Star Wars Rivals Review: or, How To Get Whooped By Holograms

Tom, Chris, and Zee discuss their thoughts on this light and lucky Star Wars expandable game system (read: random boosters).
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BGG Link: boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3...

[@TriColoredTiger]

For being such a simple game, I appreciated the thoughtful review and critique of the collectable system.

[@surnis9043]

Magic used to sell 40 cards starters. I actually started with one of these, innocently, and got flak at the game stores friday night for playing an illegal deck! They really expected you to buy boosters until you got 20 cards that would fit in the gimmick (or at least color!) of the 40 cards starter to create a real 60 cards deck.

[@johannesblank1552]

“Favorite Star Wars games” could be an interesting list.

[@427th]

Republic commando, Jedi outcast.. Sorry, you meant board games didn't you?

[@klawless]

@@427th Surely they are not 1 and 2 on your list. Xwing vs Tie fighter, KOTOR and Dark Forces 2 (are likely my top3).....I might be showing my age a fraction. I'll be trying that VR Flight sim game Star Wars Squadrons in a few weeks when I pinch my brothers VR set.

[@JonTripp115]

I was just reading an article about how the Funko Pop! bubble is about to -- well, pop I suppose. So the "wait and get these on clearance" strategy might pay off.

[@TheArisocrates]

Hey Zee! I noticed that the Walmart website only listed the base set as available but when I went there, they had a whole box of boosters! So if you want some, I suggest going!

[@nathanwakefield1081]

Same - no core boxes, but a case of boosters at my Walmart. Website also showed opposite

[@TheFrio937]

​@nathanwakefield1081 only 2 oppositr side boosters needed to fully play.

[@joshestes6427]

So Chris gets a point for mentioning Strong Bad!

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I'm surprised by how many Star Wars fans don't know that General Grievous is constantly coughing because Mace Windu messed him up in a previous encounter. It wasn't Imperial COVID. It was a Mace Windu force grab that almost killed him.

[@trapper0707]

Carling the initiative "high ground" was a very funny touch from Funko I have to admit

[@bad_horsie]

I love this game so much! The rules are light and very refreshing. I don't mind the collectable side of the game because the boxes are very affordable. The game is very similar to Marvel Snap so maybe that's why I love it so much. I think it would be a great move for Funko to make more minis! So many more characters they could add.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Sabacc is in many novels, though. It's how Lando lost the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo, then won it back and finally gifted it to Han, trying to impress Mara Jade.

[@427th]

It (Sabacc) is mentioned in rebels a few times

[@AMFNBEAST]

How much is your expansions? I'm in Kansas City and they're only $5 each.

[@ErnieB573]

There are only 2 variations of booster cases available. There are no duplicates in each case of boosters. Between the 2 variations there are 3 light and 3 dark characters that are the same between the 2 cases. So in essence all the characters have the same rarity except for those 6 that are in both variation. If you buy both cases, you will have a complete set ( plus the 6 duplicates ). The location of each character withing each case is set as well so you can get any specific character you want if the case hasnt been messed with. So collectibility isnt as bad really as normal random boosters of other games

[@pikkdogs]

Like the game, and am okay with the collectible aspect even if I don’t like it. The thing I don’t like is the box sucks. How do you store the minis? Cards? Tokens? I don’t know. Also echo that the holograms are stupid.

[@ccggenius]

I'm intrigued by the fact that there are 9 common figures per side in the set, but only 8 packs for each side in a case. Usually Funko's blind boxes have a fixed distribution, where basically all the commons are present, and there's like... 1 or 2 rare slots in a display. That can't possibly be the case here. I would VERY much like to know the rarity distribution.

[@tsilver33]

There are 2 types of display, display A and display B. (Indistiguishable from the outside) Every display A in the world has the same figures as every other display A, and the same is true of display Bs. If you get a display a and a display b and a premiere set, you will have all the figures.

[@ccggenius]

@@tsilver33 That's... incredibly reasonable for a collectible game. But that also suggests that some of the figures are more common than other commons, as there has to be a bit of overlap. I wonder which ones are the SUPER commons, and which ones are just as rare as the ACTUAL rares...

[@tsilver33]

@@ccggenius Yoda, C3PO, and Chewbacca are the duplicates that appear in both displays for light side, and Boba Fett, Snoke, and Grievous for dark side. The game doesnt really have a rarity system, that was just a misunderstanding in this review. Those 6 characters end up being 2x more common, but the other characters and holos all have exactly the same odds of being pulled if you buy single booster packs truly randomly.

[@tsilver33]

Just a heads up the holograms have 1 less power, so there is a cost to using them.

[@DHaeusler]

and allow you to draw 4 cards instead of 3 so its a trade-off

[@LegoAssassin098]

My problem with this is the same i have with all collectable games. The collectability gets in the way of fun games for the profit of the company. I enjoy playing things like Magic or X Wing, but the collectability kills those games for me. LCGs are a little better, but still have the issue.

