Greetings. I am just getting started with X-Wing. I have the new core, both Aces expansions, plus B, Y, TIE, TIE Interceptor and the Falcon. I plan on getting more stuff of course! My favorite so far is the T-70 X-Wing with BB-8 and Push the Limit. I have played only 3 games total, ever (undefeated for the time being... got to enjoy it while I can!).

I am curious about Jake Farrell, A-Wing ace. I am considering loading him with Proton Rockets for a sweet 5-die attack, but that's a 3-point discard. On top of that, it means no Chardaan Refits, so it's effectively a 5-point discard. Ouch! On the other hand, a Refit Jake plus maybe PTL is really pricey @ 25 points for the attack value of a gnat (2 dice).

I wouldn't take Jake over the Red Squadron Veteran in the T-70, but they might both live together in a non-Falcon list. My question is whether Jake is worth the points in either configuration, and how to get the best out of him?

Jake with PTL, VI, Autothrusters and Proton Rockets is a really solid ship and can bounce all over the place and be relatively hard to pin down.

And a gnat he can be, after the Prockets are launched. He can be a nuisance to your opponent's list while they would rather deal with the rest of your list. And he can be a bugger to pin down too, if flown well. He's well worth his points, and one of my favorite pilots, especially for the A-Wings.

Jake's double action without PTL and triple action with PTL. He's a pretty solid 22pt¹ A-wing and the only A-wing that can barrel roll without upgrades.

Proton Rockets are five points for an A-wing but A-wings, especially Jake and Tycho, are very good at getting the most out of them. Jake can focus, boost in and then PTL into target lock, making a fully modified procket attack.

Never underestimate 2 attack dice, especially on an A-wing. Jake is very good at staying at Range 1, meaning he'll be rolling three dice a lot. Even without PTL they'll be modified by his focus, and with PTL he matches Soontir for raw action efficiency. He's also got a second EPT slot which can be used to upgun him further.

PTL Chardaan Jake will only cost you 25 points. 26 points if you give him a 1pt EPT like Veteran Instincts, Calculation or Crack Shot. With Outmaneuver or Predator, he's the same price as an unupgraded Luke Skywalker.

^{1: It's usually better to think of A-wings as two points cheaper and their missiles (of which you'd only ever really take the 3 point missiles) as 2 points more.}

Jake's a wonderful A-wing that can be kept cheap- I'm not a huge fan of prockets on him unless the point slotting works. Jake+PtL+VI+Autothrusters and 3 TLTs is a mean list.

I tend to run jake with Push the Limit, Autothrusters, Chaardan Refit, A-Wing Test Pilot, and Outmaneuver.

2 Attack dice suddenly becomes a lot more effective against enemies when they throw one less green die, ESPECIALLY when you can focus, BR/boost into range 1 out of arc for 3 red, then PTL for a TL, and clear the stress next turn with the A-Wings amazing dial. All of a sudden you're throwing 3 red die against 1 less green die. And when you need to get defensive, just evade with PTL inside of getting a TL, and with a focused, evaded, 3 green die A-Wing with autothrusters, the chances of, say, Dash(out of arc) at range 1 while focused is a less than 5% chance to do any damage at all. Even if he's got you in arc at range 1, thats still less than 15% chance to do a point of damage. 2-attack ships won't be able to touch you, ever. Statistically speaking, a focused TIE fighter has a .01% chance of doing a damage against you if you're focused and evaded.

I don't know about you, but i really like those odds.

And, with Outmaneuver, he's actually offensively viable without prockets.

Jake's a wonderful A-wing that can be kept cheap- I'm not a huge fan of prockets on him unless the point slotting works. Jake+PtL+VI+Autothrusters and 3 TLTs is a mean list.

See you tomorrow? :3

I tend to run jake with Push the Limit, Autothrusters, Chaardan Refit, A-Wing Test Pilot, and Outmaneuver.

....

He would need to buy an E-wing or TIE Defender to get Outmaneuver. Just saying.

But that is a really sweet build.

I tend to run jake with Push the Limit, Autothrusters, Chaardan Refit, A-Wing Test Pilot, and Outmaneuver.

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That's pretty much my go-to A-Wing build. It's effective with Outmaneuver or Predator, depending on what your opponents are bringing. It's useful with Green Squadron right up to Tycho. Two of those and paired up with whatever other 50 points I feel like bringing. It's fun times for me.

