We looked at Darth Wolverine’s preliminary rankings of decks 80-41, now let’s go ahead and look at how Aaron ranked everything in the end. All comments are Aaron’s, I’ll make my own below each set.
80-71
- #80. Jolee Bindo & Juhani [#76] A poorly designed relic.
- #79. General Hux [#77] Meh.
- #78. Durge [#75] Functional and little else.
- #77. General Veers [#80] Bumped up by the others falling, still not super compelling for me.
- #76. Supreme Leader Snoke [#79] Character is still boring, some mechanisms are fun and his power level is decent.
- #75. Tweaked Darth Vader [#78] Still blah, boosted by others falling. Play Jedi Hunter instead.
- #74. Chirrut Imwe & Baze Malbus [#50] I severely overrated this out of love for the characters. Roman is right that this is where it belongs.
- #73. Aurra Sing [#72] Not much change here, I like her just fine but she’s unremarkable.
- #72. Tweaked Jango Fett [#69] I was literally inspired to make a whole new deck, so that should tell you what I think of this one.
- #71. Lando & Han Smugglers [#70] Basically the same, I don’t like the luck aspect so I don’t play them but the deck is solid if you like dice rolling.
Roman’s comments: Jolee & Juhani, Docmogs and I started but never really finished. Ultimately my interest in KOTOR doesn’t hold up beyond Revan, Bastila and Malak. General Hux has been revised since this ranking, but still doesn’t get out of the bottom-10. Most of the other decks are retired (Durge) or just not all that inspired (Aurra Sing) but it’s funny seeing tweaked versions of OG Vader and OG Jango here. Even after tweaking them, they’re not as good as other decks we’ve made.
- #70. Orson Krennic (#74) I think I sold this deck a little short last time. It’s good and fun.
- #69. Tweaked Yoda (#73) Good tweaks, decent enough Yoda. Better decks for this character.
- #68. Enfys Nest (#67) A classic LotR reskin on a character I don’t care about.
- #67. Dark Troopers (#66) A solid twist on the Nazgul, but the cards don’t excite me. They certainly have a place.
- #66. Sly Moore (#65) Negative Play Experience for some, still a fun deck.
- #65. Hoth Han & Chewie (#62) Both deserve more decks, but I’d rather play the original deck.
- #64. Imperial Officer & 4 Stormtroopers (#71) I ranked this a bit low last time because it’s gimmicky. I like the gimmick and
- it has a solid jump.
- #63. Rebel Commando Luke (#59) A small drop but importantly, my current least favorite Luke.
- #62. Tarfful (#64) Gets forgotten but completely fine. LIMB FROM LIMB is a Top Tier card name.
- #61. Sifo Dyas (#48) I think this is Elrond reskinned? Most LotR decks dropped a bit.
- #50. AT-ST (#39) I ranked this a little high for novelty. This spot feels better.
- #49. Fennec Shand (#41) A really cool deck I’m eager to play. Got pushed back by a lot of decks rising up or falling down here.
- #48. Kit Fisto (#38) I like the character, this deck may break the curse but he’s still in the lower half.
- #47. Jyn Erso (#61) I undervalued this a bit the first go around. She’s a really fun run and gunner and the best of Rogue One decks.
- #46. Tweaked Luke Skywalker (#63) A huge rise but not an Island pick for me. Recent playtesting helped this go up a lot thanks to strong outings.
- #45. The Mandalorian (#25) Feels supplanted by the 20YA Version, but still very good.
- #44. Lando Calrissean (#52) I feel like I might need to make a Lando deck that I love. Character makes the island regardless of placement.
- #43. San Hill & Wat Tambor (#57) This is a pretty big jump for a cool deck that deserved a better place.
- #42. Grandmaster Luke (#33) Ultimately less interested in this deck after Mike’s take, my own Luke deck, and Dagobah Luke. Still very cool.
- #41. Jedi Exile (#28) I’m slotting Meetra here after Roman’s changes. The other 40 are probably still higher but you should give this deck a shot
Roman’s comments: Not that I have huge problems with any of Aaron’s rankings, which were great fun and a great discussion, but this is the group I can probably nitpick the most. Like I said, they’re all good decks and while I think some of these could be higher, it’s hard to say who exactly needs to be bumped down, but I’ve always maintained that the Geektopia group likes tweaked Luke more than most. We played with those tweaks for 10+ years and never really thought to change them again. He’d make our “Island 24” set and should at least be in the 30s but probably even the 20s, at least for us. Lando and Mando, on the other hando, are probably ranked too high even here despite being beloved characters. Exile is a pretty great deck that could be in the next bracket.
