Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Imperial Buying Guide

Once you've gotten a taste for the gameplay of Legion with the Core Set, it's time to start expanding your options so you can play full game of 800 points. If you've decided to support the Galactic Empire and are trying to decide what to get next, then this is the guide you're looking for. You'll find listed here each of the currently released Imperial expansions with a quick description of their contents.

While you may eventually want to collect them all, you should probably start with just a few expansions and build your collection gradually. This will give you a chance to get a feel for what units best match your playstyle, gives you some time to paint your new models as you get them (if you want to paint them at all), and helps to avoid spending too much at once. 

As you decide which expansion boxes to get first, I strongly urge you to prioritize certain types of expansions over others; for a full 800 point army you need at least 1 Commander and 3 Corps units. If you have decided to buy only 1 Core Set, then I recommend including at least 1 Corps unit expansion in your first set of purchases. 

Also, since you are required to have at least 1 Commander unit and can field up to 2 in an 800 point army, I would recommend picking up at least 1 Commander unit expansion. This is one of the most efficient ways to add variety to your list building options, as you will no longer have to include Darth Vader in every single army.

With this in mind, here's a rundown of Imperial expansions:

Commanders

As stated above, standard 800 point armies require 1 or 2 Commander units. Commander expansions include a single unique figure of a Star Wars character, their Unit Card, 3 unique Command Cards, and several upgrade cards. As such, Commander expansions can go a long way toward giving you more options to play with.

General Veers
(for a more detailed look at how General Veers plays in the game, click here)
This expansion includes 1 General Veers mini figure. It also includes 3 Command Cards and 3 upgrade cards.


General Veers is known for his (admittedly brief) scenes in The Empire Strikes Back. As one of the few Imperials shown actually commanding ground troops in the movies, it's no surprise that his is the first Commander Expansion available for the Empire.

In-game he offers a considerably different experience from Darth Vader; he is focused on support more than direct combat and comes at a very low points cost. He is particularly suited for supporting vehicles like the expensive AT-ST. His Command Cards are Maximum Firepower! which allows him to perform a special long range attack; Evasive Maneuvers, which grants 2 vehicles units dodge tokens that can be used to cancel crits; and Imperial Discipline, which lets Veers and 2 other units immediately take a refresh action. His included upgrade cards are Commanding PresenceEsteemed Leader, and Environmental Gear, all of which are also available in the Leia Organa expansion (Rebel).

General Veers is modeled wearing his combat uniform worn during the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. You could conceivably use this figure for a generic high-ranking Imperial officer if you wanted.

At only 80 points, Veers can fit into a lot of different lists and can add of lot of list-building options. He's a particularly great addition if you want to run multiple vehicles in your army.

Pros: Efficient stats and low points cost, good support abilities, decent upgrades, pairs well with vehicles

Cons: No innate defensive abilities and thus can be easily killed

Corps

As stated above, standard 800 point armies require 3 to 6 Corps units. Corps expansions contain several figures, their Unit Card, and several upgrade cards. The Core Set only include 2 Corps units for each side, so you need to make sure you acquire at least 1 more Corps unit beyond this in order to play a standard 800 point game. Because they are a staple, having a greater variety of Corps units can give you freedom to explore different army builds.

Stormptroopers
(for a more detailed look at how Stormtroopers play in the game, click here)
This expansion includes 7 Stormtrooper figures, 2 of which are Heavy Weapon troopers. It also includes 5 upgrade cards (2 of these match the Heavy Weapon minis).


Stormtroopers are fairly well-rounded but tend to lack consistent damage. This shortcoming is made up for with their Heavy Weapons upgrades: the DLT-19 Stormtrooper may be the best all-around Heavy Weapon trooper in the game, substantially increasing its unit's firepower and able to hit targets at range 4; the HH-12 Stormtrooper also reaches out to range 4 and is even more effective against armored units-- however it is more expensive and has some significant drawbacks. Additional upgrades include Stormtrooper (which is restricted to Stormtroopers only), Impact Grenades, and Grappling Hooks (both are also available in the Snowtroopers, Rebel Troopers, and Fleet Troopers expansions).

Stormtroopers are of course one of the hallmarks of the Star Wars franchise. With their prevalence throughout the Star Wars universe and the importance of Corps units in LegionI would recommend considering a box of Stormtroopers as one of your first purchases. Even if you have 2 Core Sets, a fifth unit of Stormtroopers could well be worth it.

Pros: Good Heavy Weapons choices, extremely iconic

Cons: Inconsistent damage without upgrades

Snowtroopers
(for a more detailed look at how Snowtroopers play in the game, click here)
This expansion includes 7 Snowtrooper figures, 2 of which are Heavy Weapon troopers. It also includes 5 upgrade cards (2 of these match the Heavy Weapon minis).



