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Imperial Intel

Grand Admiral Thrawn is the best Imperial commander since Emperor Palpatine. But, how do you build a winning squad around him?

Let's take a look at what Thrawn can do:

• He wins initiative.
• He stops all use of the Force within 6 squares.
• He gives non-uniques +3 Attack and Defense.
• He lets you switch 2 figures that are within 6 squares of him and the same base size.

To be effective, you need figures that take advantage of these abilities. Here's an example squad:

• Grand Admiral Thrawn 37
• General Veers 21
• Grand Moff Tarkin 11
• Lando, Hero of Tanaab 23
• Elite Snowtrooper x5 60
• Elite Stormtrooper x2 22
• Stormtrooper x5 25

How does this take advantage of Thrawn's abilities?

• Tarkin’s Commander Effect takes advantage of initiative control.
• No one in the squad has a Force Rating.
• The 12 troopers, 7 of which are elites, all get +3 Attack and Defense.
• Every figure is on a Medium sized base, so they can all be switched with each other.

This squad is my favorite Thrawn squad. The elites are your main attackers. The 5 stormtroopers, along with Veers and Tarkin, can all combine fire. Thrawn has a good attack, and his figure swapping Commander Effect takes place at the end of his turn, so you might be better off having him attack. Lando is a great attacker, and his Commander Effect gives the troopers Mobile Attack. It might not always be useful, but it’s good to have. Some have asked why I don’t have a Stormtrooper Commander. It doesn't get the +3 Attack and Defense, Accurate Shot, or Mobile Attack, and I have to replace an elite and a stormtrooper to fit it in. I don't think it's worth it.

I’m not sure how this squad would do against Nom Anor Stealth squads, as I haven’t gone against any yet. I know it can take down Jedi Hunter Vader. Missiles are an obvious problem, and Lightning Obviously isn’t. It has weaknesses like any squad, but If you’re looking for a trooper squad, this is a good one.

Until next time,

Charles Caffrey (aka: Chaz Ghostle)

A note from Che: Recently, there have been some minor changes to the effect of Thrawn's "Force Bubble", making it similar to the Immunity enjoyed by the Vong. While this article remains absolutely true, Thrawn squads have gained several additional advantages since the last errata. Attacks by characters within "the bubble" can no longer be blocked or deflected, and saves against powers originating within the bubble cannot be rerolled. This makes missiles, dominate, kohoun, and any other ability that allows a save more effective against Force users. Enjoy!

A note from Chaz: Now that Huge figures are viable in the 200 point tournament scene, this is not as viable as it once was. In fact, a single Viper droid could tear this squad apart. Just an example of how the game changes, I suppose.