It's been a while and we have a new team, but we're back and at full throttle. Greg is gone, taking a needed break from competitive X-wing. We hope he will return one day, and we'll miss you Greg. Join Kelvan and Theorist as we sit down with TC's own Sable Gryphon, brainstorm over new cards, and discuss tournaments. Will it all break down into an argument over who loves Lambda shuttle the most? Tune in to see!

SABLE ILLUSTRATES THE POWER OF THE IG-2000
http://teamcovenant.com/sablegryphon/2014/10/06/ig-88d-s-loop-explored/

NEW SCUM AND VILLAINY CARDS!
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=5107

THEORIST ON THE WAVE 4 META
http://teamcovenant.com/maskedbean/2014/10/03/f-han-fighting-the-meta-rebel-options/
http://teamcovenant.com/maskedbean/2014/10/05/f-han-fighting-the-meta-imperial-options/

ROUNDS 1-3: DOMINATION IN THE TC OPEN
Kelvan's Horton Squad is on a perfect run; 100-0 every game!
Sideslip is on a perfect run too; 2 games with Imperials and 1 game with Rebels!

SQUADS WE THINK HAVE MERIT AT WORLDS
Theorist's pick -- With Boba to handle Whisper, can Echo dominate?
Sable's pick -- If you can't kill ships, you can't win the game!
Kelvan's pick -- Horton is a wrecking ball; how did we miss that one?

What lists/ships do you think are overlooked in Wave 4? What Wave 6 card are you most excited about? Who loves the shuttle more?

Sable Gryphon did an excellent job this episode right? *mindblown*

Sorry to hear Greg had moved on, but always happy to see another S&V on my podcast feed! Thanks for the hard work guys!

That is all.

Sorry to hear Greg had moved on, but always happy to see another S&V on my podcast feed! Thanks for the hard work guys!

Oh he'll be back. We've made assurances for him and Mr Froggies... They always come back muahahahaha!

That is all.

Oh are we playing the Horton Stache Game!?!?!

Keep those seats warm for them Richard!

So I've never corrected a podcast before, but that's just because I have never been mentioned in one.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

Also, my name is not Grant.

I think was the best episode yet!

So I've never corrected a podcast before, but that's just because I have never been mentioned in one.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

Also, my name is not Grant.

First time for everything. and Well done!

So I've never corrected a podcast before, but that's just because I have never been mentioned in one.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

Also, my name is not Grant.

Your name is now Grant. I'll send you another copy of the memo.

I for one am very excited to use the 0 maneuver on ships. lots of excellent options. I think you're spot on with the IG being a clear landing spot for this ship. Although the virago may have use as well. Basically anything that likes HLC has potential but adv sensors makes the card sing.

Great episode so far, as usual - I got through the first 20 minutes on my way to work and will finish the rest tonight.

Kelvan, your avatar is now even more appropriate.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

I have been kicking around several ideas for PtL Dash, and support ship(s) with Wingman. Any white move, followed by 3 actions. Dash is far harder to pin down, which is his only weakness. The drawback is sacrificing some aspect of the rest of your squad.

ROUNDS 1-3: DOMINATION IN THE TC OPEN

Kelvan's Horton Squad is on a perfect run; 100-0 every game!
Sideslip is on a perfect run too; 2 games with Imperials and 1 game with Rebels!

And the common denominator is Outrider + HLC!

Great episode so far, as usual - I got through the first 20 minutes on my way to work and will finish the rest tonight.

Kelvan, your avatar is now even more appropriate.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

I have been kicking around several ideas for PtL Dash, and support ship(s) with Wingman. Any white move, followed by 3 actions. Dash is far harder to pin down, which is his only weakness. The drawback is sacrificing some aspect of the rest of your squad.

ROUNDS 1-3: DOMINATION IN THE TC OPEN

Kelvan's Horton Squad is on a perfect run; 100-0 every game!

Sideslip is on a perfect run too; 2 games with Imperials and 1 game with Rebels!

And the common denominator is Outrider + HLC!

I don't think its up for debate that Dash will dominate the Wave 5 meta. Kyle is such a great crew card. 3 actions or free your dial up while taking 2 actions. hell Kyle even helps when you're blocked. Such a great combo.

Horton pairs extremely well him him too.

So I've never corrected a podcast before, but that's just because I have never been mentioned in one.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

Also, my name is not Grant.

As a huge fan of the ptl r2d2 FCS corran, your dash build is really exciting. The 58-point Dash is too expensive for the Corran I usually fly. Do you think you'd do anything different with the hull upgrade if you made that list again?

MJ, what wingman can keep up range 1 with ptl dash? Especially with white moves available?

MJ, what wingman can keep up range 1 with ptl dash? Especially with white moves available?

