Has anyone tired Hobbie, Experimental Interface and RT-71? If you add in Integrated Astromech you would be able to Focus, Experimental Interface to Target Lock AND boost then spend the Lock to be stress free and effectively have a hull upgrade with the IA all for 31 pts.

Can't do two mods.

Has anyone tired Hobbie, Experimental Interface and RT-71? If you add in Integrated Astromech you would be able to Focus, Experimental Interface to Target Lock AND boost then spend the Lock to be stress free and effectively have a hull upgrade with the IA all for 31 pts.

Can't do two mods.

Just use ptl, the ept slot is empty.

Has anyone tired Hobbie, Experimental Interface and RT-71? If you add in Integrated Astromech you would be able to Focus, Experimental Interface to Target Lock AND boost then spend the Lock to be stress free and effectively have a hull upgrade with the IA all for 31 pts.

Can't do two mods.

Just use ptl, the ept slot is empty.

It also doesn't exist.

pred vs ptl on BB-8 is not much of a preference

ptl gets you unblockable/un-obstacle-able focus, which is absolutely crucial to an X's survival

I can understand it for the reasons stated, but if you're going to be pulling green maneuvers for BB-8 anyway, may as well shed some stress in the process, IMO.

i don't get it

if you're pulling green maneuvers for bb-8, you won't have any stress to shed

free roll --> ptl focus --> green maneuver removes stress --> normal action

if you're stressed and reveal a green, bb-8's free action cannot trigger (because you're stressed)

Ah I forgot that PtL could fire after BB-8 and before the normal action. In that case I retract my statement about PtL vs. Pred when BB-8 is in the mix.

I originally considered R5-P9, and then realized that didn't synergize at all with WG. If you're going to drop WG and R2 for P9, I'd rather get AT on Poe then Prox. mines on the Y, because the Y won't get much of a chance to use them with the Stressbot.The Ptl/Pred is more preference I guess, but without EU, I think Wedge works better with F + Pred, as it's only marginally worse then the TL, and you don't stress yourself to get it.Wedge Antilles (29)Predator (3)BB-8 (2)Integrated Astromech (0)Poe Dameron (31)Predator (3)R5-P9 (3)Autothrusters (2)Gold Squadron Pilot (18)Twin Laser Turret (6)R3-A2 (2)BTL-A4 Y-Wing (0)Total: 99View in Yet Another Squad Builder

I played a game on vassal last night against that exact squad. Only difference was poe had lone wolf.

I won pretty strongly. Wedge went down quick. Gold kept shooting through rocks so I could dodge a few tlt shots. Plus it was never primary arc so no stressbot.

Just curious, but what were you flying?

Has anyone tired Hobbie, Experimental Interface and RT-71? If you add in Integrated Astromech you would be able to Focus, Experimental Interface to Target Lock AND boost then spend the Lock to be stress free and effectively have a hull upgrade with the IA all for 31 pts.

Forget about the IA, there's a spot for APTs here. Focus, boost into range, use the target lock and you're likely to attack with five hits.

What about a Rookie w/ R2-D6, Crackshot, and a Proton Torpedo? Use one of the many methods to give him a Focus for that turn (or maybe even he just doesn't spend his TL for one turn). He can fire at the end of the turn after tokens are stripped on a target. Reduce a successful evade with Crackshot and make sure that crit gets through. Oh, and the new crits are nasty. Can counter Autothrusters. He now has a free hull upgrade.

r2-d6 is an elitist bastard no PS 2 etcetcetc

Doh! Well, at least he'd go with the Red Squadron Pilots.

I originally considered R5-P9, and then realized that didn't synergize at all with WG. If you're going to drop WG and R2 for P9, I'd rather get AT on Poe then Prox. mines on the Y, because the Y won't get much of a chance to use them with the Stressbot.The Ptl/Pred is more preference I guess, but without EU, I think Wedge works better with F + Pred, as it's only marginally worse then the TL, and you don't stress yourself to get it.Wedge Antilles (29)Predator (3)BB-8 (2)Integrated Astromech (0)Poe Dameron (31)Predator (3)R5-P9 (3)Autothrusters (2)Gold Squadron Pilot (18)Twin Laser Turret (6)R3-A2 (2)BTL-A4 Y-Wing (0)Total: 99View in Yet Another Squad Builder

I played a game on vassal last night against that exact squad. Only difference was poe had lone wolf.I won pretty strongly. Wedge went down quick. Gold kept shooting through rocks so I could dodge a few tlt shots. Plus it was never primary arc so no stressbot.

Just curious, but what were you flying?

