M3A Awesomesauce

By KineticOperator, in X-Wing

I believe the Scyk will be the quiet breakout of the wave. It will do so based on it's customization, just like the sales brochure says. It is by far the most inexpensive way to add recurring stress or ion effects, a follow up crit, or many of the other niche effects that come on secondary weapons.

Like the Headhunter, it won't be the centerpiece of a list. But like the Headhunter, it is the cheapest way to fill a particular need, and the variety of needs it can fill will see one or two of these fitting in to a lot of lists.

I've only flown it once but Laetin A'shera with an HLC and a Stealth Device is hilarious 30 point ship with a stat line of

4, 4, 2, 1.

Until he gets hit (which, by that point, he should be dead anyway)

I like imagining Laetin scraping paint off his M3A just so it will take off with a heavy laser cannon strapped to its underside.

I think there will be people who just refuse to play it. This may be because of how it looks or they just don't like the look of the card as is. That is, unless there is some sort of breakaway success with it at Worlds. I think it's a great ship and I'm looking forward to it, but I think there will be those people that will just be haters.

I think there will be people who just refuse to play it. This may be because of how it looks...

Impossible! The ship is too cute to be left out for that reason!

The only pilot I'm not convince for now is Laetin but that probably have more to do with the fact that I rarely go against Gunner or pure swarms.

Well... I'm not a hater at all but I like the Star Warsy feel of the Rebel and Empire ships. The M3A isn't bad really but the Star Viper is a ship that I've gone back and forth with. AT first I didn't really like the looks; when FFG announced it was adding the Star Viper I though 'you know it doesn't look so bad; different is cool'; Now that I have it and it just doesn't feel like Star Wars to me.

That's just me really and no reflection on the game. There's a lot of miniature games out there and one of the reasons I play them is for the fun, tactics and if possible strategy. I like X-Wing for that same reasons but I got into Star Wars: X-Wing specifically because of the pre-painted Star Wars miniatures. Hater of S&V? No. Lover of S&V? No. Kind of meh actually...

I think there will be people who just refuse to play it.

Yo!

stupid green dice...

I did buy and will fly one interceptor, but they remind me (appropriately enough) of the imperial interceptor. They'll have a very high impact on the game, which'll be mitigated by them being impacted much more highly by bad dice with nary a thruster in sight to compensate. My personal predicition is that I'll settle on one of the named pilots and fly it frequently, like I did when I bought only the base Tie Interceptor and only ever used Soontir Fell (Thurr might make an appearance now that thrusters are out)

Naked Cartels will have their place as tie fighters/a-wings, the later of which I also only own one of (but I do love that little proto-type to bits :P), but I don't know how much of an impact they'll have on the game at large. For me, personally, I'm far more interested into turning the Viper into the Star of this show, and it's been so far reciprocating ^_^

That said, it's those that we expect nothing that'll accomplish the things we thought no one would accomplish. The Star Viper is this big, flamboyent bastard would stand out even if surrounded by imperial Raiders. The Scyk, meanwhile, is the tiniest most adorable little bug of a ship that almost blends into the asteroid tokens. Who's to say that he won't jump up and surprise us all? (I'm already surprised they managed to stow away a HLC on that tiny little thing :wacko: )

Impossible! The ship is too cute to be left out for that reason!

The only pilot I'm not convince for now is Laetin but that probably have more to do with the fact that I rarely go against Gunner or pure swarms.

There are haters. I've seen them post. To me, it looks like Ventress' ship in the cartoon between Ep 2 and Ep 3. Also, I think both that and the Starviper looks cool. The world of Star Wars is freakin' HUGE. Why can't there be a ship or two that look a little different?

Also, Laetin is the one I'm looking forward to the most. I have a feeling Serrisu will die too fast, much like Howlrunner. I'm liking Laetin as a sniper on the flanks. Just her with Mangler and Stealth Device and she will be doing well. Also, I do see Gunner enough, but even that, it doesn't have to be just Gunner and Swarm. Any time there would be 2 ships that would fire at her, it's worth it. That's not a swarm.

@Fickle: I tend to see the Scyk as a Tie Fighter. I think I'll probably use it more often as a generic with no cannon. Well, maybe 50-50%? There are times I'd rather fill out my list with a cheap Scyk than a cheap Z-95.

I am looking forward to the Starviper, too. That and this ship are the ones that got me excited about S&V. To be honest, I haven't even really looked at the Firespray much. I probably should, but I just love these two ships.

Edited by heychadwick

The Viper looks more Star Wars than the Lancer everyone seems to want.

