First Impressions: X-wing 2.5 Update Part 5: The Resistance.

FACTION CHANGES: RESISTANCE

Their were two Resistance specific errata's in this update, that were basically the same change:

The BB Astromech, and BB-8 now trigger in the system phase, rather than before you execute a blue manoeuvre. - This means you can dial in any move, though a blue move lets you clear the stress you gain. It's a minor nerf, which will effect the higher PS pilots more than the lower PS ones. These cards didn't seem very popular, so I don't think it will make much of a difference, other than to some Poe builds.

There was also a single Resistance upgrade change: 

• Wartime Loadout (Y-wing Config) went up from 4pts to 10pts. - This is almost irrelevant, as the Y-wings pretty much universally gained +6 loadout to compensate. The only exceptions were the generics (suck it you nameless losers!), and Zorii, who gained only +4 loadout.

Again the upgrade changes more likely to effect the Resistance is the loss of Hull upgrade, which was pretty common on Resistance ships for some extra HP. There was always a bit of a debate whether hull or Ion Torpedoes were the go-to upgrade to fill those last 4pts, so the ban has solved that debate. The loss of the generic regen droids will go unnoticed by the Resistance, as they already had better upgrades to take.

The direct nerf to Resistance ships were relatively small. They were mostly correcting their (frankly) overpowered 4-cost X-wings:

• Generic Y-wings.
• R1-J5 (Fireball).
• Merl (A-wing).
• C'ai, Jaycris, Joph, Kare, Boosty Temmin

Firstly, I don't think anyone will bat an eyelid at the nerfs to the generic Y-wings, Joph Seastriker, or Kare Kun. I never saw them before the update, and I don't expect that to change after they took an efficiency hit.

The big changes are the increased costs for R1-J5, Merl, C'ai, and Jaycris. I expect all four of these to drop out of the meta, and go back to the binder to think about what they've done. It's hard to justify any of them when their are better options, in the same ship, and in the same cost slot.

Of the nerfs, the boosty version of Snap is the only one, which I think won't effect the usability of the pilot. Snap's free boost was really valuable in the objective context, so I don't think losing 2 loadout will impact his efficiency much. Expect to see him still boosting around.

"Poe, you son of a bitch!"

The Resistance got a couple key buffs this update. The following pilots received buffs, with their cost, loadout, and/or slots improved:

• All the named Y-wings.
• Jarek, Kazuda, and the generic Fireball.
• Nodin (Transport).
• BB-8, and Finn (Pod)
• Ello, Jessica, Nien, Commander Poe, Commander Temmin

I don't think anyone cares much about the generic Fireballs. Ditto for Nodin in the transport, and Jess Pava in the T-70.

As discussed above, the changes to the named Y-wings were mostly a wash, as their config went up by the same as their loadout gain. Zorii actually got a net nerf, but I still think she's amazing, and we'll see quite a bit of her paired with Poe for a one-two alpha punch. The other Y-wings will probably continue to be absent in the meta, though I like the 3-cost pilots (especially C'ai).

The named Fireballs got some loadout buffs. Jarek seems decent as a 3-cost, PS5 ship with a bunch of loadout for missiles. Kaz in the Fireball was already popular, so I expect to see more of him since he got a loadout buff, and two of the other 4-cost powerhouses got nerfed to the 5-cost slot.

The decreases to both the Transport pods look good to me. BB-8 is a nice ship to put in the 2-cost slot. I actually think he's kinda lame, and I'd probably skip him unless I needed to fill out my list, which is exactly what you want as a balanced 2-coster. Finn is great value for his cost, and I expect well see a lot of him as a tanky little hitter.

Expect to see a lot more of Ello Asty, Nien Numb, and especially Commander Poe. All 3 are incredible value now with their loadout increases. Poe in particular can take pretty much all the upgrades I'd want on him, and makes even Luke in the T65 look a bit underwhelming.

"Shut it! I'm the commander now."

What I consider to be the strong Resistance pieces in each slot:

The Rey-Slot:

• Rey w/ Heroic, Rose, Novice Technician, Finn, Engine Upgrade, Title. - This will be a theme for Resistance pilots, but: Rey hits like a truck, and is also decently tanky. She will die to heavy fire, so the engine upgrade can be used to play like an old-school fat-turret. This can be used to kite swarms around, and slowly pick them apart.

The Poe-Slot:

• Poe (Ace) w/ Daredevil, R4-astro, Proton Torpedoes, [Ion Torpedoes / HLC], Overdrive Thruster, Title, Config. - This is an expensive Poe, but hits hard with double-modded Protons, and is extremely squirrely. There's an argument between taking the HLC, or Ion Torps on this Poe. Personally I prefer the options that the Ions give him, and given the length of most games, I don't think he'll run out of relevant munitions before the game ends. I could also see an offensive build with just: Outmanoeuvre, Protons Torps, Failsafe, and Title. 

The Better Poe-Slot:

• Poe (Commander) w/ Crackshot, Predator, R4-astro, Proton Torpedoes, Config. - I actually like this a lot more than the 7-cost Poe (except the loss of the title). He still hits like a truck, but is a slot cheaper so you can fit more into your list. Also, while his ability is worse for him, it can be really good to have the option to give another ship an action. Seriously, this guy (and Luke) makes Soontir look so sad in the 6-slot.

The 5-Slot:

• Zorii w/ Tierfon Belly Run, [R4-astro / Dorsal Turret], Proton Torpedoes, Config. - Again we have a ship with easy access to double-modded Proton Torpedo shots, which is the bread and butter of the higher cost Resistance ships. She's best buddies with Poe, who can give her a PS6 lock action.
• Cova w/ [Predator / Heroic], R4-astro, Jamming Beam, Leia. - This is a proven ship build, which I imagine could be quite useful in objective games. It also gives you a coordinate to correct, and/or make unexpected plays.
• Temmin w/ Crackshot, R6-D8, [HLC / Ion Torpedoes], Config. - Snap can still get all the upgrades he wants, even with his -2 loadout nerf. Snap's one of those pilots who (IMO) likes to shoot-and-scoot using his boost to move between targets. He does this rather than jousting with k-turns to try and stay on the same target.
• Ello w/ Crackshot, Predator, R4-astro, [HLC / Ion Torpedoes], Config. - A similar build to Snap, but Ello is sorta the opposite. He loves to tallon-roll to joust a target(s), who usually can't turn around as efficiently as he can. Again I like the HLC, but can see reason in taking the Ions instead.
• Nien w/ [Marksman & R6-D8 / Predator & R4-astro], Jamming Beam, Pattern Analyser, Config. - I feel like Nien escaped an errata between 2.0, and 2.5. His pilot ability works when he does the bump red-focus action, which means he can bump an enemy with a lesser consequence to other pilots. I think pattern analyser is mandatory, as he can combo it with his ability for double actions when he does a red move. I think you can use the last 5 loadout points in a couple of different ways. Personally I'd go with Marksman + R6-D8, or Predator + R4-astro, but I'm boring, and just like rerolls. 

The 4-Slot:

• Greer w/ Heroic, Optics. - An oldie, but a goodie when it comes to A-wing builds. Greer is a solid PS4 pilot, who will do really consistent damage with his action economy. He can also double as an effective objective runner. You could go a Concussion Missiles instead to chase the 3rd attack dice.
• Suralinda w/ Predator, [Daredevil & Ion Cannon / Crackshot & HLC]. - She's the only A-wing with a cannon slot. Suralinda can be like a little Firespray, with a cannon out front, and her primary out back. I think the Ion cannon is a solid cannon choice, though a more offensive build with HLC might also work.
• Kazuda w/ [Predator / Notorious], Contraband, Shield, TComputer, Title. - Kaz is another proven ship, and he's the closest thing the Resistance now has to a 4-cost X-wing chassis. I quite like Notorious on him, as enemies want to put damage on him to lower his offense.

The 3-Slot:

• Finn w/ Heroic, [Crackshot & C-3P0 / Predator & Perceptive Co-pilot]. - I expect Finn to become the new 'standard' Resistance 3-cost ship. We know from past experience that he's a really solid little ship, that can both dish, and deal damage. Personally, I prefer the version with C3P0 for the flexibility of having access to a coordinate. 
• C'ai w/ Marksman, [Cluster Missiles / Ion Missiles / Mag-pulse Missiles], Config. - This is very cheap for a tanky 9HP ship, which can push unavoidable crits through it's bullseye missile shots. I think it brings a lot for a 3-coster.
• Jarek w/ Marksman, Cluster Missiles, Overtuned Modulator, TComputer, [Title]. - Again you get a decently tanky, PS5 ship, which can shoot a double-modded cluster missile. The access to SLAM also makes this ship decent in objective play. 

The 2-Slot: 

• BB-8 w/ [Chewbacca / Automated Target Priority, Han]. - I'm not entirely certain what you put on BB-8, but regardless, he's a 2-coster so he's solid in my books. He's not the fastest objective ship, but his system-phase boost gives him some extra speed.

