The Unofficial Jedi's Guide to the YJCCG Galaxy is THE card strategy reference for Decipher's Young Jedi CCG. Starting with the first expansion, 'The Menace of Darth Maul', each individual card will be discussed until it can be discussed no further. Nevertheless, if I have missed something, email me at jinnandtonic@yahoo.com.au, and I will update it accordingly.
Battle Droids? Sheesh, they're all pretty similar, and so are the entries for them!
jinnandtonic's Grades:
Economy: B+
Battle Droid: Officer / MTT Division is just about to become the best thing since sliced bread, due in no small part to the imminent release of Tatooine: Podrace Arena for the dark side in the Jedi Council expansion. It has the standard Power of 2, Destiny of 4 and Damage of 1 associated with all the other blue-dot Battle Droids in the Menace of Darth Maul expansion. It does however, have Power +2 in location bonuses at Tatooine: Podrace Arena, and will become the droid of choice for those YJCCG players looking to make use of all those fancy new sites.
Decipher: C
I don't think the subtype of this droid justifies it getting Power +2 in location bonuses at Tatooine: Podrace Arena. I mean, officer? Why would an officer droid be stronger at the Podrace Arena then the other Tatooine-based Battle Droids, yet weaker at Mos Espa at the Desert Landing Site. It doesn't make too much sense. The image could also probably be better, and may have been tampered with in order to get a Tatooine-ish background. Apart from the image and the location bonuses, fine and dandy.
Overall Usefulness: B
Battle Droid: Officer / MTT Division may be of use if you decide to use Tatooine: Podrace Arena in your Dark deck. Obviously this will probably be the case for a lot of players using Dark, although obviously not solely because they can't wait to unleash the formidable powers of this character. Dark players looking to use all those new (reportedly similar) Podracers will obviously be fairly dependent on winning the Podrace Arena quickly and in style. It might be an idea to try the unorthodox and attack the Podrace Arena using something other than Podracers - because that is exactly what your Light opponent will be expecting when you slap down the site.
FLAVOR TEXT: "Volunteers will be no match against a battle-hardened Federation army." -- Panaka
------------------------------------------------
SPECIFIC INTERACTING CARDS:
------------------------------------------------
Battle Droid Blaster Rifle
[#118, Menace of Darth Maul, Common, Orange-Dot]
The Battle Droid Blaster Rifle is an integral part of any Battle Droid theme deck, giving your faceless minions Power +1 and a Destiny ? draw in battle. A Destiny of 4 is good enough, although you will probably still want to squeeze a couple of Blaster Rifles in just to give your deck's Average Destiny that additional boost.
In Complete Control
[#125, Menace of Darth Maul, Common, Yellow-Dot}
The card that was the staple of Starter Deck-fresh YJCCG decks is still fairly good. It gives Power +2 in battle to any non-unique Battle Droid. Sure, not as much as Opee Sea Killer, but arguably just as good due to the flexibility it allows. One of these can be just enough to knock over that Qui-Gon and claim a planetary victory. Bwah-hah-hah!
The Invasion Is On Schedule
[#131, Menace of Darth Maul, Common, Yellow-Dot}
It is unfortunately a bit Gungan Curiosity for my liking (being essentially the same as that Light card), but this card is still worth including. It allows any three non-unique Battle Droids to fight together in battle. 1-2 copies maximum, I would suggest - it is still a card that can win you a game from nowhere.
-------------------
IN BRIEF:
-------------------
* Dark Battle Droid deck targeting Tatooine: Podrace Arena? Absurd? Not anymore. The question is, how many people will want to? It should still be a mightily effective deck, probably just as effective as the much vaunted Dark Podracing deck that will soon become the flavor of the month. Think about it: you don't lose that much Power in location bonuses by sticking with your trusty Battle Droid: Officer, MTT Division, you don't have pesky uniqueness to deal with, and you don't have to worry about matching your weapons up! Slap down a Battle Droid and a Battle Droid Blaster Rifle at Tatooine: Podrace Arena and make use of In Complete Control and The Invasion Is On Schedule! Somebody has to play a Dark Podracing deck against a Dark Battle Droid deck: just to see which would win. You may be surprised.
-------------------------------
GENERAL PLAY TIPS:
-------------------------------
* A Battle Droid theme, focusing on Tatooine: Podrace Arena? Two copies of that new Jedi Council location to start with. Green is nice and easy, and we will throw in multiples of both Battle Droid: Officer / AAT Division and Battle Droid: Pilot / AAT Division. Blue is also a snap, with multiples of Battle Droid: Pilot / MTT Division and Battle Droid: Infantry / MTT Division mandatory. Obviously go for greater proportions for the Battle Droid: Officers in both the above categories. Red is a touch more difficult, but needless to say that copies of Battle Droid Squad / Assault Unit and perhaps everyone's favorite bounty hunter are ripe for the challenge. Mix in Battle Droid Blaster Rifles and Blaster Rifles for your arsenal (say, 5:5, or 6:4 / 7:3, depending on how many droids you wind up using),and In Complete Control (2-4), The Invasion Is On Schedule (1-2) and Opee Sea Killer for your Battle Card support. Have fun, conquer some planets, and say 'Roger Roger!' a lot. Mix in some Jedi Council droids based on Coruscant and you can have a two-pronged attack! Ace!
* Battle Droid: Officer / MTT Division x3 + The Invasion Is On Schedule + Battle Droid Blaster Rifle + Destiny = 6 at Tatooine / Podrace Arena: 19 Power. More than enough to wax any Dark Podracer Pilot. Even on their personalised podracer. Hah!
------------------
ADDITIONS:
------------------
Up to you. Think of anything else cool about his card, or combos that you have used to great effect? What about a particular game in which this card made you win? Send anything like that to jinnandtonic@yahoo.com.au and I'll add it here. Jedi Council apparently features Battle Droid: Guard characters. What can we expect in the final expansion?
