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So I picked up my first few things for X-Wing and had a 2 matches last night trying to get a handle on the game. My FIRST two matches I might add haha. My poor piloting cost me both games, but I pulled some tricky moves in the second and managed to only lose by a single hull! My opponent's TIE bomber was in Poe's rear arc and I had damaged engines so I couldn't shake him :/ So I ran basically this list, except I modified it a bit, I was using proton torpedoes on Poe but I'll be getting the Rebel Aces pack soon so I'll have Prockets, and those are awesome. I also had an ion turret, but with the amount of focus I'll be building up I think it's gonna be easy to fire my blaster turret each round.

Poe Dameron- Weapons guidance, Push the Limit-36

Tycho Celchu-Push the limit, Proton Rockets, Wired-33

Kyle Katarn-Moldy Crow, Blaster Turret, Recon Specialist-31

In my matches I was playing aggressively. I think this was a mistake. With the Moldy Crow building up focus each turn, I think I should delay the fight as long as possible. I'm thinking Tycho runs up flanking real far away, while Kyle and Poe hang back a few rounds, or even just hold back Kyle so that he's just within 3 of Poe so he can focus him. Poe can push the limit and focus+target lock, and get an extra focus, so I can lay down some basically guaranteed firepower, and still have a focus to dodge return fire.

Any thoughts anyone? Or suggestions? I really liked this list it was alot of fun, I'm thinking of running a Y-wing or something instead of Tycho, he's good but he's a bit flimsy, I want something else that's a threat that I can throw at the enemy that can take some abuse, so he doesn't kill my HWK, since that thing went down pretty fast even with focused dodges.

Some suggestions:

1) Take Jake (with PTL + VI + proton rockets + autothrusters) instead of Tycho. He's a good pilot by himself, and Kyle lets him do some ridiculous start-of-combat maneuvering tricks. Evade as your action, then at the start of combat (after everyone else has moved) you get a focus token from Kyle, barrel roll, and boost.

2) Take lone wolf on Poe instead of PTL, and take R5-P9 and autothrusters. Poe's ability is great but his green maneuver options are pretty limited and therefore PTL really kills your mobility. Lone wolf + R5-P9 +autothrusters, on the other hand, gives you some powerful defensive abilities to stop incoming damage and the ability to turn that focus token you're holding the whole turn into another shield HP. And that regeneration is incredibly powerful in X-Wing, since your opponent has to keep pouring shot after shot into Poe just to break even and any failure to keep him in arc results in him coming back into the fight with full HP again.

3) Take a TLT on Kyle. He's a support ship that wants to hang back, so give him the range 2-3 turret. Moldy Crow + recon specialist makes it possible to use the blaster turret, but you're already burning so many focus tokens that you really don't want to have to spend more of them just to turn on your gun.

Idunno I kinda like that Tycho can kinda do his own thing while the HWK gives Poe focus every round. I agree with you about TLT though. I'll be getting a K-wing tomorrow, and probably a Scyk and Starviper. I've also got the rebel aces pack and the original core set on order. What about something like

How about something like this?
Poe Dameron-R2-D2, autothrusters, weapons guidance-39

Kyle Katarn-Moldy Crow, Calculation, Twin Laser Turret, recon specialist-34

Blue Squadron Pilot-B-Wing-E2, Jan Ors, Flechette Cannon-27

I have 3 fairly tough ships that can be assigned evade tokens OR focus tokens, and I can store up as many focus tokens as I can... And all 3 of my ships are capable of moving 1 every turn(A-wings can't :/ silly). Would hiding in the corner for a couple turns then coming in at whoever comes close first work? I can probably get 4 focus tokens before most ships get range 3, unless he's got a fast swarm. But I think this list would do well against those anyways. Stress can take away maneuverability and turrets dont care lol.

I really like this list. I was thinking maybe Wingman on Poe, instead of the cannon, though lone wolf may be better, but my piloting skills are a bit sloppy still, I don't think I would be easily able to keep him 2 away while flying him in combat.

