A Star Wars: Destiny Network
After a lot of trading, I was finally able to get a solid Vader – TTB (AG1) deck built. I wasn’t all that successful with it so it went on the back burner.
With the release of Spark of Hope and the Niman forms, as well as the associated events Draw Closer (SH116) and Pushing Slash (SH118), I decided to revamp my deck a bit.
Continue reading “Hello Vader… My Old Friend”
The Athenian aristocrat Pheadrus once said that “things are not always what they seem.”
I’m taking this way out of context (sorry Plato), but I often paraphrase this quote and say it a little differently: “things aren’t always as bad as they seem.” We have a tendency to view the world through cloudy lenses sometimes. When we do, every setback seems insurmountable, every challenge feels Sisyphean, and every piece of bad news feels like it’s going to radically alter our lives. Recently, the Star Wars: Destiny community received some unexpected bad news: Covert Missions has been delayed. I want to offer you some perspective on that today, and tell you that I don’t believe things are as bad they seem right now on social media. The ship isn’t sinking, we don’t need to launch the lifeboats, and nobody has to make any SOS calls just yet.
Continue reading “Things Aren’t Always As Bad As They Seem”
This time I got to correspond with an In Real Life (IRL) CC that hails from the great state of Illinois. The Brothers Dimm is that group. They have resided in the Chicago area and play at their Local Game Store, Fair Game Store, where they get between 16-20 people per store tournament. That is an outstanding number, one they are proud of because, “People come for blood, too. Seasoned, formidable players. Absolutely stellar store and community.”
This started, as the name suggests, with two brothers that liked gaming. Levi stated, “As brothers and pretty hardcore gamers, we spend a lot of time not only playing games, but talking theory and design as well. Since Awakenings, we followed The Hyperloops, Tiny Grimes, Noobrainer, and even Back to Dials (during our X-Wing days).” Through their listening and reading they found that there was beginning to be some major negative feelings coming out towards the game. “There was a lot of talk about what FFG ‘should’ and ‘should not’ be doing – a sort of negativity, and potentially damaging to the future of the game. We thought the game needed more positive voices to build a bigger community. So we thought, hell, let’s get our toes wet. Why not? Our first video went up in November 2017.’
There are some really great things about this group. The joy that they have shown in the times we have corresponded, how eager they were to participate with this article, and the answers that they gave to the questions. I hope that the readers will see that passion come across in the article. This is a group you can go t and send others to so they can get a feel of what the game is.
“Destiny is built on craft, and competition. It can be dense, especially to newcomers, and we think it’s important to unpack the game for anyone willing to listen. Additionally, CCGs (Collectable Card Games) can really come and go with a quickness if they aren’t fostered and nurtured by a serious and inquisitive community. Star Wars: Destiny is special. That’s a thing that needs to be said out loud, over and over.”
This group isn’t new to the game, either. The opinions that they have gathered has been since the beginning. “We bought the starters and the next day bought two boxes. Then the infamous drought. We played each other exclusively during this time before we gathered the nerve to go and face others when Spirit of Rebellion dropped.”
For those that read my articles, you know that I like to focus on the new players. The reason is, without people coming into the game we will lose the growth potential. Any company that no longer sees growth opportunity may, and usually does, abandon the game. So I like to feel out what the CCs would give as advice to this perspective group of players.
“That its a game that looks complex, but that it’s design is fairly basic. It’s made in a way that asks to be leaned into, unabashedly. Ask questions, ask for help. Don’t spend all your money. Sure there are a crapload of sets, but within them, very few cards are actually competitively viable. Start with borrowing decks (maybe start with blue) and jump in with a friend. You wont look back. Big advice – buy a starter or two. Go find players at your FLGS. Many players would love to help you out.”
Their site has something for everyone. They do not stick to the Meta decks only. They recently grew their team and are looking to become even more formidable than they were. They are very warm and accepting of anyone looking to learn the game. Take a look at their YouTube site, listed above, and watch the great content they put out. They have also started a podcast as well. “The Loth Wolf pack. It is run by Wags, and heavily features our 4 new members. Who, well, are way smarter than we are. We are working on getting this up on iTunes but for now they are hosted on Soundcloud.”
As always, I asked The Brothers Dimm what deck they would least like to sit down across from. The answer they gave had everything to do with interaction. “That’s a great question. Ultimately, Destiny is a highly interactive game. That’s it’s promise. You do a thing, I respond. But! There are certain decks that are pretty solitary. This isn’t new – SoR introduced some pretty egregious builds. But the game was a toddler then, really just trying to understand itself. EaW did some balancing… some. Rotation was really exciting. And now I’d say that Destiny is in it’s adolescence. Like, okay – you have a drivers license but I definitely don’t trust you with my kid. And with that, we are having some severely non-interactive decks rear their heads in the current meta. That’s where we think the game is most vulnerable. If I can’t answer your plan? If I have to sit back and take it? If my event suite is completely obsolete, or if you can choke me out Royce Gracie-style without much resistance – well… that’s not great.”
With that explanation, I wanted to find out their thoughts on the current state of the game. “In some ways it’s the best it’s ever been. Droids and Ewoks notwithstanding. But there will always be ‘degenerate’ builds. That’s how the game gets better, by identifying deficits. Testers have it hard. It’s not like they get one card at a time. They get them all. Many sets at a time, probably. It’s hard to see the cracks. It’s on us, as players, to underline them. It takes a village.”
