Endor Ops Rebirth Of The Legend
Title: Endor Ops Rebirth Of The Legend
Author: John "Parn12" Digiovanni
Date: Mar 1, 2001
Rating: 4.5
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Cards:
‘Starting (8)
Endor Operations/Imperial Outpost
Endor
Endor Landing Platform
Endor Bunker
Prepared Defenses
Power Of The Hutt
Something Special Planned For Them
You Cannot Hide Forever
Locations (5)
Sullust
Kashyyyk
Endor Back Door
Endor Dark Forest
Endor Forest Clearing
Characters (17)
Lord Vader
DVDLOTS
Mara Jade, The Emperor’s Hand x2
Guri
Boba Fett With Blaster
Ephant Mon
DS-61-3
DS-61-4
Admiral Chiraneau
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Prince Xizor
Navy Trooper Fenson
Commander Merrejk
Admiral Piett
General Veers
Commander Igar
Starships (10)
Zuckuss In Mist Hunter
Bossk In Hound’s Tooth
Virago
Chimaera
Devastator
Dengar In Punishing One
Avenger
Stinger
Vengeance
Flagship Executor
Vehicles (5)
Tempest 1
Blizzard 1
Tempest Scout 3
Tempest Scout 5
Tempest Scout 6
Interrupts (6)
Imperial Command x2
Twi’lek Advisor
Trample x2
Operational As Planned
Effects (4)
Perimeter Patrol
Ominous Rumors
Search And Destroy
Expand The Empire
Weapons (2)
Mara Jade’s Lightsaber
Vader’s Lightsaber
Admiral’s Orders (3)
We’re In Attack Position Now x2
Battle Deployment ‘
Strategy: ‘
Updates to reviews (only one, yet it offends me so that I have to blast it already)
If you rate my work you had better READ my strategy. I do not make main-line decks that are so simple and done so many times that you know it without reading my work. I find it VERY offensive to see some garbage in my rating, some crap that is just going to hurt the quality of the deck overall. Its not the deck that makes a player good, its his playing of the deck and his strategies.
I have no Establish Secret Base, duh. Its not in the card list, thus it is not there. Maybe that is why it is a NON-FLIP Endor Ops. I don’t care to experience the strain of deploying ESB in a deck that is so finely packed as it is now. I can squeeze in many more useful cards other than crap AT-STs and biker scouts. Please, don’t waste my time like this again.
This deck is golden, allowing light control over Endor sites and packing an almost overwhelming space package. Obviously, it is a non-flip Endor Ops, the back side does little aside from making my AT-STs immune to < 3 and makes my drains almost impossible to stop (and I do credit the merit of this side, it is just not critical to have up).
My starting is obviously strange, but the only card that is good for the long haul starting is Something Special Planned For Them. Power Of The Hutt is sweet with Perimeter Patrol, pulling Ephant Mon to ensure his hardships getting onto Endor. You Cannot Hide Forever can help eliminate numbers, or if you are confident or just plain sure you won’t face numbers it is the easiest way to get Perimeter Patrol. Ditch it before you activate to get the Patrol, use Power of the Hutt to get Ephant, first turn your sitting smug on Endor (he cannot get inside the Bunker at all (for now) unless he uses a transport card, which I have not seen in almost a year and a half now). I chose Something Special For Them purely by meta. As I said I never see transport cards, but interrupt retrieval is rampant (even out of my meta by examining the decks posted). This card stops engines, allowing only 1 retrieval per card they play. The only exception is Celebrating, which is dealt with in another way. Plus Something Special Planned For Them really gives them a huge ultimatum when you drop a small fleet down to crush them. They now have the choice of hanging around and battling with you until one or the other is completely worn down, or spending a LOT of force to run away.
Basically, search your deck with numerous methods Endor Ops to get the Rumors, Imp. Command to fetch your guys, Merrejk to get systems out, whatever you can imagine. A good head trick to play is let him verify once or twice to let him see how heavy of space you can be packing; it’ll either get him to lurk all in one spot, carry some Houjixs, play crap run cards, or just give up the galaxy for you to terrorize. Any way you look at it you are damaging him one way or another.
This is more of a space control deck than a ground control deck, but the ground troops can be fierce too. With the security that can be placed on the bunker, it eliminates the need to have a massive ground force to protect yourself (especially with the absence of heavy ground alien decks and a splash of useful immediate character removal cards). If your opponent wishes to yeild Endor to you, set up a nice We’re In Attack Position Now (Merrjk is a nice addition to the Bunker, and then slide him out to the Landing Platform to get another Commander on the ground). With a 2 or 3 drain on the Endor system, 2-4 force loss from the AO, a couple of ground drains, and any monsterous system drains you can muster up, the game can rapidly fall into your hands.
Fair warning, and an important one at that. This deck is mostly a reactive deck, it is not a blazing speed kill deck that will win in 5 turns. I’ve played games where he was dominating space, draining me off of my own systems, and draining on the ground where he was. Three turns made a huge difference, slowly getting my fleet out, a little damage from the AO (spies stopped my drains), but once I run you down in space, there is little you can do (especially with the limited room provided by my deck, only HB/EBO can effectively run far enough away). The games are quickly turned off of huge space drains, and when you run him out of space and you can spread out with ships+pilots… you quickly take control of the board. Just play your own deck, always, and victory will be accomplished (but never easily, lol).
