I know expose doesn't see much love or play but what would people think to it on the defender? I've not used my defender much but I love the idea of Vessery K'turning behind someone and , assuming he's not going to be the target of many attacks, using expose to get 4 or 5 dice at someone, hopefully with the rerolls from his pilot ability too.

Expose is...bad, for the most part.
When you can have 2 offensive actions in a single turn, Expose grants slightly better damage than the Focus + TL combo.
When you only have 1 offensive action, Expose grants less damage than either Focus OR Target Lock, if your ship has more than 1 Primary Attack Value.

So, I could actually see it working on Col. Vessery (with his free Target Locks), but not on Brath.

I like that idea as well. Expose fits well on any ship you intend to keep out of firing arcs. The Defender is meaty enough that it isn't the gamble putting it on an Interceptor would be.

I'd rather not loose a focus/target lock to get the extra die. I think Outmaneuver would be better and cheaper.

My first defender build used Expose on Vessery. Had the same thoughts, "It's good at getting behind people with that white K-Turn, right? And then he gets a free TL?"

The thing is, it might be successful against an opponent one time, but once someone plays against a Defender for the first time, they already know what to expect. And then you'll be lucky if they let you use that white K-Turn and get away with it.

If anything, I think Expose might be useful on a FCS Phantom, since they are already so good at staying out of arcs to negate the agility penalty.

I still think a focus+target lock and -1 Agility is better than a only target lock (or focus) and +1 Attack, but I'm not a mathwinger, so I could be wrong.

Expose is terrible and that doesn't change much with the defender. Predator is among some of the best upgrades especially for the defender.

I still think a focus+target lock and -1 Agility is better than a only target lock (or focus) and +1 Attack, but I'm not a mathwinger, so I could be wrong.

Target lock or focus with +1 attack does edge out target lock + focus... but not really by enough to make it worth 4 points and giving up your EPT slot.

You can definitely make Expose work on Vessery, but with Opportunist out there (and just about perfect on his PS6) I'm not sure why you would. And Adrenaline Rush is out there too, so cheap, and it's winking and nodding toward those red turns to which you'd really like to have better access in the mid-game.

After seeing what that extra dice does for the Phantom, I bet it'd be lots of fun on Vessery. 1 shorting an x wing is pretty epic.

I still think a focus+target lock and -1 Agility is better than a only target lock (or focus) and +1 Attack, but I'm not a mathwinger, so I could be wrong.

You are certainly right, if for no other reason than its one point cheaper. In theory Outmanuever when it triggers with target lock and focus offers .2ish damage over +1 attack and focus.

In a world of Predator, Outmaneuver, Opportunist and PTL, all of which offer better damage potential than Expose without forcing you to give up the chance to use your Focus for defense, and where all but Opportunist are also one point cheaper, Expose should never be used. Ever.

Not since the Tempest Squadron Pilot have people tried so hard to make something good isn't.

I still think a focus+target lock and -1 Agility is better than a only target lock (or focus) and +1 Attack, but I'm not a mathwinger, so I could be wrong.

Target lock or focus with +1 attack does edge out target lock + focus... but not really by enough to make it worth 4 points and giving up your EPT slot.

You can definitely make Expose work on Vessery, but with Opportunist out there (and just about perfect on his PS6) I'm not sure why you would. And Adrenaline Rush is out there too, so cheap, and it's winking and nodding toward those red turns to which you'd really like to have better access in the mid-game.

You gotta tell me to sit down before you type things like that. I just about had a heart attack reading that you can make Expose work on something. Thank goodness you qualified that a sentence later or I might have had to take a trip to the emergency room.

Not since the Tempest Squadron Pilot have people tried so hard to make something good isn't.

Ironically, Proton Rockets might do that trick

Not since the Tempest Squadron Pilot have people tried so hard to make something good isn't.

Ironically, Proton Rockets might do that trick

Not since the Tempest Squadron Pilot have people tried so hard to make something good isn't.

Ironically, Proton Rockets might do that trick

It might, but you could put stealth device on a scimitar with 2 proton rockets for 1 point more, and having a 1 forward helps with range 1 ordnance.

Expose is...bad, for the most part.

When you can have 2 offensive actions in a single turn, Expose grants slightly better damage than the Focus + TL combo.

When you only have 1 offensive action, Expose grants less damage than either Focus OR Target Lock, if your ship has more than 1 Primary Attack Value.

So, I could actually see it working on Col. Vessery (with his free Target Locks), but not on Brath.

