Invasion of Naboo will give the Diplomat subtype a large boost, if Aks Moe (A) and Senate Repulsor pod are anything to go by. This should return many powerful Diplomat cards into the game.

One I am especially looking forward to using is Padmé Amidala (H). In the Fog of War tournament, Tatooine Farmer played a Force Drain deck using Emperor's Spire. Padmé Amidala (H) works in a similar way. Forcing your opponent to pay 2 Force to attack your units is a great strategy.

When compared to the Emperor's Spire deck, you can tell the strengths and weaknesses of Padmé Amidala (H). On the strength side, she can be deployed during setup. This means you don't have to rely on the chance that you may or may not have 4 build on your first build step. Tatooine farmer used Death Star (D) in order to control the risk, however it provided a viable target for the Light side because it had its great build gain and lacked the Sith subtype. Other strengths of Padmé Amidala (H) are the fact that unpreventable damage doesn't get around her - she stops attacks. The only way to hit her or her allies is to pay Force, or through direct damage. Also, the fact that she can generate Force and cards is very beneficial; another strength when compared to Emperor's Spire

But, even though she does have a weakness (direct damage), I struggle to believe that it will be a major problem after seeing ION's first two previews. The biggest problem is that Diplomats are mostly Characters. The IDC has hinted at more Ground Diplomats, which we currently have two of and one of them is Dark Side. However, Space is a problem. There are only 2 Space Diplomats, which means you're 4 cards short of the minimum amount. Unless ION fixes Space as well, your Space arena will have to be of a different subtype.

Padmé Amidala (H) also works well with many Diplomats (at least even better than usual). I think her daughter will be useful. Many cards of Leia make their attacker pay 2 Force in order for any damage to be done to her. This is useful, as that means it would cost your opponent 4 Force just to attack one card. However, the cards I believe will be effective is Princess Leia (A) and Princess Leia (K). Leia (A) reduces the number of attacks made per turn by one, by forcing your opponent to pay 1 Force. Leia (K) is useful, as she allows you to make a powerful speeder unit - which doesn't have to be a Diplomat - and gives that speeder the pay 2 Force effect. This means that Padmé Amidala (H) can defend all your Diplomats, while Leia attacks on a powerful speeder card. Hold-out Blaster would be a great addition to Princess Leia (K), allowing Leia to attack, while giving her a 4 Force cost to whoever attacks her.

Bail Organa (A) would also be a great addition to an ION designed deck. Tapping one of your opponents Characters could be annoying, considering the implications Forcewise. Your opponent will be conserving his Force to attack Padmé Amidala (H), only to see his Character tapped. No win situation. Either you pay the cost and end up not attacking that turn, or spend the Force on attacking, but leave your chance at trying to kill Padmé Amidala (H) without your tapped unit.

Padmé Amidala (H) doesn't like decks that generate a large amount of Force though. With enough Force, you will be able to attack more often, even if you can't attack as often as you would like. However, I believe ION will give Diplomats the chance to create a very powerful Force Drain deck. I haven't mentioned all of the possibilities you have with Padmé Amidala (H) yet. I believe she has a future in this game, with the revival of Diplomats with ION.

In the latest IDC expansion Republic At War, clone decks were given a BIG boost. Captain Fordo (A) gives all your clones Accuracy 1 and Fury 2, thus (or and) the potential to deal out a lot of damage.

So what makes Captain Fordo (A) different from other synergy boosters? One difference is that he can become one of the units you count on to win an arena. For example, the Rebel Control Officer is a common unit in Rebel decks. But just take a look at his stats. He is not going to stay alive for long without someone to intercept the damage. On the other hand, Captain Fordo (A) has Armor which will allow him to stay alive much longer for less build (no need to to put someone in to intercept the damage). Another difference is that Fordo gives himself and other Clone units Accuracy 1 and Fury 2, while some other synergy boosters only give their bonuses to other units.

When combined with cards like Clone Grenade (2 damage that is unpreventable), Captain Fordo (A) has even better chances of killing annoying Dark Jedi or any unit with Evade. There are also many Clone Space and Ground units that already have Accuracy 1. If you utilize them with Captain Fordo (A)'s bonus, they would then have Accuracy 2 and give them a better chance to hit. Did I mention the Muunilinst 10 (A) that gains bonuses from Clone Officers?

With so many power boosting benefits and strong card combinations available for Clones, Captain Fordo (A) will be a welcome addition to any Clone deck.

General Grievous has many powerful warrior versions, but my favorite is General Grievous (E). He is the centerpiece of my current deck, which uses untapping to cause large amounts of damage. However, not all versions of Grievous are combat versions. The important thing to remember about generals is that:

"A general who draws his sword has put aside his baton and become a common soldier."
- Matrim Cauthon

General Grievous (F) is the version of Grievous that reflects him with the General's baton, instead of the lightsaber, his usual weapon of choice. Although his stats are good, allowing him to hold his own, his job isn't as a warrior. He has no offensive abilities, instead relying on Armor and Parry to protect him.

His job is to lead the army. And he does. His primary ability keeps your opponent from using Evade, Deflect or Lucky when your Separtist Droids are attacking. Several popular cards in today's meta, including R2-D2 (J) and Yoda (J), both have Lucky and lose that powerful ability when attacked. General Grievous (F) also works great with Derelict Battleground because boosts the dice you can roll against damaged units. General Grievous (F) is the card that is going to make the Sepratist deck reach the next level.

However - remember! While General Grievous (F) covers most defensive methods, but not all. Beware high Parry totals as well - you can't stop those.