Using the Force
| 01 - Where to Begin 02 - Anatomy of a Card 03 - Space Cards 04 - Ground Cards 05 - Character Cards 06 - Using the Force 07 - Card Abilities and Strategies 08 - Grand Battles 09 - Game Setup 10 - Deck Building |
Just as the Force is central to the Star Wars saga, so is it to the Star Wars TCG. It is in everything, after all! There are two ways that you can use the Force: Jedi Characters and Battle cards.
Jedi Characters include all the good guys-Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda-as well as the bad guys-Darth Sidious and Darth Tyranus. The Attack of the Clones set has a few other Light Side Jedi: Kit Fisto, Shaak Ti, and Plo Koon. You can be sure to find at least one more Dark Jedi-Darth Maul-in this summer's Sith Rising expansion set. Each of these Characters have at least one activated ability that uses the Force, such as, "Pay 1 Force 
Evade 1 (Prevent 1 damage to this Character)." More powerful Jedi have other abilities such as, "Pay 2 Force Obi-Wan gets Critical Hit 2 for this attack (Obi-Wan does 2 more damage if you roll at least one natural six)."
Not all Battle cards require you to pay Force to play them, but most do. Some Battle cards emulate very Jedi-like abilities, such as High-Force Dodge, which prevents 5 damage to a unit of your choice for 5 Force. Many of these types of cards are neutral, so they can be used in both Light Side and Dark Side decks. Some are unique to one side only, building on the nature of that side of the Force. For instance, Strength of Hate ("Pay 2 Force One of your units gets +3 power for this attack.") is a Dark Side card, while Jedi Knight's Deflection ("Pay 6 Force Prevent up to 2 damage to one of your units. That unit may do that much damage to a unit of your choice in the same arena.") is a Light Side card.
You've seen how easy it is to use the Force, but where does this supply of mystical energy come from? The easiest way to gain Force is patience: each turn, you gain 4 Force. Unspent Force from previous turns is saved, giving you the ability to play Battle cards and use card abilities that cost 5 or more Force. Characters such as Yoda and Darth Sidious can increase your Force total. Many Mission cards also increase your Force total, and can even cause your opponent to lose Force.
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