A greenie

So I've never corrected a podcast before, but that's just because I have never been mentioned in one.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

Also, my name is not Grant.

As a huge fan of the ptl r2d2 FCS corran, your dash build is really exciting. The 58-point Dash is too expensive for the Corran I usually fly. Do you think you'd do anything different with the hull upgrade if you made that list again?

I like the hull upgrade on Corran because it works well with all of his green dice, and it protects him from an untimely direct hit. Of course, what I really want in that slot is enigne upgrade, and I'm going to experiment with Engine/VI instead of Hull/PTL.

MJ, what wingman can keep up range 1 with ptl dash? Especially with white moves available?

There are several options. Gemmer + VI + Wingman at PS7, or Jake at PS7, or Leebo + Wingman at PS5. You could even put Wingman on Corran, but then the only other thing you could put on him would be R2-D2, which seems like a bit of a waste.

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/124329-you-challenge-the-devil-to-a-game-of-x-wing-for-your-soul-what-do-you-fly/?p=1291362

MJ, what wingman can keep up range 1 with ptl dash? Especially with white moves available?

There are several options. Gemmer + VI + Wingman at PS7, or Jake at PS7, or Leebo + Wingman at PS5. You could even put Wingman on Corran, but then the only other thing you could put on him would be R2-D2, which seems like a bit of a waste.

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/124329-you-challenge-the-devil-to-a-game-of-x-wing-for-your-soul-what-do-you-fly/?p=1291362

So "best squad" challenge, I would have to go with 58 Dash! The only real weakness is getting blocked in, so you build / fly around it. Hint: debris fields are your friend. The jousting efficiency numbers are not everything, but they are outright disgusting. It's on par or higher than the TIE Advanced, TIE Defender, and E-wing. Except you have a turret.

Outrider + HLC + 3 action: 78.3%

Outrider + HLC: 71.2%

VT-49 Admiral + Expose + E.I: 66.6%

VT-49 Admiral: 65.3%

YT-1300 (named): 64.9%

YT-2400: 64.7%

VT-49 + Expose + E.I: 61.8%

VT-49: 60.7%

YT-1300 (ORS): 58.7%

Y-wing + Ion: 59.2%

58 Dash = Dash + Outrider + HLC + PtL + Kyle Katarn + Engine Upgrade. 3x actions per round, in case you have been living under a rock. I came to the above numbers by giving "3x" action Dash a free TL, and increasing his defensive focus chance from 50% to 67%. That accounts for something between 1-2 more actions than single-action Dash. Assuming he always gets a shot, having a "free" TL (stacked with focus 67% of the time) gives him an expected damage output of twice that of a 3 attack ship. Efficiency is calculated based on equivalent PS1 cost. Engine Upgrade is not included, which would only make 58 Dash look better compared to the others.

I have a few variants I have been tossing around, although none fully playtested yet. All of these require very good piloting to really take advantage of them. Your action economy and durability are directly related to how often you need to burn actions on boosting / barrel rolling out of the way. The less Boost / Barrel Roll you need to do to stay out of arc, the closer you can get to the above efficiency numbers. Actually, if you stay at range 3 then you'll be even higher.

Plain Vanilla:

58 Dash

2x Prototypes

1x Bandit

Most dice / hit points of any 58 Dash variant. Send in the pawns first to clog up the lanes. Your Queen piece stays in the back tossing nukes. Weakness: Dash is vulnerable to Rebel Captive, it brings him from 3 actions down to 2.

Wingmen

58 Dash

Gemmer + VI + Wingman + Refit

Green Squadron Pilot + Wingman + Refit

Stress mechanics are no problem at all. You get a white move and 3 actions every turn. Gemmer is PS7 and can move after Dash to "chase" to make sure he can always shed a stress. Rebel Captive in the opposing squad will get Dash 4 actions per turn. Weakness: Less HP and firepower as above. No PtL on A's.

Wingman

58 Dash

Leebo + Wingman + Gunner + Tactical Jammer

This might be my favorite. Park Leebo between the enemy squad and Dash. +1 Agility on Dash to make him 4/3/5/5 with 3 actions. Or your opponent can attack Leebo instead while Dash destroys your squad. Weakness: bumping and swarm.

Theorist's TC Open Squad

Theorist's version that he is running in the TC Open is very nice:

58 Dash

Wild Space Fringer + Gunner + HLC

2 HLC on 2 durable ships. If you haven't watched his replays yet, go watch them. It shows why failing to pin down PS7 Dash is almost instant GG. Weakness: swarm blocking. Theorist is 3-0. He finally lost a ship in game 3, although game 2 he was 1 hull away from losing the Fringer. Looking forward to watching replay #3.