 Nalydyn wrote:
Idunno I kinda like that Tycho can kinda do his own thing while the HWK gives Poe focus every round.

The main issue is that Poe, especially with PTL, doesn't really need the focus tokens. You never spend the first one, so you'll only ever use Kyle's token if you lose your action, have to target lock and boost in the same turn, or roll multiple {eye} results. That's a nice thing to have, but not really worth all the points you're investing. Meanwhile Jake is also pretty capable on his own, but becomes incredibly powerful if you don't need to give Poe a token.

Poe Dameron-R2-D2, autothrusters, weapons guidance-39

Weapons guidance isn't really worth it, and R5-P9 is much better than R2-D2 on Poe (you always have the focus token, and not being limited to green maneuvers to regenerate shields is awesome) if you can get a copy or proxy it. Swap weapons guidance for lone wolf, which is really powerful.

Kyle Katarn-Moldy Crow, Calculation, Twin Laser Turret, recon specialist-34

Dump calculation for a better EPT (even veteran instincts is better than nothing). It's not worth much in general, and it's utterly useless with a TLT. The TLT cancels all dice results and does a single point of damage, so the only time you're ever going to get to use calculation is if you're making a primary weapon attack. And if that's happening something has gone badly wrong.

Blue Squadron Pilot-B-Wing-E2, Jan Ors, Flechette Cannon-27

The flechette cannon isn't worth much because it can't multi-stress a target. But I guess at least it's cheap, even if you don't use it too often. Just be willing to cut it to help out elsewhere if you find yourself short by a couple of points.

Would hiding in the corner for a couple turns then coming in at whoever comes close first work?

This is the standard opening for Kyle lists. Hide in the corner and fly slow to build up a pile of tokens, then react to your opponent's maneuvers and spend tokens aggressively once the fight begins.

I really like this list. I was thinking maybe Wingman on Poe

This is pretty useless. Whose stress are you going to be clearing with it? As mentioned above, take lone wolf instead.

You took very involved pilots for your first games. Not something I would recommend to new players. Also keep in mind, you are getting tourney level advice here... Good, but not always what you are looking for.
At the end of the day, play what you find fun. Super action economy is fun, but there a lot of fun ways to build and play this game.

I still prefer Poe with VI, PS10 is just so strong at the moment combined with the built in boost and nice T70 dial

I'd also agree with Peregrine that PTL, VI Jake is the A-Wing ace of choice, even without Moldy Crow hi-jinx he is super slippery and can land a big procket hit with very little effort

Personally I prefer to use BB-8 and PTL on Poe, mainly as you can get three actions and for no stress

 statu wrote:
Personally I prefer to use BB-8 and PTL on Poe, mainly as you can get three actions and for no stress

Yeah, that's definitely fun... If you know that no one is going to out-PS you. In a tournament setting, VI is the best choice because an out-PS'd Poe won't last long.

Also, R2-D2 and R5-P9 are both valid choices for astromechs and I think it comes down to preference.

I'm certainly not buying the ship that R5-P9 comes with, but thanks for pointing out it exists lol, that thing is awesome for this build, I'll see if any of the locals want to sell or trade it.

@Anpu ya i'm new to this game but not to wargaming. I basically picked up the starter and a HWK and A-wing pack for my first buys, and looked through the cards to make a build and was like "woah that's some crazy synergy!"

I will definitely switch over to Jake for this build if I use an A-wing. I think I like the evade token idea though, and B-wings seem pretty solid overall.

So using your suggestions... How about this?

Blue Squad Pilot-B-Wing E2, mangler cannon, Jan Ors-29

Kyle Katarn-Moldy Crow, TLT, recon specialist.-33

Poe Dameron-Vet instincts, BB-8, Munitions Failsafe, Plasma Torpedoes.

This gives me a strong opener to smack a ship down, Poe fires his Torps and strips off shields, TLT does hits in general, stripping shields or hull, and then the B-wing gets a crit almost guaranteed. That's most ships dead, or at least crippled. Plus by the time I'm throwing this at someone I should have 4-5 focus tokens on Kyle and one on Poe to make the torpedo stick.

