New Orders: Building Your Command Deck

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)