Mando with pred & tact

Torkhil with tlt & tact

Black Sun Soldier

Cartel Marauder

T-70 Ideas:

Blue Squadron Novice (24)

+ R2 Astromech (1)

+ Integrated Astromech (0)

The same principle with the Rookie applies here: cheap is good. There's a case to be made for R5, but more importantly, the new X-Wing can equip Autothrusters. Whether or not the added 2 points and reduction in straight-forward durability is worth it depends largely on what you're facing. The nice thing about just a droid and IA is the 25-point price tag. 4 fit in a squad, or 3 and a cheap ace of some kind, or maybe 2 and a slightly-out-of-shape turret of some kind?

"Blue Ace" (27)

+ R7-T1 (3)

+ Integrated Astromech (0)

Part of the reason I hadn't suggested T1 earlier was I had managed to find each unique droid its own unique pilot to pair with. Blue's hard boosts go great with T1. While other pilots might simply try to boost out of arc or into range 3 when facing the wrong way, Blue can go 90 degrees to face his enemy and have a TL ready to go! Again, Autothrusters is an alternative modification, and it does get better the higher your PS goes since you can more reliably dodge arcs and control range.

"Red Ace" (29)

+ Comm Relay (3)

+ R2-D6 (1)

+ Juke (2)

+ Integrated Astromech (0)

Between Red's ability, Comms, and Juke, he can be quite a potent ship. When you're hit, you get an evade that can stick around, and also conveniently messes with opponents' defenses. While this only works up to 3 times with the above combination, Red also plays well with Shield Upgrade or better yet shield-repairing droids (R2-D2 and R5-P9).

Poe Dameron (31)

+ R5-P9 (3)

+ Autothrusters (2)

+ Lone Wolf (2)

This whole package was found out pretty quickly, and it's quite strong for a single small ship. Poe Focuses every turn to activate his ability and potentially get a shield back as well. Lone Wolf with his ability means mini F+TL on offense, and both a re-roll and mini-Focus on defense, not to mention Autothrusters. Just look out for Palob!

or maybe 2 and a slightly-out-of-shape turret of some kind?

You get a like just for making me laugh this morning.

Ok so i've seen a lot, A LOT of people putting BB-8 on T-65s, particularly Wedge, and i just want to say that makes no sense at all. The mentality is clearly to give the T-65 the ability to arc dodge, but if you can't pair that up with the ability to PTL boost off of BB-8 like a T-70 can, with less green on the dial than a T-70, then quite frankly instead of making the T-65 better when there are other, more efficient options for the T-65, you're insuring that the T-70 that you fly is not living up to it's full potential. R5-P9 on Poe isn't bad, and can easily be made to work, especially if you have someone like Airen Cracken, Garven Dreis, or Kyle Katarn to throw an action or a focus to ensure the recovery of lost shields. Ultimately though, if BB-8 is in your squad with a T-70 and a T-65, you are making a mistake putting it on the T-65.

The point here is that if you're choosing to run BB-8 on a T-65 that hasnt received an engine upgrade, you're doing it wrong. Play to the T-65's strengths, not it's weaknesses. You'll get a BR with BB-8, yes, but your options to initiate that BR are more limited, and your options are more limited after you've barrel rolled. Yes, you can focus and then TL after, but having a great action economy doesn't mean much when you only have 2 actions The only reasonable option if you're intent on putting BB-8 on Wedge is to remove Integrated Astromech, and add a costly EU.

Wedge(29)

PTL(3)

BB-8(2)

EU(4)

38 points

That's the exact amount it costs to field Poe with PTL, BB-8, and Autothrusters, someone who can use those abilities objectively more efficiently, and be significantly more defensively covered thanks to Poe's ability and autothrusters.

R7-T1 works good with T-65s. It gives you a lot of options if someone's got you in arc, and guarantees you a TL at the very least, and an avenue to escape a potentially dangerous arc, or even close to range 1. If you take it on Wedge, it could get you to Range 1 of an enemy, increasing your red dice and decreasing theirs at the same time, as well as giving you a method of dice modification. Very efficient, and you don't have to pay 4 points for an EU.

R2s work great on T-65s. Gives you a lot of ways to clear stress if you know you're gonna K-turn a lot or be up against stressful squads.

R2-F2 works great on Biggs if you don't have the points for R2-D2. If you keep Biggs at Range 3 and have him pop R2-F2, suddenly he's rolling 4 greens against whatever shoots at the squad. Pair that up with a different ship or ability that gives him a free action, evade, or focus,(like Kyle, Jan Ors crew, Garven, and Cracken) and nobody will be able to touch him. For example, if you, god forbid, had Airen Cracken and Kyle Katarn w/ Jan Ors crew, TLT, Moldy Crow, and PTL, Airen Cracken w/ Wingman, and a Bandit Squadron filler w/ Ion missiles, with Biggs and R2-F2, every turn Biggs could pop R2-F2, Kyle would toss Biggs a focus, Airen would shoot first and toss Biggs an action, Biggs would focus, Jan would make it an evade, Now you have a 3 evade Biggs with a focus and an evade. If it's a range 3, now it's 4 green dice(the statistical chance of a focused 3 attack ship at range 3 hitting Biggs in this configuration is 6%, at Range 2 it's 13%, and at range 1 it's 40%). Biggs would live forever as long as you keep him at or beyond Range 2, giving your squad plenty of time and red dice to hose the enemy down.

