Star Wars Legion Unit Review: Plo Koon

Good morning gamers,

We're kicking off the Operatives from the Jedi Council pack (which I painted up recently) and we're tackling a Jedi that pretty much every Republic player likes: Plo Koon. Apart from how awesome this guy is in the Clone Wars show (his end in Episode III makes me a bit upset every time I watch it), this guy feels good both as an Operative in Star Wars Legion, but also as a Squad Leader (and boy is he good). Let's see what Plo brings us and how to equip him if we don't throw him into an ARC Trooper squad . . .

Plo Koon: The Profile

Everyone's said it already, but I'll pile on: Plo Koon has a LOT of keywords! Many of these upgrades are common to Jedi: Jump 1 as an action, Deflect, Immune: Pierce, and for most Jedi, Charge are all common rules and give Plo decent mobility, survivability, and potency if he can reach his target with Charge. To add some flavor, Plo has Defend 1 (fabulous - get this guy an order!), Inspire 2 (great in a meta that's shaping up to be more suppression-oriented), Direct: Clone Trooper Infantry (getting more order control is always good), Shien Mastery (so he'll do 1 damage back for each defensive surge he gets with Deflect AND if he blocks everything, he won't take suppression from the attack), and Distract as a free action (I don't know how game-changing this is, but theoretically it could keep a lone Clone from being targeted by an attack and removed from an important objective).

His profile is surprisingly strong for an Operative: he's got 6 Wounds (instead of 5 on the Jedi Knight - I assume this is because he's on the Council), Courage 3 (not Courage 2, like the Jedi Knight), Speed-2 (normal), and surge to hit on offense supported by non-surging red dice on defense. This feels more like a Commander profile, which means you can get a proper powerhouse unit in your Operative slot if you want it. Plo has no range attack and his lightsaber is not great with 5 black dice and Impact 2/Pierce 2. With surge to hit on offense, this lightsaber is supposed to get ~3 hits/attack, so don't expect him to go cleaving through anything (unless you really invest in the upgrades - more on that later). Still, it's a tolerable attack that can deal a finishing blow to something that's been crunched already by an ARC Trooper squad and poses a legitimate threat to most lightsaber users (since Immune: Pierce and Defend 1 are likely to undermine the counter-blows that Plo will receive).

The Plo Koon Squad Leader Upgrade

As interesting as Plo's Operative unit is, I think the strongest argument for it being "bad" is that his Squad Leader upgrade is so good! Like the other Jedi Squad Leaders, Plo Koon has Leader and Sidearm: Melee, Ranged, so no matter what you put him in, he'll be your last casualty, he can't be run with any other Jedi in the same squad, and he can only use his lightsaber. He also gives the unit Immune: Melee Pierce, which most of the Jedi Squad Leaders do. Plo's Lightsaber has 1 red/2 black with Pierce 1/Impact 2, which is not great into Impervious units, but paired with Immune: Melee Pierce, you're not paying that much for his Pierce value and so his squad is pretty good into other lightsaber units to ignore their Pierce keyword (and if he's in an ARC Trooper squad, you can actually ignore all Pierce from Pierce 2/Makashi Mastery units, since there's nothing in the Impervious rule that says it doesn't do anything if you also have Immune: Pierce). 

This lightsaber has worse dice than Ki-Adi Mundi's (2 red/1 black) and Mace Windu's (2 red/2 black), but this only translates into 0.25-0.75 fewer hits each turn. His special ability feels a lot better than both of these upgrades, though: if his unit defends against an attack (melee or ranged), you can exhaust his upgrade card to cancel 2 hit results - so it's kind of like having Force Barrier that's usable on yourself. I will note as well that Plo's card is exhausted when you modify dice, which happens after you roll your defense dice and before you compare results - so if you get hit by an attack that results in 1 red/5 hits, you'll get to roll 6 defense dice and THEN cancel 2 hit results after you're done. In this respect, it's a lot better than Force Barrier since you can choose whether you need it or not. To top it all off, at the start of the unit's activation, this upgrade readies itself . . . so you can use it every round. Mace Windu's Squad Leader upgrade has Compel: Corps Trooper, but if your Corps units aren't suppressed, it won't come into play. Ki-Adi Mundi's Squad Leader upgrade can remove up to 2 suppression (one on yourself, one on a nearby friend) to gain 1 surge token per suppression removed, but it doesn't come back to you when you use it . . . so it'll be used once unless you also perform a Recover action. 

Oh, and did I mention that Plo (22pts) is cheaper than both the Ki-Adi Mundi upgrade (25pts) and the Mace Windu upgrade (35pts - which make sense, since you get the second wound)? I hate to say it, but I think this guy (and maybe the new Chewbacca Heavy Weapon upgrade) is an auto-include in any Republic list (unless you really want the Operative version - I will showcase a list with him, but I have to say, when I'm building Republic lists, I always take Plo as a Squad Leader).

Plo Koon: Recommended Upgrades and Command Cards

Plo's upgrade suite is very similar to Ki-Adi Mundi's (one less Force slot), but this means there are certainly some upgrades you should take on this guy, but you have a lot of options (but you probably want to fill all four).