Impossible! The ship is too cute to be left out for that reason!

The only pilot I'm not convince for now is Laetin but that probably have more to do with the fact that I rarely go against Gunner or pure swarms.

There are haters. I've seen them post. To me, it looks like Ventress' ship in the cartoon between Ep 2 and Ep 3. Also, I think both that and the Starviper looks cool. The world of Star Wars is freakin' HUGE. Why can't there be a ship or two that look a little different?

Also, Laetin is the one I'm looking forward to the most. I have a feeling Serrisu will die too fast, much like Howlrunner. I'm liking Laetin as a sniper on the flanks. Just her with Mangler and Stealth Device and she will be doing well. Also, I do see Gunner enough, but even that, it doesn't have to be just Gunner and Swarm. Any time there would be 2 ships that would fire at her, it's worth it. That's not a swarm.

@Fickle: I tend to see the Scyk as a Tie Fighter. I think I'll probably use it more often as a generic with no cannon. Well, maybe 50-50%? There are times I'd rather fill out my list with a cheap Scyk than a cheap Z-95.

I am looking forward to the Starviper, too. That and this ship are the ones that got me excited about S&V. To be honest, I haven't even really looked at the Firespray much. I probably should, but I just love these two ships.

14 points for a Tie is a bit much for me, but I've always wished As could barrel-roll so it's not a huge stretch either way :P

I do agree in thinking that Laetin has promise, though. He reminds me most of Tarn Mision, a solid if fragile ship that the opponent simply doesn't want to shoot because they can play havoc with the dice.

Also, Laetin is the one I'm looking forward to the most. I have a feeling Serrisu will die too fast, much like Howlrunner. I'm liking Laetin as a sniper on the flanks. Just her with Mangler and Stealth Device and she will be doing well. Also, I do see Gunner enough, but even that, it doesn't have to be just Gunner and Swarm. Any time there would be 2 ships that would fire at her, it's worth it. That's not a swarm.

Worth it IF you dodge the first shot. But don't get it wrong, I don't think he's worthless, just not my cup of tea. I'll prefer to use the Tansarii with an EPT over him. His ability never trigger for me yet, but I used him only one game so I'll definetly give it another go. It's just my initial thought. Note that I said that ''I'm not convince for now''.

As for Serissu, I can see her work surrounded by Zs. Shoot the 3(4 with stealth Device, maybe even five if you can keep her at range 3) Agility ship with 3 health or the grunts with 4 health and 2 agility+reroll?

Edited by Red Castle

The Viper looks more Star Wars than the Lancer everyone seems to want.

I don't see any way this could be true.

The Viper looks more Star Wars than the Lancer everyone seems to want.

I don't see any way this could be true.

The Star Viper looks awesome

The Lancer looks like an Eldritch, Freudian horror

Both new small ships look awesome. I'm just concerned Laetin doesn't have ptl to evade focus to help not got hit, so one good high ps shot and he is gone. That's why I've been looking at the generic ps5 pilot...but I love the idea of that unlimited evade ability. Need to play stll.

Agree completely with the OP. I think a lot of people will experiment with Scyk-heavy lists and write them off. I know I did... :) That being said, strategic use of 1-2 of them will be their likely niche and their swiss-army functionality will get them a lot of table time in that regard.

And I have to say, I liked the ship WAY more when I got the real model than the preview suggested. I think it's a solid looking ship and the paint scheme works for me.

I've only flown it once but Laetin A'shera with an HLC and a Stealth Device is hilarious 30 point ship with a stat line of

4, 4, 2, 1.

Until he gets hit (which, by that point, he should be dead anyway)

I like imagining Laetin scraping paint off his M3A just so it will take off with a heavy laser cannon strapped to its underside.

Pair him with Serious and you are right at 50 points of annoying as hell combo. You'll have to shoot down Serious if you want a chance at hitting Laetin. You are essentially giving Laetin 3 more hitpoints. The beauty is you still have 50 points to play with. 4 Pirates, 2 SVs, more Sycks... Boba. Lots of possibilities.

Edited by Jo Jo

I think there will be people who just refuse to play it. This may be because of how it looks...

Impossible! The ship is too cute to be left out for that reason!

The only pilot I'm not convince for now is Laetin but that probably have more to do with the fact that I rarely go against Gunner or pure swarms.

