Hear me out and then let me know if I'm just complaining. Both of these pilots are quite good, and admittedly so, before I continue. I also make some of these claims without being 100% on the math, because that's not my strong suit. I thusly apologize in advance on that front. Don't want to start any arguments, just some interesting discussion.

So when the latest excellent article on Wave 7 dropped, focusing on Scum, I scuttled to the text hoping to see some new interesting strategy I hadn't considered and to perhaps see a card we had not yet seen. And there it was:

The flurry of posts on the forums and Facebook groups came in quickly on how great an ability it is. And it is. It is a hugely great ability. The lack of an EPT is unfortunate, but I will get to that. After some thinking, I found myself disappointed, however. I had been eagerly anticipating Bossk's addition to the game since Wave 6 was announced at last year's GenCon. And then Wave 7 was announced at Star Wars Celebration and there he was, and he had a GREAT ability:

While needing some upgrades to make his ability trigger more often and to aid his overall survivability, it all seemed perfectly feasible due to the surprising affordability of the YV-666. It's cheapest pilot is 29 points and its most expensive, Bossk, is 35, which ain't too shabby for an admittedly poor handling but impressively durable large base with a huge upgrade bar and the games first 180 degree primary firing arc. His ability allows you to increase damage by 1 if you had rolled a crit, assuming that your attack was not totally evaded, due to the fact that it activates after the attack resolves and evade dice have been rolled and modified. But, it essentially added the damage possibility of a Heavy Laser Cannon for the price of a Mangler, at least within its front arc. Or, with the right EPTs or crewmembers, one can make that ability proc in the full 180 degree arc, so the costly cannon upgrades aren't necessarily needed. One can also give him Veteran Instints and Engine Upgrade, allowing access to the boost action at PS9, letting him avoid a lot of fire if necessary. Lots of promise here.

We have 2 great cards. But they are great cards with nearly the same statistical results, once the dice are rolled. Moralo's ability is almost certainly better than Bossk's for these reasons. For these, let's assume the targets are Range 2 or 3 in Aux arcs, as the Aux arc is what sets the Tooth apart from other ships but Bossk cannot use his cannon outside of front arc.

Most Bossk builds I've seen on the forums, and in fact the ones that I plan to test myself first, fall comfortably into the 40-45 point range, with the extremes pushing 50 points. One could run him naked or perhaps with JUST Marksmanship or Calculation, but his ability will not trigger hugely often, and he will prove not quite so durable as other popular large base builds. Assuming you don't take a cannon, or your target is in your auxiliary arcs and not your primary, you will have little issue triggering your ability against these other large base or otherwise low agility ships. But dice are fickle, and against ships with 3+ or even sometimes just 2 agility, your attacks will occasionally be completely cancelled, especially at Range 3 or when attacks are obstructed. If you roll a hit and a crit, many ships will not have issue evading, if you roll 2 hits and a crit, valuable high agility targets will have no issue evading. And evaded shots mean no extra damage for Bossk. Even if they are not evaded entirely, if Bossk were to only take a cannon such as Mangler, his ability would not activate outside of his primary arc without additional upgrades and associated additional costs.

However, given the same conditions, and please correct me if I'm wrong, Moralo will almost assuredly have an advantage. With only a Heavy Laser Cannon, he lands at 41 points, which is at the low end of most Bossks that I have seen. One can obviously spend more points to customize him to your liking, but this is all he needs to get his ability working well. I will also say up front that it is a big deal that he is PS6 and lacks an EPT, so no PS8 boosting shenanigans are possible here, which will severely detriment is overall durability over the course of a match. But, let's give him the same basic situation that we mentioned above with Bossk. At all ranges, including Range 3, Moralo has a slightly higher probability to roll 2 or 3 hits, and even has the small possibility of rolling 4 hits at Range 3, even in the auxiliary edges of his arc at 180 degrees. In these areas, the HLC also, as always, negates range bonus from the defender. Therefore, 2 agility ships have very little chance to evade his shot altogether, and 3 agility ships are even far more likely to sustain a single damage at Range 3 if Moralo's attack yielded the admittedly rare 4 hits, than they would be from the same attack from Bossk.

Where Bossk's attack may be evaded, Moralo's attack probably won't be evaded entirely, resulting in at least one damage to the defender.

