Build a deck that wins

The rules

• 1 leader + 7 cards, all from your leader's side (Light or Dark). You can mix eras within that side.
• Unique cards only work with their own leader. Each leader has one Unique made for them (Anakin and Ahsoka, Vader and Doctor Aphra), and the game won't let another leader use it. See every leader's Unique.
• Some cards can only be on the field once at a time. If you see "You can only deploy one of this card at a time", wait until the first one is gone.
• One copy is enough to play a card. Extra copies are only for upgrades.
• In 2v2, both players can't use the same leader.

Rules of the battlefield that shape every deck

These come straight from the game's own tips. Most players never learn them.

The seven jobs

A good deck covers most of these. A deck that misses two or more will have matchups it simply can't win.

Unique cards in this table (Chewbacca, Chopper, BB-8, Rose Tico, U-Wing, Doctor Aphra, Slave I) only work in their own leader's deck. See Leaders and Uniques.

One card can cover two jobs. Doctor Aphra is control and splash; Rebel Demolitionist is anti-tech and turret pressure. Those are the cards that make room in a 7-card deck.

The cost curve

Energy refills at about 1 point every 3 seconds, so cost decides how often you get to act.

• Aim for an average of 2.6 to 3.4. Lower and you lack punch; higher and you get caught with nothing affordable.
• Run at least two cards that cost 2 or less. They're how you answer a surprise push and cycle to the card you need.
• Have at most one card that costs 6 or more, and only if your leader speeds up energy (Krennic, Luke Ahch-To) or your plan is built around it.
• Count your support cards. One or two is ideal. Four or more leaves too few bodies on the field.

Organic or tech?

Every unit is either organic (troopers, beasts, people) or tech (droids, walkers, vehicles). It matters for three reasons:

1. Leader bonuses usually boost one type. Vader, Thrawn, Ezra, Padmé and Anakin boost organics; Grievous and Bodhi boost tech.
2. Counters are type-specific. Stun grenades only hit organics and leaders; ion effects, Chopper and Rocket Stormtroopers punish tech.
3. Datacards often boost one type, for example the Empire set's organic health and attack.

Pick a lane. A deck that's all organic or mostly tech gets full value from its leader and datacards. Keep one counter for the type you're weak against.

Build a deck in six steps

1. Pick a leader you like and read their skill and leadership bonus. That bonus tells you what to build around.
2. Add their Unique. Every leader except the two 40th Anniversary leaders has exactly one, and it's almost always worth a slot. Check the Leaders and Uniques guide.
3. Add a frontliner and two cheap cards. That's your defense and your cycle.
4. Add splash and one anti-tech or anti-organic answer, whichever your deck is weaker against.
5. Add your win condition: a turret-pressure unit or a burst combo for leader kills.
6. Check the curve and the era count. Swap a card for a same-era option if it costs you nothing in power. Then test it in Field Training before taking it to ranked.

The deck builder checks most of this automatically: curve, cheap cards, splash, frontline, turret pressure, the Unique rule and your leader's synergy.

Fixing a deck that keeps losing