R5-P9 works good on Poe like i said, since he wants to still have his focus by the end of the round anyways.

1) Ok so i've seen a lot, A LOT of people putting BB-8 on T-65s, particularly Wedge, and i just want to say that makes no sense at all. The mentality is clearly to give the T-65 the ability to arc dodge, but if you can't pair that up with the ability to PTL boost off of BB-8 like a T-70 can, with less green on the dial than a T-70, then quite frankly instead of making the T-65 better when there are other, more efficient options for the T-65, you're insuring that the T-70 that you fly is not living up to it's full potential. R5-P9 on Poe isn't bad, and can easily be made to work, especially if you have someone like Airen Cracken, Garven Dreis, or Kyle Katarn to throw an action or a focus to ensure the recovery of lost shields. Ultimately though, if BB-8 is in your squad with a T-70 and a T-65, you are making a mistake putting it on the T-65.

The point here is that if you're choosing to run BB-8 on a T-65 that hasnt received an engine upgrade, you're doing it wrong. Play to the T-65's strengths, not it's weaknesses. You'll get a BR with BB-8, yes, but your options to initiate that BR are more limited, and your options are more limited after you've barrel rolled. Yes, you can focus and then TL after, but having a great action economy doesn't mean much when you only have 2 actions The only reasonable option if you're intent on putting BB-8 on Wedge is to remove Integrated Astromech, and add a costly EU.

Wedge(29)

PTL(3)

BB-8(2)

EU(4)

38 points

That's the exact amount it costs to field Poe with PTL, BB-8, and Autothrusters, someone who can use those abilities objectively more efficiently, and be significantly more defensively covered thanks to Poe's ability and autothrusters.

2) R7-T1 works good with T-65s. It gives you a lot of options if someone's got you in arc, and guarantees you a TL at the very least, and an avenue to escape a potentially dangerous arc, or even close to range 1. If you take it on Wedge, it could get you to Range 1 of an enemy, increasing your red dice and decreasing theirs at the same time, as well as giving you a method of dice modification. Very efficient, and you don't have to pay 4 points for an EU.

3) R2s work great on T-65s. Gives you a lot of ways to clear stress if you know you're gonna K-turn a lot or be up against stressful squads.

4) R2-F2 works great on Biggs if you don't have the points for R2-D2. If you keep Biggs at Range 3 and have him pop R2-F2, suddenly he's rolling 4 greens against whatever shoots at the squad. Pair that up with a different ship or ability that gives him a free action, evade, or focus,(like Kyle, Jan Ors crew, Garven, and Cracken) and nobody will be able to touch him. For example, if you, god forbid, had Airen Cracken and Kyle Katarn w/ Jan Ors crew, TLT, Moldy Crow, and PTL, Airen Cracken w/ Wingman, and a Bandit Squadron filler w/ Ion missiles, with Biggs and R2-F2, every turn Biggs could pop R2-F2, Kyle would toss Biggs a focus, Airen would shoot first and toss Biggs an action, Biggs would focus, Jan would make it an evade, Now you have a 3 evade Biggs with a focus and an evade. If it's a range 3, now it's 4 green dice(the statistical chance of a focused 3 attack ship at range 3 hitting Biggs in this configuration is 6%, at Range 2 it's 13%, and at range 1 it's 40%). Biggs would live forever as long as you keep him at or beyond Range 2, giving your squad plenty of time and red dice to hose the enemy down.

5) R5-P9 works good on Poe like i said, since he wants to still have his focus by the end of the round anyways.

1) Earlier in the thread, I was told otherwise; someone who's played Wedge + BB-8 + PtL says Engine isn't required. And I can see the logic. At PS9, a pre-maneuver Barrel Roll is a pretty cool arc-dodging move on its own, plus you're free to include IA, which helps mitigate your 'glass cannon' status somewhat.

2) I've played R7-T1 on Wedge before, and, as above, you're a glass cannon. Obviously IA will help with this. As I said earlier, I like PtL + R7-T1 on Wedge, on paper. I'll dust it off and try it again with IA and see if it does any better.

3) Actually, I'm glad you bumped this thread and made this point in particular. I think a lot of (if not almost all) people will reach for R2s first out of habit. However, the more I think about it, the more I like the R5. X-Wings don't have necessarily awful greens to begin with, plus R5's extra damage mitigation (sorta) means even tankier X-Wings with IA. Basically, B-Wings who are better over long distances rather than short ones. And that is awesome. On the flip side, I think R2 is the right choice for the T-70. As you mention, the T-70 has better greens (barely) but more importantly that sweet, sweet Talon Roll, which you may be using a lot. Making it a pretty maneuverable ship for its cost and stats.

