Lightning reflexes praise.

By Dwing, in X-Wing

I finally got around to try out the ept Lightning reflexes yesterday.swx32_lightning_reflexes_card.png

It tried it on Poe, who was chased by a titeled ion stress hog, a Tala Z-95 and Jake comming around a asteroid to intercept me. First I did a k-turn, getting me just out of range of the stresshog. Next turn I made a 3 bank, used lightning reflexes, blocked Jake and got both Stresshog and Tala in my arc. It was such a fun way to "escape" and get back in the action.

Has anyone used Lightning reflexes in a tie swarm, seems like that would be great.

Edited by Dwing

One-time wonder for 1 point?
Crack shot fits the niche much better, because it doesn't care if the enemy is super-arcdodger or a turret

Crack shot would have done nothing for me in this instance. Both are good, but we already have plenty of Crack Shot threads :). Vet Ins would probably be my go to 1point ept for Poe, but yesterday I felt like trying Reflexes out, and it was great fun.

It gives nice alternatives to K-turns, but a TIE swarm tends to get in its own way easily. I dunno, I'd like to try it, but I'm not too confident.

Where it might work nicely is a TIE/fo pack. TIE/fo Omega Squadron Pilots can clear off the stress more easily, and like being in a knife fight. Plus, they still have their tech slot available to up their firepower slightly.

5 TIE/fo with weapons guidance and lightning reflexes should be very difficult to keep pinned down. The ability to pull a '2' Segnor's Loop, then break into a Hard '2' turn the other way, then reverse direction if required with Lightning Reflexes..... that's gonna give someone a headache trying to figure out where the [censored] you're going to be in a turn or two.

Possibly swap one for Zeta Ace with Adrenaline Rush and Twin Ion Engines MkII just for extra activation phase trolling. Two Segnor's loops back to back with a '2' barrel roll in the middle is a touch ridiculous.

crackshot/reflexes:

apples and oranges.

they have nothing in common except the cost and slot.

good to see that it works for you Dwing - haven't got to try it out myself. but this here makes me more eager to do so ;)

Wait a second, IF you put Reflexes

and then USE PRINCESS LEIA!

So this way you can make a 3-claw turn on T-70 AND TURN :o

Umm....

...Yup. That works. Leia makes the Talon Roll white, so Lightning Reflexes becomes an option - essentially becoming a hard 3 'sideslip'.

It's not the most awe-inspiring move - it's not all that different in final position from a barrel roll + a speed 2-3 bank - but it's an option people might not be expecting (people often forget the Talon Roll anyway if they've not had experience against a T-70).

It's a perfectly sensible thing to slot onto a Red Squadron Veteran looking to fill his talent icon. A T-70 can't avoid fire like a squint or defender, but it is good at dodging arcs entirely, and this helps.

If you want something really ridiculous, try Inertial Dampeners/Lightning Reflexes triggered at once.

Gives you two stress tokens, but you literally cancel your dial and turn 180'.....and you can do it whilst stressed if you have to.

Edited by Magnus Grendel

Warpman: You don't need Leia for that combo, lightning reflexes can only be used on a white or green move. Sure if you do a Talon and a lightning reflex move next, you will have to stress, but sometimes it could be worth it (yesterday it was for me).

Magnus grendel: Lightning reflexes and inertial dampeners don't combo. Lightning reflexes specifically mentions it has to be a move on your dial. The 0 move granted by inertial dampeners is not on any small ship dial... for now :)

Warpman: You don't need Leia for that combo, lightning reflexes can only be used on a white or green move. Sure if you do a Talon and a lightning reflex move next, you will have to stress, but sometimes it could be worth it (yesterday it was for me).

Magnus grendel: Lightning reflexes and inertial dampeners don't combo. Lightning reflexes specifically mentions it has to be a move on your dial. The 0 move granted by inertial dampeners is not on any small ship dial... for now :)

Point is Leia makes a red talon roll white.

and after the talon you TURN 180' AND SO IT BECOMES A 3-TURN UBERBARREL

Warpman: You don't need Leia for that combo, lightning reflexes can only be used on a white or green move. Sure if you do a Talon and a lightning reflex move next, you will have to stress, but sometimes it could be worth it (yesterday it was for me).

Magnus grendel: Lightning reflexes and inertial dampeners don't combo. Lightning reflexes specifically mentions it has to be a move on your dial. The 0 move granted by inertial dampeners is not on any small ship dial... for now :)

Ah, good spot sir.

I think Talon was talking about using lighting reflexes on the Talon Roll itself (so you end up facing forwards).

As I noted, it's not that different, really, to bank 2/3 and a barrel roll, but it shifts your final position slightly.

The problem is figuring how to exploit it. I think the Talon Roll is good enough to consider Leia co-piloting a B-wing alongside a pair of T-70s, but I'm not sure Lightning reflexes pairs well into the mix - arguably it's good in that it gives you a second set of one-use moves for the turn after.

  • Dagger Squadron Pilot - Sensor Jammer, Heavy Laser Cannon, B-wing/E, Leia Organa
  • Red Squadron Veteran - Lighting Reflexes, R2 Astromech, Weapons Guidance, Integrated Astromech
  • Red Squadron Veteran - Lighting Reflexes, R2 Astromech, Weapons Guidance, Integrated Astromech

You can sort of go 'up the centre' - three heavy fighters (one with a heavy laser cannon and two with weapons guidance) but after the first pass, you can trigger Leia's ability. The B-wing is stuck with a short K-turn, and is probably on fire from the initial shots (it's the easiest target of the three) but since your opponent probably needs to K-turn to get shots too, the Sensor Jammer comes into its own and might (might!) let it live through a second round of fire.

