NA Championships Top 16 - 7-1 9th in swiss - Poe/Maz 2.0

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• 2.0
• 1.0

This is my deck that I piloted to a win in a 44 player store championship at Family Time Games in Indianapolis, Indiana and most recently took to the North American Championships at GenCon where I went 7-1 and finished 9th overall with my only loss in swiss coming to the eventual winner HonestlySarcastc. I have several “different” choices for my deck so I figured I’d go over a few of those choices.

The key to the deck post fast hands is Cunning. It essentially gives a 3rd Poe Dameron - Ace Pilot die and one that can consistently be used before it can be removed. It also makes the Darth Vader - Dark Apprentice/Kylo Ren - Vader's Disciple match up much more manageable. I will hard mulligan for Cunning every time with Hit and Run being the only card I will ever hold if I don’t draw Cunning in my starting hand.

Lone Operative - This card is critical to the way I play Poe/Maz. While Poe/Maz always has the ability to win fast with the right card draw and rolls I find that a more balanced approach is needed to overcome the variance that can hit even the best deck over the course of a tournament. Prior to adding Lone Operative I was finding that I needed to win the game by turn 2 or 3 or I would succumb to the FN-2199 - Loyal Trooper onslaught. Lone Operative allows me to add survivability to Poe Dameron - Ace Pilot or Maz Kanata - Pirate Queen after one of them dies by hard casting it or before that pitching it with Poe's special. It is particularly good if Maz Kanata - Pirate Queen goes down first and it can be played on Poe Dameron - Ace Pilot given his desire to resolve specials anyway. I have won many games by playing both Lone Operative on Poe Dameron - Ace Pilot, resolving specials, pitching a U-Wing or Millennium Falcon and healing 6. Lone Operative is also great for its melee side which is clutch in the Captain Phasma - Elite Trooper match up to get rid of their Hunker Down.

Hyperspace Jump & Retreat – I run 2 of each of these and they are hands down the MVPs of the deck. In all of my testing FN-2199 - Loyal Trooper had been giving me the most trouble, FN’s potential to Boundless Ambition to crazy amounts of damage means that claiming against him always left the chance that Maz Kanata - Pirate Queen or Poe Dameron - Ace Pilot would not get to activate next turn. Hyperspace Jump and Retreat are my get out of jail free cards. With Cunning I more often than not roll Maz Kanata - Pirate Queen first. If I get lucky I hit the cunning special on the roll and I can take a resource with Maz Kanata - Pirate Queen and resolve Cunning doing damage from Poe’s special. More than once at NA Championships I was able to Hyperspace Jump out of turn 1 with just 3 actions and a Thermal Detonator from Cunning. The cards allow me to keep ahead on the damage curve and are such a clutch card that in my top 16 match Nick Obee’s ability to keep me from getting to 3 resources was the critical factor in his victory in the first game.

I had been running C-3PO and Maz's Goggles but I found them too slow and cost a resource that I normally needed for other cards. I also do not run Field Medic or Dug in. I love both cards but as before the 1 cost makes them too costly to play with my preference for Hyperspace Jump and Retreat.