One of the under-appreciated aspects of this game is the way each release tends to make previous releases better. Look at the case of the Y-Wing:

It was the Wave 1 ship that everyone got because, well, it was the _other_ ship for the Rebellion. 4 pilots, no EPT, 2 Torpedo slots, and 1 turret slot. And nothing that has been released has changed that. At all. Oh! but the options. Those have gotten more abundant.

Wave 3 saw the release of the Blaster turret. Which, to be fair, is kind of terrible and has never seen use out of the play testing laboratories. But still! It's an option.

Wave 3 also saw another Torpedo option, the more-maligned-than-the-blaster-turret Advanced Proton Torpedo. More expensive, harder to pull off, but it packs a serious punch. But ah-ha! the Rebel Transport gives us the Flechette torpedo. It's cheaper, longer ranged, and has a rather interesting effect even if it misses. And just in case it does miss, Wave 4 has given us the Munitions failsafe. Which, you know what? That might make the other torpedoes more useful as well.

Let's talk about that Rebel Transport for a second, though. And any Huge ship, actually. Has anything done more for the viability of the Ion turret than the ever-loving damage ionization does to Huge Ships? I don't care how bad-ass your corvette is, being ionized is going to keep it from doing much of anything. The mere existence of Huge ships (in mirror matches) adds a great deal to the viablity of the Y-Wing. This will be even more evident when the Empire gets a huge ship of its own.

Not to mention how good torpedoes are against a target that has 0 agility.

What would really make ordinance work better is the Elite Pilot Talent "Predator". It's a free re-roll even after you've spent your Target Lock. But- of course!- you don't get any EPTs with Y-Wings. Unless you get the new R2-D6 in the Transport.

So Tl;Dr? Even without a Y-Wing aces pack, Fantasy Flight is showing a whole lotta love to this workhorse of the Rebellion.

Nice post - I've loved the y-wing for a long time now, and agree that it seems to be getting some loving. I admit that I did overlook the fact that It may be getting better now that there's huge transports. Being able to fly 2 or 3 down the side of one of them and pelting it with Ions? With 0 evade...that's pretty great.

Didn't think about that, good catch!

I have come to call them my Flying Donkeys, in an endearing sort of way lol

They are definitely becoming the workhouse as more waves are released...need a tank that's cheap, Y wing...need a cheap turret monkey....Y wing, need some ionazation to be used...Y wing

I ran an all Y wing list with ion craziness and it made my opponent have headaches!

It's doubtful we will ever see a Y wing aces set, but it wold be col

If only Horton could get some love!

Ion Torpedoes will be available once wave 5 hits.

Need a cheap Torpedo Platform? the Y's will gladly answer the calling.

Love the Y wing

However some new pilots with supporting abilities like Dutch would be great. I also wish R2D6 was not unique

Gold Squadron is a great platform for R3-A2. 20 points, leaves 80 points with a lot of possibilities for 3 hard maneuverable hitters.

I do kinda wish Fantasy Flight would simply retcon an EPT onto a Y-Wing pilot or two. Just an FAQ entry that "Oh god! We crafted Marksmanship specifically for Horton Salm, how could we have forgotten to give him an EPT?!"

Yeah that's one of the things I really love about this game is how every new expansion boosts the older ones as well. I love the ywing it truly is a workhorse and very dependable. I've had Dutch win me games at tournaments.

Fluff wise R5-P9 and R2-D6 (both from the transport)were with Y-Wing pilots. And I think the best use for R4-D6 is on a Y-wing too.

Oh, went to Downtown Disney last weekend and built a R4-D6 from the build a droid section at the toy story. I got the last black body available.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but the Y-wings really only get used competitively with the Ion Cannon Turret. Z-95s and Refit A-wings will make naked Y-wings obsolete in Rebel swarms.

What Y-wings really need is a Chaardan Refit style upgrade that takes away the Turret Slot, has a negative cost, and adds something like Crew and / or Bomb.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but the Y-wings really only get used competitively with the Ion Cannon Turret. Z-95s and Refit A-wings will make naked Y-wings obsolete in Rebel swarms.

What Y-wings really need is a Chaardan Refit style upgrade that takes away the Turret Slot, has a negative cost, and adds something like Crew and / or Bomb.

Blasphemy!! Heretic!!! Burn the witch!!!!

If ya look at my signature you'll notice there's one rebel ship missing

Sorry man but I will never enjoy ioning and blocking my opponents (and I don't think they will either). Ill take my interceptors and phantoms thank you very much

Don't worry the Y Wings all heard you say that and will haunt your dreams

I don't think a refit is that necessary, but new pilots and skills are definitely needed

I think loading a Flechette AND an advanced torp on a Y would be a solid way to deal some heavy damage to a larger or higher hulled ship very quickly. Launch the Fletch and give them a stress to help predict their move next turn so you can more confidently put your Y in range 1 for the Advanced torp. You would just need a way to give your Y a focus and a target lock the same turn to get the most out of your adv. torp, either through Dutch Garven or Katarn passing one over or with the 1 point droid that adds an elite slot and packing PTL.

