There are a number of devices that would be helpful for Artoo to grab. Number one on my list is Retractable Arm. Bounty Hunters and Vader never go anywhere unarmed, you never know when a trusty blaster will come in handy (or saber in Vader's case, and that's always handy). If Artoo is there, undercover of course, just grab it! This is only a small annoyance for Vader, since no one else would be able to use it, but that psychological edge could make the difference. Droid Sensorscope is another good card for Artoo, also. Peeking at your opponents reserve deck has many good uses, I think you could think of a few on your own.
Jabba's Palace isn't the only strategy this helps stop. Since Artoo is a spy, instead of A Gift, you could use an Undercover, a few of which you should already have in your deck. Now Artoo is a small annoyance on Hoth, Cloud City, and non-Jabba Tatooine decks. It won't count for all the drains, but will stop one, and that is still pretty good.
All this is well and good, but there are some drawbacks also. All these cards take up a lot of space in a deck. Space that could be better used for offense instead of defensive measures revolving around one card. Also, Hero is an effect, so look out for those alters. Next, Artoo is, of course, a droid. He is a big target for cards like Look Sir, Droids! and other cards to take out droids. This is the biggest problem, making sure Artoo is protected and productive in your conquest of the Dark Side. In my opinion, even with all the draw backs, this is still a good defensive strategy. It's even fun to play, unlike some of the other so-called "cheese" strategies in use today.
Flaming Ewok