2 Hired Guns, 1 Ackbar 1.0

• Versions
• 1.0

This deck originally started as a sort of budget solution for me as I had very few SOR cards coming in. My best possible team was probably Admiral Ackbar - Perceptive Tactician and the 2 Hired Gun

I started the list with most of what you see here with a few minor adjustments. I took out 2 A180 Blaster and replaced them with 2 DH-17 Blaster Pistol I realized my optimal turn 1 play most rounds if I didn't generate any extra money is play a 1 drop equipment and keep up a control dice. Or upgrade my 1 drops with a 2 drop equipment. This depends on the match up very heavily. For end game I much prefer Rocket Launcher. I'm using Bowcasteras another end game weapon, but optimally I think it would be another Rocket Launcher.

As far as the removal suite I took out Suppressionin lue of another All In and a Friends in Low Places. If I had 2 Friends in Low Places I'd be running them, the additional information is always incredibly handy and if this deck is allowed to resolve the big damage dice on Hired Guns you will win most of the time. I've found All In is insane in this deck. Sometimes you need to gain the 2 money you have rolled to pay for the 2 hired gun dice/holdout blaster dice to resolve 6+ damage. Sometimes you roll some a blaster or two and Admiral Ackbar - Perceptive Tactician focus 2 dice and you hit somebody for 9+. Anytime I've rolled out all my characters and they don't immediately remove the focus I have instantly 1 shot one of their characters.

This deck is surprisingly quick and can claim a fair amount of the time, Defensive Position leads to massive blowouts. If I'm ever behind on claiming and don't see it in the foreseeable future I ditch the Defensive Position to re roll. Similarly I ditch the Flank if I'm always claiming and exhausting my characters too fast.

Overall I've seen decent success with this list. I have only run 2 tournaments and have finished 1-2 and 3-1. The first tournament I had admittedly no experience with the deck and some worse cards. I destroyed eQuigon/eRey and lost by 1 action to Phasma, Guavian, Deathtrooper. I also rolled very terrible that match. I finished that day off being overwhelmed by my first palpatine matchup ever and him having 2 main deck deflects that absolutely wrecked me.

My second tournament was a fast win over eUnkar/Storm Trooper/ Death trooper mill. I ended up having 4 cards in hand and paying for his Blackmail 3 turns in a row to not discard 3 cards. It was a sweet come back. My second match was against a suboptimal eRey/eQuigon deck. I used All In to deal 10 to Quigon early in the second round and basically win on the spot. The third game was against eUnkar/eVader(sor) this matchup is one that is very hard for me as I have no way to disrupt his cash flow and he plays 2 Rise Again and if you kill Unkar first you usually die to Vader. I ended up blasting Vader twice for 9 due to All In and that's when I decided to add the second copy over the Cheat I was running. After Vader died I crushed Unkar with my remaining Hired gun and suited up Ackbar. Game 4 was probably the fastest loss of my life to ePoe/eMaz he hit 3 specials in a row to discard 2 thermal detonators and a u-wing. Wasn't sure what to do on that matchup as it was my first time against it, and frankly I'm still confused.

Overall, I think this deck has a ton of play and I'm going to continue to work on it. I'm going to be dropping the Admiral Ackbar - Perceptive Tactician and thoroughly testing Mon Mothma - Skilled Politician as Ackbar's 1 ranged dice isn't super relevant and I cut the Suppression. His ability also never really comes up and I'm very interested in testing Mon's with the Hired Guns. The economy of this deck is fantastic and everything you need to run optimally is on the base die, the chosen equipment just drastically add to the firepower without compromising your economy or making you change play styles mid game. Future changes probably include cutting a Bowcaster for a second Jetpack or Rocket Launcher.

I made an active choice to NOT play Second Chance Ammo Belt as I think the combo is quite cancer and quite frankly this deck doesn't really want it. This deck is capable of doing a crazy amount of damage and the endgame is mediocre. Holding out for a long time with the recursion from Second Chance wasn't that productive in my play testing.