Having recently competed in the Malmö GQ, there was little surprise regarding the balance of Snoke (WF4), Watto (CV38), and Force Storm (CV14). For Snoke and Watto, the consistency with which they were able to play the most powerful supports in the game was undeniably broken. Many players at the Malmö GQ recognized this and brought a variation of the Snoke/Watto/First Order Stormtrooper (CV20) deck. Many players also brought Palpatine (CV2)/Wat Tambor (CV22) to take advantage of the similarly consistent Force Storm (CV14). I myself fell victim to the Force Storm “one-turn-kill” at the GQ.
One of the facets I appreciated most about the balance of the aforementioned characters is the focus on theme. For instance, Watto’s dice are now only impervious to blue events, which is truer to his character (as portrayed in film). Similarly, Snoke was not known for generating wealth, but instead for hurting his enemies at the expense of his friends. As such, the fact that his power action now only functions on damage dice makes thematic sense.
A Few Surprises
Though the above changes were expected, a few more unexpected changes were also announced, the first of which was the balancing of No Answer (CV128). Though No Answer was recognized to be a powerful card, mill has not been performing well in major events, thus the errata felt untimely. Historically, cards have been allowed to “break” before they are balanced by Fantasy Flight Games (FFG). This may signal a shift in FFG’s response to unbalanced cards from reactive to proactive, which would help to decrease negative play experiences and improve the competitive environment.
The second change that surprised me was the decrease in point cost of both Aayla Secura (LG29) and Snoke. Aayla had been balanced partly as a result of her inexpensive point cost, but also because of the cards blue hero had access to before rotation. Now that Awakenings has rotated out of the standard format, FFG must have felt that Aayla would be able to safely re-enter the meta as she was originally created. Similarly, as Snoke’s ability was likely never intended to be used solely on resource sides, his decrease in point cost coupled with the specification of his power action to damage sides makes him a reasonably costed support character with a fair “two-for-one” damage ability.
No Nerfs… Yet?
Many people had discussed whether Vader’s Fist (AG13), Megablaster Troopers (CV31), and Entourage (CV152) deserve a balance as well; however, with the destruction of the resource engine that allowed these to be played so consistently, I feel they do not deserve an errata. All in all, the balance seems fair and beneficial for the game. Though there may still be unforeseen combinations with potential to upset the balance of the force, in my opinion, order has been restored to the galaxy.
Did we get it right? Check out our past “episodes” on our Balance of the Force predictions:
Episode I – Mike Hill
Episode II – Wade Hayes
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.