Meanwhile, the two T-70s can break off with a Talon Roll, and follow up by either focusing up for weapons guidance, or boosting back in down the flank. Next turn, they can either talon roll again, or lightning reflexes to flip end around.

It might well be a good idea against classic jousters - you're unlikely to lose a B-wing or T-70 against one turn of fire, even with fairly heavy attacks, and this way you get to take advantage of the moment of vulnerability of the first K-turn that people use.

Edited by Magnus Grendel

I've run Lightning Reflexes a couple of times. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But when it does work, it's beautiful.

This has been my favorite build thus far-

Wedge Antilles (29)

Lightning Reflexes (1)

BB-8 (2)

Integrated Astromech (prox) (0)

Total: 32

A BB-8 barrel roll + Lighting Reflex flip feels reaaaaaallly good. And is really effective at PS 9.

I've been running 1 large + 2 small scum lately. Large ship can be Kath, IGAorB, Bossk or Boba and my 2 small ships are usually title/TLT thugs OR my new favorite thing: Black Sun Aces with Crack Shot. I've wanted to try swapping in LR but honestly I just never have run into a situation where it would be better. Maybe if they had a hard 3 I could see it flanking swarms or something, but really CS is just crazy good.

I think one of the strengths of lightning reflexes is on ships that don't have a K-Turn. The HWK is a prime example. It might also have some use on a Starviper.

Maybe I play too many casual games, but I find it hard to commit to "discard" cards for a one time effect. I would rather put the points in something I can use all game. And the thought of loading a TIE Swarm with these makes me shudder... half a ship in discard cards that don't really help me make magic red dice? I can see the card being situational... I'm just not a fan of "discard" cards. Even to the point of having trouble using missiles and ordnance... guess I have a hang-up on this kind of card.

Maybe I play too many casual games, but I find it hard to commit to "discard" cards for a one time effect. I would rather put the points in something I can use all game. And the thought of loading a TIE Swarm with these makes me shudder... half a ship in discard cards that don't really help me make magic red dice? I can see the card being situational... I'm just not a fan of "discard" cards. Even to the point of having trouble using missiles and ordnance... guess I have a hang-up on this kind of card.

Understandable. However keep in mind the point cost of these expendable cards. Suppose you had a build with 99 points and couldn't afford Predator or something awesome and expensive.

Or even better yet, suppose you DID get Predator on a ship, and it managed to fire twice before dying. In that case you might have paid 3 points for only 2 uses. I guess it really depends on your thinking. No ship has a guarantee of survival, and expendable upgrades tend to be cost efficient and offer you the CHOICE of when to use them, so they can be amazing if you time it right.

In theory, I like Lighting Reflexes on PTL A-wings to help them get turned around and stay in the fight. In practice, even if you use LR to get into the perfect position, all you're threatening is a tokenless two-dice attack. So it's pretty hard to justify taking LR over Crackshot.

However, I think it has some use. As Crabbok said, it could be useful on a HWK, especially one with Tactician. And it offers a nice trick on a ship with R2-D2: once per game, you can turn around while still regenerating a shield. That could be useful, especially in a stress-control meta.

Wait a second, IF you put Reflexes

and then USE PRINCESS LEIA!

So this way you can make a 3-claw turn on T-70 AND TURN :o

While I'm not completely convinced this series of events is legal I do think there is design space for a move like that. If the F/O and T70 are the grunts of Ep 7 ships the interceptor-class options will need some new tricks to really stay ahead. This is an option.

I like Lighting Reflexes on a HWK. It gives them a de facto K-turn/S-loop/etc, and makes the ship a little more unpredictable. I used it to fly Palob into a corner, flip 180 degrees, and stay on the board. For one point that's huge.

I took it on Juno and was generally quite happy with the result. You can't use it when performing a "non-dial" maneuver, but the ability to change to a 2 or 3 turn and as well as turn 180 (or not) at PS8 is pretty awesome.

Lightning Reflexes is great for that moment when you overshoot. That way, you can keep a ship in arc and still have a shot. Even an unmodified shot is better than no shot.

Is it swarmable? Nah, but there are plenty of lists where you could slap this on and reuse the two points you're not spending on Predator or PtL elsewhere to great effect.

Works best on HWK if you aren't using ept, more so if your using moldy crow. Other candidates would be high ps pilots with little or no repositioning (wedge and cobra). Green awings maybe? Keyan might work with advanced senors, Stay on target is 1 point more tho.

on Engine Upgrade Vader works like a charm

I put Lightning Reflexes on Palob the other day. It was awesome! Or ... it was going to be before Palob died in the first round of combat. :( I think I shouldn't have bet the farm on being able to take out Soontir in the first round.

I'm still looking forward to trying Talonbane with Lightning Reflexes and Inertial Dampeners. If you have initiative, you have a lot of unexpected ways to maintain a range-1 shot. It's unmodified, of course, but it's still 5 dice.

I have used lightning reflexes a few times, the one benefit that it has that most people forget is that you can still use it if you overlap another ship or asteroid, I have caught a couple people out with Pabob pulling a 180 after bumping getting arc on a trailing arc dodger and shutting off autothrusters.

most people forget is that you can still use it if you overlap another ship or asteroid,

You can complete K-turns on asteroids.