Do A Barrel Roll! - Discussing the Idea of an X-wing Barrel Roll Refit

             

In a previous article I discussed how the attitude towards the X-wing starfighter needed to be fixed. But even if the X-wing isn't as under powered as some people might claim, it still is under powered. For the longest time I skirted the edges of FFG X-wing forums, reading discussions and weighing players' opinions. To be honest, there are a lot of ideas that are good but don't fully fit the bill for one reason or another. Some ideas made radical changes to the game while others presented powerful upgrades for ridiculously cheap prices. And there were some that just didn't even have iconic application to the Star Wars universe.

                When deciding on a change in the X-wing game, one must keep several things in mind. First off, a change must have an appropriate cost that maintains overall balance with all factions. Second, we want something that will add to the game and not just be a repeat of other ships. Finally, any change should reflect the lore of Star Wars and provide in-game representations of iconic moments in the films.

                I've thought hard about what I believe will provide the best buff to the X-wing. And after much consideration I have settled on one idea that several other people have had online: The Barrel Roll Action. Haha...no seriously. I believe this change will not just benefit the X-wing but provide some iconic application as well as not rock the boat when it comes to balance. However, I claim this as my opinion and not X-wing fact so feel free to challenge me, albeit with tact. Let's have a refitting discussion.

Problems

                I want to start off by mentioning what is wrong with the X-wing as it currently stands in the meta game. There are namely three: (1) A lackluster torpedo slot, (2) lack of a maneuver action, and (3) overly expensive in squad points. I primarily want to focus on the latter two problems, mainly because we now have upgrades like Flechette and Plasma torpedoes.

Lore

                The first and foremost argument is quite obvious: X-wings can barrel roll in the movies. Re-watch the films and you will clearly see examples of it. During the Battle of the First Death Star, X-wings are seen to roll as they strafe the surface while their counterpart Y-wings just lazily float along. Probably the most notable barrel roll scene is when Wedge blasts Dark Curse and rolls out from the explosion, thus sealing the deal on his awesomeness.
                In the books and the expanded universe, the X-wing is supposed to be the best star fighter of its time. It has the perfect balance of speed, maneuverability, offensive power, and shielding. So it is somewhat of a surprise when the X-wing miniature has all but one, maneuverability.

No Maneuver Action or Compensation

                The X-wing actually sits in an awkward spot in the Alliance Fleet. Most Rebel ships fit into one of two categories; either they have (1) a movement action or (2) a turret. This makes sense because outmaneuvering enemy ships can be really hard. If you have a movement action then you can use it to fix incorrect flight choices. And if it has a turret it can fire in any direction that it wants.

                However, there are two Rebel ships that don't belong to either of these categories, the Z-95 and the X-wing. The Z isn't affected by a lack of maneuverability because it is so dirt cheap. You can easily include one or two in a squad where they can be covered by their allies. Or you can bring a swarm of them and your enemy will find it difficult to arc-dodge every single one. But what about the X-wing? Regrettably, it doesn't have anything to help it outmaneuver an enemy nor does it receive any compensation for why it can't. A poorly moved X-wing is a 21 point ship that only has 2 defense dice, a focus token, and a prayer that it won't be blasted out of the sky. The X-wing has a serious gap here in the game that needs addressing. So my suggestion is to give it some maneuverability in the form of a barrel roll.

Point Cost

                We know that the X-wing needs a fix. So the next question to ask is how much would it cost? Here I bring in Major Juggler's Math Wing analysis. According to him and his number crunching, the generic X-wings are overcosted by about 2 points. Many people present that there should be an upgrade card that decreases the X-wing's cost. But before a change like this can be properly applied we must look at how the balance will change. This is especially true once you go lower than 21 points and can have 5 X-wings on the table. Instead, I submit that we give the X-wing a 0 cost upgrade. That way it will raise the ship up to the squad cost it was originally meant to be without disturbing the overall balance.

                When we look at the Expert Handling talent we can see that FFG places the value of the barrel roll action at 2 points. That makes it a perfect fit to bring the true cost of the X-wing to 21 points. However, we want to add choice variety to this game. So it should be an upgrade that you use if your squad needs it rather than just a gimme that is always attached. For this reason, said barrel roll upgrade should be a X-wing Only Modification rather than a Title card. As I've said before in many of my posts, the upgrade slot needs to be taken into account in the cost of the card. So yes, I propose a 0 point X-wing upgrade. But it must be chosen carefully because you have to give up your modification slot.

Generics vs Aces

                The next thing to consider with this change is how it will effect each X-wing pilot. Ace X pilots are actually seen in competitive lists because their high pilot skill and abilities justify their points. However, generic pilots are rarely seen. What we want from an X-wing upgrade is a big buff to Generics and a small buff to Aces. Again referencing Math Wing: all X-wing pilots, except for 2, are overcosted and can benefit from a 0 point barrel roll. The two that aren't overcosted are Biggs and Wedge. However, I feel that a barrel roll modification won't overpower either of these pilots.

                First, it is completely counter intuitive to barrel roll Biggs. He wants to stay near the ships he's escorting and a barrel roll can take him out of Range 1. But more importantly, if Biggs does a barrel roll he gives up his focus token. Any X-wing without a defense focus token is pretty vulnerable but Biggs becomes a sitting duck. Moreover, placing a barrel roll mod on Biggs means he doesn't have access to defensive modifications or even the Experimental Interface.

                It is somewhat the same with Wedge. The most frequent version of him that I see in competitive lists includes an Engine Upgrade. While a barrel roll mod would save him points, he would lose both his modification slot and maneuvering options. And even if people do take this mod for Wedge, he is still vulnerable to the normal set of counters: arc-dodgers, high PS with Veteran Instincts, and low PS bombers.

                Finally, the barrel roll action gives a big buff to generic pilots. The reason for this is because generics primarily have blocking power while aces have chasing power. A generic X-wing with a natural barrel roll can better set up screens and slip into hard to reach blocking positions. On the other hand, the X-wing has such a great maneuver dial that it doesn't need the barrel roll as a crutch for strong chasing power.

Different From The B-wing

                Speaking of ships reliant on the barrel roll...Won't an X-wing with a barrel roll make it too much like the B-wing? My response is no. The barrel roll combined with the B-wing's maneuver dial is an exceptionally different application from that of the X-wing's. Not only does the B-wing need the barrel roll action to overcome its horrible dial, it is actually a safer action for the ship. A B-wing that barrel rolls to get the shot and thus gives up its defense focus, honestly, really doesn't miss it. However it is riskier to give up the defensive focus of an X-wing. This means you probably won't be barrel rolling in a your X-wing unless you absolutely need to. And lastly, the B and X are just so fundamentally different because of their upgrade slots. A B-wing can still be unique with combinations of a cannon, extra munitions, system, and/or crew member. And the X-wing is happy with its choice of astromechs. 

Naming the Upgrade

                When it comes to naming this barrel roll modificaton, I think the Incom Refit is a nice fit. It pays homage to the Chardaan company and their own A-wing refit. It makes sense to me that these Star Fighter companies are continuously working on their designs and improving them where they can. It helps hide the awkwardness of in-game changes and introduces a little lore.
                 Perhaps another good name could be the actual modification Incom made to their T-65, such as the installation of Lateral S-Foil Thrusters. What would you name a barrel roll modification? Let me know in the comments below.

