Crack Shot. Does this fix ordnance?

By Divad, in X-Wing

Crack Shot: "When attacking a ship inside your firing arc, you may discard this card to cancel 1 of the defender's Evade results."

This card already seems very powerful. It may let you do +1 damage when you need it for just 1 point, whereas +1 Hull or shield point costs 3 and 4 points. Thus it is a very cheap card for just doing more damage.

In addition to this it also synergises very nicely with missiles and torps.

For assault, tracer, adv homing and ion missiles/torps, Crack Shot can be used in a pinch to improve the reliability of getting these off when needed.

For the primarily damage dealing ordnance, the +1 damage this card can provide may bump the weapon into OHKO range, or for getting that crit past shields. Better still, if the extra damage isn't needed, it can be saved for later.

Thoughts?

It's a nice card, but it's exactly as good with primary attacks as it is with ordnance.

Vorpal nailed it.

I'm assuming Crack Shot follows the normal rules of dice modification, meaning that it can only get rid of natural Evades, and not Evades generated via dice modification, since the attacker does any modification of defense dice before the defender does. So, maybe slightly less useful than it seems at first glance. Still, the price is right.

Also, unless I'm missing something, the point the OP was trying to make is that if Crack Shot is the difference between hitting and not hitting for ordnance, than any effects that trigger only on a hit would apply. I would think that would make Crack Shot a bit better for those kinds of ordnance over just +1 damage on a primary attack.

Edited by Tawnos

Vorpal's got it

If X works with ordnance and works with primaries, then it's probably not an ordnance fix :P

Very few pilots have these generalist abilities that work better with our inefficient one shot weapons

We got Horton with prot Torps (but now tlt), Miranda's with homing missiles (5 dice), and ndru with clusters (ability so nice it synergizes twice)

Edited by ficklegreendice

...or cannons. Or turret upgrades.

I don't think there is ever going to be an "ordnance fix" as such. I think we're simply going to see cards and pilots which tinker with and enhance it released over time.

Wave 3 saw the release of Deadeye. Wave 4 saw Munitions Failsafe. Wave 7 sees Extra Munitions. Wave 8 will see XX23 S-Thread Tracers, and each wave sees new missiles and torpedoes being released, with different abilities and synergies.

Making improvements and adding utility to ordnance is an ongoing process.

Mareek shooting his Advanced Homing Missile early on battle seems like good scenario for a cheap reinforcement like Crack Shot?

It helps, but it's not a fix

It's a nice card, but it's exactly as good with primary attacks as it is with ordnance.

Not quite, because some ordnance has extra effects that only trigger if the attack hits (for example - Advanced Homing Missiles). Crackshot can easily be the difference in your ordnance hitting or missing.

I think Tawnos has got it. Some ordnance (and Mangler) do more than just one more damage if they hit. The difference between an AHM hitting and missing is a face up damage card or nothing, regardless of the defender's shielding I might add.

But I agree that the ordnance fix is a gradual process. Here's to hoping September 4th gives a reason to put Torps on an X-Wing...

I'm assuming Crack Shot follows the normal rules of dice modification, meaning that it can only get rid of natural Evades, and not Evades generated via dice modification, since the attacker does any modification of defense dice before the defender does. So, maybe slightly less useful than it seems at first glance. Still, the price is right.

Also, unless I'm missing something, the point the OP was trying to make is that if Crack Shot is the difference between hitting and not hitting for ordnance, than any effects that trigger only on a hit would apply. I would think that would make Crack Shot a bit better for those kinds of ordnance over just +1 damage on a primary attack.

From the rulebook:

All abilities that allow players to cancel dice must be resolved at the start of the “Compare Results” step.

This is after the defense dice mod step, meaning use of tokens, rerolls, C-3P0, or Palpatine would have already taken effect as they are done in the defense die mod step.

Danomight has it. Stuff like Ion Pulse Missiles, Assault Missiles, etc. likes Crack Shot a lot.

The main limitation that I see is that ships that have an EPT for Crack Shot and an ordnance load usually want something better, because they're more expensive and durable ships. Specifically thinking about Ion Pulse Missile, though. Being able to drop a success makes it a dangerous missile against a much wider array of targets. Being able to one-time drop an Evade success makes targeting AGI3 stuff with tokens a reasonable proposition, this isn't true with the missile currently.

I'm assuming Crack Shot follows the normal rules of dice modification, meaning that it can only get rid of natural Evades, and not Evades generated via dice modification, since the attacker does any modification of defense dice before the defender does. So, maybe slightly less useful than it seems at first glance. Still, the price is right.

Crack shot takes the evade from the defender after all dice modifications have been made!

Last line of page 12 of the rulebook:

All abilities that allow players to cancel dice must be

resolved at the start of the “Compare Results” step.

edit: ninja´ed by Vayn Maanen ;)

Edited by Taiowaa

Vader with prockets and crack shot should make just about anyone wet their pants. Decent chance that Vader has target lock as well as focus.

This card already seems very powerful. It may let you do +1 damage when you need it for just 1 point, whereas +1 Hull or shield point costs 3 and 4 points.

THAT part, IMHO, is a bit annoying.

So I spend 3 points on an extra point of hull that gets discarded on first use...and you spend one point on an upgrade that completely nullifies the three points I spent.

