Welcome everyone to this week’s Card Dissection. It’s been a while since yours truly has written an article, but what wouldn’t be a better card to cover then the son to my last article’s father? That right this week’s Card Dissection is Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight (AW35).
The Art: This card’s art features Luke Skywalker himself as a Jedi Knight (as seen in Return of the Jedi), complete with his dark clothes and green lightsaber. The art was done by artist Darren Tan. The first thing that stands out to me is how the art is kind of like a more faded/scratched type of approach. It is clearly an image that is closer to being read as art, where other card’s art has been more photo realistic.
There are a couple of noticeable issues with the art. The first being the faded background. It isn’t clear where he is at. Without an idea of his location, it is hard to look at the card from a thematic point of view. The second is the bit of white on his shirt. I am pretty sure that he wore completely a completely black top in the Return of the Jedi and I find it to be a bit distracting. He looks like a preacher to me with the white added. Beside those two nit picks, I love the art. It’s simple, clear, different, and easy to look at.
Health: Luke’s Health is a high 12 points. While this health is high compared to most character, it is the second highest in the game currently with only one other character matching it. Once you take in to account the card’s point cost and die sides, you can clearly see that the health fits him well.
Point Cost: Luke’s point cost is 15 for a single die and 20 for two dice. His single die option at 15 is at the right number to be paired with some Elite version of other characters but is not lower enough to be paired with 2 non-unique characters. This makes deck building with his single die version a bit more constrictive, but given his die it is balance point cost to be at. Of course with his die you most likely want to be running his Elite version to maximize his effectiveness. Once you move to his Elite version though you become even more limited in what you can build with him with 10 points remaining. It is as always up to you to what point cost you want to run him at and what kind of trade offs you want to make.
Die: Luke’s Die sides is 2 Melee, 3 Melee, 1 Focus, 1 Shield, 1 Resource, and a blank. Another very strong die and it is one of the best in the game. No modified sides or sides with a cost means that you can resolve them as soon as possible. Having 33% damage sides make him a perfect pairing with cards that have modified sides on them such as Rey (AW38) and Lightsaber (AW59).
His focus side helps you to hit that damage more often. His focus side should not be taken lightly. I don’t know if it is better on this die compared to other dice, but it allows you the ability to focus (pun intended) on what you are trying to do. His shield side is actually not bad on this die because of how much Luke will be a target to your opponent, due to his ability to hit hard. The resource side is standard, but never under-estimate the ability to grab that extra resource. You may be surprised how that may help you. Lastly, the blank side is, well, a blank… not much to say there.
Ability: The ability on this card is a very simple one but possibly a very good ability to have. The ability states “After you activate this character, draw a card.” This ability has both pros and cons about it. Starting with the good: the more cards you have in your hand means more options you can have open to you. You can draw into something playable that you need, or draw a card you need sooner. This alone is a strength given to your deck by this card that is a nice bonus to have. Additionally, the extra card you drew may be used to reroll one or more of your dice. This is a bonus that shouldn’t be forgotten.
An extra card per turn has a lot of pluses, but it does have its downsides. Digging though your deck quicker means you might deck out sooner. You can always slow this down with smart playing, but sometimes there is nothing you can do. The other negative is, you have to do it. You can not choose to do it. This card has a strong ability, but there is more to it then meets the eyes.
Deck Options: Due to high cost of Luke, deck building with him can be quite limited. Elite Luke and Ackbar is one solid option. This deck is a Hero version of the Vader/Radier deck. It does hit hard, but it is more defensive, and can be more consistent. There are not many options of things to build this version with, but the main focus of the deck is to hit hard with Luke. This deck is quite good and currently sees a lot of play.
You can also build a Blue Hero deck. This option can be made primarily in one of 3 ways, Elite Luke/Rey, Elite Luke/Padawan, or Luke/Elite Rey. This is a deck choice where you are all in on Blue. It limits your options, but you do not have to worry about spot cards or any other play restrictions. This option has potential, but is a bit weak in competitive play. It is a fun deck to try casually. Of course there are other options, and no matter what deck you build him with, he is a solid choice.
Final Thoughts: I love this card. He is not as good as Darth Vader (AW10), but he has a lot of potential. He is arguable one of if not the best Hero cards in Awakenings. Give this card a try and I am sure your opponent will be sweating when you start hitting hard.
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