Taking Calculated Risk - Why You Might Be Flying Your X-wing Wrong

                The X-wing is the most iconic ship of the Star Wars Universe. But, I have noticed a curious trend in the X-wing Miniatures metagame: Why take an X-wing when you can spent one more point to take a B-wing? What people don't realize is when they say that, they reveal more about their own understanding of the game than of the actual truth of the game.

                Yes, X-wings are underpowered, this is a confirmed fact. FFG employee Alex Davy said in an interview that the X-wing needs a buff. But here's the thing: just because something is underpowered doesn't mean it should be set aside and not used till it gets a fix. When we do that we reinforce in our minds that the X-wing isn't worth the points. In my opinion, this has led to an attitude of believing the X-wing is more underpowered than it really is. Waiting for an update of the game is a passive solution to the problem. Changing our attitude, instead, will help us master X-wing Miniatures.

                I'll start off by saying that the X-wing is not, nor should it be thought as, the most OP ship in the lineup. It may be what the game is named after, but don't think you will a tactical edge just by fielding them. The Rebel Alliance didn't win in Episode 4 just by throwing X-wings at the Death Star. They won because they understood what X-wings were capable of, formed that into a plan of attack, and took a calculated risk.

                X-wings are not just weak B-wings. It is logically fallible to compare 21 points to 22. If you are going to compare Bs to Xs, at least make the field level by providing 1 point astromech. Moreover, even at 22 points, we get very different strengths and roles for each ship. Before Wave 3 came along, X-wings had to be the heavy hitters and jousters. When the B-wing came along, it excelled far better in that role. Because of this, it makes sense why the B-wing somewhat replaced the X-wing in our minds. But if the X no longer needs to joust, what is it good for?

            A B-wing has strong damage resistance, great damage output, and tight maneuverability with its barrel rolls and k-turns. This makes it very excellent at dogfighting. But it is also very slow and it can often find itself out of position.

                On the other hand, while an X-wing has less damage resistance and maneuverability, it has wonderful speed and only one red maneuver on the dial. It may not be able to turn on a dime but it sure can fly! Pair this with its high attack damage and it is great for chasing ships and for tactical strafing runs.

                However, we've run into another problem because those traits are primarily the roles of E-wings and A-wings. Does that mean the X-wing has no unique role in the Miniatures game? I propose that the answer to that is yes. In this writer's opinion, the uniqueness of an X-wing lies in its versatility. It has good - but not amazing - stats on everything: hit points, attack, speed, and maneuverability. Whether this proves to be the ship's strength or weakness depends on how well you understand it and fly it. Just like with the Alliance in Episode 4, we benefit the most from flying X-wings when we take calculated risks.

                By that, I don't mean a gamble. Gambling means thoughtlessly chucking ships into battle, and I wouldn't advice that. Calculated risk is picking your battles carefully, knowing when and where your luck will be optimized and then taking that risk for a good reward. Any time you send in an X-wing to a fight, there is a high risk that it will get badly hurt but you do it because of the potential benefits you might get. If the risk pays off, then great! And if it doesn't, you can be ok with it because you know the it was a good risk.

                A perfect example of this is the 2013 Worlds championship between Paul Heaver and Dallas Parker. Paul took a calculated risk in flying two X-wings with his build. And yes, both Biggs and the Rookie did die but look at what benefit: Biggs killed Dark Curse in one shot, and the two Xs absorbed the attacks of the Tie Swarm, leaving the B-wings completely unharmed and able to take on the swarm in the coming turns. The build would not have been as powerful had he taken 4 B-wings.

                To better understand this concept we can turn to statistics. We can explain the number of hits or evades a ship gets with averages. For example, a Tie Fighter will roll an average of 1.0 hits/crits without a focus. But X-wing miniatures is not a game of averages. If that were the case then you would fly into range, give a set amount of damage and receive a set amount back. That may work in real time strategy games like Starcraft, but here it would be a boring mechanic. The flavor of the game comes not from averages but variance. A Tie Fighter may roll an average of 1.125 evades without a focus, but that doesn't mean he'll get that amount every time. He may instead roll all evades or all blanks, which is a huge difference in the thick of battle. We can predict variance in rolling, but we can never know exactly when the dice will love or betray us. That is what makes the X-wing Miniatures game constantly fresh and exciting.

