When Star Wars: Unlimited introduced in March – shortly after its competitor Disney Lorcanand among some of Magic: The GatheringIt was one of the most influential modern sets – it easily stood out from the crowd. Critics and fans alike admired it for its aggressive increase in power and complexity, as well as its release commitment to the lore of the original trilogy. His third set of cards entitled Twilight of the Republiclooks at what makes the game unique. It also improves the subject matter and narrative several notches.
Twilight of the Republic introduces token cards to the game that are double-sided, showing a clone trooper on one side and a battle droid on the other side. They don’t go into the deck, but are brought to the table through the abilities of certain cards. Two other new mechanics join the flood of fighters on the table: Coordinate and Exploit.
Grievous’ deck makes the most use of Exploit, which allows players to remove units, including tokens, from the battlefield and exchange them for higher-value cards. For example, a player might play a four-resource “On the Doorstep” event card to produce three Battle Droid tokens. In the same turn, they can remove these droids and earn two resource credits for each, making the Separatist Super Tank only cost three resources instead of nine.
On the other side of the table, Ahsoka’s deck uses coordinates, which requires players to have at least three units on the battlefield. Once this happens, players can use any number of interesting abilities. For example, once coordinated, Republican commandos can carry out acts of sabotage; Coruscant Guards gain Ambush, giving them the ability to attack on the first turn they enter play; and Clone Heavy Gunners can add two more to their attack stats.
In motion, the new keyword abilities blend well with the recognizable characters, evoking scenes from the Clone Wars cartoons and the Disney Plus streaming series. You can imagine a line of battle droids marching across the horizon, only to give way to heavier siege weapons in the background. You can sense Ahsoka’s concern as she gives orders to a new group of soldiers, only to find that they work exceptionally well together as a team.
Most importantly, the entire package – which also includes two poster playmats – is clearly tailored for new players. If you had waited earlier this year to see if Star Wars: Unlimited It was worth the effort, I’m here to tell you that it is. And if the Clone Wars era is your favorite part of the Star Wars canon, it’s time to gather your forces and join the fight.