4) Yes, Biggs builds are great.

5) I really hope we never see a better droid for Poe, because he's already really good with R5-P9!

Ok so i've seen a lot, A LOT of people putting BB-8 on T-65s, particularly Wedge, and i just want to say that makes no sense at all. The mentality is clearly to give the T-65 the ability to arc dodge, but if you can't pair that up with the ability to PTL boost off of BB-8 like a T-70 can, with less green on the dial than a T-70, then quite frankly instead of making the T-65 better when there are other, more efficient options for the T-65, you're insuring that the T-70 that you fly is not living up to it's full potential. R5-P9 on Poe isn't bad, and can easily be made to work, especially if you have someone like Airen Cracken, Garven Dreis, or Kyle Katarn to throw an action or a focus to ensure the recovery of lost shields. Ultimately though, if BB-8 is in your squad with a T-70 and a T-65, you are making a mistake putting it on the T-65.

The point here is that if you're choosing to run BB-8 on a T-65 that hasnt received an engine upgrade, you're doing it wrong. Play to the T-65's strengths, not it's weaknesses. You'll get a BR with BB-8, yes, but your options to initiate that BR are more limited, and your options are more limited after you've barrel rolled. Yes, you can focus and then TL after, but having a great action economy doesn't mean much when you only have 2 actions The only reasonable option if you're intent on putting BB-8 on Wedge is to remove Integrated Astromech, and add a costly EU.

Wedge(29)

PTL(3)

BB-8(2)

EU(4)

38 points

That's the exact amount it costs to field Poe with PTL, BB-8, and Autothrusters, someone who can use those abilities objectively more efficiently, and be significantly more defensively covered thanks to Poe's ability and autothrusters.

R7-T1 works good with T-65s. It gives you a lot of options if someone's got you in arc, and guarantees you a TL at the very least, and an avenue to escape a potentially dangerous arc, or even close to range 1. If you take it on Wedge, it could get you to Range 1 of an enemy, increasing your red dice and decreasing theirs at the same time, as well as giving you a method of dice modification. Very efficient, and you don't have to pay 4 points for an EU.

R2s work great on T-65s. Gives you a lot of ways to clear stress if you know you're gonna K-turn a lot or be up against stressful squads.

R2-F2 works great on Biggs if you don't have the points for R2-D2. If you keep Biggs at Range 3 and have him pop R2-F2, suddenly he's rolling 4 greens against whatever shoots at the squad. Pair that up with a different ship or ability that gives him a free action, evade, or focus,(like Kyle, Jan Ors crew, Garven, and Cracken) and nobody will be able to touch him. For example, if you, god forbid, had Airen Cracken and Kyle Katarn w/ Jan Ors crew, TLT, Moldy Crow, and PTL, Airen Cracken w/ Wingman, and a Bandit Squadron filler w/ Ion missiles, with Biggs and R2-F2, every turn Biggs could pop R2-F2, Kyle would toss Biggs a focus, Airen would shoot first and toss Biggs an action, Biggs would focus, Jan would make it an evade, Now you have a 3 evade Biggs with a focus and an evade. If it's a range 3, now it's 4 green dice(the statistical chance of a focused 3 attack ship at range 3 hitting Biggs in this configuration is 6%, at Range 2 it's 13%, and at range 1 it's 40%). Biggs would live forever as long as you keep him at or beyond Range 2, giving your squad plenty of time and red dice to hose the enemy down.

R5-P9 works good on Poe like i said, since he wants to still have his focus by the end of the round anyways.

1) Ok so i've seen a lot, A LOT of people putting BB-8 on T-65s, particularly Wedge, and i just want to say that makes no sense at all. The mentality is clearly to give the T-65 the ability to arc dodge, but if you can't pair that up with the ability to PTL boost off of BB-8 like a T-70 can, with less green on the dial than a T-70, then quite frankly instead of making the T-65 better when there are other, more efficient options for the T-65, you're insuring that the T-70 that you fly is not living up to it's full potential. R5-P9 on Poe isn't bad, and can easily be made to work, especially if you have someone like Airen Cracken, Garven Dreis, or Kyle Katarn to throw an action or a focus to ensure the recovery of lost shields. Ultimately though, if BB-8 is in your squad with a T-70 and a T-65, you are making a mistake putting it on the T-65.

The point here is that if you're choosing to run BB-8 on a T-65 that hasnt received an engine upgrade, you're doing it wrong. Play to the T-65's strengths, not it's weaknesses. You'll get a BR with BB-8, yes, but your options to initiate that BR are more limited, and your options are more limited after you've barrel rolled. Yes, you can focus and then TL after, but having a great action economy doesn't mean much when you only have 2 actions The only reasonable option if you're intent on putting BB-8 on Wedge is to remove Integrated Astromech, and add a costly EU.

