Is Star Wars Unlimited for Other Gamers Too?

Star Wars Unlimited has some card game players obsessed already, but could it be the TCG (trading card game) to welcome other types of gamers too? We bring a couple different perspectives to discuss just that!
May the force be with you...or maybe not.
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[@mrcool9090]

I’ve been playing it occasionally with my dad who isn’t really into tcgs at all and we have been enjoying it together

[@meeple]

Nice! Is he a gamer in general, or just more a Star Wars fan?

[@mrcool9090]

@@meeple hes not really a gamer but he enjoys Star Wars

[@djsinclair2854]

This is my first TCG. My friend had the pre release and we played it before launch and now I’m hooked! The worst part though is that my schedule hasn’t matched up with the flgs events.

[@InterSleuths]

The answer is yes! It's so easy to play, you can play with just about anyone. The back and forth setup is perfect to teach to new players 🎉 we have been loving it!

[@meeple]

Agreed. Lower barrier to entry for sure. Will it have staying power with non-TCGers though? I'm not sure.

[@jessedana9151]

Awesome to meet Ryan at Pax today only moments after watching this. I am deep into SWU and honestly feel this could be a game that could appeal to both regular tcg players and board gamers alike. Board gamers should look into TWIN SUNS format… you will be even more pleased.

[@-RTC-]

My Buddy and I were not planning on playing this because we already play multiple collectible games but he picked up a starter deck and we ended up really enjoying it. We’ve both now purchased more than Im willing to admit

[@meeple]

You're in a safe space. No judgement here for "questionable" consumerism. 😅

[@-RTC-]

@@meeple haha thanks. They call it cardboard crack for a reason! I hope your team ends up enjoying the game. Cheers!

[@alexanderpopov3587]

Got the starter deck, the pre-release pack, opened them and looked at several videos. Quite excited to play this game when I find time. Seems to have borrowed good ideas from various other games - constant resources (like Hearthstone, no "mana screw"), a leader (like a Commander in MTG), upgrades/equipment (like Flesh and Blood), etc. Like the two different battles - in space and on the ground. Allowing to include other colored cards (with a penalty) is a nice touch. The art is still growing on me, but at least it is consistent.

[@meeple]

Nice list of pros. The art is indeed divisive, but I've liked it from the start. In a lifetime of horrible still images from film and TV for licensed IP, I'll take original art anytime. Plus I really enjoy comic book style or cartoon art in general.

[@zrissl]

I was not planning to play a tcg because I love playing board games and have a hugh amount of games at home, but I also wanted to try unlimited at least because of the hype. Starter decks bought, played a couple of games , loved it, opened 3 displays already, I am lost...^^ I always prefered playing instead of building a deck but atm a have so much fun building new decks

[@meeple]

They made the deckbuilding so fun

[@defiantj975]

Most people havent mentioned this, but the Starter set has surprisingly good deck boxes. Lorcana's catboard deck boxes were unusable but star wars unlimiteds is good enough that im keeping them. And they fit the decks sleeved!!!

[@meeple]

I was literally just filling mine back up after taking photos for this video. I have to agree. While I'm no expert on the subject, these are great compared to the Lorcana ones.

[@Ryguy0707]

I absolutely love this game. I am 100% new to TCGs. I started to learn when LotR MtG game out, but I only played one Commander game and was completely overwhelmed. SWU, is just so much easier to play in every faction

[@thecuriousboardgamer]

9:35 That was my favorite way to play Magic in the 90s. We had a 4-player free-for-all group, and every week we'd get 3 packs each. We also actually played for ante. Kills me to think that I might have lost some dual lands to people! lol PS - I think Star Wars Unlimited and Lorcana are both great games. Their early success tells me that there are a lot of players out there hungry for something besides the trio of MtG, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh.

[@meeple]

Great story! Ryan of course has been into MTG for sometime, but not me. This and Lorcana (and One Piece actually) got me to try the TCG/CCG thing out again.

[@jamjams1000]

This game is just phenomenal. Love it

[@viktorkm]

Its great that both Vader and Luke deck is "leagal" out of the box. Meaning they are 50 cards each. which is what a constructed deck should be. Not like other games approach the starter deck, by only giving you 20-30 cards.

[@meeple]

Agreed. I wasn't even aware that many other starter decks took that approach.

