It’s almost impossible to believe that Star Wars Unlimited’s first set, Spark of Rebellion, only launched earlier in 2024, given how quickly the game has asserted itself as part of the Trading Card Game (or TCG) landscape. Against the dominance of the big three games (Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!), games such as Star Wars Unlimited and Disney Lorcana have proven that there’s more than enough space for other games in the marketplace. With Star Wars Unlimited’s Clone Wars-era third set, Twilight of the Republic, now in the hands of eager fans, we thought we’d take a look at which cards are the most sought after; in many games, quite often the most valuable cards aren’t the most powerful, or useful from a gameplay point of view. Is that the case with Star Wars Unlimited? Let’s find out!
10. Mace Windu, Vaapad Form Master – Showcase Rare, 270
In our number 10 spot, we have Mace Windu, Vaapad Form Master, a Showcase Rare variant of his Leader card. You’ll note that all of the cards in this list are Showcase Rares, which is not a surprise when you understand the different rarities in the game. That’s because Showcase Rare cards, which are alternate art variations of Leader cards, are found at the rate of just one in every 288 packs. That means you can expect to only find a single Showcase Rare in every 12 boxes of 24 booster packs!
The art for the Mace Windu Showcase Rare card, by Eric Hibbeler, shows the Jedi Master defiantly ready to fight an unseen combatant; however, if you know your Star Wars, you’ll know that this is moments before he takes on Senator Palpatine. In terms of game mechanics, as a Leader card, Mace Windu can spend one resource and exhaust to deal one damage to an enemy unit, dealing an extra one damage if it has five or more damage.
As a unit, Mace Windu can deal two damage to each damaged enemy unit when deploying. This gives the player great incentive to chip away at as many enemy units as possible before deploying. As is often the case in many TCGs (Star Wars Unlimited included), timing is everything!
9. Jango Fett, Concealing the Conspiracy – Showcase Rare, 273
Jango Fett’s Showcase Rare variant is next on our list, and the borderless art, by Kyle Petchcock, shows the bounty hunter mid-combat with an out-of-shot Obi-Wan Kenobi, during the events of Attack of the Clones. He’s noticeably faster in terms of deployment speed than Mace Windu, with the ability to deploy to the battlefield after just five resources are controlled.
Jango Fett’s Leader side ability allows him to exhaust any time a friendly unit damages an enemy unit; if he does, the enemy unit must exhaust too. The unit side of Jango Fett has the same ability, but importantly, Fett doesn’t need to exhaust to use the ability, which means it can be used multiple times in a round!
8. Asajj Ventress, Unparalleled Adversary – Showcase Rare, 271
One of the most popular characters to emerge from the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Asajj Ventress is the apprentice of the evil Count Dooku. The art on this Showcase Rare card, by artist Guillaume Ospital, features Ventress prepared for battle, with her lightsabers at the ready.
In-game, Ventress can move with almost alarming speed, having the ability to deploy to the ground arena after just four resources are controlled by her player. As a Leader, she’s able to exhaust to attack with a unit, which gets +1 power for that specific attack if you’ve already played an event this phase. As a unit card, that ability is upgraded; if you’ve played an event this phase, Ventress gets the +1 power for an attack, and, importantly, Ventress also deals combat damage before the defender, which can of course prove the difference between success and failure!
7. Nala Se, Clone Engineer – Showcase Rare, 258
Kaminoan scientist Nala Se has some great tricks up her sleeve, with her card being another example of a Leader that can deploy remarkably swiftly, after just four resources are in play on her controller’s side. Her ability is somewhat passive, though it allows for some creative deck building opportunities: the aspect penalty on all Clone units played by the owner can be ignored.
Though that remains when Nala Se deploys, each friendly Clone unit, when defeated, will also heal two damage from your base. This, along with the aspect bonus and Nala Se’s impressive 7 HP, makes her quite the formidable Leader for creative Star Wars Unlimited players.
6. Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, Playing Both Sides – Showcase Rare, 274
Speaking of creative deck building opportunities, the Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious card is perhaps one of the most exciting cards to have emerged from Star Wars Unlimited since its first set. There’s a few reasons for that, but one of them is that this card does not deploy as a unit at any point. Instead, it begins the game as Chancellor Palpatine, and in this form can exhaust when a friendly unit with the Heroism aspect is defeated. Then, a card is drawn, two damage is healed from his owner’s base, and Palpatine’s card is flipped over.
Here’s where things get really interesting, because not only does Palpatine not become a unit, but he also switches to his Darth Sidious persona. His aspect of Cunning remains, but his Heroism changes to Villainy. Which means that players can create a deck which takes advantage of both sides, as and when they see fit; it’s highly thematic, and very exciting indeed. The Darth Sidious side features artwork by Amélie Hutt, who we interviewed about their fantastic Star Wars Unlimited illustrations, and much more besides.
