Secret Base Operations

Title: Secret Base Operations
Author: Blake "Zurai" Senn
Date: Jun 15, 2000 Rating: 3.5

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Cards:

‘Starting Cards (4) Hoth Main Power Generators Hoth North Ridge The Signal A New Secret Base

Locations (10) Hoth Defensive Perimeter Hoth Echo Docking Bay Hoth Echo Corridor Hoth Echo Med Lab Hoth Echo Command Center Endor Kashyyyk Yavin 4 Corulag Kiffex

Characters (7) Commander Luke Skywalker Derek ‘Hobbie’ Klivian Zev Senesca Commander Wedge Antilles Princess Organa x2 Mon Mothma

Starships (14) X-Wing x8 Red Squadron X-Wing x3 X-Wing Assault Squadron x3

Vehicles (4) Rogue 1 Rogue 2 Rogue 3 Rogue 4

Weapons (5) X-Wing Laser Cannon x3 Power Harpoon x2

Effects (9) Wise Advice Echo Base Operations Incom Corporation Echo Base Garrison Traffic Control Docking And Repair Facilities Rebel Fleet Haven Reflection

Interrupts (7) Organized Attack x3 The Signal x2 All Wings Report In x2 ‘

Strategy: ‘

Having always liked to play Light Side space decks (to the point where I made several Hidden Base decks before Special Edition was even out), I positively drooled over the new Echo Base Operations helpers in Third Anthology. Previously, you were nearly required to play with at least 12 or 15 Echo sites and many cheap characters if you wanted to play Echo Base Operations with any speed. Despite popularity for a time immediately after Hoth came out, the inefficiency of the deck took it away from the tournament scene for several years. Now, A New Secret Base lets you search for all the sites you need, the systems to drain at, and the other two most important effects in the deck Echo Base Garrison and Echo Base Operations. Garrison in turn allows you to download characters to occupy the 3 sites you need for Operations. On average, you will be able to bring out Echo Base Operations on turn 3 (turn 2 with a good draw).

Once you’ve done that, you’re home free. Deploy your cheapened X-Wings to drain at systems (downloaded with Secret Base). Use The Signal to deploy Rebel Fleet (to cancel force drains), Incom Corporation (to boost the power and ability of your basic X-Wings), or Haven (to reduce deploy and fortify Yavin). Mon Mothma and Princess Organa are excellent characters to deploy to the Echo Command Center; both provide wide-ranging effects on the game, in addition to adding to your power on Hoth. The Rogue Squadron snowspeeders provide ground power and a chance to knock out invading Imperial AT-AT walkers.

What’s that? Worried about the new Dark Side Objective, Set Your Course For Alderaan, blowing up Hoth? Fear not; with all of your sites out, you subtract 7 from their total Commence Primary Ignition destiny, enough to rain on anyone’s parade. If nothing else, you’ll slow them down and give your massive space drains a chance to get rolling. And if you can get to that Death Star, it’s a drain of 5, a very tempting target.

Specific Deck Matchups

Hunt Down Simple. Put Luke on Rogue 1 and keep him at the North Ridge. Visage does nothing but speed the game along (since it hurts both sides equally), and Vader can’t duel Luke if he’s inside a closed vehicle (not present at the site).

RalOps The Drain -1 bit won’t be too harsh, you’ll still outdrain them. What you need to watch out for is the destiny +3 or 4 from the objective; that’s an extra X-Wing each battle Keep your X-Wings and Speeders well equipped and take out as many ships/vehicles as you can outside of destiny draws. Watch for Decree; they’ll have to control 2 systems - don’t let them If you do, you’ll drain for a grand total of 1 force at Kiffex. Be aggressive.

Court You’ll lose one force each of your turns the whole game, no real way around it. Try not to let it get to yoou and just go for the quick EBO. Independant ships won’t help much against Cannons and 1-deploy 4-power 2-ability X-Wings.

Numbers Control the North Ridge and a system to satisfy Battle Order, then just drain like mad. Use your Effects nad Leia liberally to shuffle the Numbers down to the bottom.

SYCFA As stated above, they won’t have a very good shot at Hoth (destiny -7 and 7 force to shoot), so they’ll try to out-muscle you in space. Don’t let them bully you around. Keep X-Wings recycling through your deck with the Squadrons and use them to cancel drains. Whenever you get the chance, deploy an X-Wing beating on lone ships or ones escorted by fighters (that can be blown up w/ cannons). ‘