                Compare the variance of a B-wing versus an X-wing and we can mathematically see why they fulfill different roles. The B has 1 agility die, but high hit points. This means that a defending B has low variance: it rolls 1 evade or it doesn't but either way it is absolutely guaranteed 8 hits before dying. On the other hand, an X-wing has higher agility and a lower number of hit points. This means that it has a higher variance: it could get 0, 1, or 2 evades, but only has 5 guaranteed hits before dying. This means that a little luck is required for it to match the defensive efficiency of a B-wing.

                That is why B-wings are better jousters and are more reliable in a dogfight. They are a low risk and make a safe choice. However, a low risk also includes a low reward. This means we can have a good prediction of how much a B-wing can give us before it dies. On the other hand, if we take a higher risk we have a chance for a high reward. Yes, a fielded X-wing can be blown up in one shot, but it is also possible for it dodge more punishment than a B-wing could ever take.

                Because of human nature it can be hard to see statistics working. One negative experience can override many positive experiences in the game. All it takes is for your Rookie to roll blanks on defense, dying in one shot, and you to forget about all the previous games where he flew quite well. You now question why you even spent the points on a ship like that! We are emotional beings, not logical ones, and X-wing is a game where you want to win. Players don't want surprises and so they take a B-wing instead.

                However, this attitude goes against the very nature of X-wing Miniatures! We are trying to reduce variance in a game that is driven by it! Therefore, if you do choose to fly a B-wing, do it because you know the risk factors of the all ships and you prefer the safety. Don't just toss the X-wing aside claiming its useless; instead learn to fly it with calculated risk. You can find places in the meta game and you will also grow as a player.

Afterwards:

Here is a tricky build that has more to it than meets the eye.

Turn Key Squad - 100 Points

                A-wing w/ Jake - 26 points
                                Veteran Instincts

                                A-Wing Test Pilot

                                Outmaneuver

                                Chardaan Refit

                Y-wing w/ Grey Squad Pilot - 26 points

                                Ion Turret

                                R5 Astromech

                X-wing w/ Red Squad Pilot - 24 points

                                R2 Astromech

                X-wing w/ Red Squad Pilot - 24 points

                                R2 Astromech

                This build looks straight forward: there's an annoying ion Y-wing, a powerful Jake, and 2 support X-wings. Intuition would tell your opponent to focus on one of former two for the initial attack. But that is where the trap has been lain. The X-wings' upgrades have been allotted to late game strength. That is my calculated risk: that an enemy player will initially ignore my X-wing. This will allow them to do unpressured heavy hitting on high priority targets and then switch in the late game to hunting damaged, low pilot skill ships. The Poor Grey Pilot fits perfectly into this build because his PS fits with the Red X's. If my opponent chooses to target my X-wings first then they have a chance to hold their own while Jake and the turret do the damage. This creates a hard choice for my enemy and a win-win for me.

A Blog's Description - What the Reader Can Expect from The Poor Grey Pilot

                When I first started this blog I really only had a desire to play the X-wing miniatures game and to write. I didn't know what direction I would want to go in or what really would drive my creative process. Now after a several weeks of posting I feel I can give you a more accurate estimation of this blog and if you, as the reader, will benefit from my articles.

                I will admit that I am not the most experienced player or the most clever. But when I do write about something I feel I have my facts straight and have a solid understanding. As for my strategy, it is a bit on the creative rather than logical side. True, that can lead to stuff that is completely useless to us in the game but it also can lead to some revolutionary ideas. My hope is that a blog filled with "outside-the-box" thinking will help readers find new ways to solve challenges in the X-wing world. For the Ender's Game fans out there you can compare this to Bean's squad of wire jumping hooligans.

                Apart from creative strategy, I hope to give different ways to look at things in-game. There are about mindsets and trends in the meta that I think we can fix to improve both ourselves and the overall game community.

                Also, a big part of delving into the game for me was learning the lore. It's one thing to have a randomly named pilot on a ship card. It is another to know the stories behind each person, especially when you can understand how ingenious Fantasy Flight Games was in creating some of their abilities. I hope to include a little bit of lore with each topic I write on. And hopefully it can help bring the universe alive to you like it did for me.

                If you have read a few of my articles then you've probably deduced that I am a Rebel player. Ever since I was a young boy watching Star Wars I have loved the Alliance and the Jedi. If you are Imperial Loyalist or an "Independent Merchant", please know I respect that and won't bash personal preferences in what I write. And even if I don't play them as much I do Rebels, I have Imperial and Scum ships in my collection as well. Though I can't guarantee constant frequency you can expect to get articles, strategies, and builds of all the factions. It is by understanding each piece and the game as a whole that we can continuously learn and develop our skills.