The Resistance lost it's two super cheap, 4-cost X-wings, but got some pretty big buffs as well. I think BB-8 might be one of the few 2-cost ships I'd (sometimes) skip. Commander Poe is the clear standout for me, and I don't see any reason not to pair him with Zorii for a pretty brutal alpha-strike. The Resistance 4-slot seems a little weak (besides Kaz), but the 5 & 3-slots have some pretty solid looking ships.

Here's my version of Commander Poe and Zorii:

6 Poe (Commander) w/ Crackshot, Predator, R4-astro, Proton Torpedoes, Config.

5 Zorii w/ Tierfon Belly Run, DorsalT, Proton Torpedoes, Config.

3 Jarek w/ Marksman, ClusterM, Overtuned, TComputer, Title.

3 C'ai (Y-wing) w/ Marksman, ClusterM, Config. 

3 Finn w/ Crackshot, Heroic, C-3P0.

Plenty of damage, and tankiness, with a little bit of speed too for objectives. Should be fun.

First Impressions: X-wing 2.5 Update Part 4: First Order.

"We're totally the good guys."

FACTION CHANGES: FIRST ORDER

Their were no First Order specific erratas in this update, but there were a few upgrade changes for the faction: 

• Commander Pyre (Crew) was banned. - GTFO Pyre! As I discussed when I covered the banned list, I thought this was a bit of an overreaction. This card obviously fell into the no-fun category AMG seems to want to remove from the game.
• Commander Malarus (Crew) went down from 3pts to 2pts. - The issue with this card is it shares a name with 2 outstanding pilots. I don't think this 1pt reduction will make any difference.
• Special Forces Gunner (Gunner) went down from 9pts to 5pts. - This is the only meaningful change on the list IMO. In a more roundabout way this is a TIE/sf buff.

On the generic side, the loss of Hull Upgrade, and points hikes to both Afterburners, and Outmanoeuvre will impact the First Order, who generally had the loadout points to use these upgrades. Vonreg in particular has lost his 'best' build (Daredevil, Outmanoeuvre, Hull, Afterburners), and I expect to see a lot less of him in FO lists. 

There weren't too many direct nerfs to FO ships in this update:

• Null, Rivas, & Epsilon Squadron Cadet (TIE/fo Fighter)
• Recoil (TIE/vn Silencer)
• Nightfall, & Red Fury Zealot (TIE/wi Whisper)

Like most other factions, First Order has lost access to a 2-cost ship, which is a shame as Rivas was one of the better value 2-cost ships. I think he's still ok in the 3-cost slot with some loadout, but the issue will be can he compete with the other excellent 3-cost TIEs like Malarus, and Scorch? Probably not, so he becomes the 4th, or 5th TIE to fill out your swarm.

Null suffers from the same issue as Rivas, except he's not as good. He doesn't have the loadout for Squad Leader, so he doesn't bring anything unique. This means you may as well take one of the better TIEs like Scorch, Malarus, or Static.

The changes to Nightfall, the Red Fury Zealot, and the Epsilon Squadron Cadet all seem fairly inconsequential. The loadout nerf to Recoil is nonsensical. I think AMG just randomly changes some of these ships.

"Kylo, you son of a bitch!"

The First Order got quite the haul of buffs from this update, which is impressive considering their small ship/pilot pool. The following pilots received buffs, with their cost, loadout, and/or slots improved:

• Holo (TIE/ba Interceptor)
• Longshot, Scorch, Malarus, & TN-3465 (TIE/fo Fighter)
• Breach (TIE/se Bomber)
• Quickdraw (TIE/sf Fighter)
• Avenger, Blackout, & Kylo (TIE/vn Silencer)
• Wrath, & Kylo (TIE/wi Whisper)
• Dormitz, & Tavson (Upsilon Shuttle)
• Terex, & Malarus (Xi Shuttle)

As always, the Upsilons aren't standard, so I have no opinion on their changes.

The buffs to Holo, Longshot, TN-3465, Breach, Avenger, Wrath, and Terex all seem pretty inconsequential. None of them were popular, and I imagine they will all continue to not be particularly popular.

Quickdraw gained 5 extra loadout (yay!), a cheaper gunner (yay!), but more expensive afterburners (boo!), for an overall net buff of +5 loadout. He's still quite expensive in the 6-slot, but is also PS6 with the ability to double-tap. I think we might start to see some more Quickdraw in FO lists.

I've always liked Blackout, and he gained a heap of loadout, but his slots do make it a bit awkward to actually spend all 20 of his loadout effectively. I always debate myself whether his ability is worth leaning into, or just ignoring. Still I think he was good before this update, so he's looking pretty good afterwards.

Both versions of Kylo got a cost reduction. The Silencer version appears better value at 7-cost, being able to independently sling a PS5, double-modded Proton Torpedo at enemies. The Whisper version is cheaper, but also more difficult to use, so I expect to see the Silencer version more.

Malarus in the Xi going down also opens the way for some FO-swarms to return. You are limited to Malarus + 5xTIEs, which is on the smaller side for a swarm, so I'm not convinced that will happen. She's still a good support piece, in a more rounded squad, who can also carry Terex for 4-cost.

"More buffs!"

What I consider to be the strong First Order pieces in each slot:

The Kylo-Slot:

• Kylo w/ Hate, Proton Torpedoes, [Config?]. - I've always viewed Kylo in the Silencer as the First Order's version of Luke. He can independently shoot high PS, double-modded Proton Torpedoes, while still being quite tanky with 6HP, agility 3, and Hate. The config is optional, but personally I think I prefer the PS5 double-reposition of the ship ability.

The 6-Slot:

• Kylo w/ Extreme Manoeuvres, Brilliant Evasion, Predator, PRockets, Sensor Scrambler, Config. - This version of Kylo just wants to nuke something at R1 with those PRockets. I'm not sure it's better than the Silencer version, but he is a cost slot lower, and can do some funky moves with extreme manoeuvres.
• Quickdraw w/ Crackshot, [Predator / Proud Tradition], Special Forces Gunner, Pattern Analyser, Afterburners. - I like to build Quickdraw with the aim of trying to keep him at R1 of an important enemy piece as much as possible to threaten double-tapping them. Having Proud Tradition + Pattern Analyser is a nice combo, but I'm not sure if it's better than just having Predator.
• Blackout #1 w/ Outmanoeuvre, Advanced Optics, Sensor Scrambler. - This is the first of two Blackout builds I've included. This really leans into him ignoring his pilot ability, and playing as a double-reposition ace. Use the early decloak to get him on a flank and pew-pew at enemies butts.
• Blackout #2 w/ Trickshot, Proton Torpedoes, Targeting Synch, Sensor Scrambler, Config. - This is the second Blackout build, which leans into his pilot ability. He's looking to orbit an obstacle to setup those devastating 5-dice, -1 agility Proton Torpedo shots. Sensor Scrambler, and the Config make getting his ability off quite a lot easier than before, but it still might be a bit too setup-heavy.

The 5-Slot:

• Lehuse w/ Fanatical, Special Forces Gunner, Cluster Missiles, Shield Upgrade. - This is the exact same LeHuse build I was running before the update, except with a Hull upgraded to a Shield. He's a solid ship, who combo's pretty well with the rest of the First Order ships for easy double modded shots.

The Packed-Slot:

• [Nightfall / Whirlwind / 709th] w/ Predator, PRockets, Config. - Overall Nightfall is a pretty brutal ship for the 4-cost slot. If he catches a ship in bullseye, at R1 and can focus + jam them, he'll really ruin their day. You could swap Predator for Sensor Scrambler, and Fanatical. With first turn scoring no longer being possible, I think Scrambler isn't as essential as it was. Whirlwind is another option, and loses a PS, has a weaker ability, but gains the loadout for Sensor Scrambler. Finally after you take Nightfall, you can spam the 709ths, which are Nightfall without the pilot ability. 
• [Backdraft / Phasma / Omega ] w/ [Fanatical / Crackshot], SFGunner, Optics. - The SF is a solid chassis for 4-cost, which gives you a pseudo-X-wing profile. You have plenty of options with pilots, I just happen to think Backdraft is the best of the three. The Omegas are mostly if you just want to spam generics after you take the 2 named SFs.
• [Gideon / Malarus] w/ Terex, [8pts of Upgrades]. - The loss of Commander Pyre makes the Xi-shuttle less appealing, but I think both Gideon and Malarus are still ok support pieces. Terex is the only essential pieces of kit, so the other 8pts can really be anything. Thanisson crew could be a solid card in the meta considering ships will red-focus from bumps. Either your opponent won't understand you can double-stress them, or they will, and they won't focus. Win-win.