I tend to run jake with Push the Limit, Autothrusters, Chaardan Refit, A-Wing Test Pilot, and Outmaneuver.

....

He would need to buy an E-wing or TIE Defender to get Outmaneuver. Just saying.

But that is a really sweet build.

These are such great ideas!

I'd be glad to add either of those ships to my collection. I'm trying to focus on Rebels at first (though I had a fun outing with my Imperials) and would like to add an E-Wing and a K-Wing both. X-Wings... they're cool and I'll get around to them eventually. Though they seem less essential right now.

Real problem from a purchasing point of view is the autothrusters. Requires buying a Starviper expansion.

Before you buy any expansions purely for upgrades, proxy them first.

'S good enough for most groups if you have the relevant card text on-hand, unless you're at a tournament.

I tend to run jake with Push the Limit, Autothrusters, Chaardan Refit, A-Wing Test Pilot, and Outmaneuver.

....

He would need to buy an E-wing or TIE Defender to get Outmaneuver. Just saying.

But that is a really sweet build.

I find A-wings impossible to kill at the best of times, but dayum, that Jake would be a nightmare to chase.

Welcome to the game Requete, you've take a step into a big world and empty wallet...

I love Jake (from Statefarm). He's just so slippery that with proper flying he seldom ever gets shot at and will most times get a 3 dice shot with outmaneuver.

Had a league night a few weeks back with him and he was easily the VIP of the night.

Jake and Psycho Tycho are among the slippiest pilots in the game. Jake can squeeze through just about every situation with PtL, with VI he'll have the PS to move after most other pilots. PR is never a bad idea, either to take a large chunk out of a large ship or to push damage through on a high agility ship.

Psycho Tycho is Tycho with PtL, Daredevil and Experimental Interface, he loses the choice of defensive upgrades like Stealth Device and Autothrusters, but in return he can fly loops around most ships and can turn up to 270 degrees. Problem with this build is that you'd need cards from both the A-wing expansion and from the YT-2400.

While flown right A-wings can be nearly immortal, though in tournaments a lot of games will go to time, which is why PRs is a good thing to bring.

Something else worth noting is that the mere threat of Jake boosting into range one and unleashing a 5-dice attack with Target Lock and Focus is itself an asset because it forces your opponent to pay attention to him or risk taking a ton of damage.

The last game I played with Jake, my opponent spent half the game chasing Jake and trying to block him in to kill him before he could use his prockets, which gave my other ships a lot of breathing room to focus on offense rather than defense. Even though Jake only did about 4 damage the entire game, he drew so much aggro and was so slippery that he probably won the game for me.

I'm running a 31 pt Jake right now that, in the context of the build, can get 5 actions a round. Last night he put 3 hits into a B wing (that along with Poe and my TLT got dropped in a round), then nearly singlehandedly dropped a T70 with PRockets and a follow up attack. Super-maneuverable Jake, especially with the PRockets, is no joke.

I wouldn´t take the proton rockets, as you say, it´s a 5 point difference. Although, there are unique possibilities where you could potentially one-shot someone with 5 attack dice (and usually target lock and focus token, because it is Jake! ). That could be gold, but for me it´s not worth the 2 extra dice. When you play Jake right (take Veteran insticts to push his pilot skill), you should be in range on most of the time, so 3 attack dice is sufficient. With Push the limit you get a tremendously efficient ship for 28 points (because don´t forget the autothursters).

I'd agree with what others have said

A wings are really good with one to three intents.

1 Nuisance arc dodgers, keep them cheap, give them PTL and just stay out of arc, outmanouvee buffs your weak attack by stripping a defence die (almost as good as an extra attack) , if you're not meeting the criteria for outmanouvre you're flying badly

2. Cheap blockers, refit them, run low ps pilots... i've never got this to work for me.

3. Alpha strike aces, jake, tycho and gemmer with prockets and EPTs to taste.

Personally i prefer the first option as i'd rather have four ships with a consistant 2die attack all game and hit and run then have to take chances to get into range one while out of arc (as being in arc is fatal) with three ships..

I generally do not fly Jake with PtL - he's got built-in PtL and I enjoy the flexibility of him not having to chase green. If paired with Kyle Katarn he's getting 4 actions a turn without stress. Action economy is great - being able to achieve it without stressing yourself is worth more to me than having 3 actions instead of 2.

I do enjoy prockets on him - I often use VI, and while I haven't tried this - it occurs to me now that Deadeye is probably a good choice if you wanted to use some of the other missiles.