                As always, feel free to leave comments, tips, discussions, or ideas of posts for me to write. I only ask that responses be respectful to myself and to other readers. So enjoy and read away.

A World Without Autothrusters - Other Viable Anti-Turret Builds

The start of 2015 marked a great change for the X-wing Miniatures game. The Phantom's decloak change brought it back into balance and the new pirate ships brought us our third game faction. However, probably the biggest change at this time is the meta game switching over to autothrusters, a card included in the Star Viper expansion.

                This upgrade is quite self-explanatory: you slap it on and it starts doing its job giving you a guaranteed evade at range 3 or when outside an enemy ship's forward attack arc, all for 2 points. If you can't imgaine right off how powerful this is, try flying a turrted ship against against Soontir Fel with Push the Limit and autothrusters, it's nuts! And in my opinion, it isn't overpowered because the card can only be attached to ships that can boost: the A-wing, Tie Interceptor, Tie Punisher, Star Vipers, and Aggressor. This allows greater flanking power from these ships and decreases the effect of turrets. So watch out Fat Han and Super Dash.

                Whether you are a starting player looking to expand or a seasoned veteran wanting to keep up with the meta game, turreted ships are something you need to learn to fly with or against. Autothrusters is a great choice of an upgrade. And if you aren't a Scum & Villany type of player then don't worry about getting a Star Viper. You can purchase individual upgrade cards on the Team Covenant website. But what if you don't want autothrusters? Me personally, I don't want to have to have an autothruster A-wing or Tie Interceptor included into every one of my builds just to deal with the turreted ship meta. This post will delve into other viable options to solving this problem. After all, if there was only one way to do things, it wouldn't be a very interesting game, now would it? Here are a few strategies and examples I have found that help deal with the power of turrets.

Range 3 flying:

                The turret cards that Y-wings and Hawks can equip are only range 1-2. Hit these ships at range three and you won't receive turret return fire. Then split your vulnerable ships off to evade while more agile ships move in for the range one shot. Y-wings' low agility and Hawks' low shields make them very vulnerable to focused fire. Because you want to move away from the ship your are targeting, ships with barrel roll rather than boost are going to help you. Practice your barrel rolls and make amble use of them to stay out at range 3. Since other turret ships like the Falcon fire at range 3, flying out that far isn't going to help as much except give you the additional defense dice.

Examples: B-wing, E-Wing, Any Tie, Star Vipers, M3-A Interceptors, or even Expert Handling

Stress:

                Controlling where the turreted ship moves helps make your flying decisions easier, allowing you stay away or move in for the kill. It also allows for easier movement prediction of higher pilot skill ships. One way of control is to give stress. If you can give offensive stress every turn, the turreted ship will be forced to do green maneuvers or risk having the stresses build up. You will control the pace of the game.

Examples: Rebel Transport, Tactician Crew, R3-A2 Stress Droid

Ionization:

                Another way to control ship's movement is ionization, that way you always know where their next move will be. B-wings are exceptional with ion cannons and outrange ion turrets. Defenders with ion cannons are a bit more expensive but are much better than B's at dodging returning turret fire. Z-95 Headhunters are cheaper and more maneuverable than turreted ships making them effective ion missile boats. 

                Note however that large ships require 2 ion tokens before it gets a movement restriction. This can be overcome by flying multiple ion shooters or with ion missiles, the later giving 2 tokens on a hit. Turreted ships with 1 agility are fairly easy to ionize, especially because secondary weapons don't give them the extra range 3 die.

Examples: Ion Cannon, Ion Pulse Missiles, Ion Torpedoes

Action Economy & Synergy:

            When you are flying against turreted ships, you can't flank them. And with a 360 degree firing arc, turrets provide no option for an escape route once you engage them. So your only option of survival will be to kill them before they kill you. And this presents a hard choice to make: do you go full offensive with your action and just take the return fire or do you take defensive actions and hope your attack dice get lucky? Perhaps there is a better solution. You don't have to ever ask this question if you have good action economy. You can pick action giving pilots like Dutch Vander or Colonel Jendon and have a synergy based squad. Or you can pick from a wide variety of upgrades that can give you more actions or provide no-action-needed benefits for your ships. But whichever ones you pick, the strategy is the same. You want to have multiple actions for your ships so you can both hit hard and stay evasive.

