u/haliax69

I'm thinking about getting both precon boxes (Beta and Gothic). My idea is to use them to learn the game and start my collection, but I have a couple of questions.

First, is that a good idea, or would it be better to just buy one of the boxes and spend the rest on boosters and singles? If so, which box would you recommend?

If buying both makes sense, can I use the cards from the Beta decks to upgrade the Gothic decks and turn them into complete, tournament-legal decks? I don't mean making them competitive, just building balanced 60-card, 30-Atlas decks that are fun to play and well matched against each other.

I'm very new to Star Wars Unlimited and honestly, I'm having a blast so far.

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I've played Magic for many years (mostly Commander in recent years), tried a few other TCGs like Flesh and Blood, and SWU is the first game in a long time that has given me that "can't stop thinking about it" feeling again. The gameplay is fantastic. The resource system feels elegant, the action system keeps all players engaged, and Twin Suns it's one of the most fun multiplayer formats I've seen in a card game.

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That said, as a new player, I do have some concerns about the game's long-term future, and I'd love to hear from more experienced players.

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Part of it comes from FFG's history. They've made some amazing games, but they've also discontinued some beloved ones over the years.

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My other concern is the IP itself. One of Magic's biggest advantages is that it can create entirely new worlds whenever it wants. These days it also has Universes Beyond, which gives it an almost endless supply of themes and settings to explore.

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SWU, on the other hand, is "limited" to Star Wars (which is funny given the name Unlimited). Star Wars is obviously a huge universe with decades of stories, characters, planets, ships, books, comics, games, shows, and movies. But it's still a finite setting.

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Do you think that's actually a limitation?

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Or do you feel there's enough Star Wars content to support new sets for many years to come?

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I'm also curious how people view SWU's place in the market. It feels like it's competing for the same space occupied by games outside the big three/four (Magic, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece), and now Riftbound is entering that conversation as well.

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Despite those concerns, I genuinely hope SWU succeeds. From a gameplay perspective, it might be one of the best TCGs I've ever played or studied.

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So I'm curious: where do you see the game 5 years from now?

The first three sets are currently pretty cheap (with the exception of Spark of Rebellion), largely because they're rotating out of Premier.

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Since I don't plan on playing competitively, and I'm more interested in collecting, drafting, and playing casually with friends—mostly Twin Suns—I'm wondering if those older sets are still worth picking up.

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For context, I already bought the four Twin Suns precons based on recommendations from my last post here. I also picked up a Spark of Rebellion booster box because it's the first set and I'm a big fan of the original trilogy.

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My question is: are Shadows of the Galaxy and Twilight of the Republic worth buying as booster boxes for drafting, collecting, and casual Twin Suns play, or would I be better off skipping them and jumping straight to Jump to Lightspeed and newer sets?

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I'm not concerned about competitive viability or rotation—I'm mostly looking for fun draft environments, interesting cards for casual play, and overall value for someone who enjoys collecting.

I've been playing Magic on and off for over a decade, and for the last several years Commander and sealed has been my main formats.

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Like many Magic players, I mostly stayed within the MTG bubble and never gave other TCGs much attention. I would occasionally hear about games like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Flesh and Blood, Lorcana, etc., but I always assumed Magic was still the gold standard and there wasn't much reason to look elsewhere.

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A while ago I tried Flesh and Blood and was genuinely impressed by some of its design ideas. Unfortunately, my playgroup never really engaged with it, so after a few games I drifted back to Commander.

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Recently, however, I started looking into Star Wars Unlimited, and honestly it has been a breath of fresh air.

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The more I learn about the game, the more I find myself appreciating design choices that I previously took for granted in Magic. The alternating action system keeps players constantly engaged, the resource system largely avoids mana screw/flood, combat feels meaningful thanks to persistent damage, and games seem to maintain a much faster pace overall.

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It's not that I suddenly think Magic is a bad game. Quite the opposite: it pioneered the genre and has survived for over 30 years for a reason. But exploring newer TCGs has made me realize that some aspects of Magic's design feel more dated than I used to think, especially after spending so many years mostly playing Commander.

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At this point, SWU might have one of the most enjoyable gameplay systems I've personally seen in a TCG, though I'm still very new to it.

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For those of you who have played multiple card games, did you have a similar experience? Was there a moment when trying another TCG made you reevaluate aspects of Magic that you had always accepted as "just part of the genre"?

