Shatterpoint Squad Packs capture our favorite characters at specific points in time. The Fearless and Inventive Squad Pack features Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, R2-D2 and Lando Calrissian infiltrating Jabba’s Palace from Return of the Jedi. This pack not only gave us our first iteration of these characters in the game, but our first look at the Rebel Alliance keyword in Star Wars Shatterpoint.
I could not overstate the importance of Luke in any Star Wars game, with many players holding off taking the leap into Shatterpoint until their favorite Jedi Knight was ready for the table. Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker joins us with 7SP and 3 Force for the squad and 11 Stamina with 3 Durability.
Return of the Jedi
Each of Luke’s activations will start off with a Jump and Force refresh. This will assist in getting him to the fight and making sure you have at least one Force for Luke’s own abilities.
You Can Either Profit By This, or Be Destroyed
Now this gets interesting! For one Force, you make your opponent make a choice – either dash away, or allow Luke to make a 5 dice attack. With Luke’s attack reliably getting either five damage or two shoves on a five dice attack depending on the stance, this attack can be a risk your opponent will not be willing to take.
Deflect
This is an ability we’ve seen on Jedi before, and one which increases in value as we get more ranged threats in the game. This can be particularly effective against our Empire foes.
I Will Not Fight You
Continuing to add to Luke’s durability, you can spend one force when Luke is targeted by a melee attack to provide luke two Heals and a Jump following the attack. This allows you to stick to an objective against melee threats.
I Am a Jedi, Like My Father Before Me
Expose and Pin are frequently the most devastating conditions in the game. While Luke is in the order deck, he will be harder to take down due to his Immunity Expose. Following his activation, he sets the next activation up for success through Immunity Pin.
Form V Djem So
The damage stance. Five damage on two successes is the highlight here, especially with access to a five dice attack. This tree maxes out at ten damage, allowing Luke to wound most Support Units in the game. Reposition on three is a highlight here, as this can help get Luke to the objective you need him on.
Form III Soresu
This is where Luke really shines and will be the stance you keep him on for most of the game. Not only does Luke have better defensive dice and expertise on this side, he has a better offensive expertise tree as well. Despite having one less attack die, this side will be more reliable. There is plenty of utility on this tree – two shoves, a jump and five damage is your most reliable result and will help Luke control the objective. With access to multiple Heals on the other path, Soresu will offer much more utility than Djem So.
Overall, Luke is a stalwart defender who will be troublesome for your opponent to remove from an objective. While not offering anything in terms of support for your squad, Luke’s activations are powerful and will frequently be your Shatterpoint target.
Representing an incredible scene from Return of the Jedi, we have Boushh (Leia Organa) holding a thermal detonator demanding “I Want Fifty Thousand, No Less”, which features as an ability on her card.
Fan Out
On activation Boushh gets to Reposition herself, or an allied Spy character. This plays well in box, as Lando & R2-D2 have the Spy keyword. While I would have appreciated a way to move Luke here as well, this will be more valuable as our roster of Spy characters grow.
Low Blow
Two force is a heavy cost, reserved for high impact abilities which will either take an objective, or wound an enemy model. In this case, you have the potential for both. Pushing the enemy character 2, and yourself 2 will require careful positioning, ideally pushing them off an objective while keeping yourself on. You have the bonus of a free Focus action, assisting in getting value out of a follow up attack. This ability is costly and situation but may have enough impact to swing the struggle in your direction.
Fearless and Inventive
This ability can really shine when targeting an enemy Support Unit, which typically have two characters. If Boushh is engaged with multiple enemy characters, the added dice here can help her more reliably get down her attack tree.
I Want Fifty Thousand, No Less
Gaining an additional momentum or forcing your opponent to spend a force can both be valuable in swaying the tempo of the game. This triggers when Boushh wounds an enemy Primary Unit which she cannot reliably accomplish, leading to this being a situational bonus rather than a core part of her gameplan.
Rough and Tumble
Capping out at 8 damage, Pin, and a Push down one path, and the full suite of conditions on the other, there is an answer here for most situations. This could be strong, but getting anywhere past two successes on this tree is a gamble. Expertise isn’t helping you much, at most reliably providing you one success. Defensively she has a strong dice pool, but again the expertise isn’t providing much more than a single block here.
Overall, Boushh adds some strong mobility to the squad and can have strong spikes on her attacks. There are some conflicts in her kit, where her abilities encourage being engaged, yet her ranged expertise is her strongest. Long term, her biggest weakness comes with her name. Shatterpoint does not allow characters with the same name in the same Strike Team or Premiere list, and Rebel Alliance has two very strong Primary Units named Leia Organa – leading to Boushh often being removed due to list building requirements.
Touting the Rebel Alliance, Scoundrel, and Spy keywords, Lando and R2-D2, Inside Job finish up the Fearless and Inventive squad back with a bang. Three cost Support Units open a lot of options in list building, and this case is no different.
Mingle
First struggle, this ability will most likely be a full advance for both characters which will ensure they get where they need to go.
Element of Surprise
One force for two dice on EACH of your attacks this combat action is an excellent trade. This does provide the drawback of causing the unit to be Exposed if they roll two or more miss results. The risk is worth the reward here. Having only 7 Stamina means if your opponent wants to wound them, they will – whether they are Exposed or not. This does drop in value when the become wounded, as this is a Reactive Ability and will increase in Force cost.
Forward Planning
Range 4 covers a lot of ground across two characters, and conditions are an effective way to lower the impact of a Primary Unit activation. This typically will not be something you plan your activation around but is something you will want to keep an eye on. It is an easy to miss ability, and clearing a condition like Pin or Disarm will help your Primary Unit impact the game.
Clever Disguise
Not being able to be targeted by Ranged attacks can be a very powerful ability, and increases the survivability of Lando and R2-D2. Within the Squad Pack, Boushh helps them take advantage of this by moving them out of their own activation. This can increase in value when they are paired with a Primary Unit who also grants them the ability to move out of activation – something that many of Luke’s strong squad pairings can do.
On The Sly
With an additional die, and a stronger expertise Lando and R2 are stronger in melee than they are in range. Three damage and a push will be reliable for them, which can be strong over two attacks. On a stronger roll, adding a third success will most often add a Pin and Heal to your attack. Expertise at range will add a reliable additional damage, and melee an additional strike. 5 dice defensively, a strong expertise which increases on each expertise success can help them stay in the game. Their main role will be pushing enemy characters off an objective with their two attacks.
Overall, Lando and R2-D2 are a staple within the Rebel Alliance faction. They are reliable at what they do, and their Unit Cost of 3 makes them a flexible addition to a Strike Team.
Pairings and List Building
Lando and R2-D2 will stick with Luke when building your Strike Team or Premiere list. Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren and Agent Kallus all make a strong case for the Secondary slot and will improve most pairings.
The Fearless and Inventive Squad Pack kicked off the Rebel Alliance in Shatterpoint, and pairs well with many of the factions Squad Packs. Luke is a strong character and well represented on the table. While this squad works out of box, there are plenty of Rebel Alliance characters ready to step into that secondary slot.
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