So my FLGS owner occasionally gives me a GTM that has stuff relevant to my interests, and because 207 had an article on Armada and on Wyrd's The Other Side, he gave me one. I flipped through it and noticed that Cham Syndulla's card was in there, and then tossed it aside almost a month ago -

Only to realize that apparently no one here knew about it.

I'll try to get a picture of the card image if I can find my digicam any time soon, but I'm not sure where the heck it is. Maybe I can get the one on my new tablet working?

Anyway, it's on page 13, the bottom left corner, and the text of the card is as follows:

When you reveal a command, you may discard a [SQUADRON] dial or token and this card to choose one enemy ship at close range. If you do, you may choose a new command for each command dial assigned to that ship. 5pts, boarding party slots as standard.

EACH command dial.

Any thoughts while I try to dig up a camera?

What's the point cost for this?

13 minutes ago, Wraithdt said:

What's the point cost for this?

5 points according to the OP.

Really? Wow, poor MC80L doing Squadron commands for the next two to three turns. That is unless it is the Liberty.

Also, Wraithdt it says 5 points towards the end of the quoted text. Ninja'd

That could be powerful for someone trying to keep a bow on ISD from hitting repair.

5 minutes ago, Teloch said:

5 points according to the OP.

Duh! I'm blind.

Anyway, 5 pts for a 1 shot slicer tool, which takes up 2 upgrade slots, plus you have to get into close range. Doesn't seem worth it.

Slicer tools is top dial. This is all dials. If you can rock up to an important enough ship and land it, you can potentially dictate what they're doing for the next few rounds. Think about it in terms of multiturn utility. That Yavaris now can't get a squadron command out for two turns, and that ISD can't repair or concentrate fire. Give a squadron supported VSD nothing but navigate commands for a few turns, or spam an MC30's stack with squadron commands.

That level of control is really big. Sure, it'll be difficult to land, but even the threat of it may keep some more important ships honest, and possibly act as a bait for squadrons.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.........

It'll be fantastic on... yep, the Hammerhead. Arguable on Gallant Haven. Fantastic on the Raider.

Just now, Ardaedhel said:

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.........

It'll be fantastic on... yep, the Hammerhead. Arguable on Gallant Haven. Fantastic on the Raider.

Cham Syndulla is a unique Rebel only officer.

Just now, Alzer said:

Cham Syndulla is a unique Rebel only officer.

....... of course he is.

Leave me alone, it's late.

But it is a slicer tool that effects multiple command dials, so if you are facing a MSU fleet, it is terrible, and if you are facing MC80s, VSDs or ISDs it could be good.

It however also telescopes which ship you are going to activate early, because the longer in a turn you wait to activate Cham, the higher the likely hood Yavaris or that MC30 has already activated that turn so you are only effecting one of their dials which goes back to being kind of terrible at that cost and slot usage.

1 minute ago, Grujav said:

But it is a slicer tool that effects multiple command dials, so if you are facing a MSU fleet, it is terrible, and if you are facing MC80s, VSDs or ISDs it could be good.

It however also telescopes which ship you are going to activate early, because the longer in a turn you wait to activate Cham, the higher the likely hood Yavaris or that MC30 has already activated that turn so you are only effecting one of their dials which goes back to being kind of terrible at that cost and slot usage.

So you put it on something that wants to activate early anyway.

This is gonna be an interesting alternative to ST. One of the great strengths of ST is the extremely long strike range of it, especially on Quantum Storm. You're losing that here, but you're gaining positioning flexibility that doesn't force you to end in blue range of a big bad.

Very interesting. Will be interesting to see if people actually use him. I think he's kind of a shoo-in if you're taking something with OR/WT slots open anyway (Gallant Haven without Flight Controllers/EHB, for example). Likely not particularly worth building around, though.

6 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

....... of course he is.

Leave me alone, it's late.

It's ok buddy.

7 minutes ago, Alzer said:

Cham Syndulla is a unique Rebel only officer.

He's not an officer, right? I mean, the officer slot. He's Weapons Team/Off Retrofit right?

6 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

He's not an officer, right? I mean, the officer slot. He's Weapons Team/Off Retrofit right?

He is Weapon Team/Off Retrofit, yes. Rebel only, though, is the point.

FINALLY got my tablet camera to work after giving up on my digital camera. I have no goddamn idea where it is.

I really hope this works...

I like it.

12 minutes ago, Grujav said:

But it is a slicer tool that effects multiple command dials, so if you are facing a MSU fleet, it is terrible, and if you are facing MC80s, VSDs or ISDs it could be good.

It however also telescopes which ship you are going to activate early, because the longer in a turn you wait to activate Cham, the higher the likely hood Yavaris or that MC30 has already activated that turn so you are only effecting one of their dials which goes back to being kind of terrible at that cost and slot usage.

How often do you really see a ship-aggressive MSU list now, though? Even then, you're building your list blind, with anticipation to face anything. I don't think 5 points is too much of an outlay against massive heavy hitters like MC80s and ISDs, or even against medium list-utility ships like VSDs and AFMk2. Sure, it's not much use against a Raider or CR90, but you're paying 5points for a insurance against a bigger threat.

1 minute ago, NakedDex said:

How often do you really see a ship-aggressive MSU list now, though?

But...but... that's what I just ran in the Store Championship I played last weekend!

That is where my head is at and I just don't see this as very good against my list. Now my opponents lists with their ISD and Gladiators, sure but it also would need to be on something that survived to activate early on that ISD or Glad in close range. It could happen.

