Ackward Ackbar - Top 8 Redemption Release Party 1.0

• Wersje
• 1.0

This is the Ackbar list I ran for the Redemption Release Party tournament hosted by the kind folks over at ARH, the event itself was a lot of fun and I was happy to see even higher turnouts compared to the Faltering Allegiances release, here's to 200+ attendees for set 3.

Coming into the tournament I was debating on either brining Han-Dash or Ackbar, two decks I felt had access to some of the strongest cards in the pool, most notably Eject, Veteran of War, Feat of Strength for Ackbar and Eject, Reap, Mean Streets - Correlia for Han-Dash. My predictions were that both decks would have favorable matchups into any blue decks due to multi-dice removal and higher tempo but that Ackbar would come ahead vs most pirate lists as he doesn't care as much about resources and battlefield control. In addition, I didn't feel that my Han-Dash list was as refined and I felt more comfortable facing the possible Ackbar mirrors.

After deciding on Ackbar I was mostly worried about running into Han-Dash, a matchup I had little chance of winning due to unmitigable damage and timewalks, and 3-wide villain support decks that had access to Desperate Measures and could quickly produce wide boards with Entourage package. Any Saw matchup would also be a massacre without drawing double Feat.

Plot

United - In my opinion, the best plot on average you could run with Ackbar. It provides the well needed mutli-dice removal protection for cards like Feat of Strength, Power of the Tribe, Flee the Scene etc. Don't forget that unlike it's flipped side, this effect applies to any of your dice and not just the character ones, it's also a reaction effect which can put your opponent in an ackward position. The "We stand" side you will very rarely resolve as those resources and cards are usually better spent elsewhere but it can happen late in the round.

What about Grand Design?

While you do have enough supports to trigger the draw almost every round, this is a deck that will rarely aggressively reroll and won't be able to play more than 2-3 cards per round. Drawing the extra card, outside of having more options for removal will generally not matter since your hand already has some of those options and you're mostly limited by your low resource generation rather than card draw.

What about Destroy the Death Star?!

Just don't. While it does turn on Covert Mission, there's no specific combo piece that you really want to draw except maybe Kamino round 1. I still don't consider it worth a resource and a card slot compared to the alternatives. And while you technically can 1-shot the plot on round 5, hitting the 1/6 on Ackbar for the plot action will be excruciating.

Battlefield

When choosing the BF for the deck you'll have to keep in mind you'll be losing a lot of rolloffs with your 2-dice start. For that reason I wanted something that the opponent would get minimal benefit from while still providing me with some value either on round 1 or early claims up to round 2 if they decide to deny me the two shields.

Cyber Center - Anexes - I was debating between this and the next BF. In the end I settled for Cyber Center as I was almost always able to provide me with at least 1-2 points of healing while generating minimal value for the opponent. It was also a 'faster' option as resolves on claim rather than a PA.

Defensive Perimeter - Hoth - This was my second choice, and while it will provide more upfront effective health, it would cost you a die and an extra action, possibly taking away the initiative for the next round which can matter for getting Eject, Assail, Rebel Assault and Veteran online. I also wasn't sure if there would be a deck that could exploit this effect like Yoda or the new QGJ.

Colossus - Castilon - Honorable mention if you decide to run 2x Fresh Supplies, also providing some soft mitigation but opening you to Plunder. I didn't feel it was worth the risk with all the pirates flying around.

Salt Flats - Crait - While it can guarantee you a 2 or an extra resource round 1, it will be too dangerous to run into any matchup that has a leader with a big damage side or a 2 focus side. The returns didn't feel worth the potential risks as most decks will outpace you as the game goes on.

Notable deck choices

While over half of the list builds itself there are some decisions to be made based on the format, the meta and your playstyle. This section will include a brief though process on certain selections.

Resistance Ring - A much worse version of Veteran, while the special will almost always have a target, sometimes for free (Rebel, Imposing), it is always telegraphed to your opponent, making them either remove it or adjust their next move accordingly. I mostly wanted an extra red die for Kamino and a chance to replay Field Medics while occasionally providing a focus. Could easily be cut for some more consistent removal.

Redemption - I initially started at 2, eventually cut down to 1, where it's still a dead draw quite often due to its cost. It shines in round 1 if you can pair it with Kamino and ask your opponent not to do anything while you generate 2 extra resources to pay for it. It's a polarising support that can sometimes seal the game but will often times be dead vs more aggressive matchups.

Padmé Amidala's Royal Starship - Provides a proactive 1 on activation, along with a powerful die, especially into later rounds when you can focus chain into the X-wing sides. While 3 cost is still quite steep, it will at very least provide you 1 on the round it's played (~0.5 resource value).

