Written by Bill Yankosky (aka Yodaman)
We continue our look at Spark of Hope by focusing on the Red hero cards in the set.
I’ll still be using a 4 point rating scale with the numbers generally representing the following:
4 – Potentially powerful card. Definitely thematic and useful in multiple decks.
3 – Solid card that could be very effective in the right build and fun to build around.
2 – Very situational card that will need the right deck and matchup to shine.
1 – Binder Fodder.
As a reminder, I like to look at cards both from their potential use in both casual and competitive settings. Feel free to agree or disagree with my thoughts about cards, just please do whichever in a respectful way.
My Top 3 Favorite
1. C-3PO– Being able to activate and then immediately resolve one of your dice is never a bad thing.
2. Droids’ Day Out – In the right deck, you could roll in a lot of dice with this card.
3. B-Wing – Solid die and being able to roll it in before you either player takes an action changes the dynamic of the game if this is on the board.
My Least Favorite
1. Firm Resolve – Just not worth the cost.
2. Take Control – Completely dependent on what your opponent is playing.
3. Happy Beeps – Using this and then getting hit with Easy Pickings will make you sad, not happy.
Onto my thoughts and ratings!
Amilyn Holdo: 3
Holdo is an intriguing character to build around. Her special gives a great discount on vehicles so if there’s a hero vehicle deck that becomes a thing, this will help with that. As a support character having the 1 and 2 focus sides is definitely helpful. Even her 9 health isn’t that big of a detriment since you can ready a vehicle after she’s defeated.
Bail Organa: 3
Bail’s die seems a bit all over the place, but at 9/12 with 10 health, his point cost is great. If we get more titles then his discount could be really useful, but right now the only titles heroes have are Rebellion Leader and the new card Admiral. The special seems pretty conditional although it’s good that it can be used both offensively and defensively.
C-3PO: 4
The synergy between C-3PO and R2-D2 is just incredible, especially with the new Fateful Companions plot. For just 10 points elite, C-3PO can slot in lots of decks although he probably will primarily see play in droid decks paired with R2. His die sides are great with 2 sides that are focus and 2 sides that are resources. Being able to resolve one of your dice, increasing its value by 1 for free if you spot R2 will be great for resource generation and disruption. Out of the gate, I expect our favorite, classic droids to see lots of play. The only drawback is both are Legendary cards so people may be chasing them.
Hoth Trooper: 2
As diceless characters go, this one is decent. There’s no restriction on including him on your team so you can get access to Red for just 5 points and it’s a Trooper which turns on spot Trooper cards. The Hoth Trooper also deals 1 damage to a ready character after you activate him. Pairing some of these characters with Plo Koon could be fun since Plo would gain the ability from each Hoth Trooper that stacks. That would allow you to deal multiple points of damage to a ready character when activating Plo.
Droids’ Day Out: 3
Great if you’re running droids since you can activate all of them, including any that are supports, all at once. If you’re playing the R2/C-3PO deck and have at least 1 other droid out, you also get to draw a card. Could be a way to take advantage of the 2 disrupt/2 resource generation R2/3PO combo even if you don’t have Military Camp.
Happy Beeps: 1
This card just doesn’t seem worth the cost. On the surface, turning two dice for 1 cost seems to be good value, but your opponent will have the chance to react after you fix your dice and having to turn things to the same symbol and value is just Easy Pickings fodder.
Lightspeed Assault: 2
This seems to be a finishing card as long as you still have another character on the board. You’ll want to use it when your Leader is almost defeated to maximize its value. Many of the main supports seeing play, especially on the villain side aren’t vehicles, so unless the meta becomes vehicle heavy, there’s no guarantee your opponent will have any vehicles to get rid of too. Seems to synergize with Holdo as long as you have more than one vehicle on the table.
Our Situation is Desperate: 1
There are just much better removal options now for Red hero. In a pinch, you might use it in Draft, but it’s hard to see this seeing play in Standard.
Rebel Assault: 3
Nice reprint here. Most Red hero decks have ranged damage sides and even though you can’t remove damage with this die, for free you can get rid of specials with this or even use it to get rid of a big die (like a Vader’s Fist or Megblasters) that rolled a side other than damage.
Spark of Hope: 1
Thematically, the Red hero cards in this deck seem to be focused on doing things when you’re on the verge of losing the game. The 3 cost is steep even though, the cost is reduced by 1 for each defeated character you have. Maybe there’s some fun build out there which takes advantage of low cost, diceless characters like Ewok Warriors that could take advantage of this, but it’s hard to see this seeing much play. That’s a shame since it’s the title card for the set.
Take Control: 1
As I’ve mentioned before, I dislike cards that are dependent on what your opponent is playing. Being able to get use out of a vehicle in your opponent’s discard pile for a round is a good value for 1 cost, but there’s no guarantee your opponent is even playing vehicles so unless the meta is vehicle focused, this could easily be a dead card.
B-Wing: 3
This card just seems fun. You get to activate it in as soon as the action phase begins. If you control the battlefield, that means you can roll it in and resolve it without your opponent being able to interact with it. If you have 2 of these out and/or they have some mods on them that deal damage like Triple Laser Turret or Arc Caster, then you could do some serious damage. If Hero Vehicles become a thing, this card could definitely see play.
Firm Resolve: 1
This just doesn’t seem worth the cost. You have to pay one for it and can’t use it unless you have a defeated character or discarded vehicle. Even then, you just get to manipulate one die at some point before you have to have another character defeated or vehicle discarded to use it again.
GH-7 Droid: 3
A neat 2 cost droid that should fit well in an R2/3PO deck. All the sides are useful and being able to heal is never a bad thing if you hit the special.
Resistance Trench Fighters: 3
Having 4 sides which can deal damage is decent value. It also has the Trooper subtype so it can turn on cards that require to spot a Trooper. The limited removal could be useful in a pinch.
EL-16 Heavy Field Blaster: 3
In general, having die sides that are all modifiers certainly is a bit restrictive, but if you have Red hero in your deck, you’re most likely going to have base sides to match with this. The built-in bonus when modifying Trooper dice is certainly nice too.
Salvaged Arm: 3
This mod can be played on droid characters or supports and seems pretty good. For 1 cost you get the ability to increase a die of the droid it’s attached to or one of its upgrades by 1 each round. Cards like Mr. Bones and Hailfire Droid Tank certainly won’t mind this.
Tico Pendant: 2
Moving damage around really doesn’t do much since your total health is still going to basically remain the same. The main point of this would be to help keep an important character alive or to defeat one of your own characters to trigger an ability like Holdo’s.
Thanks for reading. Next up, Yellow hero cards and Ewoks are everywhere. May the Force be with you!
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