The Y-Wing and Tie Bomber are Bombers, and have no business trying to act like or contend directly with Fighters.

Now that FFG has gotten serious about making a STAR WARS WORLD , and not just a tiny dogfight WWII game in space... ships are beginning to be able to act and play more like they are supposed to.

I LOVE IT.

Yeah they take a beating alright, usually make y`s a prio when they are fielded.

If ya look at my signature you'll notice there's one rebel ship missing

Sorry man but I will never enjoy ioning and blocking my opponents (and I don't think they will either). Ill take my interceptors and phantoms thank you very much

Funny you should say that, because I think increasing use of Y-wings is going to be part of the metagame reaction to the Phantom: the turret removes a lot of their advantages, and although ions aren't any more likely to hit than any other 3-Attack shot, the impact of an ion hit against a Phantom is enormous.

EDIT: Oh, and the Y-wing's reliance on hit points over Agility minimizes, insofar as that's possible, the advantage of the Phantom's enormous offense: you can lose an A-wing or even an X-wing in a single unlucky pass, but the lowly, ponderous Y-wing is going to get a chance to shoot back.

I think loading a Flechette AND an advanced torp on a Y would be a solid way to deal some heavy damage to a larger or higher hulled ship very quickly. Launch the Fletch...

Off-topic, but this is a personal pet peeve: "flechette" is pronounced "flesh-ET", not "FLETCH-it".

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but the Y-wings really only get used competitively with the Ion Cannon Turret. Z-95s and Refit A-wings will make naked Y-wings obsolete in Rebel swarms.

What Y-wings really need is a Chaardan Refit style upgrade that takes away the Turret Slot, has a negative cost, and adds something like Crew and / or Bomb.

They can't get rid of the turret slot. A 2 attack ship will always be a 2 attack ship, and you'd be taking away the biggest advantage it has. A-wings were probably designed as a cheap missile platform, but I rarely see players equip them with missiles. And the A-wing now lets us increase its primary attack with an EPT and still match it with another EPT. Also, fluff wise, the copilot that often rode in the back seat was primarily there to operate the turret. I'd probably remove one of its torpedo slots if we were to get a price reduction. I'd also definitely like to see how players interact Astromechs with crew members. Could be some interesting combos there.

I do kinda wish Fantasy Flight would simply retcon an EPT onto a Y-Wing pilot or two. Just an FAQ entry that "Oh god! We crafted Marksmanship specifically for Horton Salm, how could we have forgotten to give him an EPT?!"

R7-T1 is also great for ICT Y-wings.

I do kinda wish Fantasy Flight would simply retcon an EPT onto a Y-Wing pilot or two. Just an FAQ entry that "Oh god! We crafted Marksmanship specifically for Horton Salm, how could we have forgotten to give him an EPT?!"

Sounds like a Y-wing title card, I doubt they will get the crew slot after B has it.

R7-T1 is also great for ICT Y-wings.

I would absolutley love the Y-Wing to get the "Aces" treatment. More pilots and some more upgrade cards that, while useful on other ships, would be focused more towards the workhorse of the rebellion.

BTL Y-Wing Veteran

Title. Y-Wing Only

Your Upgrade Bar gains 1 <EPT> Ugrade Icon.

You may not equip this card if your Pilot Skill is "5" or lower.

(0)(1?)pts

I find Y-wings to be great escorts for the CR90 and GR-75. Take Dutch and pass those target locks to the corvette (with the right tools, it can take 2 target locks from that) and have 1-2 gold squadrons with ion turrets.

You do not want to be ionized when attacking a corvette. It usually means dead fighters!

The turret on the Y-wing means you can move and make sure you don't get run over. With X-wings or B-wings escorting, you need to plan your attack by getting in the fire arc, AND not getting run over and staying in range 1-2 for bonuses from the capital ships.

I only have one Y-wing so far, but the next time Get Your Game On or Fun 4 All has them back in stock, I'm picking up 2-3!

FWIW - two Y-Wings (sans turrets) just helped to take second at the 77 player FFG Event Center's Regional Championship yesterday (BXXYY).

Horton is an murderer. Put two torps on him and pass him a focus - I use Garvin + r2d6 + VI - and his ability virtually guarantees 4 hits.

FWIW - two Y-Wings (sans turrets) just helped to take second at the 77 player FFG Event Center's Regional Championship yesterday (BXXYY).

Wait, what? That is awesome!