Wasaka Berry Plant - Most consistent healing over time effect available currently. At 1 resolution it's severly overpriced, at 2 resolutions it's on par with the old Dex's Diner, at 3 and more you're looking at Field Medic value. A great card in this archetype as it we're okay with paying more upfront from extra sustain down the line and gets even more powerful with removal and effects that provide us with more effective health (Riot shield, shield sides). While you might be concerned with Kamino flip turning it offline, you can just sit on a ready Kamino, tap Wasaka one last time and then flip Kamino, when they kill Ackbar you will be able to Wasaka the trooper next round. I decided to run two despite it being unique as I wanted to increase my odds of drawing it early.

Rebel Assault - Despite it being a conditional removal it will still often find targets in resource sides, pirate disrupt sides and specials. It can be problematic to enable before you have 2-3 X-wings but has an upside of being free.

Electromagnetic Pulse - Minor tech choice, mostly for the mirror and the occasional mad lad playing the new Blizzards, could go to 0 or 2, depending on the meta.

Rout - Another minor tech include. Probably the least played card in the deck as I generally wasn't able to hit more than 1 die. It was meant to be an extra Feat of Strength for lategame situations or to pick off non-damage sides. Will probably get cut for something more consistent.

Potential includes/tech choices

DC-17 Hand Blaster/ Conscript Squad/ Experimental Booster - All three serve a similar role of providing you with an extra red die for Kamino while also padding your damage. I prefer DC-17 personally due to the resource side and niche We Stand interaction. Can also be overwritten into Riot shield or Veteran. I'd consider the Boosters to be the weakest option due to DM and choosing to pilot the Merchant freighter before the Eject.

Fortitude - Generally overpriced but provides burst damage protection that healing/removal doesn't. I'm sure there's a variant that could do cute Veteran overwrites to replay if with You Are In Command Now. I wouldn't consider it unless the meta becomes hyper aggressive.

Protective Suit/ Unshackle/ GH-7 Droid - Basically your anti- Mind Extraction choices. I decided to run none for the release party as I didn't think people would bother bringing too many of those and I wasn't particularly worried about blue villain matchups. Often times you can just keep passing until they spend their resources as they can't really pass back to you without applying pressure. I would consider the Suit to be by far the worst option as it doesn't stop bounties and Unshackle the most consistent choice, with the droid somewhere in-between as it doesn't provide the cleanse effect on demand but can be better against decks that spam bounties.

Fresh Supplies - I was initially running 1 for that fast round 1 claim. Bring 2 if you play on Colossus - Castilon. Ultimately I didn't feel it made the cut.

Small Battles Won - With limited 1 value sides, you'd mostly be using this on a resource or an early X-wing shield. Possible inclusion if you want more ramp to play the bigger supports faster.

Fury - Premium 1 for 1 nonconditional removal, will always be worth a slot if you don't know what to include.

Hull Breach - Mirror tech, DM for the poor, you can start killing their X-wings with your own. You'll also be able to remove bigger things like Megas in round 4+.

Shortcut & Hampered - Closest things to Han-Dash tech we have available, it won't improve the matchup drastically and will be mostly dead vs other decks.

Admiral - But, but...it's in his name!, Sadly this just provides too little for the cost, you're looking at either paying 6 to reset an X-wing or 4 and hope the opponent doesn't interact with the special. If the game got to a point where you're able to take those lines of play, you probably already won.

K-3PO - Healing 1 from the BF for 1 with a 50% chance of paying itself or getting a shield can be a good deal but you're often doing it late in the round, and with 2 blanks I didn't want to risk getting scammed by some zombie droid.

Ghost - A more aggressive version of Padme's ship, while the shield generation is nice, I wasn't too thrilled with paying 3 for a scuffed X-wing that also couldn't focus.

Swiss

Luminara Unduli - Jedi Apprentice x2 - The Jedi Code by EricWainright-wiwwt (WIN) - A fortunate first matchup, as lineups like these take some time to get going due to limited resource production and the amount of upgrades they need to play. Also, as always Feat of Strength feels quite unfair into any deck that wants to roll a lot of . The new plot provides built-in removal but also takes away one of their dice, which you don't hate to see. Once you reach round 3/4 you can start showing lethal on either Luminara or the apprentice that's threatening damage. Kudos to wiwwt for being a great sport despite the unfavorable matchup and his dice continuously rolling nothing but shields.

Admiral Ackbar - Brilliant Tactician - Grand Design by Clauber Alex (LOSS) - A fellow spacesquid connoisseur from Brazil. Despite feeling good about playing into the mirror, this was my one loss in the swiss. Alex played a Grand Design variation, allowing him to dig deeper into the deck along with Small Battles Won for some extra ramp, developing an early Redemption to build up Kamino stacks from round 1 while my hand ended up being mostly control. The game was wrapped up with a big damage turn for my opponent, topped off with a Focused Fire. I didn't feel too bad about the loss as it was to another Ackbar player that played well.

Darth Bane - Ancient Master - Darth Zannah - Student of the Sith - Rule of Two by KiloMike (WIN) - Potentially a scary list as there are lines of play that can result in a dead Ackbar round 1 if you can't deal with the specials. Unfortunately, my opponent activated Zannah into a Bane blank, rerolling into another blank and after resolving Ackbar's 2 he ended up with a stranded blank in the pool and unable to resolve RoT. I focused on killing Zannah to avoid Legacy of the Sith malarkey. Mixed dice sides on Bane also came in handy with finding valuable Power of the Tribe targets.