What are the best cards in the game right now? Well The Brothers Dimm Team gives us their insight with The top 5.
For Ryan:
Top 5 META defining:
Jim’s Top 5 favorite cards:
Meta Cards:
Bob’s favorite 5 is:
Meta Cards:
For Chris, his favorite list is:
Meta cards are:
Casey’s top 5:
I asked what the group thought of Worlds being invite-only next year. I wanted to get an idea how people felt about the change. “One thing an expensive CCG can’t do is become even more exclusive. Worlds is the top tier event and shouldn’t be closed to anyone that is willing to attend. I understand the motivations but why cut out any of your base? Just hurts the game in the end, I’m afraid.”
I wanted to know if there were any characters from the Star Wars lore that they would like to see come into the game. I was surprised by some of the answers. Names that don’t usually come to mind when you think about this Movie Franchise. “Kirak Infila or Soontir Fel (Levi). Bodhi Rook – show some love for the defector pilot (Ryan). Porkins or Ki-Adi_Mundi (“But what about the droid attack on the Wookies) (Bob). Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jim).” Porkins is the one that caught me off-guard. He is a myth, a legend that had seconds on screen.
Whether it is the great opening sequence (you should watch 1 video just for that, done by Casey), or the commentary that they do with Chris and Casey, you need to check this group out. They put out 3 videos a week, so there are lots of chances to learn from them. Go and give them support, see what they are talking about on their podcasts. Watch the videos and listen to their insights when it comes to the commentary. THIS IS A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE. The Chance Cube Universe, I would never steer you wrong. If you take a few moments, you will get a lot out of it.
Until Next Time, May you always need what you Roll and Roll what you need.
Spark of Hope officially launched a couple of weeks ago. Many content creators are prepping for Gen Con, and ideas for new decks are flying around like a flock of owls. I personally won’t be playing in a bigger tournament until Worlds, but I’ve spent a fair amount of time crafting decks and trying some new things. My favorite deck to play so far in the SoH meta is undoubtedly Kylo/Rey (SH2/SH57). This article will spend some time talking about why I built my version of the deck the way that I did, how I play it, and why I believe that midrange decks can be successful.
Continue reading “How to Build and Play Midrange in Star Wars: Destiny”
You sit down at your assigned table in the convention hall, nerves keeping you on edge. You open up your bag, take out your deck, and wait anxiously for your opponent to reveal their character pairing. When they flip over R2D2 (SH56), C3P0 (SH77), and Satine (CV91), you know it’s going to be a tough match. The question is this: is it a winnable one?
Continue reading “Do I Look Like a Guy With a Game Plan?”
So, from Spark of Hope I pulled a lot of excellent Legendary cards, including Old Man Han (SH96), R2-D2 (SH56), and C-3PO (SH77). Now I have a family and life outside of playing Destiny, so I’m not full-time geek, and only play at my FLGS every other week. I don’t have all of the cards from all of the sets except Across the Galaxy and Way of the Force. My problem with the deck I based mine on is the use of a lot of legendary cards. But I made do with what I have. I substituted Han Solo’s Blaster (SH108) with DX-2 (SH153) because I have it and it does unblockable damage. I don’t have Chewbacca’s Blaster Rifle (CV102) so instead I used Ordnance Launcher (CV158).
Continue reading “Han Bots”
Sometimes Content Creators appear overnight. That is what happened with the new Star Wars: Destiny Hall of Fame. I reached out and talked with Bill Jolley, the person behind this new Facebook site.
Bill felt that this was a good way to pay tribute to the early Content Creators. The idea of getting back to the beginning of this game was the main idea of this site. “I give a tremendous amount of credit to the early Content Creators for the success of this game.”
Continue reading “Content Creators Corner: Star Wars Destiny Hall of Fame”
With a somewhat unpredictable expansion release schedule, the positive change in Organized Play, and the typical summer lull, Gen Con hosted what is arguably the most significant tournament in Star Wars: Destiny life-cycle, kicking off a season of high-level play down to the resurgence of Prime Championships and all the way to the World Championships. In many ways, this showcases what Destiny is and is going to be about for the next several months, and also how the game will sustain as we begin year four this October. What is perhaps most interesting about this event, is highlighting many exciting firsts for Star Wars: Destiny.
Continue reading “Star Wars: Destiny at GenCon”
“Maz is a bit of an acquired taste, so let me do the talking.” -Han Solo
Synonyms of “moxie” are: vigor, vitality, pep, courage, and nerve. When resolving the special on this upgrade, you will be serving up some serious vigor. The basic idea behind the upgrade is to double or potentially triple your chances of landing a Special or Power Action from attached character. Theoretically, one round could serve up four Specials or Power Actions if everything falls the right way.
Continue reading “Card Analysis: Moxie”
So Spark of Hope dropped and so did all of our bank accounts. Getting out there and cracking packs to find the best combos we can, for the money we have to spend. I am in the minority here, I am guessing, as I have only opened 1 booster box.
How can I be a credible writer if I haven’t even opened multiple boxes? Easy, I do what I stated in an earlier article-I read. We have some great writers here at The Chance Cube. I hope that you are reading us all, because the insight that you get will help you going forward.
Continue reading “Is There Hope?”