5. Quinlan Vos, Sticking the Landing – Showcase Rare, 275
It’s back to business as usual with the Quinlan Vos card, though the character himself is anything but ordinary if you know your expanded universe Star Wars! First appearing in a Star Wars comic book (published in 2000), Vos proved so popular that franchise creator, George Lucas, retroactively named a previously random, inconsequential background extra in 1999 Star Wars prequel, The Phantom Menace, as Quinlan Vos.
As a Leader, Quinlan Vos can deploy after five resources are in play, and can exhaust when a unit is played, in order to deal one damage to an enemy unit with the same cost as the unit played. This upgrades when Vos is deployed; instead, he doesn’t have to exhaust, and any time a unit is played, you may deal one damage to an enemy unit that costs the same or less than the one played.
4. Maul, a Rival in Darkness – Showcase Rare, 266
The eagle eyed among you will notice that this is not Darth Maul; rather, it’s simply “Maul,: and features the character from the Clone Wars era, having miraculously survived being sliced in half by a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul was perhaps owed a comeback, having been one of the most interesting, yet underused characters to be introduced in The Phantom Menace; his demise cut any further development and screen time far too short. As overwrought as the explanation for his return had to be, it was good to see him back!
Maul’s Leader side ability allows him to exhaust and then attack with a unit, which gains Overwhelm for the attack. Any excess damage dealt to an enemy unit is not wasted if the attacking unit has Overwhelm; instead, that excess is dealt directly to the opponent’s base. When Maul is deployed (when you have at least six resources in play), that ability is upgraded to an almost frightening degree; every other friendly unit gains Overwhelm when Maul is in the ground arena. Not only is that pretty terrifying, but Maul having a massive 6 attack is also pretty scary on its own!
3. General Grievous, General of the Droid Armies – Showcase Rare, 272
Just like Maul, Grievous is a character shortchanged by the movies, but far better served by the Clone Wars series and other media. As a Leader, Grievous can exhaust to give a Droid unit the Sentinel keyword for the duration of the phase; if a unit has Sentinel, it means that it must be chosen as the target of an attack by an opposing unit in the same arena, before the base can be targeted. If multiple opposing units have Sentinel, the attacker chooses which to target.
When deployed, that is upgraded so Grievous won’t need to exhaust, but he can choose a Droid unit to bestow Sentinel upon when he attacks. A decent power of 4 gives Grievous reasonable attack strength on the battlefield, but he truly excels when it comes to his health, with a massive 8 HP allowing him to soak up quite a bit of damage!
2. Anakin Skywalker, What It Takes to Win – Showcase Rare, 269
Someone who was definitely not short of screen time in the Star Wars movies is Anakin Skywalker, here in his troubled Jedi Knight phase, in keeping with the Clone Wars era setting of Twilight of the Republic. Anakin’s conflicted nature comes into play with his Leader side’s ability; he exhausts, then damages his own base, before attacking with a unit, granting it +2 power for its attack.
Though risky, that ability really comes into play when Anakin deploys (which he can do once you have six resources in play). As a unit, Anakin has Overwhelm, but also gains a +1 bonus to his power for every five damage on your base. It’s clear to see why Anakin, despite the inherent risk in his abilities, would be such a popular choice for players willing to take the chance. It’s a fantastic example of risk vs reward, and advanced players are sure to have a lot of success with this card.
1. Yoda, Sensing Darkness – Showcase Rare, 261
Another character who was greatly expanded upon thanks to the Star Wars prequels and animated shows, Yoda has, since his introduction in 1980 movie The Empire Strikes Back, been one of the saga’s most popular characters. Appropriately one of the slowest leaders to deploy, Yoda won’t make it to the battlefield until you have at least seven resources in play. As a leader, Yoda can exhaust; if a unit left play in the same phase, you can draw a card, then put a card from your hand on either the top or bottom of your deck.
As a unit, Yoda has the Restore 2 keyword; this means that he heals his base for two HP every time he attacks. When he deploys, you can also discard a card from your deck, and if you do, you can defeat an enemy non-leader unit with the same or less cost as the discarded card. This can prove especially potent in the late game, when players have multiple, high-cost units in play; being able to choose a card from your deck makes this particularly powerful. Yoda’s no slouch when it comes to his stats either, with a phenomenal 9 HP that should keep him involved in ground battles for a good few rounds!
So there we have it; the ten most wanted, highly sought after cards from Star Wars Unlimited’s third set, Twilight of the Republic. Take a look at the full list of Twilight of the Republic cards, and for more insight on the game’s mechanics, check out our guide to keywords in Star Wars Unlimited. Finally, make sure to check out our news story on the suspension of the Boba Fett Leader card, which should really shake up the Star Wars Unlimited meta.
