So with the news that both damage decks will be playable for the foreseeable future, picking the damage deck which fits best with your squad adds yet another form of customization to the game. But what deck to use?
It's time to get critical.
Original Damage Deck
PROS
- Minor Hull Breach is, well... minor. Losing out on red maneuvers is a non-factor in many cases
- Weapons Malfunction only reduces your primary weapon value; there is no effect on those who depend on secondary weapons exclusively
- Injured Pilot and Munitions Failure have absolutely no effect whatsoever on lists consisting of only generics with no EPTs and no secondary weapons
- Actions not in your action bar can still be performed when you have the Damaged Sensor Array crit
- In cases where you have Gunner or Accuracy Corrector as upgrades, they are capable of triggering off of Blinded Pilot, thus making the crit much easier to deal with
CONS
- Blinded Pilot only clears when you have a shot and you take that shot
- Structural Damage and Damaged Sensor Array lose out on the critical hit roll as a way to clear the crit
- Munitions Failure , while a non-factor for most, can absolutely cripple a TLT carrier or Outrider YT-2400 in their list
- Injured Pilot is the bane of named pilots. Especially those who lean heavily on their pilot ability and Elite Pilot talents, such as Soontir
Force Awakens Damage Deck
PROS
- Blinded Pilot does not need a target to clear
- Structural Damage and Damaged Sensor Array can be cleared with a critical hit roll
CONS
- Major Explosion and Major Hull Breach are much more crippling than their counterparts
- Weapons Failure effects ALL attacks, not just primary weapon attacks
- Actions not in your action bar cannot be performed when you have the Damaged Sensor Array crit
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After going through this, it seems to be a simple decision to me- Do you have a pilot which will be absolutely crushed by injured pilot, or a squad that will be forever crippled after pulling a munitions failure? You should consider taking the new deck. Otherwise, taking the old deck seems to be the superior option. Yes, blinded pilot is MUCH worse in the old deck. But that is just 2 cards out of 33. And yes, not getting rid of structural damage and damaged sensor array with a crit roll can sting a bit, but that scenario will arise maybe... Once in a hundred games?
I'm really interested in what went into this decision by FFG, because, as I mentioned, it has always seemed pretty clear that the old deck is a better option to take.
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Additional thoughts:
You know what would make things REALLY interesting? If your opponent had to use your deck of choice. You pick the damage deck at the beginning of the tournament which would be the most crippling to lists you match-up against poorly, and your opponent is forced to use that deck. I would like this much, MUCH more than the current set up.
Also, I have always felt like the attacker should deal out the damage cards. Not that this is a serious problem, but I think you would pay a LOT closer attention if you were dealing out damage to your opponent as opposed to yourself. A lot more incentive to make sure you are dealing out exact damage. But logistically, maybe that just doesn't make sense, as you would likely be asked to supply the damage deck of your choice, rather than having every player have both ready. And losing damage deck cards would become much more frequent if your cards were laying on the other side of the table. Especially if your opponent didn't like you after you tabled them...
Anyways, let me know if I missed anything that I should add!
Edited by Kdubb