First timer escalation help needed

By Talon Card, in X-Wing Squad Lists

Hey to all my fellow xwing fanboys/girls.

I've just started playing and want to hit the ground running. Escalation event coming up soon and wondered if anyone could critique my first draft.

60

Chewie - Jan ors, recon specialist, veteran instincts.

Bandit Sq pilot Z95

90

+ 1 gold sqd y wing with tlt

120

+ 1 gold sqd y wing with tlt

+ 1 bandit sqd Z95

150

+ 1 grey sqd y wing with tlt

+ r2 astromech on all my ywing

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

That's a decent escalation list. I like it!

Interesting final build: Chewie + 3 TLTys and 2 Z-95s. Solid.

Good things:

  • Your Y-Wings will be Target Locking as often as possible, even before the R7 Astromechs. With R7, you're using them defensively before using them offensively like a TIE Fighter will with a Focus token. Good plan!
  • Your Z-95s are empty, but a pair, and one appears to be necessary with your Chewbacca build.
  • Chewbacca + 3 TLTs will be nightmarish to fleets without sufficient damage mitigation.
  • With a single action, Ors + Recon is a very fun combination, and almost top tier.

Problem: Veteran's Instinct.

  • The jump from PS 5 to PS 7 is largely insignificant, basically allowing you to move after and shoot before IG-88, Chebacca, and Leebo.
  • Moreover, you don't have Barrel Roll or Boost, and a 360 degree range of fire, so the PS difference is less powerful than usual.

Problem: Weakness vs High-Mitigation.

  • Your TLTs and Z-95s basically don't exist to a Whisper with Sensor Jammer, and still struggle mightily vs the Bloody Baron or the Sith Lord.

Solution: Crack Shot

  • Crack Shot lets you drop Whisper, Fel, or Vader's defenses on a single Chewbacca attack, allowing you to strip the Stealth Device off the latter two.
  • Against non-Ace lists, CS still counts as a free point of damage if they have any successful evade results, potentially reaching a kill an attack early, or putting a Crit past their final Shield token, or what have you. Its great against literally everything but Decimators.

Query: Jan Ors + Recon weakness

  • Is a Focus Token + Evade Token superior to C3P0 + Evade Token + 1 point less?
    • Focus is useful offensively, but defensively it has a 1/4 chance of being a guaranteed evade.
    • C3P0 is used in the dark, and is purely defensive, but has a 5/8 chance of being an evade.
    • C3P0 is still useful when the Focus action is unavailable, including when Actions in general are prevented.

Query: Z-95 Necessity

  • In R1, you use a Z-95, and give Chewbacca 6 points of Upgrade.
    • If you swapped all that for a Y-Wing, in Round 2 you could keep your naked Wookie, and have 2 TLT Y-Wings.
    • Round 3 introduces a 3rd TLT Y, and gets you your 6 points of Upgrade on Chewbacca.
  • Alternatively, you get to combine the Z-95s into a single ship of up to 24 points by doing this, introduced in Wave 3.

But these last two are just questions. The Crack for VI will directly improve the vast majority of your matches

Wow thanks for the critique. Really grateful for the comprehensive feedback. I do have one or two questions.

I like the different utility of the ywings but it would mean that my early games I've got two and three naked ships with 1 def dice each. Probably not very survivable especially if chewie is in the nude. Which is why I sacrificed the ywings to upgrade the Wookie.

I agree with C3P0 but didn't have card at the time. Do now and will look to take engine upgrade or Jan or even r2d2. Crack shot however is only situationally helpful because his arc is still only 90 degrees for the purposes of that card so I'd have to be in that arc to use it.

While I appreciate the praise I had r2 not r7 on the ywings to make more green manoeuvres.

Will have a re jig but I'm really really grateful for a the feedback thank you. I feel a lot more confident that I'm not that far from something good.