by Are you looking for an effective CIS army list? Does the competitive scene appeal to you and would you like to shine in big tournaments? In this article, I share with you the best Separatist army lists of 2023. They all finished in the top 8 of the biggest Star Wars Legion tournaments held in Europe and the US.
Foreword
| Beginner’s alert: Beware of unit cost updates |
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| Some lists may be worth more than 800 points at the time you view them, making them illegal for tournament play. This may happen after the units cost update, which generally takes place once or twice a year. Please note that this is not done systematically for all Star Wars Legion units. Only the ones Atomic Mass Games deems to be over-performing (or under-performing) in tournaments. To find out the current value of the lists presented in this post, please check them on LegionHQ. The corresponding link is provided below each screenshot. For the command cards and battle deck associated with the lists, see the LegionHQ link provided below the screenshots. |
Open lists
Triple MagnaGuards
During the 2022 French Championship, Nostrus (the finalist) distinguished himself with a Triple MagnaGuards army list based on the hammer archetype. Following an update of unit and upgrades points, the list became obsolete… or so some people thought! A year later, the list has lost none of its glory. But a few adjustments were needed to keep it below the 800-point mark. In 2023, two versions of the Triple MagnaGuards list stood out:
The version with Cad Bane
Performance:
List played by Austin Miller, winner of the American Lone Star Open tournament in July 2023. There were 62 participants.
Explanation:
This is the closest version of Nostrus’ original list. I’m not going to go into the details of how this list works again, as I’ve already spoken at length about it in the article entitled in the French article Triple Magna Gardes: Fer de lance du vice-champion de France.
Version with Asajj Ventress
Performance:
List played by Mike Syrylo, winner of the US Florida Crucible tournament in October 2023. There were 64 participants.
Explanation:
In this version, Cad Bane is replaced by Asajj. The direct consequence is a loss of activation, with the list reduced to 10 activations. Unlike Bane, Asajj is a Sith who excels in close combat. Accompanied by three units of MagnaGuards, this list has nothing to fear in close combat, even against Jedi.
Asajj & Cad Bane
Performance:
List played by Kasper Verkammen, 3rd out of 92 entrants in the English Milton Keynes: Grand Tournament (August 2023).
Explanation:
This looks like a mash-up between the previous two lists, minus the MagnaGuards triplet. Except that it’s not the same kind of list at all. Exit the Hammer archetype, welcom the Double Trouble archetype. At the head of the list are two independent operatives. Those kind of agents are known to work on their own. They don’t need the rest of the list to support them in their tasks (and they won’t even collaborate). We are far from Cassian and K-2SO, who are condemned to work together. This makes the list rather unpredictable for the opponent, as you have a lot of freedom when it comes to deploying Cad Bane and Asajj.
Four ugly faces
Performance:
List played by Philipp Hoch, winner of the German Im Norden tournament in October 2023. There were 60 players.
Explanation:
This list is also based on the hammer archetype but differs from the previous one by the choice of its mass. Goodbye generic guards, hello agents and commanders. The handle is stereotypical: 5 identical B1 units, equipped with snipers to support General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. The presence of the tactical droid ensures a chain of command, thanks to the Direct and Coordinate keywords. I don’t know the exact role of the Electrobinoculars, but if I had to guess, I would say that the tactical droid’s job is to supply Bossk with Aim tokens throughout the game.
Grievous and triple BX
Performance:
List played by Paul Buller, ranked 5th out of 96 players in the English Milton Keynes Grand Tournament, August 2023.
Explanation:
Coming soon.
Grievous and the Black Sun
Performance:
List played by Oskar Kida, finalist out of 92 entrants in the English Milton Keynes: Grand Tournament, August 2023.
Explanation:
This is a rather original list for the CIS, as it’s based on the oppression archetype. Grievous, two units of MagnaGuards and two troops of Black Sun enforcers. That’s 5 units (out of 9) built for close combat, armed to the teeth.
Battle Forces
Separatist Invasion – 61 B1
Performance:
List played by Unholy, ranked 8th out of 152 players in the 2023 French Championship (September).
Explanation:
This is a thematically appealing list given that it is 100% droid. The Roger, Roger droids have an excellent resistance for their cost. Quite simply, they’re the second basic (naked) unit with the best Cost Per Resistance Point (CPPR) of any faction (the first being the Ewoks). This means that in theory, your opponent needs to inflict 73 damage to defeat these 8 B1 units! Great right ? The downside however is that you’ll have to paint 61 B1 droids to assemble this list…
Separatist Invasion – Dooku’s schemes
Performance:
List played by Austin Miller, ranked 8th out of 149 players at the Las Vegas Open, in January 2023.
Explanation:
This list follows the Atlas archetype, meaning that Dooku carries the entire list. If he is neutralised, the rest of the list is going to suffer. That’s why the droids’ main objective is to support the Sith at all costs.
The ingenuity of the list lies in the Battle Meditation upgrade. When equipped on Dooku, he can target himself with the Separatist invasion command cards, normally reserved for non-command units. For example, with the pip 1 AI Coordination, he can give himself a Standby token. Or perform a Move 1 with the Pip 3. These are two excellent effects for a Force user.
The Aggressive Tactics upgrade supplies Dooku with an Surge token each turn, a token that helps him survive. Speaking of keeping the Sith alive, the B1 troop equipped with the medical droid will be hot on Dooku’s heels throughout the game.
Wrap up
On the plus side, the anti-heroes are (almost) all represented: whether you like Grievous, Asajj, Bane or Bossk, you’ll find an army list to suit you. For fans of Maul or the Super Tactical Droid, you’ll have to come back next year (maybe). On the downside, it’s 2024 and where the hell is Jango Fett? He still hasn’t made it into Star Wars Legion. I think I might loose my head (too) !
Cover illustration by BurnedPotatoes
Acknowledgements: RedOliv
