Hi all,

I'm playing in a (casual-ish) local tournament soon and want to try flying as the Rebels. What do you think of this list?

• Etahn A'baht (32) + R7 astromech (2) + fire control system (2)
• Wes Janson (29) + veteran instincts (1)
• Wedge Antilles (29) + Opportunist (4) + R2 astromech

100 points on the nose. Everyone knows how great Wedge and Wes are - now add in Etahn. Wes shoots first, gets 3 attack dice (with TL or focus) and removes a token. One hit gets changed to a critical. Then Wedge shoots with Opportunist, getting 4 attack dice (with TL or focus), against a target with -1 agility and no tokens. And one of Wedge's hits is a crit!

If Wedge and Wes are able to remove any high PS threats, Etahn - with the classic R7/FCS combo - is positioned well for the end-game, even if Wes/Wedge die.

Seems like this list could be a bit vulnerable to swarms (which I have basically ZERO experience flying against), but against another "elite" style list, it seems like it would be very powerful.

Thoughts?

EDIT: If you really want to go balls out, Ethan + Opportunist. Mmm.

The FCS R7 Combo is pretty overrated in my mind. I'd rather have a standard R2 unit and Push for the same cost.

I like. I think I'd prefer Predator on Wedge over Opportunist, though.

That's a great 3 ship list. My own versions dropped R7 and FCS in favor of Opportunist on two ships. PtL is also a good option, at the expense of raw firepower.

The FCS R7 Combo is pretty overrated in my mind. I'd rather have a standard R2 unit and Push for the same cost.

Yeah I agree with this. I'd only run FCS and R7 on Corran and even then I reckon I'd get just as much if not more from an R2 and PTL.

Love the list though. I'm going to fly it on Friday evening. I usually go for defensive lists but this looks too much fun to miss out on.

That's a great 3 ship list. My own versions dropped R7 and FCS in favor of Opportunist on two ships. PtL is also a good option, at the expense of raw firepower.

Would you give it to Etahn or Wes? I guess it would have to be Etahn, since Wes already has Veteran Instincts...

On a related note, though, quick rules question: my understanding is that Wes gets to remove a token after he rolls the attack dice, but before the defender rolls his defense dice - is this correct? If so, he'd be an ideal choice for Opportunist, if he hadn't already taken VI.

I like. I think I'd prefer Predator on Wedge over Opportunist, though.

I'd like to see the math on that. Wedge gets Opportunist because it synergizes with Wes + VI, but I haven't crunched the numbers.

The FCS R7 Combo is pretty overrated in my mind. I'd rather have a standard R2 unit and Push for the same cost.

I'll have to try that out. I do love PtL and it's less situational than the FCS R7 combo.

I like. I think I'd prefer Predator on Wedge over Opportunist, though.

I'd like to see the math on that. Wedge gets Opportunist because it synergizes with Wes + VI, but I haven't crunched the numbers.

The reason I'd prefer it really is it's always active. Focus becomes your only required action and it still works well in tandem with with Wes. Opportunist on the other hand loses it's effectiveness if Wes is taken out of the game, or if you're forced into shooting a different target.

That's a great 3 ship list. My own versions dropped R7 and FCS in favor of Opportunist on two ships. PtL is also a good option, at the expense of raw firepower.

Would you give it to Etahn or Wes? I guess it would have to be Etahn, since Wes already has Veteran Instincts...

On a related note, though, quick rules question: my understanding is that Wes gets to remove a token after he rolls the attack dice, but before the defender rolls his defense dice - is this correct? If so, he'd be an ideal choice for Opportunist, if he hadn't already taken VI.

That's a great 3 ship list. My own versions dropped R7 and FCS in favor of Opportunist on two ships. PtL is also a good option, at the expense of raw firepower.

Would you give it to Etahn or Wes? I guess it would have to be Etahn, since Wes already has Veteran Instincts...

On a related note, though, quick rules question: my understanding is that Wes gets to remove a token after he rolls the attack dice, but before the defender rolls his defense dice - is this correct? If so, he'd be an ideal choice for Opportunist, if he hadn't already taken VI.

Wes removes the token after the attack is complete(this includes after damage cards are dealt.) This means they can use a focus token to avoid your attack. But it clears the token for Opportunistic use either way.

Good to know.

I like. I think I'd prefer Predator on Wedge over Opportunist, though.[/quote

Opportunist on Wedge in combination with Wes is fantastic.

Opportunist on Wedge in combination with Wes is fantastic.

Yes. If by fantastic you mean so long as Wes is alive, and capable of shooting at the same target that Wedge is planning to engage, and doesn't actually kill that target himself, it's great.

Predator however, doesn't have ANY conditions attached to it's effectiveness, works whether Wes is alive, dead or otherwise engaged, and still allows Wedge to benefit from Wes' token stripping if the chance arises as well.

In short - Opportunist is conditional (hence the name), Predator is not.

