05.21.08

 

Ask the Dragon

 

Power of the Sith

 

Today’s Article is from Jaxen:

 

I was just wondering what are some good Sith squads other than Exar and Savage or Transfer.

"MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU AND LIVE LONG AND PROSPER"

 

Thanks for the letter Jaxen.   This is another article that is a complex question.  Are there some good sith squads out there?  Yes, but they are few and far between.  The Sith are still a developing faction and have a bit farther to go before they are truly playable outside of the gimmick squads.  Legacy of the force did a lot to add to the faction, but there is still little synergy between Sith lords or with Sith grunts.  Lets take a quick look down through the Sith ranks.

 

Darth Revan -  would have been very good, but he came out in a set that legitimized disruption and never tell me the odds as game powers.  He has some really nice tricks, but in the end you are paying 88 points for a figure that can only do 60 damage a round.  Corruption can be nice, but it wont win games.  He has some anti-melee abilities and stats, but he will die fast against shooters.  The +4 can be nice with fringe mid/low level grunts, but that’s about it.  Revan just leaves something lacking even though his stats/abilities are dead on from the game.

 

Exar Kun – Savages have never really worked.  They came in handy when facing Jedi and he was the first true Jedi hate squad, but against everything else, savage just ahs too many problems.  Where Exar comes in handy is his swap.  Movement breakers have always been good bets.  This allows him to swap in and out without taking too much damage.  With the help of the med droid, he can be really annoying.  He can do 60-90 DAM a round with stats that are very impressive.  Savage: not so good.  Swap: Top quality build.

 

Darth Bane: The master of pain.  Bane takes a pounding and can dish out even more.  His downside is that he has a horrid defense and no defensive abilities, so he will take a lot of damage.  Thank God he has 200HP.  His cost gets in the way as you move up and your opponent has more damage dealers that can be brought to bear.  Bane works best in the lower point levels where his opposition is more limited.  He doesn’t dominate like he did, but he is still good. 

 

Darth Krayt: Here you are paying a lot for a figure that can only dish 60 DAM a round, but he will be a damage sponge and love it.  He has a good CE, but his cost limits what you can really use with him.  He isn’t going to be a top character, but he can be a nice distraction if you can back him up correctly.  Even with the crab armor, though, his 130 HP can go very quickly in today’s game with all of the big hitters.  Krayt will be fun, but not tops.

 

Uliq Qel-Droma:  Right now Uliq is just very lack luster.  He is solid, but that is about it.  Keep in mind though that as the Mandos flush out, he will get better.  Already, he can bring in Boba, MC, which is a fantastic piece.  The gunslingers also bring in evade and possible bodyguards.  They can be hard to take down when you have someone as beefy as Uliq in your face.  Not great, but he will keep getting better.

 

Darth Ceadus:  Ceadus can be very good, but the problem is that his strengths are reliant on his force powers.  Once you hit Thrawn or Vong, his effectiveness really takes a dive.  Since you WILL see Thrawn in a tourney, its an auto hit, but he still can be very good.  At only 60 points, you will have plenty of room to bring in support.

 

Talon: Now we are into the Separatist Jedi range and have the same problems.  Not much synergy between pieces and little grunt support.  Talon is a very nice piece, but she needs help.  She will not hold a game on her own.

 

Lumiya: As I said in the review, she is a piece that I really want to like, but she is too contradictory.  Self-destruct 40 means you want to base people, but her MR3 means you want to stay away.  Give her a meat shield, and she gets better because your opponent cant focus on her.  A decent piece, but she wont hold her own.

 

Malak:  Always has been lacking, but fear not.  There is a new Malak coming within the next set or two.  He can make a good partner, but in the end he really isn’t worth it.

 

Nihilus:  Some good anti Jedi tricks, but he is fragile and goes down pretty fast.

 

Nihl: Really not a bad piece and is the cheapest of the Sith Lords.  His CE is crap, but whatever.  He can be a good companion to one of the other Sith.  Deflect is also nice, but his fixed force points are a draw back.

 

That is it for the Sith Lords.  The rest of the faction is left lacking.  The Dark Jedi Master can be an honorable mention, but that is about it.  There really isn’t that much out there right now because of two reasons.  The first as I said is the lack of synergy between Sith Lords and again with their grunts.  It is the Separatists all over again.  The second is that most all of the Sith Lords are based around killer offensive powers and have little to no defensive powers.  The Legacy of the Force Sith lords have changed this up a bit, but not near enough.  Right now if you asked what I would trust in a major tournament, my only real answer would be Exar transfer squads.  Everything else is too gimmicky with too many drawbacks.  Even Exar took a hit because you can no longer transfer into Thrawn’s bubble like you used too.  The Sith have potential.  Keep in mind their faction is only now receiving help, so hopefully they will continue to flush out with the caliber of the Legacy pieces. 

 

 I hope this helps some.  If you have any further questions drop me another line.  If anyone has any questions, just send me an email at sithdragon13@yahoo.com.  I will get to ALL emails, so if you have sent something be patient.  Believe it or not I am reaching the end of my stored emails.