Today I am proud to present the
third part of my thread discussing the droids available to the Rebel Faction in
X-wing miniatures. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2, or here for Scum Astromechs. We will be looking at the
three newest droids, discussing the best ways to use them, and applying them in
squad building. Let's jump right in.
BB-8
Moviewise, BB-8 was specifically
designed to be the new and loveable droid sidekick in Star Wars. So it is also fitting that he joins R2-D2 as the main droid ally of an X-wing Miniatures
Core Set. Since BB comes in a core he is going to be one of the more common droids found in Rebel players' arsenals. Let's get to know how he works
and make the most of him.
BB-8 gives a ship access to a free barrel roll. BR is the main action needed for good arc-dodging ability and so our droid gives more utility to higher PS pilots. And since his ability activates when you pick a green move while unstressed, BB's power is equivalent to the number of green maneuvers a ship has. E-wings and T-70s will get the most use with their 5
greens. Like R7-T1, BB-8 can give a movement actions along with better action economy. However, this means that you can't take a shield
regeneration droid, so be sure to weigh your options carefully before picking.
In regards to the T-65, we get a little less utility with only 4 green moves. But
this is compensated by the fact that BB-8 gives the original X-wing a movement
action, a feature that has long hurt it in the meta game. Flying Wedge or Wes
with BB-8 and Integrated Astromech are builds that are both powerful and very
fulfilling. Finally we come to the Y-wing. While the idea of this ship with a Barrel
Roll action sounds awesome, it really doesn't work. With only 2 green moves,
the Y-wing doesn't get enough benefit from BB-8. And the two moves are slow which
doesn't give enough area for the BR to
cover, making the combo both limited and predictable.
T-65 w/ Wes - 32 points
Veteran Instincts
BB-8
Integrated Astromech
T-70 w/ Poe - 36 points
Veteran Instincts
BB-8
Autothrusters
Autothrusters
When we take a look at BB's
game mechanics we find that he is quite similar to a B-wing with Advanced
Sensors. As long as you pick a green maneuver and barrel roll the right way,
the combo makes sure you are never blocked and always have an action. This also
means you can hug the asteroids more closely, a skill that can give you an edge
over your opponent and give your ships good cover. BB-8 also can be paired with
Push the Limit for more effective action economy. Taking your free Barrel Roll
action triggers your EPT for a second action of your choice. You then perform
your green move and clear the stress, thus allowing you to take a third action during
your normal Perform Action Phase.T-70 w/ Ello - 35 points
Push the Limit
BB-8
Integrated Astromech
R5-X3
In the Star Wars Extended
Universe (now Legends) there was a time when a new shipment of astromechs
arrived for the Rebel Alliance. Wedge Antilles was disappointed that they had
received R5 droids instead of the better R2 model. However in a attempt to stay
positive, our Ace made the humorous comment that his R5's huge dome could take a
hit for him. So leave it to the X-wing developers to go and make Wedge's wish
come true. Well played, FFG. Well played.
R5-X3's ability appears rather
underwhelming when you first look at it, especially since it is a one shot item.
But upon a closer examination, we find that the card's wording applies from the
activation phase to the end phase. This means that for one entire round, your ship with X3 gets an ability that is more
powerful than Dash Rendar's. When you spend X3 you can move over asteroids
without rolling for damage or losing your action. Debris clouds don't give you
stress or make you roll for criticals. You can even land your base on an
asteroid and still get to fire! But it doesn't end there. The card says that "you ignore obstacles" instead of "obstacles don't apply to you". This means when you fire, your shot is not obstructed by any asteroids in the way. But when enemies fire back they still have to apply bonus dice to you for your obstacle cover.
So we have a powerful ability. But is it strong enough that one
round matters? The answer is yes. It will require a lot of work and
practice, just like when flying Dash. In all
the games I have played against Dash he always followed the same pattern.
First he strafes down one side of the board, both attacking and fleeing. Your
squad eventually catches up to him and you try to block him. One of two things
has always happened to me in this part of the match. Either I get the block and
take him down, or else he escapes through obstacles and starts another strafing
run down the board. If the latter, my squad strength is usually is so low that
taking him down is near impossible. Dash only needs that one opportunity to
turn the tide of the battle and stay alive. And it is the same with R5-X3.