                 And there you have it. I present for your review the idea of giving the X-wing a Barrel Roll Action Modification. Perhaps something like this will come in a Rebel Aces E&X pack. Or perhaps it can be a part of the new T-70 Resistance X-wing that FFG has rights to make. Let's hope for the best.

               

Afterwards:

I am aware that an X-wing with a barrel roll action is also very much like an E-wing. But seriously, the generic E-wing is also very overcosted and it could do with some changes of its own. But that is a topic in and of itself.

Numbers on actual point costs of ships came from Major Juggler's Math Wing

My First X-wing Miniatures Repaint - The Poor Grey Pilot

                I don't consider myself an artistic person but I discovered something today. You don't have to be talented to do repainting. Ever since I started playing X-wing I wanted to have a Gray Y-wing to fly, especially since 2 of the pilots are from Gray Squadron. So I finally got around to buying a second Y-wing miniature. Let me tell you my thoughts and what I did.

                After a little research I found that acrylics work really well with miniatures. You can go to game stores and find acrylics made just for miniatures or you can be like me and go to a craft store. Craft acrylic paint is too thick and globs easily on miniatures so if you are going to use it you need to thin it down with some water. Once I got the desired color and constancy then I was ready to paint. I wanted the smallest tip of paint brush that I could find so that my job wouldn't be overly hard. Using light dabs of paint, and a little patience, I carefully painted over the gold patterns on my Y-wing. It didn't turn out perfect but honestly, the slightly unkempt style works really well with the worn look of the Y-wing.

                The art of the Gray pilots shows the painted stripe on the head to be more thin and delicate than the one on my miniature. But not only would that have been a much harder job, it wouldn't have let me cover up the yellow paint that is originally there. Who knows, maybe in my next project I would take a try at stripping paint and redoing it fully. Until then I am very content that my Poor Grey Pilot has a ship to call his own.

Application of the Plasma Torpedo - A Poor Grey Pilot Strategy Update

                We are part of a game and universe that is alive so we always need to keep learning or else we will get lost and outdated. Even in the last few months I have had to grow and change, myself. I had just barely learned and mastered the 4-ship Joust when I was broadsided by 2-ship Arc Dodging builds. But even though I am aware of them now, I know that there are other things out there that I am completely unaware of. If we plan to not get taken by surprise with every new thing that comes our way, we need to make sure that we are rising beyond normal gameplay and learning the trends.

                When FFG announced the details of the new K-wing I made a few predictions about how this next wave would affect the meta game. However, what I didn't cover in that article was what I planned to doing about said predictions. If we see a new Wave of X-wing come in and don't act on it then we are going to float aimlessly just as much as if they were waves of the ocean. However, applying new chances doesn't mean we toss the old stuff out the window. Instead it means that we take what we have and build upon it, thus create something both new and improved. So, without further ado, I will roll up my sleeves and start applying patches to the tactics I've discussed on this blog, starting with the application of the Plasma Torpedo. Here is the first Poor Grey Pilot Strategy Update.

Horton Salm

                The first thing that we need to note about the Plasma Torpedo is that it is still a torpedo card. And as such it still has the main weakness of ordnance: lack of dice modification. So if we want to use these effectively we still need to follow the same rules of fixing ordnance. Let's take a look again at Horton Salm's ability. His rerolling of blanks works great with any torpedo but he has to take a target lock and so doesn't have access to a focus. The Proton Torpedo's critical focus overcomes that deficiency and allowes Horton to give 4 hits almost every time. Because of this Pilot-Torpedo-Dice synergy I've had a really hard time justifying putting any other missile on his Y-wing.

                But now consider the possibility of the Plasma Torpedo. Recall that a 4 dice roll averages the result of 2 hits/crits, 1 focus, and 1 blank. So when Horton shoots a Plasma Torpedo, he is going to be frustrated by the focus result and only get an average of 3 hits. This would be enough to dissuade me except for the fact that the Plasma Torpedo brings a new ability to the table. If the torpedo hits, you get an extra free shield damage. With this added ability Horton again gets an average of 4 hits on his torpedo and, moreover, has the possibility of doing 5 shield damage. There is only one hitch to this plan: your potential target must be both low agility and heavily shielded. This means that instead of hunting Ties with Proton Torpedoes, Horton will now excel at targeting large ships and turrets.

                I am more than ok with this change. Honestly, if I'd had Plasmas during my last tournament, I would have had a better chance fighting the 2-ship builds I faced. And in general you will have a better statistical chance of facing shielded targets because Ties are currently the minority in ship diversity. This makes Plasma Torpedoes a safer, and yet still-reliable, pick when composing your squad. So have fun trying it out.

Y-wing w/ Horton - 30 points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

Nera Dantels

                Moving right along we return to our Damsel Nera. She has a wonderful pilot ability and becomes efficient with ordnance when paired with Deadeye and Recon Specialist. However, she has the exact opposite problem as Horton; while he has no focus, she has too much. This means that Proton Torpedoes waste some of her focus modification and that is especially bad since Nera can't correct blank rolls. This leaves Flechettes or APTs and while both are good choices they have their downsides. The former doesn't pack a very hard hit while the latter is severally limited in range.

                You know where I am going with this: the Plasma Torpedo fits right into this missing niche for Nera. It doesn't waste any of her focus modification, it has a much better range to work with, and it hits hard enough that it can potentially be as powerful as an Advanced Proton Torpedo. And since it is the second cheapest torpedo to get, you will actually save some squad points.

                The one downside is that Nera has a range 1 blind spot and her lower PS means many ships will move after her. One way to overcome this is to exchange the Recon Specialist with an Intelligence Agent. (but it's ok, she's a girl too!) Then give Nera the Push the Limit upgrade instead of Deadeye and now you have a ship that can see where a higher ace is going, barrel roll out of the way, take a target lock, and then shoot a torpedo in a 360 degree arc. You do lose your modification on your shot but the extra maneuverability might just be the key to her survival. And more than that, it means that Nera will be strong against arc-dodgers as well as jousters and heavily shielded turrets.

B-wing w/ Nera - 36 points

                Push the Limit

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

                E2 Mod w/ Intelligence Agent

Reevaluating the B-wing

                In my article discussing the X-wing versus the B-wing I talked about how a player shouldn't just believe the masses and fly what everyone says is good. It is much wiser to know the strengths and risks of all ships and to take the ones that fit the roles you need for your squad. With the game being on the event horizon of Wave 7, I reiterate that one should not just blindly take a B-wing. The introduction of the Plasma Torpedo will become the bane of the B. The ship currently holds the title for #1 Jouster but all of that changes when the opposing side has plasma shots. A fully modified Plasma Torpedo will give 4 hits plus 1 shield damage. And good luck dodging that, Mr. 1 Agility. Oh and be sure to kiss your shields goodbye.

                In this situation, the X-wing is actually a better jouster. Having 2 agility dice and only 2 shields, the X has a high chance of taking only 2 damage instead of 5 from an early plasma hit. And after the shields are gone, Bs don't last nearly as long as Xs . However, switching to X-wings is only one option. You can also consider other alternatives including putting Jan Ors as a crew so your B-wings have evade actions. Or you can fly more Ace B-wings and fewer generics. Not only will the Aces give you a better chance to barrel roll away from potential attackers, it gives you access to the Expert Handling upgrade which allows you to shed enemy target locks. A missile that can't be fired is a missile that won't be bothering you. And these are just a few of the options for the change in B-wing meta. Let me know in the comments how you plan on flying your B-wings differently.

