Hey everyone! When we were all speculating over the possibility and eventual reveal of Rebel Aces. As a Rebel player I'm more than excited over the many new choices and options of the new pack, I'm especially happy that A-Wings can absolutely demolish and provide even more flexibility than it could before. Chardaan Refit and A-Wing Test Pilot are phenomenal upgrades that make the interceptors live up to their hit and run reputations. The repaint is really cool, and although the blue prototype scheme isn't my favorite (I'm a sucker for red and green ones) it is a huge selling point for me. I'm actually so stoked for this that I'm even willing to proxy the cards, which is something I've yet to do up until this point.

...And then I found out it came out with a Dagger Squadron B-Wing. Um. No Grey Y-Wing? What?

Now, I love the B-Wing: it's tough, has lots of firepower and although slow it can cut through the enemy like a hot knife. That said... it didn't exactly need more help, did it? Systems upgrades are probably one of the best upgrade types in the entire game, and they have CANNONS for crying out loud. Now they can use crew slots, and although I like the repaint and the prospects of the new pilots and all I'm still a little... surprised.

In a game that seems to have given the B-Wing just so many advantages, why are the Y-Wings still lagging behind with the same things they've had since wave 1? With the exceptions of the Blaster Turret and some very interesting astromech combinations that are going to pop up with the release of the E-Wing and Medium Transport. I'm not saying that Y-Wings perform poorly, or that they won't have their place, but I feel that since they are somewhat left behind alongside the variety of releases that give new pilots and expansive combinations that nearly every other ship of the Rebel fleet will get to enjoy.

Just my two cents, but I'm very curious to hear if people feel the same sort of... I don't know, disappointment? I suppose that isn't the word I want, but it's like something is really missing for one of the better known ships in this game that's somewhat neglected.

Based on the fact that the Y-Wing and TIE/Advanced just went into "Reprint" status, and that FFG has six yet-to-be-revealed products between the Tantive IV and the Rebel Aces pack (going by their product codes), I'm guessing that a TIE/Ad and a Y-Wing upgrade is underway along with four ships for a Wave 5 group too. I may be reading *WAY* too much into it, but the TIE/In and the B- and A-Wings both did this too before their respective Aces packs were released.

But that's just my own wild speculation.

the current incarnation of the Y-Wing we have is the BTL-S3 where the crew/co-pilot/gunner is displayed by the 360-Turret.

what I would like is to be allowed to change the Turret slot to a Cannon Slot for 0 pts; Simulating a BTL-A4 with a fixed Ion Cannon instead of a Turret. I would think it would be a fair trade losing the 360 ability for 2pts wiggle room.

And the Y-Wing isn't being Neglected. the best example I can think of is...

Would you rather be Piloting a Hawker Hurricane or a Supermarine Spitefire ? *Hint* the Y-Wing's the Hurricane.

Horton Salm's pretty much married to the Y-Wing if you look into his backstory. And how efficient it is in his hands is evident of how he also plays out in game. you can configure him in almost any way and he will perform as great as you can expect a ship to be for the amount of points paid. AND that's without a default EPT!

If you want to love the Y-Wing more channel Horton Salm's respect for the ship. It's a tireless workhorse that can be kitted to perform any mission. Even Space Superiority, but it requires allot of effort, good tactics, and teamwork between Y-Wings.

I'd rather Pilot a Spitefire. but I know the Hurricane is an unsung hero to some.

I think to maybe sell more packs? The b-wing is a staple in alot of rebel players lists and sees way more tournament time than a-wings. Again this is all speculation and I love the a-wing and will be buying it just for the a-wing but I think the a-wing is still going to run into the problem of having a hard time finishing matches. 2 attack dice ships seem to have a tough time in tournaments unless it's a swarm. Very excited for these new options as an a-wing player I know I'll be working on integrating tnastye into my competitive lists.

as for the y-wings, they are a very solid ship. I wouldn't say they particularly outshine anything but they gey there job done. They are great ion platforms which in my opinion is there primary role and with all the new stress inducing effects coming soon ion will hurt way more. They do a very good job at carrying ordinance and supporting the squad with TL's ala Dutch but I feel that the ordinance job will be going to the z95s soon. On the other hand having a ship that can ion then get in range for an APT is nasty!

Another reason i believe we didn't get the y-wing in aces is because everytime an astromech and torpedo comes out the y-wing is also upgraded. I would have loved to see keyan as a y-wing pilot because he survived the first death star. I don't see any glaring things the y-wings are totally missing. Ept? We've managed so far without one and will be getting an astro for it. Crew? Would definitely be interesting and change alot of builds.

Will we ever see an aces y-wing? I believe we will and it will most likely be packaged with a hwk-290. Both ships benefit from turretsand I imagine it will have 2 new turrets 1 for long range and 1 for close range. I bet we also see a new title that grants it crew slot and comes with crew for both it and the hwk.

