So in an effort to make several squads to test with (but also to lend in a casual setting) I have found myself printing several proxies of cards that I would typically run some number of in all of my command decks, and wondered if there are any cards that players consider staples that they would normally run in their command deck. My current list is (point brackets in descending order of my personal opinion of ranking):

0 Points

Take Initiative

Urgency

Fleet Footed

Element of Surprise

Rally

Celebration

Set a Trap

Hard to hit

1 Point

Negation

Jump Jets

Focus

Hit and Run

Obviously when you want to run 3 point blockbusters in your list like Son of Skywalker you need at least two 0 point cards to make up the numbers and the list above seems to be the cheapest and least restrictive of all the Command cards to date.

I would be interested to see if anyone has other cards that they think should be on the list or any I have listed that are underperformers for them.

I'm not a huge Jump Jets fan mainly because there are two 0 cost cards (Fleet Footed, Urgency) that do almost the same if not the same thing for you. Also haven't been super impressed with Set a Trap. It seems decent for area denial but I haven't had many instances of being able to get the extra shot off. Focus isn't bad but I normally have other 1 point things I'd rather take instead. Celebration is another one I like but can't seem to get it off as often as I'd like and against some decks it's completely wasted.

I'd say for Mercs Opportunistic is a staple but I think you got most of the really good generic ones there. I do really like Provoke if you are running troopers or guardians. It's pretty powerful being able to dictate your opponents turn order.

I really like Deadeye. It allows you to take some slightly risky shots accuracy-wise, and if it fails, you have the backup to help it.

I like single purpose, but that's cause I always run 3p0 so it allows me to focus twice with him. I like set a trap but I've never been able to pull it off or really use it that well, so I think I'm going to scrap it.

Also haven't been super impressed with Set a Trap. It seems decent for area denial but I haven't had many instances of being able to get the extra shot off. Focus isn't bad but I normally have other 1 point things I'd rather take instead.

I've found that Set a Trap can be huge. Especially if you have a big ranged attacker, like General Weiss or a focused Probe or HK droid, who can dish out some good damage to anything they can see. And hey...it's a free attack, which is always worth considering.

I like Set a Trap and haven't found it hard to trigger. It's just hard to remember at the end of a round so I try to put it on top of my command deck so I do it before I draw. You want to set it up in an area that is heavily contested and open. Around a Terminal is usually ideal. Even if the enemy moves all the figures out of the area then you get the command card from the terminal uncontested.

I like Set a Trap and haven't found it hard to trigger. It's just hard to remember at the end of a round so I try to put it on top of my command deck so I do it before I draw. You want to set it up in an area that is heavily contested and open. Around a Terminal is usually ideal. Even if the enemy moves all the figures out of the area then you get the command card from the terminal uncontested.

That situation works well. It can also be huge in Cantina A: Drinks and Dealings, because the only way to get mission VP on that map is by being on the main Cantina tile.

Also haven't been super impressed with Set a Trap. It seems decent for area denial but I haven't had many instances of being able to get the extra shot off. Focus isn't bad but I normally have other 1 point things I'd rather take instead.

I've found that Set a Trap can be huge. Especially if you have a big ranged attacker, like General Weiss or a focused Probe or HK droid, who can dish out some good damage to anything they can see. And hey...it's a free attack, which is always worth considering.

Yeah no I agree extra attacks are always amazing but because you have to use it at the beginning of the round an opponent will just play around that time. The move/attack they use might be less than ideal but I don't think the extra attack goes off very often vs good players.

Yeah no I agree extra attacks are always amazing but because you have to use it at the beginning of the round an opponent will just play around that time. The move/attack they use might be less than ideal but I don't think the extra attack goes off very often vs good players.

But even then you're forcing a good player to jump through hoops to avoid the extra attack which will probably put their units in sub-optimal positions. That seems like good value for a zero point card. At its best it's an extra attack (pretty good) and at its worst it's still forcing opponents to make sub-optimal plays (not as good as an attack, but still good).

1 point - Strength in Numbers is a "must take" in any list. I roll with alot of Nexu, so getting two activations in a row can swing the balance.

1 point - Change of Plans : Great for high activation theme lists, gets those activations exactly where they need to be (you ever seen a Nexu move 30 squares in one round?)

