Today, I want to talk about the Sabine crew included in
the Ghost expansion. While it is easy to see this card's game-changing potential,
it helps to see how deep that change goes. If you wish to delve further
into this topic, feel free to look at my previous article discussing Wave 7's expansion of the bomber pillar.
Before we start, I want to
point out an interesting tidbit of information: Sabine appearing in X-wing
marks the Mandalorians taking all three sides in X-wing Miniatures. We
first had Imperial bounty hunters and then Scum mercenaries, and now Rebels have a
piece of the action with their pyromaniac freedom-fighter, Sabine.
Wording
There are two distinct things to note about the card’s
wording, the first being the limitation of 'once per round'. It is not viable
to build a whole squad of bombers based around Sabine's ability because, while
you can drop many bombs each round, you only get one extra damage. Instead, use
her in conjunction with 1-2 bombers and dedicate the rest of your squad to
another pillar/strategy.
The second thing to note is the absence of a range
requirement. Like Emperor Palpatine, Sabine can activate her ability anywhere
on the map. This means that the bomber she is with can drop a mine, get the
heck-outta-Dantoonie, and still add the extra damage when the mine is triggered.
It also means that Sabine can be placed in a supporting ship and still add
power to your bombers.
The Bomb Slot
In my Advanced Bombing strategy article, I talked about
how the Rebel faction has access to 2 bomber ships, the Y-wing and K-wing. When Sabine is
added to the mix, this number skyrockets to 11!
Basic Bomber - 1 Bomb Slot
Before Sabine, Rebels didn't have a basic
bombing ship. Now, Sabine gives us the option of placing a few points aside
for a big bang on a ship that doesn’t normally carry bombs. These ships include
the Hawk, Falcon, Outrider, Attack Shuttle, and stolen TIE Fighter.
Standard Bomber - 1 Bomb
Slot + Extra Munitions
The Rebels already had 1 standard bomber, the Y-wing. Carrying
2 bombs and a turret, this ship build makes an excellent all-game threat. While
the Y-wing doesn't have a crew slot, you can still boost it through Sabine on a
support ship.
The Sabine crew creates four additional standard
bombers: the Ghost, ARC-170, B-wing, and U-wing. The Ghost and ARC are good for
bombing runs because they don’t care about facing forwards, the Ghost having a
turret and aft torpedoes, and the ARC having an rear gunner. The B-wing and
U-wing, though required to shoot forward, can take bombs to protect against
flankers. However, in the current meta, an E2 B-wing with Sabine is overpriced
at a base 25 points.
Advanced Bomber - 2 Bomb
Slots + Extra Munitions
Rebels had one advanced bomber, the K-wing, and
no new advanced bombers are created with Sabine. Yet, if we add Sabine to a
K-wing we get…
Super Bomber - 3 Bomb Slots
+ Extra Munitions
A K-wing with Sabine is a unique ship build with 6 bombs
that neither Imperials or Scum can match. However, unique doesn’t necessary
equate to viable and, in all honestly, a super bomber K-wing doesn’t have the
agility or HP to justify its points.
For a competitive K-wing build, I would suggest taking
Miranda Doni with Ion Bombs, Proximity Mines, Extra Munitions, and the Sabine
Crew. This creates a bomber that deals high bomb damage, works well against low and high pilot skill, and who can SLAM
out of sticky situations and use its primary attack to recharge shields.
K-wing w/ Miranda – 38 points
Ion Bombs
Proximity Mines
Extra Munitions
Sabine
Crew Ability
Not only does Sabine’s ability give more options of
bombing-class builds, it increases the overall effectiveness of your ordnance. For
mines, it guarantees dealing 1 damage to enemy ships and increases
your chances of dealing more. Add this to the Cluster Mines newly updated rules and you get some potent ordnance options.
Regular Proximity Mine: 0-3
damage
Sabine Proximity Mine: 1-4 damage
Regular Cluster Mine: 0-2
damage per token
Sabine Cluster Mine: 1-3
damage on the first token
You also get many benefits for bombs. Ion bombs now do
damage in addition to ionizing, giving you destruction power along with utility.
Seismic Charges and Thermal Detonators do double damage to a single target, which is great for
both finishing off a dying ship or whittling down a high shield value. Proton Bombs
also gets a boost by being able to deal both a normal damage and a faceup damage card.
Whether you are looking for a new bombing strategies, more bomber builds, or more potent bombs, Sabine is an excellent crew member to integrate into your squad.
I hope this article gave you some new ideas of how to run Rebel bombing, and be sure to leave a comment of what you plan on trying. I wish you the
best of luck with your matches this week, PGP out.