B-wing w/ Keyan - 34 points

                Expert Handling
                Experimental Interface

HLC vs 2 Plasmas

                I mentioned it in passing before but I was serious about it. Double Plasma Torpedoes can potentially be more powerful than a Heavy Laser Cannon. Yes, you do give up your action to shoot torpedoes but that disadvantage is mitigated in several ways. First off, double plasmas costs 2 points less than a HLC and, honestly, a small ship with a HLC isn't going to get more than 2 shots before being focused down. This cost is further reduced because there are ships with double torpedo tubes that are cheaper than ships with cannon slots. The second mitigation is the fact that a Plasma Torpedo can do up to 5 damage to shields and also give criticals to low shielded targets, neither of which the HLC is capable of. I'm not saying that there is no more need for this cannon, there are still plenty of applications. But now there is an alternative build involving torpedoes that is just as viable. I know I can't wait to get it and try it out.

Bomber w/ Scimitar - 23 Points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

                Seismic Charges

Y-wing w/ Grey - 27 Points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

                Autoblaster Turret

B-wing w/ Blue - 29 Points

                Heavy Laser Cannon

                               

Hull Upgrade with Determination

                Last thing I want to discuss. When it comes to strengthening your defense there has always been 3 options for modification: Stealth Device, Hull Upgrade, and Shield Upgrade. I know that there are good applications for the Stealth Device but I have never liked relying on it. I have always been a fan of attaching more shields to things. Got an extra 4 points? Stick a shield on a Bomber or Tie Fighter, it can be a really game changer. Or add a shield upgrade to an X-wing or A-wing to make them both beefy and evasive. But that has changed now that Plasma torpedoes are a risk. It now can be a danger to add more shields because they can just be mopped away with a plasma hit. That's more wasted points than getting all blanks and losing your Stealth Device.

                But here is a fun little trick I have learned. If you've got a ship with an Elite Pilot Talent that you aren't using, consider giving it a Hull Upgrade and Determination. It costs the same as a Shield upgrade and it does the same thing, but in a different way. Take Howlrunner for example. Give her a Shield Upgrade and she can block an early critical. On the other hand if we give her a Hull Upgrade and Determination then she has a 25% chance of absorbing a critical across each of her hull points. Since Howlrunner will have 4 hull, she has a good chance of absorbing one critical and if she does, she still has that hull left. It is a bit of risk but it has a good chance for payout, similar to setting your shields on double front and hoping you don't get hit from behind. And this combo is even more powerful than before because it isn't hurt by plasma hits. Kavil with a Shield upgrade will just get it stripped off when hit by a torpedo. But if he has a Hull Upgrade and Determination he doesn't have that risk, plus each of his 6 hull points has a 1/4 chance of absorbing a critical for a total of 1.5 average. Now that is a bargain in defensive cost.

Tie Fighter w/ Howlrunner - 22 Points

                Determination 

                Hull Upgrade

Y-wing w/ Kavil - 34 points

                Determination

                Blaster Turret

                R4 Agromech

                Hull Upgrade

                These are the applications I plan on making with the coming of the Plasma Torpedo. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this blog and feel free to leave any comments or questions. Stay tuned for my next update where I will apply the Twin Laser Turret, especially to the Rebel Hawk Pilots. See you then.


Afterwards:
Note that a Plasma Y-wing is so much cheaper than a HLC B-wing that I was able to give it an Autoturret, upgrade its PS, and still have points to spare. The higher PS will allow the ship more opportunities to get its target lock.

The Keyan build was provided by Kevin Wadsworth.

Learning to Fight Dirty - A Guide to Illicit Scum & Villainy Combat Strategy

                I joined the ranks of the X-wing miniatures world around the same time that underworld syndicates of the Galaxy decided to join in the Civil War. Even though I've never been much of a pirate guy myself, I welcomed the new faction with much anticipation. It showed me just how amazing Fantasy Flight Games really is. It is one thing to create a game with two opposing sides that are evenly matched. It is quite another to have three sides and all of them completely different, yet equal. It requires a much higher skill level to create but in return it makes a game more diverse, deep, and memorable. That is the reason I still play the classic Starcraft but not Warcraft 2.

                In my opinion, the introduction of the third faction brought the X-wing Miniatures game up to that same great level. The Scum faction looks, flies, and acts completely different from the other two but it is balanced and locks perfectly into its place in the miniatures world. And because of my desire to learn I dived right in; it was time to learn to fight dirty.

                To start out I want to briefly talk about the other two factions. Don't get me wrong, the Imperial and Rebel factions were perfectly balanced and autonomous before the introduction of Scum. Rebel ships are inherently more powerful, usually sporting high attack dice while Imperials hold the advantage in number of ships. Imperial starfighers are fast, nimble, and evasive but the Rebel ships always have shields for protection. And to complement gameplay both sides have ample access to synergy-based abilities to make their squads stronger when working together. Either style has strengths and weaknesses and when mastered can be deadly. However, the whole system was thrown when the Pirates came to play. They don't go by the rules and always carry a few tricks up their sleeves. Let's take a closer look at what the Scum & Villainy Faction has to offer us for the X-wing game and find out if it's your style of flying.

Anti-Synergy

                First off, Pirates toss the concept of squad flying out the window. These pilots are bloodthirsty and cutthroat. Though they are looking for the win as a whole, that is only their secondary objective. The number one priority is that they make it out alive and they don't care how many of their squad mates die in the process. (Yeah, Kaa'to and Xizor, I'm talking to you). Because of the type of ships and abilities available to Scum they are much more efficient at solo flying and swarming. If you group in a formation you may find that the extra protection your squad gets isn't worth the restricted efficiency it enforces. FFG wrote about this in their article on the new Kihraxz fighter. They said that these fighters would suffer if forced to fly in formation. Instead they are much better at facing opponents one on one. When flying your scum squad, consider breaking them off into different vectors at the beginning thus forcing your opponent to split or get surrounded.

                Another strong strategy of the Scum faction is to destroy the synergy of the opposing team. Scum Hawks are not just annoying but downright nasty. Palob Godalhi strips an enemy ship of its focus or evade token and takes it for himself. Or you can pick Trokil Mux, who can force an enemy down to Pilot Skill 0 during the combat phase. Both of these support abilities are quite strong and can allow the rest of your pirate ships to overpower a flat-footed opponent. 

               The M3-A Interceptor also does a good job of breaking the enemy's synergy. The ship hasn't received much use because players see them as expensive, inefficient Tie Fighters. But that is not their strength at all. The M3's niche is in being the cheapest cannon ship in the game. Apply the title card to the M3 and you have a Heavy Scyk which can equip a torpedo, missile, or cannon. Torpedoes are expensive and the Heavy Scyk doesn't have the second slot needed for Extra Munitions. And Headhunters, with their low cost and natural missile upgrade, make far cheaper Missile Boats. So let's instead focus on the cannon. A Heavy Scyk with an Ion or Flechette cannon can only do one max damage a turn. But in exchange it can use the cannon the whole game and give an ion or stress token every round. With just one of these you can seriously mess up an enemy formation or synergy-type build. As I said before, they are cheapest of their kind to make, coming it at a lower cost than even the Ion Y-wing. As for the other types of cannons, feel free to experiment with them but be careful, they are pretty expensive.