I love playing MSU lists, but it's very much the minority. If anything, this is pretty much for MSU lists, or lists with a backbone large ship and an escort of smaller ones. Cards like this are perfect in how they ebb and flow through the meta. They're a counter to a style of ship, rather than a style of play. If you see it on the other side of the table to your MSU, you're pretty happy. If you see it on the other side of your three-ship list with a bajillion command dials between them, you're less happy.

If the card simply read "You may select the top command dial for the target ship for the next three turns", then it would be ridiculously overpowered, even though it's essentially doing the same thing. With the wording it has, the penalty is simply greater for the bigger ships, and the advantage is balanced against smaller ships having less fear of it. As it stands, I rather like it.

So wait: i put Cham on one Hammerhead and the boarding engineers on another. Cham goes first, smacks a VSD/ISD and says you're not engineering for the next 3 turns (here, push squadrons or concentrate fire or whatever, you're not navigating either). You then hit the ISD with everything you've got for 2 turns. End of turn 2, your OTHER hammerhead (the one with the boarding engineers) comes in and says "here, let me flip some damage over that you haven't been able to repair away up on you HAY LOOK AT ALLA DEM PURTY STRUCTURALS pew pew pew pew deaaaaaaaaaaaaad."

I'm very excited now.

Yeah, because big ships with three command dials needed a kick in the nuts right now.

25 minutes ago, NakedDex said:

How often do you really see a ship-aggressive MSU list now, though? Even then, you're building your list blind, with anticipation to face anything. I don't think 5 points is too much of an outlay against massive heavy hitters like MC80s and ISDs, or even against medium list-utility ships like VSDs and AFMk2. Sure, it's not much use against a Raider or CR90, but you're paying 5points for a insurance against a bigger threat.

It isn't just five points. It's five points AND the Weapon Team/Offensive Retrofit slots against the chance you'll come up against a 3-Command ship at short range that you can mess with at the very appropriate time.

Now, for all that, it might be worthwhile to use on a 1-Command ship once in a while as a Slicer's Tools, and does unpleasant things to unactivated 2-Command ships, but Cham doesn't seem all that good to me for one reason:

The ships it hurts most aren't being used. I mean, yeah, you might see a few pickles and maybe some VSDs once Disposable Capacitors comes out, but most fleets with even one 'big' ship have multiple smaller ones flying around. Cham Syndulla is an anti-meta card, but it's a meta that doesn't exist, and that has little chance OF existing because there's too much advantage in having multiple activations over one or two big ones.

I mean, I don't hate it, it's interesting, but I'm just not seeing it as a good card.

18 minutes ago, iamfanboy said:

It isn't just five points. It's five points AND the Weapon Team/Offensive Retrofit slots against the chance you'll come up against a 3-Command ship at short range that you can mess with at the very appropriate time.

Now, for all that, it might be worthwhile to use on a 1-Command ship once in a while as a Slicer's Tools, and does unpleasant things to unactivated 2-Command ships, but Cham doesn't seem all that good to me for one reason:

The ships it hurts most aren't being used. I mean, yeah, you might see a few pickles and maybe some VSDs once Disposable Capacitors comes out, but most fleets with even one 'big' ship have multiple smaller ones flying around. Cham Syndulla is an anti-meta card, but it's a meta that doesn't exist, and that has little chance OF existing because there's too much advantage in having multiple activations over one or two big ones.

I mean, I don't hate it, it's interesting, but I'm just not seeing it as a good card.

No, but ISDs and MC80s ARE being used. They're viable, the data shows they are. So you run a hammerhead up and screw it's dials over. Whatever the biggest ship your opponent has, you take it out of the fight for a turn or two at least. I can't say "always go squadrons or concentrate fire" but the ability to tell a large ship it's neither maneuvering or repairing for 3 turns is both amazing and terrifying. Yes, the ISD can one shot a hammerhead, but why did you leave it to get shot like that?

Depending on the task forces and everything else, he's going to be very dangerous. He's not a "chance to use" card, IF you're in range, he's one you build around as you use him to set a ship up for a punch, and then your other ships knock it down HARD. Put him on one hammerhead and a boarding engineering crew on the other: it's going to be MEAN.

I guess I'm seeing him in the same way I see my propensity for putting Overload Pulse on a Raider. If I have a cheap ship with a threat, I can use that for some saber rattling around the board, and strike at an opportune moment, or put pressure on if I really need to. It's something my opponent has to take into account. I see this the same way. Heck, it's probably roughly equivalent of taking a Raider with Flechettes and OE in case there's a heavy squadron presence. That'll be pretty much useless against an MSU list, too, but it could be a hell of a weapon against a Rogue heavy list, or an anti-squadron list.

Sure it takes up two slots, but you may not have been using one of those two slots anyway. Many MSU lists, and lists with escort corvettes, run them very light because they're fragile. It wouldn't be outside the realms of possibility to run a Hammerhead with just this, and have him along side another Hammerhead, or a couple of CR90s.

I agree it's not a card that has a great many targets in the current meta. There are ISDs and MC80s floating about, but not too many. However, I'm rather tickled by the idea of being able to rock up to a Yavaris and simply switch off it's primary function for a couple of turns. In the squadron heavy metas, being able to knock off an activator like that for two turns is absolutely worth 5pts for me.

I think the card is lame. Not much of a benefit for a 5 pt. one-use with short range. Could be only funny when playing Nebula Outskirts.