A Salute To Tractor Beams
The very first scene of Star Wars: A New Hope depicted the rebel blockade runner Tantive IV being attacked and tractored in by the Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Devastator. This set the stage for the movie, and provided a powerful concept for SWCCG whereby the Dark Side can steal Light Side starships for its own sinister purposes. This strategy, introduced in the second set of SWCCG, has continued to evolve over the span of subsequent sets. This article will focus on the cards that exploit tractor beams in an effort to rule space with an iron fist.
Tractor Beam (ANH) Destiny 3
This device costs 2 Force to deploy on any Star Destroyer. At the end of a battle at the same system or sector, you may target an opponents starship (except a Mon Cal Cruiser) for 2 Force. Draw a destiny, and the target is captured if the destiny is greater than the targets defense value. If there are characters on the target, they become stranded inside their ship. However, if there are not any characters aboard, you will get to use the captured starship as your own! Piracy at its finest! Turn a Hidden Base or Echo Base Operations swarm against itself, and use the captured starships as cannon fodder to protect your fleet! The Death Star Tractor Beam, also from ANH, is even easier to grab starships with, but requires the Death Star and its docking bay in order to function. For more mobility and versatility, stick with Star Destroyer tractor beams. Kuat Drive Yards will really assist in protecting your precious Star Destroyers for you, so check into that.
Ion Cannon (Pre.) Destiny 5
Another Star Destroyer toy, this starship weapon deploys for 2 Force, and may target an opponents starship for 1 Force. If the destiny drawn plus 2 is greater than the targets defense value, all weapons aboard it are lost, its defense value becomes zero, and its hyperspeed becomes zero. This makes it easy prey for a tractor beam, and gets rid of obnoxious weapons to boot! It also strands the target, setting up a possible beatdown!
Besieged (ANH) Destiny 5
This Effect deploys on a captured starship to allow your characters that are present with it to battle the Light Side characters who are trapped inside as if they were present together at a site. Besieged is then canceled when the captured starship either escapes or is stolen. This allows you to steal starships that have characters aboard them, and is extremely powerful when you can mercilessly spank a lone pilot.
We Have A Prisoner (ANH) Destiny 3
To rid a captured starship of rebel scum, simply play this Lost Interrupt. Use X Force to capture all of the characters aboard the captured starship, where X equals twice the number of characters aboard it. If you do not have enough escorts to take the prisoners into custody, the excess Light Side characters get sent directly to the Light Used Pile, and may not collect $200. (A little Monopoly humor.) This is an easy way to pull off Spice Mines Of Kessel, and is a lot less messy than Besieged. All Wrapped Up and Corporal Vandolay further enhance We Have A Prisoner.
Captain Lennox (Hoth) Destiny 2
Deploy 3, Forfeit 5, Power 2, Ability 2
Dont let his wart scare you! Lennox is a tractor beam maniac! An Imperial leader, pilot, and warrior; he adds 2 to the power of anything he pilots, 3 on the Tyrant. When on a Star Destroyer, he may use its tractor beam once during each of your control phases. This can really tip the scales in your favor before your battle phase! If Lennox can snag a ship for you, it may even deprive your opponent of a battle destiny! If it is a lone Light Side starship, Captain Tractor Beam would even allow you to Force drain at that location. His ride, the trepidating Tyrant, even adds 1 to each of its tractor beam destinies for easy pickins!
Our First Catch Of The Day (Hoth) Destiny 6
A Used Interrupt with a 6 destiny that adds 2 to a tractor beam destiny, and can cancel The First Transport Is Away! or the annoying Hyper Escape? Enough said! ;)
Warrant Officer MKae (Dag.) Destiny 3
Deploy 2, Forfeit 3, Power 2, Ability 2
MKae is a pilot designed for a specific strategy: tractor beams. In addition to adding 2 to the power of anything he pilots, at any time he may use 1 Force to take any tractor beam, Our First Catch Of The Day, or Besieged into hand from the Reserve Deck. That adds up to enough toys to capture plenty of opposing starships, which is a great weapon against Hidden Base and Echo Base Operations. Additionally, MKaes tractor toys can help to defend This Deal Is Getting Worse and Rebel Base Occupation without having to devote so much of the deck to space. Another more devious use of this Imperial is to include him simply as a pilot in a deck without even using tractor beams! Opponents will see MKae, and will automatically assume that there really are tractor beams and related interrupts in the deck. This idle threat may cause opponents to delay, or completely avoid, deploying to a Star Destroyers location. This fear may end up costing them the game, or at least some differential. Whenever you influence the gameplay of an opponent, you create an advantage for yourself that may be exploitable for a victory. Do not overlook Warrant Officer MKae!
