Scene to Stats: Darth Vader & Veers

“Anakin is gone. I am what remains.”

– Darth Vader, to Obi-Wan Kenobi

The Galactic Empire rules the galaxy through fear. When systems dare step out of line, it responds with force: legions of Stormtroopers led by its most ruthless enforcers. Darth Vader, the Sith Lord responsible for hunting down and destroying the Jedi Order, is often known to attend conflicts in person, lending his imposing presence and wielding his Force mastery to terrify both foe and Imperial alike. One such deployment was the Battle of Hoth, where Blizzard Force, led by General Veers, swiftly and decisively ambushed the Rebel cell responsible for destroying the first Death Star. Read on for more in today’s Scene to Stats, where we explore the latest card and tactics for these classic Star Wars: Legion characters, featured in the Commander Darth Vader and General Veers Character Expansion!

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith has seen a number of changes since his first appearance in the original Star Wars: Legion core set released in 2018, all enhancing his presence on the tabletop, and all reflected on his newest Unit Card. Unique to this appearance of Darth Vader, the Compel keyword ensures the Empire’s legions will not falter in the face of their enemy, and this keyword pairs naturally with his null Courage value to ensure friendly units within Range 3 of Darth Vader never Panic, no matter how many Suppression tokens they suffer from enemy – or allied! – effects. This combination keeps an army led by Darth Vader brutally on-task to contest objectives and snatch victory from those who would dare oppose them. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith is one of the most resilient characters in Star Wars: Legion, sporting a mighty Wounds threshold of 8, on top of keywords common to Force users such as Deflect and Immune: Pierce.

This version of Darth Vader excels at the head of a grand army of Corps units to maximize his Compel  keyword, overpowering their enemy with terrifying Imperial efficiency. While his plodding but determined Speed of 1 may on its face limit his capability to get to grips with his foe, upgrade cards such as Force Push and Burst of Speed may be equipped to offset this limitation, not to mention his Command Cards which follow!

Darth Vader, The Emperor’s Apprentice allows players to field Darth Vader as an Operative unit in their armies. This version of Darth Vader is swifter and more flexible on the tabletop; Speed 2, Relentless and Scatter  – on his Force Throw attack – all combine to provide Darth Vader unparalleled options during each of his Activations, before even considering the many Command Cards and Force upgrade cards available to him. The Jedi Hunter unit keyword grants Darth Vader the ability to convert any and all attack Surge results to Critical results when attacking other units with Force upgrades on their upgrade bar, making him more dangerous than ever when facing a Jedi fugitive or an old master.

This version of Darth Vader is best used as a scalpel into the enemy army, targeting their most dangerous units – preferably, Force users! – and eliminating them. Notably, he has access to all of the same Command Cards, but as an Operative unit you will need at least one Commander to lead your forces, loath as Vader is to accept orders from anyone else!

Including either version of Darth Vader in your Galactic Empire army comes with it access to his fearsome arsenal of Command Cards. Implacable allows Darth Vader to Activate two times in a single Round; while the second Activation is with one fewer action, his Relentless  keyword ensures it will be impactful nonetheless. New Ways to Motivate Them can give your units an exceedingly rare and powerful additional action during their Activation at the cost of suffering 1 Wound. This 1 Wound is a small price to pay for units with ample Wounds to spare, be they resilient Dewback Riders or large units of Stormtroopers with the Stormtrooper Squad Upgrade Card. Master of Evil is best used when Darth Vader has come to grips with his foe, surrounded by enemy units to maximize the Suppression tokens it deals out; a well-timed application of this Command Card can swing a game of Bring Them to Heel in a single Activation!

Vader’s Might allows Darth Vader to move an entire enemy unit across the battlefield; when combined with an ability such as Force Push the Sith Lord can reshape the landscape of the battle to his will. When cornered by the foe, perhaps immediately following a Round of Master of Evil, Vader can play Fear and Dead Men to ensure every Wound he suffers is a Wound upon his adversaries as well. Darkness Descends provides Vader a unique decision during Setup: he may Divulge the Command Card to gain Infiltrate, enhancing his speed and flexibility, or play it during the game to gain Reliable 2, making him considerably more resilient to damage. Players must weigh the battlefield, the mission, which version of Darth Vader they are playing, and his equipped Upgrade Cards among many other variables when deciding how to best employ this card!

The ground attack at Hoth was a flawless execution of the Galactic Empire’s military playbook: its mechanized elements working in tandem with Snowtrooper & Stormtrooper infantry to rapidly rout an otherwise deeply entrenched foe. The orchestrator of this victory was General Maximillian Veers, who personally oversaw the ground assault from the cockpit of the AT-AT, Blizzard 1.

General Veers was one of the first characters introduced to Star Wars: Legion, part of its first wave of releases in 2018; he returns with a refreshed Unit Card that fully realizes his talents as general within the Galactic Empire. The Guidance: Ground Vehicle action allows him to grant an action to a nearby friendly Ground Vehicle, further bolstering the fearsome war machine of the Empire such as the AT-ST with a free Move or Standby. The Exemplar keyword enable him to share Aim and Dodge tokens with friendly units, allowing Trooper and Vehicle alike to benefit from his ample tokens granted by effects such as Spotter 2.

General Veers’s diverse approach to warfare is encapsulated within his set of Command Cards. The Maximum Firepower card allows Veers to request a long-range bombardment from nearby Imperial forces; this powerful attack pairs nicely with Veers’s Sharpshooter 1. The Evasive Maneuvers Command Card has been improved by granting Nimble to affected friendly Vehicles, enabling them to push ever deeper into enemy lines safe with the knowledge their Dodge token will last to weaken the effects of enemy weapons even with the Impact X keyword. Imperial Discipline allows ordered units to perform a free Recover action, readying any of their exhausted Upgrade Cards and clearing all of their suppression to press the attack.

Bring a swift end to the Rebellion with the Commander Darth Vader and General Veers Character Expansion! Pre-order your copy today through the webstore or by visiting your friendly local game store. Stay tuned for more entries in Scene to Stats, as we explore updated miniatures and cards for all of your favorite Star Wars: Legion characters, and some new ones too!

Until then,

Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off.