First, a HUGE thank you to Atomic Mass Games for sending us a review copy of Clone Force 99. The Bad Batch. One of the best stories to come out of the Clone Wars is the story of this group of Clone Troopers. It was one of the tightest, well-written Star Wars stories I had the pleasure of watching. I also loved how seamlessly they bridged between the Republic and Empire eras. Needless to say, when this unit was announced for Star Wars: Legion, I wasn’t just a fan, I was a mark.
What’s in the Box?
The box contains everything you need to build out Clone Force 99. The poses are all very different, but are all really good interpretations of the character. There are only helmeted options, and this is the first time where I really wished AMG had sculpted the patterns into their helmets. Or maybe they did, and my eyesight is just that bad. Be careful removing Omega’s bow from the sprue, though, because the pulled strings are really fragile and can break easily if too much pressure is applied. Once I removed all the pieces, the models went together smoothly, and I didn’t notice any huge gaps or mold lines that needed scraping.
What’s on the Card?
This is a very elegant solution to questions I had about this unit in Legion. Each of these characters are very different individuals, but they also work really well as a unit. How would this be represented? Well, to begin with there are TWO versions of this unit: the 160-point GAR version and the 140-point Rebel version. You lose Crosshair for the Rebel version, but for 10 points, you can add Omega. For both versions, the only upgrades you have are the remaining members of the squad, and you have to equip them, with each one adding different bonuses to the overall performance of the squad. At a base level, they add 1 Red attack dice in Melee, and a Black and White attack dice from range 1-2. They also have 2 Wounds, 3 Courage, and roll Red Defense dice. They also have the keywords Impervious, Scale, Steady, Sharpshooter 1 and can’t use other Clone Units green tokens, and other Clone Units can’t use their green tokens. They also can’t use the Fire Support keyword. Each individual adds the following:
Hunter: Leader, roll one black attack dice for a non-commander or operative unit in Range 1 and LOS. On a Crit or Hit, the unit suffers a wound.
Tech: Gives Cache: Aim 1 and Dodge 1, also grants the unit Tactical 1.
Echo: Grants Reliable 3
Crosshair: Grants High Velocity, Pierce 1, Precise 1. He also has a Range 1-5 Red dice attack. If it’s the only attack dice you roll, it also has Critical 1.
Wrecker: Adds dice to your melee and ranged attacks, has 3 Wounds instead of 2, and if Omega is in the squad, she can’t be assigned Wounds while Wrecker is alive.
Omega: Even though she’s not the leader, if she is in base contact with an objective, the squad can interact with the objective as if she were the leader. She also adds 2 White dice to attack pools.
Unique Upgrades
There is really only one unique card to talk about with this unit, because the squad members are the only upgrades you can equip. However, they do have a fantastic 3-Pip Command Card We Do What We Do. In my opinion, regardless of the version of the Bad Batch you are taking (GAR or Rebellion), this card is an automatic include. It’s that good. The round you play it, you gain even more keywords to benefit the squad. They gain an additional Tactical 1, Reliable 1, Precise 1 (with Crosshair), Inspire 1 (with Omega), their weapons gain Suppressive, and their speed is increased by 1. When you absolutely, positively need this unit to do something, you play this card.
Field Them or Forget Them?
If you are playing GAR, I believe that this unit is an auto-include as one of your Operative choices. They can break off and work independently from every other unit in your force, giving your opponent something else to worry about, and can also take some heat off the main element. For Rebels? Maybe? They fit the theme of “strike hard and move fast” that is the hallmark of Rebel forces, but Rebels already have some really strong options in the Operative slot. If you need a multiple-model unit to fill that slot, though, I don’t think you can go wrong in bringing them along.
Did I get it right? Completely wrong? Somewhere in-between? Let us know in the comments below!
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