After listening to the latest podcast of NOVA Squadron and the state of the meta, I decided it would be a good time to introduce a list that I’ve been running for a few months with lots of success. Having gone toe to toe with the most popular builds in the meta, I believe this is a true powerhouse build for the Scum & Villainy faction. It features 2 of the galaxy’s fiercest bounty hunters, Boba Fett and Bossk. I call this list “Any Methods Necessary”:

99 points

Boba Fett (48)
Firespray-31 (39), Veteran Instincts (1), Tactician (2), Glitterstim (2), Engine Upgrade (4)

Bossk (51)
YV-666 (35), Veteran Instincts (1), “Mangler” Cannon (4), K4 Security Droid (3), Tactician (2), Outlaw Tech (2), Engine Upgrade (4)

To really explain how this build works, I decided to show how this list expels some common misconceptions about the Scum & Villainy faction:

MISCONCEPTION: The YV-666 is not good enough to be competitive

With a full stop maneuver and no k-turn, the YV-666 is usually branded as the "Space Cow of the Scum faction". However, just a quick look at the rest of the dial shows how much more maneuverable the YV-666 is than the Lambda Shuttle. And with the right load out, you can use this entire dial for excellent action economy and maneuverability, and taking full advantage of that 180° arc.

The YV-666 offers 1 banks and 1-3 straight green maneuvers. Combined with K4 Security Droid, this gets you a free Target Lock, which you can then increase its strength with a focus action, or boost for better positioning. This also helps once the fight starts to get close, as even if the maneuver gets blocked, you still obtain a target lock, making your offensive power very consistent throughout the battle.

The full stop can be a predictable maneuver, but an effective one. Since there is no K-turn on the dial, a full stop can keep your opponent in front of you for several more turns than you otherwise could. Outlaw Tech makes this maneuver much more efficient by providing a focus to use on your roll. This also opens up the use of the 2 turn, which is red. When you have the room, the 3 white turn is definitely the better option, but sometimes the 2 turn can squeeze you into some tight corridors in the asteroid field. I use this maneuver very liberally, as it still provides a focus token and usually surprises the enemy.

In addition to this great dial, Bossk’s ability is particularly effective when coupled with the Mangler Cannon, which automatically makes a hit to a crit to help trigger his ability. Turning 1 crit to 2 hits essentially makes the mangler cannon act as a heavy laser cannon for the cheap price of 4 points! The shot does need to hit though, which is why Boba shooting before him is critical as it can help clear out some tokens off the more elusive targets before you take your shot with Bossk.

MISCONCEPTION: Scum does not have much to offer in control builds

Though the stressbot is the king of control, the Firespray and the YV-666 offer unique auxiliary arcs that can put Tactician to great use. With PS9 and 10 and a boost action, these ships can trap the likes of Dash, Soontir, and several other PTL ships that can’t afford to be double stressed. Even a single stress is good enough to stop an s-loop/k-turn from an IG for their next maneuver, and offer you a turn or two without return fire while you target the other ship(s) in the build. It is also very effective against the common Palpshuttle + 2 Aces build, to deny the shuttle’s full stop maneuver, or double stress Soontir and take him out of the fight, so you can get behind the shuttle and eliminate it, making it easier to take out the Ace escorts.

MISCONCEPTION: Scum does not have much to offer in ace builds

The popular Brobot build is very effective, however it lacks the pilot skill level to really compete against some of the aces in both the Rebel and Imperial factions. Pilots using Corran Horn or Poe Dameron with VI know how vital it is to keep them out of arcs, so if you’re too aggressive they will use the barrel roll/boost actions to ensure they do not get return fire when closing in on you. Soontir Fel and Vader are equally as maneuverable. As the PS battle continues to rage on in the PS9-10 bracket, Boba and Bossk succeed where Brobots fail. First of all, the list tops off at 99 points, and it is not without reason. Super Dash/Corran usually runs at 100, allowing you to pass initiative to Corran so Boba can move after him. Most Shuttle+2 Aces builds run 99-100 points, at least giving you the chance to also have both your ships move after a squirmy Soontir Fel. And with some excellent auxiliary arcs, you can put yourself in many positions without return fire, which can put your opponent behind early and scrambling to keep their ships alive.

