Mace Windu, CT-411 Commander Ponds and ARF Clone Troopers
Hello there!
This is the series in which we explain how certain units from Star Wars: Shatterpoint work!
Today we will go with the compassionate Jedi Master Mace Windu and his Recon Squad accompanying him, which are included in the This Party’s Over Squad Pack.
Jedi Master Mace Windu
Unit Card
Mace Windu, one of the greatest generals of the Jedi Order and respected member of the Jedi Council, as a part of Star Wars: Shatterpoint is a highly aggressive primary unit, capable of protecting his nearby allies. He is also the first primary unit in the game, who offers only 6SP. However, he’s still a very solid choice for the aggressive squad if you want to try something different than Anakin / Vader.
Rush to Action, his Tactical Ability, increases the mobility of your Strike Team slightly. At the start of Mace Windu activation, he and all characters of the chosen Galactic Republic unit may perform a dash. It’s a very versatile tool to not only close the gap between you and your opponent. It may be also very helpful to take control of objectives or in certain situations even disabling your opponent from performing strong shooting activations by going into engage range with this ability.
If we are talking about the start of his activation, we couldn’t miss Shatterpoint. This ability not only refers to the game’s name but also to a first novel of the Clone Wars series that was about… Mace Windu himself!
Every time you activate Mace Windu using the Shatterpoint Card you will get an opportunity to use a powerful effect, depending on which stance you have active at the moment. If your active stance is Form VII Vaapad (his more aggressive one) you will immediately perform a focus action then get Impact [2] until the end of his activation. However, if your active stance is Jedi Master (control/defensive one) you refresh 2 Force Points and then Mace Windu will Heal [3].
His Reactive Ability, Tempered Aggression, is the only one with the Force Cost. This ability may be a crucial one when pushing out for damage or pushes, as it lets you reroll blank results during attack (but after ALL dice are rolled). However, it is pretty pricey as you need to spend 1 force per dice.
Last ability in his arsenal is This Party’s Over, his Innate Ability. While he’s engaged ALL Galactic Republic characters (including himself) in Range 5 gains Steadfast and Protection. It’s a powerful ability that greatly improves your survivability if you place your forces correctly as well as it helps with securing the objectives.
Stance Card
Form VII Vaapad is a highly aggressive stance. 7 dice, improved to 10 when Mace Windu was activated using a Shatterpoint card, is able to not only deal max of 8-11 damage but also give a full range of conditions. Low amount of defense dice is quite nicely supplemented with an exceptionally good expertise chart.
Jedi Master, as I said before, is more of a control/defensive stance. 8 damage at max is supplemented with up to 3 pushes or 2 pushes, Exposed condition and a Jump. Defensive expertise chart is slightly different too.
CT-411 Commander Ponds
Unit Card
Ponds was a commander of Lightning Squadron – unit of Advanced Recon Force Scout Troopers. In the Star Wars: Shatterpoint he is the first Secondary Unit that has a Point Cost of 3, opening up new Strike Team building options. His abilities reflect his experience in the Mobile Reconnaissance Corps.
Forward Scout lets you deploy at the increased range to reach a better position faster and capture distant objectives. Incoming on the other hand protects your Clone Troopers in range 3 from getting an Exposed condition as long as they have a one or more Hunker token.
Last, but not least, ability is his Tactical one, Charge. At the start of his activation he allows you to move one of your Galactic Republic characters. However, he cannot choose himself.
Stance Card
Superior Recon is a quite simple stance, but hey, what did you expect from a 3-cost unit. He can do max of 6-7 damage, disable your opponent from moving or using combat expertise chart, push or move. Pure simplicity.
ARF Clone Troopers
Unit Card
Oh my gosh, here is where the fun begins. ARF Clone Troopers (Advanced Recon Force Clone Troopers) are one of the best, if not the best, secondary unit in the entire game. With a point cost of 3 we got a unit that should definitely be point cost 4!
They share few abilities with their brothers. Defensive Maneuver let both characters dash, then gain a Hunker token. With a Hunker token you gain access to other two abilities: Brothers in Arms (commonly shared between Clones – they have Steadfast as long as they have a Hunker) and Lay Low.
This last ability increases your survivability, giving you a free expertise result to your defense roll against ranged attacks. Please note that this is an additional result that you add on a separate dice!
Icing on the cake is their last ability, Coordinated Fire: Exposed. This is what makes them the real beasts. Every time your other Galactic Republic unit attacks, if the defender is within Range 5 of the ARFs they will give Exposed token to the defender, disabling its Expertise Chart straight before attack!
Stance Card
Recon Force is another example of the simple Stance Card, but it’s definitely not weak at all. 3-5 damage, supplemented by Pinned and Exposed/Disarmed condition and a Push, may be a pain in the neck for your opponent. However, you’re even more Hunker Token dependent with only a base of 4 defense dice.
In summary, this squad is a must have for every Republic player, as it not only gives you a phenomenal Primary unit in the form of Mace Windu, but also provides you with the best supporting unit you can ever fit in your Galactic Republic Strike Team!
If you want to start your adventure with Star Wars Shatterpoint, check our Shatterpoint Guide!
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