I'm not a huge Jump Jets fan mainly because there are two 0 cost cards (Fleet Footed, Urgency) that do almost the same if not the same thing for you. Also haven't been super impressed with Set a Trap. It seems decent for area denial but I haven't had many instances of being able to get the extra shot off. Focus isn't bad but I normally have other 1 point things I'd rather take instead. Celebration is another one I like but can't seem to get it off as often as I'd like and against some decks it's completely wasted.

I'd say for Mercs Opportunistic is a staple but I think you got most of the really good generic ones there. I do really like Provoke if you are running troopers or guardians. It's pretty powerful being able to dictate your opponents turn order.

I have found that Jump Jets is much better on maps with a lot lf difficult and impassable terrain as Jump Jets ignores these, additionally moving through enemy units without penalty often means you will get much further than you can with Urgency and Fleet Footed and if you're not playing several imperial officers having additional movement beyond your normal is vital in my opinion.

Opportunistic is a fantastic card but sadly restricted to Mercs only, Hands down staple for mercs but not universal. I would probably put Heart of Freedom here as well for the rebels, even at 2 points its just so **** versatile.

I really like Deadeye. It allows you to take some slightly risky shots accuracy-wise, and if it fails, you have the backup to help it.

Deadeye is an interesting one, I guess it comes down to play style as I tend to play somewhat slightly conservatively when dealing with range as I'm more likely to get to a "guaranteed Accuracy" range i.e. Range 3 with a blue and green die as missing your shot on accuracy can be game changing, especially with a hero figure there is nothing worse than a focused 3-attack die figure (so 4 attack die) missing on range. Perhaps I should revisit this card and lob a few more long range shots to see if it's worth it.

I like single purpose, but that's cause I always run 3p0 so it allows me to focus twice with him. I like set a trap but I've never been able to pull it off or really use it that well, so I think I'm going to scrap it.

Single Purpose is a great card but so few units can actually make use of it as many don’t have special activated abilities (and some that do don’t work with single purpose) I don’t think I would classify it as a staple that can go in any command deck.

1 point - Strength in Numbers is a "must take" in any list. I roll with alot of Nexu, so getting two activations in a row can swing the balance.

1 point - Change of Plans : Great for high activation theme lists, gets those activations exactly where they need to be (you ever seen a Nexu move 30 squares in one round?)

Strength in numbers can be quite good but there are some lists it is hard to optimise I find, typically from turn 2 onwards the only time I use it is when running rStormtroopers or occasionally in rebel squads to focus up with gideon then get the focused unit to activate immediately, Good yes, but I'm not sure I would put it in every deck. Again another card that I should possibly re-evaluate though.

Change of Plans is a solid card but the timing and trait restrictions prevent it from being a staple. Timing wise you can't use it till after you have activated your second group for the turn, you can only ready a group of equal or lesser cost that share a trait, and you give your opponent a whole activation's notice that your previously activated group is now ready again. I think this card gets better where pick up and carry for high VP mission objectives are concerned but the restrictions of when and how you use it means it can often sit unusable in your hand

I like Set a Trap and haven't found it hard to trigger. It's just hard to remember at the end of a round so I try to put it on top of my command deck so I do it before I draw. You want to set it up in an area that is heavily contested and open. Around a Terminal is usually ideal. Even if the enemy moves all the figures out of the area then you get the command card from the terminal uncontested.

Set a trap is a little like certain "punisher" mechanics in other games, it gives your opponent choices, but neither of which they want. They usually have to lump an extra attack or abandon a terminal resulting in an extra command card and better positioning for you or an extra attack for you, which is always good.

Some good discussion here, and some cards I need to re-evaluate I think. Have our first tournament in our city in a months time and really want to be prepared so evaluating these cards is a great help

0 Points

MUST TAKE:

Take Initiative

Urgency

Element of Surprise

Rally

Celebration
Opportunistic (Merc Only)

Planning (Leader Only)

IF THERE'S ROOM:

Set a Trap

Hard to hit

Recovery

1 Point

MUST TAKE:

Negation

Ferocity (depending on current/local meta)

IF THERES ROOM:

Focus

Hit and Run

2 Points

MUST TAKE:

Heart of Freedom (Rebel Only)

Everything else is situational depending on what list you're using. Reinforcements and Grenadier being the more common auto includes due to the ease and usefulness of troopers.

Only reason I wouldn't consider Set a Trap as a "must take" is because it still depends on the list... you need a good ranged figure in the right spot. It's almost useless for a melee list and can be a waste of card if you're just using it to get another stormtrooper attack.