[@DarthP00P00]

I stopped playing X-wing back in 1.0 when I realized I couldn't compete with people who spent $200 on a ship expansion JUST to use the powerful crew card that came with it in their tournament list. It was very pay-to-win because even if you could maneuver well and your dice were solid, an opponent with the cash to shell out for all the OP equipment just shuts you down with ease. Sold everything and never regretted it. Models looked cool though.

[@trogon739]

When I just found the starter set at my local Px on our installation I was like “Never seen this before or seen it advertised” as I looked into it shortly after on KZbin brought me to this video but firstly made me think of the old discontinued at this point now card game and show “Chaotic” which I’m still saddened that it never came back. Then I thought about marvel snap. Both of which had mechanics around the locations as key core elements. It also made me think I’d see this being fun like the console game that also had figurines “Skylanders”. If the starter set is enough for a 2 player game then after I field test it I’ll decide if I want to try out their gacha to find more of the figures… because I do want CPT Phasma.

[@isaiahfurrow7414]

Saw an add for the Marvel version, but the add totally didn't show what it was, it was artwork and such but at the end of the add I didn't know if it was for a game, a video game, a cartoon series or movie, etc. Seemed odd... The other day I was at a store and spotted the Rivals Star Wars game, on sale... picked one up as a gift, and one for home, as well as one each of the light and dark side boosters... After actually opening it this afternoon, and now watching some videos about it.... I will definitely be looking for more to pick up a few starters as gifts, and as many boosters as I can, to collect a bunch... any duplicates I'll give to the people I've given the other starters to, so they'll also have 3 characters... I have 3 kids, 1 of them is into games that I play/collect.... we do a little bit of board gaming, and I also collect a few tabletop miniatures games... 40k and Kill Team, etc... possibly might try Shatterpoint... have a bunch of old Warmachine stuff from Mk2 era... etc. Those miniatures games are a bit overwhelming for new people sometimes. This might make for a gateway for some people, or a way for some people that might be interested in those games to get a bit of a miniatures/tactical feel when playing games with others who don't do miniatures games , as it's more of a simple "board game" kind of level of complexity... I like it, and am stoked to have found it on sale... but I'd be on the fence maybe at full price. If we enjoy playing this one, I will likely try the Marvel version and maybe get a second set to get a friend into it who's more into Marvel than Star Wars. I could see this game working well for many different franchises... Harry Potter, Walking Dead, etc... endless possibilities for other themed versions. Looking forward to trying to actually play a game of it, maybe tonight even. Cheers

[@TheFrio937]

Cody and 2 Trooper tokens is a pretty solid strategy especially since more boxes all give more trooper cards. My first two boxes were Holo Leia and Holo Emperor. I would rather have regular Leia and regular Emperor.

[@philtombershead]

I like the game way more than I thought and quite like the cute minis, but I'll probably replace them with tokens as that way you can pack a lot into a deck box (or one of the booster boxes). Seems like a good game for travel that way. Very much agree bout the holograms though, I got Palpatine and Ahsoka holograms (from 6 boosters!) but would actually have much preferred the regular ones.

[@martinritchie7576]

I'm interested, but I wish they made two starter sets with different characters, but they want you to buy it

[@onceuponmusic]

This remind me We need an unmatched jedi versus sith so much… wish restoration games would consider it!

[@zur13l13]

10,000 years from now, alien archeologists are going to find a layer of funko-shyte right above a layer of beanie babies.

[@SharlzG]

You raised the exact issue I have was collectable games. I know I'll buy 20 and 10 will be the same character. The game sounds fine, but I'm not interested in it purely because it's collectable

[@thediminutivesoldier]

I got an entire box of boosters, not a single duplicate in the entire box. There are two boxes, box A and box B. Neither of them have duplicates within themselves.

[@davidnorris8724]

They should of put two holograms in the starter.

[@gamera2351]

The holograms are stupid I agree. They are like the foil variants of CCG.

[@christianchildress2736]

Doesn’t Funkoverse also only give you 4 characters in the starter boxes but you have to play 3 in 3?

[@stephstrawgames]

No, you can play 2 on 2 or 3 on 3.

[@TheFrio937]

​@@stephstrawgamesNo they give you trooper tokens too which let's you play 3v3 in original. Those tokens are useful if your running two because their cards allow for a lot of movement.

[@stephstrawgames]

@@TheFrio937 Hey! Thank you for your reply. I helped development the Funkoverse games. I was responding the comment that stated you HAVE to play Funkoverse 3v3, and that is what I was correcting. ;)

[@monicagerlach5291]

We bought 4 boosters and all 4 were holograms. I don’t like the holograms either!!

[@xela95]

I like everything about Rivals😅😅

[@HisstKa]

If this is like Battleworld, you will be able to buy figs you need on the secondary market, but not the cards that you need.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I've never been much of a Funko fan. But if I was a rich kid with rich friends, I might be all over this because they are Star Wars collectibles.

[@Teachermook]

Uhhhhhhhhhh I'll stick with destiny for a light star wars game.

