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As we plug along here at the Jedha Journal I’m going to try and take the writing and the posts to another level. I’ve kept everything somewhat simple for the most part, as this is a beginners blog, and it’s meant to keep things nice and light. However, as I evolve as a player I want the blog to evolve with me as well. I’ve been playing a lot of games and want to say I think I’ve taken my game to the next step with a lot more room for improvement. The best key to that is reps. Playing more than once a week is so great for fine tuning your skills in this game and if you want to get better at this game it’s your answer. Today, on the heels of Sabine and Bossk being released, I want to focus on Sabine and her synergies with the Rebel Commanders. As we all know, I may be known as Thrawn on the Discord but I am a Rebel player through and through.

If you have never watched Rebels the TV show, I recommend you do so. Personally, I think it’s Disney’s best Star Wars entity other than Rogue One. Sabine Wren is arguably the best character of the show, I’m a big fan of Ezra myself and I know that may be a minority take but Ezra’s so important to the success of the Rebellion. I’m sure that’s going to be considered a hot take, but if you want some insight on to why I think all of that message me! Back to the banksy, explosive machine that is Sabine: her character development over the show was great. She changes hair styles every season, she paints everything and anything she can get on, she’s a Mandalorian, Darksaber!!!, she’s just straight up a lot of fun. I think FFG has done a great job with her thematically, even if I am not a fan of her two courage! Either way, it’s nice to have our own Rebel version of Boba Fett and I’m super excited to get her on the physical table rather than just on TTS. (Which I have done quite a bit for practice) Let’s Jump 2 the Rebel Commanders and how they synergize with Sabine, because this is going to be important with list building.

 

Luke Skywalker 

Did you really think I would start somewhere other than my favorite farm boy who I can never not put on a table? Putting these two characters together almost seems like a no brainer. They both have Jump abilities, they both are very fast and versatile. Luke’s command range and panic bubble is big for Sabine who WILL get focus fired on by your enemy any chance they can get it. The real questions comes down to what is the best version of Sabine to bring along with Luke and what is the best way to run them? In the answer of the former: I think, and this is an opinion piece this isn’t a binary of right or wrong, that budget Sabine is the best version to run with Luke. What I mean by budget Sabine is no Darksaber, with just Recon Intel and Endurance. I think Endurance is stapled on her, she is going to have suppression issues in any list, and taking off two at the end of the round is big. Her two pip is also an auto include in any kind of Sabine list building, in my opinion, too. Darksaber is great for the Dauntless aspect and the immune pierce but I’m having a hard time accepting those twenty five points into a list. Especially when I have a melee unit like Luke in there. In this instance, how I would run her and how I have been running her is to be a backfield harasser. She doesn’t have Sharpshooter, but her speed three moves can easily set up out of cover Gunslinger shots. Not to mention, you can try and play Luke a little more defensively while Sabine moves up the front lines to set up some shots and a big “Explosions!” play. Fun fact: “Explosions!” is real good.

As much as you’d like to play aggressive with both, and I’m not saying you can’t play that way, I recommend choosing one or the other to play aggressive and use the other in a more defensive standpoint until you can set the other up to be aggressive later. The reason for that is command tokens and command cards. Out of the seven of your cards, if you want to count Standing Orders (which I use round one often), you’ll only get to order the two of them together on three of those seven. So effectively, if they both live long enough, you have three rounds where you will have one sitting out there like a duck. Two of those cards are “Explosions!” and “Son of Skywalker” which is why you need to not move both up aggressively. If you have played Fly Boys at any point you’ll see that this runs quite similar, it just doesn’t have Han’s command cards to allow for some more aggressive play. (i.e Reckless Diversions turns. More on that in a moment)

Personally, I think bringing the Rebel Generic Officer with Improvised Orders is the way to run them together. I played several games of just Luke/Sabine, Luke/Leia/Sabine and just one so far with the generic but I think it’s the right move. The reason for that is 1: you get to add a second commander token to your stack. 2: you don’t have a command card conundrum with Leia in the mix. 3: Improvised Orders is the second best upgrade card in the game only behind Force Push. I need more testing because I could see Strict Orders being a possibility, however, GhostWalking and I have been doing some combined theory crafting and Improv just works better. I guess it comes down to is Improvised Orders worth 60 points to the list? I tend to think it is, because the turns you have order issues you have a couple of possible solutions to them. Playing Luke very defensively could prevent such issues, too, but more testing is needed. Here are a couple of the lists I have played recently:

