Dark Side "Biker Gangs"
by Joe Moore

In this article we will take a look at the newest troopers for the DS from the Endor expansion set, the Biker Scout Trooper (and their Speeder Bikes). Although the cards aren't broken, Biker Scouts are a very powerful strategy. Lets start out by taking a look at the card:

---- (Imperial) Biker Scout Trooper (3)
Scout troopers, or "biker scouts" as they are commonly called, are stormtrooper specialists. Given wide latitude to operate independently of imperial control.
Power: 1 Ability: 1
Deploy: 1 Forfeit: 2
Gtxt: Adds 3 to power of any speeder bike he pilots. Power -1 while not at a forest, jungle, or Endor site. Forfeit +2 aboard a speeder bike. Once during each of your deploy phases, may deploy a speeder bike to same site from Reserve Deck; Reshuffle.
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Now, to some he may just look like a normal "specialized" trooper with the same old Stormtrooper stats and a higher destiny of 3... but the Biker Scout re ally shines when he is driving around on his favorite vehicle, the speeder bike.

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(Vehicle) Speeder Bike (4)
Aratech 74-Z military model. Preferred by troops operating far from imperial maintenance facilities. Flight ceiling of 25 meters.
Power: 1 Maneuver: 5 Landspeed: 5
Deploy: 1 Forfeit: 3
Gtxt: May add 1 pilot and 1 passenger. May move as a 'react'. When piloted, vehicle and scouts aboard are immune to attrition <4. Pilot's power=0. If lost, characters aboard may "jump off" (disembark).
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Again, this card looks pretty weak all by itself, but put 1 and 1 together and figure out that you should use BIKER scout troopers with BIKES and you have a powerhouse! For 2 force, you can deploy a biker scout, search your reserve deck for a bike if you have to, and bam - you have a power 4 machine that has 7 forfeit, can react, and has immunity to attrition <4. And a nice non-unique character that can be targeted for retrieval with Abyssin Ornament! All this for 2 force? What a great deal... and not to mention that these cards were cool enough to have foils made of them!

Biker scouts are THE strongest strategy to come out of Endor, and when they are used with Ralltiir Ops, they are just plain deadly. My current DS deck is Ralltiir Ops/Biker Scouts and is 14-0. The power of the deck is all in the objective's 7 side. With 10 non-unique troopers in the deck, a 3rd turn flip is common, and I have even completed a 2nd turn flip. Once Ralltiir Ops is flipped, you have the ability to search your deck and get ANY card you want! You will also be guaranteed to draw 7's or more for battle destiny every time, and no deck can compete with that kind of raw power/attrition! Lets look at the 3 major strengths of the biker scouts and how they can be best utilized:

1. Cheapness: For only 2 force, you get 4 power. Paying less and getting more is always good.
2. Speed: Ralltiir Ops lets you get a Biker out of your deck, and then use the biker's gametext to get a Bike out. You will flip the objective in no time.
3. Mobility: The ability to react is so vital for the Speeder Bikes. This allows you to spread out with only 1 Biker/Bike per site and drain away. If the opponent gets any ideas, you can react all your guys over with landspeed of 5. It is all too easy!

So, how can you beat these Bikers of doom? Well, it's simple really... There are 3 major weaknesses to the Bikers, and they are the reason that I don't feel the card is too broken. :0) If these weaknesses are exploited correctly, the Biker Scouts will get a severe case of flaming death.

The first and most common weakness to the Bikers is the fact that their reacts can be canceled with a Sense. Even though a Sense can stop one Bike, you are hopefully going to have about 4 or 5 that you will react with. So canceling just one of them will help a little, but not enough. Probably the best way to to lock down their force pile and also prevent a Combat Readiness from being played. But again, The Frozen Assets/Draw Their Fire Combo has its own weakness in a bullet card from Endor called Main Course and a card from Cloud City called Slip Sliding Away. Just make sure that you leave some force to pay for your reacts, and stock some Main Courses and Combat Readinesses to be safe from the nasty old DTF/FA! If your opponent happens to use a card like Romas "Lock" Navander to completely prevent you from reacting... well, lets just hope he doesn't. :0)

Another potential weakness of Bikers is the card Scramble from the Dagobah expansion. Although, it will hurt you by not allowing you to draw that vital destiny, you will most likely overpower your opponent wherever you are, and you can still react. However, slowly and surely his attrition will eat away at your Bikers. But have no fear, the Endor effect Biker Scout Gear makes your bikers immune to Scramble! But if you don't have this card in your deck, you'd better be prepared to meet your demise.

The third major weakness of Biker Scouts, and by far the most painful threat, is that they are absolutely horrible against Surprise Assault. Because you have a Bike and a Biker riding it, your opponent is going to get to draw 2 destiny against him, and will most likely cause you some big damage. This card really shuts down your drain potential and can cause major force loss early, which always provides an edge during a game. The only thing you can do in this situation is have a There'll Be Hell To Pay ready to grab it, or a Tentacle to at least make it unique and not as dangerous to you. Against Surprise Assault, you'd be safe to force drain at sites where you have Vader or some AT-AT's - It's almost impossible to Surprise Assault these guys. If Surprise Assaults worry you too much, throw in a few counters for the card. Sense, Tarkin's Orders, and Counter Surprise Assault could work well for protection.
Just keep your cool if trouble arises, and keep some force handy every turn. Also keep some Combat Readinesses in hand and a Main Course or two so you will be able to make the vital reacts. Some other useful cards to keep in mind for Bikers are High-speed Tactics (Endor), Scout Blaster (Endor), Compact Firepower (Endor), Counterattack (Endor), and Blast Points (SE). Enjoy exploring the fun possibilities of Biker Scout Troopers!