Last year, Derek wrote a great Skirmish Holocron guide on picking cards for your army and Command deck, or what is commonly called “list building”. Derek’s article does a great job of going into the basics of picking cards for your Command deck. We also published a guide on finding “good” Deployment cards that give players better odds at winning. Unfortunately we never got around to making an article to help beginning players find the “good” Command cards when building a deck.
Today’s article remedies that omission. A few months ago, TVBoy released a video as part of his IA Academy series on IA Command that addresses how beginning players should build Command card decks for their armies. This video does a fantastic job of detailing the 6 Command cards that should be a staple in beginner’s Command decks and why those cards should be used. TVBoy also shares more winning Command deck-building strategy: A list of Unique figure Command cards you should definitely include in your deck; the most powerful Command cards per trait & attack type; which cards you can use if you can’t find a copy of Negation; and a list of good multi-purpose cards to complete a deck.
Take a few minutes and watch:
For your reference below are lists of the Command cards that TVBoy highlights in his video. You can find digital copies of each card to read by using either the search function at cards.boardwars.eu or the TabletopAdmiral.com IA list builder.
Universal Staples
These six cards are the foundation to good Command card decks due to their power and utility. Beginning players are strongly encouraged to begin every deck with these cards.
- Take Initiative (Core Set)
- Element of Surprise (Core Set)
- Planning (Core Set)
- Celebration (Core Set)
- Urgency (Core Set)
- Negation (Return to Hoth expansion)
Powerful Unique Command Cards
If you have included one of the following Unique figures in your army, you should consider also adding that figure’s Unique Command card to your deck.
| Unique Figure | Figure’s Command Card |
|---|---|
| Chewbacca, Loyal Wookiee | Debts Repaid |
| Luke Skywalker, Hero of the Rebellion | Son of Skywalker |
| Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight | Son of Skywalker |
| IG-88, Assassin Droid | Blaze of Glory |
| MHD-19 | Miracle Worker |
| Drokkatta | Arcing Shot |
| Sabine Wren, Spectre-5 | Rebel Graffiti |
| Lando Calrissian, Charming Gambler | Cheat to Win |
| Jyn Erso, Stardust | Built on Hope |
| Vinto Hreeda | Draw! |
| Onar Koma | Extra Protection |
| Davith Elso | Vanish |
| Thrawn, Grand Admiral | Foresee |
| Ahsoka Tano, Rebel Instigator | Right Back At Ya! |
| Agent Blaise, ISB Interrogator | Espionage Mastery |
| IG-11, To Nurse and Protect | Guild Programming |
| Boba Fett, Infamous Bounty Hunter | Mandalorian Tactics |
Cards For Traits and Attack Types
The following cards are recommended for your Command deck when you have two or more Deployment groups that share the same trait or attack type.
| Trait or Attack Type | Recommended Command Cards |
|---|---|
| Melee attacks | Dying Lunge, Deathblow |
| Hunter | Assassinate, Tools for the Job, Heightened Reflexes, Primary Target |
| Smuggler | On the Lam, Tools for the Job, Run for Cover, Black Market Prices |
| Spy | Intelligence Leak, Strategic Shift, Comm Disruption |
| Force User | Force Surge, Force Rush, Dark Energy (Imperial), Force Push (Rebel), Knowledge and Defense (Rebel) |
| Brawler | Parting Blow, Grisly Contest, Face to Face, Parry (IACP), Looking for a Fight |
| Trooper | Grenadier, Reinforcements, Call the Vanguard, Concentrated Fire |
| Vehicle | Overrun, Fuel Upgrade |
| Guardian | Iron Will, Get Behind Me!, Parry (IACP) |
| Creature | Wild Fury, Ferocity, Survival Instincts |
| Leader | New Orders, Officer’s Training |
| Heavy Weapon | Lock on, Collateral Damage |
| Droid | Shared Experience, Hunter Protocol |
Great Options To Finish Your Deck
These cards have good baseline effects to be worth including in any beginner’s Command deck.
- Blitz
- Brace for Impact
- Combat Resupply (Empire)
- Disorient
- Fleet Footed
- Heart of Freedom (Rebel)
- Hit and Run
- Hour of Need
- Opportunistic (Mercenaries)
- Positioning Advantage
- Prepared for Battle
- Price of Glory (Empire)
- Pummel (melee attackers)
- Rally
- Second Chance
- Set for Stun
- Shoot the Messenger (Mercenaries)
- Stealth Tactics
- Strength in Numbers
- Tough Luck
- Veteran Instincts
- Wild Attack
- Worth Every Credit (Mercenaries)
One thought on “New Orders: Building Your Command Deck”
This is great stuff! Definitely needs to be updated with new wookie and creature traits/cards