IP Class Deck Review: Subversive Tactics

We've already talked about Technological Superiority and Military Might, so today we'll tackle the last of the Core Set's Imperial Class decks: Subversive Tactics. While Technological Superiority seeks the balance between universal bonuses and single-deployment-card attachments and Military Might makes your Troopers stronger, Subversive Tactics has less to do with your units and more to do with the Rebel heroes you'll be fighting (and how to keep them from doing what they want to do).

Subversive Tactics: The Strain Game

In general, Rebel heroes get huge benefits from suffering strain - and this is particularly true for heroes in the Core Set. While some heroes can get by without straining very much, most want to manage their strain very closely. This is where Subversive Tactics messes everything up: a hero who hasn't gone yet can go from just-barely-able-to-pull-it-off to oh-man-that-bites. This can make Subversive Tactics one of the most stressful Imperial Class decks to fight as a Rebel hero, and for that reason, we make the same recommendation today that we made in our post on Under Duress: be kind about it. There's nothing more disappointing than planning out a spectacular move as a Rebel hero only to find out that you're one Strain short of being able to pull it off (and that you'll need to spend one of your actions resting. While this doesn't mean you can't use Subversive Tactics, you want to flaunt your strategic actions over the Rebels. With that said, have fun making a mess of the best-laid plans (kindly) and here are some thoughts to help you get started. . . .

End-Game Build #1 – Maximum Strain: Prey Upon Doubt, Surgical Strike, Heavy Pressure, Weary Target, Oppression

All IPs who take Subversive Tactics get access to Prey Upon Doubt - a simple upgrade that allows you to do strain against an attacking hero OR add an Evade to the defense results. I recommend that before the mission starts, pick who you're going to harp on with this skill and concentrate on that person only (spreading it out doesn't really work). Factors to consider include:

1. Attack type (look for Yellow die - an Evade will actually do something),
2. The attacker's reliance on surge results for damage or special abilities (know what you're denying by adding a free Evade), and
3. The hero's maximum value and use of Endurance (why focus on someone who has lots of Endurance and doesn't use it?).

The aim of this build is to supplement this main ability, namely with the 4XP upgrade Oppression. While you might add a free Evade to the defense results with Prey Upon Doubt, you gain a static Evade from Oppression so long as you can keep all of the Rebel heroes at 2+ Strain. To get that strain higher, we're also taking Surgical Strike (I like this upgrade the most, honestly - free damage and strain, can't argue with that), Heavy Pressure (turning damage into strain), and Weary Target (giving 2 strain to someone at the end of each round).

The plan is simple: keep your units alive longer by adding static defense bonuses and denying the Rebels the asset of strain for powerful combo moves. While you don't get lips to your offense, clearing your units is really hard.

Best IP Units:

• Trandoshan Hunter: these guys are an obvious choice - free strain when they declare an attack, in addition to a killer offense. I don't think I need to say too much here, but I'll add that a Black die benefits greatly from the free Evades. At 7 points, they're a bit on the pricey side and are hard to field unless they start in the mission OR if you're playing a Side Mission where you get to double the threat level at the start of the mission.
• Bespin Wing Guard: These guys can strain more often than Trandoshan Hunters, but need to stay out of the line of fire lest they become the targets of the attacks. I recommend using these guys to escort Trandoshan Hunters, since the Trandos are dangerous enough that the fire won't be directed to the Wing Guard.
• Jawa Scavenger: these guys are fun and blissfully cheap. They can deal a free strain on a surge, which is easy on a Yellow-Yellow. On defense, the free Evade won't be felt as much with the White die, but it still helps.
• Riot Trooper: these guys are amazing - they can reduce their damage by 1 to deal a strain, which is a poor man's version of Heavy Pressure. They also roll a Red-Blue, perfect for cracking through White rice and not bad at breaking Black dice. Since they get a free Block Power Token, the static Evades benefit them more than any other figure listed previously.
• Royal Guard: Royal Guards have more health than most units available to the IP, but they also provide free Block results to adjacent non-Guardian figures. This often makes them a huge target, so getting some static defense for them is a big boon. Word of caution: these guys are kind of expensive, so you'll be hard to field them unless you're playing a Side Mission that gives you double the Threat level.

End-Game Build #2 – High Damage: Prey Upon Doubt, Surgical Strike, Savage Weaponry, Exploit Weakness, Executioner, No Quarter

While the previous build sought to keep our units alive, this build drives at the offensive focus of Subversive Tactics. No Quarter is the capstone, granting a free Surge when Imperial figures attack a Rebel figure who has suffered 2+ strain. To support this, we have Surgical Strike again, Exploit Weakness (interrupting to attack a Rebel hero after a rest), and Executioner (which provides bonus damage based on the strain already on the target).

Capping off this build is Savage Weaponry, which is less useful on units that can surge for Pierce and can't surge for Damage (or can already surge for Bleed), but is fabulous for everyone else. Stormtroopers and other basic troops become a lot stronger and strong units become positively lethal. For only 1XP, it's definitely worth taking.

Best IP Units:

• Trandoshan Hunter: while Trandos are some of the worst figures to take Savage Weaponry, they excel at everything else (and because they apply +1 Strain before attacking, they will always benefit from Executioner).
• Bespin Wing Guard: these guys are decent on offense and the ability to interrupt to attack helps them recover health faster, adding much needed resiliency to this build. Regaining health is also automatic if the target has 2 Strain already (which won't be true on the interrupt attack, but will be true on most other attacks).
• Jawa Scavenger: these little imps benefit from Savage Weaponry a little bit, but they excel at using Exploit Weakness, as they can deal reliable Damage to the target after he rests AND can add a strain, minimizing the health that can be recovered on a subsequent rest. For only 2 points, these guys are easy to field and very, VERY annoying.
• Riot Trooper: what can I say except that these guys are great on offense by default and just get better with this build.
• Probe Droid: now these guys are a bit different from our other contestants. For one thing, they benefit the most from Savage Weaponry (since they can generate more surge than they can use and have an attack pool that has limited Damage output to it). By getting an automatic Piece 1, you can more reliably do damage last Black dice. With a free Surge from No Quarter, you're looking at a free heal OR Damage, which are both very welcome.

End-Game Build #3 – Quick Benefits: Prey Upon Doubt, Surgical Strike, Savage Weaponry, Heavy Pressure, Weary Target, Executioner

As great as No Quarter and Oppression are, they require Rebel heroes to stay at or above 2 strain. This can be hard to do late in the campaign, so I recommend that a safe alternative is to skip both upgrades altogether. By swapping out Exploit Weakness and No Quarter (niche interrupt to attack and static Surge) from the previous list for Heavy Pressure and Weary Target (turn damage to strain and static strain at the end of each round), you change your game to one-off events that deal strain and focusing your efforts on a single hero at a time instead of penalizing the whole team at once. This greatly incentivises bringing one hero down at a time, so figure out which hero is the most annoying whilst healthy and work your way through the list.

Best IP Units:

• Trandoshan Hunter: With only two upgrades difference, you know what I'm going to say.
• Bespin Wing Guard: Ditto.
• Jawa Scavenger: Same.
• Riot Trooper: Use 'em, they're good.
• Clawdite Shapeshifter: hey, something new! This is an offensive build and so having Clawdites in your army can deal a ton of pain. With options for short-range or long-range attack builds, getting a little boost can often make them very effective units for very little cost.

     In our next post, we’ll be examining the Inspiring Leadership class deck, which enables you to get far more use out of your leaders than you'd think. Until next time, happy gaming!