The best buddy for dash should be something that draws fire away from dash if possible

I want to fly 58pt Dash so badly but I can't give up 44 point Corran Horn.

Corran Horn (35)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Fire-Control System (2)

R7 Astromech (2)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Dash Rendar (36)

Push the Limit (3)

Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

Nien Nunb (1)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Outrider (5)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

I like that this setup gives both engine, lets one go Phantom Hunting at PS10, and Corran's dial is always wide open. Dash doesn't get the three actions, but Nien Nunb opens up his options a bit more as well. Of course, I've been stuck on this same Corran build for almost 4 months now, so it is hard to break away to PtL. I want Kyle, but there is not a single thing in this list I'd give up.

MJ, what wingman can keep up range 1 with ptl dash? Especially with white moves available?

There are several options. Gemmer + VI + Wingman at PS7, or Jake at PS7, or Leebo + Wingman at PS5. You could even put Wingman on Corran, but then the only other thing you could put on him would be R2-D2, which seems like a bit of a waste.

http://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/124329-you-challenge-the-devil-to-a-game-of-x-wing-for-your-soul-what-do-you-fly/?p=1291362

Sadly, Gemmer doesn't have an EPT natively. He can get one with the A-Wing Test Pilot card, but can't get both VI and an EPT.

Great episode so far, as usual - I got through the first 20 minutes on my way to work and will finish the rest tonight.

Kelvan, your avatar is now even more appropriate.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

I have been kicking around several ideas for PtL Dash, and support ship(s) with Wingman. Any white move, followed by 3 actions. Dash is far harder to pin down, which is his only weakness. The drawback is sacrificing some aspect of the rest of your squad.

ROUNDS 1-3: DOMINATION IN THE TC OPEN

Kelvan's Horton Squad is on a perfect run; 100-0 every game!

Sideslip is on a perfect run too; 2 games with Imperials and 1 game with Rebels!

And the common denominator is Outrider + HLC!

I don't think its up for debate that Dash will dominate the Wave 5 meta. Kyle is such a great crew card. 3 actions or free your dial up while taking 2 actions. hell Kyle even helps when you're blocked. Such a great combo.

Horton pairs extremely well him him too.

After our game since blocking was tough (though I probably need to play the swarm more), I had several thoughts about ships that will counter PTL Dash well (as that's different from VI Dash) and I think I have some ideas

I want to fly 58pt Dash so badly but I can't give up 44 point Corran Horn.

Corran Horn (35)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Fire-Control System (2)

R7 Astromech (2)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Dash Rendar (36)

Push the Limit (3)

Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

Nien Nunb (1)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Outrider (5)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

I like that this setup gives both engine, lets one go Phantom Hunting at PS10, and Corran's dial is always wide open. Dash doesn't get the three actions, but Nien Nunb opens up his options a bit more as well. Of course, I've been stuck on this same Corran build for almost 4 months now, so it is hard to break away to PtL. I want Kyle, but there is not a single thing in this list I'd give up.

FCS on a High PS ship is a nice place for R7.

Great episode so far, as usual - I got through the first 20 minutes on my way to work and will finish the rest tonight.

Kelvan, your avatar is now even more appropriate.

In the one TCO game I have played with Dash so far, he finished in pretty good shape. I prefer having his whole dial open rather than using a green maneuver and a boost.

I have been kicking around several ideas for PtL Dash, and support ship(s) with Wingman. Any white move, followed by 3 actions. Dash is far harder to pin down, which is his only weakness. The drawback is sacrificing some aspect of the rest of your squad.

ROUNDS 1-3: DOMINATION IN THE TC OPEN

Kelvan's Horton Squad is on a perfect run; 100-0 every game!

Sideslip is on a perfect run too; 2 games with Imperials and 1 game with Rebels!

And the common denominator is Outrider + HLC!

I don't think its up for debate that Dash will dominate the Wave 5 meta. Kyle is such a great crew card. 3 actions or free your dial up while taking 2 actions. hell Kyle even helps when you're blocked. Such a great combo.

Horton pairs extremely well him him too.

After our game since blocking was tough (though I probably need to play the swarm more), I had several thoughts about ships that will counter PTL Dash well (as that's different from VI Dash) and I think I have some ideas

Considering I had 3 hp left after our game I think it's fair to say that the game could have swung either way. You had an excellent early block on dash.

The best buddy for dash should be something that draws fire away from dash if possible

Hm, a bigger glass cannon? Rebels don't really have any right now. The X-wing is the biggest glass cannon for the Rebels.

I like Leebo + Wingman + Tactical Jammer + Gunner, because if you attack Dash through Leebo, he gets 3 defense dice. That's an indirect way of encouraging you to kill Leebo instead, it makes Dash slightly less of a glass cannon. In fact, I will have to run those numbers later.