Great thread!

I mostly agree with your analysis, but I would swap the OR Senator and the Jedi Seer. True, the Seer has to struggle against other pieces like the Battlemaster and Watchmen, but I think he beats both of them. Evade has a lot of synergy in the faction between Nomi and Exile+TBSV, and Surprise Move is great for setting up Jedi Reflexes.

The Senator on the other hand just doesn't have any great pieces to benefit from him. The shooters are too fragile, so even though they pack a punch (and an even bigger punch with the Senator), they die too quickly to really be effective. You could use him with some melee pieces, but then you run into problems with Disruptive where if you're playing against it you've pretty much wasted the points on him.

Otherwise I think your analysis is spot on. Looking forward to the rest of the set.

I like the commentary - looking forward to the other factions.

Okay, got a little distracted.

Sith
6. Sith Inquisitor: A very interesting piece. Cheap auto damage isn't anything to gripe about. Built in Renewal is nice, so you don't have to rely on Holo Sid, though he tends to go in any way for the rest of the squad. Master of Pain is where he becomes a threat. It can be potentially gamechanging, but it is pretty easy to avoid, with Force Immunity, fodder to block the targetting, and FPs to reroll. And he has a huge target on him, and he can go down easy. A nice piece, but it doesn't radically boost or change the faction.

5. Sith Acolyte: A fun swapper. The Sith have to interest options to swap her in, either with Sidious or Revan, SL. Repulse can be a very nasty suprise early on, if you can activate some key pieces. Like Mara, she isn't so much a shooter as she is a Melee fig with the option to shoot. She goes from okay to pretty good against adjacent figs. And with her cost so low, a good chance to pull off Bravado, for a +10 Atk for 30 Dam. Not to terrible, especially when you figure in Twin froma Czerka. A fun addition to the faction.

4. Dark Jedi Assassin: I've actually sort of moved her up on the list. Yes, she looks extremely fragile, I understand. But, she has some great defenses. Cloaked and Deflect help protect from shooters. She falls to Melee, but Riposte makes it that she at least some some damage before she goes. Which brings up a very cool thing I like about the piece. Non-melee Riposte is really cool. Won't really save her, since most Melee figs with Djem So or Riposte will still be able to kill her, but I like it. But the main thing that has been keeping her as a good option is that she is like a non-unique Atton Rand. Sure, she doesn't have the sheer damage output, due to not having Cunning or the ability to use Twin, but that's okay. She does better than Atton in a lot of areas. She is pretty protected at range, which I covered, and she is very able to set up her Double Attack with Surprise Move. That is where she gets a bit better than Atton in a few ways. Definately one of the better shooter options in the Sith faction now.

3. Darth Revan, Sith Lord: Yay, a usable Revan. Those of you who spent the $50+ on him can now rejoice. He is a very cabable beatstick, with a great range for hit and runs, with MOTF 2, Master Speed, Lightsaber Assault, and his twist on the swap mechanic. Switching himself after he goes really encourages him to be up in the front lines, unlike other swappers. In the Sith faction, this usually means setting up a secondary beat to follow up on Revan softening the target. A very capable beatstick/commander is something the Sith have been needing beyond just Malak. A very welcome addition to the faction.

2. Darth Bandon: Bandon adds to what the Sith beatsticks should be about, heavy damage. Being allies opens it makes a lot of very interesting choices. He definately makes you go back an relook at some of the old Sith pieces. Now Krayt has some decent damage output to go with his healthy HP. Talon hits and runs for 60. Lumiya is quite potent now with her boosted damage output. It is a fun exercise. While some of the better pieces still remain at the top, the extra damage is pretty key to the Sith keeping up with all the other factions. Bandon himself isn't much to talk about. Very JWM-esque, if lacking their defensive options. Still, that CE is a powerful one for the Sith, expect to see him a lot.

1. Exar Kun, Dark Force Spirit: Okay, somewhat biased towards this piece, since I was experimenting with Sith Sorcery when Freedon Nadd came out. Dark Aura is absolutely devastating with Sith Sorcery, which is the Sith's version of tempo control, or as I like to call it, activation control. You have no idea just how brutal Sith Sorcery is till you see it take out nearly half your squad. Absolutely brutal. Of course, there is still the Dark Spirit part of this piece. While there are not a whole lot of figures who can benefit from both Renewal and Rage available to the Sith, Sith Rage alone is pretty potent on quite a few figs. Lumiya becomes a veritable Sith Lord with Exar, and Jarael is pretty nasty (especially with Dark Aura in effect), among others. And of course, like a lot of things in the set, his best boosts aren't CE's, and thus can't be stolen by the Yammosk. That fig alone makes me hesitant in bringing Bandon in some builds. His CE and his stealing of Force won't be a major issue in most cases, but it is a nice option to have to support you in a few instances. Still, Exar is a great upgrade piece to many figures available to the Sith, and even better squad support.

