The shenanigans that the new a-wing will have is astounding. Here is what I came up with.

GSP+Prototype Test Pilot+Chardaan Refit+Predator+Swarm Tactics×2

Dagger Squadron Pilot +Advanced Sensors

Tycho Chelchu+PTL+Swarm Tactics+Chardaan Refit+Test Pilot.

I realize it's a low hp 4 ship build, so never will see play, but the sheer magnitude of stunts you can pull off with A-wings in the future is staggering. Just wondering what other combos everyone have found (Besides spam Wingman) to potentially break this tiny fighter?

I think running Swarm Tactics ruins what makes the A-Wing so great, IMO: it's mobility. You'll want to play As kind of like Squints, flying them every which way, not keeping them in formation.

It seems like Jake, ticked out GSP's, and Tycho will make appearances but 2+ fitted swings seems inefficient. 1 yes, 2 seems expensive.

Refit Green w/ test pilot, veteran instincts & PTL(or Predator or Outmaneuver) - 21pts

For the cost of a rookie you get a faster, nimbler mid-skill ship that still has some bite to it

Refit Green w/ test pilot, predator & outmaneuver (or predator & opportunist) - 23(or 24)pts

Aggressive flanker. Looking forward to these the most.

Green w/ test pilot, veteran instincts, PTL (or predator) & assault missile - 28pts

Anti Biggs unit, you must lose init to secure TL. PTL version is probably better performance post-launch, but I like Predator because it opens up the white on the dial. Sometimes you want a 1 turn, and cant thanks to PTL stress.

Green w/ test pilot, veteran instincts, deadeye, ion pulse missile & munition failsafe - 25pts

Stun a target of opportunity, or use up a good AG roll and try again later. PS5 so likely to get a shot off before most return fire comes your way.

Refit Green w/ test pilot, veteran instincts & squad leader - 20pts

cheap support ship for low skill heavy guns, like blues w/ HLCs, rookies, etc.

oops, forgot about Billy the Bullet Magnet...

Refit Green w/ test pilot, draw their fire & determination - 19pts (18 w/ DTF only)

cheap crit sponge to help Biggs if you'd rather put the points from Luke w/ DFT & R2-D2 elsewhere.

Green Squadron Pilot with a-wing test pilot, outmaneuver, predator, chardaan refit and a stealth device.

Or

Green Squardon Pilot with a-wing test pilot, chardan refit, push the limit, wingman and stealth device f

How about

1 x Prototype (Chardan)

4 x Green with Chardan and VI + (2 with PTL, 1 with Predator, 1 with outmaneuver)

1 blocker and 4 ships on PS5 with skills. Could be fun.

How about full swarm tactics:

5 refit prototypes

Refit Jake with wingman

??

oops, forgot about Billy the Bullet Magnet...

Refit Green w/ test pilot, draw their fire & determination - 19pts (18 w/ DTF only)

cheap crit sponge to help Biggs if you'd rather put the points from Luke w/ DFT & R2-D2 elsewhere.

Determination really isn't worth it which means you could use DTF now. The reason I'm saying Determination isn't good is simply because you will not know what kind of [crit] you are absorbing until you do it. It may be 18 points compared to the 33 points of Luke+R2D2+DTF but Luke may be more likely to be in the "right" spot and will likely absorb a lot more crits.

I currently have 4 a-wings and plan of getting two Rebel aces, so personally I will be limited to 4 refits. I am kind of bummed that the math does not work to have 4 refitted and then 2 with (real) missiles.

I will likely run this
1 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)
2 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)
3 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)
4 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)
5 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Ion Pulse Missiles (3)
6 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Ion Pulse Missiles (3)

Maybe I should just sell one of my A-wings and B-wings now and invest in another Rebel aces...

edit: I forgot about the title.. hmmm...

Anybody know how an Green A-Wing with PTL and Predator (23 Points) stacks up to an a Rookie X-Wing (21 points) in firepower and surviveability? Just wondering if I have a new go to ship.

I currently have 4 a-wings and plan of getting two Rebel aces, so personally I will be limited to 4 refits. I am kind of bummed that the math does not work to have 4 refitted and then 2 with (real) missiles.