Pilot Examples: Darth Vader, Dutch, Guri, Vessery, Jendon, Kyle Katarn

Upgrade Examples: Outmaneuver, Accuracy Corrector, Advanced Sensors, Fire Control System, Predator, R7 Astromech

Action Taking:

            On the other hand of actions, you could consider a path of taking away enemy tokens. Removing action modifications is quite a nice counter versus any enemy ship. But it is devastating against a Y-wing or Hawk with a Blaster Turret.

Examples: Toryn Farr, Wes Janson, Palob Godalhi

            In conclusion, there are ample ways besides autothrusters to punish turreted ships. Learn your own playing style and find which of these strategies appeals the most to you. Then be sure to study expansions carefully and collect the ships, pilots, and upgrades you want. In the afterwards I will give some alternate ships builds that are effective versus turreted ships. Be sure to keep thinking of those creative solutions and have fun.

Afterwards:

            It is important to note that most alternate builds cost more points than autothruster ships. Yes, autothrusters can give you the cheapest anti-turret build but that really is all it is good for. If you aren't fighting turreted ships then your autothrusters only help you at range 3. On the other hand, these alternates can handle a diverse number of situations. I mean, you can stress or ion any ship you like!

Autothrusters:

A-wing w/ Prototype Pilot- 17 points

                    Chardaan Refit

                    Autothrusters

Tie Interceptor w/ Alpha Squad Pilot - 20 points

                   Autothrusters

Star Viper w/ Black Sun Enforcer - 27 points

                   Autothrusters

Stressing Alternates:

X-wing w/ Hobbie - 30 points

                   Flechette Torpedoes

                   R3-A2 droid

                   Munitions Failsafe

Rebel Transport - 34 points

                   w/ Frequency Jammer

Phantom w/ Sigma Squad Pilot - 29 points

                   Tactician

                   Stygium Accelerator

Ion Alternates:

Headhunter w/ Bandit Squad Pilot - 15 points

                    Ion Missiles

M3-A Interceptor w/ Cartel Spacer - 19 points

                   Heavy Scyk Title

                   Ion Cannon

Defender w/ Delta Squad Pilot - 33 points

                   Ion Cannon

B-wing w/ Blue Squad Pilot - 28 points

                   Advanced Sensors

                   Ion Cannon

Action Economy Alternates:

Star Viper w/ Guri - 34 points

                   Virago Title

                   Accuracy Correctors

Rebel Transport - 40 points

                   w/ Toyrn Farr

                   Comms booster

Defender w/ Vessery - 38 points

                   Predator

E-wing w/ Blackmoon Squad Pilot - 33 points

                   Push the Limit

                   R2 droid

E-wing w/ Corran - 40 points

                   Veteran Instincts

                   Fire Control System

                   R7 droid

Hawk w/ Palob - 27 points

                   Blaster Turret

                   Recon Specialist

Nera Dantels - The Quite Content Damsel

                Mon Mothma and the Rebellion had a distinct charismatic charm that was able to draw in good people from every nook and cranny of the galaxy. And just like with Han Solo, Nera Dantels was an independent smuggler who decided to stick around after her path crossed with the Rebel Alliance.

                The extended universe tells us that Nera's first dealings with the Rebellion where shortly before Episode 4. They contacted her with a need for astromech droids and she decided to help. With that choice, though, she was no longer a neutral smuggler and so traveled with her shipment to Yavin for safety. It was during the course of these events that she met and fell in love with Biggs Darklighter, the rugged farm pilot from the Outer Rim. Sadly, their courtship was drawn to a close when Biggs was killed in action flying against the Death Star.

                When it comes to the X-wing game however, it is pilots - not smugglers or star-crossed lovers - that make it in as characters. Nera became a rebel pilot when she volunteered to join Dagger Squadron: the first squad formed of the new B-wing Starfighters. So it should be no surprise when we find Nera in the Rebel Aces expansion pack. Not only does she get her red-painted B-wing, she also gets a wonderful pilot ability: her torpedoes can be fired in a 360 degree arc. And why not because what intellegent smuggler wouldn't modify their starship?

                While on my hunt for good ordnance fixes, this one screamed at me to be used. Since Horton Salm was my ordnance knight, this made Nera my Lady Damsel. I started flying her with the Deadeye upgrade and paired her with Garvin Dreis or Dutch Vander to give her action economy. And it did a very good job of overcoming the pitfalls of torpedoes. I can say, however, that I conceived of a better use for Nera and then had my thoughts confirmed online. Included in the same Rebel Aces pack as Nera is the E2 B-wing Modification which allows the ship to equip a crew member.