While I do see the merits in Predator over Opportunist, or PtL + R2, I think my first trial run will be Red Winter's double Opportunist on Wedge and Etahn. Sure, if/when Wes dies, Opportunist is less likely to be useful, but by doubling up on it you get an insane amount of firepower for that first round of shooting. Wedge and Etahn each get to attack Wes's target with FOUR dice (with Wedge getting his -1 also), and with Etahn's crit generation, their target is going to be in a world of hurt.

Also, Etahn is only PS5, so he's reasonably likely to get chances to use Opportunist even if Wes dies, by virtue of the fact that he'll shoot after Wedge and after other high PS enemies have used some of their tokens.

One other thing. I almost want opponents to be shooting at Wes. He's actually the least scary offensive threat in the list by himself. If he guarantees that my opponent's #1 pilot is dead after one or two rounds of shooting, I'll take Wedge and Etahn vs. whatever is left.

With only 3 guns, you almost need them to each hit really, really hard. This squad is not built around loners; Wes softens up the targets for Wedge and Etahn, and Etahn improves your damage output. You already need your ships to be attacking the same target, so you don't lose much with Opportunist. For three ships, Wes plus two opportunists is brutal.

With only 3 guns, you almost need them to each hit really, really hard. This squad is not built around loners; Wes softens up the targets for Wedge and Etahn, and Etahn improves your damage output. You already need your ships to be attacking the same target, so you don't lose much with Opportunist. For three ships, Wes plus two opportunists is brutal.

On the initial joust, maybe - but then you have one (or two) stressed ships and need to get your next target in arc.

With Opportunist, you're paying 4 points for a situational benefit that gives you a potential increase in damage output but that can leave you in a tricky situation for the next turn.

Predator, by comparison gives you an ongoing benefit at a lower cost and without the potential downside.

Leaving aside Wes' token-stripping (which is usable by both builds), how much damage will you do on average with either 4 dice with a target lock OR a focus and 3 dice with 1 or 2 rerolls AND a focus? Without running the numbers, I don't imagine there'll be a huge difference.

I can highly recommend this build (developed with inspiration from Will B) which won me a warm up tourney and a medal last weekend and the Cooenhagen 2014 X-Wing Regionals this weekend:

WWI 99 points:

Wes Janson w/VI

Wedge Antilles w/Determination

and la piece de resistance

Ibtisam w/HLC and Opportunist

I went 4-1 in the Swiss Rounds @ the Regional (losing to a swarm) and then Ibtisam decimated my opponents in the semifinal and the final: both games lasted less than 30 min each I think. Those 5 Red Dice with a Stress induced reroll on Ibtisam is BRUTAL!! The final lasted a total if 4 Rounds and Ibtisam dropped my opponents Wedge in Round 3 and in Round 4 she dropped 1 Shield and 3 Hull on Luke.

I can highly recommend this build (developed with inspiration from Will B) which won me a warm up tourney and a medal last weekend and the Cooenhagen 2014 X-Wing Regionals this weekend:

WWI 99 points:

Wes Janson w/VI

Wedge Antilles w/Determination

and la piece de resistance

Ibtisam w/HLC and Opportunist

I went 4-1 in the Swiss Rounds @ the Regional (losing to a swarm) and then Ibtisam decimated my opponents in the semifinal and the final: both games lasted less than 30 min each I think. Those 5 Red Dice with a Stress induced reroll on Ibtisam is BRUTAL!! The final lasted a total if 4 Rounds and Ibtisam dropped my opponents Wedge in Round 3 and in Round 4 she dropped 1 Shield and 3 Hull on Luke.

I was just building almost the same exact list the other day but with Keyan Farlander instead. . . seriously can't wait to try it out.

With only 3 guns, you almost need them to each hit really, really hard. This squad is not built around loners; Wes softens up the targets for Wedge and Etahn, and Etahn improves your damage output. You already need your ships to be attacking the same target, so you don't lose much with Opportunist. For three ships, Wes plus two opportunists is brutal.

On the initial joust, maybe - but then you have one (or two) stressed ships and need to get your next target in arc.

With Opportunist, you're paying 4 points for a situational benefit that gives you a potential increase in damage output but that can leave you in a tricky situation for the next turn.

Predator, by comparison gives you an ongoing benefit at a lower cost and without the potential downside.

Leaving aside Wes' token-stripping (which is usable by both builds), how much damage will you do on average with either 4 dice with a target lock OR a focus and 3 dice with 1 or 2 rerolls AND a focus? Without running the numbers, I don't imagine there'll be a huge difference.

Generally, I agree that Predator is the better upgrade, but with only three ships, you have to build around your strengths. With all the points on Wes, you make the most out of his ability by following up with two four-die attacks. With four focused or target locked dice, you are very likely to deliver damage, at least one of which will be critical. Predator is better in a vacuum, but not as a follow up to Wes. Osoroshii was running something very similar a few months ago (Wes+VI, Wedge and Luke + Opportunist, some droids), and it was absolutely the meanest 3-ship list I have seen; I think this one is better.