Thanks for the good feedback I think at 4 points Expose is just edged out of the race, especially with the new predator and Outmanoeuvre. I think Predator is a waste on Vessery if you have your list set up to acquire TL's but I do like the thought of Outmanoeuvre instead. I still think I may just run Vessery with VI to be sure of positioning.

You might, might, might want to try and run Expose with Fleet Officer around in Wave 5, but I wouldn't hazard it.

Wouldn't, for 1 less point and still useful while stressed, Predator be a better option? You can focus as your action as well, greatly upping your expected damage. 4-5 dice, if lucky, will deal more damage than 3-4 dice, but 3-4 with focus and predator is more consistant than 4-5 unmodified, and in this game, consistancy is vital.

Wouldn't, for 1 less point and still useful while stressed, Predator be a better option? You can focus as your action as well, greatly upping your expected damage. 4-5 dice, if lucky, will deal more damage than 3-4 dice, but 3-4 with focus and predator is more consistant than 4-5 unmodified, and in this game, consistancy is vital.

On Rexler Brath, and in general, yes. But on Vessery you want to steer clear of Predator, since you expect him to have a target lock most of the time (the same reason you avoid FCS on Ibtisam).

Wouldn't, for 1 less point and still useful while stressed, Predator be a better option? You can focus as your action as well, greatly upping your expected damage. 4-5 dice, if lucky, will deal more damage than 3-4 dice, but 3-4 with focus and predator is more consistant than 4-5 unmodified, and in this game, consistancy is vital.

On Rexler Brath, and in general, yes. But on Vessery you want to steer clear of Predator, since you expect him to have a target lock most of the time (the same reason you avoid FCS on Ibtisam).

On an imperial list, there are scant few ships who can actually provide him a target lock to get a free target lock for him that also work with him in a list. However, I agree, Predator is a bit of a waste on Vessery.

Wouldn't, for 1 less point and still useful while stressed, Predator be a better option? You can focus as your action as well, greatly upping your expected damage. 4-5 dice, if lucky, will deal more damage than 3-4 dice, but 3-4 with focus and predator is more consistant than 4-5 unmodified, and in this game, consistancy is vital.

On Rexler Brath, and in general, yes. But on Vessery you want to steer clear of Predator, since you expect him to have a target lock most of the time (the same reason you avoid FCS on Ibtisam).

On an imperial list, there are scant few ships who can actually provide him a target lock to get a free target lock for him that also work with him in a list. However, I agree, Predator is a bit of a waste on Vessery.

Out of 6 imperial ships 2 don't come with a way to target lock in their box. If you're running a Phantom with Vessery you better be running Fire Control. The empire has no shortage of target locking ships. Shuttles, Bombers, and Firesprays.

"That will also work with him in a list" was my requirement. Target Lock granted by Targeting Computer on TIEs is out, as TIEs would rather focus or evade, the far more useful tokens for a 2-dice shot with a 3-dice defense. Interceptors and Phantoms are all about evading firing arcs, so while they may want to target lock, chances are they are barrel rolling or evading, though I do concede the FCS upgrade is awesome as a combo. Advanced never hit the table. You can only fit 1 firespray in a list with Vessery, so you use your 32 points on other ships and upgrades, and the Firespray normally carries Recon Specialists, which make it want to focus as well. Additionally, large ships have a hard time staying near to small ships so that they can focus on the same target, especially a small ship that tends to go back and forth with a large ship that tends to bank and turn a lot. That leaves the Shuttle, which encounters the same problems as the Firespray if you outfit it for dogfighting, might be trying to kill itself, but is still the best option due to it's title upgrade. Other Defenders are either too low to often TL the same guy, or are Rexlar and want to focus instead.

The biggest issue I have with Vessery is his pilot skill, and that of those who will target lock for him. The lower pilots may not be able to target lock the person Vessery wants to attack, while the higher pilots may spend their locks prior to Vessery's shot. That leaves two great options and a ton of sub-par options. I do want to run Echo and Vessery together with a couple TIEs of support, but other than that, Vessery's ability isn't what I'd run him for. It's kind of like Rexlar's ability, and Boba's, and Ten Numb's. They are nice abilities if you happen to have a chance to use them, but mostly, you are choosing the ship for it's dial, stats, and pilot skill value, plus the Elite Pilot Talent slot. Their pilot ability is just icing on the cake.

Pretty sure vessery loves working with bombers, a single firespray and ties, lambdas, and even Night Beast with TC. If you aren't willing to buuld around him you probably shouldn't use him. But your team should be built to work as a unit anyway....

You're exaggurating the difficulty of leaving a target lock on Vessery's target and focusing later.