                I am going to go out on a limb here and proclaim to the world that the only man Nera wanted was Biggs. And since this damsel can't have him she doesn't need any man. So forget the action-giving escort ships, Nera's got something better planned. Have her call up her bff, the recon specialist, and she'll fill the crew slot on the B-wing. This may take up more points for one ship but it gives Nera a far greater freedom in the game. It also relieves the player from the risk of a synergy-based build failing. And even after she has shot her ordnance, she can still use the recon specialist for both an offensive and defense focus. A B-wing only gets one defensive die but every evade matters in the game.

                Now to talk about the ordnance itself: which torpedo type should Nera take? Our friend Horton is effective with proton torpedoes because of his re-roll ability. However, Nera's focus action is not as effective because the torpedoes' "smart-bomb" focus already modifies one focus roll. This makes her modification partially redundant, unless you really want that critical hit. Instead, I would choose Flechette Torpedoes which don't waste any of Nera's focus. Moreover, they are cheaper to equip which helps keep her build cost lower. On the other hand, if you do want to spend more points the best use of the focus modification would be on Advanced Proton Torpedoes. If a proton torpedo is a smart bomb then the APT is a prodigious genius. It automatically turns 3 blanks into focus and begs for you have an extra focus to spare. Statistically, this will reward you with 5 clean hit rolls almost every time.

                Which one to go with is up to your play style. Use Proton Torpedoes if you want the criticals or you don't mind the redundant focus. Flechette Torpedoes can be used from afar to give stress and set up shots for your other ships. Or they can be used as a limited semi-turret making her strong after the alpha strike. Finally, equipped with APTs, Nera will charge straight into the fight with a range 1 circle of death. With any of these choices, though, she will be the biggest target for enemy fire. So consider flying her with Biggs to provide cover and to add a spice of romance. They can't be together in the extended universe but they sure can be together in the game! (And you can make your opponent remorseful as you sob uncontrollably when one of the two dies in a match...)

                There are only 2 weaknesses to this Nera build, the first being that it is expensive. If you are going to spend the points make sure you know how to fly her well and that you allot the rest of your points effectively. The second weakness is the potential for blocking: if Nera can't take an action she can't get her 2 focus tokens and is a sitting duck. This can be avoided by taking a systems upgrade: an advanced sensor to take your action before bumping or enhanced scopes to always move first. But if you don't want to spend even more points, just learn to move her evasively. She has a 360 degree arc so practice flying past enemies and blasting them from an angle.  

                Nera Dantels is another pilot that successfully makes ordnance an effective part of the game. Even though she is expensive, she adds a new and fun twist. Try flying her and see what kind of crazy antics you can pull off.

Eternal Love -100 points

                B-wing/w Nera - 39

                                Deadeye 

                                Advanced Proton Torpedo

                                Extra Munitions

                                E2 Mod 

                                Recon Specialist 

                X-wing w/ Biggs - 25

                Headhunter w/ Bandit - 12
                Headhunter w/ Bandit - 12
                Headhunter w/ Bandit - 12

The Quite Content Damsel - 100 points

                B-wing /w Nera - 35

                                Deadeye

                                2 Flechette Torpedoes

                                E2 Mod

                                Recon Specialist

                B-wing w/ Blue Squadron - 22
                B-wing w/ Blue Squadron - 22

                X-wing w/ Rookie - 21

Afterwards:
I first heard the phase "Quite Content Damsel" from Bungie's Destiny. It was the christened title of a starfighter I earned in the game. My character was a Titan Knight class and I died of laughter for a good five minutes.

Link to Strat Update for this article.

Squad Composition - The Beginner's Guide to Tournaments Part 1

                I attended my first store tournament when I had been playing the X-wing Miniatures for barely three weeks. I felt I had studied the game thoroughly and had a firm grasp on ships and strategy. A tournament, I thought, was a good step in my progress in the game and I was excited to try something new. Since I was quite fresh I understood that I wasn't going to be the best and I would make some mistakes. But what really blind-sided me was how many mistakes there were to make and how I had no way to prepare for them. You can only get so far by studying the rules and watching games online. Some things you just have to experience in person. However, that doesn't mean you have go in ignorant like me. This article will be the first on giving tips to players going to tournaments for the first time. Let's talk about squad composition:

                The first part of the X-wing experience is actually my favorite: getting to build your squad. I truly enjoy new combinations of ships and seeing what works with the numbers available. I recommend to take some time to learn your own play style and build a squad around that. If you feel you aren't creative or you don't like squad building, then you need to do online research. Watch some worlds tournament games and see what the professionals fly. Then you can adopt or tweak one to call your own.