- #40. Grand Moff Tarkin (#49) Given that I literally didn’t know about a card until I clicked on the PDF, it makes sense this was lower originally.
- #39. Dooku & Qui-Gon (#31) No real reason for the drop except that it isn’t really my cup of tea. Good deck though, worthy of being Top 40.
- #38. Luke Skywalker, Jedi Acolyte (#44) Always liked this, I think it’s the best Empire-specific Luke.
- #37. C-3PO, Golden God (#30) I think Roman is right in that this deck is more of an “in the mood” deck that won’t hit the table every time. Still a blast and a riot.
- #36. Adi Gallia & Stass Allie (#45) I said originally this was the most underrated deck in Geektopia. That includes me. These girls are great.
- #35. Kylo Ren (#40) He’s bumped up a few spaces because this really is a great deck and Kylo is essential to a collection IMO.
- #34. Sora Bulq (#35) Just another good Dark Side character with a fun deck that adds some variety to the main group of Clone Era baddies.
- #33. Bultar Swan (#34) A fun, unique deck with a rarely used character. Almost certainly the best Swan deck, anywhere.
- #32. Tweaked Obi-Wan (#36) I’ve felt an increased need for a set to have an Obi who isn’t tied to a Skywalker. This deck is good and fits in with the Sluggos just fine.
- #31. Ki-Adi Mundi (#31) Right where he was, gatekeeping the Top 30. “Save the Clones” is a great option for this if the 10YA deck is a bit too thinky for your group.
Roman’s comments: Again it’s tough competition here, with Dooku & Qui-Gon a pretty great deck and it’s hard to believe there are really 38 that are better. I would, however, put tweaked OG Luke above all of them. Bespin Luke looks just about right. C-3PO is a good joke and I even printed it out to play, but it’s probably a little too high still, I’d rather see Exile in this group.
- #30 Saesee Tiin & Agen Kolar. By popular demand, I’m bumping this up to the Top 30. It’s a very strong deck, and while it isn’t my favorite, I was probably overzealous in ranking it low so that I wasn’t talking about Double Jedi Decks every other day. A 25 spot jump is the biggest positive one.
- #29. 4-LOM & Zuckuss (#37) I was worried when doing the list about putting the Bounty Hunters as high as I wanted them, since “Shooter Hate” does seem to be a thing amongst Geektopia. No such restraint this time.
- #28. Dagobah Luke (#23) Not a big drop for the All-Star deck, this is my favorite deck where Luke is the main character.
- #27. Darth Plagueis (#29) Bumping it up a few spots as I underestimated this one’s popularity. Certainly a unique and stand out design.
- #26. Shaak Ti (#16) Shaak drops out of the Top 20, essentially trading off with another Jedi deck. Revisiting this deck leads me to believe it’s just a bit too much of a tank.
- #25. Finn & Poe Dameron (#26) Basically the same spot, I feel more firm in my conviction that TFA’s heroes need to have high rankings if their decks merit it. This is the most approachable deck for these two.
- #24. IG-88 & Bossk (#43) This 19 spot climb is the 2nd biggest positive movement. See the above comments about 4-LOM and Zuckuss, and know I like these two just a bit more.
- #23. Aayla Secura (#22) Same great deck, same basic spot. Love her.
- #22. Old Ben & Young Luke (#17) A certified classic that may be too specific? I dunno, I love it, it just got edged out of Top 20.
- #21. Ozzel & Piett (#18) I feel bad. I really do. This deck rules, I champion it. But if I look at the characters fighting for the high teens, these two don’t quite make it anymore. I could swap with one, but I think that deck is better.
Roman’s comments: Damn straight I demanded Saesee & Agen be higher, and they should be. They’re fine here, as is just about everyone else. Ozzel & Piett is a work of art but it can’t be ranked higher than that. It gets tougher as you get to the top but I think Aaron got this group pretty much right on.
- #20. Rey (#24) I had her lower originally because I have design credit on it. But she made the 20YA and deserves to be in this upper echelon.
- #19. Admiral Ackbar & Wedge Antilles (#20) The best shooter deck that wasn’t in the original game. This isn’t really a climb so much as a result of the shifting landscape.
- #18. The Great Jabba (#21) I originally left this out of Top 20 because there so many equally good Jabba decks. But those decks are great, and this belongs here.
- #17. Greedo & Friends (#15) I had this at #15 as a statement that personality and fun are more important than power level. But I do think the next 16 are more essential than Greedo.
