Certified Guild - Squad Reactions

They have now shown The Mandalorian, Greef Karga, and IG-11. I will talk about how I think they'll all work together and individually. You can still consider this article speculation since everything can be way different on paper than on the table. Eventually, I will be writing Unit Guides on most/all of the units in the game, but that will have to wait until I can get some playtime in with them.

Primary - The Mandalorian

• 8SP - This is not surprising. I am happy that he is an 8 since it allows the rest of his box to be set up in the way that it is. Greef makes sense as a 3 and IG11 makes sense as a 5.
• 3FP - Business as usual. I did sorta half expect him to have a higher than average, simply because he's two characters on one base, but I'm not mad about this.
• 11 Stamina/ 3 Durability - Wow! I was not expecting him to be at 11 Stamina. I figured he would have plenty of defensive abilities and good expertise charts because of Beskar Armor. I am not mad about this at all.

A Clan of Two - This is an Active Ability with a cost of 1 FP. Each character in this unit may [dash]. Then, if all allied units within [range] 2 are Bounty Hunter, Mandalorian, or Scoundrel units, one character in this unit may immediately make a 5 dice attack or may choose an enemy character within [range] 3 and push it [range] 2 away. I love this ability! I am glad that it works if he is alone but I am also glad that it works if he is surrounded by his Scum buddies. This should not be too difficult to pull off whenever you need it. An extra attack is often very good, but the better part, for me, is the push. Movement is and will always be king in this game, and the ability to move your opponent's pieces will remain incredible as well. He also has a reasonable amount of Shoves on his trees which makes this ability even better in my eyes.

Fearless and Inventive - This is a Reactive Ability with a cost of 1 FP. When a character in this unit makes a [melee] attack as part of a combat action, before dice are rolled, this unit may use this ability. Add 2 dice to the attack pool for each enemy character, other than the target, that is not wounded and is engaged with one or more characters in this unit. We have seen this on a few different units already. This is not a bad ability by any means, but I've found it a little bit difficult or clunky to pull off effectively. Sometimes it pops off like four times in one game but sometimes it is never an option. With that said, even the price of 1 FP for +2 dice is only okay, in my opinion. If those two dice will change the game in a major way, then, by all means, pay for them, otherwise I don't feel like it's all that necessary.

Do the Magic Hand Thing - This is a Reactive Ability with no cost. After a [ranged] attack targeting a character in this unit is resolved, this unit may use this ability. If the attack roll contained one or more [failure] results, the attacking unit suffers [damage] [damage]. This is just renamed Deflect. There's nothing different here. Deflect is always good, it's one of those abilities that there is essentially no reason not to use until you're wounded. Once you're wounded, then I might suggest not using it unless it will wound the attacker back. I am a bit sad that he now has two repeated abilities on him, but at least they're decent abilities.

This is the Way - This is an Identity Ability with no cost. When an enemy unit wounds an allied unit, after the effect is resolved, one character in this unit may [heal][heal] and then may [reposition]. Then, each other Bounty Hunter, Mandalorian, and Scoundrel unit within [range] 4 may remove one condition from itself and then may gain [hunker]. Objectively speaking, this ability is very good. Heals and Reposititions are always good, especially in addition to handing out Hunkers and condition removal. This will likely proc many times in a given game, and if it doesn't then you're likely winning by a large margin. I love the fact that both of his support abilities help such a wide variety of Tags. He should be pretty handy in a ton of different lists.

Bring You in Warm

His Melee and Effect-oriented stance. He gets 6 attack dice at range and 7 in melee with 6 defense dice for both. His ranged expertise is okay, but not super great. He gets no crits until 3+ and even then, it's only one. His melee expertise is a bit better since he gets at least one crit at each level with a potential two at 4+. Defensively, his expertise is quite good. Level one is not bad but once you roll 2+ expertise he is getting a solid suite of icons. Two blocks, one crit-> delete, and a Reposition (at 4+). The combat tree is solid. It tops out at 8 damage, which is a really good start. He also gets access to two shoves, one dash, one pin, and a reposition on his top line. This should mean he will be one speedy boy. Getting two shoves off of only three successes is very good.

