General Strategy

Get the best out of your LSWB experience by following these general tips and guidelines as you play. Good luck, commander!

## New to the Game?

There are some helpful tips on the Wiki FAQ page for getting the best start to Lego Star Wars Battles. Go check it out!

## Game Etiquette

Due to the current structure in the game, it is likely that high-level players will be paired with players who have lower-level units. If you are a player with lower-level units, do not take personally the defeat. (Read "trophy dropping and its impact".) Learn from your mistakes and try to do better next match. For higher-level players, be considerate of your emote usage and how it may come across to players with lower levels. (Read about emote etiquette.) ***As much as possible, be courteous of your fellow battlers by respecting them.*** This game is not about getting high trophy numbers, it is about boosting scans and leveling up units. Emotes can often appear malicious and rude, so be considerate when using them no matter if you have high-level or low-level cards.

## Properly Managing Energy

Battles revolve around . . . energy!

Most units cost 3 to 4 energy and champions cost 5 energy. Having the appropriate amount of energy to counter your opponent's moves is critical for success in a match. Playing units as soon as enough energy is built up allows your opponent to more easily counter your units and dictate the timing of the game.

Cyclability (*adjective*: the ability to cycle through your cards to return to a useful cards for attack our defense) is a huge aspect in a game. There are times where you may get your opposing base within 2-3 bomber strikes from destruction. Being able to cycle those cards before time ends becomes important. Therefore, remember that building towers will gain defensive position but not advance your cycle. Cards that cost more energy do not necessarily mean they will have more health or do more damage. Having a 3.2 deck or less is important because a 3.1 deck will put more units on the field than a 3.5+ deck giving advantage to the faster cycle. Learn about DECKS.

*(Strategy in development)*

## Think about your goal in each match

When you start a new match against another player, what is your goal for that game? Is it to get to their base? Are you trying to get tower win by turtling? Is the goal to simply survive an higher-level opponent and maybe get a tower win? Are you managing trophies and forfeit the game? Do you simply want to prevent a base kill from your opponent? Or are you a fiend and watch the world burn by just annoying your opponent?

Deciding what your strategy is going in will affect how you play. Generally, the best strategy is to set out for a max win (base kill, 5 medals) since this will give you the most rewards (studs, crystals, and faster boost to scans). However this is not possible each game due to a number of factors such as: a skilled opponent, a high-level opponent, your deck, your game strategy, or a turtler. For this reason, your focus may shift throughout the match. Some players feel that they must win at all cost which only matters if: you are climbing trophies for unlocking the next planet, you end up in trophy penalty, or you are aiming for a season-high trophy count. If you are managing trophies (keeping your trophy count around the same amount), then winning every match isn't important and losing a game isn't a huge deal. (Some players are obnoxious and you want to beat them anytime you see them.) Losing a game allows you to get your trophies into a lower range where you will face more similarly leveled opponents more often.

Again, your goal in a match may shift in a match. If you face an higher-level opponent, perhaps you want to challenge your skill and see if you can prevent a base kill. If your opponent is playing strategic enough, you may settle for just enough medals to finish boosting your scan. If your opponent uses spawn towers, you may just seek to keep this opponent to a one tower win and hopefully frustrate them (some clearly have a vendetta against spawn towers). As you play each match, keep your brain on and think about your goal and how it might shift as you think strategically about your unit usage, tower building, and energy management.

*(Strategy in development)*

## Know your counters

Responding effectively and efficiently to opponent's plays is critical to good gameplay. Timing and card cycle are incredibly important to putting yourself in a winning position over your opponent.

*(more needed)*

### Bomber

When using bomber in your deck, it is the worst feeling to try to kill a tower at the end of the game but it is left with 13 HP. By keeping in memory the amount of tower damage (and unit damage) your bomber does will make you much more effective in your energy usage for your bomber. And always great when you can get multiple units and a tower in one shot. Damage values for Y-Wing and TIE Bomber are the same at each level.

### Stun

Seismic can cover a large area and great for taking out Porgs and Ewoks at an even cost. At certain levels, seismic will kill Cassian. However, like bomber, it is important to know how much damage seismic will do and what it will kill. (See the chart on Seismic Charge for the best info.)

Booma Balls are a bit harder to calculate because damage will be determined by the number of balls that strike nearby. A general idea is helpful based on your level to know about what boomers will cover.

## Control the middle

The middle tower positioning is the most important in the game.

*(more info needed)*

## Building towers isn't always the answer

Towers are good defensive units that can help slow down or stop your opponent from destroying your base. However, towers are an energy suck and should only be built for intentional strategic purposes.

*(Strategy in development)*

## Where Possible, Avoid an Opposing Forward Tower

A forward tower allows you or your opponent to drop units directly onto the base and opens up the entire field as a deploy area. Preventing a forward tower is key and taking one down as fast as possible will prevent more damage on your base.

*(Strategy in development)*

## Upgrade and spend carefully

Studs, and Crystals especially, take a while to gain and should be used carefully, especially in the early game. Check out their pages for more information for utilizing those resources effectively.

## Keep on Playing!

This game is about longevity. There may be times where you get bogged down by facing opponents that have higher levels than you but the only way to advance is to keep playing consistently. If you get too frustrated, allow yourself to drop down trophies where you can acquire more scans/resources to level up and move to higher trophies again. Keep opening scans, keep saving crystals for champion tokens, and keep on battling. It turns into an endurance game, so take breaks where needed to come back and put in the time. Good luck out there!