Perhaps the most exciting version of this character yet, Palpatine – Unlimited Power, favors an upgrade heavy playstyle, and is becoming a favorite in both Standard and Infinite.
Introduction
Palpatine – Unlimited Power, is a blue, villain character with both the Leader and Sith subtype. With 10 Health and a point value of 14 for normal and 18 for elite, Palpatine leans towards a “BIG/LITTLE” pairing, though health is a bit low at the outset. The die sides favor a balanced line of play with 2 Melee, 2 Melee, 2 Focus, 2 Shields, 1 Resource, and a blank. While Characters with only ⅓ damage sides in this point bracket are not favored, what he lacks for in damage consistency, he gains in his ability. The game text reads: This character has +1 health for each ability on it and those abilities do not count toward its upgrade limit. Power Action – Roll a die on an ability on this character into your pool.
Design Notes
This is the third iteration of Palpatine in Star Wars: Destiny. The first of which, has rotated out of standard play but is the most akin to this version, with high point cost and an ability that focuses on gaining more and more power. The second version of this character focused more on Control, and rarely made it to the table.
With the Sith Holocron rotating out of standard, Blue Ability upgrades can come back full force and still create a balanced gameplay. Palpatine’s ability allows for any number of Blue Ability upgrades to be played on him. Fortunately, even after rotation, there are 15 Neutral or Villain Blue Ability Upgrades that can be used, not to mention the potential Yellow and/or Red ability upgrades, based on what character he is paired with.. Each Ability Upgrade that is played gives Palpatine one additional health, which can quickly turn him from a squishy mid-range Character to a Tank with a ton of power.
Artwork/Lore
The first version of Palpatine featured him in his Return of the Jedi form, the “Galactic Emperor” and the second version is the two-faced darth sidious. However, this variation focuses on newly crowned Emperor, the one who just converted Anakin to Darth Vader, and possesses what he called the Unlimited Power of the Dark Side. The backdrop of this artwork features Coruscant, the central planet of the Empire.
Things to Consider
Palpatine has a ton of potential, but he needs the proper support character to unlock his “unlimited power.” While he could potentially have 30 upgrade abilities on him, he will have to spend resources for most of them to be able to play them, and he himself does not generate resources quickly and consistently enough to afford such a ramp.
This has led many to pair him with Watto, the Stubborn Gambler, who, at elite, makes an even 30 point pairing. One does not need to go crazy placing upgrades on Palpatine. Three to five strategically chosen ability upgrades, plus a saber or two (perhaps Palpatine’s Saber for the additional resource generation), should be enough to become a formidable foe.
Other tricks, such as Forbidden Lore to help with the upgrade cost and add card draw, and Bacta Therapy for some inexpensive healing could be quite impactful. Including enough mitigation in your deck to hold off an early game advance is critical in ensuring Palpatine becomes a powerhouse by round three and beyond, earlier if your Resource generation strategy is very effective.
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