

Action Economy EPTs

Predator was the next one. This
upgrade is strong because it is a passive ability and you don't have to fulfill
special circumstances to activate it. However, its passiveness also means it is
not versatile. It is essentially a Push the Limit where you don't get a stress
token but you always have to take a
partial target lock for your second action. Normally this is fine since the
name of the game is destroying your enemy! But the effectiveness of the upgrade
drops to half power when firing at Pilot Skill 3 or higher. And when the tide
of a match changes and you need to go on the defensive, the upgrade can't switch
with you to help your defense dice.

And finally we come to Wired. After my
comparing and playtesting I realized why this EPT only costs 1 point. It
requires a parameter to be fulfilled, that you be stressed, but afterwards it only
lets you reroll your focus results. While Push the Limit gives the strongest
action economy, Wired's reroll ability is actually the weakest.
Here is my final ranking:
Offense -
1) Push the Limit, 2) Predator, 3) Lone Wolf, 4) Wired.
Defense - 1)
Push the Limit, 2) Lone Wolf, 3) Wired, 4) Predator.
My ranking was based on the assumption
that you can fulfill all parameters. And while it is true that a strong offense
is a good defense, my defensive ranking is based off giving power to defensive dice.
In most situations Push the Limit or
Predator is going to be your best choice. However, that doesn't mean that there
is never a time to take Wired. Even if the ability is the weakest niche of Action
Economy EPTs, it is still a niche. Before Wired was introduced, you had to
either pick an expensive one or not pick one at all. Furthermore, there are
certain select builds out there that are already planning on being stressed. So
Wired is an upgrade you can take to complement the build and bring more power
for a cheap cost. Finally, Wired is an ability that gives incentive to make red
moves. Let's delve into each of these points in more detail.
Squad Points & Budget Players
Wired
brings the option of a cheap action economy EPT. This means that when you are
working on the last ship of your squad and you are low on squad points you
don't have to take away from your other ships. It also means that you can take
a cheaper EPT to make sure an Ace build doesn't become overcosted. And in that
same style it is a good EPT for middle PS generics with talents because it
keeps them cheap.
But more importantly, Wired is the
cheapest of these four EPTs when it comes to your wallet. It comes in one of
the two Core Sets which means it will be a part of most players' collections.
To get the others you have to buy the specific expansions and that is no fun
for players on a budget. I love the Predator upgrade but I have never had a strong
enough desire to get a TIE Defender or a Kihraxz Fighter. My budget was always going
towards other ships I wanted more. The Ghost set is the first one that I want
to buy that has Predator in it. So if you are a budget player, try out Wired
and be patient for the others as you build your collection.
Complementing
Self-stress Builds

Chardaan
Refit
A-wing
Test Pilot
Wired
Opportunist
But apart from
EPTs, the next best way to self-stress is pilot abilities. Wired is very
powerful when paired with Jan Ors or Dace Bonearm. Their pilot abilities will
make sure that Wired will be activated. And the Hawk is a ship you really want
to keep cheap on squad points. Wired gives constant focus modification
for offense and defense and that makes it a weaker, but cheaper, Moldy Crow title.

Hawk w/ Dace - 30 points
Wired
Ion Cannon Turret
Inertial Dampeners

Hawk w/ Dace - 30 points
Wired
Ion Cannon Turret
Inertial Dampeners
Another pilot that I love pairing with
Wired is Zeta Leader. By self-stressing, this First Order pilot can attack as
hard as an Interceptor for a much cheaper cost. And Wired means you can take a
barrel roll or evade and still have dice modification.
TIE/fo w/ Zeta Leader - 22 points
TIE
Mk. II
Next is Hera Syndulla in the Attack
Shuttle. This Twi'lek Ace has a built-in Stay On Target ability when performing
red moves, yet there is a catch. Getting into the right position won't help if
you don't have dice modification and your dice fail. But Hera's ability doesn't
synergize with Push the Limit. Predator, on the other hand, is a great choice
and comes in the same expansion as the Attack Shuttle. However, you have to be
very careful with a Predator build because you can easily make the little ship cost too much.
The Attack Shuttle is only a bit more durable than a Z-95 Headhunter. Since Hera wants to use her ability on red moves, Wired can give her action economy as well as low squad cost.
Attack Shuttle w/ Hera - 24 points
Wired
Intelligence
Agent

T-70 w/ Red Veteran - 29 points
Wired
R3-A2
Integrated
Astromech

Bomber w/ Jonus - 27 points
Wired
TIE Shuttle Title
Fleet
Officer
TIE
Mk II
Making Use of Red Moves
The
Wired talent fills a niche in Action Economy EPTs but it also fills another
niche: upgrades that give incentive to pick red maneuvers. Keyan Farlander
makes such a great B-wing Ace because he isn't limited by his ship's slow dial.
He can make a red move and still get an offensive "focus". Ibtisam
has a similar ability by using stress to get offensive and defensive rerolls.
This style of game mechanic has been expanded with the introduction of the
Targeting Astromech and the Wired EPT. The former gives incentive to make red
moves because you still get to target lock an enemy. This means that you can
K-turn or T-roll and still be able to have a modified attack. And it is the
same with Wired. You can take the EPT and not be pressured by bad dials. It can
make your ships faster and less predictable, as well as give dice modification
while stressed. While Wired is redundant on Keyan or Ibti, it is great on Ten Numb and Nera Dantels.


Interceptor w/ Tetran - 27 points
Wired
Autothrusters
Autothrusters
Scyk w/ Serissu - 24 points
Wired
Stealth
Device

Y-wing w/ Horton - 33 points
Twin
Laser Turret
R2-D6
Wired
Conclusion
Whether
you are a budget player just jury-rigging action economy until you get new
expansions or someone who loves self-stressing synergy, Wired can be the
perfect fit for your squad's needs. It is the cheapest and most accessible of
the four main Action Economy EPTs. And it pairs well with so many combos. So
give Wired a try and let me know in the comments what kind of crazy things you've done! Have a great day and fly casual!
Hi Brian
ReplyDeleteAn incredibly well written out and justified article. It makes a fabulous read and I truly hope I can one day create some articles on par with yours.
Thanks again!
Thanks for the feedback, Jimmy. I'm really glad you enjoyed my article. I got to where I am from playing a fun game and practicing my writing on this blog for 7 months. You can get there too. :)
DeleteVery nice article. As an addendum:
ReplyDeleteI have found wired pairs well with Wes Janson with an R3-A2, Integrated astromech. Wes can take away enemy action tokens, stress the pilot, all while I roll crappy dice (which wired then immediately helps with).
That actually sounds really fun ArchieLuke. I will have to try it out. Maybe with Biggs to protect and one of the Opportunist Green Pilots I put together. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteMarvellous writing and an eye opener for beginners. ...thx!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback.
DeleteHi Brian,
ReplyDeletethanks for your article, i really liked it.
A Combo which I try atm, is Gand Findsman + Zuckuss (Crew) + Wired for 27 pts. Another Combo I thought about is the above setup with 4 LOM as pilot for 30 pts.
What is your opinion?
Hey Erik,
DeleteThanks for your comment. I'm glad you liked my article. My opinion of Wired on Scum ships is almost always: yes! There is such great synergy. I like your 4 LOM build because it gives you the option to take 2+ stress, mess with enemy defense dice, then dump a stress on an enemy, all the while getting to reroll focus results. It would be worth it to also give 4 LOM the Mist Hunter title so he has the barrel roll action. Both your builds would absolutely terrorize low PS ships, but they are both also weak against Aces. So be sure to complement the rest of your squad with high PS. Have fun flying!