Getting Started with Star Wars: Shatterpoint

Deciding to play any miniatures game can be a challenge. We are here to help get you over the hump and show you this game is worth your time and energy. Our previous article discussed the rules and review of Star Wars Shatterpoint, which is a snappy, fun skirmish game here. Our journey does not end there; this article will venture further into the heart of the game. Laying out factions, tags, and the intricate art of list building. We provide our recommendations on some faction-specific lists and fun lists.

Building Strike Teams

Squads

A squad in Shatterpoint is created with one Primary, one secondary, and one supporting unit. The primary unit determines the era and available squad points. All units in that squad need to be of the same era and cannot exceed the squad points at the top of the Primary unit card.  

Star Wars Shatterpoint is not bound by factions. You can mix and match Separatist and Rebel as long as they are part of the same era (the timeline the unit is from). Currently, there are two timelines.

Strike Teams

In a game of Star Wars Shatterpoint, each player brings an entire Strike team to the battle. A Strike Team consists of two squads. These squads do not need to be from the same era. For example, you can have a team led by Ahsoka Tano, Gar Saxon, and Mandalorian Super Commandos adhering to the ‘Fall of the Jedi’ era, and the other squad consisting of Luke Skywalker, Stormtrooper Sergeant, and Bounty Hunters from the ‘Age of Rebellion.’

Strike Team Considerations

There are a few things to consider when making up a custom list.

• Make sure your Primary Characters bring enough Force
• Synergy between characters in the squad and strike team
• Intent of the team, what is your goal

You can find all our Shatterpoint articles here.

Galactic Republic Characters

Galactic Republic Top Tags

• Clone Trooper: Appears alongside Galactic Republic 13 times.
• Force User: Appears alongside Galactic Republic 8 times.
• Jedi: Appears alongside Galactic Republic 7 times.

Galactic Republic Pre Built Lists

Obi/Mace Republic List

Content Needed:

• Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Box
• This Party’s over Squad Pack

How to Run the List:

Utilizing Ob-wan’s hunker with troopers is vital to this list. The troopers have Defensive Maneuver, allowing them to dash and gain a hunker. Using this early with no enemies in sight means you can move, Defensive Maneuver (dash and gain hunker), then hunker again for 2 hunkers stacked before the fray begins. All your troopers need to get a hunker, and they will keep it due to Obi-Wan. If they get in a melee combat, you can use Obi to heal them with his special removal of the hunkers. 

Mace is a powerful melee character. You want to get him to the middle point and become engaged. This will grant everyone else Steadfast and Protection. Pay attention to his stances; they will matter if you activate him with a Shatterpoint card. Choosing him with the Shatterpoint card will allow extra damage or healing and force refresh.

Don’t Forget! Ponds allows himself to be placed 2 measurements instead of 1 during setup.

Ani/Padme Republic List – “Date Night”

Content Needed:

• Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Box
• We are Brave Squad Pack

How to Run the List: 

Coordinating firefights and leading assaults as you dash across the board. The main limitation lies in the Handmaid’s inability to Shove. Always keep Anakin in reserve if you draw him early in the initial phase of cycling through your deck. He is a huge damage dealer utilizing his I’m Going to End This ability, which allows him to take two attacks in a row on the same enemy while waiting for the right time to strike. 

Moving the secondary and supporting units farther ahead is the play because they can still contest an objective point if they are downed as long as Padme’s stance is Faith in Diplomacy. She is not wounded (so don’t move her too far forward). In her alternative stance, she allows units to roll an extra attack dice if they are within 4 measurements. Pay attention to her stances and your intent, keep and hold objectives, or Coordinate fire with the troopers.

Separatist Characters

Separatist Top Tags

• Droid: Appears alongside Separatist 6 times.
• Trooper: Appears alongside Separatist 3 times.
• Force User: Appears alongside Separatist 3 times.

Asajj/Dooku Separatist List

Content Needed:

• Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Box
• We are Brave Squad Pack

How to Run the List:

Dooku and Kalani need to get the droids up the line. The starting position should have Kalani with 4 measurement of the Magnaguards and the B1s. This will allow Kalani to dash them for free. Then, using Tactical Network, Kalani can dash a B1 again and get them in position to fire or hunker. Dooku’s can dash a Separatist Alliance character for free, putting Kalani ahead or moving Jango, Asajj, B1’s, or the Magnaguards further ahead. 

Don’t Forget! One Magnaguard can follow a Primary Separatist. Any time Asajj/Dooku move action, a Magnaguard can follow with a whole movement towards them.

Dooku/Grievous Separatist List

Content Needed:

• Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Box
• Twice the Pride Squad Pack
• Appetite for Destruction Squad Pack

How to Run the List:

Dooku, Grievous, Kraken, and Kalani need to move the droids up the line. The starting position should have Kalani/Kraken within 4 measurement of the Magnaguards and the B1s. This will allow Kalani/Kraven to dash them for free. Then, using the Tactical Network, Kalani can dash a B1 again and get them in position to fire or hunker. Dooku can dash a Separatist Alliance character for free, which can put any of your characters farther up the line.

Keeping Kalani/Kraken with 3 measurement of Grievous will allow them to make a follow-up attack to Grievous’s combat action.