Illicit Weaponry

                When I first read the title of these of upgrades I laughed. All is fair in love and war, right? If there was some new type of black market weaponry I'm pretty sure the Empire or Rebels wouldn't hesitate to get their hands on it. But I thought about the word illicit some more and what I realized made me cringe. These upgrades aren't called illicit because they are illegal but instead because they are inhumane. Even though the Empire was founded on the Dark Side of the force, and therefore evil, at least they still had some honor about life. These illicits aren't what any sane Imperial or Rebel General would choose to subject their soldiers too. Its only the Scum of the galaxy that are willing to use them to gain the victory.

                Inertial Dampeners: If you have ever read the Honor Harrington series by David Weber you'll have experinced firsthand what happens to a human being in a space ship that accelerates with broken Inertial Compensators. Ugh... Even though some of the Physics are different between the Honor and Star Wars universes, inertia plays a role in both. That is why it stresses a Shuttle to do a 0 move and stay still. Up until this last year, the Shuttle was only ship that could do that maneuver. But this changed when Pirate fleets started rigging their ships with Inertial Dampeners. Now, once a game, a ship with an Inertial Dampener can pull a stressful 0 move. This can get your ship away from a chaser and also get you into better position to shoot. However, take note that the upgrade says "dampen" and not "eliminate". I don't even want to think about what kind of g-forces those pilots are experiencing but I think it is safe to bet that it lowers their already short life expectancy.

                Glitterstim: Now this is an upgrade. Glitterstim was a spice produced as a recreational drug but users found that it also provided temporary psychic abilities. So of course, it found its way onto the battlefield. For only two points, a pilot gets a one-shot item that changes all focuses that round into hits and evades. And it doesn't even cost them their action! This can change an initial jousting Scum swarm from becoming the victims to being the killers. And it provides necessary survivability to Lone Wolf ships, adding strength to the already power strategy of creating a pincer from all sides. But glitterstim is dangerous. Sustained use of it atrophies the brain and people almost always overdose on it. So be careful out there, spice users, there's a reason FFG only lets you stim once a game!

                Dead Man's Switch: If you've played any Star Wars FPS video game then you have been lied to. Whether its Jedi Outcast, Battlefront, or Republic Commando, the game makers give a wrong interpretation of the Thermal Detonator. They present the weapon like a normal grenade that you toss at group of enemies for a little bit of splash damage. But that is not the case! Thermal detonators are actually the Holy Hand Grenade of the Star Wars universe. When Princess Leia, disguised as a bounty hunter, threatened Jabba the Hutt with one it was a real and legitimate threat. That one detonator would have vaporized EVERYONE in the room if she had set it off.

                So when you see a Pirate who has upgraded his ship with the Dead Man's Switch, be very careful. The art on the card shows a Gran pilot with two Thermal Detonators. 2 detonators for 2 points. It turns a normal ship into a bomb that explodes when it dies and sprays the shrapnel of its own hull at a blast radius of Range 1. ANY ship within that radius receives a damage. Put this on an Aggressor and you have a large base ship ready to get up close and personal. Or if you're really feeling sadistic then rig exploseives to a pair of Binayre Pirate and force them to fly point during an initial joust. They cost the same amount as Biggs with a droid and, seriously, they'll be just as efficient at drawing fire.

                Feedback Array: At first glance this card looks pretty bad. No one wants to give up their attack and ionize themselves. But there are 2 amazing things about this upgrade that one must understand. The first is that it is a guaranteed hit, just like the Darth Vader upgrade. But the second thing makes it even better than Vader in my mind: it isn't limited to your firing arc. It may not be labeled as a turret upgrade but the card allows you to attack any enemy at Range 1. That means Aggressors, Headhunters, and other illicit ships can equip a guaranteed Range 1 turret for a price. If you are willing to pay the price then it can be a powerful tactic.

Teaching an Old Y New Tricks

                A fun thing that the Scum faction does is take previous ships in the X-wing game and put a whole new twist on them. The Most Wanted expansion pack is probably one of the best bank-for-your-buck purchases you can make. Not only does it add 1 Scum Y-wing and 2 Scum Headhunters to your fleet, it also provides the necessary cards and dials to turn 1 Imperial Firespray, 1 Rebel Hawk, and 1 Rebel Y-wing into scum ships as well. That's a max of 6 ships from one expansion! I've already mentioned some of the changes that Scum Hawks and Headhunters bring to the table. And there are plenty of good changes for the Firespray as well. But what I really want to focus on is the big changes in the Y-wing.

                The Bomber Y-wing: The first upgrade included is the bomb conversion slot. You place it as a torpedo upgrade and it converts it into a bomb slot. This brings a whole new role to the Y and can really catch people off guard if they are not used to it. It is important to note that the card says "Limited". This means that you cannot equip two bomb slots onto a Y-wing. However, don't be discouraged because this can easily be overcome with the Extra Munitions card. It doesn't allow you to have 2 different types of bombs, just double of the same. But the fun doesn't stop there. A Scum Y bomber can equip Genius, a named droid for a cheap 0 points. He allows your bomber to place a bomb after you move instead of before. And if you want to go really crazy then attach an engine upgrade so you can move, drop, and then boost away to not get hit by your own Proton Bomb. This makes for a fun and fast Y-wing experience.

                The Autoturret Y-wing: The Most Wanted pack also introduced the Autoblaster Turret. We have seen this ability before as the cannon upgrade from the B-wing. However when the Autocannon came out it was far too expensive and didn't hit very hard. The latter problem was fixed in a FAQ rules update: evade tokens are now considered a dice result and therefore cannot block an Autoblaster attack. The other problem was fixed when FFG made the Autoturret cost only 2 points. But wait a second, when you switch from an Autocannon to an Autoturret you lose 1 attack dice but gain 3 squad points? That seems too good to be true.

                And that is because it is. The main reason why the Autoturret is so cheap is because it forces you to give up your turret slot. Think about it. A Y-wing or Hawk's turret is its lifeblood. Without it, neither ship would be worth their points on the battlefield. So yes, an Autoturret is very cost efficient but its range serverly hinders its effectiveness. So you need to learn to fly an Autoturret Y-wing in the right way. Consider the Y-wing bomber I previously mentioned. You can use the engine upgrade to make sure you get into range 1 and always get a shot. Or perhaps you want to use the pilot Kavil. His ability gives him an extra dice outside his firing arc, giving him a deadly 3 dice Autoturret attack. Experiment with it and see what works for you.

                The Warthog Y-wing: The last Y upgrade you get is the Y-wing Title Card. A BTL-A4 Y-wing, nicknamed the Warthog, costs an additional 0 points to make. It turns your Y's turret upgrade into a double tap cannon. And although the Rebellion has access to this upgrade as well, the Scum faction still holds the monopoly on effective Warthogs because of their salvaged droids.