Wedge(29)

PTL(3)

BB-8(2)

EU(4)

38 points

That's the exact amount it costs to field Poe with PTL, BB-8, and Autothrusters, someone who can use those abilities objectively more efficiently, and be significantly more defensively covered thanks to Poe's ability and autothrusters.

2) R7-T1 works good with T-65s. It gives you a lot of options if someone's got you in arc, and guarantees you a TL at the very least, and an avenue to escape a potentially dangerous arc, or even close to range 1. If you take it on Wedge, it could get you to Range 1 of an enemy, increasing your red dice and decreasing theirs at the same time, as well as giving you a method of dice modification. Very efficient, and you don't have to pay 4 points for an EU.

3) R2s work great on T-65s. Gives you a lot of ways to clear stress if you know you're gonna K-turn a lot or be up against stressful squads.

4) R2-F2 works great on Biggs if you don't have the points for R2-D2. If you keep Biggs at Range 3 and have him pop R2-F2, suddenly he's rolling 4 greens against whatever shoots at the squad. Pair that up with a different ship or ability that gives him a free action, evade, or focus,(like Kyle, Jan Ors crew, Garven, and Cracken) and nobody will be able to touch him. For example, if you, god forbid, had Airen Cracken and Kyle Katarn w/ Jan Ors crew, TLT, Moldy Crow, and PTL, Airen Cracken w/ Wingman, and a Bandit Squadron filler w/ Ion missiles, with Biggs and R2-F2, every turn Biggs could pop R2-F2, Kyle would toss Biggs a focus, Airen would shoot first and toss Biggs an action, Biggs would focus, Jan would make it an evade, Now you have a 3 evade Biggs with a focus and an evade. If it's a range 3, now it's 4 green dice(the statistical chance of a focused 3 attack ship at range 3 hitting Biggs in this configuration is 6%, at Range 2 it's 13%, and at range 1 it's 40%). Biggs would live forever as long as you keep him at or beyond Range 2, giving your squad plenty of time and red dice to hose the enemy down.

5) R5-P9 works good on Poe like i said, since he wants to still have his focus by the end of the round anyways.

1) Earlier in the thread, I was told otherwise; someone who's played Wedge + BB-8 + PtL says Engine isn't required. And I can see the logic. At PS9, a pre-maneuver Barrel Roll is a pretty cool arc-dodging move on its own, plus you're free to include IA, which helps mitigate your 'glass cannon' status somewhat.

2) I've played R7-T1 on Wedge before, and, as above, you're a glass cannon. Obviously IA will help with this. As I said earlier, I like PtL + R7-T1 on Wedge, on paper. I'll dust it off and try it again with IA and see if it does any better.

3) Actually, I'm glad you bumped this thread and made this point in particular. I think a lot of (if not almost all) people will reach for R2s first out of habit. However, the more I think about it, the more I like the R5. X-Wings don't have necessarily awful greens to begin with, plus R5's extra damage mitigation (sorta) means even tankier X-Wings with IA. Basically, B-Wings who are better over long distances rather than short ones. And that is awesome. On the flip side, I think R2 is the right choice for the T-70. As you mention, the T-70 has better greens (barely) but more importantly that sweet, sweet Talon Roll, which you may be using a lot. Making it a pretty maneuverable ship for its cost and stats.

4) Yes, Biggs builds are great.

5) I really hope we never see a better droid for Poe, because he's already really good with R5-P9!

BB-8 on a T-65 isn't as bad if you're only running T-65s. It can absolutely be made to work, for example, one of the best things i used BB-8 for was BRing out of someone's arc when they expected me to perform a different maneuver, then focusing, then going 1 forward, then getting a TL out of the enemies arc at Range 1. Admittedly, that would work really, really well on Wedge. But since the T-70 is integral in my lists right now, i can't imagine using BB-8 on anything but Poe. I love my BR/Boost/Maneuver/Focus string of actions way too much. I also don't even own R5-P9, so BB-8 is the best option i have for a T-70. If i don't run a T-70, i will absolutely be considering BB-8 on that sucka.

The difference was just with a T-70 in the same list, Wedge was getting an upgrade that feasibly would work better on the T-70.

And yes, i forgot entirely about R5, R5 is still great of course. Which, for a single point, works great on any T-65, and would give a durability buff to someone like Wedge, whom i fly a lot.

Ok so i've seen a lot, A LOT of people putting BB-8 on T-65s, particularly Wedge, and i just want to say that makes no sense at all. The mentality is clearly to give the T-65 the ability to arc dodge, but if you can't pair that up with the ability to PTL boost off of BB-8 like a T-70 can, with less green on the dial than a T-70, then quite frankly instead of making the T-65 better when there are other, more efficient options for the T-65, you're insuring that the T-70 that you fly is not living up to it's full potential. R5-P9 on Poe isn't bad, and can easily be made to work, especially if you have someone like Airen Cracken, Garven Dreis, or Kyle Katarn to throw an action or a focus to ensure the recovery of lost shields. Ultimately though, if BB-8 is in your squad with a T-70 and a T-65, you are making a mistake putting it on the T-65.