– Luke Skywalker (160) + Force Push (10) + Jedi Mind Trick (5) + Emergency Stims (8) = 183
– Rebel Commander (50) + Improvised Orders (10) = 60
Operatives:
– Sabine Wren (125) + Endurance (6) + Recon Intel (2) = 133
Corps:
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Rebel Officer (19) = 81
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + 2-1B Medical Droid (18) = 80
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Recon Intel (2) = 128
Special Forces:
– 3x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 132
Total: 797/800

 

 

Commanders:
– Luke Skywalker (160) + Force Push (10) + Emergency Stims (8) = 178
Operatives:
– Sabine Wren (125) + Endurance (6) + Recon Intel (2) + Emergency Stims (8) = 141
Corps:
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Rebel Officer (19) = 162
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Recon Intel (2) = 128
– Rebel Troopers (40) + 2-1B Medical Droid (18) = 58
Special Forces:
– 3x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 132
Total: 799/800

 

Han Solo

“Habine” could become some serious rage, and it becomes a lot easier to plug Leia into the list if you do choose to do so. The issue with that is Command Cards yet again, mainly in just the two pip list though, so Han/Leia/Sabine is less crowded than lets say with Luke. For the time being, lets focus on just Han and Sabine. Gunslinger times two? Sounds pretty good. It’s another in your face type of list with two characters that want or need orders in certain rounds to make their effectiveness be felt. That said, if you can get both into a position to gunsling, all bets are off. Like it was said above, Sabine lacks Sharpshooter but you can work around that. Of course, we know Han has it, and they both have Pierce (two for Han and one for Sabine, respectively) That’s a lot of firepower even with so little dice. You’re basically guaranteeing six figures come off the board when both are getting shots in, that’s pretty dang good.

Here’s where some real theory crafting comes in, though, and you need to think long and hard about how you want to build Sabine when with Han. Han is only a courage 2 Commander, so Suppression could be an issue for both of them. I recommend getting some officers in there for Inspire, or of course if you want to bring Leia go right ahead. I almost want to say you want Endurance on both Han and Sabine. I even might go as far as to say that you want the Darksaber on Sabine in a Han list. The reason for that is because you have no melee threat worth taking other than that Darksaber. (Wookies are in a not as good place right now, but the argument can be had for them) That said, you need to be weary of the Suppression issues that will come in this list. It’s a lot easier to use Dauntless with commanders with Courage 3 versus Courage 2. The last thing you want is Sabine to panic. The best synergy I see from Habine, and man get the “Habinero” sauce out because this can be quite a spicy tandem, is Reckless Diversion to set up Sabine to move forward. Especially if it can set up a Gunslinger shot into an “Explosions!” round. Maybe Sabine is in your opponents face and you’re expecting a Whipcord or a Son of Skywalker? Bam, Change of plans. I haven’t had a chance to run Habine, yet, but here’s something I could see working just fine:

Commanders:
– Han Solo (120) + Endurance (6) + Environmental Gear (3) = 129
Operatives:
– Sabine Wren (125) + Endurance (6) + Recon Intel (2) + Electro Grappling Line (5) + The Darksaber (25) = 163
Corps:
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Rebel Officer (19) + Recon Intel (2) = 166
– 2x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Recon Intel (2) = 128
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + 2-1B Medical Droid (18) = 80
Special Forces:
– 3x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 132
Total: 798/800

