The time has come! Granted, it really hasn't been THAT long since the last points and errata changes (December of 2022). These points were clearly targeted to eradicate the boogeymen that were Darktroopers and Blizzard Force, specifically the variant with quad-bikes and Operative Vader. Along the way, units in every army received love in the form of points reductions, some bigger than others. In this article, we will take a deeper look at these adjustments and give you our thoughts.... Goldilocks style.
Having just seen Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (an incredible movie, 10/10 would recommend) which contained Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, I thought it appropriate to use this judging system:
Too Cold - The adjustment wasn't quite enough to help/hamper as much as we believe it needed to be.
Too Hot - The adjustment was more than we expected, or taking a unit that possibly didn't need a change and making it even better.
Juuuuust Right - The adjustment was right on the money, exactly what the player base wanted to see.
Before diving in on these changes, we will unapologetically self-plug ourselves with The Indy Open, this June 16-17th! It's definitely not too late to sign up and join our 6 round swiss tournament that will be the biggest legion event in the state of Indiana since Gencon 2022. Our prize support will be AWESOME!! If you're interested, learn more here.
Shadow Collective
Gar Saxon -5, Mandalorian Super Commandos -5, Mandalorian Gunslinger & Marksman -2
The Shadow Collective's "Mauldalorians" received some love this update with meaningful cuts. Saxon's 5 point reduction is nice and his Mandalorian allies are seeing a net of a 7 point decrease (unless you're taking Rook Kast or the generic body, where the decrease is merely 5 points). I don't foresee these cuts skyrocketing the stock in these units, but it definitely gives them extra room when it comes to list building they desperately needed.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Black Sun Enforcers +2, Mag Det Enforcer +2
The Black Sun Enforcers saw a small point hike in the form of 2 points, and their inexpensive Mag Det heavy weapon saw an increase of 2 points as well for a net 4 point increase. For lists taking 1-2 units of Black Sun Enforcers with the Mag Det, this won't drastically alter the list. This change seemed more targeted at lists looking to spam multiple units of Black Sun Enforcers, which is where they truly were problematic from a gameplay perspective (see Lyla Claire's runner-up list from Worlds 2023). Black Sun Enforcers are crazy efficient on both offense and defense and needed to see some sort of change to slow them down. This keeps Black Suns just as easy to splash in lists and limits their spam-ability. Overall, a great change.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Swoop Bike Riders -5
Swoops have been seen as the bottom of the food chain when one thinks about speeder units. Now, at 65 points, I think these units bring great value to the table. Harassing units for this cheap (that can throw a shocking number of dice, too) can prove to be very viable. Some harassment teams with Swoops and AA5 trucks has already seen some success, so maybe the added 15 points to those lists can make them even more competitive? We shall see.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Glaring Omissions: None
One could argue I could have put Maul on here for issues we will later discuss, but I still think "Lord Maul" is plenty viable. Every unit that needed help or tuning received attention, which was great to see. As to if the attention was enough, only time will tell.
Galactic Republic
Clone Captain Rex -5, Padme Amidala -5
Rex and Padme saw some needed love. Rex has been on the receiving end of the nerf stick seemingly since his release. I would personally have liked to see this change at -10, but -5 points is a good start. Padme has also been on the receiving end of some nerfs recently, with Exemplar losing the ability to share Standby tokens upon the release of the Core Rulebook in January. Without Standby sharing, she was a little over costed to simply function as a token battery. Hopefully these trims bring these two back into more lists.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
ISP Twin Beam Cannon, Missile Pods and Blaster Cannons -15 each
This is exactly what the ISP needed to see play. The preorder blurb accompanying this unit's release described it being able to "punch far above its own weight," which could not have been further from the truth. It was intended to see play supported by Phase 1 & 2 clones using Fire Support, but at 105 points it was simply priced off the table. At 90 points, this will be a very annoying piece of armor that can zip around the table (don't forget the speed 3 AND the ability to strafe) and put out a considerable amount of offense.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
LAAT Patrol Transport -5, Gnasp Gunner -10
In Republic, what are you transporting? If you transport a Jedi, you lose out on their support abilities. Wookiees are too highly costed at the moment to validate combining with LAATs, even with the extra 5 point cut. The newly cheapened ISP is competing in the same slot with the LAAT at 10 points less, which means this unit will rarely see play, if ever. The Gnasp Gunner received a 10 point redux, which seems really great until you look at the Fluttercraft's card again. Only 6 health with white saves and damaging at 3 wounds? Now, there is possibly some validity with using these Gnasp Gunners to enter Range 3, reposition, shoot, then fly back out of range, but the moment this unit takes incoming shots it will get chopped to bits. For your money, BARCs still seem like the go-to Support unit in this faction for a whopping 15 points less.