The 3-Slot: 

• Malarus w/ [1pt Talent], Cluster Missiles. - A proven ship, which has now gained access to a talent (likely Fanatical). Going straight up Concussions is also an option, but I think I prefer the Clusters for that occasional engagement where you get to pop her ability and double-tap with Clusters.
• Static w/ [Predator / Elusive / Proud Tradition], Ion Cannon. - Static is a great little TIE/fo who is one of the only FO ships with access to an Ion Cannon. He can also run with a HLC, but I think the FO benefits from having a sneaky Ion shot in the list.
• Scorch w/ [Predator / Proud Tradition], Fanatical, Optics. - A very solid TIE/fo pilot. Getting the 3rd attack dice on a 3-cost ship is a big deal, and Scorch can have the modifiers to make the extra die count. 

The First Order faction got some pretty big buffs, but the changes to generic upgrades they relied on hurt. Their 3-cost, and 4-cost slots are packed full of really efficient looking ships, and they still have access to some really nice higher cost acey ships like Kylo. I can see something like: Kylo (Silencer), Nightfall, Malerus (TIE/fo), Scorch, and Static working pretty well as a 5-ship list. It gives you 2 heavy-hitters, with 3 cheap TIEs who still get 3 attack dice. It will be interesting to see where the faction goes.

I'm honestly looking forward to playing some more with the nasty little TIE Whispers. They're a brutal little ship, and I'm interested to see if they work well with Hux support as a sort of turn 2 alpha-strike list:

4 Gideon w/ Proud Tradition, Fanatical, Tactical Officer, General Hux, Pattern Analyser, Biohexacrypt Codes.

4 Nightfall w/ Fanatical, PRockets, Sensor Scrambler, Config.

4 709th Ace w/ Fanatical, PRockets, Sensor Scrambler, Config.

4 709th Ace w/ Fanatical, PRockets, Sensor Scrambler, Config. 

4 709th Ace w/ Fanatical, PRockets, Sensor Scrambler, Config.

Fly up and shoot some double-modded PRockets at the enemy. Could be fun! 

First Impressions: X-wing 2.5 Update Part 3: Scum and Villainy.

"Later losers!"

FACTION CHANGES: SCUM AND VILLAINY

While their was no Scum specific errata, the errata to contraband cybernetics may as well have been a Scum errata:

Contraband Cybernetics can now no longer have it's charge recovered. - I feel like just banning Jabba might have been simpler, but this is also fine. It's still a great Illicit upgrade. It turns out being able to ignore one of the core limits of the game (stress) for 1 out of an average 6 turns is a pretty big deal.

In terms of Scum-specific upgrade changes, there were actually quite a few large-ish changes: 

• 4-LOM (Crew) went up from 2pts to 5pts. - This increase was likely due to the Ion changes making 4-LOM's cost less detrimental. He was always too cheap at 2pts, so I think he's a steal even at 5pts. Boba, and Large ships love this guy.
• Fenn (Crew) went down from 6pts to 4pts. - This is a decent effect, that rewards you for catching someone at R1 in your front arc. Ditching a stress (or other non-lock red) is very powerful, but you do need to jump through a hoop to get it, and the Scum crew slot is very competitive. Still 4 pts is pretty cheap for an ability which effects your ships at range 0-2. I think this one is worth keeping in mind when building a squad.
• Lando (Crew) went down from 6pts to 4pts. - Hello there rerolls. This card was already solid paired with cards like 0-0-0, and Perceptive Copilot for easy double-mods. Given it works most effectively when combo'd with other cards, I think this reduction is fine.
• Prime Minister Almec (Crew) went down from 9pts to 6pts. - This is a weird card, which seems very niche. I don't think much of it, even at 6pts, but maybe I'm missing something.
• Rook Kast (Crew) went down from 11pts to 8pts. - I thought Rook was pretty solid at 11pts, especially combo'd with Q9-O, Han (Pilot or Gunner), and/or anything that could perform multiple attacks (Cluster Missiles). The effect is very powerful, but it's one of those cards that needs a specific build/combo to be worth using.
• The Child (Crew) went up from 6pts to 7pts. - As noted in the previous post, I feel The Child needs to be combo'd with cards that mitigate, or punish attacking him (Ursa Wren, Mandalorian, Notorious, Dengar, and/or Reinforce). The 1pt increase doesn't seem too important.
• Boba Fett (Gunner) went down from 4pts to 2pts. - This is a very cheap passive mod. The requirement is pretty strict, but if you put it on a ship with multiple arcs, it becomes easier to get off. I think this is a steal at 2pts on certain ships.
• Gar Saxon (Gunner) went down from 9pts to 6pts. - The increase in stress tokens from bump red-focuses means this should have things to trigger off. The downside to this ability is you're removing a red token (which does something bad to the enemy), for an extra dice which may do an extra damage. It's also restricted to large ships, and kinda needs a bunch of support to work well. I don't think this sees play even with a 3pt decrease.
•  Migs Mayfeld (Gunner) went down from 5pts to 4pts. - As noted in a previous post this is a binder card. I have a build using it with Dengar, but that's just me trying to make a bad card relevant.

I'm surprised both Notorious, and Unkar Plutt dodged a nerf, and/or errata. Notorious is very good in my experience, and at 2pts it's a bargain. It's additional cost of an illicit isn't much of a cost, as several of the illicit upgrades are very good. In case you didn't know, you can bump a ship, and use Unkar Plutt to take an action (for 1 damage), and then perform the red-focus for bumping. This means your 12HP YV666 can lose a measly HP to be able to throw out a double modded shot at (hopefully) Range 1. It's usually worth it on such a tanky ship, and is a cheap option to have at 2pts. I think Unkar just needs an errata so he happens after the bump red-focus, as opposed to a points hike. 

On the generic side, the loss of Hull Upgrade, and Autoblasters were the big two for Scum. The silly Autoblaster Boba, who could 1-shot 3-4HP ships is no more, but the loss of autoblasters is a bit of a blow to the Scyks (luckily they received a bunch of buffs, so they should actually be fielded now). 

The nerfs to Scum ships (went up in points, lost loadout, and/or lost slots) are as follows:

• Kad, & Generic Fangs
• Maul (Gauntlet)
• Manaroo (JumpMaster)
• Ahhav, & Proach (Mining TIE)
• Q9-O, & Mando (ST-70)
• N'Dru (Headhunter)

There was a reason Kad and Manaroos were in most Scum squads, as not much else stood out. Their increase in cost leaves the Scum 4-cost slot looking very anaemic. They gained loadout, and I think they both might still be decent, but they'll be competing with stuff like Kavil, Joy, Palob, and the new Cad Bane in the 5-slot. Manaroo is solid with chunky stats, but I don't know if Kad can keep up. Time will tell.

Similarly N'Dru, and Ahhav suffered a cost increase. The bump from 2-cost to 3-cost is a huge leap, even with a loadout increase. I think these two are just straight up junk now, compared to the other 3-cost headhunters and the Scyks.

Finally, Maul went up in cost, and The Mandalorian, and Q9-O lost some loadout. I still don't have enough experience with them to be confident on them. Losing loadout isn't the end of the world, and from what I've experienced, they seemed pretty good, so this might not effect their popularity. Maul going up in cost is going to make him less popular, not that I was seeing much of him. 

"Boba, you son of a bitch!"

So there were several Scum ships which received buffs, with their cost, loadout, and/or slots improved:

• IG-88D (Aggressor)
• Arliz, Kavil, Leema, & Jinata Officer (Y-wing)
• Han (Custom YT-1300)
• Fenn, & Joy (Fang)
• All of the Firesprays
• Dace, & Palob (Hawk)
• Nom Lumb, & Tel (JumpMaster)
• All of the M3-As
• Seevor, Yushyn, & Generic Mining TIEs
• Bossk, & Kaa'to (Headhunter)

IG-88D isn't standard, so I don't know if being able to take 3xIGs in non-standard games is a big deal.

There's a whole host of these ships which I have little to no opinion on, mostly because I don't think the buffs substantially change them. This list includes: the Y-wings, Fenn, Joy, Dace, The Jumpmasters, most of the M3-As, the Mining Ties, and Kaa'to.

The changes that stand out to me are: Han, Boba, Emon, Koshka, Palob, Genesis Red, Laetin, Quinn, and Bossk. Some went down in cost, making fitting them into your lists easier, while others gained loadout allowing them to do their job better. I think Bossk and Quinn will become the 'filler' ships for the Scum faction, with one of the others (plus Manaroo) as your centrepiece. 

"I need no introduction..."

What I consider to be the strong Scum pieces in each slot:

The Boba-Slot:

• Boba Fett w/ Fearless, JammingB, Maul, Seismic, Cybernetics, Maurader Title. - Boba lives! He was doing ok pre-update due to being able to abuse Autoblasters, but now that build is gone. His high loadout, and various slots means you can build him a bunch of different ways. I've just included a generic Boba build, and not necessarily the one I'd use (Burnout + 4-LOM + Babu Frik). Boba really needs to be doing a bunch of work to make him worth his steep 9-cost price, but luckily he's fast, really tanky, and does plenty of damage if used correctly. 