There's a discussion underway in this thread:

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/102216-how-does-one-use-the-y-wing-nowadays/

But basically what lvlerlin just said. It's a workhorse. Torpedoes are solid, turrets are solid, R2 and R5 Astromechs are always useful. And the Munitions Failsafe in the Z-95 pack does more for the Y-Wing than any other ship, as it's got the durability and paired ordnance slots to make best use of the upgrade.

And the Munitions Failsafe in the Z-95 pack does more for the Y-Wing than any other ship, as it's got the durability and paired ordnance slots to make best use of the upgrade.

This cannot be understated! That upgrade - for *one point* - does a TREMENDOUS job making twin-torpedo Y-Wing builds more viable than they ever have been, before.

No doubt we're going to see a Y-wing aces pack. Curious if it will be paired with another ship. What might be really cool is to sell the Y-wing ace along with the Advanced ace. Something for both sides in one expansion!

Yeah.

If I were FFG, that's how I'd handle it. Y-wing + TIE Advanced pack.

I'd rather fly a workhorse than a show pony!

Battle of Yavin Aces - Y-wing + TIE/x1

something both the Empire and Alliance would love to see... and as I've mentioned in a different thread IT would make a great addition to the Core Set as a "Gift" when packaged together for the new guys

Just read the full Z-95 preview, so my original instincts were correct in assuming the two old ship types would work together well. This is awesome . I think we'll be seeing quite a few lists that involve Horton with Munitions Failsafe with both a normal and flechette torpedo. What's cool about this is that not only can Horton use 3 and 4 dice attacks at range 2-3 with his special ability, but he can keep using his flechette torpedoes to simply stress his enemies until it actually hits. The natural pairing for him would be an R5 unit to keep crits from ruining his special weapons.

Another cool thing I forgot to mention: Y-Wings are simply immune to the stress of flechettes, which the B-Wing cannot say without the Hull Upgrade card.

As a total coincidence, a Gold Squadron Pilot with an Ion turret, a Flechette Torpedo, and Munitions Failsafe comes to 25 points.

I for one welcome our new stressed & ionized B-wing overlords.

Edit: Woops, no it doesn't

Battle of Yavin Aces - Y-wing + TIE/x1

something both the Empire and Alliance would love to see... and as I've mentioned in a different thread IT would make a great addition to the Core Set as a "Gift" when packaged together for the new guys

Yup, discussed over yonder .

My personal desire for that pack would be that it would bring us (with just the core set + that one expansion) the ability to have a meaningful 'Death Star Trench Run' scenario. Cardboard tokens for turrets and thermal exhaust ports, oh my!

Y-wings are fantastic. I love running my boy, Horton Salami, with a blaster turret and two protons. Turrets themselves make y-wings worth it. It's very difficult to block a y-wing with a turret so they can chase you all day long and you can still shoot at them. They're also insanely difficult to kill in one turn by most things so they are likely to get the proton off at least

Just ran Horton, Proton x 2, BT WITH 3 rookie x-wings and had a blast. I'd even take that list to a tournament. You either deal with Horton and eat 9-12 attack dice from the x-wig formation or Horton does bad things at range 2-3 until his ordinance is spent.

I used to hate hate y-wings but not any longer...

the current incarnation of the Y-Wing we have is the BTL-S3 where the crew/co-pilot/gunner is displayed by the 360-Turret.

what I would like is to be allowed to change the Turret slot to a Cannon Slot for 0 pts; Simulating a BTL-A4 with a fixed Ion Cannon instead of a Turret. I would think it would be a fair trade losing the 360 ability for 2pts wiggle room.

And the Y-Wing isn't being Neglected. the best example I can think of is...

Would you rather be Piloting a Hawker Hurricane or a Supermarine Spitefire ? *Hint* the Y-Wing's the Hurricane.

Horton Salm's pretty much married to the Y-Wing if you look into his backstory. And how efficient it is in his hands is evident of how he also plays out in game. you can configure him in almost any way and he will perform as great as you can expect a ship to be for the amount of points paid. AND that's without a default EPT!

If you want to love the Y-Wing more channel Horton Salm's respect for the ship. It's a tireless workhorse that can be kitted to perform any mission. Even Space Superiority, but it requires allot of effort, good tactics, and teamwork between Y-Wings.

I'd rather Pilot a Spitefire. but I know the Hurricane is an unsung hero to some.

I'm pretty sure Horton's squadron eventually switched to B-Wings. I can hope to get Horton's text on a B-Wing, right? Still love the Y-Wing though.

The carnage wrought by Horton behind an HLC sends shivers down my spine. The question is are they shivers of fright or ecstacy?? Hard to tell at the moment

From what I understand at Endor, Grey Squadron was a mix of Y and B-Wing fighters, with Horton in the Y-Wing of course. They were in essence on both fighter screening duty but given the two craft they'd likely be dealing with all those Star Destroyers.

Now, I love the B-Wing: it's tough, has lots of firepower and although slow it can cut through the enemy like a hot knife. That said... it didn't exactly need more help, did it?