                After you have selected a build, make sure you can assemble it. If money isn't an issue then start buying away to your heart's content. Cards and pilots are far spread so make sure to research what is in each expansion before you buy it. But if you are more like me and are on budget, then try out substitutes. There are many different ways to get the same result: for example you can fly Wedge or an Outmaneuver card to lower an enemy's agility. I classify most of my squads builds under the "Militia" header because hey, that's all I got.

                When creating or choosing your squad there are more things to consider than just if you like it. The first thing you need to do is make sure it has a balanced number of ships. You don't want just a couple of ships loaded to the gills with every upgrade they can take. This results, all too often, in these ships dying with a lot of their squad points unused. A great player gave me some good advice during my first tournament, he told me to follow a 4 Ship Rule. A viable competitive list should at least have 4 ships on the table (large ships like the Falcon count as 2). There are notable exceptions to this rule - such as a Decimator & Phantom build - but for the most part it is the rule of thumb you should stick to.

                Now that you have considered ship balance, it is time to look at strategy balance. Each ship has its strengths and weaknesses. Get to know about ships from all factions so you know how best to fly your own as well as fly against others. For example, Y-wings and Tie Interceptors make great flanking ships but they really suffer in head-on collisions. Tie Bombers and B-Wings are tanky but they have a hard time chasing quick, nimble ships. And the Hawk should never be used for anything but tactical support, ever... While assembling your squad, take a step back and look at the strategy of your ships. What is it really good at doing? When you find that niche, practice it to maximize your squad's strength in a match. And what will really throw a wrench into your plans? When you've established that, practice flying against it and see what kind of counter strategies you can find. After that, if you still feel too vulnerable, try swapping out one of your ships for one of a different strength. That way you cover the gaps in your strategy and your build will be more solid.

                Once all of this is complete, check for errors and look for any possible substitutes that you overlooked. Then simply practice with your squad. I made the mistake of thinking I knew how my squad functioned without having practiced it enough. Because of that I overvalued the strengths it had and had trouble flying in formation: two fatal mistakes in the game. Even if you have been practicing with your squad, practice with them some more. Fly against your friends and get feedback from them.

                 Below is the squad I took to my first tournament. It serves as a great example of the points I have just talked about: finding strength and balance in your squad and overcoming weakness.

Poor Grey Pilots's Naive Beginner Build:

Razorback Squad - 100 Points

Wedge - 35 Points

                w/ Swarm Tactics

                w/ R2-D2

Ten Numb - 39 Points

                w/ Autoblaster

                w/ Fire Control System

Blue Squad Pilot -26 Points

                w/ Enhanced Scopes

                w/ E2 Mod

                w/ Jan Ors

4 Ship Rule - Did not pass. True, B-wings are hearty ships but they aren't miracles workers. Maybe 1.25 of a ship on the ship count scale.

Strengths - Just from looking at all the upgrade cards, it is easy to see that my young self wanted this squad to be great at everything: Range 1 deadliness, action economy, strong evasive defense, high pilot skill, etc, etc. It tries to have everything and ends up being only ok at all of those things.

Weaknesses - Apart from general lack of direction and strength, this build suffers from one big weakness: flanking. I didn't realize how big it was until I flew against two Tie Interceptors with Push the Limit. My ships may have been able to hit hard but it turned out I didn't get to shoot most of the time.

Results - In the tournament I played 3 games and came out 1-2 win-loss.

Poor Grey Pilot's Revised Beginner Build:

Razor Squad -100 Points

Blue Squad Pilot - 27 Points

                w/ Autoblaster

Blue Squad Pilot - 27 Points

                w/ Autoblaster

Rookie Pilot - 23

                w/ Flechette Torpedoes

Rookie Pilot - 23

                w/ Flechette Torpedoes

4 Ship Rule - Check! This insures me a solid amount of offensive dice as well as a large number of hit points on the table.

Strengths - I decided that I needed to streamline what I wanted from this squad. So I threw out higher pilot skill and better defense and focused solely on having a solid hitting power. And with the rules being updated, the Auto-blaster now eats through evade tokens making it a much more cost-efficient card.