Bring You in Cold

This is his Ranged/Damage Stance. He gets the same dice as before, but the attack dice are swapped. His ranged expertise is very interesting. It starts not very good, goes to very good, and then gets to I'm not really sure. Five damage off of 4+ expertise is neat, but not very likely, and also not as good as if he would've just gotten crits to move down his tree, in my opinion. His melee expertise is identical to Warm's Ranged expertise, so not the best but not bad. His defensive expertise is also identical, so pretty stinkin' good. The combat tree is the major part here. It tops out at 10 damage or 15 with expertise (if that's even possible). He also gets access to up to two shoves, a reposition, strain, and Expose in addition to a Free Active Ability! Free Actives are the best and this one is no exception. Being able to proc A Clan of Two for free is exceptional. The 5 dice attack or the push are great choices depending on what you need.

Overall, I think Mando will be pretty good. He is not as flashy as I was hoping for and I am a little sad that he has two recycled abilities, but he's still solid. I will likely be using a LOT of him and his box once they release. I hope that my initial kinda disappointment is wrong. His mini is also gorgeous and I am very excited to paint it.

Secondary - Greef Karga

• 3PC - I like this. It gives Din the ability to be an 8 while also allowing IG-11 to be a little more powerful. This could also open up some flexible options for later releases.
• 0FP -
• 8 Stamina/ 2 Durability - Not bad at all. He's gonna get wounded under focused fire, but hopefully, Din and IG will pull shots away from him.

Some of my Favorite People are Bounty Hunters - This is an Active Ability with a cost of 1 FP. Each allied Bounty Hunter character within [range] 4 may [heal] and then may [dash]. Free moves good. This ability is great. I could see using this very often. Being able to move all of your Bounty Hunters and give them a heal for 1 FP is incredible. Depending on how you build your team, this could potentially move all of your other characters except Greef. I love it.

Close the Deal - This is a Reactive Ability with a cost of 1 FP. When an opposing player chooses to activate a unit from reserve, this unit may use this ability. Choose an allied Bounty Hunter character, The chosen character may immediately [dash] then may make a 5-dice attack targeting a character in the unit that was chosen to activate. This is also really great. Bonus points if the reserved unit has the Priority token on it. I could see this being quite handy to have as an option, but I have a feeling using this very often will lead to FP shortages. It's highly dependent on the board state but, I think it's still good.

There is One Job - This is an Innate Ability with no cost. Before revealing the top card of the mission deck, choose an opposing player to reveal cards from the top of their order deck until a unit order card is revealed. Then the chosen player marks the corresponding unit with a Priority objective token and shuffles their order deck.

The first time an allied Bounty Hunter character wounds the marked unit, move the struggle token one space toward your momentum tokens. Then remove the wounded unit's priority objective token. I love this ability so much. It is just oozing with theme and use. One thing I particularly enjoy about Shatterpoint is how thematic a ton of the game is, especially the Abilities. This Ability will see use in every single game Greef plays in. It should be very good with Bounty Hunter spam, but I could see it also being fine with just one or two BHs. Moving Momentum tokens can be quite powerful and can win games, especially if your opponent does not see it coming.

Wolves at My Back - This is an Innate Ability with no cost. When determining control of an active objective that a character in this unit is contesting, if there is a tie, this unit's controlling player takes control of the objective. Nice and solid. This essentially allows Greef to count as two characters while contesting, which is wonderful. I particularly like this ability for units that seem like they might not want to be in the middle of the fight. He can sit on the back map and still contribute very effectively.

Middle Man

This stance is solid. He starts by getting 5 attack dice at range and 6 in melee, followed by 5 defense dice at both range and melee. His ranged expertise is okay, but not the best. He generates one crit at 2+, a disarm at all levels, and an expose at 4+. Don't get me wrong, dishing out conditions like this is amazing, but his expertise barely contributes to his overall attack consistency (it does help his allies a bit though). His Melee expertise is almost identical except the Disarm and Expose are flipped. This feels a lot better, in my opinion, but pushing him into melee is a bit of a scary proposition. His defensive expertise is okay, nothing flashy, but it will do some work. Again, I reiterate that he will not survive under consistent and focused fire (Disarms help here though). His combat tree is actually quite good. It only tops out at 5 damage, but he has a ton of effects baked in here. A Pin, 2 Shoves, Strain, Dash, 2 Heals, and a Reposition. I love the fact that he can potentially put out all 4 conditions in one attack if you roll right. I also love Pins and Shoves combined, since it sort of lets you push an enemy away and say "Stay there nerd."

