After the squadron preview, we got a much better view of how squadrons work in general, as well as some information on how things like Escort function. Additional discussion on this forum regarding fighter roles lends Escort toward ... escorting ... bombers to their target.

Considering that, why would you run Luke? You're putting additional points into a single Xwing for some defensive abilities, but his pilot ability seems like something that won't get much use, as most people will gun down the named pilots as quickly as possible. Maybe the damage mitigation skills are the only reason for running him.

I was thinking maybe he could see use as a flank squad- run him by himself to one side to try to draw some attention away from the actual bombers being escorted. Maybe his ability is enough of a threat to pull some squads off your bombers to go after him.

Thoughts? When would you use Luke (over a base xwing squadron) and why?

After the squadron preview, we got a much better view of how squadrons work in general, as well as some information on how things like Escort function. Additional discussion on this forum regarding fighter roles lends Escort toward ... escorting ... bombers to their target.

Considering that, why would you run Luke? You're putting additional points into a single Xwing for some defensive abilities, but his pilot ability seems like something that won't get much use, as most people will gun down the named pilots as quickly as possible. Maybe the damage mitigation skills are the only reason for running him.

I was thinking maybe he could see use as a flank squad- run him by himself to one side to try to draw some attention away from the actual bombers being escorted. Maybe his ability is enough of a threat to pull some squads off your bombers to go after him.

Thoughts? When would you use Luke (over a base xwing squadron) and why?

He also gets a black die instead of a red for bombing runs, which means his shield ignoring abilities will be doing additional damage as well.

As the previous two have said, he is a LOT more powerful than a standard X-Wing. Tougher due to defensive abilities, better attack die, and a truly awesome special ability.

Sure, people might gun for him, but he'll take a lot more fighters to bring down if they do, leaving your other fighters a lot more leeway.

... he'll take a lot more fighters to bring down if they do, leaving your other fighters a lot more leeway.

1) Damage sponge -- as Extropia says

2) Luke costs 20, vs 13 for a basic X-Wing. If we don't buy Luke, we save 7 pts. And these 7 additional points only buy half an X-Wing squad. We get a lot for only 7 points.

He also gets a black die instead of a red for bombing runs, which means his shield ignoring abilities will be doing additional damage as well.

3) This makes him more of a threat, increasing the likelihood he will be engaged, and increasing his theoretical utility as a Damage Sponge

The only time I won't take him, is when I really need those 7 points, somewhere else

Personally I see it making it really making the X-wing as an effective bomber, because otherwise normal X-wing squadronss seem awfully lackluster for that role. Hitiing past the shields is a big, big deal in this game, plus the fact that it is possible to deal two or more damage with a black die. Does it make Luke have a big "shoot me" sign on him? Yes, but I'll argue that he's tough to kill and his anti ship scary factor alone makes him worth it.

I should clarify, I really like Luke after thinking of him as a flanker instead of an escort like a normal x-wing. But to hit on some comments- 7 points is half again another squadron, fish another 6 somewhere else and you've doubled your health and damage output. I'm certain that there will be games where Luke's defensive abilities means he survives longer, but I'm just as sure that there will be times where 1.5 Xwings would suit better.

The black die upgrade I agree will be crucial in making his pilot ability count when you're flying him flank to engage ships, which I think may play better into the Rebels playstyle- they've got the numbers advantage with their ships, so providing Luke with a support ship to throw him a squadron command shouldn't be too hard even when he's flying separate from the majority of your fighters.

Personally I see it making it really making the X-wing as an effective bomber, because otherwise normal X-wing squadronss seem awfully lackluster for that role.

I'm not sure I agree that throwing a red is lackluster, particularly if you have the bomber keyword. To put it in perspective, the rebel caps only throw one or two red dice from most of their arcs, so getting even a couple of X-Wings in on bombing runs for a turn or two would effectively give you the firepower of another capital ship on whatever flank (or flanks) they are striking. Even the current "heavy hitters" in the capital ship class throw only three reds, so I would say X-Wings are nothing to be ignored if they are bearing down on your capital ships in any numbers at all.

When I fly Rebels, I plan to bomb as often as I can, and if I fly Imps, I will definitely pack some TIEs just to counter this particular advantage Rebel fighters inherently possess. On a side note, this is also why I think Armada will actually showcase most fighters in a more complete light than X-Wing ever could, since they can fulfill more than one role (or really fulfill their intended role) but I already wrote all about that in another post, so I won't go through it all again here.