So after a long run of trying to get XXX to win, I gave up. 3rd, 2nd, and then 13th at local store champs began to grate on me as more often than not, I was facing two blank sided green dice at a moment where a single eyeball or squiggle would have been better.
So I trashed the concept and ran some junk.
99pts.
Luke+Lone Wolf+R5-P9
Blue Squadron Pilot x3
It performed as expected. Luke could single handedly fight against 2-3 other small bases and the B-wings moved as slow as possible until the right point and pounced in for some death blows. Lost against a Phantom+Mini swarm in round two which I figured would happen anyways due to the lack of any stress mechanic.
Round 1. Win vs. Dash+PtL+Engine+Kyle Katarn (crew)+Mangler Cannon, Corran Horn+PtL+Engine+R2-D2.
Luke had one shot and scored 4 hits on Dash and was double tapped by Corran. B's made short work of Dash and then Corran. 1-0
Round 2. Loss vs. Whisper+VI+ACD+FCS+Gunner, Howlrunner, Academy x3.
I made some rookie moves by flying towards the Phantom while it was close to the TIE Swarm. The TIEs ate up my B's quickly. Luke should have broken away earlier but didn't so I lost him thanks to two consecutive blank evade rolls (no lone wolf, silly B-wing trying to do things). Killed only Howlrunner. 1-1
Round 3. Win vs. Ten Nunb+Adv Sensors, Keyan+Adv Sensors+SoT, Etahn A'Bhat.
Traded Luke for Ten in the 2nd round, then the ensuing circle chase left a single B-wing standing. My Blue Squadron Pilot #10 ( my hero Blue). 2-1
Round 4. Win vs. Wedge+DtF+R2-D2+Shield Upgrade, Biggs, Gold Squadron Pilot+Ion Turret+R3-A2, Bandit Squad Pilot.
Luke made a bold flanking maneuver and the Blues slowly rolled forward until Luke was ready and pounced. Luke could only shoot Wedge and stripped his shields with three hits. Blues vaped Biggs very early. Next turn, Wedge ended a Blue who had basically tanked all of Round 1's damage, Luke ended Wedge, and soon after, the opponent conceded with the Bandit clinging to life after hit,hit,crit(structural damage). 3-1
After the cut.
Semis Win vs. BBBBZ
Luke goes wide out and draws 2 Bs away from the rest of his squad so it essentially was two different games on the same board Luke vs. BB and my BBB vs. BBZ. Lone wolf triggered so often ( and was successful) that Luke managed to survive with 2hull damage and kill the Bs on his side. The Z-95 broke away from his Bs to try and chase Luke. We traded some Bs and after the smoke cleared my Blue #10 was untouched and heading to help Luke. After Luke Downed the Second B on his side he took a shot at the Z-95 and missed. Blue #10 scores hit,hit,crit(weapon malfunction) which saves Luke's bacon as he was at R1. Luke k-turns and then kills the bandit. 4-1.
Finals Win vs. Round 1 opponent rematch.
Luke survived the game and put the killing blow on Dash @ R1 while the B's got in Corran Horn's business, eventually landing a 4 hit R1 shot. With Corran having no shots and 1 hull, the opponent conceded. 5-1.
Thoughts:
Luke has always been strong but gets only better if he's fighting by himself. 3 Blues are 3 Blues and lack any creativity or imagination. I wish Rookie X-wings+ R2 astro were as good, but they are not as they lack any durability since they rely on 2 agility and 2 shields to protect them. Oh well, generic X-wings were meant to get vaped anyways.
Giving up on my favorite list to fly sucked but I was fed up with my games being decided by green dice betrayal. A loss last week to BBBBZ essentially broke my spirit and finally convinced me to ditch my #Stressbot squads.
Hope to see everyone at the Atlanta Regionals!
-Brendan