Overall, I enjoy Greef. I think he is more of a support-oriented character, which I love since he'll likely be paired with a bunch of killing machines (no pun intended). He can do a ton of stuff to help your BHs get into and survive the fight, while also allowing you to move some Momentum in your favor. I cannot wait to get him on the table.

Support - IG-11, Assassin Droid

• 5PC - Oh yes, another 5 PC unit, and it's everyone's favorite Nanny! He definitely lives up to this point cost at first glance.
• 0FP -
• 9 Stamina/ 3 Durability - Woah! A Supporting Unit with 3 Durability! I love that he should be a tanky little guy. 9 Stamina is also a really solid spot to be in for a Support.

On the Hunt - This is a Tactic Ability with no cost. At the start of this unit's activation, this unit may remove one condition from itself. Then one character in this unit may [dash]. Love it. It's simple and effective, and there is no reason not to use this if you're able to. In addition to the extra moves Given by Greef, IG should be a speed demon.

Multithread Targeting Protocol - This is a Reactive Ability with no cost. After this unit makes an attack as part of a combat action, it may use this ability. One character in this unit may make a 5-dice attack targeting a character in another enemy unit within range and LOS. Theme. Theme. Theme. He is a spinning tornado of death. I love this ability. This should also prove itself to be a constant use until he is wounded, even then I think I'd still use this almost every time.

Are You Refusing My Request? - This is an Innate Ability with no cost. Each time a character in this unit makes an attack targeting an enemy character that is contesting an active objective that you do not control, it may add 3 dice to the attack roll. If it does and the defender is not wounded by the attack, lose a Momentum. I also like this ability a ton. I am not sure it will see as much use as the previous two, but it will see some. It's significantly more situational, but if the proper situation arises, this is very good. There is a bit of risk involved in using this since if you fail to Wound your target, you'll lose Momentum. That leads me to think that this ability is mostly going to see use as either a Hail Mary type attack, or if you're shooting something that needs like 2 damage to be wounded to guarantee you wound them.

Victory Through Combat is Impossible... - This is an Innate Ability with no cost. While this unit is wounded, each time an opposing player gains a momentum token, if there are more enemy characters than other allied characters within [range] 3, roll one attack die for each Wounded and Injured token this unit has. If the roll contains any [failure] results, each character in this unit may [dash], then each character within [range] 3 suffers [damage][damage][damage][damage][damage]. After this effect is resolved, this unit is defeated. WOAH! Self-Destructing Tornado Robot! Oh my god, the theme of this box is impeccable. This ability is neat and good, but it's got the potential to really mess you or your opponent up. Since there is no "may" in the abilities text, you must use this ability if all of the proper conditions are met. If your opponent wounds him, they could run a single support character up near you, gain momentum elsewhere, and force you to roll for this ability. Now, that's likely not always going to be a good move, but if it's pulled off early game, you will just lose access to IG way too early and they will likely lose nothing of value.

The real use case for this ability seems to be parking IG somewhere in the middle of the table and hoping for one of two things: 1. It deters your opponent enough for you to consistently score on the mid-line or 2. Your opponent pushes up, wounds IG and he explodes, ideally wounding a handful of characters. I'm not 100% sure how good or common this ability will be. I could see it being one of those things that very rarely happens since good players will be able to play around it. It is a nice thing to have in your toolbox though.

Bondsman Guild Protocol

Seven attack dice at both ranges!? IG-11 just keeps getting better and better. He's also got 6 defense dice at range and 5 in melee, which is very good for a 3 Durability Supporting unit. His ranged expertise is also very good since he's generating Crits at every level. His melee expertise is okay, but it's not where he wants to be. The defensive expertise here is incredible for what he is. Getting a block at all levels is nice, but getting 3 blocks and a Repos at 4+ is insane! He is a beast. His combat tree is solid too. He tops out at 7 damage or 8 if you count expertise. He also gets access to a whole slew of effects and conditions, all of which are great. Shoves, Repositions, and all of the other abilities from his card or Greefs mean IG is going to be like the Tasmanian Devil.

Overall, I am a huge fan of IG-11. I already loved his character and the mini so he was going to see some table time no matter what. After seeing his unit card, I don't know if I'll be able to put him down! He seems quite good and a ton of fun, hopefully, my first glance here doesn't set me up for disappointment.

I think this box is setting itself up to be my favorite one yet. The theme and the minis are wonderful and the units are seemingly fantastic! I cannot wait to get all of these guys on the table and see what they can do.

Thanks for reading!