So in my last article I talked all about the current characters on the Balance of the Force and that can be found here.  I originally had planned to do both these as 1 article but that would’ve been quite a read.  So here I will talk about potential Balance of the Force candidates and my opinions on if they should be added. 

Snoke, Supreme Leader:

Snoke has completely taken over Destiny.  His low cost allows him to make up many different lists and we have seen that since GenCon all the way through the Nordic nationals.  The question has become, does he need a BoF because of how prevalent he is in the meta?  I mean two points for a second of his dice is insane value.  Now of course there is a argument that, yes Snoke is everywhere but those decks are all vastly different.  Snoke/Aphra/BD is different from Snoke/Bazine/FOST, and Thrawn/Snoke is different from Kylo/Snoke.  All of that is true that he opens up many options but how many other characters is he pushing to the side?  Lets check! 

(All the data we will be using is from YourDestiny so check them out if you haven’t)

GenCon TOp 32 – 8 Snoke Decks – 25%

UK Nationals Top 16 – 6 Snoke Decks – 37%

US Nats Top 32 – 17 Snoke Decks – 53%

Italy Nats Top 8 – 2 Snoke Decks – 25%

Russian Nats Top 8 – 1 Snoke Deck – 12%

Poland Nats Top 16 – 5 Snoke Decks – 31%

Spain Nats Top 16 – 8 Snoke Decks 50%

The order is in chronological progression so we see an increase of Snoke as time goes on.  I was actually a bit surprised to see 8 Snoke decks at GenCon, all I remember is Yoda everywhere.  Some of the nationals were a bit smaller and had some interesting things rise to the top at Russian nats, such as Partisans x3 and a Gungan along with Finn/Maz/LTP.  Wild stuff really.  So in reality we see Snoke pushing usually over 30% per event of putting himself in the top cut and up to 50% at US and Spanish Nats, the two largest nationals to date.  So what do we do? 

Snoke at 13 is straight up pushing out other characters.  Why ever run Pryce?  She was well hyped up until Snoke was spoiled.  There really isn’t a reason to run lower point characters either aside from Talzin who is a consistent character as well.  Sure it is great that characters like Bazine seen play but it also means 13+ characters are not getting played unless they are paired with Snoke.  Even the high costed characters with Snoke have seen limited success such as Cad and Kylo. 

Now of course you can just +1 Snoke and call it a day.  It kills Kylo, Cad, Thrawn, Aphra/BD pairings and forces the FOST to change to a Battle Droid in the Bazine deck.  Sure that would work and opens up the 13 point slot and if that is the route they go would I complain?  Meh.  I would move on and actually try other characters.  There is another option and that is changing his Power Action text.  They did this for Maul’s Saber and it was a great balancing act.  What are some options we could add it to?  Here are a few ideas:

Deal 2 damage to yourself

Have control of the Battlefield

Requires a resource cost

These seem like they could really help bring balance to Snoke’s grip on the meta, while still keeping him powerful.  I did not include changing it to damage only as that really doesn’t change much in decks like Kylo, Cad and Aphra but does kill Thrawn and Bazine.  Cad will miss that 4 discard though. 

Overall I think I lean in changing something.  Seeing well over 30% at several events and 53% at US nats isn’t really something to write home about.  Whether it is a +1 or a change to his PA text is not something I am picky about but would probably prefer a change to his text. 

Yoda, Wizened Master:

Yoda has been a solid force since he was released.  He still wasn’t the big man in charge during Worlds but HonestlySarcastic’s Yoda/Ezra/Pilot deck had a really strong showing that day.  Since then he hasn’t really found a spot except for the famous eYoda/Cassian/Anakin 3 wide mill deck that came around from GenCon.  So I want to look at the stats of how much Yoda has been dominating the meta in the same way we did for Snoke. 

Gencon Top 32 – 13 Yoda Decks – 40%

UK Nats Top 16 – 5 Yoda Decks – 31%

US Nats Top 32 – 5 Yoda Decks – 15%

Italy Nats Top 8 – 3 Yoda Decks – 37%

Russia Nats Top 8 – 2 Yoda Decks – 25%

Poland Nats Top 16 – 1 Yoda Deck – 12%

Spain Nats Top 16 – 4 Yoda Decks – 25%

So Yoda never reaches the heights that Snoke did but certainly came close at GenCon with 40%.  With that I don’t think Yoda has really ever felt quite broken or as overbearing as Snoke has but I think they are similar characters.  If one gets a +1 then I think the other needs to as well.  Snoke not only has a damage side but can increase your other characters damage sides by 2.  Snoke can come out and punch you in the face hard.  Where as Yoda can get net you resources, shields or mill more consistently than Snoke.  This makes Yoda on the back foot at times as it takes him a turn or two to really get going.  I can’t say I have put much thought onto what I would want from Yoda, as I said if he gets a +1 then so should Snoke but I would also rather they change Snoke’s PA more.  So maybe a +1 to both is the only way to keep it completely balanced, that is more me thinking out loud rather than stating a fact. 

Yoda is also pushing out other characters such as Aayla, she has no spot in the meta when Yoda is also 13 points.  I am less concerned about special chaining as a whole either.  So again, Yoda is a great character but isn’t nearly as dominant as Snoke.  I’d be fine if we change Snoke’s PA and leave Yoda for now.  See where that gets us.  Yoda’s best deck was his 3 wide mill and maybe there is another person we can BoF to change that? 

Cassian Andor, Rebellion Operative:

Now Cassian is not oppressive, not even close.  He is a solid character and has really only been in the meta when he is single die with Anakin and Yoda.  So giving him a +1 would be insane in my opinion and killing the Jyn/Cassian deck before we can even see how good it can be.  What we could possibly see is a +1 to his single die cost making him 11/14.  This would end that 3 wide mill as we know it but also keep him at 14 which has shown to be a fair cost.  Is that even necessary?  The 3 wide mill deck hasn’t consistently done well since GenCon. 

Doctor Aphra, Artifact Hunter

I include Aphra because of how good the Snoke Aphra Droid deck is and her name has been brought up a few times.  I think if Snoke gets a change she should be untouched.  I think 11/14 is a fair point cost for her.  Sure she gets better as the awful Awakenings cycle droids rotate out and better ones come into play she will get better but game breaking?  Doubtful.  Anyone who says she 100% will be broken is really just making guesses.  We have no idea what is coming in the sets and how far they will push her if Snoke is balanced.  She will be a solid character I think but not a game breaking one. 

So as we conclude if you want final verdicts so you can yell at me for my opinion this would be it:

Snoke: Deal 1 damage and spend 1 resource to increase by 2

Yoda: Nothing

Cassian: +1 for single die to 11/14

Aphra: Nothing

I want to clarify I have no play-testing or really dug deep into thoughts of what adding a resource to Snoke’s PA does.  Just something to talk about as we wait for AtG. Would it destroy him?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I’d be fine with any of the changes I suggested and maybe even some I didn’t think of. 

Also something to note about the percentages discussed.  This is simply the top cut, I didn’t include the number of players at the event of the number of total Snoke/Yoda decks at those events.  I am not sure if that data even exists out there.  This was really just an entry way for this discussion, not a be-all end-all verdict.  The big 3 of the nationals were US, Spain and UK in that order in terms of attendance. 

I want to hear your thoughts on these characters and if you think they should be changed at all!  As always thanks for checking us out and to all our supporters! 

-JustJack