Book 1394
I have been playing Poe/Leia/Ackbar in some form or another for the last month, quite stubbornly so. Red hero is lacking some key cards, esp. in the way of die manipulation, but, nonetheless, I think I have finally settled on something I quite enjoy. A caveat, I did see Leia/Ackbar build here on the front page some time ago that inspired me to give up the ghost on Poe for the time being, but I cannot recall who created it. So kudos to that person.
I have played this against a number of the top decks--Jango/Veers, Han/Rey, Vader/Raider--and it is winning left and right. The ranged damage output is very consistent, esp. when reinforced by the high number of focus results. But before we get into all the snazzy bits, let's talk about the obvious shortcomings of this deck: die manipulation.
Red hero currently has barely any means to manipulate your opponent's dice. We just have Defensive Position, which is conditional in two ways. This is the main reason I am playing Comlink, often overwriting another upgrade (usually for free) to force rerolls. Daring Escape is another means, but the jury is still out. I cannot wait for Rebel Assault in the next set, as even a single die manip card, esp. a 0 cost, will be a welcome addition. I was play IQA-11 Blaster Rifle, but because of the lack of die manip, I am instead playing Rey's Staff. Sure, this doesn't give us ranged, BUT it does still deal damage while having a solid removal side.
As an aside, I was playing Block, but it just felt so lackluster an unreliable. Daring Escape is much more in character for the deck, adding more ambush effects that allows us to race. Still, I would gladly swap this out for the forthcoming Rebel Assault.
Now, back to the strengths of the deck. It's fast. Really fast. And while we don't quite have the higher end on ranged as a deck like Jango/Veers, we are damn close. Leia has three ranged sides--though Ackbar has only a single measly 1 damage result. We also have an arsenal of cheap efficient upgrades that can deal ranged damage also.
Now, what Ackbar lacks in damage, he makes up for with his 2 focus side. This pairs absurdly well with things like All In. It also helps us to ensure that dice WILL do damage. Leia's ability is a solid contingency when you roll poorly, though you would much rather have her dealing 4 damage where possible.
Hit and Run is another card that speeds up the beats, which can, on occasion be strung together one after another into All In for a gross, quick onslaught. It's a Trap! is another handy tool against things like Jango/Veers.
With so little die manip, we need other means of defense, which Dug in and Field Medic provide. Survival Gear gives us more focus and the off melee damage, but more importantly shields!
Some people may be wondering why on Alderaan I am playing Commando Raid with only 2 Ackbar dice providing discard. Some might say Scout is a more solid option here, but I say nay! Raid allows us to sneak in errant damage from Ackbar's often useless ability. I swapped this in over Logistics, as I am not having any issue with resources with the amount of overwriting I am wont to do/things like Rearm.
The deck is solid. It does what it does very well and quickly. It feels like it is just a 4ish cards off from having the clout to be a top tier deck, but I still recommend trying it out, even against more competitive decks.
How do you feel about Natural Talent for Commando Raid? In the instances you would use it for the same thing, it's -1 draw and -1 discard, but in other instances it's +1 shields, +1 focus, etc. I've found it can surprise people who remove Ackbar's two focus but leave a single focus on Leia or Commlink, only to have me Natural Talent into 4-5 damage anyway.