Luke Rey Store Championship - 1st Place

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joemasilotti 1377

This weekend I piloted eLuke3/eRey2 to a 10 person Store Championship victory at Ellerium Games Ltd in Inverness, Scotland. I found the event on SW Destiny LFG.

The deck plays fairly straightforward but has one or two tricks that my opponents didn't expect. The main goal is to slowly ramp upgrades while shielding up to keep both characters alive as long as possible.

Resolving Makashi Training Twice

I like to mulligan for Force Speed, Makashi Training, and a two weapon, ideally Ancient Lightsaber or Shoto Lightsaber. Both abilities go on Luke and he is rolled out first. Ideally, you can hit something resolvable on Makashi Training to get the die back on the card (don't forget the ability!). After that, Power Action the ability over to Rey for a second resolution of the die. Don't be afraid of taking the or, even better, . You're getting double value of the of already.

Mitigation Doesn't Require Dice in the Pool

Lot's of blue hero mitigation requires having your own dice in the pool. For example, Guard and Force Misdirection. This deck plays neither but most of the mitigation costs one . This requires a slightly different way of playing blue hero. I like to always threaten one , even if I don't have mitigation in hand. Also, resolving every single side on the first turn of the game is crucial. The only pay side in the deck is on Rey's Lightsaber.

Flood the Pool

Loth-Wolf Bond was huge in most of the games I played. Saving it for when you have four or five upgrades out on characters puts the opponent in a very tough situation – usually staring down 6+ damage. Just be mindful of mass removal from your opponents, Mind Trick, Block/Defend, and In The Crosshairs could destroy your turn.

General Advice

  1. Always threaten one for mitigation.
  2. Play Force Illusion early and eat it on anything that would deal two or more damage.
  3. Resolve s when needed. Always keeping one on Rey) is crucial in keeping the damage of the deck up.
  4. Always be counting remaining health. If you can get a character down to one health and claim (for the on Rey they should be dead next turn. If not, save your Loth-Wolf Bond for a surprise snipe late game.

Underperforming Cards

  1. Adapt - In an aggro matchup you want the shields and in a mill one you want the card for re-rolls. But it does help with early ramp.
  2. Division in the Force - I didn't use this all day. I would rather resolve all of my damage at once instead of leaving the other die sitting in the pool.
  3. Luke Skywalker's Lightning Rod - It isn't a Weapon so it doesn't trigger Shoto Lightsaber. The deck already has a fair amount of upgrades and would probably be OK without this one in place of more mitigation.

Overperforming Cards

  1. Makashi Training - on its own the card is just OK. But getting to resolve it twice makes it worth it. Also, overwriting with a weapon once you move it over is even better.
  2. Way of the Light - you would be surprised as to how many die aren't Hero. This wasn't even a dead card in Drive by Shooting, I took Fang Fighter off the board a few times.
  3. Caution - most of the time you want to use this on Luke to get Rey the shields. I wouldn't replace this with Pacify in this deck.

Potential Additions

  1. Swiftness - I really like the idea of chaining this into Loth-Wolf Bond and an extra gray card or two is always welcome.
  2. Under Attack - another gray card that could help split up damage and break modifier chains.
  3. Confidence - mostly because I want to use it on an AT-ST :D

Swiss - 10 People

Round 1: eKylo/ePryce

This match was against one of the two friends I travelled to the event with. I went with Throne Room for the shields and started the game with four gray cards. Keeping some of those in my hand enabled me to dodge three out of four activations from Kylo. Once he went down Pryce didn't stand much of a chance against both of my characters still alive.

Round 2: Rieekan/Padme/Maz (mill)

Two Synchronicity and the Makashi Training trick enabled me to kill Maz in the first round. Padme went down shortly after and Rieekan alone can't really close the game.

Round 3: eYoda/eEzra/Rookie Pilot (aka Drive by Shooting)

Another good friend and excellent player that unfortunately couldn't draw into his vehicles. He wasn't able to play his second vehicle until turn three and by that time I had already knocked out Ezra and Yoda was barely hanging on.

Round 4: eKylo/eTalzin

Probably the toughest matchup of the day. I didn't draw many gray cards and Kylo hit all three rounds before I took him down. Shielding up with Caution and using Luke's die defensively really helped. I thought the game was over until my opponent brought back Kylo with Dark Ritual. Fortunetly, he comes back exhausted and I was able to shield up before the next round and cancel out his activation.

Top Cut to 4

Semifinals: eYoda/eEzra/Rookie Pilot (aka Drive by Shooting)

A rematch from Round 3. I got my opponent on the defensive early by rolling hot on Luke on the first action. This caused him to Caution on to Yoda which allowed me to take out Ezra before he activated round 2. Once again his vehicle draw was bad even with two Easy Pickings for four damage a piece.

Finals: Rieekan/Padme/Maz (mill)

A rematch of Round 4. A much closer game this time – I ended with no cards in my hand nor deck (but two Ancients on the table). Getting hit with Scramble and (another card that re-rolls any number of dice) twice kept my opponent's characters alive way longer than I expected. But without much hand discard I was able to reroll for damage over and over. I think the lethal blow had me rerolling nine die in the pool.

