Red Harvest - SCG 1K Top 4 & Showdown Winner

This is an off-meta midrange deck with soft control elements that has played very well into the current meta (Fall 2024). This deck has been my primary pet project and I was very pleased to take it to a Top 4 finish at the Baltimore SCG 1K and to the Top of a Store Showdown at my FLGS.

I'll continue to tinker with this deck as we move into PQ season, but I wanted to provide a deck tech for anyone who may be interested in trying this out. I'll try to explain my choices and what I am considering changing below.

Before I get into card choice, here is how my matchups went. Thanks to my seriously awesome, skilled, and gracious opponents:

SCG Baltimore Friday 1K: Qi'Ra Green (Loss) Boba ECL Han2 Blue Bossk Blue Boba Green (30hp, Loss) Boba Yellow Cut: Qi'Ra Green Qi'Ra Green (First Opponent, Loss)

Store Showdown: Bossk Green Qi'Ra Green Han2 Blue Cad Red

Deck Tech / Card Choices:

The mainline strategy of this deck is to efficiently playout shielded grit units and other high value units to put early damage and pressure on your opponent. On Turn 4 or 5, your goal is to flip your leader and utilize Tarkintown and value trades to clear your opponents board. Thereafter, you want to quickly close out the game before sitting too long in the 8+ resources range.

1 Cost: Hylobon Enforcer -- This is the usual preferred turn one play. A shielded 3/2 on turn 1 is pretty powerful. The Bounty keyword requires a little more thought when against a Bossk deck, but 4hp will allow Hylobon to survive long enough to be an important early thorn for your opponent. I considered keeping 3x Death Star Storm Trooper in the side so that Hylobon wouldn't be feeding card draw to a control deck, but ultimately I needed my board slots for bigger problems. This deck also generally wants to have the option of trading OR going to the base, so you want the shields.

Covert Strength -- Almost always resourced early for potential use later. Frequent uses include healing up a grit unit to be shielded again for more punch, though I would usually not want to pay 3 for that benefit. I would pay 3 to heal up a sentinel in a pinch. I'll also use it to boost a space unit, like Kylo's Tie, for more damage and to take it out of trade range with Inferno Four. I'd consider cutting it in the future as I consider this card merely a "nice to have."

Daring Raid -- Originally a two-of, I found that I was not getting a ton of use out of this card consistently. As a one-of, it has been useful for closing out tight matches, usually in particularly grindy games against other aggressive decks. Also great for popping shields, cheaply killing Han2 targets, and taking out the Black Sun Starfighters. It will also help save your Tarkintown for better targets midgame, like Vader post Qi'ra ambush.

Confiscate -- Here for Darksaber and as an answer to Boba's Armor, which causes me significant issues in an otherwise pretty favorable matchup. This can be a second Daring Raid if you find a better plan for Darksaber and Armor.

2 cost:

Scout Bike -- Pretty self explanatory grit unit. It is a little slower than Hylobon and not my preferred unit early game unless I have a strong 2 drop I want to play on turn 2 along with Qi'Ra's shield so this unit can swing for 3 early with a shield.

Force Choke -- I don't like to give my opponents card advantage over me, but at 2 cost this provides an excellent removal option that can tilt the game significantly. It also feels more worth the card replacement effect if I can pair this with fifth brother. My preferred target is Bossk, Qi'ra, and Boba after the flip so I can turn my leader towards the opponent's base. I was running Kylo to respond to Turn 6 Luke in Han2Blue, but this works the same and is much more flexible.

Pike Sentinel -- You can shield him and make him last twice as long. He also keeps ambushing 4Lom, Bossk, and Vader away from your good cards.

Kylo's Tie -- You love to see it. Annoying early threat in space that your opponent needs to respond to in space. It trades with the A-Wings. It also helps out against the occasional discard matchup. Boost with Covert Strength.

Mercenary Gunship -- A newer edition that a friend helped me land on including. I found that I needed more card slots that could answer Sabine and other Awing decks in space. Ideally it trades in space before anyone can think about stealing it. Late-game it will almost always get resourced. I don't mind playing it against control into the midgame - they should be doing better things with 4 resources than stealing my ship.

3 cost:

Power of the Darkside -- This deck wants to trade and remove units on its own terms and has plenty of good tools to do so. That makes PotD even better. We all know this card is great. It is also a must in this game to bail out of the late-game control cards (dragon, ISDs, etc.).