I’m really tired of Magic and I watched some videos and read about SWU and it looks like a breath of fresh air and really fun gameplaywise, so I'm highly interested in collecting and playing SWU.

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Unfortunately, none of the game stores near me have a local scene for it, so I won't be playing competitively. Because of that, my only option is to play casually at home, which leads to my biggest hurdle.

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​I'm trying to get my friends into the game, but they are die-hard MTG players who pretty much exclusively play Commander and draft. A time ago I've tried to convince them to play Flesh and Blood, one of them liked and played for a while with me, but returned to Magic exclusively.

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​Since I want to collect the cards from the very beginning and don't have to worry about a local competitive meta, my plan is to buy one booster box each of the first three sets (Spark of Rebellion, Shadows of the Galaxy, and Twilight of the Republic). I've found some great deals on these boxes (almost half the price of the newest sets), and my goal is to use them to host draft nights with my friends to get them hooked.

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​I have two questions though:

​- Am I missing anything with this plan? Is drafting one box of each set a good way to start a collection and introduce the game?

​- How do I convert them? Does anyone have tips for convincing a stubborn MTG Commander/Draft pod to give SWU a genuine try?

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​Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

I've been trying to introduce Flesh and Blood to a group of friends who are experienced TCG players (mostly Magic) but completely new to FaB.

I wanted something that would:

- Teach the core mechanics of FaB through 1v1 games.

- Let everyone build decks from a single Heavy Hitters booster box.

- End with a memorable multiplayer showdown.

- Keep all players mathematically alive until the final game.

- Encourage politics, alliances, and table talk without making the event overly competitive.

The result is a custom format I call Champion of the Arena.

I'd love feedback from experienced FaB players, especially regarding balance, possible exploits, multiplayer dynamics, and whether any of these house rules could create unintended issues.

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Champion of the Arena

Event Structure

4 players

1 Heavy Hitters booster box (24 packs)

Phase 1 – Sealed Deck Construction

Each player receives:

- 6 Heavy Hitters boosters

Deckbuilding rules:

- Minimum 30-card deck

- Standard Limited deckbuilding rules

- Young Heroes only

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Phase 2 – 1v1 Qualifying Rounds

Round 1

- Player A vs Player B

- Player C vs Player D

Round 2

Players switch opponents to avoid repeats.

Example:

- Player A vs Player C

- Player B vs Player D

Scoring

- Win = 2 points

- Loss = 0 points

These points carry into the final standings.

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Phase 3 – Ultimate Pit Fight Grand Final

All four players use the same decks they built for Sealed.

The UPF uses official multiplayer rules with the following house rules:

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House Rule #1 – Free-for-All Targeting

Players may attack and target any player at the table.

The normal UPF adjacency restrictions are removed.

Goals:

- Encourage politics and negotiation.

- Allow players to respond directly to the biggest threats.

- Prevent seating position from having too much influence on the outcome.

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House Rule #2 – Second Wind (Anti-Fatigue)

Once per game:

If a player would draw a card from an empty deck, they may immediately shuffle all cards from their Pitch Zone into a new deck.

After using Second Wind, they cannot use it again.

Goals:

- Prevent anticlimactic fatigue eliminations.

- Compensate for the small size of Sealed decks in multiplayer.

- Preserve FaB's pitch-stack identity.

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House Rule #3 – Clash and Wager

Any Clash or Wager effect is resolved only between:

- The attacking player

- The player being attacked

Other players do not participate.

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House Rule #4 – Concessions

Strategic concessions are not allowed.

A player may concede only for real-world reasons (emergency, leaving early, etc.).

If a player concedes:

- They are immediately eliminated.

- No elimination point is awarded.

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UPF Scoring

Last Player Standing

+3 points

Direct Eliminations

+1 point for each opponent you directly eliminate.

A direct elimination occurs when damage or an effect you control reduces an opponent's life total to 0 or below.

No points are awarded for:

- Fatigue eliminations

- Self-inflicted eliminations

- Concessions

- Any elimination without a clear responsible player

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Determining the Champion

Final Score = Qualifying Points + UPF Points

The player with the highest total becomes the Champion of the Arena.

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Tiebreakers

1. Better placement in the UPF final

2. More direct eliminations in the UPF

3. Better qualifying record

4. Head-to-head result

5. Shared victory

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My main question:

Is the Heavy Hitters a good choice for this?

Would you play this? And do you see any balance issues, scoring problems, or unintended consequences before I run the first event?