                The first is the Unhinged Astromech. Coming in at 1 point, it is the socially awkward cousin of the R2 Astromech. They both give more green maneuvers to a ship but they do it in different ways. The R2 makes all 1 and 2 speeds green. This gives the Y-wing 6 more green moves and greatly reduces its weakness to stress. The Unhinged on the other hand has a bit more of a punch to it. It changes all 3 speeds to green which only gives the Y 5 more green moves. But at the same time it changes the 3 speed turns from red to green. This frees up its movement dial and makes the Y-wing much faster.

                But what if you don't care about movement? Another really strong option for the Warthog is the R4 Agromech. I had no idea what that droid was and so I had to look it up. But just like the name suggests the Agromech is a stinkin' farming droid! The company that makes Astromechs for space travel also wanted to get in on the agricultural business. So they made a few modifications and started selling droids to farmers. Underground organizations caught onto this and made a startling discovery: it was quite simple to reverse engineer the changes to again make the droids space-ready. Furthermore, buying bulk Agromechs instead of Astromechs prevented the local authorities from being tipped off.

                Because of this we have one of the best combat droids in the X-wing game. When you spend an offensive focus token you can acquire a target lock on the defender which you can immediately use in your second attack.. This gives your Warthog the equivalent of a Fire Control system. The composion of this type of Y-wing actually paved way for a new viable build: 4 Warthogs with Ion turrets and R4 Agromechs. At range 1-2 this squad can dish out 8 modified attacks, giving between 12-16 damage as well as 4 ion tokens.

                In summary, Pirates don't fight in the traditional fashion and work hard to mess up their opponent's strategy. They like to operate solo and have their hands on a whole score of illicit upgrades to give them the advantage. And finally they take new and interesting twists on old ships to make them just as deadly as others on the battlefield. So try out the Scum & Villainy faction and get your hands dirty. You might even find yourself having some fun.

Begging Experimentation - My Thoughts of the K-wing Preview

                I don't normally do day-of articles but this exception is for a good reason. My two favorite parts of the X-wing Miniatures Game, Ordnance and Turrets, are receiving a buff from the K-wing Expansion Pack. You can read the article and see these upgrades for yourself here. The biggest thing that stood out to me was when they said: "In the end, the K-wing almost begs experimentation." As someone who tries to think about things differently I immediately started applying these new upgrades to the strategies and tactics that I love. So here are my thoughts on how to apply these new aspects and how the meta will change because of them.

The Twin Laser Turret will be popular because it is new but will stay because it works

                 When the TLT was leaked early by Spanish Distributors I saw a lot of negativity, mainly that it is too expensive and is too weak. But FFG doesn't release something in their games without hours of play testing beforehand. And I am of the optimistic mindset that a game is more fun when we focus on making things work rather than complaining that they don't.

                  The Twin Laser Turret is the first turret upgrade to reach Range 3. This means ships with it can now stay out at range 3, not give a defensive dice to their opponent, and receive the defensive dice for themselves. And since this turret isn't limited in faction it means that both Rebel and Scum Warthogs can use it. This creates Y-wings that can shoot three times at range 2-3 for a possible total of 4 damage, which is the same as a Heavy Laser Cannon.

                Taking things in a different direction, we can look at the turret paired with pilot abilities. The K-wing article talks about how well the TLT works with Miranda. What they didn't mention though is that with her ability she can more easily break through autothruster ships. In fact, not only is she a good counter to autothrusters, she actually costs the same to build as the legendary Soontir Fel. That's a fight I would pick any day. Another pilot that works really well with the TLT is Horton Salm. Give him this turret and the R7-T1 droid and you have a Y-wing that can be both evasive and hit hard. Finally, all Rebel Hawks equipped with the TLT can both fire and use abilities out at range 3. Because of this we can be sure to see an return of Rebel Hawks in the meta game and I am excited for that.

                The TLT it is also the only turret upgrade that isn't severely hindered in its use. It doesn't need heavy action economy to be efficient like the Blaster Turret. It can give double the damage output as the Ion Turret. And it has wonderful range unlike the Autoblaster Turret. What about the range 1 blind spot? The K-wing itself doesn't have it with its natural primary turret. But the Y-wing can take a bomb upgrade and enemy ships will be hesitant to try to get behind it.
                So yes, the Twin Laser Turret will be the most expensive turret out there. But I am confident that people will catch on quickly to how powerful it is, either when they fly it or fly against it. I can't wait to try out all of these new builds.

Y-wing w/ Thug - 26 Points
                Twin Laser Turret
                R4 Agromech
                BTL-A4 Title

Y-wing w/ Horton - 36 Points

                Twin Laser Turret

                R7-T1 Astromech

                Ion Bomb

K-wing w/ Miranda - 35 Points

                Twin Laser Turret

               

Tie Interceptor w/ Soontir - 35 Points

                Push the Limit

                Royal Guard Title

                Autothrusters

                Hull Upgrade

Plasma Torpedoes will become the new Flechette Torpedoes

                No seriously. Forget about the shield damage part and just look at the point cost. If you can convince yourself that 2 points is cheap for a torpedo then 3 points won't be a hard transition. Moreover, for that one additional point you get an additional attack dice, a fair cost.  In my opinion it is so cheap that I actually will now consider putting ordnance on low PS ships like Rookies, Golds, and Scimitars.

                But it doesn't end there. Ordnance has always been fun because of the extra goodies each missile brings: clusters get two attacks, flechettes give stress, etc. It is icing on top of the cake that Plasma Torpedoes give an additional shield damage if they hit. Honestly, this is the exact opposite of a Proton Torpedo; one used against heavily shielded enemies and the other to give early criticals to un-shielded targets.

                The applications of this ability are far reaching. A Rookie with a Plasma Torpedo has a strong chance of burning through the shields of a Decimator in one hit. A B-wing or Bomber with both Plasma Torpedo and Extra Munitions has the potential to do more damage to shielded targets in an alpha strike than a ship with a Heavy Laser Cannon. It is more of a risk but it's a good one because both Rebels and Scum rely heavily on shields for defense. Also, when facing a Chewbacca crew upgrade, a Plasma Torpedo can nullify the shield recharge ability. Your opponent will use Chewbacca to discard a damage you gave him and then recharge a shield. But now that the damage has been dealt the Plasma Torpedoes again activates and will take off that shield. This means your opponent has to use Chewy inefficiently or not at all against your missile. And those applications are just the tip of the iceberg.

                Just as a side note, the Plasma Torpedoes now make the PT shorthand useless for Proton Torpedoes. What would you use for shorthand? Let me know in the comments.

X-wing w/ Rookie - 24 Points

                Plasma Torpedoes

B-wing w/ Blue - 27 Points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

B-wing w/ Blue - 29 Points

                HLC

Bomber w/ Scimitar - 21 Points

                Plasma Torpedoes

                Extra Munitions

There will be a decline in 2-Ship Arc-Dodging Builds

                I will admit that my experience with this type of squad was limited before my last tournament. But ever since then I have been following regionals and games online and I feel I have a better grasp of how they work. Usually in the X-wing game you have to choose between defensive, offensive, or movement bonuses. But there are certain ships that can do all three. An Outrider with Corran Horn or a Decimator with Soontir Fel are the classic examples of a 2-ship build that can move into good position and have offensive and defensive strengths as well. One ship is the bait and hits the enemy from afar while running and the other waits in the background until it is safe enough to join in for the mop-up. It is clean and efficient.

