How to play Cad Bane
Cad Bane is the leader community Ezra players call their worst matchup, and the reason is crowd control. His kit cycles through three weapons, snares you with bolas, and punishes you even when you kill him. Here's how his weapon rotation actually works, with the numbers from the game files.
At a glance
| Side and era | Dark Side · Separatists |
|---|---|
| Type | Organic · Ranged |
| Health (level 1) | 1,006 |
| Attack (level 1) | 76 |
| Max level | 8 (every perk is open by level 7) |
| Unique card | Aurra Sing · 3 energy |
| Skill | Weapons Specialist, swaps weapons every 5 seconds |
| Passive | Final Trick (grenades on death) |
| Role | Ranged crowd control |
His kit, explained
- Skill: Weapons Specialist. Cad Bane rotates through his gear. From his blasters, the skill fires a flamethrower in a straight line for 50% bonus damage and switches him to grenades. From grenades, the skill throws bolas that snare enemies in place, then switches him back to blasters. The skill comes back every 5 seconds, so you'll use it constantly.
- Passive: Final Trick. When Cad Bane dies he drops grenades that explode after a moment for 200% of his Attack Power as area damage. Players who dive him often lose their units to the blast. His fourth perk doubles it.
- Aurra Sing, his Unique. Three energy sniper who prioritizes whoever is attacking Cad Bane. She makes diving him expensive from long range.
- Why players struggle against him: bolas plus grenades are crowd control on a 5 second loop. Swarm decks and melee leaders get pinned and burned.
- Weak spot: 1,006 HP and ranged. If you reach him with real damage and step back before Final Trick goes off, he goes down.
Perks and when they unlock
Perks unlock as the leader levels up and cost Perk Points and Credits. Leaders max out at level 8, and the fifth perk needs level 7, which is why so few players have seen a fully perked leader yet.
| Perk | Unlocks at | What it does | Perk Points | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Level 1 | Increase grenade Attack Speed by 7%. Faster grenade throws. | 1,000 | 6,000 |
| 2 | Level 3 | Increases duration of bola attack’s Snare by 1 second. Bolas hold enemies in place 1 second longer. | 3,450 | 10,000 |
| 3 | Level 4 | Increases Attack Power by 5%. Simple damage boost. | 8,500 | 16,000 |
| 4 | Level 5 | Explosion damage +100%. Final Trick explosion damage doubled. The perk that makes diving him a real risk. | 16,000 | 32,000 |
| 5 | Level 7 | Additional 15% increase to damage dealt to enemies below 40% health. 15% more damage to enemies under 40% health. Helps him finish leaders. | 31,750 | 136,000 |
| All five perks | 60,700 | 200,000 | ||
Game plan
- Rotate on purpose. Flamethrower into a lane full of units, then bolas on whatever charges you. Count your rotation so bolas are ready when the enemy leader dives.
- Snare and punish. A snared leader is a free target for Aurra Sing and your droids.
- Make them pay for killing you. Fight near the enemy's push when you're low. If they finish you, Final Trick hits their whole army.
- Stay Separatist. Four or more Separatist cards speed up your energy recovery, up to 8% with all eight.
- Lean on tough droids. Droidekas and Magnaguards stand in front while Bane and Aurra Sing work from range.
A deck to start with
| Card | Job | Why it is here | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Aurra Sing 3 energy, 308 HP | Unique, sniper | Shoots whoever attacks Bane. Your anti-dive. |
 | B1 Battle Droids 2 energy, 71 HP, x6 | Cheap swarm | Two energy bodies to soak hits. |
 | Magnaguard 3 energy, 480 HP, x3 | Melee front | Tough melee droids that hold the lane. |
 | Droideka 4 energy, 636 HP | Anchor | Shielded front line that walls off a push. |
 | Umbaran Soldiers 4 energy, 221 HP, x2 | Area damage | Multi-direction fire that clears swarms. |
 | Sith Probe Droid 3 energy | Control | Shocks and slows enemy organic units and leaders. |
 | Droid Gunship 4 energy | Air strike | Four energy strike for clumped units. |
Average cost 3.3 and all Separatist for the full energy bonus. Yottawatts' slow-push Cad Bane list in the SWFAR Discord takes a different route with MTV-7s and an AT-DT (open it in the builder).
More builds from other players: community decks for this leader in the deck gallery.
How to beat Cad Bane
- Burst him, then step back. Kill him with a quick combo and pull your units out before the Final Trick grenades go off.
- Spread out. Flamethrower is a straight line and the grenades hit an area. Don't stack your army in front of him.
- Kill Aurra Sing first if you plan to dive. Otherwise she shoots your diver.
- Bring tech. Bolas and grenades hurt organic swarms most. Tough droids and vehicles shrug off more of his control.
Best and worst matchups
Community votes on the whole match (leader, Unique and usual deck) from the leader matchup chart.
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What players are saying
In the SWFAR Discord, Ezra players name crowd control and Cad Bane as their worst matchup, and Cad Bane slow-push decks have been shared in deck-sharing this week. Join the conversation in the SWFAR Discord or the SWFAR Facebook group.