Do you guys feel this is a necessary set in the Sith control deck? I love the objective and twist of fate but feel like this rest of the set is expendable. I feel like I can get better resource ramp by splashing the Imperials. I think the Sith control shell revolves around Fall of the Jedi, Emperors Web and Cruel Interrigations and Counsel is just a good support objective.

Thoughts?

I don't think its at all mandatory, and when played you are really playing it for the objective itself. My most recent Sith decks do not include it, and while I do occaisonally wish I had the bonus card draw, I wouldn't say I miss the set on the whole.

I would quibble with you about Cruel Interrogations though, since I also feel it is not as good as people always try to make it out to be. I would agree though that Fall and Web are required at the moment for Sith.

What do you guys run instead of Counsel? I really love that card draw on my opponent's turn. It can certainly help you lock down the Edge battle even if you deployed several units/enhancements on your own turn.

Darik said:

I've been trying out Killing Cold and some other off-beat builds using other non-Sith stuff. The card draw is very nice, but a lot of the set itself is kinda Meh. The Advisors are ok, the Kuat is pretty meh and as nice as Twist and Precog go, they are hardly irreplacable. The resource is nice, but I dont find that to be too much of a concern in most of my Sith builds.

Like I said, most of the time im just playing it for the Objective, and that can get in the way of being innovative, since there are other sets I would say are virtually mandatory (Fall and Web). Let me just say that having played without it, I found it was less important than I originally thought.

While I wouldn't put this objective on the level of Fall of the Jedi or Emperor's Web, it does have some pretty nice cards. I have a bit of an explanation on why I include it in my deck posting here , but the basic idea is that the objective itself is awesome, Twist of Fate is awesome, Dark Precognition is very good by itself and awesome with Vader out (much better than choking himself to take out Y-Wings, for instance), the resources are always nice, and the Kuati Security Team will likely get discarded/recycled with Fall but is a serviceable body if needed.

dbmeboy said:

I did not mean to imply it was bad. Only that you can live without it. There are good cards in it (I wouldn't say awesome), but its really the objective that makes me want to take it, not the other fluff.

Fair enough. I'd also take it for Dark Precognition and Twist personally.

The drawing a card is also very key to me. Drawing cards every turn and then playing events with Vader out helps you move through your deck to get to important cards.

Don't count out the ability to cycle your deck. Very important advantage the DS has over the LS at the moment.

I think it's worth pointing out that Advisor to the Emperor is the only non-Objective card in the game that produces Sith resources at the moment.

Counsel of the Sith is actually one of the few objectives I like running only one copy of - I'm never unhappy to see any of its cards (well, except Kuati Security team, or when I already have two other Sith Libraries in my hand), but none of its cards are that critical. Advisor is a nice, flexible card that can hold the Force early, provide resources, or defend in a pinch, It has my third (or fifth if I'm playing with Heart) Sith Library, a fifth free Event for Vader's trigger, and the ever-awesome Twist of Fate, but that's it. I don't have to draw any of those cards. And Counsel of the Sith itself as an objective fills much the same role, it's an extra card every which is lovely to have, but not critical to making the deck work.

@ D. KNight:

Now this is just me mind you, but I disagree. If you can draw an event every turn (yours or not) and Vader is on the table, you are doing 2 damage a turn to a unit. That will help you win.

Also, you mention you dislike drawing Kuat Securoty Team, why? Isn't he the same as DS Apprentice but yet neutral to play easier? Depending on your Sith build, he can be your one man wrecking crew, because why block him? He's the KST, they suck! I disagree. It is all about how you play them when you get them.

As I mentioned to a friend playing last night, I said, "Later on, many expansions from now, we are going to look back and laught at having to play some of these cards." And I think right now that is the case. But I like the pod, and I think it is favored to keep in the Control deck for now.

@Rogue 4: You can give the Dark Side Apprentice a lightsaber, can't do that with the Kuati Security Team. But in general, they're both low on the list of cards I'm looking for in the deck… but if I'm hurting for units I'll happily play either of them.

@ Rogue 4: I'm…not entirely certain where we disagree. I like Council, and will run two if I have room. If not, it's a good 1x objective to fill out the deck.

Regarding Kuati Security Team, I don't particularly like Dark Side Apprentice either. I like to keep my units back for defense in Sith Control, and neither card is particularly good on defense. I won't hold it against Council, but I'd rather have any other unit in my deck than a Security Team/Dark Side Apprentice.

It seems to me this is how they balanced the OSet. IMO it is the objective itself that is the superstar, though Dark Precognition & ToF are also great editions to any deck. I see this objective in many respects as a "splashable" OSet. The only card that has a resource match isthe councilor, and he is one of the only cards that gens sith resources.