Today on echobase we will be taking a brief look at the Clone Troopers from the surprise release Transformations from FFG. We will not be looking into the plot Send in the Troopers. We will be more focused on the characters in standard play and assessing a few combos. Join us as we dive into a few ideas.

Echo‘s utility is rolling in another character’s character die into the pool. The catch is Echo has to be elite for 11 squad points to guarantee the ability, and you have to control the battlefield to get a second roll in [echo7: plus when the character you pair him with dies, you’re stuffed]. I’m not sure his ability and 11 points for 8 health has much value, unless the other character’s character dice we are rolling in have some punch.

Covert Mission‘s Anakin springs to mind for being a die with a big side, but lets face it, we all roll the 1 melee when activating Ani. Maybe Qui-Gon could be a good alternative: get shield gen going to then actually hit hard with Qui-Gon when he actually activates? Maybe, just maybe. [echo7: I like the idea of Spark of Hope Yoda, as he’s got a beefy die and no blanks, meaning you’re not going to end up with a stranded blank].

As an alternative he could be useful for ramp and resource generation such as rolling in two Satine dice, which will most likely hit focus or resource, netting you a few extra bucks to advance your board state. The cost of 11pts may not be justified for this approach. Right now Echo is an underwhelming character and I’m struggling with finding him a place.

Fives. Oh man. Fives is the stand-out clone for me. Not only in the TV Series when he single-handedly tries to foil the Separatists Order 66 plan [echo7: spoiler alert!] but his Destiny card is pretty good.

Let’s take a look at the first part of his ability – ‘After you activate this Character, roll a Clone Trooper die into your pool, or 2 Clone Trooper dice instead if this character is elite.’ I’d like to focus on this part of his ability because I believe there are a few combo pieces that can make Fives potentially pretty busted.

After activating Fives and rolling in two Clone Trooper dice, we can then exhaust Fateful Companions and pay one resource to roll in two more Clone Trooper dice. Through The Pass has a similar effect, you will be paying the cost of the card to ready Fives, as Fives ability states ‘After you activate this character’.

So, here’s a ridiculous sequencing scenario utilizing these cards that gets 6 Clone Trooper dice into your pool:

Spend 1 resource to play Through The Pass – Activate Fives, Ready Fives, Roll in two Clone Trooper dice. If you control the battlefield you may re-roll those dice up to two times each, or once if you don’t.

Activate Fives – Roll in two Clone Trooper dice. If you control the battlefield you may re-roll those dice upto two times each, or once if you don’t.

Exhaust Fateful Companions to Roll in two Clone Trooper dice. If you control the battlefield you may re-roll those dice up to two times each, or once if you don’t

[echo7: just a quick note about sequencing – if you’re in a tournament, make sure you exhaust Fateful and roll in the next two dice before rerolling the first two you rolled in. If you reroll first, you’re effectively passing on the Fateful trigger, as it entered the queue first]

To evaluate Fives individually he seems broken with these combo pieces. As a bigger picture I don’t know who I’m looking at running him with just yet or the direction of the deck I want to go in, but right now Fives looks great if not broken with the above mentioned cards [echo7: I also like him with Instigate]. First Aid, Riot Shield Field Medic, Naboo Palace Guard all seem to hold a place to keep him alive. Fives is definitely the standout trooper for me.

Moving onto Commander Wolffe, again he has an after ability that combos well with Fateful Companions. Let’s say we have elite Wolffe, Hera, Fives and Fateful Companions. Activate Wolffe spotting 3 unique red Characters, roll in a Clone Trooper die, activate one of your red characters, then spot 3 unique red characters to deal 3 indirect to an opponent. We can then exhaust Fateful to roll in another Clone die, activate another character, and deal an additional 3 indirect. That’s six indirect and two Clone dice off 1 activation.

So here’s the catch with Wolffe, you can only deal the indirect damage if you control the battlefield. There are a few cards out there that can gain you the battlefield. Alternatively his ability to activate another red character gains you speed and may keep your sequencing ahead of your opponent so you may well be claiming out first and controlling the battlefield. Commander Wolffe, you’re decent.

In closing thanks for reading my ramblings and initial ideas, I’m super stoked that Clone Troopers have had some love from this mini-set and I’m elated that FFG have dropped this sweet bombshell on us. Long may it continue.

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