As we approach the release of Shadows of the Galaxy—the exciting second set of Star Wars™: Unlimited—many players may be wondering how they can enhance their decks from the first set with new cards after they become available. In a game of unlimited possibilities such as this one, it’s easy to get lost in the multitude of deckbuilding options, so today we’ve asked some of the Star Wars: Unlimited designers to share some tips and tricks for upgrading your deck with Shadows of the Galaxy cards. Let’s take a look at what they have to say!

Tips from Joe O’Neil

Tip #1: Shadows of the Galaxy comes with a lot of new upgrade synergies. Leaders have a lot of built-in immunity to removal effects, so putting upgrades on your leader is a lot safer than other options and can really maximize their impact.

Tip #2: That said, Rival’s Fall (Shadows of the Galaxy, 79) is an extremely important card to look out for. Don’t put too many eggs in one basket relying solely on your leader, as this card can take even them out!

Tip #3: Bounties are especially fun in Twin Suns. Putting them out on the table can incentivize opponents to go after juicier targets, leaving you safe to plot your next move.

Tip #4: Smuggling can make your resourcing choices a lot easier. If you find that resourcing is always a hard choice, putting some Smuggle cards in your deck can help with that.

Tips from John Leo

Tip #1: Smuggle, smuggle, smuggle! Almost any deck can benefit from the “virtual card advantage” offered by the Smuggle keyword. Simply resource cards with Smuggle as you draw them in the early game, then play them from your resource row for extra value later.

Tip #2: For the Vigilance-Villainous control decks, Pyke Sentinel (Shadows of the Galaxy, 29) is a cheap, efficient Sentinel unit to help protect your base.

Tip #3: Regarding survivability, Shadows of the Galaxy offers a bunch of great ways to recover health from your base. From the humble Moisture Farmer (Shadows of the Galaxy, 55) to the highly efficient Top Target (Shadows of the Galaxy, 71) Bounty, control decks now have access to more powerful options for extending the game.

Tip #4: Consider switching out one of your Twin Suns leaders with a new favorite from Shadows of the Galaxy. There are so many new combinations to explore!

Tips from MJ Cutts:

Tip #1: Token upgrades are still upgrades! When looking at cards in Shadows of the Galaxy that care about upgrades, such as Protector of the Throne (Shadows of the Galaxy, 247), remember that Shield and Experience tokens will also activate those cards’ abilities. Watch out though, because this can be a double-edged sword; if a friendly unit is damaged and loses its Shield, it also loses those abilities.

Tip #2: As our card pool expands, remember to check in on new “double-aspect” cards (cards with two of the same aspect), such as Midnight Repairs (Shadows of the Galaxy, 54). These new cards might help strengthen your existing double-aspect deck, or it could even push that deck in a whole new direction.

Tip #3: New Rebel and Imperial cards in Shadows of the Galaxy can really help expand Spark of Rebellion decks; however, strong Underworld cards from the first set—such as Greedo and Bossk—might have a new typal home in Shadows of the Galaxy as well!

Tip #4: Our new keyword, Bounty, rewards players for defeating certain units. Bounty cards are some of our team’s favorite cards to add to Twin Suns decks for the added negotiation they bring to the table, so I strongly recommend including some the next time you play Twin Suns and see what chaos ensues.

Tip #5: As John mentioned, with the release of Shadows of the Galaxy, there will already be a whopping 306 different leader pairings for Twin Suns! That’s a ton of new options!

Tips from Ryan Serrano:

Tip #1: Capturing is an effective way to remove your enemy’s units from the board, provided you have some durable units of your own. Don’t forget to look at strong Spark of Rebellion cards as potential units that could guard your prisoners!

Tip #2: Don’t sleep on the effectiveness of Tech (Shadows of the Galaxy, 248)! Every one of your resources being playable can mean you suddenly have answers to so many more of your opponent’s threats.

Tip #3: As MJ mentioned, decks that double-up on a single aspect get quite a bit more support in Shadows of the Galaxy. Try building around your favorite aspect and see how it goes!

Tip #4: The Underworld trait is just one trait that gets some more support in Shadows of the Galaxy. Don’t forget about Underworld cards from Spark of Rebellion, like my favorite Pirated Starfighter, which has a perfect home in decks that want to play a lot of Underworld cards.

Unlimited Options to Explore

These tips only scratch the surface of what new possibilities await with Shadows of the Galaxy. We can’t wait to see what new combinations and synergies everyone discovers when the set arrives this summer!