Emperor Palpatine
Today's review is the scariest piece in the game that will get beaten to death every single time by one Yuuzhan Vong Warrior. The Rebel Storm Emperor Palpatine is one of the most interesting pieces in the game, in part because he's a 40-point piece with zeroes in both Attack and Damage.
The reason to field Palpatine, of course, is that he's the Dark Lord of the Sith, and consequently has some pretty cool Force powers and one terrific Commander Effect.
Force Renewal is one of the Big Powers in this game (along with Accurate Shot and Override). With most Jedi-types, you have a few Force Points, you do some cool stuff with them, and then you're mortal again. If you've got Force Renewal, however, you can reasonably count on having FPs available for the entire fight, no matter how long it goes. This eases any sense of urgency you might have to get in there and make those points matter, while simultaneously giving you a reason to put off the confrontation a little. After all, the more times Palpatine activates before he starts spending Force Points, the more he'll accumulate. Depending on your play style, this might seem like a great advantage or the least fun ever. Both viewpoints are valid.
Force Lightning is a great double-edged sword. It's guaranteed to hit and do a solid 30 damage, but if the Emperor is going mano a mano with a beatstick, he fries himself as well. Try to stay on the offensive with Palpatine, and see if you can nail clusters of enemies, rather than getting based. As discussed in the Nightsister Sith Witch review, Force Lightning is terrific against Bodyguard and Tow Cable-based tactics.
Finally, there's Palpatine's forgotten power: the noble Force Storm. I have never seen this power used in a tournament, though I've counted at least three occasions when it was clearly the player's best option. While it does only 20 damage, it hits everyone adjacent to the Emperor, and it has no possibility of hurting him. Brilliant, but easily overlooked and forgotten.
As good as these abilities are, if this was all Emperor Palpatine had to offer, he'd never get played (at least not at 40 points). Fortunately, he's got one heck of a Commander Effect. It turns out that when he leads them into battle, the Emperor can grant all of his Stormtroopers and AT-STs and black-masked sidekicks the use of his Force Points. With this sort of backup, the low Attack values common to Imperial grunts are less of a hindrance, since they can reroll their attacks, or they can get a speed boost from Move Faster. Naturally, Imperial Force-users can also benefit from this, since they no longer have just one or two uses of their best ability; they have as many as you care to give them.
As befits the guy who tricked a galaxy into making him its absolute ruler, Emperor Palpatine is a great piece whose presence on the battlefield can be felt everywhere your troops are. He does fall apart against Force Immunity, however, so be prepared for that fact and bring other pieces that can kill Thrawn and the Vong.
Overall rating in 100: 4 (at this point level, Palpatine is best used as a Force battery for Vader or a handful of Sith Witches and/or Dark Side Marauders)
Overall rating in 200: 4.5 (here you have more freedom to bring a mixture of troop types; only Droids and Savages won't benefit from Palpatine's presence)
The reason to field Palpatine, of course, is that he's the Dark Lord of the Sith, and consequently has some pretty cool Force powers and one terrific Commander Effect.
Force Renewal is one of the Big Powers in this game (along with Accurate Shot and Override). With most Jedi-types, you have a few Force Points, you do some cool stuff with them, and then you're mortal again. If you've got Force Renewal, however, you can reasonably count on having FPs available for the entire fight, no matter how long it goes. This eases any sense of urgency you might have to get in there and make those points matter, while simultaneously giving you a reason to put off the confrontation a little. After all, the more times Palpatine activates before he starts spending Force Points, the more he'll accumulate. Depending on your play style, this might seem like a great advantage or the least fun ever. Both viewpoints are valid.
Force Lightning is a great double-edged sword. It's guaranteed to hit and do a solid 30 damage, but if the Emperor is going mano a mano with a beatstick, he fries himself as well. Try to stay on the offensive with Palpatine, and see if you can nail clusters of enemies, rather than getting based. As discussed in the Nightsister Sith Witch review, Force Lightning is terrific against Bodyguard and Tow Cable-based tactics.
Finally, there's Palpatine's forgotten power: the noble Force Storm. I have never seen this power used in a tournament, though I've counted at least three occasions when it was clearly the player's best option. While it does only 20 damage, it hits everyone adjacent to the Emperor, and it has no possibility of hurting him. Brilliant, but easily overlooked and forgotten.
As good as these abilities are, if this was all Emperor Palpatine had to offer, he'd never get played (at least not at 40 points). Fortunately, he's got one heck of a Commander Effect. It turns out that when he leads them into battle, the Emperor can grant all of his Stormtroopers and AT-STs and black-masked sidekicks the use of his Force Points. With this sort of backup, the low Attack values common to Imperial grunts are less of a hindrance, since they can reroll their attacks, or they can get a speed boost from Move Faster. Naturally, Imperial Force-users can also benefit from this, since they no longer have just one or two uses of their best ability; they have as many as you care to give them.
As befits the guy who tricked a galaxy into making him its absolute ruler, Emperor Palpatine is a great piece whose presence on the battlefield can be felt everywhere your troops are. He does fall apart against Force Immunity, however, so be prepared for that fact and bring other pieces that can kill Thrawn and the Vong.
Overall rating in 100: 4 (at this point level, Palpatine is best used as a Force battery for Vader or a handful of Sith Witches and/or Dark Side Marauders)
Overall rating in 200: 4.5 (here you have more freedom to bring a mixture of troop types; only Droids and Savages won't benefit from Palpatine's presence)
Labels: Imperial, Rebel Storm, SWM review
posted by Ten-Eyed Man at 4:18 PM
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