I will likely run this

1 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)

2 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)

3 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)

4 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Chardaan Refit (-2)

5 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Ion Pulse Missiles (3)

6 • Prototype Pilot - A-wing (17) - Ion Pulse Missiles (3)

Maybe I should just sell one of my A-wings and B-wings now and invest in another Rebel aces...

edit: I forgot about the title.. hmmm...

I fly a lot of A-wings too.

As cool as it looks on paper, I am confident that 6x Prototype is going to be to absolutely terrible in real-world play.

The advantages the A-wing brings aren't suited to a swarm, or to pilot skill 1. You really want your A-wing squadron moving 2nd - you want to be able to target lock them or boost out of arc.

Anybody know how an Green A-Wing with PTL and Predator (23 Points) stacks up to an a Rookie X-Wing (21 points) in firepower and surviveability? Just wondering if I have a new go to ship.

Remember that Predator only works if they have a PS less than the attracker. Not great on a green against most current lists.

Let's say for now that you use the PTL to F+TL, and then Outmaneuver reduces agility by 1. Meanwhile the X wing is shooting with a F. All of this at R2. Defender does not have an action since someone with a higher PS stripped any tokens already.

Against a 3agi ship, the A wing will do 1.14 damage. The X will do 1.22 damage. Against 2 agility, A = 1.50, X = 1.53. 1 agi, A = 1.88, X = 1.88... For S+G, against 4agi, A = .84, X = .95, 5agi A = .61 X = .72, and 6 agi A = .43, X = .54... So, the X always does more damage (except 1 agi where it's equal), but never greater than .11 damage more.

Lets now look at R1... and we'll do it in order now... 1 Agi: A = 2.81, X = 2.63. 2 Agi: A = 2.44, X = 2.26, 3 Agi: A = 2.06, X = 1.91, 4 Agi: A = 1.70, X = 1.58, 5 Agi: A = 1.36, X = 1.29... So the A always does more damage at R1, from .18 down to .07 more. One could argue that the engagements (after the first round) are typically a mix of R1+R2, so the A could do damage comparable to the X wing.

Defensively, an A wing is (on average) harder to kill than an X wing. Regardless of who is attacking or what actions they have. The exception obviously being an Auto blaster since the A has 1 hull less than the X wing.

Finally, while the A wing dial is better, in order to pump the same damage, we used PTL every turn, so it's really only 2T, 2B, 2S, 3S, 4S, 5S, compared to the X wing's everything but 1T and 5S. The X wing also has a K turn available. But the A wing doesn't have to use PTL every turn, so it's possible to use the overall wider dial when it is selectively needed. In addition, PTL can be used to turtle via F+E, making it even more challenging to kill than it already was. And the A has the benefit of the boost action. Given for 23 points, you could also have had a Red Squadron Pilot, so it does lose 1 PS, which makes it vulnerable to other Reds/Daggers that are currently swarming the game mats.

Edit: Realized I confused Predator and Outmaneuver... so all of this math is for Outmaneuver not Predator. Predator w/ PTL is kinda redundant for offensive punch. But without facts to support my claim, I'm going to go ahead and say that a single die reroll does not make it a better ship than an X wing... Especially since the X wing will roll 2.25 hits with a Focus, and even with a reroll and focus, an A cannot exceed 2.

Anybody know how an Green A-Wing with PTL and Predator (23 Points) stacks up to an a Rookie X-Wing (21 points) in firepower and surviveability? Just wondering if I have a new go to ship.

Remember that Predator only works if they have a PS less than the attracker. Not great on a green against most current lists.

False?

Anybody know how an Green A-Wing with PTL and Predator (23 Points) stacks up to an a Rookie X-Wing (21 points) in firepower and surviveability? Just wondering if I have a new go to ship.

Remember that Predator only works if they have a PS less than the attracker. Not great on a green against most current lists.

False?

Thanks Kyros. Just wondering though in your calculations, wouldn't Predator overlap with TL? Would it be better to to just use Focus and rely on Predator and save the second action for surviveability?

