Star Wars Unlimited PQ Weekend Wrap-Up – Some Old and Some New

The First Star Wars Unlimited Planetary Qualifiers of 2025

Many people questioned how the SWU meta was going to be after the banning of Boba1. The answer? It looks healthy and diverse. There were 13 PQs all over the globe, two $1k tournaments, and one $2k. Sabine ECL is still the top deck around. All the leaders I mentioned in my PQ Primer won or made top 8s, and a couple leaders that I didn’t expect made their way to the final tables.

Overwhelming positive reviews came from around the world, and we have lots of data points to look at as we blaze ahead into Twilight of the Republic 2025 PQ season.

Overview

There were two PQs that topped over 100 people (Niles, IL and Osnabrück, Germany), and the lowest showing was Lincoln, NE with 37 people (shout out to all my Huskers down there. They braved a nasty winter storm to get to that PQ).

Sabine ECL was the top dog this weekend with four 1st place finishes and 21 top 8s. Congrats to Sao Paulo, Brazil bringing in 87 people and someone piloted Krennic ECL to a top 8 finish there and in Appleton, WI AND in Ankeny, IA. I don’t think many people were expecting Krennic to be back.

And speaking of leaders making a comeback… Someone topped a PQ with Iden Versio Blue, and someone got into the top 8 with an Iden Blue and another with an Iden Yellow deck. Honestly, I’m not surprised with Iden making a comeback as she was the OG control deck when SWU initially started. Her ability to heal damage from your base is very helpful to keep a player in the game long enough to stabilize against decks like Sabine and more aggressive decks like Jango.

Han1 Yellow snagged 1st place in Ankeny, IA and Osnabrück, Germany (which was a mirror match to boot). It also placed in the top 8 16 times. I stick by my claim that “Han1 Yellow is probably one of the most difficult decks to play [and] if it’s piloted expertly, then it’s the best deck in Premier.” Surprisingly, Bossk Blue did not place first in any of the PQs (even though there were seven top 8s), but Bossk Green did.

Speaking of surprises, there were some spicy rogue decks that crept into the top 8s all over the globe that included two Fennec TTown, a Cassian Yellow, and an Asajj Red deck (love me some Triple Dark Raid into Ruthless Raider). Yet, the biggest surprise might have been how well Qi’ra Green did. That deck was piloted to one 1st place and three top 8s. Let’s take a look at the 1st place deck in Toulouse, France.

Qi’ra Green

(chienyouki 1st PQ Toulouse 4 Jan 2025)

Leader and Base (2)

Qi’ra – I Alone Survived

Command Center

Ground Units (22)

2 Hylobon Enforcer

3 Doctor Pershing – Expirimenting With Life

3 Pyke Sentinel

2 Death Trooper

3 Superlaser Tech

1 The Client – Dictated by Discretion

3 Darth Vader – Commanding the First Legion

1 Maul – Shadow Collective Visionary

2 Reinforcement Walker

2 Supreme Leader Snoke – Shadow Ruler

Space Units (7)

3 Inferno Four – Unforgetting

2 Devastating Gunship

2 Avenger – Hunting Star Destroyer

Events (16)

3 Power of the Dark Side

3 Resupply

2 Fell the Dragon

3 Vigilance

3 Overwhelming Barrage

1 Vanquish

1 Superlaser Blast

Upgrades (5)

3 Perilous Position

2 Traitorous

Sideboard (10)

3 Top Target

2 Palpatine’s Return

1 Superlaser Blast

3 Relentless – Konstantine’s Folly

1 Devastator – Inescapable

Classic Midrange

This feels like the purest midrange decks in SWU. It has a great curve with strong units, efficient removal, card draw, and ramp. Qi’ra’s ability to give a shield and damage a Grit unit gives this deck so much extra reach. Dr. Pershing can ping a Grit unit and then draw a card. Don’t forget a sneaky line of play can be to crash Superlaser Tech into the opponent’s base for two damage and then use Qi’ra’s ability to destroy it to make a ready resource. I know people are going to be sleeving this deck up to practice and take it to their PQ.

Parting Shots

I hope everybody is as thrilled about the TWI PQ season as I am. This meta looks pretty wide open, so play the deck you’re most comfortable with. Please remember this is “Season 0.” The SWU game and community is developing wonderfully. There have been hiccups as any new TCG is expected to have, but FFG has handled them quickly and the results seem good so far. The banning of Boba1 has given way to where we are now and it looks fantastic.

Be cool to your fellow players, be cool to your judges, hydrate, eat well, and wear clean socks.

Hit me up anytime on Bluesky @TheFlyingWriter or Reddit at u/TheFlyingWriter

Looking for another way to play Star Wars Unlimited with your friends? Then check out our guide to Twin Suns, the multiplayer SWU format.