Imbalance is a Dark Side Uncommon from Dagobah. It is a destiny 4 used interrupt that says "If opponent just retrieved force, opponent must lose X force, where X=1/2 the number of cards retrieved (round up).
This card has some very nice things going for it. First off, it's a destiny four and a used interrupt. But high destiny used interrupt aren't great interrupts until they become useful in tournament situations, and Imbalance is just this, useful.
Imbalance was not a card I thought of using when it first came out. Retrieval made an appearance in one major form in my area, On the Edge. So I stocked up on sense and Hell to Pay to handle that interrupt until its use diminished. But recently, with the addition of the Jabba's Palace expansion, I have thought about adding this card into my deck for good reason.
Jabba's Palace popularized two very strategies, making one good and the other deadly. Alien decks are on the rise for two major reasons, the ability to make those aliens bigger with a character at the Audience Chamber, and the ability to retrieve force with the Wind Chimes. Actually, the wind Chimes is what makes this kind of deck possible! With the ability to retrieve one force for every non-unique alien of that particular type these high deploy decks become possible.What makes the Wind Chimes (and its counterpart) so strong is that it is immune to sense. Ouch. You can't handle this card like those other interrupts that sense can cancel.
With the creation of the Bo'Mar Monks, Our Most Desperate Hour has become even stronger, and has finally made its way into the tournament arena. These nasties both let you drain for more and retrieve more with OMDH. (I was actually inspired to write this review while trying to figure out how to beat an OMDH deck.)
So what would be better than to use imbalance on these two decks? It might not do signifigant damage to the OMDH deck, but enough that it would hurt and could help in those times when you can't Alter OMDH. And this card could be even more devistating to a non-unique alien deck that may only squeek by with the retrieval from the Chimes. Bye bye Klatoonians! No soup for you!
In truth, these are only two of the MANY retrieval cards the Light Side can draw upon. I'm sure you've seen On the Edge/ Off the Edge get played in a tourney. What about Thank the Maker? Rycar's Run? Kessel Run? Stack one or two Imbalances in your deck and watch your opponent say "What does that card do again? (pause as he reads the card) NO WAY!"
Retrieval has begun to creep into many tournament decks. The idea that if you can drain steadily and retrieve constantly is a powerful one that is possible. Well that's exactly why Imbalance is a good card.
Beakman