Star Wars Unlimited TCG: Release Dates, Cards and Expectations

Introduction to Star Wars Unlimited TCG

Star Wars Unlimited is the brand new trading card game offering from Fantasy Flight Games and looks sure to shake up the trading card scene as we know it. The first set from this new game was released on 8th March 2024 and has drawn many comparisons to existing games, such as Magic The Gathering and Pokemon. All of your favourite Star Wars characters are playable in game and it allows you to build a deck around your favourites and battle it out across the galaxy to earn your status as top commander!

Players must battle with a 50 card deck, full of heroes and villains, which is led by an iconic Star Wars character. Just like in the films, leader characters, such as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, arrive mid game to turn the tide of battle in your favour. Something a little different is that the game takes place across 2 battlefields, one on the ground for troops and characters and one in the sky for ships. You can win the game by dealing 30 damage to your opponents base and these are also familiar locations, including fan favourite, Cloud City. You will find cards drawn from all Star Wars franchises, including movies, TV shows, comics and video games.

Fantasy Flight Games looks to be pouring resources into supporting Star Wars Unlimited and already has the first 9 sets planned, with 3 releases per year. They have all releases already planned through 2026 and have promised the game will have more support than previous Star Wars offerings, including Star Wars: Destiny.

Overview of the First Set: Spark Of Rebellion

The game designers have spoken at length about how they have taken inspiration from their favourite games and tried to eliminate all the problems that those games may have. They look to remove the experience of getting “Mana Flooded/Mana Screwed” by allowing any card to be used as a resource. I’m sure Magic fans are cheering at that one! They have also tried to avoid players entering “top deck mode” by drawing 2 cards at the start of every turn. I’m sure Pokemon fans like the sound of that! And they have also made the game quickfire, with each player taking 1 action at a time, which eliminates the bore of having to wait for your opponent to complete a 10 minute turn!

Spark Of Rebellion, which is a pretty cool name, is the first of their 9 planned releases and features over 200 cards, some of which have been pretty hyped in recent weeks. If your favourite is Mace Windu then you may be excited to hear that he is being released as a standard and also a Hyperspace variant card, which is essentially a full art (which look incredible by the way). It seems the game will be sticking to the lore as Mace Windu is perfect for cutting down lots of smaller enemies, just like he did to Jango Fett and the Battle Droids at the Battle of Geonosis. His card has the ability to ignore summoning sickness and attack immediately, whilst continuing to attack each time he takes out an enemy unit. We have also had a look at Darth Vader, which I know a lot of people were really excited to get a look at. He is as powerful in game as he is in the movies, with the ability to deal 2 damage each time he attacks. That can be excellent for tipping the game in your favour just a little bit quicker.

If you are a fan of all things Star Wars then you will be pleased to hear that this set focuses entirely on the Galactic Civil War period, as seen in the original trilogy of movies, as well as the prequel film Rogue One and the animated series, Rebels. Before you can choose your side, you need to know how to get your hands on these products. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Firstly, like all good TCG’s, there is a Prerelease Box available, which was released a week before the main set release. It contains 6 booster packs, 2 promo cards, quickstart rules, damage counters, a deck building guide and a deck box. That’s everything you need to get started and is a perfect introduction into the world of Star Wars Unlimited. Once the set has officially been released, you will be able to get your hands on the 2 player starter decks, which are similar to theme decks. These will feature the leaders Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader and come with 2 ready to play 50 card decks, so you can battle with your friends straight away. The box also contains damage counters, 2 playmats and 2 deck boxes as well as a rules guide. These starter decks also contain full playsets of 10 cards which can’t be found in booster packs, so if you want those cards, you will have to grab these starter decks.

Of course, the main attraction in collectable trading card games is the booster box and the booster packs inside. A booster box will contain 24 packs and each pack contains 16 cards. Each pack will have a mix of common and uncommon cards, as well as at least 1 rare or legendary card, a leader, a base and a foil card. There is also a small chance of finding a special variant of a card in a booster pack. If you enjoy playing trading card games competitively the Star Wars Unlimited might be the one for you. There is a big focus on Organised Play and stores are being given kits to help promote play in stores as well as packs of promo cards to hand out to players.