The point here is that if you're choosing to run BB-8 on a T-65 that hasnt received an engine upgrade, you're doing it wrong. Play to the T-65's strengths, not it's weaknesses. You'll get a BR with BB-8, yes, but your options to initiate that BR are more limited, and your options are more limited after you've barrel rolled. Yes, you can focus and then TL after, but having a great action economy doesn't mean much when you only have 2 actions The only reasonable option if you're intent on putting BB-8 on Wedge is to remove Integrated Astromech, and add a costly EU.

Wedge(29)

PTL(3)

BB-8(2)

EU(4)

38 points

That's the exact amount it costs to field Poe with PTL, BB-8, and Autothrusters, someone who can use those abilities objectively more efficiently, and be significantly more defensively covered thanks to Poe's ability and autothrusters.

R7-T1 works good with T-65s. It gives you a lot of options if someone's got you in arc, and guarantees you a TL at the very least, and an avenue to escape a potentially dangerous arc, or even close to range 1. If you take it on Wedge, it could get you to Range 1 of an enemy, increasing your red dice and decreasing theirs at the same time, as well as giving you a method of dice modification. Very efficient, and you don't have to pay 4 points for an EU.

R2s work great on T-65s. Gives you a lot of ways to clear stress if you know you're gonna K-turn a lot or be up against stressful squads.

R2-F2 works great on Biggs if you don't have the points for R2-D2. If you keep Biggs at Range 3 and have him pop R2-F2, suddenly he's rolling 4 greens against whatever shoots at the squad. Pair that up with a different ship or ability that gives him a free action, evade, or focus,(like Kyle, Jan Ors crew, Garven, and Cracken) and nobody will be able to touch him. For example, if you, god forbid, had Airen Cracken and Kyle Katarn w/ Jan Ors crew, TLT, Moldy Crow, and PTL, Airen Cracken w/ Wingman, and a Bandit Squadron filler w/ Ion missiles, with Biggs and R2-F2, every turn Biggs could pop R2-F2, Kyle would toss Biggs a focus, Airen would shoot first and toss Biggs an action, Biggs would focus, Jan would make it an evade, Now you have a 3 evade Biggs with a focus and an evade. If it's a range 3, now it's 4 green dice(the statistical chance of a focused 3 attack ship at range 3 hitting Biggs in this configuration is 6%, at Range 2 it's 13%, and at range 1 it's 40%). Biggs would live forever as long as you keep him at or beyond Range 2, giving your squad plenty of time and red dice to hose the enemy down.

R5-P9 works good on Poe like i said, since he wants to still have his focus by the end of the round anyways.

1) Well, first up, BB-8 on T-65s (and Wedge in particular) isn't about arc-dodging. It's about making sure your arc doesn't get dodged, and that you don't lose actions to blocking. T-65s work best when they're doing damage and getting enemy ships off the board; BB-8 makes sure that happens. And having great action economy always helps, especially when there's (almost) no way for your opponent to stop it. The amount of pain I've been handing out with Wedge over the last couple of weeks thanks to having constant TL&F is insane. R7-T1 is simply not good enough; too many conditions, not enough payoff, and can be blocked.

Further, I'm yet to be convinced by BB-8 on Poe. I think R5-P9 is strictly better, for one thing, but also being PS8 hurts a lot when it comes to arc-dodging. You've got no hope against anyone PS9+, and against anyone else at 8 you're praying for the initiative to fall your way. It's the same reason you don't see Carnor very much despite him being only a half-step behind Soontir.

2) R2-F2 is terrible no matter who he's on. 3 points for +1 agility is not worth it, especially since a simple Focus action does almost the exact same thing. Biggs works best when you spend as little on him as possible. He's a sinking ship; don't waste resources on him, and especially don't build around keeping him alive. Let him do his job so the rest of the squad can do theirs (ie. kill the enemy). Your example is a case in point: you've spent more than 50 points on that combo. That's over half your list! Why would you do this?

The only time you should spend points on Biggs is after IA arrives, and even then you should be giving him a 1-point mech at most.

I'd have to strongly disagree with almost everything here. All my experiences with BB-8 and R2-F2 speak to the exact opposite, except your very first point. R7-T1, yes, it is a little specific for the cost, but the usefulness i've gotten out of it leaves me impressed with it.