Leia Organa

Oh yes it’s Ladies Night and the feeling’s right….the feeling to get up to eleven good activations that is. Leia being 90 points allows you to open up a lot of doors with Sabine, who can replace Luke in a Wonder Twins list basically at a cheaper cost. I’m not saying Sabine is better than Luke, but she offers some different tools than Luke for sure. “Explosions” and Coordinated Bombardment? Talk about some unique Rebel firepower. Leia is only a Courage 2 Commander as well, but her Inspire 2 can help, especially if you sprinkle in an officer somewhere in the Corps. Similar to what I said about running Habine, I think Darksaber might be a thing to bring with a Sabine/Leia list because you need some melee deterrent in a list, in my opinion. I still don’t think you WANT to Darksaber something, again I think Sabine is better as a backline harasser and objective grabber, but it’s a nice to have when you have it type of thing. It will play a lot similar to Wonder Twins, where you’ll advance Sabine while leaving Leia behind. However, you need to be careful with placement with Sabine more so than with Luke. Because of the courage. So advancing them as a tandem might be better suited, especially if you can get some dodges on Sabine from Leia if you think Sabine might get exposed. Basically you’ll have an entire army with Nimble, which brings up the value of dodges in the right moment. Something I seem to be doing less and less of, but the synergy is there and that’s the point! No Time For Sorrows on an exposed Sabine to get into some safety seems pretty good to me! I haven’t run Leia and Sabine by themselves yet, but if I were to do so it would be a super boring but oh my effective list like this:

Commanders:
– Leia Organa (90) + Improvised Orders (10) = 100
Operatives:
– Sabine Wren (125) + Endurance (6) + Recon Intel (2) + The Darksaber (25) = 158
Corps:
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Rebel Officer (19) = 81
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + 2-1B Medical Droid (18) = 80
– 4x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) = 248
Special Forces:
– 3x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 132

Total: 799/800

Jyn Erso

Okay, I won’t lie here: I needed to go re-look at a lot of Jyn’s cards to remember what they did exactly. Which is sad, because I love Jyn as a character and was so excited when she came out. Only to have her not be great in terms of a competitive standpoint. However, we (as in the Discord) have been saying for a while that she could be good when another piece that supports her comes out. Is Sabine Wren that piece? It’s possible! Codec on the Discord has been openly talking about running a Jyn/Leia/Sabine list and I just built one to see if I’d like it? Well, I can’t say I hate it! Let’s take a look at the list and talk about why this could be a thing that could get Jyn on the table!

Commanders:
– Jyn Erso (130) + Duck and Cover (8) + A-180 Pistol Config (0) = 138
– Leia Organa (90) + Improvised Orders (10) = 100
Operatives:
– Sabine Wren (125) + Endurance (6) + Recon Intel (2) + The Darksaber (25) = 158
Corps:
– Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + 2-1B Medical Droid (18) = 80
– 3x Rebel Troopers (40) + Z-6 Trooper (22) + Recon Intel (2) = 192
Special Forces:
– 3x Rebel Commandos Strike Team (16) + DH-447 Sniper (28) = 132

Total: 800/800Commands:
– Coordinated Bombardment (1)
– Explosions! (1)
– Trust Goes Both Ways (2)
– Symbol of Rebellion (2)
– Legacy of Mandalore (3)
– Complete the Mission (3)
– Standing Orders (4)

I added in the command cards in this one because they need to be discussed quite a bit here in terms of the synergy the ladies bring. Losing Jyn’s one pip cards means you need to play her a little more conservative than normal, I suppose, and that’s honestly a good thing. FFG overcosted Infiltrate a little but so do we as players. We think deploying anywhere we want can work in our favor but there’s definitely a science to it. (I have a guest post in the works from someone who plays Jyn on the regular to speak about her in more depth) But, if you can deploy her a little ahead of your army and wait for Sabine to jump up towards her, there are some real synergies. First of all: Jyn is a Courage 3 commander, which is great for Sabine. Then if Jyn is parked on an objective, say, and in a safe spot, you get Sabine into range two or less of her in a round and then drop ‘Trust Goes Both Ways’ and gain teamwork with Sabine. Why does that synergize well? Because Jyn has quick thinking. All of a sudden, Sabine has an aim and a dodge token with Nimble. Is that a corner case? Maybe, but maybe not as much as you think. There’s a lot of ways to get dodges on Sabine between that and Leia with Take Cover. It’s a really strong list in terms of going for objectives and it’s pretty durable if you play it right. Sabine can be a tank at times. Jyn when Danger Sense is charged up is really hard to take off the board. You have a lot of ways to deal with suppression, especially if Sabine is getting focused on by the opponent. Jyn’s three pip card is so good, it’s up there in terms of what the Rebels have to offer for Command Cards, but she rarely seems to find the table. I have to say, I’m excited to give this a whirl. This is TRULY Ladies Night!

