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!