WTF?

Here is an interesting thought:

The threat of Crackshot forces token use. If your ship with Crackshot gets 3 hits, and Soontir Fel rolls 4 dice, say, 2 evade, 1 focus, 1 blank. Focusing gives 3 results. But with the threat of Crackshot, now they have to spend the evade token as well to avoid the hit. Now you keep crackshot, but your other ships can now shoot a tokenless Soontir, and you can save Crackshot another turn.

Players underestimate one time use cards, like Inertial Dampeners and Lightning Reflexes, and now Crackshot. Truly it's the "threat" of being able to use it that's more dangerous than actually having to.

This card already seems very powerful. It may let you do +1 damage when you need it for just 1 point, whereas +1 Hull or shield point costs 3 and 4 points.

THAT part, IMHO, is a bit annoying.

So I spend 3 points on an extra point of hull that gets discarded on first use...and you spend one point on an upgrade that completely nullifies the three points I spent.

WTF?

Yes, but what about opportunity cost? It's an EPT you have to discard and those haven't typically been too popular. Also, your hull/shield will be good against many lists and you have just a small chance of seeing this counter to your modification.

This card already seems very powerful. It may let you do +1 damage when you need it for just 1 point, whereas +1 Hull or shield point costs 3 and 4 points.

THAT part, IMHO, is a bit annoying.

So I spend 3 points on an extra point of hull that gets discarded on first use...and you spend one point on an upgrade that completely nullifies the three points I spent.

WTF?

It's an EPT, though. EPT is a crowded slot.

This card already seems very powerful. It may let you do +1 damage when you need it for just 1 point, whereas +1 Hull or shield point costs 3 and 4 points.

THAT part, IMHO, is a bit annoying.

So I spend 3 points on an extra point of hull that gets discarded on first use...and you spend one point on an upgrade that completely nullifies the three points I spent.

WTF?

Yes, but what about opportunity cost? It's an EPT you have to discard and those haven't typically been too popular. Also, your hull/shield will be good against many lists and you have just a small chance of seeing this counter to your modification.

Would you take Crackshot over VI? Sure, sometimes, in the right list. But it's a long way from an autoinclude. The pricing is spot-on to my eye.

This card already seems very powerful. It may let you do +1 damage when you need it for just 1 point, whereas +1 Hull or shield point costs 3 and 4 points.

THAT part, IMHO, is a bit annoying.

So I spend 3 points on an extra point of hull that gets discarded on first use...and you spend one point on an upgrade that completely nullifies the three points I spent.

WTF?

It's an EPT, though. EPT is a crowded slot.

So is the 'modification' slot. Ships can only take one of those, too.

I'm assuming Crack Shot follows the normal rules of dice modification, meaning that it can only get rid of natural Evades, and not Evades generated via dice modification, since the attacker does any modification of defense dice before the defender does. So, maybe slightly less useful than it seems at first glance. Still, the price is right.

Also, unless I'm missing something, the point the OP was trying to make is that if Crack Shot is the difference between hitting and not hitting for ordnance, than any effects that trigger only on a hit would apply. I would think that would make Crack Shot a bit better for those kinds of ordnance over just +1 damage on a primary attack.

False. It cancels evade tokens, C3PO, evades generated from magic. Doesnt matter. It cancels one evade result after all modification.

EDIT: I should read the whole thread. Sorry

Edited by Sacimino40

This card already seems very powerful. It may let you do +1 damage when you need it for just 1 point, whereas +1 Hull or shield point costs 3 and 4 points.

THAT part, IMHO, is a bit annoying.

So I spend 3 points on an extra point of hull that gets discarded on first use...and you spend one point on an upgrade that completely nullifies the three points I spent.

WTF?

Yes, but what about opportunity cost? It's an EPT you have to discard and those haven't typically been too popular. Also, your hull/shield will be good against many lists and you have just a small chance of seeing this counter to your modification.

while that's a good reason, the actual reason is the same as to why green dice have 3/8 evades to red dice 4/8 hits (1 crit)

if defense and offense are priced equally and are equally effective, the game will never ******* end

Here is an interesting thought:

The threat of Crackshot forces token use. If your ship with Crackshot gets 3 hits, and Soontir Fel rolls 4 dice, say, 2 evade, 1 focus, 1 blank. Focusing gives 3 results. But with the threat of Crackshot, now they have to spend the evade token as well to avoid the hit. Now you keep crackshot, but your other ships can now shoot a tokenless Soontir, and you can save Crackshot another turn.

Players underestimate one time use cards, like Inertial Dampeners and Lightning Reflexes, and now Crackshot. Truly it's the "threat" of being able to use it that's more dangerous than actually having to.

This is a good point. You don't necessarily have to use CS to get use out of it. Its a very good card.

It isn't really an ordnance fix though. To my mind, an ordnance fix needs to make bombers with 3-4 missiles/torps viable, and a 1-use card isn't going to do that.

I really do wanna try something like 5 BSPs and Howlrunner, all with Crackshot. Or 5 Green's all with Crackshot and ATs. Cancelling that many evades is gonna blow someone up fast :)

Crackshot kills threepio. Swarm of bsp with Howlrunner and go forth and kills Han.