- #16. Asajj Ventress (#19) TORTURE remains a favorite of mine. There was never a question that she’d be anywhere other than the teens.
- #15. Plo Koon (#27) Others are more attached to this character than I am, but he is a great deck and I have no problem bumping him up to this high ranking. If you’re strict about Light Side/Dark Side teams, Plo really is unique and does something no other Jedi does.
- #14. Ahsoka Tano & Rex (#14) The rest of this list stays the same, as I don’t think there’s really any room for flexibility. And yes, I’ll stand by this 10YA deck being this good and this essential. Growing up with sisters, this is the deck they always wanted to play.
- #13. Anakin, Sith Apprentice (#13) Low key one of the best Darth Vader decks out there. A perfect sluggo companion for Sidious, even if he can’t help him beat the next two decks.
- #12. Mace Windu (#12) Small but important changes radically altered this deck from a solid Tier 2 to a monstrous 1v1 fighter that will wreck shop on anyone foolish enough to tangle with him.
- #11. Yoda of Kashyyk (#11) In a 1v1 vacuum, I think this deck is nearly unstoppable. The Champion of the Force is the choice deck for anyone who wants to play Yoda as a swordsman; he’s unrivaled.
- #10 Quinlan Vos (#10) – I have more affection for the characters above him, but in terms of pure design this could probably be #1 for me
- #9 Boba Fett & Dengar (#9) – Two Tweaked Originals made it into the Top Ten. This is simultaneously the most and least tweaked of them, and certainly unique to Geektopia.
- #8 Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan (#8) – The first of three Jedi pairs, and arguably the most iconic out of that group. And they’ll put a song in your head right away.
- #7 Darth Sidious (#7) – The most powerful deck in the set, and definitely one that I heavily considered for Top 5.
- #6 Nute Gunray (#6) is the highest rated shooter deck, and the highest rated deck I would consider to be “comedy”. While the character seems like an odd one to be in the Top 10, the deck made the 10YA Expansion for a reason.
- #5 Darth Vader Jedi Hunter (#5) – If you want the Vader you saw in Rogue One, this is the deck you want.
- #4, Count Dooku, tweaked (#4) – A set of tweaks I never play without. And I love this character, so he almost always comes out.
- #3 Obi-Wan & Anakin (#3) – My most played deck. I love it 1v1 against anyone. I love it in 2v2. Two characters I love, being awesome, and bringing their opposing yet complimentary fighting styles to one deck. It’s magnificent.
- #2 Grievious Jedi Hunter (#2) – If you’re like me, the reason you’re playing with custom Epic Duels content today is because at some point you looked up “General Grievous Epic Duels” to see if they ever made expansions to this board game. The fun of this deck can be summed up very simply in JEDI HUNTER, three A2s that multiply by how many arms Grievous has (1 arm per 4 hit points). This card blew my mind eleven years ago, adding an element I never would have considered.
- #1 Luminara Unduli & Barriss Offee (#1) – The deck so good it made the 10YA set without question, despite featuring heroes most casual Star Wars fans wouldn’t have known by name unless they obsessed with the Clone Wars cartoon. A pioneer, a standard bearer, a trendsetter, a damn legend: very possibly the Greatest Custom Deck Ever.
And, then, there’s Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee, the “who the heck are they?” deck from the 10 Year Anniversary Set. Who they are is a pair of bad ass Jedi ladies who beat you with teamwork, and they’ve been brought to the table as much as any deck in the set with the possible exception of Dooku.
Luminara was my creation, but Rich Pizor helped me immensely. Rich also pioneered the “4 arms” concept of Grievous, so he had something to do with both of the top 2 decks. Let’s give some love to Rich.
It’s like, there are movements in music where, one band popularizes a certain style of music, but someone else is the true “godfather” of it, and was doing it when nobody else was doing it. The popular band, they took all their good stuff from him, added their own wrinkle on it, and went on to fame. He did ok, but only the people who really know, know him. I think of Iggy Pop and punk. I’m not sure who popularized punk (The Ramones?) but Iggy is called the “godfather of punk”. I own an old Stooges album and I don’t think Iggy is really that good, but he was doing it when nobody else was doing it, and movements don’t happen without that. Rich Pizor is the godfather of the “Epic Duels custom content” movement. I’m the front man and main writer of the band that popularized Epic Duels custom content, Geektopia is probably the best known. Over time, we wrote some great stuff. but early on especially, I took all my good stuff from Rich Pizor, or even worked directly with him on it. It got me going on game design in general, and here we are with our own board game company.
Have a great 4th of July weekend everyone, stay safe!