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.