The Packed-Slot:

• Emon w/ Fearless, JammingB, 4-LOM, Vet Tail Gunner, Prox Mine, Maurader Title. - I don't actually think you need to lean into Emon's ability too much. He's already good at dropping bombs, and given the shorter game lengths, I don't know how likely he is to get off 3+ bombs. Fearless, 4-LOM, VTG, and Marauder allow him to aggressively trade with some ships, then overshoot and drop a mine or two on them. I think he's really solid for a 7-cost pilot.
• Koshka w/ Fearless, JammingB, 4-LOM, Vet Tail Gunner, Proton Bomb, Maurader Title. - Very similar to Emon. I honestly think you play him the same way. Joust and drop bombs as you overshoot and butt-cannon the enemy. He's tougher than Emon (who is already tough), but doesn't bomb as well.
• Dengar w/ Expert Handling, ProtonT, JammingB, R5-P8, [Greedo], Contraband, Title. - You can do a build using the Weapon Systems Officer, and Cutthroat to get more out of the Proton Torps, but I think this more general build is better. Dengar can just deal a heap of damage, at a quite affordable cost for a PS6 ship. I think he does need coordinate support from a ship like Gamut to get the most out of him. Greedo is optional.
• Bossk w/ Notorious, Zam, Unkar, [Greedo / BT-1] JammingB, Contraband, Baffle, Title. - Bossk is very much a trade piece. You want him to deal a heap of damage before he goes down. Notorious and Zam are good on him, as most opponent's can't resist shooting a 1-agility ship, especially with Greedo aboard. Use Unkar, Baffle, and Contraband to keep him relevant and shooting for as long as possible.
• Rook Kast w/ Notorious, Zam, [Boba / Unkar/ Baffle], Contraband, Config. - Probably the scum Gauntlet build I'm most likely to run (RIP Maul). He's similar to Bossk in that you're using him to deal and absorb as much damage as possible before he goes down.

The 6-Slot:

• Q9-O w/ Rook Kast, L3-37, JammingB, [Greedo], Contriband, Title. - Q9 combos quite nicely with both Rook crew, and also Contraband. The raw stats, and L3 makes this a pretty tanky ship, and once used L337 makes the dial more bearable. Greedo is optional. 
• Latts w/ Zam, Unkar, JammingB, Contraband, Title. - Latts is cheap for the damage she is capable of putting out, and absorbing. It's a shame she doesn't have the 1 extra loadout to swap Contraband for Deadman + Notorious. Still Zam is pretty great to have.
• Han w/ ClusterM, Rook Kast, 4-LOM, False Transponder, Title. - I'll be honest, this probably isn't a good build, just one I want to try out. This is very much a ship you use up trying to deal a bunch of damage to the enemy squad. 

The 5-Slot:

• Manaroo w/ Expert Handling, R3-astro, Ion Cannon, Migs, Title. - I won't list all the possible Manaroo builds, This is just the one I'm going to be trying out (I will make Migs relevant, even if it kills me). Her cost increase was a (deserved) nerf, even with the extra loadout. I think she started from such a place of strength that she's still a fine 5-cost ship. 
• Palob w/ [Notorious / Fearless], Lando, Overtuned. - At 6-cost, Palob was too steep, but I like him as a 5-cost ship stealing tokens, and generally annoying people. It's hard to state how much people hate Palob, so Notorious is a very solid Talent for him. He can also make very good use of both Lando, and Overtuned Modulator. 
• Cad Bane w/ Predator, Proton Cannon, Ion Missile, Zuckuss, Prox Mine, Title. - I actually think this is a solid 5-cost ship. Brings plenty of control, and damage, on a fairly tough frame. It's no Greivous, but really what is?

The Nerfed-Slot:

• Genesis Red w/ [Elusive & ProtonT / IonC & Shield / PRocket & Overdrive]. - I think Genesis is decent as a 4-cost ship with 14 loadout. He has a couple of sneaky builds, besides the obvious Proton Torpedo + 2pt Talent to ruin a PS1-3's day. His access to to easy(ish) double mods is a big selling point.
• Serissu w/ Ion Torpedo, Shield. - The new Ion rules mean having a Higher PS Ion shot (Cannon, Missile, or Torpedo) is actually beneficial for stripping opponent's locks. Serissu is PS5 for stripping locks, with a decent ability to buff defence. I am not sold on the 4-cost Scyks, but they may prove themselves.

The 3-Slot: 

• Gamut Key w/ Elusive, Gleb. - A really solid little support ship, that can coordinate, and also allows a ship to enter combat with green tokens. He's decently tanky at agility 2 with 5HP, and will chip the odd damage through. 
• Bossk w/ [Notorious / Predator / Expert Handling], Marksman, ClusterM, Overtuned. - I liked this build before the update, and it now has 2 extra loadout for another Talent (Notorious is my pick if you aren't using it elsewhere.). You throw Bossk into a formation, lock something, pop Overtuned, and throw 2x Cluster Missile shots at your opponent. If he isn't targeted, or lucks out and weathers the return fire, it's a bonus.
• Laetin w/ [Fearless / Crackshot], HLC. - Getting a HLC on a fairly tanky 3-cost ship is pretty decent. I like Fearless for when you close into R1, as it's surprisingly good on 2-dice ships. An Ion Cannon + Marksman is another build option for a more reliable attack, but I'd avoid munitions as getting the lock at PS3 can be difficult.

The 2-Slot: 

• Autopilot Drone. - If you're taking the Scum Falcon, this is actually an OK addition for it's system-phase coordinate. It being 2-cost for a ship that has to spend most of the game docked, or explode is pretty steep. I'm hoping they drop this to 1-cost in line with the Nashtah Pup. Still worth a look.

The 1-Slot: 

• Nashtah Pup. - If you have a YV666, and a spare squad point, it might not be the worst. Generally, I think I'd rather upgrade another ship to something stronger if at all possible.

The Scum faction got hit with a bunch of nerfs, the biggest being losing their core 10-cost filler of Ahhav, Kad, and Manaroo. Still, they gained/retained some decent 3-cost ships, and a bunch of their more expensive medium and large ships got better. Boba alone has been a menace at times throughout the game's history, so he might make a return with his cost reduction. 

I don't know if it will be a good list, but I'm looking forward to making use of Han again:

6 Han w/ ClusterM, Rook Kast, 4-LOM, False Transponder, Title.

5 Manaroo w/ Expert Handling, R3-astro, Ion Cannon, Migs, Title.

3 Gamut Key w/ Elusive, Gleb. 

3 Laetin w/ Fearless, HLC. 

3 Bossk w/ Notorious, Marksman, ClusterM, Overtuned.

First Impressions: X-wing 2.5 Update Part 2: Upgrades, and Empires.

RIP Outmanoeuvre.

General Upgrade Additions and Changes:

