Its everyone's new favorite discardable Elite Talent, but how do we use this thing?

1 point Elite Talent with "When attacking a ship inside your firing arc, you may discard this upgrade to cancel 1 of the defender's [Evade] results"

Well, let's break it down.

Firstly: You can discard it for +1 damage when your opponent is successfully blocking at least one of your shots, without having more Evade results than you did Damage results.

That's potent in its own right, making it a form of Ordnance that occupies an Elite Talent slot. However, in making an Alpha-Strike fleet of Crack Shots, you cannot take the cheapest pilots of those respective ships anymore, and so it often pales vs. a straight Swarm (though it has higher penetration).

E.G.: Howlrunner + 5 Black Squadron with Crack Shot costs 93 points, but getting there from a Howlie Swarm sacrifices an entire Academy Pilot and some upgrades.

So, when building a Crack Shot alpha-fleet, mentally add both the cost of the Elite Talent slot and the Pilot Skill difference to Crack Shot's ability for its true cost in your fleet.

Secondly: Crack Shot's trigger is after all dice results are known: the Cancelation step of the attack.

Having the agency to choose to alter damage at this stage is Crack Shot's greatest asset; It isn't merely +1 damage like Kir Kanos' ability, nor is it an almost guaranteed bonus damage from Concussion Missiles or Proton Torpedoes. Crack Shot's bonus damage will always impact your opponent's health directly .

This also means that your opponent is more likely to spend Focus or Evade tokens when not needed, to make sure that Crack Shot's damage doesn't hit and maintain their precious Stealth Device or final Hull point. That token is now unavailable for them for any additional attackers they may face.

This isn't terribly likely, but if they truly need to dodge, you've suddenly become Palob Godalhi.

Crack Shot also directly improves your chance To Hit, as you can use it to cause Hits out of Misses, and can stack on top of other non-Elite damage bonuses.

All in all, I think its best home is on the Green Squadron Pilot.

• With the A-Wing's title, the pilot-skill cost of Crack Shot is split between two upgrades (the other likely Push the Limit, which would happily absorb the entire PS cost and still be broken).
• The GSP has the lowest PS of any ship with an Elite Talent, meaning that anyone who fears the Crack-Shot damage will have to save their dodge-token of choice into the end of the round.
• The GSP with Crack-Shot, PTL, and Chardaan only costs 21 points, or 23 if you add Autothrusters.

Not my best-written work, but I wanted to get something out of my head and onto the forum, even though I'm operating on 2 braincells today.

I was chatting with a player at my FLGS and he was suggesting a TIE Swarm with Black Squads using Crackshot. I think that sounds wonderful, personally.

I'm loving it on Wedge.

Wedge with Crackshot is pretty good. With crackshot I managed to destroy ship that would've been left with 1 hull left (Which is pretty annoying..)

So you are basically stealing 2 evades in one attack.. Best part is that you can use it after all modifications and so on.

One shotting that huge threat, like Vader / Soontir, Talonbane etc with the help of crackshot is satisfying.

Add in Jan ors giving that +1 red die for some more awesomeness.

My list was:

Wedge + Crackshot

Jan Ors + TLT, VI

Biggs

Bandit Sq.

Honorable mention for Crack Shot: Major Rhymer with Advanced Homing Missiles.

Rhymer already fires the missiles with three dice and a reroll. Being able to then discard an evade result should be a big difference between "Soontir dodges" and "Soontir eats a crit and loses his stealth device."

I've been slapping it on Bossk and when I don't have room for predator. With that wide arc you just wait until Fel can't evade any more shots than you hit and burn it to cause 2 guaranteed damage. Crack Shot/Gunner/Tactician is a terrifying prospect for fragile aces.

It's also disgusting on Talonbane Cobra. His range 1 shots are significantly more terrifying when he has this backup. It can often let him drop another ace instantly.

Honorable mention for Crack Shot: Major Rhymer with Advanced Homing Missiles.

Rhymer already fires the missiles with three dice and a reroll. Being able to then discard an evade result should be a big difference between "Soontir dodges" and "Soontir eats a crit and loses his stealth device."

more like soontir eats a crit and dies a miserable horrible firey space death.

Haven't tested yet, but Maarek Stele could use this to ensure a early critical hit from a Advanced Homing Missile.

What about combining Crack Shot + Homing Missile?

The target can't use Evade tokens, doesn't get an extra green at range 3, and you get 4 red dice + target lock re-roll to ensure a lot of damage.

I played it in a casual escalation series on Black Sun Aces.

In every game, it made the difference between killing a ship or letting it escape. The fact that it is a cancellation of a successful evade roll is absolutely vicious.

It is a great investment for a single point.

Love the idea of it on Bossk, Cobra, or Wedge. It would combo well with ships benefiting from Razzi's or Etahn's ability (A-wing swarm). Lots of great combos.

Haven't tested yet, but Maarek Stele could use this to ensure a early critical hit from a Advanced Homing Missile.

Stele (if given Homing) is better off with PTL over crackshot.

that way you dont have to wait 2 turns to fire it 'effectively' with TL and Focus

PTL would allow you to switch targets on a whim and slam em with a missle in the face bits.

I played it in a casual escalation series on Black Sun Aces.

In every game, it made the difference between killing a ship or letting it escape. The fact that it is a cancellation of a successful evade roll is absolutely vicious.

It is a great investment for a single point.

Like I said, in this list, you're actually investing in Crack Shot and PS 4, paying 3 squad points and your PS 1 placement to do so, as I rather doubt you'd be fielding the blacks naked

This would negate Threepio's Evade result, right? You could wait until a Fat Han guesses and rolls 0 and takes Threepio's Evade, then just cancel it.