Verdict: Too Cold
Saber Tank -10, Saber Tank Beam Cannon Turret -15
The TX-130 Saber Tank went from a bit of an afterthought to now a real competitive chess piece. The 10 point drop was very fair considering its lack of table time, but the Beam Cannon Turret (which just feels like a stupid name, doesn't it? I digress) receiving a 15 point cut turns it into a very interesting option. The native weapon combined with the bEaM cAnNoN tUrReT makes this unit's Range 4 dice pool: 4 red, 2 black and 2 white with Critical 1 and Impact 2 with the prospect of an extra 2 red dice beam attacks. That feels like great value at long range, and adding Linked Targeting Array makes the tank come in at only 180 points. With Commander Cody now in the mix, this could prove to be a very interesting option for a long-range kill team. Don't forget that R2-D2 can repair 4 wounds off this thing and this tank natively has Outmaneuver, giving you amazing defensive tech options.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right, but teetering on Hot
ARC Troopers (Full Team) -6
Here comes the 501st Battleforce storming into the mix. I don't see this change really affecting full ARC squad's playability outside of the Battleforce, but it makes them really interesting in the 501st. We already saw from Mike Berry (Dashz#5524 on TLD) at LVO this year that the 501st has some legs, and now this list is giving back somewhere between 12-18 points for you to play with. That could be an extra training slot on Anakin, or maybe an extra medic in your corps, all of which could be extremely relevant when in a game. ARCs will probably always have the "Mando" problem of being priced too high due to their defensive save potential, but the 501st may have enough tools to utilize the best of ARC teams to make them viable.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Glaring Omissions: Anakin Skywalker, Wookiees (ranged and melee), Obi-Wan Kenobi, ATRT's
It seems that the Galactic Republic will live and die through Anakin Skywalker for the foreseeable future. He seemed to be in every competitive iteration of a GAR list for the past 6 months, and I don't think this will change any time soon. I would've liked to see Anakin raised around 5 points simply to force some extra decision making when building a list. Comparing Anakin to Obi-Wan almost seems laughable, as Anakin is 15 points cheaper with better supporting tech for his army and has a higher damage output. "Hello There" is a great command card, but otherwise Obi-Wan feels very behind the curve for what we expect to see out of a Force user. Giving him a keyword like Defend 1 or simply an extra wound would've done a lot to round out his kit. ATRT's have been cut down at the knees by the anti-armor meta we have been living in (and presumably will continue to reside in). The unit is simply overshadowed by its competing Support unit options and doesn't seem to have much viability at its current cost. Wookiees also feel behind the times, with growing dice pools and the changes to Scale hampering their playability. Seeing a slight point drop with them would've helped them considerably to get back on the tabletop, as they are some of the coolest looking models released for Star Wars: Legion to date.
Separatists (CiS)
Dooku -10, Super Tactical Droid -5
These cuts didn't feel all too impactful but do help in the grand scheme. Dooku was previously in an okay spot competitively, probably sitting around the middle of the curve. The 10 point drop is obviously great, but the Force Choke change (to be discussed later) significantly hampered his kit. He was an incredible scalpel that could bury himself and wreak havoc for your opponent. I would consider putting Force Barrier on him going forward in choke's spot in an effort to get full utility out of Master of the Force 2. The "generic" Super Tactical Droid was clearly overshadowed by the other 2 droids that came in the same box, so reducing its cost by 5 creates a 10 point gap between the generic and the named Super Tactical Droids. That creates a lot more interesting list building situations for him to be added to your army. Don't forget, he's still the only Super Tactical Droid of the 3 to have both Direct and Strategize...