Force x2

Without Master of the Force X, Upgrade Pack 2 has done wonders for giving us options on Plo. The old reliability of Burst of Speed to enable Plo to double-speed-3-move-and-Charge is great, as is Battlemind to up his lightsaber pool to 2 red/3 black (or boost the dice around him if he can't charge into anyone interesting). Annul is an interesting choice as well if he's going to be operating near enemy Force users and if you plan to sit back and play a supporting role, then Force Absorb and Helping Hand are great choices. I don't know if Saber Throw is good on him (3 black dice with Impact 2/Pierce 2 has some legs, but it's not great).

Training x1

There are a few Training upgrades that are good on Plo. Like all lightsaber units that can take Training upgrades, Tenacity is a good choice - and since he probably wants to get orders to trigger Defend 1, Seize the Initiative is always a good choice as well. There might be an argument for taking Strong in the Force if you're playing with Commanders/Operatives who are order hungry (so you'll get a dodge token if you get an order and your choice of a dodge or aim token if you don't get an order). Into the Fray is another good choice if you figure that you'll jump into melee - surging on offense natively is good, but like most Jedi, he doesn't surge on defense, so picking up some surge tokens when an enemy nearby activates. Any of these are great choices.

Command x1

While I think there's an argument for putting Fire Control on Plo, I think it's better to run someone else who has Fire Control and run Plo's unique You're Not All the Same to Me upgrade instead. This gives one Clone Trooper Infantry unit the Retinue keyword, which means that unit is getting an aim or a dodge token if it starts within range 2 of Plo (which, since Plo has Direct: Clone Trooper Infantry, is quite likely to be the case). For 5pts, I think this is stapled to him - giving Clones tokens that can be shared at the top of the turn is fabulous. There could be an argument for taking Inspiring Presence, since he'd be a welcome Courage 3 bubble for your army.

When it comes to command cards, Plo's primary concern is getting an order (to trigger Defend 1, but also to make sure he activates when you want him to). His only command card (I Don't Believe in Chance) is a 2-pip card that issues 3 orders (to Plo and 2 other units), which is super good, since Plo also has Direct, so you're getting at least 4 orders issued that round. Plo is allowed to perform two free Distract actions when he's issued an order, which means he can draw fire from two enemy units, so long as they can't Charge into someone else (or get within the minimum range of some weapons). When the units (not Plo) that were issued an order from Plo's command card begin their activation within range 2 of Plo, Plo Koon gets to make a Speed-1 move, which means he could get 8" of free movement, so long as you keep him and his mates close to each other. If you're Directing into a Five Squad that Coordinates to another squad (maybe with a Clone Captain?), you can screen for these guys and give Plo some extra movement - pretty good for a 2-pip command card. 

Plo has access to the two generic Jedi Council command cards as well (so as we've seen with Mace Windu and Ki-Adi Mundi, it's like Plo has three command cards . . . sort of). The first is awesome, but not be necessary with Plo - the Wisdom of the Council one-pip issues an order to a Commander or Operative (you very well might give it to Plo to make sure he triggers Defend 1) and then has you roll 5 red attack dice at the start of the activation phase (so after your opponent resolves their command card effects): if you get a crit or a surge (one-quarter of the time, expect to get one or two of these), you get to issue an order to a friendly Republic unit that doesn't already have an order. On a hit (five-eighths of the time, expect to get two to four of these), an allied unit removes a suppression token (this affects mercenary units). On a blank (one-eighths of the time, you might get one of these), an allied unit gains an aim or dodge token. This is a bit of a roulette game, but depending on when you play it, it is likely to always do something for you. Clearing suppression is good in the current meta, but with Inspire 2, it's possible that Plo doesn't need additional ways to clear suppression (especially if Padme is in your list as well). Furthermore, who you issue an order to is a bit weird with Plo, because you want him to get an order, but you won't know whether he gets an order from the 5 red dice until you start the activation phase (which is too late to use things like Seize the Initiative or Trusted Agent). No matter how you use your upgrades/issue your single order, I think the key is that you don't want to trust to issuing an order from your red attack dice to Plo - make sure he has his dodge token and you have order control on him before you get to rolling the dice. The other abilities (tokens for Clone token sharing and extra orders) are always good to have though less reliable to arrive.

The other command card for the Jedi Council is . . . weird, but possibly not for Plo. A Disturbance in the Force issues two orders and while the units who receive the order have a faceup Order token, they gain Danger Sense 1 and Indomitable. While stacking Danger Sense bonuses on Ki-Adi Mundi makes this pretty interesting, I think the biggest draw to taking this with Plo is that with Distract, he very well maybe taking more suppression than other heroes (though Shien Mastery might fight that a little). If he does take a suppression, getting Danger Sense 1 is always nice (as is Indomitable for clearing it once you activate). There's another ability on the card that will probably not trigger very often: if an allied unit (doesn't need to have the order) has 1+ Force upgrade slots (so, a Jedi) and they spend/lose a Standby token (which they can't get for free, except through command cards - which they can't use on this turn), they can gain an aim or dodge token after the effect is resolved (so after an attack that clears a standby or after the standby is used).

