Grand Moff Boris wrote:
500 pt. build
Exactly 16 characters on a squad (though you may use Reserves/Reinforcements/etc.)
No more than 3 commanders (meaning characters with the words "Commander Effect" in big letters at the bottom of the stat card)
Gambit bonus (standing in the middle of the map) is worth 25 instead of 5
Interesting, I didn't know it was EXACTLY 16 characters. We've always played with just a 16 character max, and that you can't use Reinforcements to go beyond that limit (although you can use Reserves if it triggers). I thought those were the original rules.
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Since then, there have been some additions, such as the requirement that one piece be an "Epic," and that Gambit scoring be worth 50. These are, for the moment, still just guidelines, but they work to solve a lot of problems with the format. The only character that gets hurt by these guidelines is Epic Vader because it nerfs his Commander Effect, but - again IMO - his CE needed some nerfing.
I'm still a strong proponent of Gambit being 25 points instead of 50. 50 is just way, way too much. That's like it being worth 20 points in a 200 point game; after a few rounds of Gambit, you can avoid killing a good portion of your opponent's squad and still win by hitting the point total. I don't think you should be able to spend 3 rounds in Gambit and then completely forgo killing your opponent's Epic piece and still win.
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Zuckuss + Lord Hoth are the top dog, I agree with that. But there are ways around it. Making "special rules" exceptions about how characters should be treated (ie Bastila/Yammosk counts as a commander) just confuses people, and works anathema to similar concepts. Should characters like Jolee Bindo count as commanders, too?
Yeah, Jolee Bindo totally SHOULD count as a commander IF you us Force Valor. If you already have 3 Commanders on your squad, you may not use Force Valor, because that would give you a 4th Commander. If Jolee uses Force Valor, he now counts as a Commander and not a Follower for all in-game purposes, I think this should follow suit. Honestly I was under the impression that that's how it works anyway (that's how it was played at Coolecticon). The same thing goes with the Yammosk (it GAINS the opponent's CE, which would mean it counts as a Commander, not a Follower). I think Force Abilities should count as CEs for this format also. They work very similarly to CEs anyway, it shouldn't be hard to understand.
I also don't think changes like that confuse people that much; do lots of people get confused that Disintegration doesn't work in Dynamic Duos? Not in my experience, and this is a change basically on that level. A relatively minor change that's easy to remember and is done for balance.
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Frankly, if you don't want a 3-commander limit then I would suggest banning Zuckuss, Boba BH, and Bastila from the format. That's the only other viable option, truthfully. And while I am certainly not advocating that at this stage, it seems to be the direction some people who play the format are headed.
I don't think that's necessary, but should be kept in mind.
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EDIT: When I say "3 commanders," that means only 3 on your squad, not that you bring 7 and pick the 3 effects you want to use each game. That just adds an unnecessary layer of complication to the game, and I don't know where that idea got started but it certainly never came from me.
100% agree.
The problem with the format is that the pieces we have just plain aren't designed to work in it. It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I really like the format, but it just ISN'T balanced, and the more I think about it the more I think that it would take drastic measures to make it so. Banning a few pieces might be the way to go, I'm not sure, but I definitely think something should change. Or not, since it's not a really competitive format anyway, so who cares if it isn't balanced?