Having recently competed in a Galactic Qualifier, I can say that a Balance of the Force is in fact necessary. The primary targets that require a balance are Force Storm (CV14), Watto (CV38) or Snoke (WF4), and Doctor Aphra (LG20).
Force Storm Warning
Force Storm (CV14) requires a balance for obvious reasons, as it can consistently defeat an opponent’s entire team in a single round and, with a little luck, can do so without any dice manipulation. The broken element of this card isn’t the die, but the re-roll ability. For example, if you have a single two focus die, you can chain your character’s focus sides to ensure you can resolve the special AT LEAST four times per round. Repeating this process for two rounds is guaranteed to end the game (36 damage would have been dealt upon the resolving of the 8th special). The only way to prevent this from happening is to remove the die not ONCE, but TWICE.
An example of a negative play experience involving Force Storm occurred at local quarter tournament at Dragon’s Lair in Stockholm, Sweden. A Palpatine (CV2)/Wat Tambor (CV22) deck defeated a Captain Phasma (CV18)/Sentinel Messenger (CV3) deck in a single turn, hitting the special naturally THREE times and focusing into the special an additional TWO times to finish the game. Needless to say, this left the Captain Phasma (CV18) player devastated. Thankfully, his luck turned and he went on to finish 3-1, but regardless a game shouldn’t be able to end in the first round.
Mind Tricks Don’t Work on Him
The second card that requires a balance is Watto (CV38), not because his character is inherently broken, but because Snoke (WF4) is. Thus, either Watto (CV38) should be balanced to say that he is strictly immune to blue removal, or Snoke (WF4) should be balanced to only be allowed to Power Action damage dice. This would prevent the Snoke (WF4) and Watto (CV38) deck archetype from starting with a guaranteed FIVE resources.
The Good Doctor
The final card that requires a balance is Doctor Aphra (LG20). Her droid cost ability combined with her card draw ability make her the single most powerful card in the game from a numerical perspective. For example, should she survive five rounds, her equivalent point cost is effectively NEGATIVE FOURTEEN points as she will have benefited from FIVE additional resources, which is equivalent to FIVE Profitable Connections (LG171), and FIVE additional cards, which is equivalent to FIVE Stolen Intel (LG172). This is a fundamentally broken mechanic and should have been fixed long ago.
Though these may not be the only targets of the balance of the force, these are the cards that stood out to me in competition that created negative play experiences for players. Though powerful, cards like Vader’s Fist (AG13), Megablaster Troopers (CV31), and Entourage (CV152) all seem fair at their respective point costs.
Support The Chance Cube
Do you enjoy the content provided by The Chance Cube? Would you like to connect even further with The Chance Cube Family? Consider supporting this content by joining our Patreon. We are a team dedicated to media coverage and community building, committed to bringing you the best of this game, sharing the joy and community that comes with it. Our Patreons enjoy membership in The Chance Cube Hangout, our Facebook group for supporters of the channel, and we have additional tiers that include gifts from us to you as a thanks for the generous support. Find out more at patreon.com/thechancecube.