Certain card choices
These cards are all my choice, and while the majority may not like them, I use them to accomplish what I personally need done, or to address certain threats that I see.
Battle Deployment Good AO, and can help me recycle multiple We’re In Attack Position. Gets combat vehicles if I need them, and also can hurt X-Wing swarms, and perhaps give me a bit more of a winning edge with the -2 power to each unless he has a cap and a fighter.
Expand This card is just awesome. Expand the Forest Clearing, or the Dark Forest if you cannot seem to get the Clearing. Both are drain +1 sites, but the Clearing gives +1 power to all your vehicles (outrageous when used in conjunction with Scout 5).
Operational As Planned Track.
Walkers Trample, power, and keeps my forfeit away from sabers and guns. (I know Rebel Scout Luke hurts them, but hell, I can easily forfeit some pilot or passenger to cover that).
Dengar In P1 Perhaps under-used when put up against Dengar with Blaster, but he is critical to eliminating starships (unique or swarms). He cancels immunity and also adds 1 to destiny for each one there, this guy is too good in space.
Piett Imperial Command + Piett = Merrjk… simple addition. Merrjk + Bunker = systems from reserve deck. A little more addition if you weren’t satisfied.
Fenson Why did they put all that text on this one character? -3 retrieval from On/Off The Edge (two well used cards right now) but also this guy becomes a blanket Bad Feeling Have I when he’s chilling with Ephant Mon in the Bunker. +2 deploy for each character he wants to drop unless it is a scout, ewok, or spy. Even with scout decks running around, this text is just too good to pass up.
No SAC Protection If they really want to SAC me, they will find there is little for them to get. All my treasured effects are naturally immune to Alter, and the only interrupt that truly hurts to be SACed is Imperial Command. This deck is not effect driven, thus it does not need to waste a card that will rarely ever protect me. I’ve also seen little light side SAC, especially with WYS which inhibits both players from playing it.
Deck matchup (these are just projected, lol)
WYS These decks play with perhaps 2 starships max. Pulsar Skate, 2 Falcons, 2 Outriders, and you may get lucky and see a Red Squad 1. Even with Dash and Super Han’s Falcon, they will have next to no chance in space. If they play Kessel, rob them of it first chance you get. Imperial Command + miltiple destiny you naturally get in space = a lot of power, 1 destiny for him, and a lot of people dying. Ground is probably better left alone, just swarm Endor and rule space. He cannot put Menace Fades into effect if you own the stars, and Celebrations are done away with in this manner too. Be watchful for WYS beat downs. They play with a fair collection of aliens that can be very problematic (Palace Raiders and Freighter Captains are the main ones). But remember, Perimeter Patrol hits starships and vehicles too, so that provides some protection to you on the ground. Good luck Its not a counter, but its a strong push back at this deck type.
EBO Fortunately you can thrawt the icon pinch due to crafty Strike Planning + Endor, but this game can be very difficult. Perhaps the greatest weakness of Endor Ops is that it gives away a lot of icons. Save up and come down with the starship armada, terrorize him. Never back down, if you let his ships control space you will probably lose easily to large drains. Though if you get set up on the ground early you can pick a system or two to get some heavy power on and drain him faster better ground drains + EBO-like system drains can give you the huge advantage over a deck like this. If he’s not running Mon Cals, your Battle Deployment can be really helpful against his space. There is enough space, and enough quality, to win this game… but never underestimate a good EBO deck and a better player.
MWYHL Kiss all your modifiers goodbye, even with a non-flip version I think it is senseless not to go through test 1 at least, that test can buy so much time. Fortunately, I packaged this deck with a couple 2 icon drains Sullust and the Back Door. MWYHL beats are pretty much thrawted by Perimeter Patrol, giving you time to react to his deploy (or transit from a db). Direct Damage will probably decide this game. S&D+We’re In Attack Position Now gives your opponent little choice but to go to the ground, and if he goes away from Endor, he’ll still have damage from the AO. Go all out, that’s my best piece of advice.
Speeders This is typically a very strong deck, the problem comes when he tries to play Speeders against Perimeter Patrol. It easily eliminates the drop and beat philosophy. If they’re going Speederholics, you also have to worry about the crazy X-Wings too, so just be prepared for that, but it should just be irritating at best. This deck can be incredibly problematic to play, as it is a good deck overall, but it is just a showing of how good of a player you are. Not all the time is it just the deck that can win the game.
HB Controlling space will be your win. If it is non-flip mains, you have security in your Bunker. I really see no huge problems coming out of this deck.
The list of decks can go on forever, but I think I’ve explained pleanty enough for everyone to get the picture. Space domination, ground backup for drains… this deck can potientially have it all, and it is an awesome platform. Just play your deck, don’t fall into making a stupid play because of time issues or pressure, let your opponent get confident, patience wins most often with this deck. ‘