Though the entirety of Convergence has yet to be spoiled, we’ve seen a number of plots already. If you include Allies of Necessity, we’ve seen a total of 8 plots so far, and 7 of them are in the 2 cost slot. In today’s article, Jon and I are going to evaluate the plots we’ve seen spoiled and grade them on an A-F scale. Hope you enjoy!
Force Flow
Luke: C+
The reaction to this plot has been generally underwhelming – it’s just not a huge benefit, and not really that interesting either. I actually think it’s fairly decent – better than Stolen Intel and Fortify for sure. Turning a die has generally been worth 1 resource (though spending a resource for it has not been an efficient play), and the fact that you can use this in offense or defense gives some nice flexibility. If I had a big side on one of my characters and two points left over I’d seriously consider this. I would never intentionally shoot for a 28 point team in order to include this though.
Jon: C
This card is just so mediocre, it’s hard to rate it very high. However, I’d say it has more value than previously used 2 cost plots, such as Drawing a Card or gaining a shield. The ability to turn a die to any side may not seem like much, but in specific decks I could see it having a definite application. Specifically those decks with a 2 resource side, where taking this plot essentially mimicks a Theed Palace effect and can help you ramp early by getting you to those 2 resource sides.
Lightsaber Mastery
Luke: A
I’m pretty excited about this plot. Having two extra cards available whenever you need them is very strong, and at only two deck building points it’s fairly affordable. I would be surprised if we don’t see a Lightsaber Mastery deck compete at the top levels at some point – though I’d be less surprised if it’s missing from the Convergence meta. The choices for Move events (considering this keyword has not been used in previous sets) will be limited off the bat. But as new sets come out and new move events are printed, this plot will only get better. It’s not quite Armored Reinforcement level, but it’s the first plot we’ve seen that I think could come close.
Jon: A
I don’t know that there’s too many brilliant points to be made here. The value is obvious, having 2 cards that can be played at any time throughout the game is crazy. My favorite uses for something like this would either be for finishers or removal. Finishers as they are a card archetype that is typically either terrible or extremely good depending on the situation (whether it can actually kill something) and LS Mastery guarantees you have it at the right time and never the wrong time. Removal as it allows you to play a greedy list (more upgrades and resource gen), knowing that if you have a turn where you draw no mitigation, LS Mastery has your back with mitigation that can’t be hand controlled.
Astrogation
Luke: B-
Seems like a solid plot for a mill deck – could buy you a half a round over the course of the game, which is meaningful. However, it’s effect is limited to once a round and mill decks often don’t want to play many upgrades, meaning this plot has little upside. No ones going to build a deck around this effect, but it could be a solid addition to mill decks with two points left over.
Jon: C
This may seem like a low rating for a potentially 3-4 card value plot, but the main issue I have with Astrogation is that I feel low upgrade, high event mill builds are more successful. Brian’s Yoda Leia that won the Minnesota regional had something like 26 control cards? Thus Astrogation could potentially encourage you to spend resources on upgrades that could have been spent on mitigation. It’s hard to say what will be best post rotation for a mill build, but I’m hesitant for now.
Advanced Training
Luke: C+
This effect is decent, but not great. 1 indirect is better than a blank, but it’s not really a side you’d be looking for, even on a non-unique trooper die. With Phasma3 it’s a little better, since she allows you to resolve those dice as melee damage, but I suspect Retribution will be a better plot for her anyways. Like Force Flow, I don’t feel bad about this effect, I just don’t think it’s good enough to see any play.
Jon: D-
I’m sorry but as a former 5 Die Talzin player, its really hard to get excited about utilizing blanks as 1 indirect on dice that can deal 2 direct damage. Get a focus die down on the board, re-roll a few times, and hit someone for 6-10 direct damage. Don’t get excited about using your 3-5 trooper dice for 1 indirect. RE-ROLL THOSE DICE, LITERALLY ALL 4 OF THEIR BASE SIDES ARE BETTER THAN A 1 INDIRECT.
