test Armada blog

 

Are tokens becoming more useful?

Ok, so a couple of the previewed Clone Wars cards have a resupply cost, traditionally a token to unexhaust the card, and that got me thinking.  For those hiding under the figurative Armada rocks, the resupply cost is the red bar to the right side of the card.  The red exhaust symbol above it signifies that it exhausts but doesn't refresh.  The icons in the red bar denote what the cost is to refresh the card in the status phase.  In the case of Munitions Resupply, it costs a Con Fire, Eng, or Nav token to refresh this card.  

Con Fire Tokens for all my friends!

There has been some speculation across the varied halls of the Armada network that perhaps other cards could be seeing a similar treatment.  From ECM to the Command Fixing Officers, what if they all cost a token to refresh, so you always got one free use of them, but then had to pay a cost to keep using them.  Might make the Liaison's more useful and maybe ECM less ubiquitous.    

Imagine getting one free use, then costing a token. Am I worth it then?

Or change up how other common cards work.  Perhaps Gunnery Team becomes a non-recurring exhaust that you spend a con fire token to refresh.  Might that make it less common/overpowered on Ravager, ISDs, and Liberties?  Interesting thought but we'll find out soon enough.

Quick! I need a token so I can target both those corvettes next turn too!

Besides these new uses, and some unfounded speculation on the future, there are always many current uses of tokens themselves.  Engine Techs, Fleet Commands, keeping that Nav token in reserve, pushing that extra Squad from Yavaris, etc.

All that to say that command tokens might be getting more useful in Armada 1.5 and perhaps it's time to look at ways already provided to hinder your opponent's opportunity to use said command tokens,

No more Command Tokens for you

The way I see it there are 3 main categories of ways you can remove command tokens or force them to be used for something other than refreshing cards.  The first is probably one of the least common ways I've seen and the Rebels currently have the most reliable way to inflict it though the reveal of Count Dooku for the Separatists certainly can do some work.

Raid

Now using Raid tokens has no direct tangible effect on people being able to refresh upgrades but what they do is apply pressure on a limited resource.  Say the recently revealed Swivel Mount Batteries is on your Acclamator and you have it focused forward to get even more dice into the Droids...

Adding a black at long range certainly sounds fun!

Now imagine your Acclamator  receives a Con Fire Raid token, there will be a choice to be made in the status phase.  If at the end of the turn you realize the enemy has slipped around your flank in this situation, you will definitely want to discard your stored Con Fire Token to ready Swivel Batteries so you don't lose a die out that side arc when you need it next turn.  Ok, that's not a big deal, that's why I tossed a token that way to begin with.  

But now you get to the potentially tough part.  You had a Con Fire dialed up but with the Raid token you won't get to resolve it.  So no extra dice out your side arc to put the final shot into the Hardcell transport.  In this situation you could turn the dial into a token, and then still use Swivel Mount Batteries to give you an extra dice in that arc but it'll come at the cost of other arcs.  Like say you wanted to shoot the flanking Hardcell and the Munificent sitting in your face.  It isn't game breaking by any means but can force/deny some options from your opponent.   

Another example would be Officer Wedge (best pilot in the galaxy!) sitting on a Command Pelta.  He'll want to use that token to give his squadron friends cloak in the squadron phase but it'll cost a token.  

So he'll have to make a choice, burn the token to give some squadrons cloak now, maybe it'll win the game, and is totally worth it.  OR don;t use Wedge so you can use the squadron token to remove the Raid token and enable the Pelta to actually push 3 squadrons next turn.  Again, perhaps not game changing but has the ability to force your opponent to make an interesting choice.  

These are but several examples and currently, there are 3 main players I see for handing our Raid.  One is the brand new baddie for the Separatists and the other two seem to be a good matched pair for the Rebels.  Yes, the Empire has Gauntlets and Saxon but they seem overpriced for their capabilities and Raid has a hard time sticking since a dial can totally clear it.  

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