                However, I won't say that these builds are over powered because well, they aren't. If I picked up a 2-ship build right now and tried to fly it in a tournament I would lose horrendously. This is because you must fly your squad so carefully and intelligently that one mistake can ruin it for you. That is the main reason why this type of build appeals to advanced and tournament players.

                But all of this changes with the K-wing and Punisher expansions. These two ships are actually fast enough to circle around a moving 2-ship build and flank it. Plus, they have the upgrade capability to carrying multiple Conner Nets. This creates a scenario that even Dash Rendar can't escape from: a running ship that has to either fly into a dropped Conner Net, hit the blocking bomber itself, or turn to face a chasing swarm.

                This leads me to believe that the meta will change, that most 2 ships builds will evolve so that they have a bit more supportive firepower. Paul Heaver's 2014 Fat Han & Talas squad is a perfect example of this. I am sure that many players will still be skilled enough to use a 2-ship build to take on a flanking bomber and so it will still be a part of the meta. But I believe this change is enough to prevent the 2-ship build from dominating the meta like is does right now. We'll see what happens.

                All in all, I am very excited for the new changes to the X-wing game. My predictions might be horribly off but that isn't important. What is important is that I, and many other players, will have plenty of fun with the new ordnance and turret toys. So, what are you going to do with the new wave expansions? Have fun and fly casual.

Advanced Ion Strafing - A Hard Counter to Range 2 Turrets

Range 2 Turrets
For many waves, the X-wing meta game has included turrets. Even with the introduction of Autothrusters, turrets are still effective because of their small margin of flying error. That plus new upgrades, like the Mangler Cannon for the Outrider, make for safe and consistent, tactics that are easy to learn.
The Ion Turret was always a Rebel staple in many matches until the introduction of large ship turrets. Afterwards, the Ion Turret was only ever seen on support ships, not on a main ace like Horton. Most of the time Range 2 turrets are a problem since they have been around so long; we've learned how to fly against them.
But things have changed with the Most Wanted Scum pack and the Y-wing Title card. A BTL-A4 Y-wing, or "Warthog", has its turret is locked in the forward firing arc and can shoot directly after a primary attack. This modification takes the average Y-wing and makes it an efficient jouster. Moreover, it revitalizes the strategy of ion drifting an opponent ship.
That is why I want to talk about range 2 turrets. When facing an Ion Hawk, Y-wing, or Warthog you have to be cautious. If circumstances allow, your low agility ships can be ion drifted off the edge of the board.
So I started practicing counters enemy turret and came up with a whole list of versatile strategies. I wrote these in my Anti-Turret article. However, I wanted to take the idea further. Rather than a general strategy that is good against turrets, I wanted something to completely shut them down: a hard counter. After much trial, I have finally found it! I call it the Advanced Ion Strafe. Let me guide you through my thought process.

The Advanced Ion Strafe
The only way to absolutely guarantee you won't be hit by an ion turret is to staying out of range. This works well when you are behind the ship and can chase it. But even then, a well timed K-turn or sharp 2 turn from the enemy could catch you by surprise. Even though an ion turret doesn't punch hard, it can hit consistently, and one ionization easily leads to ion drifting.
My solution to avoiding getting ionized is to use ionization myself. Ion Missiles and Cannons outrange the turret, giving you an advantage. A B-wing, TIE Bomber, etc, with ion power can sneak behind a range 2 turret and ion drift it. However, you will lose if you attempt to joust from the front. Even if you ionize the enemy turret at range 3, it will drift forward next turn: straight at you. Next round, you will be at range 2, no matter where you turn. So you choose to move forard and both ships get ionized. Then the next round, you drift past each other and you won't get a shot but the turret will. And with that you are being ion drifted.
But what if you don't have to fly forward when you ion joust? What if you wanted to fly sideways?  After a lot of hilarious play-testing I found that I actually could fly sideways under very specific circumstances: you need a ship that has a system upgrade, a barrel roll, and has ion power.

270* Flanking Arc Vs Range 2 Turret

  Here's what you do: place an Advanced Sensors System on your ship and approach the enemy turret. You want to fly into combat at an extreme range 3, meaning you barely want the range rule to touch. You take a target lock and shoot an ion attack at the turret. Next round you use Advanced Sensors to barrel roll out and away from your target and then do a curved or straight one back towards the turret. If you set it up properly you'll be facing the enemy again at range 3. While this type of flying requires more practice and work than ion drifting, it isn't restricted by the need to chase an enemy from behind. In fact, you can approach the turret from the side and still stay at range 3 as long as you enter range 3 outside the enemy ship's forward firing arc. That is a 270 degree flanking arc on range 2 turrets!

AIS Details
  The Advanced Sensors are absolutely needed. Barrel rolling before moving is what flings your ship sideways, out of range. Move first and you won't get far enough away. Also, you must control the enemy ship's positioning, so if your ion shot didn't work, immediately break off. If unionized, the range 2 turret is going to do a sharp 2 turn towards you and your strafe will not work. Next, your first shot needs to be at extreme range 3. Successfully strafing in a circle requires no margin for error. Your first action should be a target lock. If you don't use it right then, you can use it in the coming rounds. However, if you need a barrel roll to initially get out of the firing arc then do it. You will still have a good chance of ionizing in the next rounds, especially against low agility Hawks and Y-wings. Finally, practice so you know when to use the forward or curved 1 maneuver.
And there you have it: the Advanced Ion Strafe. You won't use this strategy in every single game but it is a wonderful ace to have up your sleeve. An AIS ship off the side of your jousting swarm can be a hard shutdown to an enemy squad with a Warthog. It can be modified to fit many situations and isn't limited to range 2 turrets. You can use the AIS to ion drift any small ship with low agility.
So here is the question now: based off of the technique requirements, which ships can do the Advanced Ion Strafe? The answer is only 2 ships can do a full, consistent AIS: the B-wing and the Aggressor. In addition, there are several ships that can do a modified AIS: the Tie Advanced, E-wing, Phantom, and Viper. Details for each ship below.

Builds
B-wing:
The B-wing was really my brainchild in my thinking process and it turned out that it became the best ship in the whole line up to do the technique. It is the only ship that has a barrel roll, system, and cannon. The cannon is important because, unlike missiles, it stays the whole game rather than being a one shot. This allows for the B-wing to AIS any time and against different ships throughout a match. And to top it off, it is the cheapest AIS ship to build.

B-wing w/ Blue Squad Pilot - 28 Points
Advanced Sensors
             Ion Cannon

Aggressor:
Although the Aggressor doesn't have a natural barrel roll this is easily made up for with the Expert Handling card. And you don't need to worry about the stress it gives to your ship because of the Aggressor's green maneuver dial. It also has a cannon slot and so has a consistent ion shot. The one drawback is that the bigger base means the already tiny window of error is even smaller for this ship so make sure to practice a lot before tying to pull it off in a match. But honestly, the Aggressor is already such an evasive ship that you don't really need to strafe to keep it safe. If you want to have some fun, or to surprise your opponent, then try it out.

