ee (A), or my favorite, Stolen Lightsaber's and E-11 Blaster Carbine on General Grievous (E).

Darth Tyranus (K) is a card that is a great staple for Dark Side decks, allowing you to fish for many cards that can improve your deck .

Force Punch
By Rampone Roberto
Friday, June 20th, 2008

In the history of the SWTCG, Battle cards have always made the difference between average decks and winning ones. Battle cards which delt direct damage won tournaments on thier own. (Unfriendly Fire anyone?) Force Punch walks along the line of this tradition and you will fully realize its' power when you read it's full text.

"Pay 1 Force -> Force Punch does 2 damage to the defending unit. If the defending unit is a Droid, the attacking unit also gets Stun 3. Play only if a Jedi is attacking."

Here we have a Battle card capable of inflicting 2 (preventable) damage for 1 Force. You can play only if a Jedi (or Dark Jedi) is attacking. But in the current game environment, with the last expansion Republic at War containing many Jedi and Dark Jedi, Force Punch should fit right into your deck. Still not so great?

There are some great advantages to playing Force Punch. First, it is extremely inexpensive, so most opponents will pay more to disrupt it than what you payed for it. Second, with Cloud City Battleground, you can play it for free (which just reinforces my first point). Third, by playing multiple Force Punch's, you can cause a considerable amount of damage which is unaffected by static abilities like Armor, Lucky, Parry and Shields. Just attack with your Jedi and inflict additional damage. Fourth, this card creates an unprecedented flexibility which is able to switch momentum in your favor. Just play it after damage prevention POP to inflict that finishing damage your opponent has just evaded.

There are plenty of Jedi (or Dark Jedi) deck actually around which can benefit form Force Punch and the "stun-a-droid" part is just icing on the cake. If you are facing a big, bad and undercosted ground droid (I will not give the name..) play Force Punch before damage prevention POP to make the Stun trigger. (Note: damage dealt by Force Punch does not stun the defender) Beware of Rebel Surrender. Discarding a defender without rolling dice is always a bad idea.

Azure Angle (B)
By the second Revan
Friday, June 13th, 2008

Not long ago, Luke's X-wing (E) was one of the favorite cards in the game, until the restriction. However, we could have a new popular card in the Space arena. Azure Angel (B) is not as abusive as Luke's X-wing, it is still very powerful.

The best way to use this card is to combine it with equipment. How about several copies of Starfighter Modifications, gained by using A Gift? This card will boost your firepower, while providing shields. And you can half the cost of the card with Anakin Skywalker (Q), who is also a great pilot.

When those two cards are with the Azure Angel (B), with (A) stacked underneath, they may not have the unstoppable defence of Luke's X-wing (E), but it has amazing firepower and is capable of taking out large foes very quickly.