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
BX Commando Droids (Full Team) -4, BX Commando Droid Deflector Shields -8
BX Commando Droids, both the full team and the Strike Team, have struggled to see the table for significant time. I don't see these changes moving the needle on that whatsoever. For context, a full team of Rebel Commandos is 48 points while a full team of BX Commandos are now 64 points. BX Commandos do not feel 16 points better than the Rebel Commandos. I think doubling their point decrease and making it 8 points would've been my choice, but even then I have doubts that would make BX Commandos worth their cost. The shields are now comparable in price to Mandalorian Super Commando Shields, but their ability to refresh make them much better, but the unit they're attached to still has too many problems for this change to really matter. Maybe with some more aggressive point deductions, BX Commandos will see the table again. For now, just take a Magnaguard squad instead for almost the same points.
Verdict: Too Cold
General Grievous -5, DT-57 Annihilator Pistol -8
A net reduction of 13 points here for General Grievous, and I still don't see him getting played. His issues are entirely structural, and the fact that he continues to just get reduced time and time again is a shame for such an iconic character. I hope this doesn't get to the point where he is 130-140 points, because he should be menacing and seen as one of the most dangerous characters in all of Star Wars with a point cost reflective of that.
Verdict: Too Cold
Droidekas -5
The most disheartening thing about Monday was seeing this unit merely be cut 5 points. One of the coolest units in the game, simply to collect dust on shelves for another year. When these guys get Surge: Hit/Crit, call me.
Verdict: Left in the Freezer
Glaring Omissions: AAT Battle Tank, B2s
"Glaring omissions" might be extreme wordage when discussing these units, but I believe they're omissions nonetheless. I believe that B2s are struggling to see the table due to their incredibly high cost, and shaving a couple points would've helped. I also believe the AAT's value has consistently sunk the past 6 months. Its dice pool for the points you're paying, while consistent, feel too low and wont force enough saves in the meta going forward. Barrage has aged like cheese left on the counter to mold and seeing the AAT's unit release counterpart (Saber tank) receive so much love makes me think that this could've seen a small drop.
Rebels
Mandalorian Resistance -4, Clan Wren -4, Tristen Wren -4, Ursa Wren -4, Jetpack Rocket -3, Beskad Duelist -4
Rebel Mandalorians seeing love is a sight for sore eyes. These units have been underperforming since before the last update. A net reduction of 12 (15 if you used rockets on them) for Clan Wren is great, and they will definitely see an uptick in play in conjunction with Sabine Wren. Their Retinue with Sabine allows for them to have really great defensive tech with access to a free dodge at the start of every round, and the unit has the ability to punch fairly hard. They will be a good budget-buy for people looking for a well rounded unit while playing Sabine. A net reduction of 11 (4 for the unit and Duelist, 3 for the rockets) for the Mandalorian Resistance is really good, putting them at 97 points with the Duelist and the rockets. I still think the unit feels a bit over costed, but we are definitely moving in the right direction. Thinking this unit was 108 points a week ago makes me laugh.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Lando Calrissian -10, Leia Organa -5
A couple classic heroes see some love from AMG, and both are welcome changes. Leia was presumably going to see an uptick in play with the release of Wicket in July, and the extra 5 points is nice for her to utilize. Lando is the one most benefitted here, as his new price of 95 points is outstanding value. He brings decent damage and is somewhat defensive, but his ability to bring along 3 extra command cards to your hand can be invaluable. In lists with Cassian or Boba (or both), he can solve your command hand clutter issues and let you bring all of the cards you want to the table. Expect to see Lando being played a lot by your local Rebel enthusiasts.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Commander Luke Skywalker -10, Tauntaun Riders -5
Commander Luke has arguably been the worst Force user in the game, and this 10 point reduction is now getting him closer to a point where he is worth his cost. 150 ties him with Asajj Ventress for the cheapest Force user in the game, and that feels about right for what he brings to the table. AMG can probably go 5-10 points further down on Luke, but we need to see if he is good now before thinking any further. Tauntauns have seen a comedic rise and fall in price, landing themselves back at their originally printed price years after their release. While Tauntauns have not had the highest performance results the last couple of years, they are still a very effective unit that, when run in high numbers, can prove to be very dangerous. I believe we will see both Commander Luke and Tauns played in Echo Base Defenders in the coming months, as the list can be a very good aggro-oriented hit-and-run team.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Cassian's A200 Config -10
The biggest shock of the points document for me was seeing Cassian effectively get a 10 point reduction. Cassian was already seen by many in the community as one of, if not the best, Rebel commander for his point cost. He lacks a command upgrade slot, but it's hard to argue against anything else in his kit. He brings great damage that counters dodge spam lists and can actually fight effectively into armor. Cassian brings 3 very good command cards with him and access to K-2SO, whom is an excellent character choice considering they have Teamwork with each other. While I like the direction AMG is going by making all of the armament upgrades cheaper/free for units, I feel like Cassian was one of the few that didn't necessarily need his armament to decrease because it was already effective. Expect to see Cassian in a lot of competitive Rebel lists going forward, as it's hard to argue for anyone else in his slot at this point in time.