Now, all this is knowing that if Bossk's attack does connect with a crit, he has dealt two damage, but statistically, is Moralo's attack not more likely to deal one damage than Bossk's to deal one crit? I would say that Moralo has the statistical attack advantage between two abilities that are designed for the same purpose: more damage. But like I said, the current prevailing meta for large bases almost always includes high pilot skill and Engine Upgrade. PS6 is high, but it's not the same as boosting at PS9. However, allowing this for Bossk pushes his cost even higher from Moralo's.

Both pilots have advantages and disadvantages. My question is: Can Moralo Bossk better than Bossk? I want you to tell me why he can't.

Bossk has more damage potential at range one than Moralo.

Bossk's true benefits only work at range 1 and in the PS/EPT which leads to just making him the S&V fatguy.

I imagine Bossk getting either Stay on Target + Outlaw Tech or just Engine upgrade.

They know Moralo is strong, that's why he's only one point cheaper than Bossk while not having an EPT. Bossk has the ONLY EPT. Additionally, Moralo's ability doesn't work at all with the Hound's Tooth title.

Additionally, Moralo's ability doesn't work at all with the Hound's Tooth title.

I feel like this is the important bit. Granted yada yada if it doesnt die waste of points, but if it does die (i would imagine you never take this on Moralo, but other named pilots work well) Bossk's Z can not be underestimated granted i believe the other pilot (cant remember name) would be best in the Z form.

Bossk's ability is present without any additional upgrades and affects his primary weapon and a missle if he has one, with 35 base points. 39 with a Mangler or 42 with a HLC.

Moralo requires adding a Cannon to trigger his ability, so 38 or 41 points depending on whether you add a Mangler or HLC.

Bossk can be a PS9 with Veteran Instincts and Maralo can only be PS6.

A PS9 Soontir can likely evade Maralo, but if Bossk has initiative, he is less likely to be outmaneuvered.

Bossk can take Markmanship to convert Focuses to to a Crit and Hits.

There are many EPTs that Bossk can take to make his squad better versus Moralo having none.

In a head to head, one on one ship battle, I would wager Bossk would win based on difference in Pilot skill and EPT.

Moralo has a better chance of getting ships in arc for the cannon, but Range 1 shots would favor Bossk in terms of potential damage.

I really believe both are good ships and will be used in interesting ways, but I don't think you can say Moralo is better based on arc advantage alone.

I think it comes down to the intended use in a squad and how you intend to complement the YV-666 with other ships.

Until I know what Maneuvering Fins does, its hard for me to build squads for the YV.

I do like Bossk paired with an Aggressor. I think that's a pretty solid combo.

Until I know what Maneuvering Fins does, its hard for me to build squads for the YV.

I do like Bossk paired with an Aggressor. I think that's a pretty solid combo.

Flaps = Juno's ability. Gotta choose between it and EU. Don't know the cost though.

It's important to remember that Bossk's ability only kicks in if the attack hits. So you have to both hit the target, and have a crit. Meaning a mangler is still only rolling 3 dice, not 4. Depending on the target, that matters.

The way I see it, Moralo is best played as a slow advancing turret like ship that doesn't eat up your entire 100 pts, good at applying pressure to arc dodgers. Bossk on the other hand can deal serious damage as a squad center piece, but takes more points to be effective.

Does Bossk actually make Mercenary Copilot useful again?

Does Bossk actually make Mercenary Copilot useful again?

Merc Co-pilot, Greedo, K4 get a target lock after green, R3 turn hit to crit, then into 2 hits and one hit is a crit anyway.

Until I know what Maneuvering Fins does, its hard for me to build squads for the YV.

I do like Bossk paired with an Aggressor. I think that's a pretty solid combo.

Flaps = Juno's ability. Gotta choose between it and EU. Don't know the cost though.

90 turn when you reveal a stall for an extra stress might be cool.

Or when you reveal a bank you may instead perform a turn in the same direction. This maneuver will be red.

Hear me out and then let me know if I'm just complaining. Both of these pilots are quite good, and admittedly so, before I continue. I also make some of these claims without being 100% on the math, because that's not my strong suit. I thusly apologize in advance on that front.

ah hahaha In 3rd grade I was at a 4th grade math level. And I've been there ever since.

I think Bossk's strong suit comes from stripping shields and then letting someone else bring in the crits. e.g. Syck with mangler. Moralo is more forgiving and not a situation strategy at all. He is strong the whole length of the match.

I agree though, their strengths will shine with their support ships.

Don't forget Moralo can have Bossk crew and obviously Bossk can't. That's going to make Moralo the better gunner user.