I Want That Ship (Dag.) Destiny 4
This unique Effect deploys on one of the opponents unique starships that is at a site that you do not occupy. When that starship is targeted by any tractor beam or ion cannon, subtract 2 from its maneuver. If that starship is captured or lost, lose the Effect and the opponent loses 3 Force (5 if it is the Falcon). This makes the tougher Light Side starfighters a bit easier to reel in while causing a little hurt for the opponent. This is a great threat card that will most likely keep the target on the run until your opponent can cancel it. Oppressive Enforcement is highly recommended with this and other nice cards that are vulnerable to Sense and Alter. For maximum giggles, slap I Want That Ship on a Light Side starship that is present with IG-88 In IG-2000, arm Iggy with an ion cannon, and go to town! I Cant Shake Him and Lone Pilot to give you three battle destinies adds just the right amount of overkill.
Theyve Shut Down The Main Reactor (SE) Destiny 4
It plays as a unique Used Interrupt to target an opponents starship that is present with your capital starship armed with a starship weapon or tractor beam, using 2 Force. Until the end of your next turn, the target cannot move and its pilots may not apply their ability toward drawing a battle destiny. Theyll be destroyed for sure! This reduces the battleworthiness and mobility of a starship for such a long period of time that your opponent would most likely just forfeit it.
In Range (SE) Destiny 6
This is the sickest unique Used Interrupt! If you have a Star Destroyer in a battle, use its tractor beam for free during the weapons segment. Add 2 to the tractor beam destiny if targeting a unique starship. If not captured, the target is power and maneuver -3 for the remainder of the turn. Taking out a starship early in a battle is an outstanding tactical advantage, and you may even forfeit that ship at the end of the battle if no characters are aboard it! Even if you miss, it is a lot easier to pick up the spare with the regular use of the beam at the end of the battle. Playing this and Theyve Shut Down The Main Reactor on two different ships in the same battle will rip apart nearly any rebel armada that your fleet might encounter!
Something Special Planned For Them (DS2) Destiny 5
This unique effect deploys on the table to make each Light ship have to pay +2 force to be able to move away from your Star Destroyers. This makes Hyper Escape a lot less effective while making it harder for the opponent to get away from your tractor equipped ships. It also places out of play any interrupt or untinni effect that the opponent just used to retrieve force. This is quite nice in most decks anyway since they cannot keep retrieving the cards that give them retrieval.
Out Of Commission (ANH) Destiny 5
Shifting gears to cover a Light Side card, this Used Interrupt is a decent defense against tractor beams. During your control phase, use 2 Force to release a starship that is held by any tractor beam, except for the Death Star Tractor Beam if the Central Core is in play. This will only help the Light Side starships that have characters stuck inside of them since the Dark Side would otherwise have stolen the starship by then. This interrupt also randomly places one card from the opponents Lost Pile or Blaster Rack out of play. This has the potential of shutting down a Dark deck since unique characters, vehicles, and starships that are out of play can no longer be deployed for the remainder of the game. Of course, the combo card with Transmission Terminated is so much better in a deck. However, the combo does not release tractored starships.
A Few Maneuvers (Pre.) Destiny 6
This is another Light interrupt that can sometimes assist in protecting your starfighter from being tractored. The Used Interrupt can be played to increase the maneuver of your starfighter by two, and can even be played after the tractor or weapon destiny has been drawn to give you an extra boost if you need it. This is also a nice destiny 6 that’s easy to recycle back into your Light deck.
Hopefully this deck has given you some good ideas in case you have ever thought about building, or have already built a tractor or Star Destroyer deck. This strategy has not been used as often as it used to, but it is still quite fun and powerful against Light space decks. Give it a try if you would like to add a bit more fun in your gaming environment. This is also a very fun strategy for newbies to use, so building a tractor deck to lend to one might help get him more excited about the game. Above all, have fun! =)