Consider the example of a Gold
Y-wing with a Twin Laser Turret. The
Range 1 gap is a weakness that needs to be shored up in your squad building. Perhaps
you take multiple TLTs to cover blind spots or maybe give your Y-wing a Bomb
Loadout so it can avert enemies from flanking. But if we equip X3 then we have a
Y that can act like Dash. Your TLT can strafe down the side and hug close to
the asteroids. Then when the enemy thinks that he has closed in on you, pop the
droid and make your daring escape. Rather than being a sitting duck in one
spot, you are in a different spot entirely, under the cover of an asteroid, with a focus token, and
can fire back unobstructed.
X3 is great on Y-wings to make them less
predictable. And the turret allows you
to make use of all benefits: movement, action, and shooting. However, things
are different when it comes to X-wings. I wouldn't put R5-X3 on just any X-wing
build since he cannot pair with Integrated Astromech. Consider putting him on
an X-wing that uses Guidance Chips or Autothrusters. As for the E-wing, the
ship generally requires a stronger astromech to protect your point investment.
Perhaps a viable combo will come after a (hopeful) E-wing revamp.
Y-wing w/ Gold - 25 points
Twin Laser Turret
R5-X3
R5-X3
T-70 w/ Ello - 34 points
Veteran Instincts
R5-X3
Autothrusters
One final thought on X3. He might see more use in the meta with the introduction of the Tractor Beam. Things
are going to get dicey for small ships pretty soon, especially X-wings and
Y-wings with their lower agility. If you take X3, your small base ship has a "Get
Out of Jail Free" card. You can pop your droid the round you enter combat
range to make sure you can still attack if you are barrel-rolled onto an
obstacle. Or you can save it till after you have been rolled onto an asteroid
and use it the next round to make a clean getaway. It can be a strong defense
on a low agility/low pilot skill ship in your squad.
X-wing w/ Rookie - 22 points
R5-X3
Targeting
Astromech
The first thing the Targeting
Astromech brings to X-wing is the incentive to make red moves, just like with
Wired or the Outlaw Tech. The TA means you no longer have to sacrifice dice
modification for repositioning. You can K-turn or T-roll and still have a
powerful attack. And if you don't use it that turn then you have it for another
round as you chase an enemy. It also frees up the Y-wing's slow dial. Now you
can take a hard 3 turn or a 4 forward to slip past an enemy who thought you
were going to move slowly.
Just like with BB-8, the power
of the Targeting Astromech ties directly to the dial of the ship it is equipped on.
The more red maneuvers you have, the more diverse options you can use. But
there is a flip side: you have to clear your stress to keep using the combo. So
the droid also requires green moves to be powerful. The T-65 only has only 1
red move and the E-wing only 2, so most of these pilots won't get much use out of a TA. The
Y-wing has 4 red moves and so is very strong with this droid. But only having 2
green moves makes clearing the stress difficult, so you have to use it very
strategically. And finally we have the T-70. With 3 red moves and 5 green
moves, this ship almost begs for a Targeting Astromech. The combo has strong
maneuvering power on the board and can always hit hard. And since you are
getting good dice modification, you are free to replace EPTs like Push the
Limit or Predator with ones like Veteran Instincts or Stay on Target.
T-70 w/ Novice - 26 points
Targeting Astromech
Integrated Astromech
T-65 w/ Wedge - 33 points
Stay On Target
Targeting Astromech
Integrated Astromech
Another favorable application of
the Targeting Astromech is in using Ordnance. The droid makes it possible to
K-turn behind an enemy, take a Target Lock, and still fire a torpedo. For
example, we can take Hobbie with a Flechette Torpedo and the TA. He can K-turn
and use his ability to shed the stress when he acquires the Target Lock. This leaves him stress-free to take a focus token during the Perform Action Phase. Then
he can fire a modified torpedo to stress an enemy while he can perform any maneuver you want next round. And even when your ordnance is spent, you can still use the combo for shots modified by both a TL and a focus. Another strong Ordnance combo is with a Gold Y-wing. The Targeting Astromech lets him push it a little closer to
the enemy, allowing him to get the Target Lock where he otherwise would not
have.
Y-wing w/
Gold - 26 points
Proton Torpedoes
Extra Munitions
Targeting Astromech
Guidance Chips
T-65 w/
Hobbie - 29 points
Flechette Torpedoes
Targeting Astromech
Integrated Astromech
Conclusion
Whether you are a fan of barrel
rolls, ignoring obstacles, or getting rewarded on red moves, these three new
droids add a huge variety to Rebel gameplay. I hope you enjoyed this X-wing analysis
and learned something new to help you with your squad building. Thanks for
reading and best of luck in solving the challenges that you face in your games. Poor Grey Pilot out.