As for Wedge's expected damage output vs. a defender without tokens, see below.

(Opportunist+Focus / Target Lock+Focus / Predator+Focus)

• Cloaked Phantom at Range 2 (1.91/1.70/1.59)
• Phantom at Range 3 (1.58/1.36/1.27)
• TIE at Range 2 (2.26/2.06/1.94)
• TIE at Range 3 (1.91/1.70/1.59)
• X-wing at Range 2 ( 2.63/2.44/2.31)
• X-wing at Range 3 (2.26/2.06/1.94)
• B-wing at Range 2 (3.00/2.81/2.68)
• B-wing at Range 3 (2.63/2.44/2.31)

This assumes only one re-roll from Predator, but also shows TL+Focus, so Predator against low-skill ships will split the difference. The difference is meaningful because modifiers reach a point of diminishing returns; the most efficient attach uses one modifier (Target Lock or Focus), and adding another die is better than adding a second action.

Finally, the initial joust is all-important for this list. With three high-PS ships, you have to even the playing field quickly, and you have to be killing lower-skill ships before they can fire.

Why not Corran instead of Etahn?

Why not Corran instead of Etahn?

A few reasons. 1) We don't have the 3 points to spare, 2) Etahn's ability is actually more powerful overall, as 3) we want to kill things before they can shoot back, so waiting until the End Phase for Corran is not really an option.

With only 3 guns, you almost need them to each hit really, really hard. This squad is not built around loners; Wes softens up the targets for Wedge and Etahn, and Etahn improves your damage output. You already need your ships to be attacking the same target, so you don't lose much with Opportunist. For three ships, Wes plus two opportunists is brutal.

On the initial joust, maybe - but then you have one (or two) stressed ships and need to get your next target in arc.

With Opportunist, you're paying 4 points for a situational benefit that gives you a potential increase in damage output but that can leave you in a tricky situation for the next turn.

Predator, by comparison gives you an ongoing benefit at a lower cost and without the potential downside.

Leaving aside Wes' token-stripping (which is usable by both builds), how much damage will you do on average with either 4 dice with a target lock OR a focus and 3 dice with 1 or 2 rerolls AND a focus? Without running the numbers, I don't imagine there'll be a huge difference.

In regards to Predator vs Opportunist on Wedge, I also think Predator is the better choice.

1) It's a point cheaper

2) Doesn't give you stress

3) Can be used any attack without any pre-requisites

4) Will likely give the same damage output. 3 attack dice with focus and predator will likely get 3 hits. 4 attack dice with target lock/focus and opportunist will also probably give 3 hits.

The only advantage opportunist has, besides hoping to get the full 4 hits, is that you KNOW that your defender has no focus or evade for defense which boosts your attack, whereas with predator they may or may not have that extra defense.

It's one point less and won't actually always be useful, either. Wedge's only two options are focus and TL, and if he target locks, predator won't be used. With focus, each die has a 75% chance of hitting anyway. It's not about how much average damage you do, btw, it's about maximizing it. Xwings have green one forward and banks, so keeping a ship in their arc isn't tough.

...which is why Wedge with Predator will always take Focus as his action, rather than Target Lock. Best of both worlds.

Your second point is highly debatable as well, since Predator helps Wedge maximise ACTUAL damage output every time he opens fire. Opportunist helps Wedge maximise POTENTIAL damage output, at the cost of stress, provided the target has no defense tokens. There's a big difference between the two.

As for green one forward and green one banks helping you keep ships in arc - if that's what you're relying on, be prepared to find Imperial ships on your six, very quickly.

Gecko, over simplification, my friend!

You are right that Opportunist is about maximizing firepower and Predator is going for averages. However, while a reroll is a good thing (i'm not holding anything against Predator) it's still a reroll with the same chances of scoring or not scoring a hit as the previous roll. What I like about Opportunist is that it adds an additional die which can have the exact same effect as Predator and then some, simply because you are now rolling 4 dice and on 'average' you should be able to get three hits w/ your focus. That's the same max potential as with Predator w/ the chance of rolling 4 hits.

Protecting Wes has to happen at the deployment and formation level of the game since X wings are not overly defensive. He doesn't need to be close to the action to get the benefit of his ability and honestly, Etahn and Wedge are likely to draw more fire than him. Even if Wes is brought down (which is hard if you're popping one enemy ship a turn) there is plenty of backup firepower w/ or w/o Opportunist use from Wedge and Etahn.

Give Alex some credit here. He obviously wasn't saying he was relying on his one maneuvers, simply that they are always available and very useful for keeping incoming ships within your arc. His point is correct.

I used to use Ibtisam, but have since switched to Etahn because of the gross squad benefits provided by him and Wes. Etahn is probably a bit more surviveable as well since he's got so many more maneuver options and green dice.