Pros

The new X-wing and Tie models are amazing looking. The pilot skills are great and the new ships are not OP versus there cheaper, older counter parts. The new damage deck has a lot more polish. There are fewer crits now that most of the time have no effect. The crits that can be cleared on an action and a hit roll now clear with a hit or crit role. There are a few new crits to replace the less effective removed older crit cards and they are quite mean.

Cons

There are crap for upgrade cards. The two unique droids are fine and the one proton torpedo isn't an issue, plenty of players have several proton torpedo cards. The problem is the fact that all three ships can take Weapon Guidance for an upgrade but you only get one copy of this card is crap. There is no other upgrade cards, so you get fewer upgrade cards then the original starter box.

*** Beware, if you are using a new card that is only available in the Episode 7 kits, then you have to use the new damage deck.

*** Beware, if you are using a new card that is only available in the Episode 7 kits, then you have to use the new damage deck.

Sorry, the book says SHOULD, not MUST. Until FFG states that it is required, it is OPTIONAL. (Rumor has it that at Nova Open it was revealed that it was required starting 2016 for tournaments)

Sounds pretty reasonable, the models certainly are top notch. I do think there should have been 2-3 more upgrade cards in the box. But overall I think the set was money well spent. I just wish they had the expansions for these two ships ready sooner, but I can wait a month or two for them to release (hopefully they release in late october or early november at the latest.) And then follow up with more resistance and first order ships in january/feb.

Take a look on the X wing wiki to remind yourself what came in the first starter set. There were five upgrade cards, same as the new one.

*** Beware, if you are using a new card that is only available in the Episode 7 kits, then you have to use the new damage deck.

Sorry, the book says SHOULD, not MUST. Until FFG states that it is required, it is OPTIONAL. (Rumor has it that at Nova Open it was revealed that it was required starting 2016 for tournaments)

Pretty much what is the status quo. Although some players may get irritated with you if you insist on using the old damage deck when flying a T-70. The only valid argument for keeping the old damage deck in is that the other player doesn't have the new one yet.

However sooner or later FFG is going to come out and say the new one is the only valid damage deck, thus everyone will have to get either the Episode 7 set or a start set that comes with the new damage set.

True but at that time there was only 1 ship that could take those upgrades and that was the (classic) X-wing as with the exception of an EPT slot on certain unique (classic) TIE-Fighter pilots.

With the new starter set the TIE FO has more upgrade slots than the classic TIE Fighter so only 5 upgrades three of those strictly for the X-wing seems rather sparse.

I'm kind of hoping that they're quietly planning on an updated damage deck being sold separately - much as they do spare sets of dice.

I'm also going to watch reprints of the original game closely. If they insist on their "We don't update old editions with new stuff", that means they will be deliberately selling freshly-printed starter sets with tournament-illegal components, if they then demanded the new deck exclusively.

And that would really seem fishy behaviour.