15 komentarzy

General Vatutin 26

Please write small store championship to make it easier on us.

Schmitty 14

Excellent write-up!

joemasilotti 1377

Thanks @Dothanite! Appreciate it :)

Cip_on_the_beach 2

Congrats for the 1st place and for the deck! You play a lot of upgrades why you don't play it binds all things?

alesk1978 8

congrats Joe!

joemasilotti 1377

@Cip_on_the_beach I personally don't like It Binds All Things. If you get it round one or two, sure. But too often I draw that card later in the game and it just dead. If anything, I would try sneaking in a copy or two of Destiny instead. That can, at worst, be used to play events if you really find yourself in a... bind. :D

Thanks @alesk1978!

General Vatutin 26

You did great service with your write up. Not enough people spend the time and I appreciate the time you spent. —— From the peanut gallery:

You are having issues navigating the failure of getting binds early because you have too many upgrades and not enough removal. Removal gets you to not care about missing it as much. Luke is power and this combo in particular reminds me of the autopilot days of Poe/Maz. You can win with sooo many suites. I just don’t see people on TTS playing anything close to this setup. That is not the be all end all, but a hint. I hope this small sample doesn’t give you too much security for Gen-con or something bigger—if that is the route you take. If your store tournaments are as big as you venture out then by all means congrats! Pop the champagne. However, I am afraid more seasoned comp in addition to deeper competition will reveal the warts.

Despite your misgivings, I would highly suggest adding: x2 Your Eyes Can Decieve You & x2 It Binds All Things, or one of the sets just mentioned, or one set and a one off the other to help the odds of getting 1/3 of those supports early. Experiment 3/4 cards and how often you get them. You are more worried about them not coming up I am afraid because you have sooooooooo many upgrades, too many with regards to the number of mitigation. Then you don’t really need to worry which of the great combos comes up. You either get both or one. I have been moving to all 4 because double of one or having one of both is the bomb diggity.

Adapt is slow. Players are moving away from the lightning rod, but I see a case for keeping it from the perspective of YOUR reasoning with regard to the Shotos. What if they don’t show? The rod is tight without, planning that you cut 3 upgrades. Having the two vibro and the rod is three weapons that aren’t‘ Blue. The one advantage of vibro, besides making you faster is it is grey in a very strong Price Kylo meta. In a deeper tournament, you’re going to face a. Experience pilot in addition to multiple. Your current deck requires above average luck. You got to fine tune this beast to rely on average if, IF, you want more consistency. Any serious competitor can see what I am rapping about. You got to cut the fat ....and the fat is the upgrades.

Replace cautions for pacify for flexibility. No brainer...Unless (I understand the argument but don’t agree) you really what to Swift From Cation into Syncro. You don’t have Swift. You can’t afford Swift at the moment without other significant changes. I strongly think you will find relying on raw melee damage is better than synch anyways in a deeper tournament so I would strongly suggest dropping those. I currently play a one off for surprise. If my opponent sees me discard or use one, they will assume a second. The next level stuff in this game is the one offs. It is not as creative as playing a mill battlefield with Cassian and playing range for the mulligan, but almost as clever. You need to choose your one offs carefully. This game is poker. Too many people don’t see the game within the game.

TTS data has bore the need for those combos or the fewer upgrades out so far.

Cut three weapons. Again, this isn’t an ambush overwrite deck. Yes, you can move some stuff to Rey, but not enough. What to add. There are so many go choices but depends on the cost curve you land on and if you pick Your Eyes or not—as well as the suite you land on in general.

General Vatutin 26

Go watch 8 TTS Games and see how many times other players look to see what has been played. You’ll hear they saying he likely has this or that because the second hasn’t come up yet. Your one offs are not a surprise as they need to be. If you take nothing I am teaching you but that, that will better your game overall. The better players, much like poker players, think back X hands are thinking what you played and you need a bluff...or two to counter their efforts and use that to your advantage.

superalex598 31

Great write up, congrats on the win!

joemasilotti 1377

Thanks for the detailed feedback @General Vatutin! I really appreciate the deep dive into my deck construction. I have a few questions regarding your suggestions:

  1. "You are having issues navigating the failure of getting binds early because you have too many upgrades..." I agree that I have too many upgrades. I will definetly be cutting two (or three, as you suggest). First to go will be Luke Skywalker's Lightning Rod.
  2. "Removal gets you to not care about missing [It Binds All Things] as much." I don't follow. How does having more removal account for not drawing a card or having a dead card late game?
  3. "I just don’t see people on TTS playing anything close to this setup." So you're saying that because people aren't playing it I shouldn't either? I fail to follow your logic.
  4. I haven't tested Luke Skywalker - Reluctant Instructor with Your Eyes Can Deceive You yet. I like the suggestion but I have a hard time paying one just to turn one , even if I can do it every round. But I will try it out in the next iteration because in all honesty I forgot about the card. Great idea!
  5. "Adapt is slow." I agree. And as I mentioned in the original write-up I will definitely be cutting it.
  6. "Replace cautions for pacify for flexibility. No brainer...Unless (I understand the argument but don’t agree) you really what to Swift From Cation into Syncro. You don’t have Swift. You can’t afford Swift at the moment without other significant changes." I don't mention using Swiftness with Caution, but with Loth-Wolf Bond. If you are talking about that combo then yes, I agree, it feels too cute to pull off consistently. But I still stand by my choice of Caution over Pacify. Once during the entire tournament did I use Caution to give Luke s. I was using his to give Rey s before she activated to proc her ability. This wouldn't work with Pacify because her aren't yet in the pool.
  7. "Your one offs are not a surprise as they need to be. If you take nothing I am teaching you but that, that will better your game overall." That's a very interesting approach to deck building and one that I've never personally thought about. But I don't know how effective it is when you are sacrificing reliability for surprise. I would rather have two copies of an amazing card that works most/all of the time over one copy each of something that surprises my opponent. But maybe that's just a difference in play styles!

General Vatutin 26

  1. Cool.
  2. Sorry, I didn’t better explain a couple of points. Decks that rely too heavily on a combo as you clear are aware suffer from inevitably of probability. What I was attempting to say is that if you don’t draw binds, but have enough other useful cards, specifically mitigation or even some other tricks, you wouldn’t mind missing it early as much. “As much”because getting it first turn is great and second turn good. I notice players more than not want to go through their hands so Binds is only a dead card later if not enough of your other cards are good enough. If later you draw 3 upgrades, Binds, and a situational card etc. that might as well be dead then yeah you are right. However, I think when you get this excellent start more polished in the the late game you won’t mind a dead card here and there for re-rolls and Binds might as well be one of them. I could certainly see as the deck is constructed at this early state that it really would seem dead as a door later when you need something that you can both play or use for a re-roll.
  3. I did make a comment about that not being the be all end all but a hint. Sorry, I did not do a better job communicating. I watch a lot of top players play on TTS. I have seen a lot of iterations of this deck under various situations. When building a deck myself, I watch it played several times and by various people. When this first can out, people were throwing this thing thogether fast, so fast people were missing the powerful Loth-Wolf Bond which was perfect for this deck. Well, in all the shuffling at the beginning, players began to start thinking more and more after just getting something to the table. As players began to define/codify this deck they were moving as a whole toward certain cards. The nice thing about these two characters is that there is more freedom and I think in the end we will see multiple paths toward a solid deck. So if you look at TTS play at a particular moment p, in a vacuum, it might not be that informative. Yes, there can be a herd mentality, but if you watch what is happening/evolving over weeks it becomes a much more informative guide as to what people are finding through many games.
  4. I can’t take credit for that idea. Again, it is another angle and not a must.
  5. Sorry, read the post a few days ago and I should have reread your comments.
  6. Swiftness works great with both Loth-Wolf Bond (Again, sorry I didn’t reread your post...sloppy of me) and your Cautions with synchro as you pointed out. This is another place where people on TTS have been going back and forth trying. It “appears” that the needle is moving toward the Pacify because it offers much needed flexibly mitigation in a pinch. If you havn’t rolled out you can mitigate those god rolls. This is particularly better for your deck because of the vibro which also give you some much needed grey. It is interesting how just one miss or two against Kylo can mean all the difference. Another reason for swiftness which you are strongly considering it appears. But you may end up cutting the vibro’s, you might not like the idea of going through the shields. I think the one damage on Rey’s ability is a trap only so far as it can get you to focus more than necessary on the ability vs. other considerations like flexibility of staring down 8-9 damage when you might be able to reduce the damage and give an opponent character extra shields that are never realized if they already happen to have shields. While not something that will be a usual occurrence it will happen. You also my find you don’t want to be removing Luke’s dice for caution and move toward Alter or better yet Propel etc. to make your own dice worrisome. The best defense is a good offense sort of move. The choice between. The two becomes less of an issue it you can strengthen your removal suite. If fact, with certain suites, Caution will may still be the way to go. I would certainly play several games with Pacify at some point to see which personally works better for you.
  7. The one offs are not something you go crazy on. If fact, they can be more useful when your opponent is seeing 2of everything but one or two events. This is going to become more prevalent as we move toward more mill and the decks get down more. Again, the TTS players are always looking through decks guessing what those last few cards likely are based on previous cards. There are plenty of one offs that won’t mess with the reliability of this sort of deck or most decks.

Cheers & Good Luck.

Razelll 244

@General Vatutin Well said.

General Vatutin 26

Oops, meant Concentrate not Propel.

helikaon 34

I'm being a bit slow about your inclusion of Makashi Training I think. If I'm understanding it correctly, you are using it on Luke (in doing so presumably removing one of your dice?), then moving it to Rey to use it again? I mean...if it works out that is huge mitigation, but is the cost worth it of losing two of your dice as well? Or am I missing a big mechanic of this card or something? Thanks!

helikaon 34

I think I was reading it wrong. So primarily Makashi is there for the damage itself, but getting to use it twice, yes?