I like it's looks! Honestly it's kind of adorable. At first I thought it was hideous, but then when I opened my first Scyk, I started warming up to it. Now if only my roommates wouldn't try to fly them backwards...(magnets)

I compare it to the TIE Bomber. Both are cheap ships that don't have any exclusive upgrades that will dominate the meta, but the ships themselves will always more than acquit themselves for their points.

I want to try out some naked Scyks to see if they're worth the ire they're being dealt.

4 Cartel spacers

Serissu

2 Binayre pirates

Could be a fun little swarm

14 points for a Tie is a bit much for me, but I've always wished As could barrel-roll so it's not a huge stretch either way :P

I do agree in thinking that Laetin has promise, though. He reminds me most of Tarn Mision, a solid if fragile ship that the opponent simply doesn't want to shoot because they can play havoc with the dice.

Is 14 pts really too much? Sure, it's not an Academy, but you get 1 PS, the ability to TL, a shield instead of a hull (great in this age of crits), and a dial that is different. Not worse, but the 1 bank is nice. There are many times I'd wish my Ties had that. I've played a lot with Tie Fighters not in formation and I'm happy with them. I like them better than Z-95's. I'll have no problem paying 14 pts.

Both new small ships look awesome. I'm just concerned Laetin doesn't have ptl to evade focus to help not got hit, so one good high ps shot and he is gone. That's why I've been looking at the generic ps5 pilot...but I love the idea of that unlimited evade ability. Need to play stll.

I see Laetin doing a Focus each time she can be shot at. I figure most people won't want to shoot at her, but you can use the Focus if they do. Yeah, you lose the Focus for offense, but I'd rather keep her alive to annoy than to make one shot more effective. I don't see it as being too much of an issue. I also think you can TL when you won't be the target often and you will do damage. It will be possible on a flanker like her.

Worth it IF you dodge the first shot. But don't get it wrong, I don't think he's worthless, just not my cup of tea. I'll prefer to use the Tansarii with an EPT over him. His ability never trigger for me yet, but I used him only one game so I'll definetly give it another go. It's just my initial thought. Note that I said that ''I'm not convince for now''.

As for Serissu, I can see her work surrounded by Zs. Shoot the 3(4 with stealth Device, maybe even five if you can keep her at range 3) Agility ship with 3 health or the grunts with 4 health and 2 agility+reroll?

Yeah, to each their own. I'm good with that. People just like some styles better. Me, I hate Howlrunner and won't use her. That's my preference. I do well with my Ties Fighters without her, though. I just don't fly them in formation. That's a good thing to me. Many think I'm stupid for that, but I've won many an event without Howlrunner.

I can see Serissu with a bunch of Z's. It can work. I just don't know if I will run it. That's just my style.

The PS2 generics are the cheapest way to carry cannons, the PS5 generics are the cheapest way to carry cannons with an EPT. The ship is decently mobile. A'shera looks very annoying to play against, especially if you make him a threat. Although the Z is probably the better swarmer, the M3A still has a very clear role.

I've faced Laetin and it was tough. With Stealth Device and a boost from a Bodyguard, that's 5 agility dice. I was playing IG-88B and my second attack was worse than the first because of that blasted evade token. It was hard to crack that shell.

I'm excited to play Laetin just for the name. It's spelled a little strangely for my taste, but I'll deal with it.

14 points for a Tie is a bit much for me, but I've always wished As could barrel-roll so it's not a huge stretch either way :P

I do agree in thinking that Laetin has promise, though. He reminds me most of Tarn Mision, a solid if fragile ship that the opponent simply doesn't want to shoot because they can play havoc with the dice.

I think the Scyk is more comparable to the a-wing in terms of its points and what it does for a list. It does fly more like a TIE fighter though. Cartel Spacer w/ title + mangler is a solid 20pt ship though, and even bumping it up to 23/24 pts with a hull/shield upgrade is still not too expensive.

I got crushed in the finals of a 3 round tournament on Saturday by a 4 Scyk list with

Serissu - Swarm Tactics, Title, Mangler Cannon, Stealth Device

3x Cartel Spacer - Title, Mangler Cannon, Stealth Device

I was running Whisper, Soontir and an Engine Lambda.

I did misjudge the range of Whisper in the opening exchange and didn't realize she was in range 3 of all 4 Scyks, and she got melted, and I did 0 damage. But even without that mistake, the list seems very potent and is the best use of the Scyk I've seen so far.

I like them. A ton. I'm definitely picking up another 2-3 when the budget allows.

As posted elsewhere, a 2x Z-95, 3x M3-A swarm took second in the biggest store championship in Colorado (25). The forum seems to hate them, but they're quite good.