Verdict: Too Hot
X-34 Landspeeder Mark II Medium Blaster & RPS-6 Gunner -5, M-45 Ion Blaster -6
If you have ever played against or talked to members of the Indianapolis Garrison, you'll know our undying affection for the Landspeeder and how we feel that it is undervalued. Without using personal bias, I feel as though the Landspeeder has been written off as only a way to deliver R2-D2 in combination with the Shriv pilot. People have not used the Landspeeder's potential as a gun platform in conjunction with the Unstable R5 Astromech nearly enough. Hopefully these point cuts open people's eyes to the Landspeeder's potential for damage output. The unit is still very susceptible to incoming anti-armor shots, but good piloting can make this unit an absolute nightmare for your opponent. Do not underestimate the firepower of these things.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
SX-21 Trooper -2
This feels like a missed opportunity to adjust all of the Rebel Trooper heavy weapons. Rebel Troopers simply do not have the offensive output to keep up in today's Legion games, and a cut to ALL of the heavies seemed appropriate. The SX-21 is not a very good heavy (don't let Adam Slaber, SpikedApples#9509 on TLD, convince you otherwise), and decreasing its points feels rather useless and honestly comes off that AMG missed the point (pun intended) with the rest of the Rebel Trooper heavies.
Verdict: Too Cold
Glaring Omissions: Help for Rebel Troopers, Wookiees (ranged and melee), MPL-57 Barrage Fleet Trooper, Din Djarin & Grogu, Pathfinders, ATRT's, Operative Luke Skywalker
Besides every unit I listed above, the changes were great!
Kidding aside, I love the fact that AMG is focused on taking steps to nerf problem units/armies to create a more balanced game. With that in mind, there are SOOO many units simply not seeing the tabletop that deserve to. We again see Wookiees on here, as both variants in both of their factions are really hurting at the moment. The backbone of every army is the corps, as you are required to take a minimum of 3 of them. Rebel Troopers have neither the offensive nor the defensive acumen to hold their own against any of the other factions, and some help would have gone a long way. I can almost guarantee that no reader knew the name of the other fleet trooper heavy weapon because it is simply that bad, as it has been for nearly 5 years. Din Djarin is a good unit but is rather expensive when comparing him to other Mandalorian heroes. His tiny counterpart, however, is simply one of the cutest and most unplayable characters released. The risk/benefit of taking Grogu is so skewed that I doubt he has seen any play time. Point drops to both of them was more than due. Pathfinders have also been out of the competitive scene for a couple years at this point and are dying for help. ATRT's have been getting absolutely shredded with the new anti-armor meta, undeniably a direct result of Darktrooper's reign of terror. Finally, Operative Luke has seen Force users on the receiving end of recent nerfs and yet remains the most expensive unit in the Rebel army by a considerable margin. Considering that his objective play and defensive abilities in melee have been hampered by recent changes, he deserved to see some love in the form of point reductions similar to what Dooku saw. I will expend on this during my outro, but this points and errata's were just as much about what wasn't affected as what was.