It's too easy for the opponent to just take a step back from melee units unless you get the last activation.

It's also fairly easy to play around in general.... some tiles like the Cantina and the middle of Leia's Warzone are great candidates but both also have lots of blocking terrain to hide behind. I think we'll probably see more of it in this map rotation but that's why I have it as a "if there's room" card. It wasn't great on Kuat and it's not amazing on Training Ground.

I think Set A Trap could be interesting with stunning figures such as Dengar. You hit a target. They recover from their conditions but then have to choose to either leave the place, or attack, unless they want to start the next round stunned (and more in case of Dengar).

0 Points

MUST TAKE:

Take Initiative

Urgency

Element of Surprise

Rally

Celebration

Opportunistic (Merc Only)

Planning (Leader Only)

IF THERE'S ROOM:

Set a Trap

Hard to hit

Recovery

Not sure I would ever take recovery, using an action to recover 2 health is rarely worth it, what situation would you be using this in where it will make a significant difference? if you could use it to recover 2 HP on an adjacent figure I could maybe see it being worth it but as its only the figure activating it doesn't seem worth it.

0 Points

MUST TAKE:

Take Initiative

Urgency

Element of Surprise

Rally

Celebration

Opportunistic (Merc Only)

Planning (Leader Only)

IF THERE'S ROOM:

Set a Trap

Hard to hit

Recovery

Not sure I would ever take recovery, using an action to recover 2 health is rarely worth it, what situation would you be using this in where it will make a significant difference? if you could use it to recover 2 HP on an adjacent figure I could maybe see it being worth it but as its only the figure activating it doesn't seem worth it.

Depends a bit on the list, but it can be quite handy on those annoying to kill units. Take a probe droid for example. Has recover in it's attack... if you don't move it you can shoot, recover and then recover again. And there's a few other recover cards specifically for droids too.... can make those things a massive pain to kill....

Remember.... most units get 3-4 attacks per game.... if I can negate 1 or two of your attacks without affecting my own attacks.... that's a big hit to your lists power.

I admit it's situational, but there's plenty of times when you're staring down a time limit, points are close, and you've got a unit or character in danger. Those 2 extra health points can be the difference between handing over 10 pts or not. Sitting on objectives is another example.... I don't want to move anyway. I may as well recover some damage. Points denial is a pretty big deal. If I can save a unit (and a bunch of points) by running away around a corner, or to a terminal and recover as well... it can easily win a game.

In my experience, most close games are usually well within one deployment card worth of points... be it 9pt Troopers or a 6pt hero... either way, keeping a deployment card alive on the last turn can swing the game.

It's less useful for melee units because they almost always want to perform a move and attack, but some ranged stuff and expensive characters get good value out of it.

It's a similar use case to the Focus card.... except this one is 0 pts.

I'll admit I haven't used it often, and that's why it's only a "sometimes include" card, but I've had it used to great effect against me, usually in lists that have lots of other recover like droid lists or snowtroopers.

0 Points

MUST TAKE:

Take Initiative

Urgency

Element of Surprise

Rally

Celebration

Opportunistic (Merc Only)

Planning (Leader Only)

IF THERE'S ROOM:

Set a Trap

Hard to hit

Recovery

Not sure I would ever take recovery, using an action to recover 2 health is rarely worth it, what situation would you be using this in where it will make a significant difference? if you could use it to recover 2 HP on an adjacent figure I could maybe see it being worth it but as its only the figure activating it doesn't seem worth it.

I always used to take Recover in my command deck, but I've found that it's almost always better to just run away than stand still and Recover 2. I guess if used in conjunction with To the Limit or something.

Basically, I've come to the conclusion that it's very difficult to justify using a command card that requires an action, if it doesn't allow you to either 1) do damage, 2) move, or 3) occasionally interact for VPs. Since most games last 3 rounds, that's just 6 actions per figure...therefore those actions are extremely valuable, and I've found that they're almost always taken up with one of those 3 things. Anything less than those three is a waste, most of the time.

It's for this reason that I don't often take Focus (though I know that many players do). And it's a good reason why I always use Urgency (makes a Move action even better) and Fleet Footed (movement that requires no action). Heart of Freedom is HUGE...it's Rally, Recovery, and double-Fleet-Footed all in one...and it requires no action!