So I was looking at this upgrade, at first glance this upgrade seemed interesting and also a little sub par for imperials. But I started looking closer, then I noticed something interesting...it is not Empire only, either side would be able to utilize this card. So that got me thinking about how this upgrade can really shine.

The first question would have to be though, can this upgrade proc off of the same attack, i.e. say you have 5 enemy fighters in one arc, all engaged with some of your fighters. Would this card proc for each AS attack on those 5 enemy fighters?

If yes, I think this card will be amazing for certain builds.

Scenario:

Your opponent has 5 squadrons all bunched up. You move 2 x-wings in to tie up all of the opponents squadrons keeping them from going anywhere. Then you move 2 y-wings into the fray as well (this seems really weird, but just bare with me here ) so that they are engaged with all 5 fighters (for this scenario we will say that each y-wing is able to successfully engage all 5 enemy squadrons).

Then here comes your ship with this upgrade, he has all 5 of your opponents squadrons in a single arc. You do an AS attack, target the first squadron, then regardless of the results, you deal 1 damage to one of the y-wings, then you deal 1 damage to an engaged enemy squadrons. Then you target the second squadron, roll, again regardless of results, deal 1 damage to your unhurt y-wing (or least hurt if it took some damage at some point), and again deal 1 damage to an engaged squadron. Then rinse repeat for the last 3 attacks. Thus giving you 5 extra damage that cannot be stopped, plus whatever damage you get with your rolls.

This could effectively allow you to wipe out all enemy squadrons from a single attack. Now granted, this all hinges on whether the card can proc for each attack against a squadron, when attacking multiple squadrons in a single ship AS attack.

Also the reason I say this will shine for rebels is mainly due to y-wings being one of the cheapest, durable squadrons in the game. There may other squadrons that will have as much hull as a y-wing, but it will not be as cheap.

So that is my theory on an effective strategy using Ruthless Strategist. What are your thoughts? Do you interpret the card as I do, or would you interpret it differently?

Edit: I made a slight mistake on the effect of the card, the damage to enemy is only against the single squadron (not all engaged squadrons as I initially read it as somehow)...thanks to nekomatafuyu for catching my mistake...still though, this card is going to be interesting and allow you to easily take out the more troublesome enemy squadrons.

Remember that for the effects of squadron attacks each time you attack a squadron it is treated as a new attack for the purposes of upgrade cards. Thus why you can Dominator every single squadron if you wanted.

Per the faq, the card should trigger for each attack.

Makes TIE bombers and Y-wings a little more interesting on the anti-squadron front.

more importantly its auto damage, great for killing aces

Then here comes your ship with this upgrade, he has all 5 of your opponents squadrons in a single arc. You do an AS attack, target the first squadron, then regardless of the results, you deal 1 damage to one of the y-wings, then you deal 1 damage to all enemy squadrons . Then you target the second squadron, roll, again regardless of results, deal 1 damage to your unhurt y-wing (or least hurt if it took some damage at some point), and again deal 1 damage to all engaged squadrons. Then rinse repeat for the last 3 attacks.

I've bolded the bit you have wrong. When you attack, then cause a damage to your own squadron, only the enemy squadron you attacked would receive an extra damage (not all enemy squadrons). You would of course get to attack all the enemy squadrons in turn though, and for each of those attacks you could cause 1 damage to one of your own squadrons in order to cause one extra damage to the enemy squad that was defending in that attack.

Then here comes your ship with this upgrade, he has all 5 of your opponents squadrons in a single arc. You do an AS attack, target the first squadron, then regardless of the results, you deal 1 damage to one of the y-wings, then you deal 1 damage to all enemy squadrons . Then you target the second squadron, roll, again regardless of results, deal 1 damage to your unhurt y-wing (or least hurt if it took some damage at some point), and again deal 1 damage to all engaged squadrons. Then rinse repeat for the last 3 attacks.

I've bolded the bit you have wrong. When you attack, then cause a damage to your own squadron, only the enemy squadron you attacked would receive an extra damage (not all enemy squadrons). You would of course get to attack all the enemy squadrons in turn though, and for each of those attacks you could cause 1 damage to one of your own squadrons in order to cause one extra damage to the enemy squad that was defending in that attack.

You are right, I thought it was all squadrons...but still though, sound strategy and a very effective way to take out enemy squadrons.

Great way to take out the dreaded Soontir/advanced combo...just 3 AS attacks from the ship and you can put all damage on Soontir and take him out, so then your squadrons can attack without fear.

I think this actually makes Gallant Haven a viable card again.

I think this actually makes Gallant Haven a viable card again.

In what way, particularily?

Because Gallant Haven won't stop that extra damage. Just the same as it won't stop Mauler Mithel...

I think this actually makes Gallant Haven a viable card again.

In what way, particularily?

Because Gallant Haven won't stop that extra damage. Just the same as it won't stop Mauler Mithel...

