Lure of the Dark SideAnnouncing the Second Force Pack in the Echoes of the Force Cycle
“Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side… then perhaps she will…”
-Darth Vader, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Lure of the Dark Side, the second Force Pack in the Echoes of the Force cycle for Star Wars™: The Card Game! Echoes of the Force leads you on an epic exploration of the power of the Force, crossing both the light and the dark sides. Are you disciplined enough to survive the temptations of the dark side? In Lure of the Dark Side, you will uncover both the raw power of the dark side, and the methods the light side can use to resist the seduction of power.
The Fast and Easy Path
In the second Force Pack of the cycle, you must choose for yourself whether the power offered by the dark side is worth the cost. The ten objective sets (two copies of five different sets) introduced in Lure of the Dark Side are vital in leading you to victory, whether you seek to rise above the enticements of the dark side, or to draw others to the power offered by hate. Difficult decisions must be made at every turn in Star Wars: The Card Game, and the choices offered by Lure of the Dark Side are no different.
As you decide where your best interests lie, you can reap the benefits of the Force with the new Sith objective set: Agent of the Emperor.
The objective, Agent of the Emperor (Lure of the Dark Side, 528) starts to reveal the true allure of the dark side with its ability: “While this objective is undamaged, it gains: Reaction: After you commit a [Sith] unit to the Force, place 1 focus token on a target enemy unit.” Because the ability is a Reaction, you can use it cleverly to seize control of the Force struggle. By committing a Sith unit to the Force and focusing an enemy unit already committed to the Force, you can count your Force icons while depriving your opponent of his, allowing you to leap ahead and take the Balance of the Force for the dark side. Alternatively, you can use the objective’s ability to focus a unit that attacked last turn, keeping it bogged down and unable to attack in the next round.
What other powers can you claim by tapping the dark side? Rage (Lure of the Dark Side, 532) allows you to take an Action to remove up to two focus tokens from a target unit that is committed to the Force. By using this event, one of your Force-committed units can strike, remove its focus tokens, and either strike again, or remain ready and count its Force icons for the Force struggle.
Keeping control of the Force struggle is often a matter of ensuring the safety of your units committed to the Force. The Imperial Shadow Guard (Lure of the Dark Side, 530), a secret division of the Emperor’s Royal Guard, can help you keep your best units safe. The Imperial Shadow Guard is a cheap defensive unit that also has the ability, “Protect unit that is committed to the Force,” helping you to maintain control of the Force struggle.
Some iconic units, such as Luke Skywalker (Core Set, 92) or Han Solo (Core Set, 64) are best used to strike every turn without being committed to the Force, but Mara Jade (Lure of the Dark Side, 529), the Hand of the Emperor, is not one of these units. In addition to a solid spread of combat icons, making her equally suited for attack or defense, while Mara Jade is committed to the Force, she gains Targeted Strike, Shielding, and Elite. With her combat icons and keywords, Mara Jade is a unit to be reckoned with, striking behind enemy lines and protecting your own objectives and units.
The addition of Mara Jade’s Lightsaber (Lure of the Dark Side, 531) just makes Mara Jade better. Although it can enhance and grant a 
icon to any Force Sensitive or Force User unit, when you give Mara Jade her own Lightsaber, she is considered committed to the Force, activating all of her keywords and leaving you with three Force cards you can use to keep the Balance of the Force firmly with the dark side. As you have more units committed to the Force, cards like the Imperial Shadow Guard and Rage become more effective, and the Agent of the Emperor objective allows you to seize control of the Force struggle.
Feel the Power of the Dark Side
Loyalty to the dark side grants many powers, but many dangers wait there as well, and the light side has many ways to resist the power of evil. You have tasted the power of the Lure of the Dark Side. Now you must determine how it will shape your decks. Lure of the Dark Side will be available in our webstore and through your local retailer in the first quarter of 2014!
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Lure of the Dark Side