Would this be good? I would kinda rather have Weapons Guidance on Poe and Fire Control System on the B-Wing, so it can consistently be putting out damage.

I don't see how Weapons Guidance isn't worth it. it's pretty cheap and I found myself rolling alot of single blanks and wishing "man I wish I could change that into a hit or focus"

 Nalydyn wrote:
So using your suggestions... How about this?

Blue Squad Pilot-B-Wing E2, mangler cannon, Jan Ors-29

Kyle Katarn-Moldy Crow, TLT, recon specialist.-33

Poe Dameron-Vet instincts, BB-8, Munitions Failsafe, Plasma Torpedoes.

This gives me a strong opener to smack a ship down, Poe fires his Torps and strips off shields, TLT does hits in general, stripping shields or hull, and then the B-wing gets a crit almost guaranteed. That's most ships dead, or at least crippled. Plus by the time I'm throwing this at someone I should have 4-5 focus tokens on Kyle and one on Poe to make the torpedo stick.

Would this be good? I would kinda rather have Weapons Guidance on Poe and Fire Control System on the B-Wing, so it can consistently be putting out damage.

I don't see how Weapons Guidance isn't worth it. it's pretty cheap and I found myself rolling alot of single blanks and wishing "man I wish I could change that into a hit or focus"

You're wasting points on Poe with Plasma Torpedoes and Munitions Failsafe. BB-8 isn't as good as R2-D2 or R5-P9 because those two droids allow you to regenerate shields, which is way better than a free barrel roll.

Weapons Guidance isn't worth it on Poe because you'll loose the focus token need to use his pilot ability on defense.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
BB-8 isn't as good as R2-D2 or R5-P9 because those two droids allow you to regenerate shields, which is way better than a free barrel roll.

Exactly. HP regeneration is incredibly powerful in X-Wing because it breaks one of the fundamental rules of the game: once you exchange fire and score damage that damage is permanent. Even once you break off from combat and maneuver to re-engage the damage is still done. But HP regeneration destroys this balance. The damage your opponent takes is permanent, the damage you take is temporary and repaired as soon as you get a turn or two away from combat. Each exchange of fire brings your opponent closer to defeat while you stay where you are. To have any chance of beating Poe your opponent has to keep winning the maneuvering battle and keep getting shots at him, turn after turn, and that puts a ton of pressure on them.

This is especially important for Poe because every 3-hit roll of the red dice takes him at least one HP closer to death. You don't have the sheer green dice and tokens of Fel to laugh off 3-4 hit rolls. Eventually his clock will run out and your important ace is dead. Why let this happen?

And besides. The rebel transport is a nice ship to have. It comes with a campaign, some fun x-wings pilots and that astromech, among other cool ones. Like the stressbot. You can also use it as a single gigantic obstacle, giving you precious cover while you recoup those shields.

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Like the stressbot.

Oh god yes. R3-A2 on a y-wing with the BTL-A4 title is incredibly powerful. You're putting multiple stress tokens on your target and potentially an ion token, which can cripple and lock down a ship for the rest of your squadron to kill. Even on a generic x-wing it's a very powerful ability for a mere 2 points.

Indeed.

The Stressbot can cripple just about any ace. Just be sure to bring along a bunch of stress tokens, you'll need them.

Got a question, concerning the stressbot. If you decide to use it with a TLT, Would you rather leave the title off the y-wing to allow for those shots out of arc even if they don't cause stress? Because I tend to like the TLT with an r2 unit, for better maneuvers, since it can give you a bit better arc placement overall.

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Got a question, concerning the stressbot. If you decide to use it with a TLT, Would you rather leave the title off the y-wing to allow for those shots out of arc even if they don't cause stress? Because I tend to like the TLT with an r2 unit, for better maneuvers, since it can give you a bit better arc placement overall.

If I am running the Stressbot, I am running the title. Remember, the TLT only lands one stress (as it is one attack, performed twice). The big advantage of the Stress-Y is being able to slap 2 stress tokens on something, meaning that they cannot just shed it with one green maneuver. Being able to land double stress at range 3 is an amazing ability.