• Proton Cannon will cost 4 points when it's released. - The same cost as HLC. This makes sense given it's about equivalent. I think it's probably slightly better than HLC, because of the built in soft-mod.
• Homing Torpedoes will cost 5 points when it's released. - These seem weaker than Homing Missiles at the same cost. The crit is good, but they have a worse range, and they compete with Ion Torpedoes, which are excellent for a super cheap 4pts.
• Synched laser cannon went up from 7 to 8. - This is a weird one. I didn't see this card often, so maybe it's to do with the Rogue-class fighter's release. It seems like the go-to cannon on that ship chassis.
• Foresight (Generic Force) went up from 5 to 6. - Again this is an odd one to change.  Maybe AMG feared this would become the new hotness on the Delta-7s after they lost access to Concussion Missiles? I can't say I've seen it used much, so I don't expect that to change.
• Instinctive Aim (Generic Force) went up from 1 to 2. - This is copping the designer's hate because of it's inclusion in the Barriss build (Instinctive, Concussions, & Config). It was always just a filler card in that build, that was occasionally useful. The offending card on Barriss (besides the Delta-7 chassis) was Concussion Missiles, which gave her easy access to a double-modded 3-dice attack in the 3-cost slot. This change just makes me think the designers don't understand what makes cards problematic, but that might be unfair. They are privy to information I am not.
• Malice (Darkside Force) went down from 6 to 4. - With autoblasters banned I think this is straight up trash, even at the reduced cost. I can already use a force to change a focus to a hit, so being able to change a focus to a crit isn't worth 4pts (and the slot). This competes directly with Hate, which is just a better upgrade in almost all situations (autoblaster attacks were the exception). 
• Veteran Tail Gunner (Generic Gunner) went up from 2 to 3. - It makes sense to start slowly creeping this up in points. I think it's still great at 3pts if you have a butt-cannon and a gunner slot free.
• Veteran Turret Gunner (Generic Gunner) went down from 8 to 5. - Quite a steep decline for a card that was dominant for a short period. Beware the rise of double-tapping Republic Y-wings, who retain the gunner slot (unlike the other faction's Y-wings).
• Feedback Array (Generic Illicit) went up from 3 to 4. - Eh.
• Concussion Missiles (Generic Missile) went down from 6 to 5. - Umm what? I don't actually think this was too busted at 6pts, but it certainly didn't need a cost reduction. After this update, I'd be looking out for any 3-cost ships which can take this and become 3-dice ships. 
• Ion Missiles (Generic Missile) went up from 2 to 4. - I think AMG might have mistaken this upgrade for Ion Torpedoes. I don't think these were an issues at 2pts, and at 4pts they seem pretty poor, especially since concussions are now only a point more.
• Mag-Pulse Warheads (Generic Missile) went down from 5 to 4. - These weren't seeing too much play at 5pts, so slowly creeping them down till they see more play seems reasonable. I like them on certain PS5-6 pilots like Midnight.
• Afterburners (Generic Mod) went up from 6 to 10. - Now we're getting to the good stuff. Wholeheartedly agree with this one. This card was just way too good at 6pts, and at 10pts some ships will still pay for it. *cough* Vader *cough*
• Shield Upgrade (Generic Mod) went up from 6 to 8. - This was less of a problem than the absurdly cheap hull upgrade, but I think it's still good on the ships who want it at 8pts.
• Targeting Computer (Generic Mod) went down from 3 to 1. - Love it. This never made sense at 3, since it costs you your mod slot. At a single point I can foresee occasionally fitting it on a ship, like Vermeil, or a TIE.
• Blazer Bomb (Generic Mod) went up from 4 to 5. - I have no experience with this bomb, and I don't think I will with it at 5 points.
• Conner Nets (Generic Mod) went up from 3 to 5. - Seems a bit harsh. I thought this was appropriately costed at 3pts. Why would I take this at 5 when I can take a prox for 1 point more?
• Squad Leader (Generic Talent) went down from 8 to 6. - Oh dear, this is one to watch. Giving such wide access to a coordinate, even if it's a poor version, is asking for trouble. As an example of what can be built with it: C'ai Threnalli (Resistance Y-wing) with Squad Leader, M9-G8, Targeting Computer, and Engine Upgrade. You have a 7HP coordinator, which also provides a reroll to another ship, and is decently fast for objectives. I'm not saying that's the new resistance meta ship, but it is a lot of support for a tanky, cheap 3-coster.
• Enduring (Generic Talent) went up from 2 to 5. - This seems a little harsh, especially given how little playtime we had with this one. It seemed ok at 2pts, but at 5pts it just seems like a bad upgrade.
• Juke (Generic Talent) went down from 7 to 6. - TIE defenders rejoice! I think the change in the cost of the TIE defenders will mean we see more of this card. 
• Outmanoeuvre (Generic Talent) went up from 6 to 12. - This was a necessary nerf. This was the go-to talent for any ace-y ship with a high loadout. 
• Tierfon Belly Run (Y-wing only Talent) went down from 1 to 0. - The first talent to get the old 0pts treatment. It's still garbage, but it's nice to have the option if your Y-wing's talent slot is empty.

I didn't go over these changes in the previous post, as I didn't feel the Rebels suffered too much from these changes. Overall the changes to Afterburners, Shield Upgrade, and Outmanoeuvre stand out as significant nerfs to strong cards. All three deserved these nerfs, and I think they are closer to their ideal cost from a balance context. The rest of the changes seem like unimpactful tinkering, with the exceptions (perhaps) of Concussion Missiles, Veteran Turret Gunner, and Squad Leader. Those three upgrades are ones that might get broken with the right build.

"I find your lack of Vader disturbing."

FACTION CHANGES: THE EMPIRE

As discussed in the previous post, Admiral Sloane copped a big fat ban. There are also two major groups of card errata's for Empire:

The first errata is the TIE Striker Adaptive ailerons ship ability. It now forces the striker to do a boost before it moves if it is not stressed. - I like this change. Strikers create a lot of annoying bumps which slow the game down. This just means no more aileroning into bumps, obstacles, or off the board edge. You can also still do this boost while holding a box in the Salvage Mission scenario, as it is specifically not a boost action. 

The second errata is the TIE Reaper Adaptive ailerons ship ability, which is now "Controlled Ailerons". Like the striker, it changes the ailerons move to a boost, but it now also makes that move optional. - Reapers were even worse for causing annoying bumps, so this is also welcome. The ailerons move being optional is a big deal. Us Reaper lovers used the red-coordinate action to stress the ship and slow it down, but now you can just opt to not use the ailerons. This is stronger on the higher PS Vermeil, who can respond to PS1-4 enemy moves. I really like this buff, and again this works while towing a box objective.

On the Imperial upgrade front, The Child went up 1pt, Gar went down 2pts, and Migs went down 1pt. The TIE Heavy config that was just randomly 1pt also went down to 0pts in line with most of the other configs in the game. - None of these seem very impactful to me, but maybe I'm missing something. In my experience The Child is arguably better for the opponent than for you, unless you can combo it with something to mitigate/punish shooting at that ship, like: Notorious, Ursa (Rebel Crew), or a ship that can reinforce. Migs is a binder card, even at 4pts, and Gar isn't much better IMO.

It's worth mentioning that the loss of Hull Upgrade, and the increase to Shield Upgrade effects many of the Imperial Pilots, especially the Interceptors. Taking a 3HP, agility 3 ship up to 4HP was a pretty big defensive bump. On the flip-side, the Juke, and Targeting Computer points reductions are positives for the Empire. Lots of Imperial ships don't mind a 1pt Targeting Computer.

So moving on I've listed the straight up nerfs to the Empire's ships. These are ships which went up in points, lost loadout, and/or lost slots:

• Some of the Gunboats
• Gar Saxon. (Gauntlet)
• Zertik, Ved, Maarek, & Generic X1's (TIE x1)
• Goran, Lorrir, Nash, Turr, Vult, & Generic Interceptors. (TIE Interceptors)
• Night Beast, & Scourge (TIE Fighter)
• Lyttan (TIE Heavy)
• Rhymer, & Scimitar (TIE Bomber)
• Pure Sabacc (TIE Striker)

I can't say I have much of an opinion on the non-standard stuff, so I'll just mention them and move on. Some of these changes are technically nerfs, but I don't think they impact the viability of the ships, particularly for Gar, Goran, Nash, Turr, and Vult. If they were good/ok/bad, these nerfs did not change that. The cost increase means Night Beast is about to become very uncommon in Imperial lists, and Scourge was already uncommon, so no change there. I'm not sure what Ved, Maarek, Lorrir, and Lyttan did to the designers to deserve a nerf. They have shifted from ships I might consider, to straight up junk. 

The generic TIE Interceptors, and TIE x1s were the only nerf that I think was (somewhat) deserved. I didn't think much of the Alphas originally, but they proved themselves to be solid (with Goran + Nash support). I never really found it to be super oppressive, just a solid Imperial squad, but obviously AMG disagreed. It is weird to me that Goran escaped a proper nerf and/or errata. He's the one Imperial ship I was certain would take a massive hit this update.

"Wampa, you son of a bitch!"

Next we have the long list of Imperial ship buffs. These ships had their cost, loadout, and/or slots improved:

• Seventh Sister, & Baron (TIE v1)
• Darth Vader (TIE x1)
• All the TIE Reapers
• All the named TIE Defenders
• Gideon Hask, & Soontir (TIE Interceptor)
• Howlrunner, Mauler, Wampa, Del, Gideon Hask, Iden, Moff Gideon, Seyn, & Generic Ties (TIE Fighter)
• Rampage (TIE Heavy)
• Countdown, & Duchess (TIE Striker)
• All the Decimators

The big change for the forces of order is the Empire has gained a whole heap of 2-cost TIEs! Wampa, Valen Rudor, The Academy Pilot, ISB Jingoist, and Black Squadron Aces have all been reduced to 2-cost. This is a big deal, and means the Empire is officially one of two "swarm factions". The Black Squadron Ace in particular stands out, as they have the Talent slot and 2 loadout, so you can spam Disciplined on them. Wampa can also take Disciplined, or Predator (which is my preference).

A bunch of the mid-cost TIEs got shifted down into the 3-cost slot and had their loadout and upgrade slots changed, including: Mauler, Del, Gideon Hask, Iden, Moff Gideon, and Seyn. Iden and Moff Gideon are the two that really stand out, with their excellent pilot abilities, and respectable loadout and upgrade slots. I expect to see a lot of those two in Imperial lists. Gideon Hask and Del also seem solid for the same reasons, but they'll be you 3rd and 4th picks in the Imperial 3-slot. I don't really rate the other 3-cost TIEs.

The other standout is the TIE reapers coming down to the 4-cost slot (in addition to their errata). I think Vizier has the most potential, and provides access to Palpatine Crew. I expect to see quite a bit of Vizier in Imperial lists. Feroph's ability can be really strong, but his available loadout, and slots make building him a bit awkward. Vermeil stayed at 5-cost, but gained some loadout, and is also looking good with his access to Vader crew. Overall it was a really good update for Reaper fans.

