Images courtesy of Fantasy Flight Games
Twilight of the Republic Planetary Qualifier season is coming to close, and all I can say is that it was very healthy compared to the end of Shadows of the Galaxy PQ Season (RIP Boba1). One leader maintained its presence, one leader pulled ahead of the meta share, and lots of other leaders took down top spots and placed in the Top 8. As we look ahead to Jump to Lightspeed, which decks will get elevated… and which ones will see their own Twilight?
The Many Colors of Han
I said it, I manifested it, and very skilled players took Han Yellow to the very top of the TWI PQ season. Han1 Yellow won almost 25% of all of the TWI PQs. Han1 paired with every color and also with Tarkintown grabbed 1st place at Planetary Qualifiers all over the globe. Han1 accounted for slightly over a third of all top finishes at the PQs. I’m not going to sugar coat it, that’s pushing into the WARNING category. Danny and Xander already said during their live YouTube that the FFG devs have their collective eye on the leader.
Are they going to put Han1 on ice like they did with Boba1, or they going to snipe a recurring card in the rainbow of decks? The two glaring offenders are Tech and DJ. If a Blaster was pointed at my head and I was forced to make a pick, I’d have to say “Don’t Join” is going to get the axe. DJ isn’t awful, in a vacuum, but paired with Han1 you get to steal your opponent’s resource then destroy it. My inner Spike loves destroying my opponent’s resources (and will to play the game), but I understand how it makes other people seethe. So, I’m going to refrain on speculating on JTL cards to make these decks better until we know if Han1 decks are going to get nerfed.
The Pillar of Sabine ECL
Sabine ECL took about 12.5% of the winning spots in TWI PQ season, compared to the 7.7% in SHD PQ season. To be honest, and I am an English Lit major so I’m not mathing this, it feels about “the same” consistency considering all Boba1 iterations was pushing near 60% of the top spots in SHD. That’s pretty cool to see, and it’s good for a TCG to have a pillar in the competitive scene. Sabine ECL is also pure aggro, and it does take actual skill to top with those types of decks. It’s not just turn ’em sideways and take it to the face, contrary to popular belief.
Are there any JTL cards that push this mainstay to even higher heights, or will changing the recipe make the foundation crash? Cards I’m looking at: Tandem Assault, Stay On Target, Red Squadron Y-Wing, Red Five, and I’m going to reach on Tactical Heavy Bomber. What cards would you pull? Honestly, that’s a tough call. Maybe run two Cassian instead of three; drop one Rebel Assault to get in Tandem Assault; or even drop Heroic Sacrifice for Stay On Target. I’m sure plenty of players will see if anything in JTL can boost Sabine ECL… or will Poe Dameron – I Can Fly Anything take the top aggro spot?
Jango TT Taking It
Jango TT pulled over 10% of the wins this past PQ season. Boba’s dad did very well for being a new release in TWI and immediately hit the tables with a splash. The King of Tempo in SWU looks to have the most to gain with JTL. Why? Indirect damage and the abundance of space units being revealed that could slot right into a space arena-heavy deck are all pointing to a huge upgrade for Jango.
Indirect damage is a new mechanic that has “That player assigns 1 unpreventable damage among their base and units.” This can cause quite the conundrum for the player because they have to pick taking base damage or selecting their own unit to take the damage and potentially be exhausted by Jango’s ability.
There are a lot of cards in both arenas that deal indirect damage. First Order Stormtrooper (FOS), Guerilla Trooper, Death Space Skirmisher, and IG-2000 – Assassin’s Aggressor (which I’m nearly certain is going to be an auto-include into this deck, and it has synergy with TDR). The only roadblock JTL Jango can run into is if another powerful deck emerges that is also heavy in the space lane… and that is almost assuredly going to happen.
Quinlan Boss
Quinlan Vos TT/ECL/Blue (one mad lad took a top spot with that blue base) grabbed a little over 8% of the number one spots. This midrange deck is extremely versatile because Quinlan’s ability is just linked to the unit’s cost. This honestly opens up JTL to completely rewriting Quinlan decklists and not just slotting in a couple cards. I’m looking forward to what the SWU hive-mind comes up with.
The Two Faces of Bossk
The main deck that hits on the midrange to hard control spectrum is Bossk. These two decks (green and blue) took a little over 5% of the top spots and had almost a 10% showing in the Top 8. For me, and some of the people I associate with (shout out to John G!), we wonder if Bossk will remain in the upper echelons of the meta post-JTL release. I imagine it will in the first few weeks, but then it might echo Obi Wan’s fateful quote, “that time has passed, and our future is uncertain.”
Cards that’ll possibly slot into Bossk decks: No Disintegrations (in Bossk Blue), No Glory Only Results, and maybe Sith Trooper and/or FOS to bolster Darth Vader in Bossk Green. In all honesty, Bossk Blue might get hindered with all the indirect damage… *ahem* incoming which can’t be spread around as little units the deck runs. The only question will be: will the HP gain be able to sustain the indirect damage?
The Rest
A whopping 14 leaders other than the aforementioned leaders pulled a PQ win. Thirty-three leaders hit a Top 8 spot. That’s a staggering 61% of printed leaders made the Top 8. I don’t have the space or time to hit all the decks. I just want to point out Mace Windu – Vapaad Form Master is definitely going to get boosted with all the indirect damage flying around.
Who’s Getting the Biggest Boost From Jump to Lightspeed?
It’s time I start officially putting my predictions in print. Gar Saxon – Viceroy of Mandalore Yellow got one first place finish and two Top 8 finishes and now it is getting boosted to tier one, as will The Mandalorian – Sworn to the Creed, even though it never placed in the TWI PQ season. Both get so many JTL adds because the Pilot keyword ability counts as upgrades. The only question is: which color pairs are going to work the best?
Warming the Engines Up
Aside from people not liking their resources getting destroyed, there has been little complaining about the meta in the TWI PQ season. Even the high numbers of Boba1 didn’t seem oppressive. The rounding out of Season 0 seemed to end on a really high note with huge expectations for JTL. We definitely saw lots of Imperial and Rebel units revealed, so here’s to hoping Tarkin and Leia make their comeback.
As always, thank you so very much for reading this article and spending your most valuable resource to do it: time. Be cool to your fellow players, be cool to your judges, hydrate, eat well, exercise, and wear clean socks. Hit me up anytime on Bluesky @TheFlyingWriter or Reddit at u/TheFlyingWriter
