I have been waiting for the new card decks for Star War Legion, since they announced them a year ago. I like unit cards in a game and I like cards that are well produced. With the changes to legion, unit types and all the points updates, new cards were needed. I do not like printing my own, as the quality is not as nice and it actually costs more once to consider all the ink used! So, I ordered them at my FLGS and picked them up once they arrived.
Each of the main factions come with two decks. Unit and Command cards. The command sets come with each of the commanders in the faction, with cards in the new format. You get the generic commanders, named commanders and operatives. In addition, each commander has their command deck cards also. You also get the specific upgrades that are unique to the individual character.
The unit decks come with the unit cards and the specific unit upgrades for each of the units. You do not get any generic upgrade cards at all. Seems these are available in another deck (which I did not get yet). So in reality, each faction needs three decks…
The unit cards come in a new format, with the points and upgrade options on one side and the unit statistics on the other. Unfortunately, all the keywords just give the title. So, you have to refer to the rules to know what they do. Not an issue for the seasoned Legion gamer, but adds a step for the occasional or new gamer. I personally would have preferred that all the game info on the front side of the card and all the key word definitions on the back.
All the emblems on the cards are the same as the older versions, so players should have no problem adapting to the new ones.
The big change is in the unit upgrade cards. First, these are no half size cards like before. They are the same size as the unit cards, just not printed in landscape. For those that used sleeves in the past, this will be kind of frustrating, as the mini slots will not work. For those that like to hold their cards in their hands or use then in a stack, this is much better. I never got the sleeves, so this works for me.
Once again, no definition for the key words… I guess this makes them better for when the rules change and you do not have to though out your cards. I think for new players, it might be better to do a player aid card that lists the keywords with their rules that you have in your army list. Just cut and paste them from the pdf and put them in alphabetical order.
I am not a fan of the artwork, or lack there of, on the cards. They are very generic, with just a large symbol and the effect. I would have preferred that there was some kind of color or color coding to make the different types more easy to differentiate. Oh well…
Where the command cards give you enough to field all the characters in all but the most skewed list, the unit cards come a bit short. You do not get enough cards to maximize your choices. Each core has three cards, special two, weapons two and heavy weapons only one. So, if you want cards for all your units (say you want six units of B1s), you will have to double up or buy a second set. If you do the latter, you will end up with more cards than you need. I guess that if you tend to keep most of your squads equipped the same, it can work out.
The CIS set here gives you everything you need to represent your army. As you can see from the pictures, there are a ton of unit specific upgrade cards for each unit. If you want to fill out all your unit possibilities, you will have to buy a second deck. With that said, all the new miniature sets come with the new cards, so if you’re building from scratch, you can skip these all together! If you are somewhere in-between, a combination should work out! All in all, these are very nicely done and you will not be disappointed if you are a card junky like me.
- Manteuffel