Like Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers are not very reliable at scoring hits. Yet they're more expensive than, and they are one of the slowest units in the game. So why even bother? The answer lies in their powerful Steady keyword. This gives them excellent action economy, allowing them to overcome their weaknesses by aiming, moving, and shooting in the same activation. It also makes them more resistant to the effects of suppression. This makes them play a bit differently from other Corps units and can be leveraged to great effect.

They also distinguish themselves with their own set of Heavy Weapons: the Flametrooper has a very limited range but can devastate large trooper squads; the T-7 Ion Snowtrooper wields an interesting anti-vehicle weapon.

These differences make Snowtroopers a unique addition to your Imperial army despite their statistical similarity to the more standard Stormstroopers. I especially enjoy running a squad with the Flametrooper to relentlessly advance on enemy positions, but personally I hesitate to use them exclusively in a list due to their slow speed and lack of long-range Heavy Weapons.

While they only briefly appear during the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, Snowtroopers are noteworthy for being the first Stormtrooper-variant seen onscreen. I find them even easier to paint than normal Stormtroopers and I quite like some of their poses too.

Pros: Great action economy, Flametrooper offers great anti-infantry potential

Cons: Slow speed, inconsistent damage without upgrades, Heavy Weapons are all short range

Special Forces

You are not required to field any Special Forces units in a standard 800 point game, but they can help diversify your forces, are typically more powerful than Corps units, and tend to have some cool tricks. They're definitely worth a look if you want more infantry troopers.

Scout Troopers
Scout Troopers are expected to release in the third quarter of 2018

Support

You are not required to field any Support units in a standard 800 point game, but they can be powerful and can help diversify your forces.

74-Z Speeder Bikes
(for a more detailed look at how 74-Z Speeder Bikes play in the game, click here)
This expansion includes 2 Speeder Bike minis. It also includes 3 upgrade cards.


The 74-Z Speeder Bikes are an excellent mobile firing platform, great for flanking and chasing down enemy units, even though they only have a single upgrade slot. The expansion comes with Long-Range Comlink (also available with the Core Set as well as the AT-ST, T-47 Airspeeder, and AT-RT expansions) and two copies of Comms Jammer (a single copy is also available with the AT-ST, T-47 Airspeeder, and AT-RT expansions.)

Worth noting is that this expansion offers a different sculpt from the Core Set Speeder Bikes. The driver of the second speeder bike is facing forward with both hands on the controls, pulling one of the control arms back (while the second scout trooper driver in the Core Set is looking back over their shoulder with a blaster pistol extended in one hand.)

The speeder bikes feature prominently in The Return of the Jedi, but even if you are more concerned about game mechanics than big screen appearances the 74-Z Speeder Bikes offer good firepower and can be quite fun to fly into battle.

Pros: Great speed and mobility, good damage

Cons: May require significant practice to use effectively

E-Web Heavy Blaster Team
E-Web Heavy Blaster Team is expected to release in the third quarter of 2018

Heavy

You are not required to field any Heavy units in a standard 800 point game, but they can be quite powerful and can help diversify your forces.

AT-ST
(for a more detailed look at how the AT-ST plays in the game, click here)
This expansion includes 1 AT-ST mini with 3 different weapons attachments. It also includes 6 upgrade cards.


The AT-ST is one of the most expensive units in terms of points, as well as the most expensive expansion to buy. However, I find that you are getting quite a lot for your money. It's an excellent model-- the figure towers above other units on the battlefield, and it can be customized with different poses and weapons attachments. 

It also comes with more upgrade cards than most expansions. This includes 3 Hardpoint upgrades which correspond to its different weapon attachments: the 88 Twin Light Blaster Cannon mostly serves to increase damage and anti-armor capability, the DW-3 Concussion Grenade Launcher boasts the Blast keyword, and the AT-ST Mortar Launcher can hit enemies and suppress troopers from extreme range. Other upgrades the AT-ST comes with are General Weiss, a unique Pilot upgrade that gives makes ground vehicles extra deadly by giving them Arsenal 2 (this stacks with the AT-ST's native Arsenal 2 value, for a total of Arsenal 4), as well as Long-Range Comlink (also available with the Core Set as well as the T-47 Airspeeder, 74-Z Speeder Bikes, and AT-RT expansions) and Comms Jammer (also available with the T-47 Airspeeder, 74-Z Speeder Bikes, and AT-RT expansions.)

As for gameplay, the AT-ST is a solid unit and can do a lot of work-- provided you support it well with your other units. I find it can benefit a lot from General Veers' Spotter keyword and is good for bullying enemy units away from objectives.

In my own opinion, no Imperial Legion collection is complete without an AT-ST. It's big and menacing, and thus an excellent symbol of Imperial might. Not do we get to see multiple AT-STs in The Return of the Jedi, but they also appear in The Empire Strikes Back as well during the Battle of Hoth.

Pros: Good firepower at long range, great survivability, good quality model that looks great on the tabletop or displayed on the shelf

Cons: High points cost makes it harder to fit into some lists

Operatives

You are not required to field any Operative units in a standard 800 point game.

Boba Fett
Boba Fett is expected to release in the third quarter of 2018



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