Star Wars™: Galaxy of Heroes JMK Counter to Lord Vader (No CAT)

You can defeat Lord Vader in Star Wars™: Galaxy of Heroes using Jedi Master Kenobi without Commander Ahsoka Tano by switching from an instant-kill strategy to a disciplined attrition battle. Without Commander Ahsoka's Force Leap, you cannot eliminate a front-line tank on turn one. Instead, you must keep Damage Immunity on General Kenobi to soak Maul's opening strikes, use Padmé Amidala's Courage stacks for offensive burst, and hold Kenobi's ultimate until it reaches full charge.

Squad Composition Without Commander Ahsoka Tano

When Commander Ahsoka Tano is unavailable due to Grand Arena roster splitting or farming delays, run a Galactic Republic squad built around durability, buff clearing, and true damage:

Jedi Master Kenobi (Leader): Provides Mastery increases, blocks turn meter manipulation while allies have Protection Up, and grants Damage Immunity through I Will Do What I Must.
General Kenobi: Taunts automatically when allies lose buffs and absorbs opening burst damage under Damage Immunity.
Ahsoka Tano (Snips): Cleanses debuffs, provides passive assists, and clears enemy Taunt and Defense Up using her basic and special attacks.
Padmé Amidala: Acts as the primary support by cleansing Damage Over Time effects, granting Protection Up, and converting enemy turns into lethal Courage damage. Shaak Ti can serve as an alternative cleanser.
Jedi Knight Anakin: Applies Buff Immunity to prevent enemy tanks from sustaining and supplies heavy burst damage. Grand Master Yoda can fill this offensive role if Anakin is unavailable.

Step-by-Step Target Priority

Lord Vader gains stacking Mastery from Damage Over Time effects and possesses high health steal, making him impossible to focus down while his team is intact. Follow this kill order to dismantle his squad safely:

Dispel the Frontline Tank: Use Ahsoka Tano’s special or basic attack to strip Taunt from Royal Guard, Ninth Sister, or Stormtrooper. Apply Buff Immunity with Jedi Knight Anakin so the tank cannot chain-taunt or heal.
Eliminate Maul Immediately: Once the tank's taunt is gone, direct all attacks and called assists at Maul. Defeating him stops his five-stack ramp, halts team-wide damage, and prevents him from applying Daze. Call assists with Kenobi's middle special to stack Padmé’s Courage onto Maul.
Take Down High-Threat Supports: Eliminate supports such as Grand Admiral Thrawn, Admiral Piett, or Ninth Sister before touching Lord Vader. Removing Thrawn eliminates the risk of Fracture locking down General Kenobi.
Isolate Lord Vader in a 5v1 Attrition Fight: Once Lord Vader stands alone, switch to basic attacks and steady special rotations while preserving your squad's Protection Up.

High Ground Activation Timing

Do not activate Jedi Master Kenobi’s ultimate, High Ground, at the minimum 60% or 80% charge thresholds in this counter matchup. Early activation lacks the offensive output required to break Lord Vader's defenses without Commander Ahsoka.

Wait until your Ultimate Charge reaches 100%. At full charge, High Ground grants all Light Side allies 100% turn meter, doubles their Mastery gains, and causes attacks to deal true damage based on Kenobi's Mastery. Wait for Lord Vader to trigger his own ultimate stance (Apprentice), absorb his area-of-effect strikes under Protection Up, and activate your 100% High Ground the moment his ultimate ends to execute him with rapid true-damage turns.

Modding Checks and Match Failure Points

Character / Mechanic	Requirement	Failure Point
General Kenobi	Heavy Defense and Health sets with Defense primaries	Low Defense allows Maul’s opening five-hit burst to kill Kenobi before Damage Immunity is applied.
Padmé Amidala	High Speed and maximum Health	Acting too late prevents early cleanses of Daze and delays squad-wide Protection Up.
Jedi Knight Anakin	High Potency	Failing to land Buff Immunity allows Royal Guard to chain-taunt and regenerate health, leading to a timeout.
Kenobi Cleanse	Hold cleanse special for enemy area-of-effect debuff waves	Cleansing too early leaves your team vulnerable to team-wide Daze, which completely halts assist damage.