Anybody know how an Green A-Wing with PTL and Predator (23 Points) stacks up to an a Rookie X-Wing (21 points) in firepower and surviveability? Just wondering if I have a new go to ship.

Remember that Predator only works if they have a PS less than the attracker. Not great on a green against most current lists.

False?

All thanks for catching that. I had totally misread.

Anybody know how an Green A-Wing with PTL and Predator (23 Points) stacks up to an a Rookie X-Wing (21 points) in firepower and surviveability? Just wondering if I have a new go to ship.

Remember that Predator only works if they have a PS less than the attracker. Not great on a green against most current lists.

False?

Thanks Kyros. Just wondering though in your calculations, wouldn't Predator overlap with TL? Would it be better to to just use Focus and rely on Predator and save the second action for surviveability?

See edit... I confused Predator and Outmaneuver, so all of that is actually for Outmaneuver's -1 agi not Predator's reroll.

Outmaneuver is also contingent on firing arc shenanigans.

So...

oops, forgot about Billy the Bullet Magnet...

Refit Green w/ test pilot, draw their fire & determination - 19pts (18 w/ DTF only)

cheap crit sponge to help Biggs if you'd rather put the points from Luke w/ DFT & R2-D2 elsewhere.

Determination really isn't worth it which means you could use DTF now. The reason I'm saying Determination isn't good is simply because you will not know what kind of [crit] you are absorbing until you do it. It may be 18 points compared to the 33 points of Luke+R2D2+DTF but Luke may be more likely to be in the "right" spot and will likely absorb a lot more crits.

I apologize for not making myself more clear. I'll try to explain my thoughts on this.

"Billy" is the cheapest possible bodyguard (crit sponge) the rebels can field for the foreseeable future. It's all about points. The difference between the Luke combo and Billy is literally 2 HLCs or a Bandit w/ an ion pulse missile or upgrading an ORS to Chewbacca. Baseline Billy can eat 4 crits at 18pts (only 3 20% of the time thank to Direct Hit). Assuming 1 in 6 enemy attack dice produce a crit (1 in 8 base rolls with an ad hoc approximation of the effect of rerolls and crit generating upgrades & abilities) Billy covers the first 2 dozen attack dice or so (average of 2 to 3 rounds of firing, varying from enemy list to enemy list).

18pt Billy eating 3 to 4 crits is a fair price especially since he'll be throwing reds of his own downfield, but if you wanted him to last longer adding shield or hull is just too inefficient since the whole concept centers around squad point conservation. But if one so chose, for only 1 point more, a player could add test pilot and determination to give him a slightly higher survivability of +0.24repeating HP. I probably wouldn't do that myself, but looking at the way I formatted it I could see how you thought I favored the combo of both over just DTF. My bad

I will forgo an in-depth analysis and comparison of the intricacies of Buddy Luke and Billy Bullet Magnet for now, but I will pejoratively say this... If a player is struggling to keep one of the most nimble and maneuverable ships in the game within range one of the ships in your squadron he's meant to shield, that player needs to go back to flight school. At the risk of being harsh to some people if you can't keep an A wing close to an X, Y, or B wing you have nothing to blame beyond your own lack of skill. I apologize if saying this offends anyone, but I've just had it with that excuse, in real life and on the internet. Again... sorry.

oops, forgot about Billy the Bullet Magnet...

Refit Green w/ test pilot, draw their fire & determination - 19pts (18 w/ DTF only)

cheap crit sponge to help Biggs if you'd rather put the points from Luke w/ DFT & R2-D2 elsewhere.

Determination really isn't worth it which means you could use DTF now. The reason I'm saying Determination isn't good is simply because you will not know what kind of [crit] you are absorbing until you do it. It may be 18 points compared to the 33 points of Luke+R2D2+DTF but Luke may be more likely to be in the "right" spot and will likely absorb a lot more crits.

I apologize for not making myself more clear. I'll try to explain my thoughts on this.