Final Thoughts
Sabine Wren is a shot into the arm of the Rebel army as we know it. She’s a lot of fun and I keep finding myself building lists that need her in it rather than not. I think the Darksaber will 100% be a playstyle thing and come down to if you think those twenty five points fit your army best there or somewhere else. If you noticed in a lot of my list building above I kept stims off of her. I’m starting to think that Stims on her is 1: not necessary and 2: you won’t get the value of them that you think you will. Luke and Boba can still get there moneys worth on Stims, Bossk too perhaps with some Regenerate shenanigans, but Luke is the main character that gets Stims stapled to completely. I think you can spend those 8 points somewhere else. The personal shield and grappling line are still things I need to try, but I don’t see myself using the shield. Either way, Sabine is one of my favorite characters in Star Wars to this date other than say Luke, Thrawn and Ezra. I’m glad that she is entering my favorite game and seems to be a very effective unit! Thematically she is perfect and while painting her is giving me anxiety just thinking about it, I can’t wait! Enjoy the heck out of her, I know I will! And remember:

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2 thoughts on “The Synergies of Sabine Wren

  1. Greg C says:

    so I’ve been on jyn / leia since jynn came out and have tried alot variations.

    The biggest problem I’ve found with the lists is the lack of a good melee unit. The wookies just dont cut it.

    sabine is a shot in the arm for the list and will give it what its missing.

    I also tried out as I like to call it

    WILD WEST (due to the gun slingers)

    ++ Standard (Rebel Alliance) [799 Points] ++

    + Commander +

    •Han Solo [130 Points]: Improvised Orders

    + Operative +

    •Chewbacca [114 Points]: Tenacity

    •Sabine Wren† [163 Points]: Electro Grappling Line†, Emergency Stims, •The Darksaber†

    + Corps +

    Rebel Troopers [80 Points]: 2-1B Medical Droid, Z-6 Trooper

    Rebel Troopers [62 Points]: Z-6 Trooper

    Rebel Troopers [62 Points]: Z-6 Trooper

    Rebel Troopers [62 Points]: Z-6 Trooper

    + Special Forces +

    Rebel Commandos – Strike Team [42 Points]: Proton Charge Saboteur

    Rebel Commandos – Strike Team [42 Points]: Proton Charge Saboteur

    Rebel Commandos – Strike Team [42 Points]: Proton Charge Saboteur

    + Command Hand +

    Command Hand: Sorry About the Mess, •Explosions†, ••Reckless Diversion, ••Symbol of Rebellion†, •••Assault, •••Legacy of Mandalore†, •••Notorious Scoundrels, ••••Standing Orders

    + Battle Cards +

    Condition Cards: Clear Conditions, Hostile Environment, Limited Visibility, Minefield

    Deployment Cards: Advanced Positions, Disarray, Major Offensive, The Long March

    Objective Cards: Intercept the Transmissions, Key Positions, Recover the Supplies, Sabotage the Moisture Vaporators

    ++ Total: [799 Points] ++

    Created with BattleScribe (https://battlescribe.net)

  2. Juan says:

    I have been using sabine + Leia bombing, it is a fun list and the DLT-20A is great on this because you can let them close to leia (receving dodges) and let sabine in the middle of the game with the 2 AT-RT.

    Leia bombing
    791/800 (10 activations)
    Commanders:
    – Leia Organa (90): Esteemed Leader (5), Portable Scanner (6) = 101
    Operative:
    – Sabine Wren (125): Situational Awareness (2), Personal Combat Shield (10), Electro Grappling Line (5) = 142
    Corps:
    – Fleet Troopers (44): Scatter Gun Trooper (23), R5 Astromech Droid (8) = 75
    – Rebel Troopers (40): DLT-20A Trooper (26) = 66
    – Rebel Troopers (40): DLT-20A Trooper (26), Medical Droid (18) = 84
    Special Forces:
    – 2× Commando Strike Team (20): Proton Charge Saboteur (26), Recon Intel (2) = 96
    Support:
    – 2× AT-RT (55): Rotary Blaster (20) = 150
    – Laser Cannon Team (70): Barrage Generator (7) = 77

    • Coordinated Bombardment, • Explosions!, •• No Time for Sorrows, •• Symbol of Rebellion, ••• Covering Fire, ••• Somebody Has to Save Our Skins, •••• Standing Orders

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