Smuggling the Goods

Just a few weeks ago, we provided a first look at Shadows of the Galaxy, the second set of Star Wars™: Unlimited. In that first look, we showed off some cards from the upcoming Shadows of the Galaxy Two-Player Starter, and we also previewed two of the new mechanics introduced as part of this set. Today, we’d like to take a look at the set’s third new mechanic: a brand-new keyword, Smuggle!

If a card you previously resourced has the Smuggle keyword, it allows you to play that card by paying its smuggle cost. The keyword always comes paired with a cost (including aspect icons), which is usually different than the normal cost (oftentimes slightly more). When you play a card using Smuggle, you immediately put the top card of your deck into play as a resource (exhausted) to replace it. Keep in mind, the Smuggle card stays as a resource until the moment you play it, so you can always use the card to help pay for its own smuggle cost!

There are all sorts of applications to this ability. First and foremost, the ability allows you to “store” an otherwise too expensive card for later, such as the case with the Vigilant Pursuit Craft (Shadows of the Galaxy, 65). In the early game, you may not need a Sentinel unit in space right away, so you can resource the ship without worry. Later, as the battle grows more intense, if you find yourself needing a Sentinel unit to defend the space arena, you can Smuggle the Pursuit Craft into play!

Many cards like the Vigilant Pursuit Craft use Smuggle as a “bonus feature,” an alternate way to get the card into play. Many other cards, however, gain additional power or abilities when smuggled into play. For example, the Privateer Crew (Shadows of the Galaxy, 113) is normally just a 2 power, 2 HP unit with no additional abilities. However, if you play it using Smuggle, it comes into play with 3 Experience tokens, making it a 5/5 unit instead!

Units aren’t the only cards that can have the Smuggle keyword. Some events have it as well, such as Timely Intervention (Shadows of the Galaxy, 129), which lets you give a unit in your hand Ambush for the phase. There are upgrades with it as well, such as the Hotshot DL-44 Blaster (Shadows of the Galaxy, 174), which also demonstrates another interesting feature about Smuggle: sometimes, the smuggle cost uses different aspects than the card’s normal cost! In the case of the Blaster, it is normally an Aggression card, but if you play it using Smuggle, it becomes a Cunning card instead. This means you could play it in a Cunning deck with Vigilance or Command as your other primary aspect, and you won’t have to pay the aspect penalty so long as you smuggle it in!

The Smuggle keyword opens up all sorts of new strategies and options for both deckbuilding and gameplay in Star Wars: Unlimited. That said, we’ve only just scratched the surface of what Shadows of the Galaxy brings to the table. Look forward in the coming weeks for more previews, discussions, card spoilers, and more!