Star Wars: Unlimited Breakdowns - Command Aspect Leaders

Star Wars: Unlimited is coming, and we’re breaking down the available leaders for each aspect, as they get previewed so you can be ready to hit the ground running when the game drops on March 8. We’ll be updating this article as more cards get previewed over the coming weeks so make sure you check back every so often to see what awesome new synergies are available.

OTHER ARTICLES:

Play Formats & Deck Construction
Aggression Leader Breakdown
Vigilance Leader Breakdown
Cunning Leader Breakdown
Booster Contents & Variants

The COMMAND aspect is all about building your resources and playing plenty of UNITS to overwhelm your opponent’s defenses. In the COMMAND aspect, you’ll be able to accelerate your resources outside of the regular one per turn during the REGROUP phase with cards like Resupply (SOR#126), Superlaser Technician (SOR#083), and Command (SOR#107), as well as keep your hand full of units to keep playing onto the battlefield with cards like Recruit (SOR#123) and Grand Moff Tarkin, Death Star Overser (SOR#084).

NOTE: You may notice a little code at the end of the title of a card that says SOR# then a three-digit number. This is so you can easily search the cards we’re talking about in card databases like SWUDB.com. The SOR is the set code for Spark of Rebellion (the first set releasing in March 2024) and the three digits is the Collector Number for that card.

Leia Organa, Alliance General (SOR#009) is a straightforward LEADER for anyone wanting to play a HEROIC deck but is one that I personally found hard to build effectively for the simple reason that unit removal turns this deck off quickly. This means Leia may be confined to an existence as a limited-format leader but not able to run effectively in a constructed format against anything other than late-game or midrange decks. In saying that though, if your Rebel units stick around for a turn, the aggressive pressure she creates is stunning. There is some speed to be gained with Alliance Dispatcher (SOR#093) letting you drop your units a turn earlier, but he needs to stay on the board until the next turn. Pairing her with AGGRESSION opens up the RAID mechanic with Red Three, Unstoppable (SOR#144) to increase your damage output when attacking, as well as removal options like Jedha Agitator (SOR#158), Zeb Orrelios, Headstrong Warrior (SOR#146), and Open Fire (SOR#172) so that your units can stay in the fight for longer. Seeing as you’re already playing Rebel units, Medal Ceremony (SOR#245), Wing Leader (SOR#241) and General Dodonna, Massassai Group Commander (SOR#242) are an auto include.

Grand Moff Tarkin, the stoic, iron-fisted leader of the Imperial Fleet, and destroyer of Alderaan, and one crazy leader. Grand Moff Tarkin, Oversector Governor (SOR#007) is certainly a straight-forward LEADER to build around, and one that can easily overwhelm your opponents. You just look for any units with the Imperial keyword and you’re good to go, as Tarkin just keeps making them stronger and stronger as the game progresses. Auto-includes are cards like General Veers, Blizzard Force Commander (SOR#230) that will increase your unit’s Power and HP, and Grand Moff Tarkin, Death Star Overser (SOR#084) to keep searching for more Imperial units to play. He’s a lot of fun in an AGGRESSION build alongside the rare base Tarkintown (SOR#025). You sacrifice some of your health pool to ‘essentially’ be able to remove an already damaged enemy unit which allows your units to hang around a little longer. Because this deck is all about battlefield superiority. With a Trooper build, utilising units like Seasoned Shoretrooper (SOR#081), 97th Legion, Keeping the Peace on Sullust (SOR#118), and General Tagge, Concerned Commander (SOR#080) to overwhelm on the ground, and great AGGRESSION space units like Imperial Interceptor (SOR#132) and Ruthless Raider (SOR#134) to keep the opponent at bay in space, you can close out a game easily with nothing stopping your inexorable advance into your opponent’s base.

Command continues its typal structure with Hera Syndulla, Spectre Two. While Tarkin above cares about Imperials on the field, Hera is the first LEADER to affect the deck-building process. By ignoring the aspect penalty on any Spectre cards you play, you can include any and all Spectre cards in your deck, which is helpful because they are from every aspect, and generally synergise with each other. While Chopper, Metal Menace (SOR#118), and Sabine Wren, Explosives Artist (SOR#142) are great cards on their own, Kanan Jarrus, Revealed Jedi (SOR#047) just gets better with each Spectre unit you have in play, and Hera herself is looking for Unique units, which all of the Spectre units are. This is really the midrange deck I’ve been playtesting with for quite some time now, and everytime a new Spectre card is spoiled, it’s straight into the deck. The build I’m running at moment teams her up with CUNNING to utilise some of the great unique units already available there like Millenium Falcon, Piece of Junk (SOR#193) and Leia Organa, Defiant Princess (SOR#189). With such devotion to unique units, Agent Kallus, Seeking the Rebels (SOR#115) is a helpful inclusion, particularly seeing as he doesn’t have a VILLAINY aspect. With so many great units in a lower cost-range, including Home One, Alliance Flagship (SOR#102) is such a win. Combine the deck with further Rebel synergies like Medal Ceremony (SOR#245), Wing Leader (SOR#241) and General Dodonna, Massassai Group Commander (SOR#242) and the deck becomes a power house in the late game.

UPDATE 05/02/2024: Well, our prediction was right and ol’ Palps is ready and waiting for you to dominate your opponents, and what a card he is. Firstly, you need a whopping 8 RESOURCES to deploy, quite a hard target to meet, but one you can easily meet if you commit to the COMMAND aspect. But, if you hit that goal, Emperor Palpatine, Galactic Ruler (SOR#006) not only boasts a big stat line of 4/10, but also steals the biggest non-leader unit your opponent controls with some damage marked on it. So how do you make him work? The key here really is resource acceleration. Resupply (SOR#126), and Command (SOR#107) are automatic includes and Superlaser Technician (SOR#083) can be used to deal out a little bit of damage to an enemy unit, or throw some damage at the opponent’s base, before being defeated by Palaptine’s one action ability. 

In terms of removal, Overwhelming Barrage (SOR#092) and Maximum Firepower (SOR#243) will be needed to keep your opponent’s forces at bay. With a full dedication to COMMAND, you can also get some great use out of Colonel Yularen, ISB Director (SOR#109) to eke out some extra life while you build resources, and General Krell, Heartless Tactician (SOR#105) to keep your hand full while you throw units into the meat grinder. Will you win a constructed tournament with Palpatine? Maybe not. But he’ll certainly be fun at your local weekly event.