Stressbot sounds cool and I like Y-wings.

Why are torpedoes a waste? Are just like, all missiles considered bad since they're 1-use? Or are plasmas specifically bad for some reason?

I revamped the list, I think this one is the strongest for sure.

Kylae Katarn-Moldy Crow, Recon Specialist, TLT-33

Poe Dameron-R2-D2, Vet instincts-36

Blue Squadron Pilot-Bwing E2, Fire Control System, Mangler Cannon, Jan Ors-31

I figure Kyle and the Bwing chill far away and pop off shots while poe flies in as a distraction since he's the toughest with regen. Unless my opponent has like massed missiles or something. Obviously I'll stay in the corner for a round or two until something flies close. This list is all about weathering fire and wearing down my opponent, Evade tokens mean I can really soak up the damage on whoever is gonna be targeted and all of my ships are relatively tough.

Torps are mostly considered bad, because they require you to spend a target lock for one-use, expensive item. Missiles fare a little better, because about half only require you to have a target lock/focus, and so you can still spend them.

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Got a question, concerning the stressbot. If you decide to use it with a TLT, Would you rather leave the title off the y-wing to allow for those shots out of arc even if they don't cause stress? Because I tend to like the TLT with an r2 unit, for better maneuvers, since it can give you a bit better arc placement overall.

If you're running a Stressbot Y-wing with TLT, you should have the title.

It's too good not to use.

Ah I see, ya that makes sense. So that would be why I've only seen people with cheap missiles like advanced homing missiles and proton rockets that don't take a target lock.

Does my last list there look good? It seems pretty synergistic my ships will be tough to kill and dishing consistent damage, it seems to me pretty decent.

 Nalydyn wrote:
Why are torpedoes a waste? Are just like, all missiles considered bad since they're 1-use? Or are plasmas specifically bad for some reason?

Most one-shot weapons are bad. They cost a lot of points, and it's hard to set up a good shot that justifies their cost. You need a target lock on the right ship, and you really need to have a focus token or some other kind of dice modification. Most of the time it's better to put those points into something more reliable.

I revamped the list, I think this one is the strongest for sure.

The one thing I'd do is drop the mangler cannon from the b-wing. It's not doing very much, and the points you save will allow you to put autothrusters on Poe and give Kyle an EPT.

Ya I suppose that hit-crit isn't amazing. It will make it harder to evade at rng 3 though, but maybe I should move the B-wing in for rng1 shots with its primary anyways.

So how about autothrusters and lone wolf on Kyle? Or would elusiveness be better on him? Or I could drop R2 and proxy a R5-P9 and afford push the limit on Kyle, OR I could take PTL and autothrusters on Poe. double focus and a target lock on Poe would be quite reliable damage, and I could boost to reposition and also focus/lock.

If you can proxy R5-P9 (which is better than R2-D2 IMO) put autothrusters on Poe and predator on Kyle. PTL is bad on both IMO, it cripples their maneuverability and doesn't add very much in return.

Ya the HWK does have trouble pulling off green maneuvers. Thanks everyone foe the suggestions and stuff I think I'll try this list out tomorrow.

If you are using Kyle and want an X wing, and you'll be buying a K Wing anyway for the twin laser turret, you could try running Garven Dreis and Esege Tuketu.

Because of Tuketu's pilot ability, Garven could pull his focus token on the attack and after spending it, use his own pilot ability to pass the token from Esege to Kyle.

Then if Kyle passes him a focus at the top of Combat, Garven can use it on defense or to regen a shield at the bottom of Combat with R5-P9 and then chip it back to Kyle.

And of course Garven can use his own focus action to defend or regen that shield point and then give it to Kyle.

With Kyle having recon specialist and taking a focus action himself that's a potential 5 focus banked a turn. Now that's recycling!

Oh man that is some INSANE focus shifting shenanigans lol. If only the T-65 was as good of a base ship as the T70... I mean I could give it engine upgrade but that's pretty damn expensive for a 5 hull ship, even with shield regen.