The only way to gain standbys for Jedi is through taking a standby action - and since you can't perform a standby action and an attack on the same turn, you have to take the standby instead of performing your attack right then. This means your Jedi needs to have a good range attack option or needs to already be in melee with the unit they want to perform the standby against (since you can't hit one guy while another guy triggers your standby). You're also going to always gain a dodge token, since your aim token can't be shared and your attack will already have been used. So . . . yeah, I think there's an upgrade cooking that gives Independent: Standby (not given an order), Fire Support (given an order), or just hands out a standby in the works, but for now, this part of the command card isn't that useful. I will say that the people most likely to benefit from this upgrade are the customizable Jedi who take the Jedi Training/Peacekeeping Mission, since they will have Sentinel for range-3 triggering (and potentially access to range attacks with Saber Throw or from their doctrines). I could see taking this, but it will compete with Plo's command card (this is the only time it will conflict in this pack) and whoever else is bringing good 2-pips to the fight (Yoda's is way better, Padme's is probably better, Anakin's is better, Kenobi's is better if you still believe in Kenobi, Ahsoka's is better . . . should I keep going?).

For other command cards, our plan is to get orders on Plo - cards like Yoda's Luminous Beings Are We and There Is No Try are good command cards (though whether Plo is the target for There Is No Try is a bit of a toss-up, since he will gain a redundant Relentless thanks to having Charge already and no shooting attack), Padme's Aggressive Negotiations is super good (extra movement or a green token are welcome when you already have Defend 1), Anakin's General Skywalker command card can augment Plo's offense, Ki-Adi Mundi's Force of Will could be good if Plo Koon is stacking up suppression (since he can't clear suppression on himself with Inspire 2), and Obi-Wan Kenobi's General Kenobi can stack him full of surge tokens (but do you want to do this instead of giving those orders to a Clone?). Any of Ahsoka's command cards can issue orders to Plo, but they won't do much more than that. Technically, you can get a free Speed-1 move from R2-D2's Smoke Screen command card as well, but since he'll be competing with Padme for your second Operative slot, I don't think you'll take him.

Plo Koon: Sample Lists and Strategies

Our first list is an 11-act Republic list that has a trifecta of support heroes (Yoda, Plo Koon, and Padme) to help the group get going - Plo Koon should get orders every turn of the game (he has Seize the Initiative and Yoda has Trusted Agent) and we've focused on getting lots of tokens on our Clones so they can stay alive. You do have 1pt to work with, so if you'd rather have Tenacity on Plo instead of Seize the Initiative, you can certainly do that:

• Yoda with Force Barrier, Force Guidance, Helping Hand, and Trusted Agent
• Plo Koon with Battlemind, Helping Hand, You're Not All the Same to Me, and Seize the Initiative
• Padme Amidala with Fire Control and Strike Team Leader
• 2x Clone Trooper Infantry
• 1x Clone Trooper Infantry with Fives, DP-23 Clone Trooper, and Clone Specialist
• 2x ARC Troopers with Clone Captains
• 1x Wookiee Warriors, Kashyyyk Defenders with Chewbacca
• 2x ARC Troopers, Strike Team with DC-15X ARC Trooper Sniper

While I think the first list is interesting, I think Plo is MUCH better as a Squad Leader - this list is an 11-act list that has swapped Operative Plo for an AT-RT and a lot more upgrades:

• Yoda with Force Barrier, Force Guidance, and Helping Hand
• Padme Amidala with Fire Control and Strike Team Leader
• 1x Clone Trooper Infantry with Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan, DP-23 Clone Trooper, and Tenacity
• 2x Clone Trooper Infantry with  DP-23 Clone Trooper and Tank Hunting Munitions
• 1x ARC Troopers with Mace Windu and Tenacity
• 1x ARC Troopers with Plo Koon and Tenacity
• 1x Wookiee Warriors, Noble Fighters with Chewbacca
• 1x AT-RT with AT-RT Flamethrower
• 2x ARC Trooeprs with DC-15X ARC Trooper Sniper

Plo Koon: Final Review

I really like Plo and I think it's no secret that everyone thinks he's good. For me, AMG knocked this one out of the park and I really like the way that his Squad Leader upgrade and his unit card feel (something that hasn't been true of most of the Squad Leader/Heavy Weapon upgrades that we've seen to date).

Overall Unit Review: 5/5 stars. I wouldn't mind if Plo didn't have Distract if it brought his cost down by 5pts, but I think his unit card is fine. I think his Squad Leader upgrade is SUPER good, so that's probably worth more than 5 stars, but I also expect that Squad Leader upgrade to go up a few points (or the Ki-Adi Mundi upgrade needs to go down a few points).

Next time, we're wrapping things up with Shaak Ti, the Jedi that . . . most people are least likely to recognize, but I remember her as "the female Jedi we had an action figure for back in the day who wasn't Adi Gallia". She poses some very interesting list building conundrums both as an Operative and as a Squad Leader, but I think it's safe to say that she's the safest bet for being brought as an Operative or Commander from this set. Find out what's great about her (and how you might kit her out) next time - and until then, happy hobbying!