Introducing a new Star Wars: Unlimited Format... ALLIANCE

Looking to get started with Star Wars: Unlimited but not comfortable doing it on your own? Do you have a friend that wants to join but needs a hand getting started? Vault Games is doing something a little different for the upcoming Legends of the Force prerelease and I'm here today to tell you all about it.

Introducing the ALLIANCE format. A team-based prerelease format designed by us here at Vault Games with feedback from members of our community. This format is similar to Two-Headed Giant for Magic: the Gathering, where two players team up, share their card pool, build two decks, then play a best-of-one match against another team of players.

You'll be able to play around with new strategies, get those big bombs onto the board, and find some new and interesting effects that power up your units, or slow down your opponents.

So, let's break down what it is, and how it works.

NOTE: The most up-to-date format rules will be available from the info sheet at https://drive.google.com/file/d/16LciFY9fizIy0f8b0iuRW5h1Wo6YwzdJ/view?usp=sharing. 

Deck Construction Rules

• Each ALLIANCE shares a card pool of two (2) Star Wars: Unlimited Prerelease Kits.
• Each player constructs a minimum 40 card deck, using any leader available from the shared card pool and any available Rare base from the shared card pool or common base.
• Two players on a team may select the same Leader and same Base if they wish.

Event Structure

• Players register for an ALLIANCE event as a team of two players.
• Teams have 55 minutes to deck-build from their sealed pool.
• Teams have 55 minutes to complete each gameplay round consisting of a Best-of-One match. (this may change based on results of initial events)
• Standard end-of-match procedure applies.

Gameplay Rules

• To win a game of ALLIANCE, both BASES of the OPPOSING TEAM need to be destroyed.
• YOU refers to units or effects YOU control.
• FRIENDLY refers to units or effects YOU or YOUR TEAMMATE control.
• AN OPPONENT refers to a single OPPOSING PLAYER on the OPPOSING TEAM.
• ENEMY refers to units or effects ANY OPPOSING PLAYER on the OPPOSING TEAM control.
• EACH OPPONENT or ALL OPPONENTS refers to BOTH OPPOSING PLAYERS on the OPPOSING TEAM.
• Players are welcome to share hidden information and discuss strategy with their teammate during play.
• BASE abilities only affect the OWNER of that base (i.e. Colossus (JTL#283) only causes one player on the team to draw 1 less card in their opening hand).
• Players randomly determine which team starts with the INITIATIVE.
• During the Action Phase, play starts with the team with INITIATIVE, and actions are performed back and forth between teams, with one player from that team performing an action before play moves to the other team.
• If a player on a team Claims the INITIATIVE, all players on that team automatically PASS for all remaining turns they would take that phase. However, they still resolve any triggered abilities they control during that phase.
• Players can attack any opponent’s units that exist in the same arena OR any opponent’s base that isn’t yet DESTROYED.
• Players attacking a BASE must choose which opposing BASE to attack.
• Once a BASE has been DESTROYED, any excess damage currently being dealt to that base is ignored.
• Once a BASE has been DESTROYED, it cannot be healed and any EPIC ACTIONS not yet taken cannot be taken.
• Once a BASE has been DESTROYED, flip the base face-down to represent its destruction.
• A player is not eliminated if their BASE has been DESTROYED and their teammate’s BASE hasn’t. Their units remain in play and they may still take actions during the game.

Gameplay Clarifications

• Players can only assign INDIRECT DAMAGE to UNITS they control and/or their BASE.
• The opponent who defeats/captures a unit with BOUNTY must be chosen as the opponent who may collect that BOUNTY.
• A UNIT or LEADER with COORDINATE requires YOU to control 3 or more units, not your team.
•  You may EXPLOIT your teammate’s UNITS if you wish (ask them first though).
• Excess damage from OVERWHELM can only be applied to the defending player’s BASE.
• UNITS played as PILOTING upgrades may be played on your teammate’s units (usual restrictions for Pilots apply).
• Healing from your units with RESTORE only applies to your BASE.
• A unit with SENTINEL only prevents units in the same arena from attacking its controller’s NON-SENTINEL UNITS or BASE. It does not prevent a player’s UNITS from attacking the other opponent’s NON-SENTINEL UNITS or BASE.

We can't wait to see how the format runs, and if you are part of a Star Wars: Unlimited community or store that wants to run the format during prerelease, you are more than welcome to use our rules (the info sheet on Google Drive is formatted for A5 printing). There's a QR code that links to a feedback form on the Info sheet that goes direct to us as well so we can make any improvements or clarifications we need to moving forward.