MISCONCEPTION: Scum does not have much to offer in damage mitigation

Corran with R2-D2/FCS, Poe with R5-P9, Miranda Doni with a TLT. Ugh. The ability to regenerate shields while keeping a constant damage output is a strong feature that only the Rebels get to take advantage of. So to stay in the fight against these ships, you need the firepower and your own defenses to last long enough to take down these tough ships. Brobots, with the low hull/shields use range 3 as much as possible to keep autothrusters on and mitigate as much damage as possible. IG-A and IG-C also offer some mitigation options. But the discussion seems to stop there. Though Bossk unfortunately does not have much to offer in the defense department, Boba is one tough ship to crack. At first sight a 2 agility ship does not seem very defensive, but when coupled with his ability, and/or the glitterstim upgrade, you can come out of some engagements unscathed. With 2 enemy ships in range 1, you have about a 75% chance of rolling 2 evades with glitterstim each time on your defense rolls, and you can further increase the mitigation with an evade action since you will have offensive rerolls/focus as well. Even though glitterstim is a one time use, this creates a great alpha strike with Boba against swarm builds, or to use in a pinch in critical engagements. Also moving last makes it easier for you to control the range of engagement.

Hopefully this opens up some options for those scummy pilots out there looking for something besides Brobots or “Thug Life” for use in competitive play. This faction has some excellent abilities which make them unpredictable to play against. I can confidently say I’ve found a build that helps show some of their other strengths, and laid a blue print for some other builds using these excellent ships/pilots!

For those that are curious, here are my last 4 tournament results with this list:

Crucible Feeder Event: 5-1. Loss came at the elimination final, against a Top 16 Worlds opponent. I defeated him during swiss.

Galactic Cup (VASSAL): 4-1. Loss came at top 32 round against Dash/Corran. Had Corran left at 1 hull, with Bossk behind him at 6 hull. I proceeded to make the most bonehead maneuver ever and flew my ship straight facing the edge with no way of staying in. It was one of those moments when you flip the dial and realize you made a mistake, but it’s too late. Could have easily defeated Corran if I had gone for the turn to get a target lock and stay behind him.

Local League Season: 5-1, placed 1st. Loss came during a match against Poe/Dash. I decided to chase after Poe for about 6-7 turns and of course with his regeneration and good rolls I got obliterated by Dash in the process. It was close in the end however, as a shot from Bossk could have ended the game with a crit converted to 2 hits, but it was blocked by a good defensive roll from Dash. I won the final 4 matches.

Store Tournament, 27 players: 4-1, placed 6^th. Only loss came in the last round, against an IGB/2 Y TLT. I drew an injured pilot on Boba Fett early, which completely neutered him for the rest of the game. Ironically, my opponent also drew injured pilot on his TLT Y the same turn, which had no effect. This was before the new damage deck, I don’t miss the old deck

I’m still trying to crack that undefeated record with it in a tournament. But so far there have been no real match up problems, and the losses have come due to bad luck or pilot errors on my part.

That's a nice Fett-Bossk combo!

This looks like a lot of fun, and I love that you're challenging some of the more "conventional wisdom" sorta players out there with two hulking, scummy behemoths duking it out against the rest of the galaxy. What would you say is your most difficult matchup? Bossk's ridiculous auxiliary arcs with those wonderful Scum crews and Boba's maneuver shenanigans really allows this list to maintain actions / consistent damage output when one might expect otherwise.

As you pointed out, and as I've found when flying Scum Boba, damage mitigation seems to be the most difficult thing. How often do you find yourself taking Evade over a Focus or Boost with Boba?

While I would never question Scum Boba, I'm still just not as much of a fan of Bossk. For the same price, I could take IG88B. His boom-and-zoom maneuverability pairs well with Boba's more measured approach, especially with VI to help him tangle with the aces.

This looks like a lot of fun, and I love that you're challenging some of the more "conventional wisdom" sorta players out there with two hulking, scummy behemoths duking it out against the rest of the galaxy. What would you say is your most difficult matchup? Bossk's ridiculous auxiliary arcs with those wonderful Scum crews and Boba's maneuver shenanigans really allows this list to maintain actions / consistent damage output when one might expect otherwise.

As you pointed out, and as I've found when flying Scum Boba, damage mitigation seems to be the most difficult thing. How often do you find yourself taking Evade over a Focus or Boost with Boba?

Thanks for the comments!

The most difficult match up I've had is Super Dash/Corran. It really comes down to luck, and your opponents skill with the list. At times I get caught chasing Corran, and a critical roll here or there will keep him alive for another turn, which is yet another turn I'm leaving Dash free to take huge chunks of my ships apart. I've found it easier to go after Dash first and try to stay within his blind spot, and taking the occasional shot or two at Corran to force him to go on the defensive.

I usually like taking the evade action when I have at least 2 ships within range 1. The rerolls allow you to still be able to modify your attacks. Focus is effective when you might not be taking much return fire. Boost is critical if getting a Range 2 shot might be more beneficial so you can stress the target.