Grand Design
Luke: B
Now this plot I find interesting. Drawing a card is a good effect, and the potential of doing this every round is actually quite strong. It is limited by the fact that you need to spot a Red character and the need to play a support first. A really bad hand may leave you unable to trigger this plot, which means it may not actually be able to fix a terrible mulligan. Still, drawing a card a round is good enough that it makes me interested in finding a good support lineup that’s 28 points.
Jon: B
Solid effect, especially since vehicle decks often lack the cards for re-rolls. If you find yourself with 2 points to spare I think Grand Design is an easy choice to make. However, with how many solid support characters there are running around, I find it hard to believe decks wont end up at a full 30 points. Thus I think Grand Design may end up only being run in something like an X-Wing deck, where that card draw could end up being massive value when it gets you that 3rd X-Wing.
Perilous Escapade
Luke: B-
It’s not flashy, but could be solid in a bounty deck. If you’re playing downgrades anyway, this plot could add 3-4 indirect damage over the course of a game, which is meaningful. It’s similar to Astrogation, in that while you’d never purposely shoot for 28 points in order to play this plot, if you’re at 28 points and playing with downgrades you’ll feel pretty good about adding this to the lineup.
Jon: A-
I actually really, really like this plot. I know its only a single indirect, but 3-5 HP value out of 2 points is really solid. While 1 indirect may not seem like much, it can really add up quickly, just think about how it feels playing against a Cassian. However, where I truly believe this card will shine is in 2 character heavy metas. Into two wides as a bounty deck with this plot, by the time you kill a character and switch to the second you will have dealt 2-3 damage to their other character. That Iden? 9 HP. That Mace? 8 HP. Not only are you getting a massive bounty spike, but your opponents other character is already 1/5 of the way to death, and your plot is now dealing direct damage. (Obviously shields can change this math).
Profiteering
Luke: D
This plot is so bad. The effect is kind of useful, but doesn’t really add much value. I don’t know why you’d ever play this over Double Down, and I’d even play Stolen Intel over this plot every time. The worst plot introduced by far.
Jon: D
Why was this card printed?????? I think it could have had potential if it say “or is turned”, then you’d be looking at some potentially cool interactions. But lets be real, you aren’t running this over other 2 cost options.
Separatist Conspiracy
Luke: B+
This one is really interesting. Like Grand Design, we’re potentially getting an extra card a round, which is quite valuable. If you have multiple leaders, it could become 2 a round, which is kind of nuts. Your opponent probably stops you at that point (by spending a resource or discarding a card), but forcing you’re opponent to play with 4 card hands is also really good. It’s a bummer that you can’t really build a deck around having extra cards because the opponent can stop you. Still, it’s effect is good enough that I’d consider trying to find a 28 point team in order to play this plot.
Jon: B+
This card has a really strong effect, but its unpredictability makes it hard to rate an A, as you wont know what value you’re going to get out of it. You can’t just build your deck around card draw as your opponent might never let you draw. But if you don’t build around card draw, then its effect will be less impactful if your opponent does let you draw. Nevertheless, drawing a card or making your opponent play with a 4 card hand is solid value every single turn.
Allies of Necessity
Luke: C
People have been going nuts about this plot, but I just don’t see it. Starting the game with 4 cards and 0 resources is a huge handicap in Destiny, which means you better be getting a huge benefit out of the extra points. Maybe I’m wrong, but I just don’t think the 2 extra points is ever going to get you a big enough benefit to be worth it. This is not to say there aren’t characters/decks that can help mitigate the lack of starting resources – I just think that in the end those decks would have been better off finding a 30 point team and starting with full hand and resources.
Jon: F
I’m giving this an F because the simple fact is round 1 resources have the most impact of any resource in the entire game. You’re essentially spending 2 resources to upgrade 2 of your dice by a tad, and get 1 more hp. You could have instead payed for a freaking Quicksilver baton, got 2 uses out of it that turn, and used it the rest of the game…. Let’s be real people, this card sucks.
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