I know a lot of people say that spending a lot of points on an A-Wing is a waste since it's on a 2 dice attack ship, and I get that. But in my limited playtesting with them, I really enjoy darting around the board with them and I want to make them work.

So, do I just take 1 or 2 and use them as blockers? Is it a waste to pimp out Jake or Tycho? What do they pair best with?

I understand the tactical benefit of flying in formation and focusing fire, but there's something satisfying about deploying my ships all over the pace and attacking from all angles.

What do you guys think?

A-wings can be great blockers or flankers. I've seen great success with A-wing when paired with a larger threat (like a fat Han). At range one, these little guys will make you sorry you ignored them. If you go after them. then you're not brining guns on the bigger threat they are working with.

Han+Determination (or Falcon Title)+Engine Upgrade+IntelligenceAgent+Chewbacca

2x Green+Title+Push the Limit+Intimidation+Chardaan Retrofit

Greens can act as flankers AND blockers. The IA on Han will tell the Greens where a threat is heading so they can be blocked. Ships the Greens block become easier pray for Han.

What do you guys think?

Either go big or go small.

If you just want cheap blockers, Prototypes with refits aren't bad. They're still more then a Z-95, but do have a better dial and boost which is handy.

But if you're going to use a Green Squad or a named one, I think you're best off loading them up. You want at least 1 EPT on them, like PtL or Predator, and even 2 depending on the list.

Jake for example with PtL and Pred can be pretty deadly even with only 2 attack dice.

Apparently, a swarm of 6 will do just fine.

imo, best way to use A-wings:

1.) bring only 1. The difference between a prototype and a bandit is the difference between jello and dried feces. The difference between two is 6 points, and three is 9

2.) 2 dice make it suck in the offensive department, so it's up to you to make it as much of a pain in the ass as possible (blockblockblockblock)

3.) It is incredbly defensive and relatively cheap for it, so feel free to be relatively suicidal with it. Odds are your opponent won't even shoot it and, if they do, it's better that it takes the heat over your B-wings.

I like Jake or any A-wing with Outmaneuver. Those two attack dice can hit pretty hard when you hurt their agility.

The simple Prototype with a Procket is a dangerous ship for 20 points. What I like about them most is that they change the way your opponent plays. They will either work hard to avoid getting into range 1 of them or try to focus them down early letting your other ships get in a few rounds of fire unmolested.

Jake for example with PtL and Pred can be pretty deadly even with only 2 attack dice.

how would you put PtL and Pred on a single pilot?

Jake for example with PtL and Pred can be pretty deadly even with only 2 attack dice.

how would you put PtL and Pred on a single pilot?

The new Title that comes with Rebel Aces.

The best way to use A-wings is to file their leading edges down to a sharp edge and then throw them at opponents who roll improbably high attack results at you for the first four rounds.

The second-best way is to run Prototype + Chaardan Refit. They're not as popular as Bandits or Talas but they're noticeably tankier--in fact, they're frontrunners for the title of "most efficient defender"--and PS1 with a better dial and the ability to boost makes them far better choices as blockers.

The third-best way is probably to go with Green Squadron Pilot + Chaardan Refit + A-wing Test Pilot. No other ship in the game can mix and match EPTs the way the A-wing can, and no A-wing can do it more cheaply than the Green, so it's a unique opportunity to experiment and find some nasty surprises for your opponent. Jake and Tycho are also good choices, of course, but they can be harder to drop into a list.

I wouldn't fly an all-A-wing list, but you can easily splash 1-2 of them as blockers or flankers, and they're a lot of fun and more effective in those roles than many players seem to expect.

Jake for example with PtL and Pred can be pretty deadly even with only 2 attack dice.

how would you put PtL and Pred on a single pilot?

The new Title that comes with Rebel Aces.

Ah! Brilliant - I just picked up RA so I've not dug into it too much

Good ole RA, one of the best and easily the most overlooked expansion in the game

The second-best way is to run Prototype + Chaardan Refit. They're not as popular as Bandits or Talas but they're noticeably tankier--in fact, they're frontrunners for the title of "most efficient defender"--and PS1 with a better dial and the ability to boost makes them far better choices as blockers.

The way I personally came around to the prototype is I kept fielding expensive pilot + two blues + 1 Z-95 lists. Every time, the Z would never fail to fail. It was just an absolute sore-thumb, sticking out like a zit in the middle of the squadron's nose. It contributed nothing, stiffened up the formation flying (Bs can roll, Zs can't) and might've actively brought down the squadron's power just by failing so hard.

So then I cut corners for the prototype. Holy **** words can scarcely describe how much better the prototype is! That profile, that dial, that boost...it's a whole far beyond the sum of its parts and one of the most entertaining (or aggravating, if you're my opponent) little ships I've ever had the pleasure of flying.

