What's up Star Wars fans, and welcome to another installment of the Destiny on a Dime series, where I talk about ways to play my favorite CCG, Star Wars: Destiny, on a budget. If you remember from my first article, I introduced myself as the host of the Sons of Mandalore podcast, which is a weekly show about all the major news going on in the world of Destiny. Since then we've combined forces with another group to form a content creation super group that we're calling Entourage Gaming, but the podcast is still going strong.

OK, with the introductory stuff out of the way, let's get to the good stuff. The newest set in Star Wars: Destiny, Spark of Hope, is right around the corner, and the set looks really exciting! The 8th expansion in the Destiny saga is set to drop on Friday, July 5th, and while there are a ridiculous amount of decks that I want to try (I'm not kidding, I have at least 10 different decks brewed up ready for experimentation), not everyone is as crazy as me, and building that many decks can get expensive.

If you're just thinking about getting into Star Wars: Destiny, or if you're simply playing on a budget, Spark of Hope is the perfect set to do it in. With the inclusion of diceless characters, you can build a few fun and surprisingly competitive decks on a really tiny budget this time around.

Here are a couple examples of some good options if you want to be competitive without breaking the bank. I'll give a brief overview of each deck, and then talk a little about some gameplay tips for how to get the most out of it.

Reylo (Klyo Ren - Bound by the Force / Rey - Bound by the Force)

The first deck I want to talk about is a fun themed deck that introduces a unique mechanic that we've never seen before: the ability to combine a villain and hero character on the same team! If you enjoyed the crazy fight scene in Snoke's Throne Room from The Last Jedi, then this is the deck for you.

Image via Disney

This deck only uses two Legendary cards (Niman Mastery) and while they are very strong they can be replaced by other rare weapons, including the Lightsaber reprint that comes in Spark of Hope or Untamed Power, if you want to go the full budget route.

There is a ton of synergy between these two characters, with Rey using her power action to turn Kylo's die to a special (since specials have a value of zero), and Kylo moving shields to Rey to ping a damage for free. Even if one of them is killed, they are strong enough on their own to often finish out close games. Plus, this deck is the perfect pairing to take advantage of No Mercy, letting you resolve one of your melee dice for up to 4 extra damage, since your entire deck is comprised of blue cards!

Two force users wielding lightsabers dishing out tons of damage, what more could you ask for?

Gameplay Tips: Try to get It Binds All Things out as early as possible, because the resources it saves over the course of a game can really add up, giving you a large advantage. Also, don't be afraid to use Rey's power action on your opponent's character dice if you're staring down something scary and don't have removal to deal with it, the flexibility is part of what makes Rey so strong!

Stifle can be used to great effect if played at the proper time. Try playing it right before you roll out your heaviest hitter (whoever has the most upgrades) to prevent your opponent from using any removal on them, and you can dish out a lot of damage without having to worry about dice mitigation. In the end, this deck is all about being flexible with your playstyle and using all of the synergies between the two characters to their maximum potential.

Bound by the Force by Brian Hourigan

• Battlefield (1)
• 1 Theed Royal Palace, Naboo

• Plot (1)
• 1 Temporary Truce

• Character (4)
• 2 Kylo Ren, Bound By The Force
• 2 Rey, Bound By The Force

• Upgrade (10)
• 2 Jedi Lightsaber
• 2 Niman Mastery
• 1 Niman Training
• 2 Crossguard Lightsaber
• 1 Rey's Lightsaber
• 2 Heirloom Lightsaber

• Support (5)
• 2 It Binds All Things
• 1 R2-D2
• 2 Stifle

• Event (15)
• 2 Isolation
• 2 No Mercy
• 2 Defensive Stance
• 2 Hidden Motive
• 2 Loth-Wolf Bond
• 1 Pacify
• 1 Beguile
• 1 At Odds
• 2 Forsaken

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Ewoks (Chief Chirpa - Bright Tree Village Elder, Ewok Warrior x3, Naboo Palace Guard)

It sounds crazy, but not only are Ewoks good, I think they have a real chance of being competitive. On top of that, this has to be the cheapest deck of all time, because not only does it require zero legendaries, it only uses TWO rares! The two characters in this list are literally the only rares you need to make the deck work, and despite that, it really packs a surprising punch.

If you can get an early Target Acquired onto a vital character and combine it with a huge play like Strength in Numbers for 6 or Ewok Ambush for a couple extra points of damage, it can really pile up quickly. There are also some sneaky plays like using Blaze of Glory or Honorable Sacrifice to remove a bunch of damage AND trigger your Diplomatic Protection for up to TEN free shields. Plays like that can get out of hand really quickly.

Ewok seems like a meme, but I urge you not to brush them off, because they pack a serious punch.

Gampelay Tips: If you're playing against a villain melee deck (like Darth Vader - A Terror to Behold), be sure to use Scruffy Looking Nerf Herder and call event to scope out a potential Fear and Dead Men, as that card alone could lose you the game. Likewise, against support heavy decks that use big bombs like Vader's Fist or Megablaster Troopers, hold on to a copy of Convergence, which will let you blow them up for just two resources!

Other than that the play is pretty straightforward. Use the Guardian from the Naboo Palace Guard to protect your Ewoks and deal the indirect damage slowly but surely. And of course, Yub Nub!

Living in the Trees by Brian Hourigan

• Battlefield (1)
• 1 Arena of Death, Nar Shaddaa

• Character (3)
• 1 Chief Chirpa, Bright Tree Village Elder
• 1 Ewok Warrior
• 1 Naboo Palace Guard

• Upgrade (2)
• 2 Diplomatic Protection

• Downgrade (4)
• 2 Ensnare
• 2 Target Acquired

• Support (4)
• 2 Aftermath
• 2 Suppressive Fire

• Event (20)
• 2 Glider Attack
• 2 Squad Tactics
• 2 Easy Pickings
• 2 Scruffy Looking Nerf-Herder
• 2 Into The Garbage Chute
• 2 Strength in Numbers
• 2 Blaze of Glory
• 2 Rigged Detonation
• 1 Honorable Sacrifice
• 2 Convergence
• 1 Near Miss

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So there you have it! These are just a couple examples of cheap, competitive decks you can experiment within the Spark of Hope set. With the introduction of diceless characters like the Hoth Trooper, Nightsister Zombie, Youngling, and Ewok there is a ton of potential to build something fun and powerful that doesn't require a whole bunch of legendaries.

Have any questions or have an idea for a budget deck of your own? Let me know in the comments below!