It's easy to complain when FFG makes a bad card, but it's also important, I think, to make note when they design a really good card. I think there are plenty of good cards in the Sheathipede expansion, but this one is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch:
Now, I'm not saying that Chopper is the best as in the most powerful or that he's going to define the meta in some way. Rather, I think he's a great example of a card that's powerful but balanced while retaining thematic elements.
First of all, he's balanced. Regen is a powerful ability - we've known that since the core set. Chopper lets you regen at a lower point cost than any other upgrade in the game, but it costs you your action to do it. That's balanced. But moreso than that, Chopper can't really ever be broken, because there's a hard limit on the number of shields you can regen based on the number of upgrades you have equipped. Sure, in theory, there might be some extreme corner case where a future expansion lets you put Scavenger Crane or the reload action on the same ship as Chopper allowing for (theoretically) infinite regen, but it'll always be tricky, and cost at least two actions to do - which'll make it expensive. I don't think that'll ever be a problem. Plus, there's plent of counterplay - you can stress him, bump him - even just choose not to shoot him until the end.
Beyond game balance, there's also theme, and it's here that Chopper really shines. Both this card and his crew card emphasize Chopper's tendency to hurt you while helping you, which is pretty much dead on to his character in the show. Beyond that basic point though is my favourite aspect of the card - Chopper's best fit isn't on the Sheathipede he came in - rather it's on the Y Wing, where you can combine him with a total of three 0 point cards (BTL-A4, Guidance Chips and Bomb Loadout). Better yet, in all three cases, removing these upgrades either has no detriment (bomb loadout) very likely no detriment (guidance chips since you almost certainly aren't bringing torpedoes int his configuration), or can actually be a benefit (BTL-A4 when you're not going to get a shot). And, of course, given how TLT works, sacrificing your action is less of a big deal on a TLT Y Wing than it would be on something that throws fewer red dice. This is brilliant, because Chopper's original purpose was as an astromech on a Y Wing during the Clone Wars.
I don't know for sure that this stuff was all intentional, and really I don't care. Whether they meant to or not (and honestly I have no reason to assume this wasn't done deliberately), FFG have made a fantastic card here, and they should get the recognition for doing so. Bravo designers!
Edited by MacchuWA
sigh...I'm afraid your right.
!!!