Yeah, yeah, I know everyone is using Dodonna these days (how can you not?) but here is my newest 150 I've been trying out. As a San Hill player, I've basically done a piece for piece switch from San Hill to Dodonna with the New Republic having a few more tricks up it's sleeve (and one situational yet very cool trick with a GONK):

Han, GH 50
Mara Jade, Jedi 45
Lando, DS 18
Dodonna 9
Lobot 27
Reinforcements: gambit/activation fodder, and/or a GONK, more on this in a second ~ up to 11 activations.

Map: Deathstar, Mustafar, maybe even Geonosis
Total: 149

Han for Boba, Mara for Aurra, Dodonna for San, Lobot as always. Same strategy as before but with Han's NTMTO and Disruptive, you have the ultimate counter piece with the ultimate activation control piece. Mara is a beast meant for protection and for killing big guns if they get too close (and shooting with cunning if you get the opportunity). Lobot brings in the fodder that will not only give you the activations, but will allow you to run out a free gran or uggy to grab a round of gambit or two. He, as always, is key. Then we have Lando. Lando, who is usually brought in as a bonus with San Hill, is in here permanently, as I like the idea of having the extra shooter always there with the option to bring in a lot of activations rather than the other way around. The decision to relegate him to a reinforcement option over the static build I guess is personal preference. I'd like to hear thoughts on this one. In games I've played, I've been bringing in grans and ugnaughts on maps where I can get into gambit and a bodyguard and ugs vs. Boba, BH.

Now, here is the little gimmick of this squad. In games where I already had my opponent outactivated, I bring in a GONK to use with Han. Assuming Greater Mobile Attack works with Extra Attack like I think it does, the GONK can activate next to Han, and he can mobile out at the end of the round and triple attack. Then if you win initiative, you can do it again with cunning for a potential 90 damage to lead off the round. This is very cool if you can pull it off, again assuming it works like I think it would (I don't see why it wouldn't). There is also the option of putting the GONK and two ugs in the main build in place of Lando so you always have that option, but you can really only really pull it off effectively on some maps which is why I had the GONK as reinforcements.

So I know it's not the most original squad and there are a million Dodonna builds out there now, but I feel the no drawback clause on Dodonna plus the countering of Han gives this squad a small advantage over the traditional San Hill. And of course if you can pull off the GONK with Greater Mobile, that is just priceless. Let me hear your thoughts.

im pretty sure the Gonk Greater Mobile trick works. The squad looks good, good support. However, you'll have to watch out with Mara since she doesnt have evade (no BBSV).

This team has already started to be discused to a great extent. The abity to deal out 180 points of damage one round is awsome but i think a thread has already been started on this one a day or two before the set release.

I posted something somewhat similar right around the day of release. I definitely thinks it's got some potential, but I also think it would struggle to beat the semi-mirror squad of Boba BH, Mara Jade Jedi. That squad will have 2 more activations, and will mean the winner will be 100% dependent on who wins the critical initiative when one Mara is based against the other one.

With Power coupling it says that a character only gains the extra attack while adjacent to the gonk. I dont think you can greater mobile away from the gonk because when you leave the gonk you no longer have the extra attack, right?

Correct, but you can Greater Mobile from one side of the Gonk to the other. It would work the same way as the Gonk and Troop Cart interaction.

So Lobo, would you consider the Boba/Mara incarnation better than the Han GL/Mara? Obviously Boba has a little more staying power and his damage output is more consistant, but in light of the new meta, is the increase in power from Boba worth more than NTMTO and Disruptive? I'm a little torn.

It's really hard to say yet. I'm already starting to feel like the presence of Han GH in the meta at all drives away Thrawn squads even more than it did before. But I don't think we've truly seen the newest versions of B&B yet. Flea's latest SAK at 150 is really great, but it REALLY suffers against Han GH builds, from what I've seen so far. So, at this point, if the GenCon Championships were this coming weekend, I think I'd be pretty hesitant to play a Thrawn squad.

That said, if Han's mere presence drives Thrawn away some, then it's quite possible that you don't actually have to play Han. Just the same way that the existence of the Mustafar map kept a lot of people from playing Nom Bombs at GenCon last year.

Han is certainly an awesome piece, and even compared to Boba BH, he definitely can pack a punch. Like I said, a lot of it is going to simply depend on one critical initiative, and which Mara survives. However, the biggest issue that I see with the build is not the difference between Boba and Han though. It's the inclusion of Lando DS in the base build. I really think the squad should max out the activations first, and then bring in Lando DS through reinforcements if you need it. That's the only way you'd be able to out-activate a San Hill squad, or a lot of Dodonna squads. And that is one of the key strategies to tempo control squads. If you play this squad exactly as posted in the first post, and I play my Boba/Mara/Dodonna build, I will out-activate you, and then you'll immediately be on the defensive from the very beginning of the game.

Excellent post and advice. Thank you.

An interesting idea. I am also a fan of the gonk droid. It will be difficult to move along, but I understand the strategy and I think it could work. A very intersting squad, and a great build.



Try it out and let us know.

Interesting gimmick with the Gonk and Greater Mobile.

I ran a variant of this squad today to win our monthly tournament, after much playtesting that I think works better though.

Han, GH 50
Mara Jade, Jedi 45
Talon Karde 24
Lobot 27
Ugnaught Demolitionist 3
149

Lobot most of the time will bring in BBSV

Depending on when in the game Talon's reserves go off if at all:

early Lando DS
late MTB & 4 Ugos
Gonk if the situation is right in light of new GMA gimmick

Han & Mara really depend on winning initiative to be most effective. An MTB engine would be great but then they would have to win the game all by them selves against a ticking clock which most of the time is too much for them. Talon's Recon, second Disruptive for the squad, and Fringe Reserves 20 with a chance to bring in an MTB engine I think makes it a stronger build.

I tried many options for the other 55 points after Han and Mara. I tried Dodonna, but I found he didn't contribute much to the squad to after the early rounds. I tried Luke FS but Mara had more than enough Force points and needed to reroll very infrequently. The BBSV giving Mara Evade was a nice safety net to extend her gameplay and his twin attack at +10 for 20 when he gets it off proves he is not a complete slouch.