Well, Ruthless Strategists + Gallant Haven + Y-Wings seems pretty good to me. Sure Gallant Haven doesn't stop the Ruthless Strategist damage, but it saves your Y-Wings from damage that you can then use to trigger Ruthless Strategist.

I think this actually makes Gallant Haven a viable card again.

In what way, particularily?

Because Gallant Haven won't stop that extra damage. Just the same as it won't stop Mauler Mithel...

Agreed. But bearing in mind that your squadrons could take 2 damage from anti-squadron fire before Ruthless Strategists even triggers, reducing 1 attack damage with Haven on the front end could be the difference between a squadron firing once and not firing at all (if the anti-squadron attacks are supporting enemy squadrons).

Not sure that level of insurance is worth 8 points and a relatively immobile AFII-B, but based on the cards revealed so far, there's not much else that squadrons can do to protect themselves from anti-squadron attacks (other than spend defense tokens, if you're lucky enough to have your own--or can borrow from Jan Ors).

I think this actually makes Gallant Haven a viable card again.

In what way, particularily?

Because Gallant Haven won't stop that extra damage. Just the same as it won't stop Mauler Mithel...

Agreed. But bearing in mind that your squadrons could take 2 damage from anti-squadron fire before Ruthless Strategists even triggers, reducing 1 attack damage with Haven on the front end could be the difference between a squadron firing once and not firing at all (if the anti-squadron attacks are supporting enemy squadrons).

Not sure that level of insurance is worth 8 points and a relatively immobile AFII-B, but based on the cards revealed so far, there's not much else that squadrons can do to protect themselves from anti-squadron attacks (other than spend defense tokens, if you're lucky enough to have your own--or can borrow from Jan Ors).

90% of the time, Anti-Squadron Fire from a Ship is the *least* of concerns to Squadrons...

Unless by 3 Whales with Gunnery teams and no better target after shooting at a ship.

In order to use Ruthless Strategies you need your own squadrons.

Think about what FFG is telling us with this card that was not in any of the "Here they Come" pictures

90% of the time, Anti-Squadron Fire from a Ship is the *least* of concerns to Squadrons...

I'll grant there are a lot of variables. If you're Rebels facing a Wave I squadron-less list and your squadrons are taking 1 blue anti-squadron dice from a Vic, then yes, that isn't going to rank very high on your priority list (at least not in early game). If you're Imperials facing a Wave I squadron-light list and your 3 health TIE fighters are taking 2 blue anti-squadron dice from an Escort Frigate, I'd imagine the level of concern grows. If we're looking at 2 anti-squadron dice and an additional unblockable damage on top of that, the calculus will change again. 3 damage in one attack is no small matter, even for a Y-wing. And again, all this is assuming the anti-squadron attacks are in a vacuum, as opposed to the ideal, which would be supporting attacks made by enemy squadrons (i.e., using the anti-squadron attacks to either polish off squadrons that have been weakened by a prior squadron attack, or softening them up for the fighter wave that is incoming).

I guess my comment was more about the cumulative effect of the damage being racked up--anti-squadron fire is supporting a coordinated fighter attack, plus new automatic damage coming in on top of that. For those of us who invest in fighters, it seems like it's at least worth considering whatever's available to protect that investment. At present, there's not much available that fits the bill (there's more of Wave II to be spoiled still), which puts Gallant on the short list. Even if you're not primarily concerned with anti-squadron attacks from ships, Gallant can still be useful in that it protects from both anti-squadron attacks (basically nullifying any attack from any ship but a GSDII, AFIIA, or Neb-B Escort), and mitigates damage from attacking squadrons (including counters). There are costs and limitations, of course, so whether Gallant 's benefit is worth it is, as I noted, another question. But while the title won't mitigate the damage from Ruthless Strategist, it can at least offset it by taking less damage earlier in the round.

In order to use Ruthless Strategies you need your own squadrons.

Think about what FFG is telling us with this card that was not in any of the "Here they Come" pictures

This is true. So for the scenario we're considering, you would need to assume that your squadrons are engaged with at least one enemy squadron (and preferably more than one, I would think) to trigger the effect. Again, Gallant isn't shielding your squadrons from Ruthless Strategist damage. But if your fighters are engaged, and taking anti-squadron fire, and taking Ruthless Strategist damage, the cumulative damage will start to snowball quickly, which means anything that can stop the bleeding is worth at least a look.

Think about what FFG is telling us with this card that was not in any of the "Here they Come" pictures

"You're bad and you should feel bad!" right?

Think about what FFG is telling us with this card that was not in any of the "Here they Come" pictures

"You're bad and you should feel bad!" right?

This card might be imperial only

This card might be imperial only

It is not.

At least, the Card Shown is not.

The only restriction with it, is the fact it is a Gunnery Team slot, so not a lot of Rebels can take it at the moment.