In numbers, the Z-95 isn't a bad ship. Numbers can easily make up for its crap offensive and bored-stiff maneuverability. Alone, though, it's just so bad your opponent would kill it first out of pity, but keeping it alive actually helps him more than you.

Sadly, I found the pointy end of the falcon is better for punishing inordinately lucky players. Stupid turrets are better at everything...

Calculation

and/or Gemmer (guy who gives +1 agility when at range 1)

Refit

Maybe autothrusters

A-wing + Proton Rockets

5 dice RB1 atttack... yes please (ok it might be a one shot deal but still......)

Any way... Green Sqn + Awing Test pilot + proton rockets + PTL x 4 = 100

Greens + Push the Limit + Wingman is one of my favorite combos with or without prockets.

Then there's the best Push the limit user: Tycho. You can basically give him any other elite talent you like. The rest are just rather meh, and have better tie equivalents. Unless you're really dedicated to having both rebels and an A wing TIEs are just better.

A-wing + Proton Rockets

5 dice RB1 atttack... yes please (ok it might be a one shot deal but still......)

Any way... Green Sqn + Awing Test pilot + proton rockets + PTL x 4 = 100

I know that video that went around has cause a bit of a fuss over A-wings and Proton Rockets... but this build really does require your opponent to fly HORRIBLY for it to have a chance at winning. The Greens are going to be a bit more dangerous than a swarm of Prototypes thanks to PS 3 and PTL, but now you only have 4 of them. I have personally run over this list and have watched it get destroyed quickly a few times over.

Great Epic alpha strike build though.

I wanna know how to fly the 6 A wing swarm (2 greens with Pred and 4 prototype pilots) I've flown it once and it was a decent game, but I dont know if i flew them right.

Ran 4 protos with loaded Jake and went 2-1 at store championship tourney

Works just fine against big ships and other swarms...absolutely hates phantoms and soontir

Loving this thread. The A-wing has always been my favorite star wars ship. It's the only real dogfighter in the whole universe. But can someone explain to me how exactly a "blocker" works? I think I get it, but I'm not sure. Is that just moving a low PS pilot in front of a high PS pilot so that it can't help but collide, thusly forcing it to lose an action?

Greens with push are fantastic

Loving this thread. The A-wing has always been my favorite star wars ship. It's the only real dogfighter in the whole universe. But can someone explain to me how exactly a "blocker" works? I think I get it, but I'm not sure. Is that just moving a low PS pilot in front of a high PS pilot so that it can't help but collide, thusly forcing it to lose an action?

yup, that's it

you want to drive it like an ******* on the freeway, basically. Put it right where you don't want your opponent to be and, at the very least, you'll prevent them from being there.

but the applications of blocking go a little bit deeper than that

1.) The ship could possibly lose two actions (hello~~~ PTL)

2.) The blocker can deny de-cloak options

3.) The blocker can effectively lock an opposing ship's position, forcing it into a horrible position (like say, inside all your arcing fires)

4.) The blocker can strand an opposing ship on an asteroid

I've had my A-wing win me games using all of the above methods, but none are more satisfying than 4. I've won a game against Boba because flying the proto-type caused a traffic jam in the table center by flying through an obstruction. This little gambit kept Boba stuck on a rock for two turns, thanks to the B-wings moving in, and was worth every bit of the 15 points that the green dice betrayed and abandoned to Tie Fighter shots.

The prototype also let me beat an opposing rebel ship list with superior generics (y-wings are scarier than As, imo) by just creating a disaster area. In the first engagement, he forced two Y-wings to bump and one of them got stranded on a rock. The next turn, the hairball began in earnest and it was maintained for three turns by the A-wing basically 1-turning around the other edges and boxing the lumbering Y-wings inside. He was literally the only ship out of 8 taking actions for those 3 turns, since everything else bumped. Fortunately, range 1 3-dice innates > ion cannon turrets

The A-wing's like a little herding Corgi, only it causes pile-ups that would break even the most jaded auto-insurance agent.

Thank you!

Thanks for all the awesome replies, everyone! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with a love for these little guys. I think I'll try out an AABB list I threw together and see if I can make it work. You have to have a different mentality when flying them but MAN is it fun!

Intimidation seems like it would be pretty cool on Arvel or Gemmer.

I love them, my favorite ship by far. Won a SC with the six A swarm, and won other tournaments with it as well. If played carefully it's a super versatile list. The best piece of advice I can give with it is DON'T FLY IN FORMATION! Just don't do it!! With a little practice you'll be humiliating phantom lists and destroying decimators and falcons in the blink of an eye.

Also Tyco with PTL, Expert Handling and Experimental Interface is sooooooo much fun. I keep a d20 to keep track of stress for that one.

formation flying is for fools!