Aggressor w/ IG-88 - 44 Points
Expert Handling
Ion Cannon
Advanced Sensors

E-wing, Tie Advanced, & Star Viper:
These three ships have barrel rolls and system slots but they don't have enough ion ability. They can take an ion torpedo/missile which is good for one shot but this is both expensive and short lived. But while the BR action and the AS upgrade are essential for this technique, constant ionization is not. Approach from the front, use the Advanced Strafe to get behind and then close in to finish the job. The three named pilots I list below excel at this, especially when parried with cards like Outmaneuver. Moreover this approach is a such a different tactic for these ships that your opponent won't suspect it
Another option is to fly one of these ships with ion support. Consider taking a couple cheap Z-95's or a Tie Bomber as missile boats. They can move in to give the ion damage and then veer off the next round. Though your support ships will enter range 2, at least you know that the ion turret can't hit all of you.

E-wing w/ Corran Horn - 42 Points
Push the Limit
Advanced Sensors
R2 Astromech

Tie Advanced w/ Darth Vader - 35 Points
Predator
              Ion Pulse Missiles
              X1 Title
Advanced Sensors

Viper w/ Guri - 37 Points
Outmaneuver
Virago Title
Advanced Sensors

Phantom:
Last but not least is the Phantom. Like the ex-planet Pluto, the Phantom has been going through a rather rough time of life. But here's some good news because it can do an Advanced Strafe! Unlike the other ships I've mentioned, the Phantom doesn't even have an option for ion attacks. And because of its decloak action there hasn't been much need to take the advanced sensors upgrade. But now there is: A Phantom can decloak to the side, away from the turret. Then with the Advanced Sensors upgrade it can barrel roll further away. This double barrel roll is enough to compensate for the fact that the Phantom's slowest bank or forward move is a speed 2. Now instead of flying your Phantom in a wide flanking vector, you can have it up and close in the action. And if your opponent tries to go for it you can strafe past and get in behind them. Pair this with ion supporting ships and this could make for a very intriguing alpha strike.

Phantom w/ Whisper - 40 Points
Veteran Instincts
Advanced Sensors
Advanced Cloaking Device

And there you have it. This is a really fun build to fly! Plus it can be invaluable when integrated into a squad and the need to use it arises. So try it out and let me know in the comments what kind of crazy things you were able to pull off! Happy flying.

Edit: Check out this battle report where I used the advanced ion strafe.

Store Tournament Battle Report - A Beginner's Guide to Tournaments Part 3

                This tournament was hilarious, like so ridiculously crazy that I can't help but laugh. I guess you could call it situational irony because what I expected to happen at this tournament wasn't even close to reality.

                I'll start off by saying that life is more than numbers. Numbers can be a strong indicator of success but it should never thought of as the success itself. I had the wonderful experience of serving as a missionary and when I think back on those memories I don't count numbers, I count faces. So yeah, I scored a win-loss of 1-2 at this tournament. That means no improvement from the first tournament, right? Not even close.

                Throw the numbers aside for a second and let's look at the experience. Probably more things went against me in this tournament than the first one, but I had fun. In fact, I was having a blast. I arrived happy, made a few new friends, and left enriched both socially and intellectually. And that is a huge step of progress from the memories and emotions of my first tournament experience. But emotions aside, I promised you a battle report. Along with having fun I learned a lot of things, so let's discuss them.

                First off, let's take a look at my squad in the same way I did for my first tournament build:

Grey Knight Squad:

Y-wing w/ Horton - 37 Points

                Proton Torpedoes

                Flechette Torpedoes

                Auto-blaster Turret

                R2-D2

X-wing w/ Rookie - 21 Points

X-wing w/ Rookie - 21 Points

X-wing w/ Rookie - 21 Points

4 Ship Rule - Check

Strengths - Strong alpha strike & jousting, giving early criticals, formation flying, dog-fighting, focusing fire on high agility targets.

Weaknesses - Essentially the opposite: squads that avoid an alpha strike, heavily shielded ships, low agility targets.

                This build is actually the second version. The first version had no turret and 2 B's with 1 X. But in my practicing, and with some good feedback from a friend, I made some changes. I wanted to fly this squad in formation with the 2 B-wings on point for cover. But I found that it was impossible to do this with 2 and 4 K-turn ships both flying in box formation. So instead I took 3 X-wings which allows for much easier flying. Also, after the initial strike I found that Horton was dying too soon so I gave him an auto-blaster turret as a deterrent. I honestly didn't even plan on using the thing, it was just a well-priced protection policy to prevent Horton from being swarmed close range. That way he could perform strafing runs under less pressure.

                Since I built this squad to specifically fly in box formation I practiced long and hard on it. And boy I got pretty good! I could plan a few turns head and learned to properly measure distances in my mind. This allowed me to get that box to where I wanted to be at the right time, especially around asteroids. I felt sure in my skills and in my squad and I had a good attitude going in. So let's look at my competitors.

Game 1 - Loss

                You probably guessed the bane of my squad just from reading the weaknesses section. As luck would have it, the first game I played was against an Outrider with a HLC turret. I didn't realize it when I entered the game but I was in for a hard time. I didn't know because I don't have an Outrider myself and so I still had yet to learn how they really worked. But I sure did learn fast! My opponent's Outrider was flown so smoothly and delicately out at an extreme range 3 that Horton never got a lock on him and I didn't get to use my ordnance that game. Moreover, he was able to engage my X-wings on a one to one basis which meant the dice trading was always in his favor.

                The second ship in his squad was a B-wing with a very incredible build: Keyan with Navigator and Stay on Target. I had never heard of this build before but it is quite amazing. For the price of taking a stress on himself, Keyan can switch his maneuver dial to any other movement he wants during his activation. Then using his pilot ability, Keyan can use the stress as an offensive focus. The build is essentially a pilot skill grab: the only way to beat it is to have a higher pilot skill than Keyan so that he has to move before you. And my Horton did beat his Keyan with PS 8 to 7 but shucks if Horton could do anything about it. He was built for strafing runs, not for chasing ships. And we all know how unmaneuverable Y-wings are. Here is the mistake I didn't catch while squad-building: I had made an unconscious play for the highest pilot skill and didn't back up that move. I chose Horton because of his ability, not because of his pilot skill. But it is a package deal and since I didn't use his higher pilot skill those spent points were wasted, just like my unfired ordnance.

                The third thing that caught me off-guard in this game was my opponent's target priority. Apparently I misjudged the impact of the Auto-blaster Turret. I thought it would just keep enemies away from range 1 but it did more than that. The two enemy ships completely ignored Horton and focused instead on the X's. That is how I learned that the meta game hates auto-blasters. In fact, I believe most players hate it more than they do dice variance and I can understand them. It's one thing to have the dice give you blanks but it is another to have dice forcibly taken from with an auto-blaster or similar ability. I'll remember that in the future.

                All in all, I didn't lose to horribly, I will say that. Despite being heavily bombarded from afar and being drastically outmaneuvered I was able to get through half of the Outrider and take Keyan down to 1 hitpoint. But that didn't matter to me. What did matter was that I had fun and I learned a lot. My opponent was a great guy, just like the kind of player I described in my tournament etiquettearticle. We joked, laughed, talked strategy, and congratulated each other on good moves. In fact, he told me after the match ended that he was impressed with my formation flying and that he had to play a lot less aggressively because of it. So all that practice didn't go to waste!