Weaknesses - Flechette torpedoes were my answer to the flanking weakness. I can give the flanking ship stress out at range 3 before they can swing around behind. Then while they take a green move to rid themselves of the stress, I could more easily line up shots on them. If that isn't really your play style, consider replacing the X-wings with Gold Squad Y-wings equipped with Ion Turrets. Also 23 points and great for riding back and covering your squad's six.

Results - This squad had preformed great for me in my causal play. But I probably won't take it to tournament...maybe too many bad memories, haha. But also because of the many other options of squads there are to fly. Endless possibilities.

                And there you have it. You have now made all of your necessary preparations. Your squad has been created and error-tested and you have learned to fly it backwards and forwards. You are ready for the crucible of store tournament play. But before you start dreaming of signed plaques and cool swag it might be a good idea to know a little about what you are walking into. Stay tuned for Part 2 where I will give you my advice on proper tournament etiquette and effective gameplay. Have fun.


Series
Click her for Part 2 & Part 3

Horton Salm - The Grey Knight

                Apparently, womp rats are pretty hard to hit. At least, that is the truth that I found when practicing a list of Rookies with Proton Torpedoes. We have known for awhile that ordnance is not cost effective. However, that doesn't mean it has no place in the game. This post will be the first of several on what I have found to make ordnance fun as well as worth the points.
                Horton Salm appears in the 6th episode of Star Wars as Grey Leader in the battle of Endor (where he doesn't have that ridiculous mustache as seen in the comics, haha). Grey 1 and several other fighters followed General Calrissian into the heart of darkness to destroy the second Death Star. But when threatened by pursuing Ties, Horton broke off and followed Jake Farrell to draw enemy fire. Sorry boys, you'll get the glory for the next large explosion, promise.

                Right out of the box, Horton was the first Y-wing pilot I played. Being able to reroll blanks freed up his action for focus making him an efficient long range dog-fighter. He only has 2 attack dice but he sure knows how to make them count every time. It wasn't till after I was thinking of the ordnance problem that it occurred to me to use him. But wow, how he fit the bill.

                After running a probability simulator, I found that the average result rolling 4 attack dice is 2 hits/crits, 1 focus, and 1 blank. Using protons torpedoes turns one 1 focus into a critical - probably "smart bomb" tech - bringing the total average hits to 3. But when you are flying a Rookie pilot, a 3 hit torpedo is not enough to consistently break the agility of Tie Fighters, even without the added range 3 defense die. In contrast, Horton's reroll ability makes up for any blank rolls, which effectively gives you a target lock after you already spent it. His only weakness is focus results, but again, this is mitigated by the proton torpedoes themselves. And with two torpedo slots on a Y-wing there is good potential for some heavy damage.

                But so what? Horton can successfully get 4 hits on a consistent basis at range 3. So can my Blue Squad B-Wing with a heavy laser cannon, plus it has more shields and it costs less. If those were the only factors, then yes, I would take the B-wing every time. But the added points of Horton give you something the HLC can't: criticals. Unless you are very unlucky, torpedoes will always have a critical hit. Couple this with Horton's high probability of getting 4 hits and we have a exceptional chance for the critical to push through and give early, nasty damage to unshielded targets. And after the alpha strike, honestly, both he and a B-wing would be high priority targets and get focused on. A range 1 Horton or HLC are quite useless to us, so why not get those early critical when you can?

                If that's not enough to sell you, there's the bonus of Wave 7 coming out. With it will be the chance for the Extra Munitions card. This upgrade fills a torpedo slot, so it won't be aiding our hapless Rookie X-wings but it is perfect for the Y-wing. You save 2 points putting double PT on Horton and then you can take those saving and get yourself a free autoblater turret to give him an advantage in the mid-game. I love coupon squad shopping!

                To summarize, Horton Salm does a magnificent job at overcoming most of the risk of using ordnance. He is a bit more expensive then some heavy-hitter ships but he is well worth the points for what he can do. This build works well with my play style and I have a lot of fun flying him. I hope that you will too.

B-wing w/ Blue Squadron Pilot & HLC...29 points

Y-wing w/ Horton & 2 Proton Torpedoes...33 points

Y-wing w/ Horton, Proton Torpedo, Extra Munitions, & Auto-Turret...33 points

Bargain coupon squad shopping...Priceless.

Afterward:

I call Horton the Grey Knight because I was testing out a build that ran him with as a Green Squad A-wing with Draw Their Fire. I called it the Knight Squad because it reminded me of a Knight and his trusty Squire. But I soon found that A-wings do not excel at soaking damage or at keeping pace with Y-wings. So I dropped the squire and kept the Knight.

