I have long felt the Moldy Crow would've done just fine with 4 Hull, 2 Shields, and its current 2 Agility.

That touch less squishy on what is generally a fairly expensive support craft, y'know?

Actually, the HWK, in universe, is an unarmed, fast maneuverable transport on par with some starfighters, not the clumsy crap it is in the game.

The HWK in game represents the Moldy Crow, an upgunned HWK.

Interesting.

If I recall correctly the devs have admitted that the primary weapon value of 1 was a mistake. Given the above as well, a good thematic fix might be to give them a point bonus on their turrets. Make all turrets one point cheaper.

Just a nudge, that acknowledges their reliance on turrets and helps them out a bit when armed.

Autothrusters on a starviper > one extra shield.

I took Xizor and 5 Z's to a Store Championship and beat a lot of Fat Turrets to get to the final table. Lost to my first time facing Bro Bots.

Took the same list to Regionals and beat two identical Bro Bot lists in a row. My last game had my dice turn ice cold where even my opponent said he almost felt sorry for me. If I had won that last round, I would've made Top 16.

I think that is what people honestly gripe about when it comes to the Starvipers. Because they don't have an easy combination of upgrades that could be placed on them to take the dice out of the equation, people want to flip the table when the dice go cold. The ship itself is fantastic. Every time I play X-wing I find myself wanting to build another Starviper list. Brobots are popular because with very little practice, they work and work well. The Starviper opens up the more you play with it. It is not a ship that is made better by upgrades, it is made better by creative use of its dial. This is the hardest part of the game. I also find it to be the most rewarding part of the game. Nothing is better than guessing your opponents actions, and then watching that look of horror as they realize they just flew into a storm of hurt.

I took Xizor and 5 Z's to a Store Championship and beat a lot of Fat Turrets to get to the final table. Lost to my first time facing Bro Bots.

Took the same list to Regionals and beat two identical Bro Bot lists in a row. My last game had my dice turn ice cold where even my opponent said he almost felt sorry for me. If I had won that last round, I would've made Top 16.

I think that is what people honestly gripe about when it comes to the Starvipers. Because they don't have an easy combination of upgrades that could be placed on them to take the dice out of the equation, people want to flip the table when the dice go cold. The ship itself is fantastic. Every time I play X-wing I find myself wanting to build another Starviper list. Brobots are popular because with very little practice, they work and work well. The Starviper opens up the more you play with it. It is not a ship that is made better by upgrades, it is made better by creative use of its dial. This is the hardest part of the game. I also find it to be the most rewarding part of the game. Nothing is better than guessing your opponents actions, and then watching that look of horror as they realize they just flew into a storm of hurt.

Actually, I think I had all I could in my list to affect the dice. Xizor had FCS, but if you still roll lots of blanks on your re-rolls, what can you do? Also, all my Z's were just firing blanks. It was incredibly annoying. I think any list I had with my luck in that game would've been bad, including Han with Gunner. You would think that Xizor with FCS and 5 Z's would've been able to shred a Decimator in a 3 turns of firing straight at it. I didn't get it below half.

Actually, the HWK, in universe, is an unarmed, fast maneuverable transport on par with some starfighters, not the clumsy crap it is in the game.

The HWK in game represents the Moldy Crow, an upgunned HWK.

There are few things in the game as poorly represented as the HWK. It's physically way too small, and its stats are just completely counter to what its supposed to be.

You want a hwk with Jake Ferrell's ability? I do, but that's because it would be awesome.

The ship 2 agility, equal to or more than many star fighters. It can take crew to increase its survivability but in this game it has to expect to see Soontir and Vader every day, which is where it falters. Some new options would go a long way though.

I took Xizor and 5 Z's to a Store Championship and beat a lot of Fat Turrets to get to the final table. Lost to my first time facing Bro Bots.

Took the same list to Regionals and beat two identical Bro Bot lists in a row. My last game had my dice turn ice cold where even my opponent said he almost felt sorry for me. If I had won that last round, I would've made Top 16.

I think that is what people honestly gripe about when it comes to the Starvipers. Because they don't have an easy combination of upgrades that could be placed on them to take the dice out of the equation, people want to flip the table when the dice go cold.

Actually, I think I had all I could in my list to affect the dice. Xizor had FCS, but if you still roll lots of blanks on your re-rolls, what can you do? Also, all my Z's were just firing blanks. It was incredibly annoying. I think any list I had with my luck in that game would've been bad, including Han with Gunner. You would think that Xizor with FCS and 5 Z's would've been able to shred a Decimator in a 3 turns of firing straight at it. I didn't get it below half.

I more meant for the non-title Starvipers, but yeah... that's some bad luck right there! That has been my luck every time I've flown the Xizor with Z-wing list as well. I just can't get the Zs to do anything! I've even tried replacing the Zs with Ys w/ Autoblaster Turrets. Yes their range sucks, but I was hoping to using them as blockers and force action where I wanted it to be. Haven't had luck with that list either....

For me, I love Kath with two Starvipers escorts. It dices, it slices, it makes Julianne fries!

I took Xizor and 5 Z's to a Store Championship and beat a lot of Fat Turrets to get to the final table. Lost to my first time facing Bro Bots.

Took the same list to Regionals and beat two identical Bro Bot lists in a row. My last game had my dice turn ice cold where even my opponent said he almost felt sorry for me. If I had won that last round, I would've made Top 16.

I think that is what people honestly gripe about when it comes to the Starvipers. Because they don't have an easy combination of upgrades that could be placed on them to take the dice out of the equation, people want to flip the table when the dice go cold.

