The man who would be Vader. This is a deck I really wanted to get right, in part to make up for the missed opportunities in the prequel trilogy. This is also one I think Craig Van Ness and Rob Daviau really nailed. The Hasbro Anakin deck elegantly portrays the struggle between light and dark (anger and calm) that is going on inside Anakin during Episode II. He dispatches minor characters like they're nothing, is a capable duelist, and Padme is a terrifying shot. To top it off, he falls right in the middle of the set in terms of power level, making for one of my favorite original decks.
Rather than try to compete with the Hasbro original, I opted for an Episode III depiction of the character. Instead of focusing on Anakin's internal conflict, my deck shows Anakin in his Jedi twilight. He can no longer control his rage and ambition and he doesn't care who gets in his way! Feast your eyes on the tragic hero:
Anakin Skywalker – HP 19 – Red Deck – Melee
Padme Amidala – HP 9 – Strong Deck – Ranged
Anakin Skywalker
Lust for Power
A7
All major characters, except Anakin and the defending character, are attacked with this card (now face-up) and may defend normally. If the defender is a minor character, this card is discarded without effect.
Slaughter
Special
All minor characters, except Padme, receive 2 damage.
Greater Than Any Jedi
D3
All players, except you, must choose and discard a major character Power Combat card with a defense value or a major character Basic Combat card with a defense value greater than 1 or reveal a hand containing none.
Vergence in the Force
D8
Until the end of the player controlling the attacking character's next turn, all card effects that include the word "until," except yours, are ignored.
The Chosen One
Special
Choose any teammate. On that teammate's next turn, you move your characters and take 2 actions instead of that teammate. That turn is still considered that teammate's turn. Playing this card does not count as an action. At the beginning of any opponent's turn, you may discard this card. If you do, draw a card.
Padme Amidala
Aggressive Negotiations
A4
Choose any character other than Anakin. Until the end of your next turn, increase the defense values of that character's combat cards by 2.
Queen of The People
A5
Choose any player. Until the end of your next turn, any time that player uses an action to heal a character, he/she may draw 2 cards.
3x Lust for Power
2x Slaughter
2x Greater Than Any Jedi
1x Vergence in the Force
1x The Chosen One
2x Aggressive Negotiations
1x Queen of the People
In an expansion that has really ballooned in complexity, Anakin is a refreshingly simple deck. There aren't really any new mechanics to speak of, with The Chosen One being the only really strange ability. Despite his relative simplicity, however, Anakin is a game-changer in any 2v2 or 3v3 match.
Anakin is a sometimes food. You won't want to throw him into just any match. He needs a teammate who doesn't mind giving him the spotlight and taking a little extra punishment. Support characters like Kyle Katarn and Shaak Ti are natural teammates for the fallen Jedi due to their ability to soak or ignore his Lust for Power. Anakin can also work surprisingly well with other offensive brawler decks like Darth Maul, Quinlan Vos, or (meta) Darth Vader. These characters can engage first, deal their damage, then allow themselves to die and let Anakin clean up in the brief 2v1.
Anakin will perform best against characters who have multiple minors and characters that are hard to reach, since once he hits one major, he also hits the other. Despite using a Red basic deck, Anakin is about as resilient as his black-suited incarnation, with a splash of solid power defense and 19 Wound Points. Anakin players will quickly notice his complete lack of card advantage generators or movement abilities. It's important to bear in mind that Anakin has to get into fights the old-fashioned way, and probably won't be able to do it too early in the game. On the other hand, with Lust for Power, Slaughter, and a lot of Wound Points, Anakin can serve as a decent mid-late bunker buster against decks like Grand Moff Tarkin or Emperor Palpatine.
When playing against Anakin in a 2v2 match, the biggest challenge is deciding whom to focus. If you take down Anakin's teammate early, Anakin enjoys the benefits of Lust for Power and Greater Than Any Jedi without any of the drawbacks. Conversely, if you go after Anakin, you won't necessarily be taking advantage of the extra drain he's putting on his teammate.
