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EMPIRE FACTION GUIDE
[from the Playing to Win Strategy Guide]
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Best Figures:
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R2-Q5
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Darth Vader
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Royal Guard
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Heavy Stormtrooper
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Mid Figures:
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Darth Vader
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Death Star Gunner
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Sandtrooper
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Stormtrooper
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Imperial Officer (Booster)
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Darth Vader
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Bottom Figures:
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S3 Starter Imperial Officer
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Scout Trooper
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TIE Pilot
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Clone Trooper
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Overview:
After spending a lot of time thinking
about the Imperial team, I'm really stumped as to why they aren't much
more powerful. The bulk of their figures came out with Series 3, so
there was plenty of time for Hasbro to playtest and understand how the
game was developing. My only conclusion is that they wanted the Empire
to be weak, especially when we see how much Series 3 benefitted the
Rebel team.
The Empire does not have a standout in
Striker or Special Power, and only one Launcher is really worth
mentioning. I think the team could've been much more powerful if the
two new Armored Vaders had ratios between 60 and 70%. The Rebels gained several 20 point large
missile Launchers, but the Empire got none. The Rebels got tons of
great , the Empire got zilch. The only thing the Empire does have in its favor is that their figures look very very cool.
Strikers:
The Empire got hosed in nearly every
area. We'll start with their Strikers. The Empire only has three
Strikers to choose from: S2 Darth Vader, Royal Guard, and S3 Starter
Darth Vader. Series 2 Darth Vader is okay, but not nearly good enough.
For a 30 point figure, you only get 10 speed. His base is good, but his is very weak. may have its limited uses, but it shouldn't be on a character named "Darth Vader".
The other Darth Vader Striker (from the
Series 3 starter set) is pretty disappointing as well. He has the
giant-sized base, and manages 12 speed, but his makes him a real letdown for the Empire. isn't nearly as good as ,
but it proved pretty useful in Series 1. However, this Darth Vader gets
stuck with a 46% ratio (that's right, not even HALF of the time!) and I
think that's way too low for a character named "Darth Vader". The odds
are he won't even be white the first time he's knocked down.
The Royal Guard is only a 20 point
figure, and that makes him worth checking out. His striking surface is
very short, but he actually has the best of any of these figures - .
31% isn't bad for a 20 point figure, but it requires you to have a Sith
on your team. This gives the Empire a pretty good reason to bring in
either of the Sith Striker versions of Darth Vader. Unfortunately, no
Sith will benefit from all of the Empire specific .
Launchers:
The Empire does better in the Launcher
category. Series 3 gives a Force Blast Vader, which some people really
like to use. There are a handful of large missile Launchers, but none
come in cheaper than 30 points. Of these, I am very impressed with the
power of the Heavy Stormtrooper. He seems very accurate and might be
the strongest large bullet Launcher I have. On top of that, he also has
a decent chance (38%) to stay in the game with his power. However, he's very easy to knock down, as nearly any hit will do
the job. I think the Sandtrooper would've been better off as a 20 point
figure. There are several 10 point Launcher options, but I wish they
would've made the Stormtroopers better. If their was higher, say even 25%, it would make a much better case for fielding an army of Stormtroopers. The Stormtrooper is the image of the Empire, it should be a 10 point figure really worth using.
On top of that, the Stormtrooper is extremely wobbly and very easy to
knock down.
Special Powers:
It's in the area of where the Empire gets slighted the most. There are still no figures, and only one figure in the entire faction (out of 14 figures!) has a ratio higher than 50% (and it's for two Troopers). Add that to the fact that many of the specials apply
directly to Troopers and don't even benefit the stronger figures on the
team. Giving Vader is good, but it's low at 46% (Yoda gets it at 77%). would've been much more useful if it was for any Imperial figure rather than just Troopers.
Effects:
R2-Q5 is an excellent figure, but he's
not much help at all to the Empire. Doubling the move of a 10 point
Trooper from 4 to 8 is just about useless. If it weren't for the
Grievous Bodyguard, I doubt anyone would ever use R2-Q5.
Other Figures:
While an all
Imperial team looks really cool, it's not very practical at this point.
S1 Darth Vader is a natural fit to join this team, and I also think S1
Starter Darth Vader would work here as well. Both are Sith and would
support the Royal Guard nicely. Bounty Hunters also look great teamed
with these guys.
Team Suggestions: (not pure Empire)
200 Points:
(40) 2x Royal Guard
(60) 2x Starter Darth Vader (Series 1 or 3)
(30) 1x S2 Boba Fett
(30) 1x S2 Bossk
(20) 2x Stormtrooper
(20) 2x TIE Pilot
200 Points:
(80) 2x Armored Vader
(20) 1x Medic Droid
(60) 2x Heavy Stormtrooper
(40) 4x Stormtrooper |
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