The Strikers also got some love. Countdown seems really solid in the 4-slot, and replaces Sabacc as my go-to cheap Striker. Duchess gained 5 loadout, which gives him more flexibility with his build. I like using 4 of those extra points to put Tiber Saxon on him, who likes Duchess's high PS.

The Decimators got some love. They all lost a lot of loadout, in exchange for a cheaper cost (-1 for each pilot). It might not seem like much of a buff losing 6-10 loadout in exchange for a -1 cost, but the decimators have plenty of loadout to equip what they want even with the loss. I think Oicunn was already the standout pilot, and he's now even easier to fit into your squads. 

Finally we have the buffs to Rampage, TIE v1 Baron, Howlrunner, Gideon, Soontir, Seventh Sister. I've lumped these all together, as I don't think they'll really change their viability much. There might be something to Gideon Hask (TIE Interceptor), and Seventh Sister given the right build, but I don't see the other 4 turning up much (RIP Soontir).

What I consider to be the strong Imperial pieces in each slot:

I didn't note this in the last post, but I'm deliberately including at least 1 ship in each slot. I think the Empire's 2, 3, and 4-cost slots are where their strength is, and the 6-cost slot is pretty dead. I'm a little unsure of the higher cost ships, but I think there's some possibilities there.

The Vader-Slot:

• Vader (Defender) w/ [Shattering, Crackshot, HLC, ClusterM, Config / Juke, JammingB, PRocket]. - Defender Vader suffers from a pretty big issue, which is why I suspect AMG has given him such a dramatic drop. The X7 version of Vader is nigh unkillable, but your opponent no longer needs to kill him to win any of the scenarios. If you equip him with Juke, and PRockets, he might have enough punch to offset his 9-cost slot, but that's a lot of work on the dark lord's shoulders with only one spike-damage attack. This is why I feel like he needs to take the config so he can deal the damage he needs to as a 9-coster. Ideally you want him firing the Crackshot-HLC followed by a primary shot to just try and delete ships quickly. The clusters are for when he's shooting at R1, or R2 outside of his bullseye. Shattering is mostly filler, that might be useful once in a while. I could also see switching Crackshot and Shattering for Hate and Predator to have more sustainable force usage. I'm still not convinced Defender Vader is usable in these objective scenarios. 

The 8-Slot: 

• Gar w/ Disciplined, Tail Gunner, Tarkin, Mando Optics, [IonT / 4pt Bomb] Config. - Mando Optics + Tarkin gives you easy system phase, squad-wide locks. You can do the same thing with Hark, but I like Gar's ability to up your offensive punch. You'd want to build your squad around this guy, but he seems solid.

The 7-Slot:

• Vader (X1) w/ Crackshot, PRockets, Afterburners. - As much as I would like to buy Debris Gambit, and/or Shield Upgrade on Vader, I just don't think you can afford to have a 7-cost ship with just a 3-dice primary. Afterburners is non-negotiable, which leaves him with 11pts of loadout. I think Prockets and Crackshot just makes the most sense. Vader's very good at getting bullseye, and can use his offense as defence by PS-killing ships that can target him. A double-modded PRocket + Crackshot should reliably kill most 3-4 HP ships in a single volley. This is the Vader build I'd be running, but I'm not sure if he can do as much as the 2-3 ships you could afford if you left him at home.
• Oicunn w/ Disciplined, Ruthless, Tiber, [7th Sister & Seismic / 7th Sister & Tactical Officer / Palpatine], Title. - Of the 7-cost Decimators, I like Oicunn the most. His pilot ability is really useful when paired with Seventh Sister, and the Dauntless Title. He can block large areas and punish any ship that bumps into him. He discouraging enemies from using the bump red-focus action, or they incur the wrath of the Seventh Sister, and end up tractored. Palpatine is also an option on him for a larger support role.
• Rexler w/ Juke, FCS, HLC. - I think this is a fairly solid X7 build, if you can hit those bullseyes. Unlike more acey ships, you can be quite aggressive with Rexler without fear of losing him easily.
• Vult w/ Ruthless, Predator, FCS, HLC, ClusterM, Config. - I'm less certain on what a good Tie Elite build is (I used to play a lot of TIE/D in 1.0, but the 2.0 version is more fiddly). This is similar to the Vader version above, which I might give a go at a league night. Aim to double-tap something with the HLC + Primary, and quickly eliminate ships. The clusters are for R1, or non bullseye shots. An Ion Cannon, or Tractor Beam could cover all 3 ranges for cheaper, but I don't think you can afford to be capped at 1 damage, but I could see a list built around the tractor.

The Bad-Slot:

• Inquisitor w/ [Outmanoeuvre, ConcussionM / Extreme Manoeuvres, Instinctive Aim, Predator, PRocket]. - I don't think either of the 6-costers are worth taking in Empire, but I had to put something here. Comparing The Inquisitor, and Soontir to other faction's 6-cost pilots is just depressing. 

The 5-Slot:

• Vermeil w/ [Ruthless, Vader, Computer / Ion Overide, Seventh Sister, Hark, Computer]. - Vermeil didn't get the -1 cost that the other Reapers got, but he gained some squad points and still benefited from the Ailerons errata. Vermeil + Vader was an oldy, but a goody. He can dive into R1 of something and consistently push 3-4 damage through in my experience. It's very good at 1-shotting low HP, high agility ships. The Seventh Sister and Hark build is more manoeuvrable, and can still do similar damage, albeit not as consistently.
• Duchess w/ Predator, Ruthless, [Tiber & Shield / Fifth Brother]. - I've always liked Duchess. He is an annoying ace to deal with. I'm not sure he's good value in the 5-cost slot, but he can be quite squirrelly, and Tiber at PS5 is a nice little damage enabler.
• Gideon Hask w/ Disciplined, Predator, Shield, Config. - I'm actually liking the look of Gideon in the Interceptor. The only issue is he shares a name with an excellent TIE Fighter pilot. The question then becomes: Is Gideon in the Interceptor as valuable as Gideon in the TIE Fighter + Wampa/BSA? 
• Seventh Sister w/ Instinctive, Crackshot, Predator, FCS, ConcussionM. - The TIE v1s are probably still too expensive in the 5-slot, but I'm keen to give this a go. They really need to be providing damage for that cost, but this might be enough between Concussions, Crackshot, and 7th Sister's ability.
• Fifth Brother w/ Hate, Predator, HLC. - Ditto above. If you're against a swarm, large ship, or you can consistently hit a bullseye, I think this could be a solid damage dealer.

The 4-Slot:

• Vizier w/ [Palpatine / Seventh Sister & Hark]. - Oh boy, I think we have the clear winner in the 4-cost slot. Having Vizier carrying Palpatine gives you an excellent support ship, with a coordinate and a squad-wide force to modify that key eyeball each turn. The other option is taking Hark and Seventh sister, which gives a focus token when Vizier does one of the many red moves on the Reaper dial (he can still use his pilot ability too). Seventh sister gives a force, but can also be used to jam/tractor ships who gain a stress at R1 (like from a bump red-focus). That's a lot of roles, and uses for a decently tanky 4-cost ship.
• Nash w/ [ClusterM & Computer / Tracers & Baffle], Config. - Nash has lost access to Shield Upgrade, which is a nerf, and he can't really effectively use his 6 loadout. No matter what missile you take, it's going to have some issues. I still think his pilot ability is amazing for the Imperials, and the fact that it works on himself is just icing on the cake. If your list has lots of low PS small-base ships, he's a must include pilot IMO.
• Goran w/ Shield, Config. - Goran can still take Shield Upgrade, but cannot also afford a Talent upgrade. That's fine, his ability was always the draw. He has suffered a hit because of the nerf to Alpha Squadron Pilots, but if your squad is still mostly PS1-3 ships I think he's a great 4-coster.
• Countdown w/ [Crackshot & Ruthless / Disciplined & Predator], Tiber. - I think Countdown is pretty solid in the 4-cost slot. He brings a 3-dice gun and can carry Tiber Saxon to help push damage through. He's also fairly tough and fast for objectives. 

The 3-Slot: 

• Iden w/ [Anything, eg: Disciplined, Ruthless, ClusterM, Computer]. - Iden has so many potential builds I'm not even going to try and list them all. She's the best 3-cost TIE (because of her ability), and as long as you pick a cannon an/or missile, I don't think you can really go wrong with her build-wise. 
• Moff Gideon w/ Disciplined, Ruthless, ClusterM, Computer. - Ditto the above build options for Moff Gideon. He also has an incredibly impactful pilot ability, so I think he's your automatic second 3-cost TIE if you're taking one.
• Del Meeko w/ [Disciplined & HLC / Disciplined & TractorB / Squad Leader & JammingB / IonC]. - I think there's a bunch of builds that can work on Del. Since Iden, and Gideon have the same slots, but better abilities, and loadout, I think Del's your 3rd or 4th choice, unless you make him a support ship with squad leader (Squad Leader & JammingB, which technically Iden can also do). He can coordinate, provides defensive rerolls, and can fire an unmodded 3-dice Jamming Beam at PS4 to try and strip tokens. I think that's decent for a 3-cost ship that can actually make good use of Jamming Beam (how often can you actually say that).
• Gideon Hask w/ [Disciplined, ConcussionM, Computer / Disciplined, Ruthless, ClusterM, Computer / PRockets]. - Something to note is that Gideon's ability does not specify primary attacks, so it does combo with any missiles he fires. I can see all three of these builds being really solid for a 3-cost ship. PRockets is probably my least favourite, because of the unreliability, but their will be the odd game where Gideon gets off a 6-dice PRocket. Concussions or clusters just seem more reliable, and they give you spare points for Disciplined, which also helps you get them off.