You're comparing apples and kumquats, here: Moralo's role and effectiveness will vary based on his crew and choice of cannon, but naked except for an HLC, you're six points more expensive than Bossk. That's actually a fair amount of customization for everybody's favorite Trandoshan, which means (a) Bossk is actually even more flexible than Eval, and (b) as a result, it's very hard to compare "generic" builds for them.

Your feeling that Moralo Eval outdoes Bossk is... it isn't the wrong answer, so much as it's the wrong question.

Basically after doing rough math:

Moralo w/ HLC does an avg 3 dmg with focus for 41 points

Bossk does 3 dmg avg with marksmanship, 3.125 with mangler and focus or 2.84 with calculation. (These count a single crit as 2 dmg, so it is not as accurate vs higher agi) for 38, 39, and 36 points.

So, with Bossk with marksmanship/calculation, I see Moralo at being better at range 3, roughly equal at range 2 and Bossk better at range 1. Moralo is also probably better vs high agi. Bossk is overall cheaper however.

I think the real comparison is Moralo with HLC, vs Bossk with Mangler and Predator. Bossk wins in arc, but Moralo wins out if arc.

It is an interesting choice.

Crew does change thing slightly. For example, marks Bossk gets more benefit from Gunner. Moralo with gunner and Bossk is very interesting but that is an expensive ship and can't really be compared directly.

Basically after doing rough math:

Moralo w/ HLC does an avg 3 dmg with focus for 41 points

Bossk does 3 dmg avg with marksmanship, 3.125 with mangler and focus or 2.84 with calculation. (These count a single crit as 2 dmg, so it is not as accurate vs higher agi) for 38, 39, and 36 points.

So, with Bossk with marksmanship/calculation, I see Moralo at being better at range 3, roughly equal at range 2 and Bossk better at range 1. Moralo is also probably better vs high agi. Bossk is overall cheaper however.

I think the real comparison is Moralo with HLC, vs Bossk with Mangler and Predator. Bossk wins in arc, but Moralo wins out if arc.

It is an interesting choice.

I think the important thing we just dont know (because we've never had this arc before) is how Often will that 45 degrees on each side trigger an attack.

Basically after doing rough math:

Moralo w/ HLC does an avg 3 dmg with focus for 41 points

Bossk does 3 dmg avg with marksmanship, 3.125 with mangler and focus or 2.84 with calculation. (These count a single crit as 2 dmg, so it is not as accurate vs higher agi) for 38, 39, and 36 points.

So, with Bossk with marksmanship/calculation, I see Moralo at being better at range 3, roughly equal at range 2 and Bossk better at range 1. Moralo is also probably better vs high agi. Bossk is overall cheaper however.

I think the real comparison is Moralo with HLC, vs Bossk with Mangler and Predator. Bossk wins in arc, but Moralo wins out if arc.

It is an interesting choice.

Crew does change thing slightly. For example, marks Bossk gets more benefit from Gunner. Moralo with gunner and Bossk is very interesting but that is an expensive ship and can't really be compared directly.

Not a math wiz, but this doesn't take into account agility dice. Those are just dice averages, once someone throws 2-4 agility dice those odds go way down for the three hits. Forcing crits with Bossk is not increasing the likelihood of getting past agility dice, HLC does.

Basically after doing rough math:

Moralo w/ HLC does an avg 3 dmg with focus for 41 points

Bossk does 3 dmg avg with marksmanship, 3.125 with mangler and focus or 2.84 with calculation. (These count a single crit as 2 dmg, so it is not as accurate vs higher agi) for 38, 39, and 36 points.

So, with Bossk with marksmanship/calculation, I see Moralo at being better at range 3, roughly equal at range 2 and Bossk better at range 1. Moralo is also probably better vs high agi. Bossk is overall cheaper however.

I think the real comparison is Moralo with HLC, vs Bossk with Mangler and Predator. Bossk wins in arc, but Moralo wins out if arc.

It is an interesting choice.

Crew does change thing slightly. For example, marks Bossk gets more benefit from Gunner. Moralo with gunner and Bossk is very interesting but that is an expensive ship and can't really be compared directly.

Not a math wiz, but this doesn't take into account agility dice. Those are just dice averages, once someone throws 2-4 agility dice those odds go way down for the three hits. Forcing crits with Bossk is not increasing the likelihood of getting past agility dice, HLC does.