Why I Pick Biggs in a Core Set Beginners Game

                I know you all have thought it. You eagerly opened up your first X-Wing Miniatures Core Set and marveled at the meticulous detail of the miniatures. Then you started looking at the pilots: legendary Luke Skywalker, some never-before-seen but sweet looking Tie Pilots...and Biggs. "I can't even use his ability! Why do they even bother including him?" Let's find out.

                Its clear from the get-go that Fantasy Flight Games already had the first expansions planned when they released the core set. All you need to do is buy a second X-wing and problem solved: Biggs can fly cover for Luke, just like in Episode 4. But what if I want to play casual and not get expansions? They could have included Biggs in an expansion and given us a usable pilot in the core set, like Wedge.
                From a purely marketing perspective, it actually is a very good move. Getting Wedge for his ability, as well as iconic purposes, is what absolutely sold me to get the X-Wing Fighter expansion. I know my excitement level would not have been at such extremes if I had been offered only two support X-Wings for that pack. In fact, I probably would have bought a second core set before even considering such an option. Fantasy Flight is a master at selling games, how else would they be releasing the 7th wave of expansions? But is that just all the company is? Money-motivated salesmen who didn't care that one of the pilots was a waste? I propose that there is more here than meets the eye.

                With the game being where it is today, the numbers system behind all the ships, pilots, and upgrades creates a staggering sum of data to dig through. But back during the release of the core set, things were very simple and straight forward. Since so much thought went into each and every aspect of the core set, it requires that we give each piece the time and attention it deserves. Let's set aside our qualms about useless pilot skills and look at what else Biggs has to offer. And when we do, we see what has been hiding in plain sight the whole time: a PS5 X-Wing for 25 points.

                Take a few moments to crunch the numbers, and you will find that 25 is the magical place in a beginners game were the Rebel player effectively prevents his opponent from taking a named Tie Fighter pilot AND guarantees that the X-Wing will always have the highest pilot skill. What can the Imperial player do with 25 points? Not much: 2 Academy pilots or 1 Academy and an Obsidian. And with either one, there are no unique pilot abilities and no elite pilot talents. The Imperial player has to rely on outmaneuvering and that alone to win. A pretty good investment of pilot choice for the Rebel player, if you ask me. Maybe it's worth giving Biggs another look in a new light.

                So try it out. Grab your friend and challenge them to a 25 point beginner game of X-Wing. They'll assume you're taking a Rookie with a Proton Torpedo and that they will beat you with pilot skill and broken ordinance. But boy, will they be wrong.

The Poor Grey Pilot - An Introduction to This Blog

                I recently read an article written by Major Juggler about the math behind the deep strategy in X-wing Miniatures. From that reading I discovered two things. The first is the epiphany that my love of this game and my love of writing should be combined. So here I am creating this blog to share my experiences and the things I have learned along the way.
                The second thing I discovered is that my favorite pilot - the poor Gray Squadron Pilot - was a dud. Major Juggler's Math Wing does a wonderful job of numerically showing why some pilots are heavily used in the meta game and why others are virtually forgotten. Here is the quote:

                "The PS4 Gray Squadron Pilot falls into the "PS4 trap" where +1 cost over the PS2 would have been too little, but +2 cost is too much, so the pilot virtually never sees use."

                According to the analysis the true point value of the Gray Squadron Pilot, based off of the effectiveness of a Y-Wing, should have been 1.2 points higher than the Gold Squadron Pilot. However, Fantasy Flight Games doesn't deal in partial points. Instead of making the Gray Squadron Pilot cost 1 more and have a slight advantage they opted to make him cost 2 more and have a slightly bigger disadvantage.
                What can a pilot do to get some respect around here? Not only is his miniatures model the wrong color, he doesn't even get a crew/gunner slot like he did in the Battle of Endor. And now its overpriced to fly him in the game.
                No, honestly, I'm not really upset about it. I just want to have fun and so I will continue running the Gray Squadron Pliot for his pilot skill and that's not going to change. As far as I am concerned, under-ratings in the meta game can quite easily translate to underestimation on the playing field. And that gives me the freedom to fly him unpressured and try new, unexpected things.
                This blog will be about X-Wing strategy, lore, crazy ideas and having fun. If there is anything you want me to analyze in the game, let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading.

Update:
Thanks to some repainting, the Poor Grey Pilot now has his own miniature of the correct color. See it here.