[@DuelingMaru]

Please name another ongoing TCG that has starter decks with less than the legal required amount. I'm pretty sure there aren't any

[@CritsHappen]

Well done coverage of the aspects of the game. I do think this is the easiest TCG to get into for a new player, but I also think if you don't like TCGs, this won't sway you from that opinion. It's my personal favorite TCG right now though, and drafting it is a blast!

[@meeple]

Yo Scott! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts (particularly since they line up with my own). 😁

[@drival757]

I own about 200 board games, but never got into a TGC. And I'm not a Star Wars super fan either. But this caught my eye, I tried it and I'm so in to it. Bring it on!

[@meeple]

Thanks for sharing! It's great to hear stories like this.

[@LoDoFilmUnlimitedMedia]

I had the first Star Wars TCG back in the 90's (decipher) It was so complicated to me back then, I collected the cards but never played it. I passed on Destiny. I was going to pass on this but I kept hearing good things about it so I gave it a try. I'm all in!

[@iam1hobbit]

Nothing beats Android Netrunner for me in terms of sheer gameplay fun, but I've been having a blast with Unlimited. Of all the TCGs in the Magic family of gameplay, this one is definitely the best for me.

[@meeple]

Fun turn-to-turn action and gameplay goes a VERY long way with me. This and the upcoming Altered are two that I'll probably play a bit more than others in the past.

[@sergioperez2771]

A format for the game you didn't touch on is Twin Suns (the 3-4 player format). I've been playing CCGs competitively since 1994, and I've never really cared for the casual multiplayer formats for any game except Jyhad/V:TES, which was clearly designed for multiplayer. Even MtG Commander, I can't stand. I know it's the most popular format for the game, but the mechanics are clumsy and outdated; the rules are just a mess, the games can take way too long, it can be way too long between turns, and player can be eliminated and stand around doing nothing for another hour, etc. But with Twin Suns, I found the most enjoyable casual, multiplayer format for a TCG that I've experienced. Part of it is because the structure of the game (each player can only take one action per turn). You get to use two leaders and one base, which opens up your deckbuilding options more, but you can only have one of any card in your deck, so it's a lot cheaper/easier to build a deck for the format. And the game ends the round a player is eliminated, so you can get right back into the next game very quickly. I'm very much enjoying the competitive format for SW:U, and I've taught several board gamers how to play using the starter decks (which I agree give as good or better out of the box experience for any TCG I've ever played; also, it's refreshing that you only need one starter to get a full playset of all of the starter exclusive cards, unlike many other games). They all enjoyed it and are looking forward to playing more, but I'm not sure how many of them will graduate into competitive players. I can very much see us sitting down playing Twin Suns as part of our board gaming nights though - it plays in under an hour, and it's the most fun I've had with a multiplayer TCG format in decades.

[@meeple]

Whoa! Thanks for sharing all that. I'd only just heard of Twin Suns, and I'm not even sure if Ryan has tried that. Sounds cool, and may actually get me to adopt this game for a bit longer than I expected.

[@Pryde551]

I quit playing Magic about 9 years ago and have not been interested in a CCG/TCG for a long time until this came out. I tried Lorcana at my LGS when it first released and it felt pretty vanilla, but I tried this out and really enjoyed it. I'm so tempted to get into it, but I really shouldn't get into a TCG again. I must resist the lure of the dark side....

[@meeple]

"Always with you, what can't be done." 😄 I was once obsessive about collecting things like this, even if I hardly ever played them. Thankfully, I can get in for a taste these days without getting too crazy (at least for now).

[@andykahler504]

It brought me in!

[@ambrosehuang897]

I just demoed it at pax east. I’m not a CCG-er. I had fun with it!

[@meeple]

Ryan is at Pax East right now!

[@greyhawke115]

For me, the longevity of the game will depend on supply. I don't want to invest hundreds or thousands for a competitive constructed deck, but the sealed gameplay in SWU is perfect for casual recurring play. As long as there is enough supply to keep sealed viable, I'm likely going to stick around.

[@gryfyn71]

I agree that these starter decks were very well done. They include little thing that once you see the way they work make you feel clever, a thing so many starter decks from other tcgs fail to do But I do disagree on the concept of "rowing" cards from your hand for resources. While it makes for smoother turns for lower level players, the basic concept means that mid to higher level players can make mistakes before you even take any game actions

[@Schlagathor78]

Its soooooo good!

