A newcomer to the game (picked up some Five Below boosters) asked about the history. What the good/bad releases were, major shifts in the game landscape, etc. Is there a good article out there (that covers all the way through MotF, or even DotF)? If not, does anyone want to try to write such an article? If it's good enough, I'm sure shinja could post it in the Articles section.

A long time ago, in a Hobby shop far, far, away...


Once upon a time, there was Double Attack, a power many pieces envied! OH behold the power of 40 damage upon your piece, while the lonely others could only shoot once. There rose a champion among the people... Darth Vader Sith Lord, Darth Maul, and last but certainly not least, Mace Windu. And so it was, TRIPLE ATTACK was born... It was the golden age of Melee, attacking 3 times... How could anyone ever match their power?...

Skip ahead to the time of Universe... Thrawn... Crowds gasped and babies cried in his presence, only made more terrifying when hand in hand with... DARTH VADER, JEDI HUNTER*Que ominous music*. A combo that became known as Black and Blue, some say it was because of their color scheme, while others maintain it was because of how they left their opponent. When the world thought it could get no worse, Champions of the Force deputed. An amazing set, full of shining starts, and EU delights. But like all beautiful things, a flaw presented itself... Mas Amedda... And so began, The Dark Ages...

With the rise of the Empire, and it's firmly held grip on the throat of the game, many hoped the new Bounty Hunters could quell the dominate empire... Oh, how wrong they were... Lord Vader reared his terrifying sculpt, only surpassed by his stat card... Black and Blue, seemed unstoppable. With the terror of Lord Vader, came also the fabled TWIN ATTACK... Double Attack on the move? What was happening to this galaxy? Where will the madness end? It was hoped the future would save our past... Alliance and Empire brought us Rebels that some considered to be the new rising star, despite constant engagements and a long fought struggle, the Empire still remained. It is around this time, the rules were altered, and only 1 piece could be used Turn 1. Celebrations rang out, as the Evil Empire which had plagued this glorious game's galaxy for so long, was finally torn down. The days following are mostly hazy memories, but what I do know, is that The Force Unleashed was around the corner....

Ah, the Force Unleashed. No set, save for Bounty Hunters, caused so much fan outcry. Force Push 4, all the cool kids were doing it, Darth Revan, a Sith Lord considered to be one of the most powerful Force Users in the galaxy.... Was washed up has-been, always talking about the days of... A sad day indeed. While some heroes rose from the ashes of defeat, the set known as TFU, simply became FU...

But our feelings mellowed, as Legacy of he Force charmed up with promises of yesteryear, our nostalgia of Champions... The community buzzed, like a group of woman passing around a secret. Our hopes and dreams... Were soon shattered... Sith without their Rage, Old republic was showing her age, The Imperials was still trying to salvage their once great Empire, and most sinister of all... General Dodonna... As the reports of the terrible news mounted, a glimmer of hope was found. Could it be? The Yuuzhan Vong and their fabled Jedi Hatred appeared, and it was glorious. Through all the horror and tragedy of the set, some good was found. A silver lining, if you will.

With the Bitter-Sweet taste still fresh in our senses, Knights of the Old Republic was on it's way. A set which claimed to be heavily based on the acclaimed RPG of the same name. Suddenly, it seemed like it was years ago... Where 7 attack was the norm, and 20 defense was remarkably high. Did we fall at some point? Was this really 2006 again? NO. This is KotOR. Many wept, some retreated into exile never to be seen again, while others stared on in silent horror. But as it was before, and forever shall be, a new up and comer appeared from the smoke, the Mandalorians. Suddenly, they were able to hold up their claim of best warriors in the galaxy. Their commanders and grunts still live on in infamy. But that is not all my friends, as the dust settled, something we thought was lost forever rose... The Old Republic. Their Captain pulled the Guards from the grave of ambiguity and demonstrated something that was once lost can be found again... Troop support.

Yes I suppose I have to tell this part as well. Clone Wars came out, and there was Greater Mobile attack...And Twin. That's all there is too it. What do I look like? A history book? You ungrateful li--

JEDI ACADEMY WAS UPON US! SITH-JEDI-JENSAARAI OH MY. A delightful set, full of interesting and useful pieces. It is from this set, that the New Republic got it's power. Leia, a piece no one ever suspect would jolt them from the depths of mediocrity . Suddenly when combined with previous pieces and old commanders, she became a notorious game-shaker-upper. And in the end, Sith got some more grunts, Old Republic had a Jedi Battlemaster, and Vong had an Ossus guard... and In the end, isn't that what we all want?

And this is where my journey with you ends. I became one of those exiles I spoke of, and my journey has been hard and long, but with detachment comes perspective. Thanks for reading.

Great freakin' post, DLV!

I do like the writing, DLV, but I don't think someone new to the game could follow it very well.

Well done DLV, and well done with the addition GG! Very clever and intriguing reads.