Rey - Bound By The Force - Kylo Ren - Bound By The Force by LepraCollins (WIN) - I haven't seen Reylo in ages so wasn't sure what kind of list to expect but figured that if I can survive through all the pings I should be able to burst a character down at round 3 or 4 due to their low healthpool. We started on my BF so I didn't get the usual shields but had a pretty good opening hand with Kamino and Wasaka. Most of the early damage went into Kylo to keep the shields low and after an early claim from my opponent in round 4 I managed to find a 2 and 1shot Rey. Game ended in the next round, just 1 damage shy from a No Mercy but with 2 Kaminos ready to flip.

Hondo Ohnaka - Ultimate Pragmatist - Kragan Gorr - Pirate Captain - The Ultimate Heist by Jason_SWGuy (WIN) - The only pirate game I played this evening but I was familiar with the general gameplan, keep my money either empty or high enough so I still have some left for removal after all the pillaging. Took an early Desperate Measures on one of my X-wings and the opponent managed to flip his plot by round 2/3, attaching it to Kragan which made it so I have to shift my focus from Hondo as I can't afford to take the title special when my X-wings are at 4-5 damage. I got a very lucky 2 hitting 1xFickle and 1xHired, followed by a Resistance ring milling the Entourage off the top of the deck. With half the Entourage package out of the game I felt a lot better about my odds and once Kragan and the plot title were out of the way it was mostly a matter of controlling the dice and letting X-wing duping do its thing. Jason played really well and was always very aware of his possible damage reach making it a really enjoyable match.

Jyn Erso - Rebellion Operative - Cassian Andor - Efficient Agent by Norman (WIN) - Not a deck I was expecting to see, but figured I should be okay as most of my detects will be situational control cards that I can just aggressively discard for rerolls, while keeping an eye out for potential Admiral reset turns. This game was also the longest of the bunch and we ended up going to time. Round 1 I took a Hull Breach from a Cassian +2, killing my X-wing. The detects also hit one of my Ejects which had to be discarded by the end of the round, took some damage but managed to heal a solid amount as well. Round 2 the detects revealed some of the control I needed that round and my Redemption, which I decided not to discard as I'd rather see it played than have that money go into an Admiral. Norman ended up playing it and even resetting it through Cassian, resulting in a lot of healing and some ~8 damage from Jyn pairing with Cassian's +2 sides. This went back and forth and my Ackbar was around 5 hp left when I got a lucky round where the detects didn't hit the Feat of Strength I have been saving, I managed to remove both of Jyn's dice, cutting most of the damage from the board. With the pressure gone, I rolled out my X-wings and focused them to kill Jyn and add a bit more damage into Cassian for the tiebreaker. Overall a really fun match as the list was not expected and Norman had a very methodical approach, often critical of certain card designs.

Top 16

Wullffwarro - Kashyyyk Warrior - Valorous Tribe by TheBastMaster (2-0) - Another fortunate matchup, while I didn't specifically test against this lineup, I knew that wookies are a reactive archetype by design. As the lists were public at this point, I checked for Instigates or any other surprise damage cards. Game 1 Bast brought in Lumpawaroo - Chewbacca's Pride and managed to get his electrostaff down early on. My hand was showing a lot of healing so I decided to try and kill Lumpster early, somewhere around round 3. Once the pings were out of the way it was just a matter of turtling up to 1shot the warrior. Game 2 Lumpoodle made their second appearance, my hand wasn't that great so I decided to hold off on dealing damage till X-wings reach critcial mass. My opponent also had a much weaker start and the dice weren't cooperating with mostly rolls. When I got enough damage to kill Lumpy, my opponent conceded shortly after. This was another example of Feat of Strength feeling way over the curve vs a deck like this.

Han Solo - Cool and Confident - Dash Rendar - Outer Rim Hotshot by MalaciousMawloc (0-2) - After my first series I checked the neighbouring bracket to see what decks should I expect, and sadly it turned out to be a Han-Dash mirror match, the deck I was worried about the most. Game 1 I had a pretty good first turn but proceeded to take ~7 damage round 2 followed by a Hyperspace Jump into another jump round 3. Around round 5 I made a big miscalculation in not triggering United in response to Flee the scene, not realising I had enough damage to close out the game, instead taking a big Reversal on the next round to end the game. Game 2 was played on my BF so there would be less Jumps/Reversals and it didn't seem too dire until my opponent action cheated into a 15 roll, closing out the game on the next round, which honestly felt like good karma after the misplay in game 1. Mawloc was another very friendly opponent that played exceptionally well and I was glad to see him advance to Top 4.

Overall I was quite happy with how the deck performed and I'm curious on how the list will have to adapt as the meta becomes more refined.