“You have something I want. You may think you know what you are in possession of, but you do not.”
This was Star Wars fans’ introduction to one of the most entertaining new villains of the Disney era: Moff Gideon, ISB officer, ruler of Mandalore, and warlord over a remnant of the Empire. From the moment he stepped down from his custom TIE Fighter, we were enthralled by the Moff’s cool yet incredibly threatening aura and his utter confidence that no matter the situation, he had the greatest knowledge and could turn that knowledge into victory. We on the Steering Committee are proud to announce that we are bringing this badass villain to Imperial Assault in Season 6 of the IA Continuity Project!
A Plan for Everything
In bringing Moff Gideon to IA, we have done our best to capture his essence and flavor in a deployment card. It is clear from The Mandalorian that Moff Gideon is nothing if not focused: once he sets his mind to a task, he will concentrate on achieving it until he or his adversaries win. This is shown both in his ability to surge for a focus and in his Expendable Allies ability, which allows him to sacrifice one of his “allies” to bring himself closer to victory. Meanwhile, his Spoils of Mandalore ability allows Moff Gideon to showcase his greatest trophy: The Darksaber. When wielding the Weapon of the Ancients, Moff Gideon is capable of both dealing and taking more damage, especially when he is focused by his own ability or by an Inspiring Speech.
Finally, Moff Gideon shows off his ability to exploit his knowledge of his opponent’s plan with the ISB Intel ability! With just a little foreknowledge, Moff Gideon can cripple his opponent’s plans and keep their most powerful tricks from seeing the light of day. The hard part, though, is gaining that knowledge…
Knowledge is Power
There are already numerous ways for you (and the Moff) to learn what cards your opponent is holding. Currently, the most popular is Intelligence Leak, but in an Imperial Spy list you can also Collect Intel or use Agent Blaise to Interrogate an opponent’s figure (or a hapless door…). However, all of these spy tricks pale in comparison to the Moff’s own command card:
With I Know Everything, Moff Gideon can learn not only what is in his opponent’s hand but also what is in their command deck! On top of all this knowledge, he also has the ability to delay his opponent’s wiliest tricks until the very end of the game by exiling their best card to the bottom of the deck. Han Solo becomes much less frightening when his On the Lam is… uh… on the lam, and enemy Guardians are much less stalwart when their Iron Will is nowhere to be found…
The best part is that I Know Everything and ISB Intel both activate at the start of the round. This means that not only will you get a good look at your opponent’s hand before you discard your opponent’s card (ensuring you hit the right card), but that you will be able to know what other tricks they will have this round.
Taken together, Moff Gideon and I Know Everything will bring the Empire the intelligence advantage it needs to prevail against the Rebel terrorists and the lawless Scum that have overtaken the Galaxy in the years since the Emperor’s death…