I started my first LCG with Android Netrunner about 6 months ago and am thoroughly enjoying the game. However, I love the Star Wars universe and am considering picking up the Star Wars LCG game. Wondering if anyone can give me their thoughts on the following questions? The two games I'm most familiar with are Netrunner and Magic the Gathering.

1. How important is deckbuilding in this game compared with Magic the Gathering and Netrunner?
2. Is there much strategic play during the game (planning for several turns ahead) or is the game primarily tactical (maximize your efficiency for the current turn only)?
3. Is there any bluffing element like in Netrunner?
4. How much depth is there with this game compared with Netrunner? Is this a game you anticipate playing for years, or would you start to grow bored with this game in the next 6-12 months?
5. How much luck is involved in this game compared with Netrunner?

Thanks for your feedback and input.

1. Quite important. The deckbuilding is both simple and complicated and can matter just as much as strategy.

2. Tons! I am consistently thinking at least 2 turns ahead during play while also trying to maximized my tactics every turn.

3. Yes. The edge battles can be quite the bluffing game.

4. I have been playing this game since like February or March. I am still enjoying it and the newly released expansions.

5. Mostly only the luck of the draw. That's where the mutual mulligan rule is applied cuz sometimes your starting hand is crap.

5. Mostly only the luck of the draw. That's where the mutual mulligan rule is applied cuz sometimes your starting hand is crap.

even this is less than many ccgs. in star wars, unlike magic, you refill your hand to your reserve (usually 6, but a few cards raise oor lower this number) every turn, and with edge battles you can literally pitch every card in your hand allowing you to draw an entirely new hand every turn. this allows lucky/unlucky card draw to be less of a factor then many other card games.

5. Mostly only the luck of the draw. That's where the mutual mulligan rule is applied cuz sometimes your starting hand is crap.

even this is less than many ccgs. in star wars, unlike magic, you refill your hand to your reserve (usually 6, but a few cards raise oor lower this number) every turn, and with edge battles you can literally pitch every card in your hand allowing you to draw an entirely new hand every turn. this allows lucky/unlucky card draw to be less of a factor then many other card games.

This is true for the rest of the game but sometimes the first turn matters quite a lot and that's why everyone follows that mulligan rule lol. It's an extremely fun game and I don't see myself stopping ever really. If you really want to know how the game kind of plays out you can check out some videos of gameplay on Youtube. I know the Covenant TCG guys made a tutorial video of how a typical game plays and that informed me enough to decide on getting two copies of the Core Set back in Feb/March.

First off ill preface this with both games are fantastic i love SW more, i have been playing them both for the same amount of time.

1. How important is deckbuilding in this game compared with Magic the Gathering and Netrunner?

SW is completely unique in deck building and while it is "easier" to make decisions they effect your deck much more then ANR as each change will make a very different deck. In anr i feel like deck building is the "fun" of the game planing your tricks and strats were in SW i find the fun of the game is in playing it you still plan your tricks and events and build consistency into your deck but the game moves faster, you will see 90% of your cards every game.

2. Is there much strategic play during the game (planning for several turns ahead) or is the game primarily tactical (maximize your efficiency for the current turn only)?

Its a healthy mix of both, but i find it leans on the tactical side. Some decks in SW pull new hands every turn, and rely on the consistence of there deck were, decks like sith hold onto more cards for longer waiting for the exact right moment to play them. Jedi plans more to, but Rebels can play alot like a magic rush deck.

3. Is there any bluffing element like in Netrunner?

YES! very much so, i think of Netrunner like Blackjack and SW like Poker. In SW has the edge battle, i find that 90% of the games I win, or loose i can tie to loosing a key edge battle (bluff) were my opponent out played me. I find i get more of a "rush" playing SW then ANR. Some moments can be exhilarating in ANR but i find its more a numbers game.

4. How much depth is there with this game compared with Netrunner? Is this a game you anticipate playing for years, or would you start to grow bored with this game in the next 6-12 months?

Yes, ill be playing both games for years i think. I like that in SW with the "block" deck building you see a lot more "top tier" decks if you look at our Gen Con results Darkside looks pretty static, most people played sith splashing in navy or scum. While LS decks were much more unique. I dont really get excited about ANR datepacks, usually it means i just add 1 card to my crim deck and thats it. In SW each force pack is a HUGE opportunity to change 10-20 cards in your deck or make somthing completly new that has totaly new stratagies this is why i like SW more, each month i get to build totaly different decks and each data pack completly changes everything. in ANR even after all these cards, all the decks play pretty much the same as core, now that we are getting opening moves and C&C finally we see some new decks but it took a long time.

5. How much luck is involved in this game compared with Netrunner?

Me and my friend argue about this alot, in SW your are gunna have skank hands, or you wont find your luke/han/falcon till the end of the game. But you have a death clock, if you play smart you can draw through most of your deck pretty fast and get the cards you need. Agendas create an obnoxious mechanic in ANR were if you get a truly bad shuffle draw the opponent wins the game with out you ever even having a chance ever had some one do a first turn medium and blast through a data raven and win the game on turn 1-2? or how about when you mulligan and draw like 3 agendas and 2 finance cards. SW has just as much luck, but you know you at least get to play 6-7 turns on the worst game as LS. DS can end faster but it really you'll always have about 3-5 turns.

hope this helps give some perspective i love ANR as a strategist but SW gets my blood pumping.