Fifth Brother -- FB was hired to replace Death Trooper. I feel like FB synergizes better with Qi'ra's ability and that his ping offers a lot of utility. Cad Red's recent success I think has demonstrated the value of the ping. I am considering trying out Death Trooper's again, and this may be the slot they go into. While I think FB is fantastic, DT's damage can provide immediate impact when he hits the board which may be more helpful in edging out matches against aggressive decks.

Open Fire -- Why is this in here as a one-of? Good question. It's a pretty good card, but I prefer my other removal enough not to include more copies. I have gotten a lot of value out of it, but found that I was drawing it too much for a mid-range strategy at higher copies.

The Client -- Obviously a great card, shielded 2/5 for three with a solid ability. He doesn't contribute much to the deck's affirmative plan, but makes the aggro matchup much more winnable, especially with Sabine's new toys in set two.

Make an Opening -- Run at 3 because this deck MUST answer a Tie Phantom. With the inclusion of Mercenary Gunships now, I am considering running two copies. It is otherwise helpful only on the margins.

Deathwatch Loyalist -- The go-to turn 2/3 play. A shielded 5/1 with overwhelm is core to the value trade strategy and, for a 3 cost, I'm happy to slam 10 damage into a base over two turns which the shield can enable.

4 cost:

Lom Pyke -- Lom is this deck's only 4 and 5 cost unit. I think Gideon is too slow without ECL, but I would consider a trial with him in this build. Lom's ability can be devastating and help shutdown late-game DSTs. 4/6 is a great stat line for his cost, and smuggle helps to smooth out the deck's curve significantly. A must have.

5 cost:

Flip Qi'ra then play Lom, or load up your board with your good 2s and 3s then flip Qi'ra.

6 cost:

Ruthless Raider -- the best card in red. Play it.

Academy Walker -- while I would rather have Ruthless Raider in most situations, the decked needed additional units at 6. If you've kept a few units around after the flip turn, Walker will protect your usually-unshielded units and boost their attack. I've closed out games early with this extra damage and protection. Against green, your opponent has usually ramped by your six-resource turn. While it is hard to board clear on your five turn and get imitative at six, you can drop this to protect Qi'ra from Vader.

First Light -- The ideal line is to smuggle this after you've played Ruthless, hit Ruthless for 4, then have it swing for 8 damage with grit. It's good. It can also hit snoke late game for 10 damage swing. This smuggle will often be a knife edge play, but even if your opponent removes raider before the swing, you're still doing two damage, two to base, and you've taken out a removal before your snoke/palp package.

Closers --

Snoke/Palp/Dragon -- This deck wants to win before any of these units can deploy, but if it hasn't playing one of these should close your game out if you've played correctly. While dragon is the "burn" closer, I'm considering moving Avenger into main in its place.

Sideboard:

This board exists to improve the deck's odds in three situations: Aggro/Racing, Boba, and Control.

Aggression -- a fantastic surprise to drop on an opponent. It can make Kylo's tie a super annoying early threat, but the "intended function" is to swap with Covert Strength to help you trade better against Sabine while damaging base.

Del Meeko -- an absolute MVP in the difficult control match up. He keeps up damage, can be shielded, and sets control's removal/ramp back a turn which helps keep the mid-game strategy viable longer. He's also proven himself indispensable against Cad Red. I have not tried him against the Boba matchup, but he could potentially be helpful there, as well. He swaps places with Client and a copy of Make an Opening, if possible.

Fang Fighter -- an answer to traitorous that keeps up board pressure against Palp Green. He'll come in, as well, if I am up against a space-heavy deck or need more answers against Boba's Armor or Darksaber.

Palp -- swaps with Snoke or Dragon in matchups where he can close better, like Han2.

Avenger -- goes in to help close out grindy games and in against control. While it is usually better to just keep trying to go wide with units and forcing the control player to answer, Avenger is just a fantastic closer and if you can find yours first in the control matchup...well, you know.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I really need to thank my buddy Chrispy for initially exposing me to this build. Chrispy and I first met when he dismantled me at X-Wing during the 2022 Nova Open. He's a fantastic player and came up with an amazing concept. We've taken the build in slightly different directions, but it has been fantastic to theorize and workshop with him. Collaboration is one of the best parts of this hobby. The real Star Wars was the friends we made a long the way.