Star Wars Home
Message Board
Pojo's Books

Mini of the Day
Mini Strategies
Mini News
Top 10 Lists

Contact Us

Magic
Yu-Gi-Oh!
DBZ
Pokemon
Yu Yu Hakusho
NeoPets
HeroClix
Harry Potter
Anime
Vs. System
Megaman

Pojo's Star Wars Minis Site
Mini of the Day
 

image from Wizards of the Coast

Darth Vader, Imperial Commander Set: Alliance & Empire #25/60 Date Reviewed: June 6, 2007 Ratings:  Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale 1 being the worst. 3 ... average. 5 is the highest rating. 100 pt: 3.5 150 pt: 4.9 200 pt: 5.0

 

~The Jumping Flea

Hey everyone. I am sorry I have not been here to review and such, but two knee surgeries have prevented me from doing much of anything. Anyways, I am here now! Lets take a look at my new favorite miniature, Darth Vader Imperial Commander. For 53 points you get some serious meat. 140 HP is great, +15 attack is nice, 20 damage is the norm, and 23 defense (!) is flippin' sweet. Double attack is okay, although with Riposte he has an effective 3 attacks against melee attackers. Deflect is great, Sweep has its moments and Grip is simply amazing. (Auto 10 damage = the best grunt killing move in the game) All those Force powers with 5 Force points to boot as well!! This guy is a tank for his points. Now we get to the best part; his CE. Trooper Followers gain +6 defense. (Yes +6!) Not that the Stormtrooper needed a boost! 22 +defense on a 5 point character is ridiculous (Same defense as Mace Windu!) Sandtroopers on Dewbacks are quite good now. 60 HP, and a 23 defense for 15 points! The Stormtrooper on Repulser Sled is now the highest defense piece in the game with a whopping 24 defense! This Vader is not only an impenetrable tank, but he makes all under his command tanks as well. Another point is because this Vader is a Commander he benefits from the new Tarkins CE. 3 attacks from this guy is absolutely devastating when combined with the defensive properties he has. Also, Piett and this Vader allows even more power through your troopers by giving them more offense to their ridiculous defense. Thrawn can also give that +3 to attack on those troopers and the luxury of force immunity. All in all this guy is a team player and is the best piece in this game IMHO. Have fun with him as his versatility and Pirate like defense will make him a difficult foe. (See my Squad Link and look at the Imperial Trio for my favorite Vader IC build!) 100-(3.5/5) Not his format. Can be used here, just not as effectively. 150-(4.9/5) Here he can truly shine. Troopers and him are the most defensive combo in the game. 200-(5/5) His best format as the more Troopers, the more abuse. Check out my Squads

Sith Dragon

Darth Vader, Imperial Commander Imperial Cost: 53 HP: 140 DEF: 23 ATK:+15 DAM: 20 Double Attack Force 5 Force Grip 10; Deflect; Riposte; Sweep CE: Trooper Followers get +6 DEF. We kick off the new set with a new Vader, you knew he was coming. This has to be perhaps the best, well-rounded Vader yet in my opinion. Rob has said that the Jedi are going through a recosting because they are just too expensive to hang with their power shooter counterparts. If this and the JWM are examples of the Jedi to come, its gonna be a sweet time for the Jedi in future sets. This Vader not only has incredible, well, everything, he starts at a measly 53 points! For that you get a whopping 140 HP, the highest defense given to any characters so far in the game at 23, a solid +15 for attack, and the standard 20 DAM and double attack. To put it into perspective, only the seldom used sith lord and Vader Jedi Hunter have equal or better stats and they are 60+ point pieces! This Vader has the best force power package in the game with only the JWM being anywhere near his class. He has an awesome 5 force points, where most of the playable Vaders only have four. Vader has deflect to protect against shooters. He has the standard grip. It can have its purposes, but i could pass on this. The only Vader with a grip worth using is RotS Vader with the 20 DAM choke. He also has riposte. I would much rather have this than block. With block you only have a 50/50 chance of stopping damage where against most melee pieces, you will be rolling an 8 tops! It helps against bait and switch squads. Finally he has sweep, which provides great swarm control. If all that wasn't enough for only 53 points, his CE is game breaking! Giving a +6 base DEF to any figure is huge, but when you can give a non-unique 5 point figure a base 22 DEF even the mighty Boba will balk at those odds. This Vader can almost single handedly bring back the stormtrooper hordes that were played early on in the game's history. FYI - His +6 DEF does not stack with thrawn, but Thrawn can still give the +3 for attack, so its not a total waste. 100pts: I don't think he is playable here because Bane is just so huge, but the meta is still responding to the new set so something may yet pop up. 150pts: While the exact forms are still popping up, he can see play here because he is not only a cheap, great fighter, but he has that killer CE that is usually prevalent in 150. 200pts: Here he can become just plain scary! With nothing else that is 29 Stormies with a 22 DEF! But Vader also received some more support, one of which we will be reviewing Thursday, that make him even better. Vader Lovers this Vader is a must! He is just crazy good at 53 points!