I've found its awesome on bossk. I know he's got a lot of other epts to choose from but with that huge front arc, if you need that one damage through to change to two hits it'll swing a game.

I played it in a casual escalation series on Black Sun Aces.

In every game, it made the difference between killing a ship or letting it escape. The fact that it is a cancellation of a successful evade roll is absolutely vicious.

It is a great investment for a single point.

Like I said, in this list, you're actually investing in Crack Shot and PS 4, paying 3 squad points and your PS 1 placement to do so, as I rather doubt you'd be fielding the blacks naked

Black Sun Aces, the Khiraxz, not the Black Squadron Pilot of TIE Fighters, are what got Crack Shot. I do think the 4 points are worth the upgrade over the Cartel Marauder, specifically so you can get a Crack Shot or a Predator on your 3 dice attack.

I don't, because I don't think predator and a few PS are worth 6 points.

Crack shot is 4 points with a little extra PS. This is why the 1-point one-use EPTs are underwhelming. The only thing I could see them being good on is the 14 point EPT tie.

Like I said, I was playing casual games. I just wanted to point out that it makes kill shots easier to attain and more predictable.

However, I would say that the PS5 is helpful to combat the TLT lists as well as the swarms / mini-swarms that prey on TLT groups.

I find it best with ordinance that typically require spending a TL to fire. It is better to have a focus handy to up the damage, but you may not have the 2nd action available. I will use Crackshot to push one more damage through when I don't have that focus.

Theory:

the "Freer" the ept slot is, the more viable Crackshot becomes

What's a free EPT slot?:

if you don't benefit from the must-have predator or PTL, your ept slot is "free"

How do you free your ept slot?:

You replicate the Predator/PTL benefit using another upgrade slot or a pilot ability

Which ships have a "free" ept slot?

Sadly, not many.

1.) A-wing Test Pilot is literally a free (0 point) ept slot, so there's one

2.) Col. Vessery is flying a Tie Defender (not much point to PTL without evades, also those horrid greens) and his ability, when enabled, gives him re-rolls in lieu of predator. A fully modded HLC with crackshot? that **** smarts.

3.) Palob doesn't need his ept really; his ability is far too badass and his ship far too fragile to pour too many points into him. Shooting a blaster turret at a defenseless enemy and then stripping away his only lucky evade? That'll hurt

4.) [speculative] Targeting Astromech is not yet fully spoiled, but its wording is identical to K4 Security Droid (after from "you execute" versus "executing) with only the type of the trigger maneuver being unknown.

If it proves to be a flexible upgrade, you can actually use Crackshot with any T-70 pilot not rocking BB-8 (PTL shenanigans) or a defensive astromech that you might want to augment with Predator or Lone Wolf.

In regards to K4, Firesprays have evade and often EU (so PTL is awesome) and only Bossk has epts for the YV-666.

Speaking of scum, maybe Aggressors could rock it, but they seem the be suckling from the V.I teet atm

4.) [speculative] Tech Slots a completely new upgrade slot with a ton of potential, currently only containing two upgrades that sadly do not filly in the role of either predator or PTL (though there is an argument to be made in the case of comms, potentially). Maybe in the future we'll get something to supplement the two big epts

after all, Cool Hands is coming out with the T-70, so maybe a future release will make it actually viable (unless my wild speculation/dream is correct and the PS 7 has an ability that lets you keep one shot epts pleaseohpleaseohplease)

that's all I got off the top of my head

Or if you have an empty EPT on a ship you are using for another ability, and only have 1 point left to spend...

Crack Shot would work well with XX-23 S-Thread Tracers in setting up a larger ordnance strike, if you don't have Lt. Blount along.

Crackshot, and EPTs like it, are often quite useful on higher PS generics that also feature an EPT. You generally don't want those ships to be too expensive and crackshot gives them a much needed boost. Sadly, there are currently not a lot of ships that fits the description, Green squadron A-wings being one of the few exceptions.

Haven't tested yet, but Maarek Stele could use this to ensure a early critical hit from a Advanced Homing Missile.

Stele (if given Homing) is better off with PTL over crackshot.

that way you dont have to wait 2 turns to fire it 'effectively' with TL and Focus

PTL would allow you to switch targets on a whim and slam em with a missle in the face bits.

Speaking of Stele and his TIE/Adv...what if there was another pilot, some guy who could naturally do 2 actions per turn already, and likes to fly in a TIE/Adv. Lets give him a higher PS, 3rd degree burns over a large percentage of his body, and in some cases not even bother with a EPT. That guy could definitely be a candidate for Crackshot!

Palob,Crack Shot, Twin Laser Turret and Glitterstim is my new fav toy. Cheap anti Soontir tech

Ysanne and 3P0 hate this.

Red Ace probably will as well and Comm Relay becomes a lot less useful.

It forces your opponent to decide. Always a good thing, forcing people.

Will he spend his 3P0 on this roll or hope for the luck of the greens? Will you discard Crack Shot on this attack in return?

Will Whisper spend her focus to modify the defense, only to get noped?

If you are faced with a local meta of low agility ships, Crack Shot on a mini swarm will put the fear into hearts of the slowpokes.

Nice little quick and dirty list, Rebels:

You know who I've found really benefits from crackshot? Howlrunner.

Think about it. She has 2 attack dice, usually shoots first in her sqyad, and is often taking evade for an action. That means she does little to no damage on attacks. Crackshot gives her the chance to actually do damage in the game.