[@larrytedmcbride]

My daughter and I are really enjoying this. If you get duplicates let me know :D

[@badhareday7509]

Not for me. Don't like blind boosters. No matter how fun the game might be, paying for something I don't want or already have, is paying too much. I'd rather have them release Star Wars characters for Funkoverse.

[@Ashwinz]

The boosters are not blind. They are semi blind, but with a keen eye, you'll know about what you're getting. Pick a light box, you're getting a lightside character. Pick 2 light side boxes from the same untouched display? You'll be guaranteed to get 2 different light side characters. Hope that helps and changes your tune. You should give it a try!

[@Ashwinz]

And also, you know that it won't be a regular Commander Cody or Darth Vader. You'll never get a Asajj Ventress or a Luke from the Boosters as well (as they come in the Core Box exclusively)

[@badhareday7509]

I appreciate the suggestions,👍But sadly, I've been burned by collectible miniature games in the past. In my experience, you'll almost never come across a display case which hasn't been tempered with. And any online purchase is basically out of the question. And even in a best case scenario (there's an accidential pun in there 😁), you might just end up getting a character you don't want (not keen on any of the holo variants). And if I already bought a few characters, then go back to buy some more, how likely is it to not draw any duplicates? Maybe if someone starts selling open booster packs on ebay or something, or if the whole thing ends up in the bargain box and you can get an entire case for cheap - though I really don't want to be the kind person who wishes a game to fail.

[@iamlegend0000]

I love this game coming from heavy table top miniatures. These are pre-pained VERY nicely and rules are simple to learn. Unfortunately seems to find whole boxes untempered by online/ebay scalpers and I have not heard of this game at all, I accidentally bumped into it on my local gaming store and thought to give it a go, and it did not disappoint!! FUN FUN FUN! TY for the video!

[@VictorDiGiovanni]

In the vast landscape of Star Wars games available now, I can't see this one standing out.

[@Manny-M]

I just bought this on a whim to play with my son. Core box + 12 boosters for $30AUD Very happy to hear the game system itself is a good one... had i watched this video earlier, i probably wouldve gotten two!

[@DeltaDemon1]

Why is this a miniatures game? This might be OK if they were using tokens but because it's minis it sucks.

[@maxducoudray]

A game designed to frustrate people who like sleeving their cards.

[@tylerdurden8270]

yes! especially since they are going for more of the "collectible" route they should have known this would be an issue for some players.

[@Aeravon]

So... this is Warmachine High Command reskinned with a... choice... of an art style. Nah I'm good.

[@nickbouletos8399]

This is literally marvel snap

[@arnold2011]

A missed opportunity to make the game non-collectable. Myself being a Unmatched fan, I buy every box of Unmatched. For this game they could have done the same and still earned a lot of money. By the way who wants Unmatched Star Wars?

[@GeeEmm81]

They’d have to at some point right. lol Personally, I’d love some DC characters.

[@whataboutki]

This is straight up gambling. Game looks neat but I can't support that type of preditory sales technique.

[@sebastianmoller]

Looks like a fun game that I would play with my kids who loves Star Wars. But I would never play with that stupid Hologram +1 handsize rule and the cards look so stupid 😂

[@Bebopvicious00]

Looks fun, but not knowing what i am buying, and having to buy extra characters just to play the starter pack is a no go. Sorry its okay to make something collectible, but this is super predatory and deserves to be burned.

[@bdparsley]

You don’t have to buy anything extra to play the starter set. You can even play with just a pair of boosters. It’s covered in step 1 of the setup rules - to use character tokens, which come with the starter set (1 each light/dark) and each booster (2 of that side). You can say it’s not ideal, but it is playable.

[@MrLinguist88]

Wow, it is literally pay to win... :O

[@Julian_t_x]

Not really though

[@edwardlasso3092]

I agree more with Chris' 7.5 and Zee's 7 because this review is not just for the starter set but for the system itself (Tom seems to weigh his 6 rating on his choice to limit himself to the starter and 2 boosters, unlike most people who play ccgs and know what they are getting into).

[@thedicetower]

Is that the case, though? I mean, for Magic I can buy a deck and play just fine. Not the case here?

[@edwardlasso3092]

@@thedicetower sure, you get the 2 figures and a token per side, in MagicTG they don't give you tokens when needed for a card effect (except randomized in other booster packs, or in theme packs).

[@JustJoeBlogs]

Yeah but we're talking tokens. I can still open a box and play. Here I have a box and am effectively missing a third of the game.

[@edwardlasso3092]

I thought that the token represents that third part of the game, giving you a third character with a number representing its power level, and you should be able to play it with just the token and the 2 figures. Was I mistaken?

[@Ashwinz]

@@edwardlasso3092 You're not mistaken. People are being misguided. You perceptively are missing 1/3rd of the game, but in reality, you can play from the start. You TECHNICALLY can play the game with 1 booster of each light and dark side, since they each come with 2 Rebel Trooper / Imperial Trooper Tokens.

[@GeeEmm81]

Funko? Pass.

[@KhaosTheory5000]

Dude’s too negative to keep watching…