I think you severely underestimate what an additional green die can do for you. It costs as much as a Stealth Device, except it doesn't go away. A focus token absolutely, in no way shape or form, can be equivalent to an extra green die. On average, 2 green dice modified with a focus against 3 attack dice, focused, is a 71% chance to take at least a point of damage. An additional green die in place of the focus takes that chance down to 60%. If you can snag a focus from someone elses ability, it becomes a 40% chance to get hit.

The only caveat is that it's an action, and if you build your squad intelligently, you can feed biggs at least one more action to further shore up his defense. My "Squad" there was a very extreme example of the many routes you can take to give Biggs enough defense to survive long enough for your squad to do their job. No matter how you look at it, Biggs throws 3 attack dice when he shoots. Being on the board because you spent a few extra points and getting to attack and spare your squad from hits is infinitely better than NOT being on the board and putting your squad in danger because you were defensively compromised. He's not expensive. I would much rather spend 3 more points to try and insure that Biggs doesn't even get hit at all, than an R5 to mitigate all the horrible damage he'll eventually take.

And, quite frankly, if you're not sure about BB-8 on Poe, you must not have extensive experience with it. Even if i owned R5-P9, i'm not sure i'd take it over BB-8. This X-Wing doesn't feel like a Jouster, and it doesn't feel like an Arc Dodger either. I've never much been a fan of Jousting, so i'm not convinced that taking upgrades to solidify it into a Jouster would be better for me than to take upgrades to push it more into being an Arc Dodger. It's got the hit dice and defense dice of a jouster, but with the maneuverability and action choice of an arc dodger. Giving Poe the ability to fulfill his one desire, which is a focus token, while also barrel rolling, boosting, finally maneuvering, then performing an action, no matter how good your enemy predicts your movement, makes you nigh unpredictable. Which way are you gonna barrel roll? Which way are you going to boost? What movement did you make? The wide range of movement a T-70 with BB-8 and PTL can make in a single turn is incredible. I think you really should play BB-8 a lot more on a T-70 before you declare it as not really viable on Poe.

bb-8 poe is the legit ****

he hits hard, he's hard to hit, he's tricky, he's solid, and he's got shenanigans

r5-p9 Poe is the game's biggest middle finger to swarms and TLTs, provided of course that said swarms or TLTs don't block him

a blocked r5-p9 poe is a dead r5-p9 poe

A focus token absolutely, in no way shape or form, can be equivalent to an extra green die. On average, 2 green dice modified with a focus against 3 attack dice, focused, is a 71% chance to take at least a point of damage. An additional green die in place of the focus takes that chance down to 60%.

You're right: it's not equivalent. The Focus is actually slightly better.

2 dice with Focus = 2 * 0.63 (5/8 chance for success) = 1.25 average evades

3 dice by themselves = 3 * 0.38 (3/8 chance for success) = 1.13 average evades

If we assume range 3 or obstruction, the Focus token continues to pull ahead:

3 dice with Focus = 2 * 0.63 = 1.88 evades

4 dice by themselves = 3 * 0.38 = 1.5 evades

The Focus gives you a higher chance to prevent damage and saves 3 points. The only advantage in having the extra dice is increasing the maximum damage that can be prevented, but with how unreliable green dice are that's really not much of an advantage on most pilots.

The only caveat is that it's an action, and if you build your squad intelligently, you can feed biggs at least one more action to further shore up his defense. My "Squad" there was a very extreme example of the many routes you can take to give Biggs enough defense to survive long enough for your squad to do their job. No matter how you look at it, Biggs throws 3 attack dice when he shoots. Being on the board because you spent a few extra points and getting to attack and spare your squad from hits is infinitely better than NOT being on the board and putting your squad in danger because you were defensively compromised. He's not expensive. I would much rather spend 3 more points to try and insure that Biggs doesn't even get hit at all, than an R5 to mitigate all the horrible damage he'll eventually take.

3 points on the mech, plus 20+ points on another offensively weak ship to keep Biggs is alive is hardly a few extra points. That's half your squad, and it's not worth it. Just accept that Biggs is going down and, instead of wasting resources on a sinking ship, take the opportunity to wreak havoc while he is alive and you don't have to worry about protecting yourself. Being defensively compromised doesn't matter if the opponent doesn't have much of anything left to shoot back with.

And, quite frankly, if you're not sure about BB-8 on Poe, you must not have extensive experience with it. Even if i owned R5-P9, i'm not sure i'd take it over BB-8. This X-Wing doesn't feel like a Jouster, and it doesn't feel like an Arc Dodger either. I've never much been a fan of Jousting, so i'm not convinced that taking upgrades to solidify it into a Jouster would be better for me than to take upgrades to push it more into being an Arc Dodger. It's got the hit dice and defense dice of a jouster, but with the maneuverability and action choice of an arc dodger. Giving Poe the ability to fulfill his one desire, which is a focus token, while also barrel rolling, boosting, finally maneuvering, then performing an action, no matter how good your enemy predicts your movement, makes you nigh unpredictable. Which way are you gonna barrel roll? Which way are you going to boost? What movement did you make? The wide range of movement a T-70 with BB-8 and PTL can make in a single turn is incredible. I think you really should play BB-8 a lot more on a T-70 before you declare it as not really viable on Poe.