My favorite scum boba used Navigator and ID. It was super maneuverable, but a little too squishy. After playing against Bossk I truly understand how lethal that 180 degree arc is. It puts the ship on a totally different level than the lambda. I hope to see you list go undefeated in the store championships!

I think the double tactician is what really make this list shine. That being said I really think you want gunner on Bossk for two reasons. The potential double stress in a wide arc is something aces really need to avoid like the plague. Secondly, gunner gives aces a real hard time. Typically you get the gunner effect where they use their token is such a way as to only take 1 damage and avoid gunner triggering (particularly Corran who will just regen it), but with Bossk if you have a crit, they can't afford to take a hit as it will proc Bossk's ability. This forces them to use their tokens and give you a potentially brutal gunner shot.

That being said, I do really like both Outlaw Tech and K4 on the 666 so I do actually like your list a lot. I find you almost want to stop every second move just to prevent moving too fast, though with engine this is less important I guess. I always find that the 666 moves too fast and even turning doesn't help you get guys in arc (it is deceptive how far your arc shifts).

It pains me to not use the Hound's Tooth title on Bossk though, even though I know in my heart of hearts that there are better more competitive options available.

I think the double tactician is what really make this list shine. That being said I really think you want gunner on Bossk for two reasons. The potential double stress in a wide arc is something aces really need to avoid like the plague. Secondly, gunner gives aces a real hard time. Typically you get the gunner effect where they use their token is such a way as to only take 1 damage and avoid gunner triggering (particularly Corran who will just regen it), but with Bossk if you have a crit, they can't afford to take a hit as it will proc Bossk's ability. This forces them to use their tokens and give you a potentially brutal gunner shot.

That being said, I do really like both Outlaw Tech and K4 on the 666 so I do actually like your list a lot. I find you almost want to stop every second move just to prevent moving too fast, though with engine this is less important I guess. I always find that the 666 moves too fast and even turning doesn't help you get guys in arc (it is deceptive how far your arc shifts).

It pains me to not use the Hound's Tooth title on Bossk though, even though I know in my heart of hearts that there are better more competitive options available.

I agree that gunner is extremely useful for Bossk to force his ability through, but such an expensive upgrade, and I can't afford to give up the crew slots already filled. If there was anything that I would drop it would be Outlaw Tech, the other 2 are too critical to the list.

But this would force me to drop glitterstim on Boba, and then make the list 100 points, which starts to take apart some of its strengths. It definitely could be worth a look though

Have you fought any dedicated arc dodgy lists like palmobile + aces, triple squint, or some Jake, Tycho, X amalgamation? How have you fared against those? Also have you faced any TIE swarms or BBBBZ with it? My issue with the YV has been that with no defensive tech like Ysanne or 3PO it dies way too quick to kill it's point's worth.

Great post. Looks like a solid list with good amount of punch and hit points. Deals stress and can reposition. Nice record with it.

You actually gave me an idea for my own potent variant.

Firespray-31: · Boba Fett (39)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Proton Bombs (5)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Tactician (2)

· Slave I (0)

Glitterstim (2)

YV-666: · Latts Razzi (33)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Gunner (5)

K4 Security Droid (3)

· Bossk (2)

More stress output. Razzi debuffs Boba's target and her own with Bossk, if necessary. She needs dampeners - perhaps swap proton bomb for it and conner net.

Major Juggler's analysis aside, Razzi might benefit from Title here. If you concentrate on her first to reduce stress output and her ability then you have to get the Z95 too. If you chase Boba, she punishes foes and keeps over 50% of list points.

I like the concept a lot, I do wonder if gunner becomes a must, there's so many ships that can turtle up and with only two of my own i'd want to make sure I could punch through. I think scum control is on the rise, boba is a great anchor and the mist hunters will likely provide great support.

I prefer Boba + Kath myself, but this is good too.

Have you fought any dedicated arc dodgy lists like palmobile + aces, triple squint, or some Jake, Tycho, X amalgamation? How have you fared against those? Also have you faced any TIE swarms or BBBBZ with it? My issue with the YV has been that with no defensive tech like Ysanne or 3PO it dies way too quick to kill it's point's worth.

I know for a fact he faced Palpmobile+Vader and Soontir in the Galactic Cup. He absolutely murdered them. Not sure he even took hull damage the whole game.

Bossk always surprises me when I play against him, and Tactician Firesprays are literally just way better ships to play than normal Firesprays, especially when combined with more Tacticians. Nice list and nice job, and thanks for sharing! I'll be excited when the YV666 takes off a bit more. That ship is cost effective and MUCH harder to arc dodge than at first glance. White 4 FWD and 3 Banks make that ship feel very good.