The 2-Slot: 

• Wampa w/ [Predator/Disciplined]. - Wampa has always been a solid pilot who will occasionally get 3 attack dice. Personally I prefer Predator over Disciplined. I think he'll often be the first ship targeted (for a PS-kill), so he won't get the benefits of Disciplined, and he already triggers it when he dies. By not giving him Disciplined you encourage your opponent not to shoot at him.
• Black Squadron Ace w/ Disciplined. - Very nasty, especially if Nash is hanging around. This can essentially give you a Howlrunner supported swarm, without any of the positioning drawbacks of Howlrunner. It is worth pointing out that Disciplined is in theory weaker in 2.5, as your squad is more likely to be spread out. I still think this is a great 2-cost ship.
• ISB Jingoist w/ [Any 2-3pt Illicit]. - I like the Jingoists. Their ability makes them really annoying at R1, and they do in fact trigger Disciplined when they die. They've lost access to the Illicit + Notorious combo, but they're a steal at 2pts. I think you can make an argument for pretty much any of the 2-3pt Illicit upgrades on them, and it probably just depends on what you need to complement the rest of your list.

I think the changes to the Empire are pretty positive, though I don't know if the generic Interceptors deserved the nerf they got. Nerfing Goran, and maybe removing their 2 loadout seems like a more reasonable change IMO, but I'm not the designers. There's some nice buffs for the Empire here, which is (at least in my opinion) guiding them more towards swarm, and mini-swarm builds. 

I am looking forward to returning to my roots and playing an 8 TIE-swarm again:

4 Nash w/ ClusterM, Computer, Sensitive.

3 Moff Gideon w/ Disciplined, Tracers, Computer.

3 Iden w/ Disciplined, Ruthless, Tracers, Computer.

2 ISB w/ Cloak.

2 BSA w/ Disciplined.

2 BSA w/ Disciplined.

2 BSA w/ Disciplined.

2 Wampa w/ Predator. 

First Impressions: X-wing 2.5 Update Part 1: Scenarios, Rules, Bans, and Rebels.

"Republic took some hits, but fear not, because in exchange AMG gave them... Cheaper Oddball?!"

Scenario Changes:

Assault at the Satellite Array:

• Scoring begins in the second round. - I'm ok with this change. It gives squads a turn to get into position, while still keeping the game moving forward. This change might give aces a boost, as they now have an extra move to set up a flank.

Chance Engagement:

• Scoring begins in the second round.
• You get 1 VP a turn if you have at least 1 ship at range 0-2 of the central objective. You get an extra 1 VP if your opponent also does not have at least 1 ship at range 0-2 of the central objective. - I like it. In my experience this mission goes to time a lot, so this just works to keep the game moving forward. Realistically you're now scoring to ~15 points to win, with the rest of your VPs coming from this.

Salvage Mission:

• Scoring begins in the second round, and you can only pick up boxes after the first turn. - This sorta changes where you want to place the boxes, as you can't just grab them first turn and take them with you. They need to be on the way to the engagement, so you can grab them turn 2.
• While you hold a box, you can execute advanced manoeuvres. - Sure sounds fine.
• While you hold a box, you can't perform barrel roll actions, boost actions, cloak actions, SLAM actions, or have a cloak token. - I'm fine with this. No more being able to grab a box and just run away all game. Note: Their are still a few ways you can reposition with a box, as it specifies actions (Eg: Young Anakin's "spin", Striker/Reaper's errata'd ailerons, and tractor moves on that Separatist needle ship). 

Scramble the Transmissions:

• Scoring begins in the second round, and you can only tag satellites after the first turn.
• There are now only 3 satellites. - I feel like this change would have made more sense in Assault at the Satellite Array. Scrabble was always the mission that could snowball the fastest. If you had a ship advantage, you could cap a bunch of objectives, and then deny your opponent the chance to flip them back by blocking, killing, and/or controlling their ships. This would then snowball you into a pretty quick win. That could be frustrating, but isn't the point of these scenarios to have them favour different kinds of squads? This just seemed like the one that encouraged numbers.
• There's no more failures, when tagging the satellites. - I actually liked this not being a sure thing, but I understand why they changed this. Ideally they'd have this mechanic designed to occasionally throw a spanner in the works, without having the potential for you to fail 2-3 of these in a row. Removing the chance to fail was the easiest solution I suppose.

"AMG is altering the rules..."

General Rules Changes:

• You can't use force to mod Range 0 attacks. - Love it. GTFO jedis. No one likes you. 
• When you're ionized, you break all your locks, and can't maintain any (note: enemies do not break their locks on you, and can still lock you). You now still set a dial, which is used to determine  if you do a forward, left bank, or right bank ion move. Also, you can now be unionized before you engage, in which case you activate as normal. - Again the designers are trying to remove the "feels bad" aspects of X-wing. Getting ionized and forced to 1-forward onto an asteroid is pretty frustrating (I once ionized an almost full HP decimator off the board to win a store championship back in the 1.0 era). My overall impression is that the designers want to minimise the control aspects of the game, where you are stopping and/or influencing the moves your opponent makes. There's quite a bit of evidence for this: Sloane, Pyre, Sabine, and Trajectory bans; these ion changes; red-focus on bumps; no longer being able to tractor opponents onto rocks.
• Before a ship moves, if it is overlapping an obstacle, it does not suffer the effects of moving through that obstacle. - This makes obstacles a little less deadly, and helps to mitigate some of the "feels bad" of landing on a rock and then knowing you'll have to go through it again the next turn. Your opponent can still block you on the obstacle to ruin your day.

Added to the banned list (RIP the fallen):

1. Admiral Sloane (Imperial Crew)
2. Autoblasters (Generic Cannon)
3. Commander Pyre (First Order Crew)
4. Hull Upgrade (Generic Mod)
5. R2 Astromech (Generic Droid) 
6. R5 Astromech (Generic Droid) 
7. Sabine Wren (Rebel Crew)
8. Trajectory Simulator (Generic Sensor)

Trajectory and Sabine being banned seem to be direct reactions to the B-wing bomber lists. I'm not sure if it was such an OP archetype that it needed these bans, but bombs have always had the potential to be negative play experiences, so AMG doing away with this is understandable. 

Speaking of negative play experiences, the next bans are Sloane, and Pyre. They're both good crew, who can be a pain to play against. Again, it seems AMG is removing a negative play experience, rather than overpowered cards. Sloane was also arguably about to get a lot better with the changes to Imperial 2-costers, especially with those Disciplined Black Squadron Pilots. Her ban could also be pre-emptively avoiding that archetype becoming oppressive.

I haven't seen much R2, and R5 astromech recently. It seems to me the intention of these two bans is to remove generic regen and keep the mechanic restricted. This seems like more nerfs to Republic, who could make the best use of these cards. I am ok with that.

Autoblasters and Hull upgrade being banned are two which I agree with. Hull was really efficient on agility 2+ ships, and was too functionally similar to shield to warrant it's existence. It also caused weird interactions which shield avoids, like with Tel Trevura. Autoblasters were just too good, especially on ships like the ETA, and Boba who can reliably get 3+ crits. It was also pretty brutal to be on the receiving end of one in Salvage Mission.

Hobbie is dead, long live Hobbie!

FACTION CHANGES: THE REBEL ALLIANCE:

First up for Rebels we have a card errata.

Basically Ursa Wren (Rebel Crew) now only triggers when enemies TL her. - This is another change which sounds good to me. I've written about Ursa in other blog posts, but I'll restate: Ursa Wren crew supported by another ship with R3-astro was a silly combo, which I enjoyed abusing. The R3 jig is now up, though Ursa Wren is still best buddies with The Child.

The Rebels no longer have any 2-cost ships! This is good for balance, as Hobbie was undoubtedly the best 2-coster in the game (fight me!), and Blount was pretty darn good too. Hobbie is now a very reasonable 3-coster with 6 loadout, a missile, and an EPT slot. Scratch that, Hobbie is still amazing. Concussion Missiles, Config, and your choice of 1pt talent and he's all set to do your dirty objective work, and throw a missile at the odd enemy. On the flipside, Blount now seems pretty trash when you compare him to Airen Cracken.