Empire
Agent Kallus -5, Kallus' Bo Rifle -10
Kallus has been overly scrutinized since the day of his release, but originally it was deserved due to his over costed loadout. Kallus has a very nice kit: a good gun, Cunning, Contingencies 2 and the ability to operate equally well as a linebacker unit, holding down the likes of a saber wielder. Now at a super-budget 90 points with his rifle, he adds yet another weapon in the Empire's arsenal of outstanding characters to choose from.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Boba Fett: Infamous Bounty Hunter +10
Boba Fett is roped in with the Empire despite being a merc because... well, that's the only place he can go. Imperial Boba Fett was simply way too good ever since the release of Daimyo Boba. The ability to use the command cards of both models has proved to be incredibly strong. The Empire having access to all 3 of the Daimyo's cards took Imperial Boba from very good to arguably the best model in the game. While more expensive now, he still vies for that title. I don't think we will see any less Boba Fett in Imperial armies; the points will simply be tighter in order to squeeze him in. Hopefully this increase incentivizes people to toy around with double bounty lists that aren't centered around Boba, but I see the dust settling and Boba still standing strong in a couple months.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right, but a little Cold
General Veers -5, E-web Heavy Blaster -5
This feels like a pretty inconsequential change. E-webs still have mechanical issues that will prevent them seeing much table time. While the extra 5 points off of Veers is nice, I don't think his command cards or effect on the board is enough to warrant much excitement. Good changes, though seemingly trivial.
Verdict: Too Cold
Darktroopers Assault Cannon +7, Frag Launcher +5, can no longer use Guardian X on units with the Unstoppable keyword
Here's the first big one. Everyone who has faced Double Darks the past couple months has come out having PTSD from their experience. Double Darks has terrorized boards throughout the world and have forced players to check a box when list building they wouldn't have thought to otherwise: do I have enough impact to even be able to compete with a Double Darktrooper list? Lists that do not tech enough anti-armor into their list simply have no answer for this unit, and it has created situations where the player has no choice but to hide and pray to not get tabled. No one should have to undergo that awful experience. While these points hikes are in the right direction, I'm not sure they are going to be enough to slow down the boulder that is Double Darks. No more using Guardian on Darks is relevant, but lists abusing Royal Guards and Protector were not winning large events anyways, so who knows how effective the tactic really was in a competitive environment. Who knows if the points lost in these Double Darktrooper lists will really take them down the notches needed, but it is at the very least a step in the right direction. I believe their competitiveness will slow enough for them still perform at a high level, but simply not dominate like they were before.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right, but a little Cold
Dewback Flamer and RT-97C -5
All 3 of the Dewback rider upgrades now cost 5 points. While the RT-97C and the flamer deserved to go down, I still don't see them overtaking the T-21. The T-21 can easily force 1-2 saves after cover, while the other options will not be nearly as reliable for pushing through saves. While I think the cuts are good in spirit, I don't see them changing any player's minds, hence not really helping the Dewback in general. I would've rather seen different adjustments for the Dewback as it is struggling to see play at this moment in time.
Verdict: Too Cold
Stormtrooper Heavy Response Unit +10, Operative Darth Vader removed from Blizzard Force
Here's the other meta boogeyman that has been top-tabling tournaments for nearly a year. I was truthfully not expecting to see this change, specifically the one with Operative Vader, but it thematically makes total sense (he should've never been in the Battleforce to begin with). When I initially only saw the HRU's increased by 10 points, I figured that could possibly be enough to hamper the effectiveness of Blizzard Force. Though, after building out some lists, the increase only cut into Blizzard's enormous bid potential. They already had 20+ points of wiggle room, meaning this increase wouldn't cause any sort of sacrifice for the Blizzard player during list building. After then seeing the removal of Operative Vader, that fixed every remaining problem I could see. Commander Vader is still excellent and dramatically undervalued, in my opinion, but Operative Vader took this list over the edge and made it nearly impossible to play against without incredibly calculated tactical planning and maneuvering. Blizzard force still has a number of very competitive builds, ones that I think will be centered around an ATST moving forward, but this will not be the world breaking list it once was. Credit to AMG for keeping this Battle Force very viable while also bringing it back down to where it needed to be.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Glaring Omissions: LAAT, Occupier Tank
Overall, I think the Empire still sits as one of the most competitive factions. I think the LAAT could've gone down as much as 15 points and been fine, as most people simply use it as a transport platform and not as a gunship. The Occupier tank is not a bad unit, per say, but its hardpoints likely could've seen a reduction and no one would've complained about it.