Oh, I've been playing him, and he does kick ass against lower-PS ships. I phrased my comments far too harshly. It's not so much that I'm not sold on BB-8 Poe, but that I'm more sold on R5-P9 Poe. The problem with BB-8 setups is that Poe's "only" PS8, and if you run into someone who moves after you (read: Soontir) then it doesn't really matter how unpredictable you are. I've found R5-P9 Poe to be more solid in more situations, enough that I've decided trading away the unpredictability for more staying power is worth it. Your mileage may vary. I certainly don't think BB-8 Poe isn't viable.

I will say, though, that R5-P9 setups absolutely don't lock him into being a jouster. If anything, he's the ship I least want to joust with, as I want him to survive to the endgame where his combination of damage mitigation and regeneration will make him almost impossible to deal with (sort of like a miniature Fat Han with a firing arc). I play him as more of a flanker, someone who can slide in from the sides while other ships draw the enemy's attention.

A focus token absolutely, in no way shape or form, can be equivalent to an extra green die. On average, 2 green dice modified with a focus against 3 attack dice, focused, is a 71% chance to take at least a point of damage. An additional green die in place of the focus takes that chance down to 60%.

You're right: it's not equivalent. The Focus is actually slightly better.

surprising absolutely no one

never reach for extra green dice, that's just reaching for extra disappointment

never reach for extra green dice, that's just reaching for extra disappointment

I just might sig that.

EDIT: In fact, I have.

If you say so about the dice. I'm no math savant, it's entirely possible and likely that i did bad math on that, so i'll take your word. I will point out, though, as long as you have anything to provide an action or focus token to Biggs when he uses R2-F2, objectively 3 green dice with focus is going to be better than 2 green dice with focus. \

I will not waver on BB-8, however. Yes, R5-P9 increases his durability, but you need to reconsider your argument about "only" being PS8. Most ships in the meta right now are below PS8. Every day i see less and less squads using VI, either, and only a few pilots are PS9, and thats Fel, Vader, Han, and Wedge. All the same arguments about Fel knowing where Poe would end up apply to basically every PS8 pilot as well, and i would like to point out that even if Fel moves and reacts after Poe, Fel still has to make a guess where Poe would end up to make his initial maneuver. If Poe could end up in 20 different places that all benefit him because he can BR in two directions, commit 3 different boost directions OR TL, commit 5 different maneuvers, and focus all in one turn, it gets a lot, A LOT, harder to pin him down. Poe is absolutely at his prime when he can move wherever he wants. Such as going up against an enemy that expected you to 2-bank directly in front of them, you can BR, target lock them, and then go 1 forward out of their arc at range 1, then focus. Tell me that ain't the ****.

I've never of course claimed that R5-P9 is a BAD pick for Poe. Of course not. Given his pilot ability it's a rather smart choice of synergy that keeps him alive a lot longer. In fact if i owned the card there would be many situations where i would consider running that instead. Alas, i have fallen way too much in love with the many actions BB-8 PTL gives me, and it keeps me coming back time after time.

Also i could have been nicer about how i've been wording a lot of this. After how ever many years im still forgetting none of you have tone of voice and body language to go off of how i feel. So i'm sorry about that. I'm a bit bad at wording stuff.

bb-8 poe is the legit ****

he hits hard, he's hard to hit, he's tricky, he's solid, and he's got shenanigans

r5-p9 Poe is the game's biggest middle finger to swarms and TLTs, provided of course that said swarms or TLTs don't block him

a blocked r5-p9 poe is a dead r5-p9 poe

Just to give a bit of support to your last point, I had a game last week where the opponent really got me with that one, he just got his phantom near me and then barrel rolled where I was going after dumping a stress on me the previous round.

Two turns I was forced to either forced to bump and be left in everyone's firing arcs or not use a green.

Canny opponents can really trip you up especially if like me your new to the poe build.

Regarding R2-F2 vs Focus: Focus does more for a single defense roll on an X-wing, but R2-F2 works for all the defense rolls that turn. If you're getting shot by one ship, Focus is a little better. 2 or more ships and the extra AGI averages more evades. Expected opposing squad makeup is probably the deciding factor on whether it's a good buy.

Regarding R2-F2 vs Focus: Focus does more for a single defense roll on an X-wing, but R2-F2 works for all the defense rolls that turn. If you're getting shot by one ship, Focus is a little better. 2 or more ships and the extra AGI averages more evades. Expected opposing squad makeup is probably the deciding factor on whether it's a good buy.

And since Biggs is going to be hit multiple times...

See, i KNEW there was some logical reasoning behind my decision :V