Don’t Forget! One Magnaguard can follow a Primary Separatist. Any time Grievous/Dooku move action, a Magnaguard can follow with a whole movement towards them.

Bounty Hunter/Mercenary/Scoundrel Characters:

Bounty Hunter Top Tags:

• Scoundrel: Appears alongside Bounty Hunter 7 times.
• Mercenary: Appears alongside Bounty Hunter 6 times.

Mercenary Top Tags:

• Scoundrel: Appears alongside Mercenary 10 times.
• Bounty Hunter: Appears alongside Mercenary 5 times.
• Clone Trooper: Appears alongside Mercenary 3 times.
• Weequay: Appears alongside Mercenary 3 times.

Scoundrel Top Tags:

• Mercenary: Appears alongside Scoundrel 10 times.
• Bounty Hunter: Appears alongside Scoundrel 7 times.
• Clone Trooper: Appears alongside Scoundrel 3 times.
• Weequay: Appears alongside Scoundrel 3 times.

Bounty Hunter/Mercenary/Scoundrel Pre Built Lists

Mando/Bane List

Content Needed:

• Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Box
• Certified Guild Squad Pack
• Fistful of Credits Squad Pack

How to Run the List:

Key to this list is Grief.

Using Grief’s ability, There is One Job… you will mark a character in the opponent’s order deck. That is now your secondary objective other than controlling objective points. With each struggle, you can take the marked character out for a point on the struggle track. Keeping everyone within 4 movement of Grief will allow his ability – Some of My Favorite People are Bounty Hunters to heal and allow any allies to dash. Moving these characters into closer groups will help their synergy.

Don’t Forget! Once IG-11 is wounded, every time an enemy gains momentum, you can use him as an active bomb. You will roll a defense dice for each wound/injured token. If you roll a failure, you can dash, and then anyone within 3 measurement will take 5 damage. Get him in the middle of a cluster of enemies.

Bane/Skywalker List

Content Needed:

• Fearless and Inventive Squad Pack
• Fistful of Credits Squad Pack

How to Run the List:

Cad/Luke has a lot of movement and engagement movement. Their tactic is to get them in the fray. Luke is a lone wolf. Get him to a point, and he will do the rest. 

Boushh can move any spy for free at the start of her turn, Lando or R2. Still, you can also utilize Payday on Aurra or the Bounty Hunters to get them to take on the Spy tag and move them. You can use Aurra, bounty hunters, Lando, and R2 to get some ranged attacks while Cad and Luke run point.

Other Factions

As expansion boxes are released, we will see an uptick in under-served factions and tactics. More may be needed to build complete lists, but we are excited to see some tags fleshed out.

Outer Rim Pre Built Lists

Inquisitor/Vader 1 List

Content Needed:

• This Party’s Over Squad Pack
• Jedi Hunters Squad Pack
• You Cannot Run Duel Pack

This list is all about damage and control. Bring your heavy hitters, Grand Inquisitor/Darth Vader, to the most contested points and start melee attacking the supporting units. You will gain just as much momentum from knocking them off the board as you would holding a point for 2 rounds. 

On a contested point, the Fifth Brother gains Steadfast and Protection. This gives contention/ties to the Fifth Brother, and his ability to Force Repulse will get anyone off the objective. Keeping the Third and Fourth sisters within 4 of each other or the Fifth Brother will make them even more potent with additional attacks, conditions, or dash.

If you are a movement within striking distance of an enemy, utilize Vader’s Fury. When making a melee attack, your Hatred Makes You Powerful allows any allied unit to take 2 damage. If they do, they add 3 dice to their attack pool. This can help you walk Vader’s full skill tree for a total of 9 base damage. Combined with Vader’s Fury, you can land 11 damage.

Don’t Forget! Ponds allows himself to be placed 2 measurements instead of 1 during setup.

Ewoks List

Content Needed:

• Yub Nub Squad Pack
• Ee Chee Wa Maa! Squad Pack

How to Run the List:

YUB NUB!

Play to Win 2024 List

Content Needed:

• Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Box
• Jedi Hunters Squad Pack
• You Cannot Run Duel Pack
• Witches of Dathomir Squad Pack

How to Run the List:

Lord Maul and Fifth Brother are going to want to be in the fray immediately. They have reactive ability for melee combat and a lot of extra movement when landing attacks. Talzin/Maul/Fifth Brother/Jango all have nice zone control. Keep an eye on your force pool when utilizing these abilities. They are powerful but can drain your pool quickly.

Get Mother Talzin to the center point and utilize her control and reactive abilities. Be willing to sacrifice some units to keep her safe and run the board. Using the Acolytes and Obi as strong distractions. Utilizing her special Wrath of the Great Mother after any allied unit gets wounded, allows her to dash and give a 5 dice attack back.

Whenever Maul and the Nightsisters damage a unit, she may heal using Life Drain. Have these two be your forward attackers. When they fall, she reacts. When they attack, she reacts.

Base Game Upgrades

Gaming Mats

A few of our recommendations for a 3’x3’ gaming mat:

• Gray Matter Gaming
• Tablewar
• Mats by Mars
• Skirmish Mats

Custom Dice

• Baron of Dice
• Gadzooks