"Billy" is the cheapest possible bodyguard (crit sponge) the rebels can field for the foreseeable future. It's all about points. The difference between the Luke combo and Billy is literally 2 HLCs or a Bandit w/ an ion pulse missile or upgrading an ORS to Chewbacca. Baseline Billy can eat 4 crits at 18pts (only 3 20% of the time thank to Direct Hit). Assuming 1 in 6 enemy attack dice produce a crit (1 in 8 base rolls with an ad hoc approximation of the effect of rerolls and crit generating upgrades & abilities) Billy covers the first 2 dozen attack dice or so (average of 2 to 3 rounds of firing, varying from enemy list to enemy list).

18pt Billy eating 3 to 4 crits is a fair price especially since he'll be throwing reds of his own downfield, but if you wanted him to last longer adding shield or hull is just too inefficient since the whole concept centers around squad point conservation. But if one so chose, for only 1 point more, a player could add test pilot and determination to give him a slightly higher survivability of +0.24repeating HP. I probably wouldn't do that myself, but looking at the way I formatted it I could see how you thought I favored the combo of both over just DTF. My bad

I will forgo an in-depth analysis and comparison of the intricacies of Buddy Luke and Billy Bullet Magnet for now, but I will pejoratively say this... If a player is struggling to keep one of the most nimble and maneuverable ships in the game within range one of the ships in your squadron he's meant to shield, that player needs to go back to flight school. At the risk of being harsh to some people if you can't keep an A wing close to an X, Y, or B wing you have nothing to blame beyond your own lack of skill. I apologize if saying this offends anyone, but I've just had it with that excuse, in real life and on the internet. Again... sorry.

FYI, Determination and Draw Their Fire is unlikely to stack.

Determination: When you are dealt a faceup Damage card with the pilot trait, immediately discard it without resolving its effects.

Draw Their Fire: When a friendly ship at Range 1 is hit by an attack, you may suffer 1 of the uncancelled crit results instead of the target ship.

Steps of combat

1: Declare Target

2: Roll Attack Dice

3a: Defender modify Attack Dice

3b: Attacker modify Attack Dice

4: Roll Defense Dice

5a: Attacker modify Defense Dice

5b: Defender modify Defense Dice

6: Compare Results - Player compare the final attack and defense dice results to determine if the defender was hit and how much damage it suffers

7: Deal Damage - If the defender was hit, it loses shield tokens or receives damage cards based on the damage it suffers.

So, the cards are dealt in step 7 and the defender receives damage cards based on the damage it suffers... DTF allows the other pilot "Billy" to suffer the effects of a single uncancelled crit. He does not draw the card himself.

Determination on the other hand, allows Billy to discard a pilot crit when he is dealt a pilot crit card. When using DTF, Billy is never dealt a Pilot Crit since he is never dealt a crit. Ergo, Determination + DTF don't stack.

Then neither of the Chewie combos should work either since they both only work when you are dealt a card...

Wouldn't DTF get through shields then too?

If you want to use a "cheap" DTF ship I think BLOUNT could actually be a better fit than Green - Refit. Both cost 18 points and have 2/2 hull/shield but the Z's dial is more inline with other rebel ships and you may want Blount around just to knock off Stealth Devices even if you don't give him a missile. If you're using the Green you probably want it doing other things.

I believe DTF and Determination would "stack" with the idea being that DTF pulls the [crit] to the ship. Once the [crit] lands against a hull THEN it is converted into a dealt card which Determination would get to look at then decide whether to keep it or pitch it. Going back to the chart that Khyros posted at step #6 the DTF ship would draw off the [crit] to "suffer" its effects when damage finally resolves in step #7. In step #6 you determine if there is a "hit" and then who will "suffer" the die results; step #7 is the consequences of "suffering" the dice.

DTF + Determination still isn't something I'd way to put on an A-Wing where you aren't likely to get a bonus from it. IF it could go on Chewbacca than it would be amazing as Chewie would likely take a "pilot" crit at some point to discard instead of turn down but an A just doesn't have the hull to waste. Now IF you could know that the [crit] DTF would absorb would produce a "pilot" card so Determination could throw it out the combo would be sick but it wouldn't work that way; a ship would need to use DTF before ever knowing what card the [crit] will produce making Determination a risky proposition.