I think the ratings depend on how you play. For example, the Sith Inquisitor piece is a very different piece in "regular" play vs gambit play. Although expensive, the combo of the Sith Inquisitor and Exar Kun (the original, solid version) can devastate a squad in a single phase.

It is one combo that slightly changes it. Even then, it is only slightly better than Dominate. Still LOS requirement, still the same save 11. The only difference is that he damages a fig and there is a chance that it might be permanent, the same chance as Internal Strife or Betrayal. Of course, my ratings are my opinion. But I don't see any playstyle or enviroment that would make me move him up in the ranks. You mileage may vary.

I'm not sure the argument was against what Sithborg was saying. I actually like the varying viewpoints on how different peolpe use different pieces. I could be wrong but one of the things Ive noticed in playing is that the new DOTF has shrunk the chasm between Great players and the Mediocre. In other words, It has made the Marginal player better, And the Great player will have to really up their game to improve. In the end , the Cream will rise to the top as the Best players will have to Improve their game greatly.
I like the new Bastilla piece. Some of the new players however claim that it is undercosted . So, without making a hate squad, or a Riekann squad, I showed them that A regular team could beat them, One with a great shooter, one that was not overbalanced with commander affects, and even a movement breaker piece.
I love this new set guys. Finally one that balances out the factions!

Onto the Republic, which will be nice and quick.

3. Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala on Reek: Okay, a really, really long name. At first glance, it isn't that impressive. In order to use this guy, you have to give up one of the Republic's best commanders in General Skywalker, and give up the option of one the decent Amidala options. That kind of keeps this guy from being top teir. Battering Charge is pretty brutal, though, so it is a good thing you can't use General Skywalker. If you are facing someone with Double or Triple, Battering Charge makes it difficult to use those abilities. It gives them a head start in the damage race. Add in that is is every adjacent on a Huge fig, it also becomes a decent way to force the opponent to spread out, either in fear of multiple Battering Charge attacks, or because you hit him with multiple Battering Charge attacks. I do like the +10 Atk, because it is the magic number for Quizod, a great cheap way to boost their attack. Blaster rounds out their offensive options, making them pretty balanced between melee and shooter. And Defense is always welcome protection for Jedi. Not going to be burning up the top tables like Yobuck, but they are definately fun to use.

2. Ki-Adi Mundi, Jedi Master: He fills a fairly interesting role. He fills the role of an opportunist attacker/swapper better than Plo Koon. 6 pts cheaper is definately good. While it does buy Plo some better stats, Ki-Adi's Force Powers are better for a more generic attack roll. Deflect is much needed shooter protection. Anticipation is always fun for init control. And in the end, his CE is far, far better for the roll of swap attacker than Plo Koon. It got a very significant upgrade from the CS version, upgrading to Allies within 6. This is key, because Ki-Adi now becomes a psuedo Revan, SL. Swapping him in at the end of a round to get his Opportunist off is of course good, but if you win init, you can attack with Ki-Adi, and then swap him out with his CE. Old skool B&B at it's finest. Of course, I do love the +10 Atk on Republic Jedi. A very good addition to the Republic, and definately better in a lot of ways than Plo Koon, who is still a good mini as well.

1. Spaarti Clone Trooper Demolitionist: My thoughts on this piece is quite simple: 4 pt Order 66 Troopers. I love this guy, as Queen Amidala makes it worthwhile. And honestly, they are cheap enough at 3 that it is almost, almost worth it to take Palpatine. Not quite worth it, but it almost is, which is a lot considering how bad Palpatine is. And swarming in the Republic isn't too bad, because they have 2 death shot CEs. If you had to take one, take Plo Koon, as they will be best up close to him. And I do love Rookiee. Enhances the use of commanders on the front lines. Which perfectly captures the role of Jedi in the Clone Wars. They are a pretty nasty cheap figure, definately great options for the Republic now that they have a cheap Clone with decent stats (once boosted by Rookiee).

I'm liking the 4 point Muun guards as well.

Series II DD might be the best improvement on an old fig in the set (well, maybe bastila)

How does Whorm give him twin ??? is Sora a droid ?

cool

thanks for the heads up