Fully Loaded

"This bounty hunter is my kind of scum, fearless and inventive."
   - Jabba the Hutt, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Throughout the Star Wars galaxy, the Spirit of Rebellion has inspired scoundrels to take up arms and join the fight against evil empires that would bring these outlaws to their knees. But some rogues simply aren’t interested in the fight; some are far more interested in survival and, of course, credits. For these ruffians, the Spirit of Rebellion doesn’t guide them towards the light, but to the darkness, where they can hide in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

Today, we’re looking at the Yellow Villains of Star Wars™: Destiny’s newest set of booster packs, Spirit of Rebellion. Like their hero counterparts, these rogues rely less on pure strength and more on tricky events and powerful upgrades to supplement their arsenals.

Scum and Villainy

When Darth Vader called on bounty hunters across the galaxy to hunt down Han Solo, many answered the call. And even though Boba Fett eventually caught his quarry, few of those hunters would prove deadlier than Assassin Droid IG-88 (Spirit of Rebellion, 20). Unrelentingly brutal, IG-88 uses a variety of weapons and equipment to hunt his prey and he brings this efficiency to Star Wars: Destiny.

With two die sides showing ranged damage and two showing shields, players can count on IG-88 to both protect himself and deal out consistent damage. Furthermore, if you roll IG-88’s special symbol, he can arm himself with a Yellow weapon or equipment from your discard pile at a discounted price. While Awakenings has plenty of Yellow weapons and equipment that will work well with IG-88, Spirit of Rebellion also offers a plethora of equipment sure to mesh perfectly with the metal assassin.

While IG-88 will likely be providing himself plenty of protection, the addition of a Personal Shield (Spirit of Rebellion, 24) for two resources (or for free, if it’s the target of his special ability) will ensure the droid will be a tough target to take down. With three sides showing a shield icon, the Personal Shield provides consistent protection for whomever has it equipped, and will automatically activate to give the attached character a shield if they take two or more ranged damage!

If you want to go on the offensive, however, equipping Vibroknucklers  (Spirit of Rebellion, 25) can diversify your damage while putting the hurt on. With three die sides showing melee damage and two showing a discard symbol, Vibroknucklers already puts your opponents in a dangerous situation. And if you have a supply of resources, you can up the value of the Vibroknucklers' die sides every time you use it, brutally punishing any opponent that stands in your way.

For some, violence is the preferred way to get their credits, but many other rogues prefer a more... economical approach. Jakku Junk Dealer Unkar Plutt ( Spirit of Rebellion, 21) may not be able to damage your opponents physically, but his ability to disrupt their plans while earning you resources makes him an asset for any team.

Two of Unkar Plutt's sides allow you to destroy your opponent’s resources, ensuring they remain unable to play their most powerful cards. Two more of his sides will increase your resources considerably, and his fifth side’s focus symbol lets you manipulate your pool to get whatever symbol you need. His special ability continues his credits-focused theme, allowing you to remove dice showing a value of three or more to both get rid of a card at random from your opponent’s hand and gain resources equal to its cost! Unkar Plutt's stingy junk dealing and greed for credits is sure to put you ahead economically. 

If IG-88 or Unkar Plutt needs additional support, they can find back up from the Guavian Enforcers (Spirit of Rebellion, 19). A perfect blend of damage and resources, the enforcer is sure to boost any villain team composition, provided their partners are already producing resources or ranged damage. With three sides requiring another die with the same symbol to be useful, the Enforcer needs a villain with the consistency of IG-88 to be truly effective. However, additional damage and resources is never a bad thing, and a Guavian Enforcer can give your team the edge they need.

Dirty Tricks

The tricks and cons rogues across the Star Wars galaxy pull off can be just as deadly as the blasters at their sides, and nothing exemplifies that more than Blackmail (Spirit of Rebellion, 23). With two sides showing multiple discard symbols, two showing multiple disrupt symbols and one side giving you three shields, Blackmail is a powerful tool that puts pressure on your opponent while protecting yourself. But it comes with a price: If your opponent doesn’t like the result, they can give you a resource to remove the die completely! Of course, they have to have a resource to do this in the first place, and with the pressure of a Junk Dealer like Unkar Plutt, keeping your opponents broke while blackmailing them can be a devastating combination.

Of course, it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know, and with Friends in High Places  (Spirit of Rebellion, 83), you don’t even need resources to play your powerful cards. Provided you have a combined value of 7 or more showing on your dice, you can take a look at the top three cards of your deck and play one of them for free. What you find could be a steal, but as with all shady friends, you could get the short end of the bargain and end up discarding your best cards. It’s a gamble, but for the scum and villainy slithering in the dark, what’s life without a little risk?

With other events introduced in Spirit of Rebellion, you’ll never be short on resources. A simple Arms Deal  (Spirit of Rebellion, 81) can turn your excess weapons into a profit. If you find yourself overflowing with credits, as the best scoundrels often do, you can perform a Bait and Switch  (Spirit of Rebellion, 82) to turn one of your rolled resources into anything else on the die.

Start the Hunt

Having the Spirit of Rebellion doesn’t mean you have to be some hero, it could easily mean you’re looking out for yourself. Arm up, get your credits, and ignite your Spirit of Rebellion in the second quarter of 2017!