My Bossk build i have Bossk with HLC Merc Greedo and K4 comes to be 48 points. fly him slow and at range 3 and you have yourself a pretty effective and constant crit machine. with a possibility (albeit barely) of 4 hits, one to a crit with merc turn crit back into 2 hits making 6 hits, and greedo makes first hit a crit anyway.. so take away 1-2 hits (calling Dr. FICKLEGREENDICE) its still pretty devastating. pair em with a fat han, loaded Kath or Aggressor for flavor.

Basically after doing rough math:

Moralo w/ HLC does an avg 3 dmg with focus for 41 points

Bossk does 3 dmg avg with marksmanship, 3.125 with mangler and focus or 2.84 with calculation. (These count a single crit as 2 dmg, so it is not as accurate vs higher agi)for 38, 39, and 36 points).

So, with Bossk with marksmanship/calculation, I see Moralo at being better at range 3, roughly equal at range 2 and Bossk better at range 1. Moralo is also probably better vs high agi. Bossk is overall cheaper however.

I think the real comparison is Moralo with HLC, vs Bossk with Mangler and Predator. Bossk wins in arc, but Moralo wins out if arc.

It is an interesting choice.

Crew does change thing slightly. For example, marks Bossk gets more benefit from Gunner. Moralo with gunner and Bossk is very interesting but that is an expensive ship and can't really be compared directly.

Not a math wiz, but this doesn't take into account agility dice. Those are just dice averages, once someone throws 2-4 agility dice those odds go way down for the three hits. Forcing crits with Bossk is not increasing the likelihood of getting past agility dice, HLC does.

I did miss that, sowwy! Still, i think he agility dice are underestimated.

Moralo will beat a marks Bossk at range 2 and 3 against agi 2+. It is mostly even at range 2 vs agi 0-1. Bossk will always win at range 1. But Moralo costs 3 more points.

Moralo vs mangler, Predator Bossk. While in the primary arc, Bossk deals a fair more avg damage than Moralo. Bossk has 2.68 avg damage even before the bonus dmg is added (compared to 3 avg damage of the hlc). So Bossk wins except against a F+E Soontir. Moralo wins in the aux. arc obviously. Bossk costs 1 more point here.

I think both ships are good, one is better than the other in different situations.

Don't forget Moralo can have Bossk crew and obviously Bossk can't. That's going to make Moralo the better gunner user.

Just remember that when Gunner triggers the second attack is with the PRIMARY weapon. So you can get your first shot with a cannon on Moralo, but if it fails you are falling back to the primary weapon. Albeit if you have Focus + TL from Bossk crew it could still be effective. Just don't expect double HLC shots.

That being said, I have to give favor to Bossk for this. Calculation+Outlaw Tech+K4+Greedo has a lot of potential. And like others have said, it depends what you are going to pair your YV-666 up with. Do you want a freighter that can stall out and get some doubled up range 3 shots with Merc Copilot and Gunner? Do you want to throw at least one tactician at all times to add in that control aspect? Do you want to get a free action no matter what maneuver via Outlaw Tech + K4? There are so many good options out there and it'll be really fun to fly them all and find out what fits our play style.

If you want to try and trigger Bossk's ability as much as possible and ignore some of the other options, Calculation and Marksmanship are the top choices. I'm thinking Calculation w/o Gunner, but if using Gunner, Marksmanship would be better. You do not get the second crit with a gunner attack from Marksmanship, but it would help the rest of your eyeballs if you wanted to modify both. Also important to note that Greedo does not synergize perfectly with gunner.

Can't wait to fly this ship!

You do not get the second crit with a gunner attack from Marksmanship, but it would help the rest of your eyeballs if you wanted to modify both.

Hmm? Here's the card text:

Action: When attacking this round, you may change 1 of your [eye] results to a [kaboom] result and all of your other [eye] results to [boom] results.

You get the benefit "when attacking", which means it's active every time you attack. You can turn an [eye] to a [kaboom] on each new attack, if you happen to get more than one.

You do not get the second crit with a gunner attack from Marksmanship, but it would help the rest of your eyeballs if you wanted to modify both.

Hmm? Here's the card text:

Action: When attacking this round, you may change 1 of your [eye] results to a [kaboom] result and all of your other [eye] results to [boom] results.

You get the benefit "when attacking", which means it's active every time you attack. You can turn an [eye] to a [kaboom] on each new attack, if you happen to get more than one.

Directly from the FAQ under Marksmanship "After a ship performs the Marksmanship action, its effect may be applied during each attack it performs until the end of the round.."

Marksmanship and Gunner on Bossk may not be too bad a deal. People with tokens will be put into the hard choice of spending a token to avoid taking two damage but risking a possible harder hit when they are tokenless.