[@meeple]

Glad you're enjoying it! Are you a TCG/CCG player in general, or just a gamer embracing this one?

[@Schlagathor78]

​@@meeple I am both, but gave up MTG a few years ago. Hated where the game was going design wise. So I was playing mostly board games. My friends talked me into Lorcana. It was cool, but I like Unlimited's gameplay so much more and way cheaper.

[@SharlzG]

I have avoided TCGs because of investment in time and money - my personality, I know once I start, I'll need to buy all the things, and I worry I'll spend so much and just be frustrated because I can never build the perfect deck and so need to buy more and more boosters.... but I'm also a huge Star Wars fan, so I'm really torn here now... 🤔

[@meeple]

Maybe you can just enjoy it from time to time with others you know who have the game. Don't give in to the dark side...unless you want to. But it's your decision. 😁

[@joesolo1836]

This game has legs. The back and forth action system and relative ease of deck building play heavily in favor of the game. And yes, deck building can get complicated, but it doesn't have to. I think this is a game that has seemingly set out to conquer both casual and competitive play; and that will keep it around for a while. I agree with Ryan, drawing mana in Magic is the worst part of that game. To me, anyone who says otherwise is just blind to modern card games. Awesome topic and great video!! Thanks MvM. oh ya, I can see this game getting non-gamers into TCGs and them getting into it. Also, Ryan, that escalation idea sounds AWESOME!! makes me jealous I dont frequent your LGS but will be bringing that up to my LGS and friends.

[@nobbynobbs8182]

Its far easier to get in to than MTG. I really enjoyed my first play

[@DumahAtreides]

That lifestyle aspect I feel will always be an issue with competitive deck construction game. Let's skip the booster pack model (which is a bit better for SW UL) - just having to learn the meta and having a lack of balance without experience is just not for anyone who doesn't deep dive for the long run.

[@mattlowder]

I just wish Jeremy was here to talk on this. And I wish SW:Destiny was supported and not canceled.

[@meeple]

Do you still own any Destiny?

[@andreasoranno]

I am not a TCGers and I bought one out of curiosity...

[@meeple]

Good to hear! Have you tried it out yet? Do you have someone else in your life to play it with? That's what I find challenging. I don't enjoy playing with people way beyond my skill level (like Ryan), so I have to find others in my life to teach the game to.

[@Rayquaza894]

Yugioh is big because its the most competitive tcg out there by a lot. Pokemon is collectors, mtg is casual

[@clivewitcomb2839]

Just don't need methadone now I've kicked the MtG habit! Also, is it just me, or is the art a bit disappointing? x

[@meeple]

The art is definitely divisive, but we like it quite a bit. I know this is a low bar, but ANYTHING is better than photographed still images from shows/movies. 🤣

[@amagrude]

There’s no way I’d ever purchase this game. The TCG/CCG business model is simply unacceptable. It ultimately devolves to pay-to-win in which it’s a coin flip if playing against people of equal skill. Nothing in this game changes that.

[@stigbeitelken5166]

TCG/CCGs are pay to compete, not pay to win :)

[@DJ_Death_Star]

Tell me you have no idea what you are talking about without telling me you have no idea what you are talking about… One of the top 3 decks, that could be argued is the top deck is also one of the cheapest to acquire and/or build I have ever seen in a TCG. Your argument is invalid…

[@meeple]

To their credit, Star Wars Unlimited is using a different business model. You have a pretty even chance of getting any card, even the Legendaries. The expensive second-market chase cards are all cosmetic upgrades - hyperspace, foils, and showcases. If you want to bling out your deck it can be costly but if you're okay using basic art non-foil cards even the most competitive deck can be fairly inexpensive.

[@jitjit2x]

first

[@meeple]

First...on your first.

[@elqord.1118]

The answer to these questions is always no

[@meeple]

Admittedly a vague way to phrase the question, but there's only limited space on a thumbnail. 😅 What we're trying to get at in this video is whether or not a non-TCG fan can actually also enjoy a game like this longer-term. I'm always intrigued with these game, but my interest fizzles almost immediately. I'm wondering if the way this game is structured will change that.

[@elqord.1118]

I played it twice last weekend and liked what I saw but would never continue to invest in order to expand the card pool. I always give battlers a chance but ultimately keep coming back to Null Signal Games / Netrunner.@@meeple