Well that is what I want to know, whether or not it has any relative effect in battle. I know the stats themselves change, but the shield values (at least to me) seem to be fixed, and I am wondering CA did this for a reason? Maybe a 4 shield is no different in defense of missles as a five shield because a unit is assumed to have one of only a couple of shield options. I want to know whether or not it has a definite impact on the unit in battle, not just a change in stats on the unit card and description.