Game 2 - Bye

                I came to this tournament for fun and not to win. So please understand me when I wasn't happy that I received a tournament bye in the second round. Other players saw me sitting there and asked me if I had a bye and with no exception every single one of them congratulated me for it. By no means am I saying that I was ungrateful for the free win or for other players being nice to me. But I came to play and not being able to that round was more of a letdown for me than my first loss. And since this was just a 3 round tournament it meant that I got 1/3 less worth on my time and money.

                However, it was a good opportunity to put into practice being happy and having a good attitude. If I didn't get to play at least I got to do another one of my favorite hobbies: people watch. And I probably learned just as much about the game in this round as in the first. To be polite to the other players I won't describe them so as to maintain their anonymity.

                The first thing I noticed is dice rolling. Some players were rolling dice at the exact same time as their opponents. Now I'm not sure if they meant to do it or not but either way it gave themselves a disadvantage. If you roll your defensive dice at the same time as your opponent attacks then you give them the advantage by making their choices easier. Suppose your enemy is deliberating to use a focus on a Blank-Focus-Hit roll but you roll right then and get an Evade-Evade roll. So of course they don't spend the focus and save it for thier defense. When you reveal your defensive roll before the opponent has made their choice then it removes risk for them and can really expose you. Since we don't want that, here is a step guide to the order of dice rolling:

1) Attacker rolls his attack dice.

2) Defender can chose to use an ability to affect attack dice, if he has one.

3) Attacker chooses modifications to apply to his own dice and declares the result of his attack.

4) Defender rolls his defense dice.

5) Attacker can choose to use an ability to affect defense dice, if he has one.

6) Defender can choose to modify his defense dice and declares the result of his defense.

                The second thing I noticed was players' attitudes and how it affected the game itself. I observed an interaction between two people in a match. A player got defensive when their combination of cards was questioned. Instead of just calmly explaining how the rules worked in this situation they arrogantly down-talked their opponent. And while this player's combo was indeed legal in the game, their treatment of their opponent was rude and an angry tension followed both of them the rest of the match. That's not what I call fun or good sportsmanship. We are all learning in this game and head-to-head competition like this should invoke comradely, not bitter feelings.

                The final thing I want to mention is keeping track of action tokens. I saw a game where target locks kept getting mixed up and lost because they did not follow ships when they moved during activation phase. Not only did it confuse both players, it wasted valuable match time as they sorted out the actions. So here is the question: whose responsibly is it to maintain target locks? I really don't have an answer because it could go either way. You could argue that those who take actions need to make sure that those actions are maintained. Or you could argue that it is rude for the activating player to leave the enemy's target lock behind when moving a ship. I more lean toward the later of these two arguments but, either way, the point is that someone should take responsibility. When I activate a ship I speak aloud as I perform each step so that I don't miss anything. For example: "I reveal a 3 forward for my Rookie. Your target lock follows him. And he'll be taking a focus action."

Game 3 - Loss

                With the second round over, it was time to get back into the action and learn by experience rather than observation. But fate wasn't done with me. In its cruelty I found that in round 3 I was facing another HLC Outrider build. Lol. Man, what are the chances!? Actually the chances are pretty good, that's the cold hard truth of the meta-game. But instead of focusing on the negative I focused on applying what I already learned in round 1. To have any chance of winning this match I mentally noted the things that needed to happen:

1) Not make any movement mistakes or lose actions

2) Catch up to and corner the Outrider

3) Block it and focus it down at range 1

4) Be able to fire my ordnance and make good use of those points

5) Have enough firepower left to be able to take on Corran Horn

                I actually did really well on actions with only 2 lost the whole game. The first was a minor bump at the very beginning due to my a mistake in my formation. But it was early enough that there was no combat and the missing action didn't cost me. The second was near the end when I knew that I had already lost. I accidentally put a bank in the wrong direction and ended up on an asteroid. Good times, haha.

                Where I shined the most this match was in the initial engagement. I pushed my formation fast and cornered his Outrider on his side of the map. I gave a good spread of firing arcs with my X's so even with his barrel roll he couldn't evade me entirely. And I played a wonderful feign with Horton. The round before I took a target lock on his E-wing even though I knew Corran was going to move out of range. I wanted my opponent to think I was splitting my Y-wing off to chase. But instead on the next turn I slipped Horton right back into formation and he had a perfect shot on the Outrider.

                Now remember that I picked Horton for his ability to mitigate the ineffectiveness of ordnance. But statistics didn't work on my side this time as I took the one ordnance shot I got for the whole tournament. I rolled a Blank-Blank-Focus-Focus. Ugh. Using Horton's ability I rerolled the blanks for a result of Blank-Focus. So all in all, my shot only got the one Critical Hit from the proton torpedoes themselves. No matter how much you prepare there is always a bit of risk, that is just a part of the game. And since I understood that I was ok with the miss. It was a great opportunity. I just hope my opponent understood that as well and didn't reinforce in his mind a wrong opinion of ordnance.

                Even with a bad miss like that I still could have won the game. My biggest mistake - and the game turner - was the very next round when I forgot that Dash was flying that Outrider. I set up my X-wings for the block but Dash just flew the other way right through an asteroid. My opponent was gracious about it and told me that the best thing to do against Dash is to place the asteroids in the corners so there are less places to hide. At this point I had hurt his Outrider but it was now free to play another round of catch-me-if-you-can and my ships weren't able to keep up the fight. The match was over pretty shortly and thus led to my win-loss of 1-2. 

                Now that we have taken a deeper look at this tournament I hope you can understand when I say that it was a win for me. I learned a lot about the X-wing Miniatures game and I am excited to start applying that wisdom in the future. I have already started on a couple of ideas to improve my squad and if you want to stick around for the afterwards then you can read about my musings. But this article is already long enough and I thank you for reading. I hope you learned as much as I did. So keep practicing, keep trying new things, and fly casual.

Afterwards:

                The first thing I did was fix my mistake with Horton. If he is going to be my high PS on the board I need him to be able to deal with other Aces. I considered giving him an engine upgrade but that would take away his action and decrease his efficiency as a ordnance heavy hitter. After a lot of searching I found the perfect fit: the R7-T1 astromech. This gives Horton both the boost and target lock allowing him to shoot torpedoes and dodge opponents. Moreover, it makes it possible for him to take on higher PS ships. The boost action frees up a lot of the error of making a wrong move and gives me better blocking power. And honestly, it is a much better investment of points than R2-D2. Y-wings' low agility and 2 green moves mean you won't get many shield recharges.

                The other thing I have look at is the composition of my other ships. Three X-wings are wonderful in general but not so much against Outriders. A much better investment of points would be three Headhunters. Assume both the X's and the Headhunters chase an Outrider and spread their firing arcs so at least one ship gets a shot. That means for 63 points the X-wings get to throw 3 dice at the Outrider. On the other hand the Headhunters throw 2 dice for 36 points, which is a much better investment of points. Concentrated attack dice on X-wings are great against high agility targets, especially Imperial ships. But it is not as effective when the targets are low agility because 2 dice can also do damange. However, I only own one rebel headhunter and don't like to fly it as much. But if they are your cup of tea then consider flying a Rebel Swarm of 3 Headhunters and 2 Prototype A-wings. Keep these ships in your box formation and fly Horton off to the side, giving him better approach vectors for his strafing runs.


Series
Click here for Part 1 & Part 2