Upcoming Sets and Themes

As we mentioned earlier, Star Wars Unlimited has its releases planned for the next 3 years, however most of these sets don’t have names yet. The ones we do have are due for release in July 2024 and November 2024. Shadows Of The Galaxy will be the second set released and it sounds very ominous to me! The third set, released in November, will be called Twilight Of The Republic. As of yet, we have been treated to some teasers on their upcoming release.

For Shadows of the Galaxy we have seen some really exciting new playmats, featuring the Mandalorian and the Rancor, which means we will also be getting them as cards in the set. The Mandalorian is a huge fan favourite and the Rancor is one of the most iconic monsters in the series. We have also seen new images for deck boxes and card sleeves featuring Rey and Kylo Ren. We have also been told that the leaders for the 2 player starter kit will be Din Djarin and Moff Gideon. Shadows of the Galaxy will really focus on the bounty hunters and smugglers theme and we will let you know more details as we get them!

The Three Year Plan: What To Expect From The Development Process and The Shift From LCG to TCG

Despite Fantasy Flight Games saying they have already planned and designed their upcoming releases for the next 3 years, we only know of the set releases for this year. Fantasy Flight Games are quoted as saying that they want to “show their level of commitment” to the TCG and let people know that the game will have continued support. They have a huge team of developers working on the process and there are already teams working on expansion numbers 8 and 9. This is the largest team that Fantasy Flight have ever had working on a game, which is a good sign for Star Wars Unlimited going forward. They also made it very clear in recent interviews that they are not diverting resources away from other games they produce, this is a dedicated team just for Star Wars Unlimited.

Fantasy Flight have stated that they will continue to produce their popular LCG’s (Living Card Games). LCG’s are released as larger expansions with identical cards in every box, rather than the smaller, randomised booster packs of a TCG. They are quoted as saying, “With a product like a TCG, you have the opportunity to have a higher level of commitment and engagement with your community. And this is what we are looking for”. That all sounds very promising for Star Wars Unlimited and the future of Fantasy Flight Games.

How Star Wars Unlimited Aims to Engage the Community

It seems as though Fantasy Flight Games have done a good job with their initial release and the information around their game. They want to show everyone that they are committed to a long term plan and that people who support their game will be rewarded for years to come. Some of their previous games, including Star Wars: Destiny had been cancelled, and they wanted to prove to fans who were “soured” by that experience that they are committed to long term support.

They have already released some information about upcoming sets to keep the hype real for fans and they are offering a good selection of products. As well as this, they give promo packs and resources to promote and incentivise people to play for real in local card shops. They even have a dedicated website with information on releases and all of the best cards from each set as it is released. All in all, the community engagement from Fantasy Flight Games seems to be a lot better than it ever has been before.

The Future Of Star Wars Unlimited TCG

The Star Wars Unlimited TCG builds upon one of the most popular franchises of all time and that is one of its biggest strengths. There are a lot of fans out there who will be extremely interested in playing a Star Wars TCG and the initial offerings from Fantasy Flight Games seem very positive. They have good levels of community engagement and are gathering a growing following all the time, which I’m sure will only increase with each new set release.

The fact that they have a multi year plan for the games development and release shows their ongoing commitment. Let’s hope they carry out their plan and deliver a brilliant game that can really engage a community.

Where to Purchase Star Wars Unlimited TCG Sets Upon Release

It is always best to buy TCG’s from trusted retailers, just like ourselves at Magic Madhouse. You can guarantee that our products are 100% genuine and we have the largest stock of everything you will need to play the Star Wars Unlimited TCG. Head to our website to check out the range of Booster Boxes and Pre Made Decks and battle your friends today. Make sure to keep an eye on our blog for all the information on the new sets as they are released.