Errata
Here we go.
Reread the errata, because you may have missed it as the change is simply one word. Choke no longer targets a miniature, it targets the unit. This means the opposing player can choose who you choke, which makes total thematic sense....
I think that choke was an amazing upgrade. Was it abusive? Maybe at times during objective play. The ability to forcibly drop an objective was incredibly strong. However, I never saw choke being abusive when used on heavy weapons, merely more of an effective tool for someone spending a minimum of 180 points on a 5-6 health model to make their points back. If the Legion community wants to say that choke was too good at picking off unit leaders when it came to objective play, I think that is a totally fair statement, but why did they remove the fact that you can't target heavies? This errata simply could've read that it cannot target enemy unit leaders. It would've still hampered a lot of what this card once was, not even letting you target units once down to a single model, but it still would've seen play and been useful. Now? This card rarely sees play moving forward. Did I even mention the fact they raised it 5 points too? Oh well, luckily there isn't another unit that's able to do this for a fraction of the cost...
Sure, it's not the exact same, but it kinda is? I don't see why, instead of nerfing potential problem units that could take Force Choke like Shadow Collective Maul or Operative Vader, they completely reworked a card (that was untouched since the original core box, mind you) that has never been considered overly problematic. I am clearly not entirely happy with this change, as you all can likely tell, but we simply have to accept what our Legion overlords deem is best for us.
Verdict: I Don't Wanna Talk About It
Now vehicles don't need to spend 2 actions in order to simply pivot, feels like a great change.
Verdict: Juuuuust Right
Glaring Omissions: The Cover rules
It appears AMG is making us play with the "new" cover rules for a while longer. I'm not sure why, considering the amount of scrutiny AMG received upon its release, the cover rules were not changed in a more appealing way. I wish that the attacker simply picked 1 point on their silhouette and cover was determined from there, rather than checking from EVERY point of the attacker's silhouette. Hopefully they make some change so that units can more easily get out of cover shots. I can't tell you the number of times I have forfeited arguing for cover when a millimeter of my base is obscured by the attacker's toes simply because I didn't want to have to explain to my opponent how the cover rules ACTUALLY are.
Final Takeaways
A new meta is on the horizon, and I am very excited. Through all of the excitement, I find myself feeling as though I am ultimately unsatisfied. Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic to see Blizzard and Darks receive long overdue changes, but I don't truly see many new units jumping into the competitive scene after this update. These adjustments are important for underutilized units to get the love they deserve, almost more importantly than simply nerfing the hotness at that point in time. Seeing some units having gone through 3+ points and errata without seeing extra play time is disheartening. I agree with the idea that errata should be saved for dire situations in an effort to prevent a lot of changes that players may not see since it isn't on the cards, but are the Droideka's and Pathfinder's situations not dire? Sometimes simply shaving some points here-and-there is not the answer. I hope that this lesson is learned for the future and we can use all of our toys, not just the ones AMG wants us to use at that point in time.
The meta will likely shift to Anakin-centric Republic lists and Empire double-bounty lists. Dark side Force users may have finally seen the final nail in their competitive coffin, though they still can be very productive. Rebels will find themselves having more success, but ultimately, I do not see them performing all that much better than what they previously were. Separatists seem like a bit of a wild card, as they may find themselves performing well with units like Magnaguards and E5S B1's with the meta boogeymen now off of the top of the mountain. Darktroopers will still absolutely destroy anyone who is not conditioned to fight against them, though their reduction in defensive tech and point increase can hopefully bring them back to planet Earth, enough to not be considered utterly overpowered.
I know this article was fairly long, but I wanted to touch on every change. Not everyone plays Darktroopers and Blizzard Force, and some of the changes people may deem as small can thoroughly excite others. Adam "The Lists" Slaber hasn't posted a list to our Indianapolis Garrison Discord this past week that doesn't contain at least one SX-21 Rebel Trooper (and trust me, there's a lot of lists), so those people DO exist.
Thank you so much for you time reading, and may the Force be with you!
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