The loss of hull upgrade is a pretty big deal for Rebels. The X-wings in particular really benefitted from going up to 7HP for cheap. Shield is still an option, but I think it's too expensive for everyone except maybe Luke. The increase in afterburners also impacts pilots like Luke and Wedge who liked to supplement their manoeuvrability. The only Rebel specific upgrade change of note is Baze Malbus going up by 2 points. This is understandable given how he interacts with the red-focus from bumping. I think Baze is still great at 5 points on a Falcon with Bistan gunner.

Now we have the (IMO) straight up nerfs to the Rebels. These are ships which went up in points. lost loadout, and/or lost slots: 

• The named B-wings
• Ibtisam (ARC-170)
• Generic A-wings
• Hobbie, Shara, & Sabine (A-wing)
• Thane, Jek, & Wedge (X-wing)
• Non-Fenn sheathipedes
• Generic X-wings
• Ezra (TIE/ln)
• Blount (Headhunter)

As discussed, Hobbie is still excellent, and he replaces Shara in the 3-slot. Of this list I think Ten Numb is the other one least effected. He can still shoot a double modded Proton Torpedo unassisted, so he's good in my books. The other named B-wings seem situational at best since they've lost their bomb-flinging combo. All the previously 4-cost, 3 red dice ships that went up to 5-cost seem underwhelming at that cost. Wedge lost 2 loadout, and some of his kit has become more expensive, but I think he's still ok. Ezra can no longer equip Leia, which seems like a pretty big nerf to him.

"Luke, you son of a bitch!"

Next we have the gains. These ships had their cost, loadout, and/or slots improved:

• Named Fangs
• Dutch (Y-wing)
• Han, Lando, & Leia (YT-1300)
• Ahsoka, Arvel & Wedge (A-wing)
• Fenn (sheathipede)
• Biggs, Edrio, Garven, Kullbee, Leevan, & Luke (X-wing)
• Zeb (TIE)
• Saw (U-wing)
• Named Ghosts

I can't say I think too much of the Fangs, even with these buffs. The one that gets free locks at R1 seems ok, but I don't think I could justify bringing one over something reliable like Ten Numb. These expensive, fragile, ace-style ships aren't in vogue at the moment. Compare Fenn to the newly reduced Luke (Tanky + Double-modded Proton), and Fenn really comes up short.

There were some minor buffs to some of the A-wings. Arvel has lost access to a Shield Upgrade, but can now take Predator + Crackshot to really punish enemies at range zero. I still think Hobbie is better, but it's an option. Wedge gained a missile slot, which doesn't synergies with his pilot ability (options are nice I guess). Ahsoka still seems steep at 5-cost, especially when you compare her to the Republic Jedi. She can take concussions though, so maybe she's worth it. 

The named Falcons were already pretty solid (I'm a big fan of Chewie), so the 1-cost discount will probably mean we see more despite the Ursa nerf. Even without Ursa Wren crew, the Bistan, + Baze combo is pretty great on the Falcon. Ursa might find a place on the newly buffed named Ghosts like Kallus or Kanan. They compete with the Falcons though, and I don't think they come out on top.

The Rebel support ships got a real shakeup. Zeb in the TIE fighter has usurped TIE-Ezra, and AP5 as the Rebel's cheap Leia carrier. I think I'd still prefer to find the one point to instead bring the newly 4-cost Fenn (sheathipede) with R4, and Leia. That's a pretty solid Leia carrier, which can coordinate/jam a ship, and also nerf an enemy ship's ability to use tokens on offense. His ability can really shut down a ship like Poe, who relies on his tokens for offense. Saw's straight up buff means if you're taking a U-wing, I think Saw is the easy choice.

Finally, Dutch can now take a torpedo. A fluff win, which also seems good game-wise. A 4-coster with a 4-dice attack and a support ability seems really good.

What I consider to be the strong Rebel pieces:

The 8-Slot: 

• Lando w/ Bistan, The Child, Ursa, Title. - Is the Child + Ursa + Bistan the new Rebel combo? It seems pretty decent, and Lando can focus + evade to blunt enemy fire. Leia can also do this build, but I like it better on Lando.
• Kanan w/ Compassion, DorsalT, Agile, The Child, Ursa, Title. - You could also switch Dorsal + Agile for an Ion Cannon Turret. I think this might be one of the better uses for The Child + Ursa, as Kanan can reinforce to blunt any attacks against him, or protect his squad mates if they get targeted.
• Han w/ Notorious, Bistan, Baze, Zeb, Cargo, Title. - I think Chewie at 7-cost does this better, but Han has his benefits (rerolls and a useful illicit).

The 7-Slot:

• Chewbacca w/ Notorious, Bistan, Baze, Zeb, Deadmans, Title. - I've flown this, and it's pretty solid. Throw Chewie in the mix, and he'll do a heap of damage before eventually dying, or disengaging to cap objectives.
• Kallus w/ Crackshot, The Child, Ursa, Title. - Again a Child + Ursa combo. Chopper, and Ezra in the Gauntlet can do a similar build, but Kallus actually mitigates some of The Child's negative. You get a green die if they mod their attack against Kallus, so those locks against him are buffing his agility. Pair him with Fenn to blunt 1-2 attacks, and he looks pretty scary throwing out 4-5 double-modded shots.

The Luke-Slot:

• Luke w/ Predator, ProtonT, Shield, Servos. - Luke at 6-cost is quite good, basically because he can throw a double-modded Proton Torpedo at PS5, while being decently tanky, and he can do all that on his own. You could do R5D8 + Instinctive instead of the shield, or even just take R2D2. I just value the straight up +1HP in these shorter games, rather than the chance for 2-3 extra HP. Dropping shield + predator for afterburners is also an option, but predator is really good on Luke.

The 5-Slot:

• Ten Numb w/ [Predator/Selfless/Elusive], ProtonT, JammingB, Servos. - In my experience he's a very solid ship. He does like to have Leia support, but what Rebel ship doesn't?
• Garven w/ Predator, R4, ProtonT, Servos. - Garven needs a support ship (Airen or Fenn) to give him a second action, but I think he's looking pretty solid. 
• Saw w/ Notorious, Leia, K2S0, Cybernetics, Pivot. - Seems like the go-to support U-wing. I could see an argument for Benthic too. All 4 of his upgrade cards are A-tier, and his pilot ability is also pretty solid, so I think he's a good pick in this slot, but might be competing with Fenn as your support option.

The 4-Slot:

• Fenn w/ R4, Leia. - Might be the new Rebel go-to support ship. Between Leia, coordinate/jam action, and Fenn's debuff, it seems like a lot of value for a 4-coster.
• Kullbee w/ [Predator/Notorious], R4, Cybernetics, Servos. - Loved him before, and now Kullbee gain a loadout. I can confirm that Predator + R4 + Cybernetics is really good, but I'm yet to try out Notorious.
• Leevan w/ Crackshot, R4, Cybernetics, Servos. - Like Kullbee, but slightly worse. He's still a 4-cost tanky hitter, so he's your 2nd X-wing after Kullbee.
• Edrio w/ [???], Servos. - Can do PRockets, or Cybernetics, but unfortunately not both. I'd only do PRockets if you can get a second action from somewhere (Fenn, Airen, Dutch, Garven, etc). I think he's your 3rd pick if you're after a cheap X-wing.
• Y-wing w/ ProtonT + extra. - Dutch can now take a torpedo for a cheap 4-dice ship. He does need support to get it off consistently (Fenn or Airen), but I think this is good.

The 3-Slot: 

• Hobbie w/ [1pt Talent], Concussion Missiles. - Hobbie suffered a nerf, but now that the Rebels have no 2-costers, he's your best objective runner. The A-wing chassis is just phenomenal in the objective games, and now he contributes even more with a reliable 3rd attack dice.
• Zeb w/ Leia, Computer. - The cheapest Leia carrier. He runs your objectives, blocks, and might chip a damage on occasion, and that's really better than most TIE fighters.
• Airen w/ Crackshot, IonT, FCS. - A really nice support ship. His ability to give locks in the engagement phase is not to be underestimated (screw you Goran!). As I've noted before, he pairs really well with Ten Numb. You could also just give him Squad Leader, or even Snapshot to lean more heavily into the support role.

Overall I think the changes to the Rebels are pretty good, and addressed some of the more egregious balance issues in the faction (Ursa, bomb-flinging B-wings, and Hobbie). AMG's balancing is a little baffling at times, and I think it would just make more sense to remove the generic pilots if they're not going to make them a viable option (show us on the doll where the generic X-wings hurt you). There's some nice buffs too, which seems to be pushing rebels to 4-5 ship builds. 

I will be trying this lists out at some point in the future:

4 Fenn w/ R2, Leia.

5 Garven w/ Predator, R2, ProtonT, Servos.

4 Kullbee w/ Notorious, R2, Cybernetics, Servos.

4 Dutch w/ ProtonT.

3 Hobbie w/ Marksman, ConcussionM, Cannons.