I hope you enjoy coming up with new and dangerous teammates for Anakin. Tomorrow's deck will be the final character from the original films. Rush players rejoice, because you're getting another blaster in your arsenal!
Rather than try to compete with the Hasbro original, I opted for an Episode III depiction of the character. Instead of focusing on Anakin's internal conflict, my deck shows Anakin in his Jedi twilight. He can no longer control his rage and ambition and he doesn't care who gets in his way! Feast your eyes on the tragic hero:
Anakin Skywalker – HP 19 – Red Deck – Melee
Padme Amidala – HP 9 – Strong Deck – Ranged
Anakin Skywalker
Lust for Power
A7
All major characters, except Anakin and the defending character, are attacked with this card (now face-up) and may defend normally. If the defender is a minor character, this card is discarded without effect.
Slaughter
Special
All minor characters, except Padme, receive 2 damage.
Greater Than Any Jedi
D3
All players, except you, must choose and discard a major character Power Combat card with a defense value or a major character Basic Combat card with a defense value greater than 1 or reveal a hand containing none.
Vergence in the Force
D8
Until the end of the player controlling the attacking character's next turn, all card effects that include the word "until," except yours, are ignored.
The Chosen One
Special
Choose any teammate. On that teammate's next turn, you move your characters and take 2 actions instead of that teammate. That turn is still considered that teammate's turn. Playing this card does not count as an action. At the beginning of any opponent's turn, you may discard this card. If you do, draw a card.
Padme Amidala
Aggressive Negotiations
A4
Choose any character other than Anakin. Until the end of your next turn, increase the defense values of that character's combat cards by 2.
Queen of The People
A5
Choose any player. Until the end of your next turn, any time that player uses an action to heal a character, he/she may draw 2 cards.
3x Lust for Power
2x Slaughter
2x Greater Than Any Jedi
1x Vergence in the Force
1x The Chosen One
2x Aggressive Negotiations
1x Queen of the People
In an expansion that has really ballooned in complexity, Anakin is a refreshingly simple deck. There aren't really any new mechanics to speak of, with The Chosen One being the only really strange ability. Despite his relative simplicity, however, Anakin is a game-changer in any 2v2 or 3v3 match.
Anakin is a sometimes food. You won't want to throw him into just any match. He needs a teammate who doesn't mind giving him the spotlight and taking a little extra punishment. Support characters like Kyle Katarn and Shaak Ti are natural teammates for the fallen Jedi due to their ability to soak or ignore his Lust for Power. Anakin can also work surprisingly well with other offensive brawler decks like Darth Maul, Quinlan Vos, or (meta) Darth Vader. These characters can engage first, deal their damage, then allow themselves to die and let Anakin clean up in the brief 2v1.
Anakin will perform best against characters who have multiple minors and characters that are hard to reach, since once he hits one major, he also hits the other. Despite using a Red basic deck, Anakin is about as resilient as his black-suited incarnation, with a splash of solid power defense and 19 Wound Points. Anakin players will quickly notice his complete lack of card advantage generators or movement abilities. It's important to bear in mind that Anakin has to get into fights the old-fashioned way, and probably won't be able to do it too early in the game. On the other hand, with Lust for Power, Slaughter, and a lot of Wound Points, Anakin can serve as a decent mid-late bunker buster against decks like Grand Moff Tarkin or Emperor Palpatine.
When playing against Anakin in a 2v2 match, the biggest challenge is deciding whom to focus. If you take down Anakin's teammate early, Anakin enjoys the benefits of Lust for Power and Greater Than Any Jedi without any of the drawbacks. Conversely, if you go after Anakin, you won't necessarily be taking advantage of the extra drain he's putting on his teammate.
I hope you enjoy coming up with new and dangerous teammates for Anakin. Tomorrow's deck will be the final character from the original films. Rush players rejoice, because you're getting another blaster in your arsenal!