Written by Michael Spaulding -Notorious Mediocre Player
Hello friends!
My name is Michael Spaulding and today I’m eager to tell you about my experiences recently bringing Jar Jar to the Fargo Regional Championship.
I piloted eAayla/eRose/Jar Jar. This is a similar build to the other 5 die hero vehicles out in the wild with one important change. I ranked above the rest of the 5 die hero vehicles at the 55 person Regional Championship, and Jar Jar is an important factor in that.
Characters (30 points, 5 dice):
eAayla Secura – Jedi General
eRose – Skilled Mechanic
Jar Jar BInks – Clumsy Outcast
Battlefield:
Docking Bay
Supports (14 cards, 9 dice):
Double-Dealing x2
Modified HWK-290 x2
Pirate Speeder Tank
Rally Aid x2
Resistance Bomber x2
T-47 Airspeeder
Tech Team
U-Wing
Y-Wing x2
Events (16 Cards):
Caution x2
Easy Pickings x2
Flank x2
Hidden Motive x2
Into The Garbage Chute x2
Overconfidence x2
Pinned Down x2
Vandalize x2
Before I get too deep into the specifics of my build, I would like to take a moment and familiarize you with 5 die vehicles. It is a rainbow deck, giving a player full access to the hero suite of vehicles and control, the two vital components to this deck.
The deck operates by focusing on something I have long struggled to do – waiting for the right moment.
Every turn, you wait. You let your opponent roll, you let them set up, you let them do everything they’re trying to do except resolve their dice. You pace them, saving your money, even passing early in the round. The ideal opening hand is three control, one of your resource supports, and one vehicle. You roll Rose, roll Aayla, you collect some cash, and you control with everything you have. You only play supports and vehicles after you’ve played every control card you can, and if possible, after your opponent has claimed. This is where you see Jar Jar shine. You see, he’s soft control, and you should use him offensively if you have a good opportunity, but he should be your last resort for control. You only have a couple dice in your pool at a time, so he generally can’t hurt you very much, even if your opponent thinks to trigger his ability. His real power isn’t as control, though. it’s at the end of the round. Get a few vehicles on the board, roll them out and resolve the good stuff, and then Jar Jar gives you a free reroll for everything you don’t like.
Now, you aren’t likely to get much damage on the board in the first two rounds and will be close to losing someone you care about, but if you’re lucky you will have Rally Aid, Tech Team, and Double Dealing on the board and a couple vehicles in hand. Putting three big vehicles on the board in the third turn is not uncommon, after your opponent has claimed. The problem you’ll find is that playing every card in your hand leaves you with no rerolls. You suddenly have the teeth, but you’re missing the consistency. That’s the beauty of Jar Jar in this deck; he makes your deck more consistent in the late game. While other decks start to fall apart in the mid game, this one starts to pick up speed. If you can survive the initial push, you can gain a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
The oppressive amount of control can put almost any deck on its heels. Even Sabine, who gets to resolve without giving you an opportunity to mitigate, you still generally get to deal with half of the dice she puts on the board. If you wait patiently, save your money, and strike at the correct time, you can take the teeth out of most big decks. There are exceptions to this, of course. While Seventh Sister generally struggles with three character decks, the addition of Boba to the team makes anyone running vehicles tremble with fear. Going up against Boba, Force Throw, or Chewbacca definitely forces you to think about the game differently. Forget Modified HWK-290, Pirate Speeder Tank, and Resistance Bomber, and focus instead on getting U-Wing and Y-wing on the board. Surviving this match up requires heavy control, and gaining ground will happen primarily after your opponent has claimed.
There was a lot of discussion on who to target when facing 5 die vehicles. Given what I’ve written here today, you could rightfully assume that Jar Jar is very valuable late game. Removing him from the board takes a big bite out of the consistency I’ve relied on. It also makes Easy Pickings impossible to play, and quickly makes Into the Garbage Chute a tougher decision. Unfortunately there isn’t a good answer on who should go first. Leaving Rose until last gives me a ton of resources and the ability to play HWK-290 at any point in the game without concern. Leaving Aayla until last gives me the best dice I could ask for in a character. 3 damage sides and the ability to turn Red dice to big sides, special chain, and control my opponent at the same time. Leaving Jar Jar last makes the deck play brutally consistent.
If you want my advice, protect Rose. The weakness of the deck is how long it takes to get up to speed. If she lives two rounds, the deck runs much faster. She is the key between a good game, and a great game, and I target her every time I see her across the table.
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