Exploring the Smuggle Mechanic in Shadows of the Galaxy

With the upcoming release of Shadows of the Galaxy on July 12th, the second set of Star Wars Unlimited, we get to delve deeper into one of the set's standout features: the brand-new Smuggle keyword. This mechanic opens up a plethora of strategic options, both in deckbuilding and gameplay. Let’s explore how Smuggle works and what it can bring to the Star Wars Unlimited game.

What is Smuggle?

The Smuggle keyword allows you to play a card you previously resourced by paying its smuggle cost, which often differs slightly from its regular cost. This cost may include different aspect icons and is usually a bit higher. When you smuggle a card into play, you immediately replace it with the top card of your deck, which comes into play as an exhausted resource.

One of the key benefits of the Smuggle mechanic is its flexibility. You can "store" expensive cards for later use, playing them when the time is right. For instance, the Vigilant Pursuit Craft (Shadows of the Galaxy, 65) might be too costly to deploy early in the game. However, you can resource it without worry and later, when you need a powerful Sentinel unit, you can smuggle it into play, leveraging its defensive capabilities when the stakes are high.

Versatility of Smuggle

Many cards, like the Vigilant Pursuit Craft, use Smuggle as an alternative method of deployment. However, other cards gain additional abilities or enhanced stats when smuggled. Take the Privateer Crew (Shadows of the Galaxy, 113) as an example. Normally a 2 power, 2 HP unit, it transforms into a formidable 5/5 unit with 3 Experience tokens when played using Smuggle.

And it’s not just units that can benefit from this mechanic. Events and upgrades can also feature Smuggle. Timely Intervention (Shadows of the Galaxy, 129) lets you give a unit in your hand Ambush for the phase, while the Hotshot DL-44 Blaster (Shadows of the Galaxy, 174) demonstrates another intriguing aspect of Smuggle. This blaster typically requires Aggression, but when smuggled, it can be played in a Cunning deck without incurring an aspect penalty, thanks to its adjusted smuggle cost.

Strategic Depth

The Smuggle keyword adds significant depth to your strategic planning. By allowing cards to be played from the resource zone, it provides a backup plan for high-cost cards and enables creative deckbuilding strategies. 

Smuggle also lets you take a break from having to make tough decisions every turn of the game about what cards to resource and what to save for later.

The ability to shift aspect requirements when smuggling certain cards also allows for more diverse and versatile deck building too.

Looking Ahead

The introduction of Smuggle is just one of the cool new mechanics in Shadows of the Galaxy. They couldn't explore the Outer Rim of the Star Wars universe without including some of the most well known and infamous bounty hunters in the galaxy! This means bringing in Bounty as a mechanic as well, but we'll cover that in the next blog post.