It really did. The generic B-wings are awesome, but the character B-wings have been seeing very little use because their power doesn't justify their incredibly high point costs. That makes them a good choice for an aces expansion, introduce a couple awesome new high-end pilots on a ship that's already good enough to guarantee they won't be a complete failure. The Y-wing might need some help, but it probably needs some fundamental changes beyond just a new pilot and will still be a support ship instead of a dogfighter.

Anyway, instead of a Y-wing "aces" expansion we just need a title card: "Salm is actually a good pilot: add the EPT symbol to your upgrade bar. You may only take this card if your PS is 8 or higher." In fact, we don't even need a whole new product, just post a picture of the card for everyone to print and use.

Now, I love the B-Wing: it's tough, has lots of firepower and although slow it can cut through the enemy like a hot knife. That said... it didn't exactly need more help, did it?

It really did. The generic B-wings are awesome, but the character B-wings have been seeing very little use because their power doesn't justify their incredibly high point costs. That makes them a good choice for an aces expansion, introduce a couple awesome new high-end pilots on a ship that's already good enough to guarantee they won't be a complete failure. The Y-wing might need some help, but it probably needs some fundamental changes beyond just a new pilot and will still be a support ship instead of a dogfighter.

Anyway, instead of a Y-wing "aces" expansion we just need a title card: "Salm is actually a good pilot: add the EPT symbol to your upgrade bar. You may only take this card if your PS is 8 or higher." In fact, we don't even need a whole new product, just post a picture of the card for everyone to print and use.

I think the beauty of Horton Salami is that he doesn't really need the EPT. Especially for protons which are usually his soup of the day. If you want to run PTL you could always slap that new droid on there.

Actually, R2-D6 raises a good conundrum: what EPT would actually make Horton (or Dutch) work better than he already does? Obviously the weaknesses of the Y-Wing are it's 1 defense die and 2 natural attack dice. Since you can easily cover up the weakness of it's somewhat underwhelming movement with the (awesome) option of turrets, and there aren't really many good defensive upgrade cards yet, boosting attack is the obvious option.

This is where things get easy: since Y-Wings either go slowly or just don't really have any problems being in weird positions with turrets, throwing on Opportunist seems like a really key choice. Why? Because it'll add an attack die to whatever attack you're throwing at the enemy. There's two or three ways we could make this work with Horton, but I'll choose the natural synergy of "Dutch" Vander.

Horton Salm: 25

-Ion Turret 5 (Though Blaster Turret actually works just as well for this build!)

-Proton Torpedo 4

-R2-D6 1

-Opportunist 4

39 Points

"Dutch" Vander: 23

-Ion Turret 5

-R5-K6 2

30

Which leaves you with 31 (or 32) points to play around with for the rest of the squad. Horton and Dutch in essence do what they do best. Option 2 requires a Z-95...

Horton as above, 38 Points

Airen Cracken: 19

-Shield Upgrade 4

-Wingman 2

This is a more budget conscious choice, and the Shield Upgrade is there to give some much needed extra defenses to Cracken's weak little Z-95 which will be blown away quickly without it. Of course there are alternatives, but the idea is to make the most of Horton's strong attacks to make them even better. I'd also suggest Wes Janson for this build since he also has PS8 and eliminates the tokens that would make Horton's ability to use Opportunist a bit more tricky.

I want to like Opportunist, but I'm not sure an argument could ever be made that it is better than PtL. With PtL you get an extra action. So you could TL and Focus in one round. Which is better than just one or the other and a 4th die. I think Opportunist would be more attractive if the cost was cut down to 2 points. Then it would be a discount PtL.

the current incarnation of the Y-Wing we have is the BTL-S3 where the crew/co-pilot/gunner is displayed by the 360-Turret.

what I would like is to be allowed to change the Turret slot to a Cannon Slot for 0 pts; Simulating a BTL-A4 with a fixed Ion Cannon instead of a Turret. I would think it would be a fair trade losing the 360 ability for 2pts wiggle room.

And the Y-Wing isn't being Neglected. the best example I can think of is...

Would you rather be Piloting a Hawker Hurricane or a Supermarine Spitefire ? *Hint* the Y-Wing's the Hurricane.

Horton Salm's pretty much married to the Y-Wing if you look into his backstory. And how efficient it is in his hands is evident of how he also plays out in game. you can configure him in almost any way and he will perform as great as you can expect a ship to be for the amount of points paid. AND that's without a default EPT!

If you want to love the Y-Wing more channel Horton Salm's respect for the ship. It's a tireless workhorse that can be kitted to perform any mission. Even Space Superiority, but it requires allot of effort, good tactics, and teamwork between Y-Wings.

I'd rather Pilot a Spitefire. but I know the Hurricane is an unsung hero to some.

Hurricane? Spitfire? I'd rather take a bunch of Bf109s. No, wait, the ME262 ... or better the Go229?