Have you fought any dedicated arc dodgy lists like palmobile + aces, triple squint, or some Jake, Tycho, X amalgamation? How have you fared against those? Also have you faced any TIE swarms or BBBBZ with it? My issue with the YV has been that with no defensive tech like Ysanne or 3PO it dies way too quick to kill it's point's worth.

I have faced Palp+2 aces many times, and I never seem to have an issue with the list. Taking Palp out of the match first seems to be the key, at least for my list.

I have faced TIE swarms and they are also a fairly good match up. Boba loves getting into a furball with them to earn all the rerolls while Bossk takes pot shots from a distance.

I don't think I've faced BBBBZ, but I've faced some Rebel variances that include B wings. I would need to take out at least one without much return damage before I can start getting aggressive, I would think, but they do pop fairly quickly.

What do you think of this for an alternate Bossk build:

Bossk (35)

Calculation (1)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Inertial Dampeners (1)

Gunner (5)

K4 Security Droid (3)

Tactician (3)

I like that Calculation can be used in the Aux. Arc and Gunner/Tactician is amazing. But it loses VI and the very useful Outlaw Tech, which helps keep the dial open.

What do you think of this for an alternate Bossk build:

Bossk (35)

Calculation (1)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Inertial Dampeners (1)

Gunner (5)

K4 Security Droid (3)

Tactician (3)

I like that Calculation can be used in the Aux. Arc and Gunner/Tactician is amazing. But it loses VI and the very useful Outlaw Tech, which helps keep the dial open.

Calculation is a bit of a problem on this Bossk build for two big reasons: you're losing the PS bid against aces, which Bossk's auxiliary arc is essentially built for destroying, and you're also not relying on Mangler Cannon.

With Veteran Instincts, you have the pilot skill to maneuver after the aces and use Bossk's Engine Upgrade to your advantage. This allows you to keep Aces in arc or get into position to spring a trap next turn.

A Mangler Cannon can fire at ranges 1-3 and deny any range bonus to a defender. This means that pesky Imperial TIEs or even Soontir are only getting their normal defensive rolls instead of any range modifiers. Three red dice against three green dice is going to give you a very good chance to hit, cancel a crit with Bossk's pilot ability and inflict some serious hurt on a fragile ace. Sure, a Mangler can't take advantage of the auxiliary arcs, but in a list like this Bossk should be slow-rolling anyway to maintain as wide a range of fire as possible.

Aside from those points, if you're using Engine Upgrade on a large base ship, your action is almost always going to be Boost. Bossk and other Scummy ships can rely on Engine Upgrade because of fantastic Scum crew like K4 or Outlaw Tech. Calculation is going to require a Focus token, meaning you have to give up re-positioning with a Boost for that turn, which can leave a low-agility ship like the YV-666 open to a laser-spanking.

I have faced Palp+2 aces many times, and I never seem to have an issue with the list. Taking Palp out of the match first seems to be the key, at least for my list.

This seems incredibly surprising to me since I absolutely want to lose Palpatine first assuming he doesn't just die for free. What build are they using and how aggressively do they play their shuttles?

To be honest, because of the stop maneuver, I tend to want aces to go after Bossk. It really restricts them because they have to pull maneuvers they generally don't want to to clear you (just in case).

I surprisingly had some good success with Lone Wolf of all things on Bossk. If it is active you up your defence quite a bit, even with one green dice.

Nice list and write up, I definitely want to give it a try sometime.

I'm curious what a standard deployment and opening is for this list. What about your choice and placement of rocks?

I'm a big fan of the YV and will definitely be giving this a shot. I know glitterstim is excellent but I might run this list with inertial dampners on Boba instead to give him some extra manoeuvring options when stuck in the scrum. It also brings the list down to 98 points for that initiative bid against soontir and corran.

I have faced Palp+2 aces many times, and I never seem to have an issue with the list. Taking Palp out of the match first seems to be the key, at least for my list.

This seems incredibly surprising to me since I absolutely want to lose Palpatine first assuming he doesn't just die for free. What build are they using and how aggressively do they play their shuttles?

This has been against different people with different play styles.

While I would never question Scum Boba, I'm still just not as much of a fan of Bossk. For the same price, I could take IG88B. His boom-and-zoom maneuverability pairs well with Boba's more measured approach, especially with VI to help him tangle with the aces.

I've played Boba/IGB before, great list!

While I would never question Scum Boba, I'm still just not as much of a fan of Bossk. For the same price, I could take IG88B. His boom-and-zoom maneuverability pairs well with Boba's more measured approach, especially with VI to help him tangle with the aces.

I've played Boba/IGB before, great list!

Seconded - that was my regionals list, very effective and fun to fly