I generally do not fly Jake with PtL - he's got built-in PtL and I enjoy the flexibility of him not having to chase green. If paired with Kyle Katarn he's getting 4 actions a turn without stress. Action economy is great - being able to achieve it without stressing yourself is worth more to me than having 3 actions instead of 2.

I do enjoy prockets on him - I often use VI, and while I haven't tried this - it occurs to me now that Deadeye is probably a good choice if you wanted to use some of the other missiles.

I disagree with the first part. Jake without PTL is a sin. PTL and VI is by far the best combination in my opinion.

For the prockets: Yes, if you have 5 points left then I would include them. Better if you have 7 points left, because there are so much competitors at PS 9 level, you should have the choice to give away the initiative

I generally do not fly Jake with PtL - he's got built-in PtL and I enjoy the flexibility of him not having to chase green. If paired with Kyle Katarn he's getting 4 actions a turn without stress. Action economy is great - being able to achieve it without stressing yourself is worth more to me than having 3 actions instead of 2.

I do enjoy prockets on him - I often use VI, and while I haven't tried this - it occurs to me now that Deadeye is probably a good choice if you wanted to use some of the other missiles.

I disagree with the first part. Jake without PTL is a sin. PTL and VI is by far the best combination in my opinion.

For the prockets: Yes, if you have 5 points left then I would include them. Better if you have 7 points left, because there are so much competitors at PS 9 level, you should have the choice to give away the initiative

A touch hyperbolic but let it never be said I'm afraid of being a sinner. Come to Toronto and we shall match our little blue A-wings in epic combat! Two Jake enter, one Jake leave!

Thunder dome!!!!

I generally do not fly Jake with PtL - he's got built-in PtL and I enjoy the flexibility of him not having to chase green. If paired with Kyle Katarn he's getting 4 actions a turn without stress. Action economy is great - being able to achieve it without stressing yourself is worth more to me than having 3 actions instead of 2.

I do enjoy prockets on him - I often use VI, and while I haven't tried this - it occurs to me now that Deadeye is probably a good choice if you wanted to use some of the other missiles.

I disagree with the first part. Jake without PTL is a sin. PTL and VI is by far the best combination in my opinion.

For the prockets: Yes, if you have 5 points left then I would include them. Better if you have 7 points left, because there are so much competitors at PS 9 level, you should have the choice to give away the initiative

A touch hyperbolic but let it never be said I'm afraid of being a sinner. Come to Toronto and we shall match our little blue A-wings in epic combat! Two Jake enter, one Jake leave!

Hahaha, I like it!

I generally do not fly Jake with PtL - he's got built-in PtL and I enjoy the flexibility of him not having to chase green. If paired with Kyle Katarn he's getting 4 actions a turn without stress. Action economy is great - being able to achieve it without stressing yourself is worth more to me than having 3 actions instead of 2.

I do enjoy prockets on him - I often use VI, and while I haven't tried this - it occurs to me now that Deadeye is probably a good choice if you wanted to use some of the other missiles.

I disagree with the first part. Jake without PTL is a sin. PTL and VI is by far the best combination in my opinion.

For the prockets: Yes, if you have 5 points left then I would include them. Better if you have 7 points left, because there are so much competitors at PS 9 level, you should have the choice to give away the initiative

A touch hyperbolic but let it never be said I'm afraid of being a sinner. Come to Toronto and we shall match our little blue A-wings in epic combat! Two Jake enter, one Jake leave!

Im not seeing VI as inclusive as it used to be, since the meta is allowing for more swarms and medium range pilot skills (which is a good thing!) I think this is great because it means you can now Jake it up with things like Outmaneuver, calculation, or if you have a guaranteed supply of focus from Kyle or Garven maybe even marksmanship. I would still use PtL though, you can never have enough actions. I haven't run Jake in a while though, but I do not envy your toronto Jake game, it'll be 3 hours of circling until someone gets tired and forgets to focus =P

These are some awesome ideas and I really appreciate it. Kind of opened my eyes to the usefulness of this pilot. I have a StarViper now so I can run the build including autothrusters and either PTL + VI or PTL + Calculation. Tough choice. I think maybe Outmaneuver is the best choice (though it costs more) but I don't have that one yet.* Looking forward to trying this guy out.

* - It will come from the E-Wing because I don't see any possible use for the Defender. 30 for the cheapest one? I'd rather have two TIE/FOs.