Star Wars Unlimited Ashes of the Empire release date, leaders, and new mechanics

Din Djarin arrives in a surprising new Star Warsformat

After the disaster that became The Mandalorian & Grogu, the idea of Star Wars returning to do anything else with The Mandoverse — the nickname for the interconnected era of live-action Star Wars TV shows that took place in the post-Empire era like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew, and Ahsoka — may sound like a terrible mistake.

However, while The Mandalorian and its integrated shows might not be as highly regarded currently, Pedro Pascal's first season was Din Djarin was a hugely successful show that introduced fans to an era before the controversial sequel trilogy films. Even Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy credits the success of Din Djarin and his adventures with Grogu as a reason why his show, the gritty sci-fi spy-thriller following Cassian Andor, exists in the first place.

Considering that, Fantasy Flight Games' release of Ashes of the Empire, the new Star Wars: Unlimited trading card game set focusing on the Battle of Endor and the period after the Empire’s defeat, isn't too surprising after all.

What is Star Wars: Unlimited?

If you’re new to the trading card game scene, or haven’t heard of this one before, don’t fret: we’ll give you the gist.

Star Wars: Unlimited is a fast-paced trading card game in which two players battle using various Star Wars heroes, villains, ships, events, and item cards to destroy each other’s bases. The first player to have their base destroyed loses.

The game first debuted in March 2024 with the Spark of Rebellion set, featuring cards focused on the era established by the original trilogy and including characters like Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Darth Vader.

At the time of writing, Star Wars: Unlimited has nine sets planned, with its most recent being Ashes of the Empire.

What is Ashes of the Empire?

Ashes of the Empire is the eighth set of Star Wars: Unlimited. Coming shortly after A Lawless Time, which focused on daring heists and fearless outlaws, Ashes of the Empire focuses on the period after the fall of the Galactic Empire and the rise of the burgeoning New Republic.

Characters already revealed to be included in this deck include Rey, Luke Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine, Din Djarin, Bo-Katan Kryze, Sabine Wren, and Leia Organa, among many other fan favorites.

This set introduces 260+ new cards to the game, as well as two new mechanics: Advantage and Support. Advantage is a new token that allows players to temporarily upgrade their units by giving them +1/+0 to their attack until that unit completes an attack or defense action. However, Support is a new keyword mechanic that, when a unit has the Support keyword, allows another ready friendly unit to attack while also granting that ready unit the Support unit’s other abilities.

Who are the Spotlight Leaders of Ashes of the Empire?

As with every new Star Wars: Unlimited set, there come two spotlight decks. These are pre-built 50-card decks that come with a unique leader, a hero or villain from the Star Wars universe.

This time around, the two Spotlight Leaders taking charge in Ashes of the Empire are Luke Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine. Luke’s deck focuses more on healing units, whereas Palpatine’s focuses on giving out Advantage tokens to deal more damage to your opponent’s base or units.

When is the Ashes of the Empire release date?

Star Wars: Unlimited’s Ashes of the Empire release date is July 17. So whether you’re snagging a prerelease box, a booster pack, carbonite edition boosters, or spotlight decks, you won’t have to wait long before you can get stuck in and start playing.