Actually, I think I had all I could in my list to affect the dice. Xizor had FCS, but if you still roll lots of blanks on your re-rolls, what can you do? Also, all my Z's were just firing blanks. It was incredibly annoying. I think any list I had with my luck in that game would've been bad, including Han with Gunner. You would think that Xizor with FCS and 5 Z's would've been able to shred a Decimator in a 3 turns of firing straight at it. I didn't get it below half.

I more meant for the non-title Starvipers, but yeah... that's some bad luck right there! That has been my luck every time I've flown the Xizor with Z-wing list as well. I just can't get the Zs to do anything! I've even tried replacing the Zs with Ys w/ Autoblaster Turrets. Yes their range sucks, but I was hoping to using them as blockers and force action where I wanted it to be. Haven't had luck with that list either....

For me, I love Kath with two Starvipers escorts. It dices, it slices, it makes Julianne fries!

I often feel like Xizor is a bit misunderstood. People think that running Xizor means that you need to be running a Z swarm or something with a zillion HP for him to redirect to.

I feel like the only thing that's mandatory for Xizor is like....1 Z-95, which essentially bumps him up to a 50pt ship with like, 9HP, multiple attacks at the start of the game, maybe some blocking potential, 3 green dice....like, that's kind of a modified IG-88 right there. Once the Z dies, Xizor can be a highly mobile Starviper. It's just a little bonus insurance to make sure he doesn't get wrecked in the initial joust. He doesn't need to do it all game long.

Your other 50 points can be like, Dengar or Boba Fett or a pair of TLTs, and even then, Xizor can get next to them to split damage in a pinch.

I took Xizor and 5 Z's to a Store Championship and beat a lot of Fat Turrets to get to the final table. Lost to my first time facing Bro Bots.

Took the same list to Regionals and beat two identical Bro Bot lists in a row. My last game had my dice turn ice cold where even my opponent said he almost felt sorry for me. If I had won that last round, I would've made Top 16.

I think that is what people honestly gripe about when it comes to the Starvipers. Because they don't have an easy combination of upgrades that could be placed on them to take the dice out of the equation, people want to flip the table when the dice go cold.

Actually, I think I had all I could in my list to affect the dice. Xizor had FCS, but if you still roll lots of blanks on your re-rolls, what can you do? Also, all my Z's were just firing blanks. It was incredibly annoying. I think any list I had with my luck in that game would've been bad, including Han with Gunner. You would think that Xizor with FCS and 5 Z's would've been able to shred a Decimator in a 3 turns of firing straight at it. I didn't get it below half.

I more meant for the non-title Starvipers, but yeah... that's some bad luck right there! That has been my luck every time I've flown the Xizor with Z-wing list as well. I just can't get the Zs to do anything! I've even tried replacing the Zs with Ys w/ Autoblaster Turrets. Yes their range sucks, but I was hoping to using them as blockers and force action where I wanted it to be. Haven't had luck with that list either....

For me, I love Kath with two Starvipers escorts. It dices, it slices, it makes Julianne fries!

I often feel like Xizor is a bit misunderstood. People think that running Xizor means that you need to be running a Z swarm or something with a zillion HP for him to redirect to.

I feel like the only thing that's mandatory for Xizor is like....1 Z-95, which essentially bumps him up to a 50pt ship with like, 9HP, multiple attacks at the start of the game, maybe some blocking potential, 3 green dice....like, that's kind of a modified IG-88 right there. Once the Z dies, Xizor can be a highly mobile Starviper. It's just a little bonus insurance to make sure he doesn't get wrecked in the initial joust. He doesn't need to do it all game long.

Your other 50 points can be like, Dengar or Boba Fett or a pair of TLTs, and even then, Xizor can get next to them to split damage in a pinch.

Z-95's aren't even that efficient when it comes to boxes per point. They're good, but the Y-Wing is so much better that they're actually equal after paying a third more for a TLT. You also get good mileage from the YV-666, though the temptation to put more points into it can be a mistake. The Hound's Tooth though kind of gives you the best of both worlds.

I took Xizor and 5 Z's to a Store Championship and beat a lot of Fat Turrets to get to the final table. Lost to my first time facing Bro Bots.

Took the same list to Regionals and beat two identical Bro Bot lists in a row. My last game had my dice turn ice cold where even my opponent said he almost felt sorry for me. If I had won that last round, I would've made Top 16.

I think that is what people honestly gripe about when it comes to the Starvipers. Because they don't have an easy combination of upgrades that could be placed on them to take the dice out of the equation, people want to flip the table when the dice go cold.

Actually, I think I had all I could in my list to affect the dice. Xizor had FCS, but if you still roll lots of blanks on your re-rolls, what can you do? Also, all my Z's were just firing blanks. It was incredibly annoying. I think any list I had with my luck in that game would've been bad, including Han with Gunner. You would think that Xizor with FCS and 5 Z's would've been able to shred a Decimator in a 3 turns of firing straight at it. I didn't get it below half.

I more meant for the non-title Starvipers, but yeah... that's some bad luck right there! That has been my luck every time I've flown the Xizor with Z-wing list as well. I just can't get the Zs to do anything! I've even tried replacing the Zs with Ys w/ Autoblaster Turrets. Yes their range sucks, but I was hoping to using them as blockers and force action where I wanted it to be. Haven't had luck with that list either....

For me, I love Kath with two Starvipers escorts. It dices, it slices, it makes Julianne fries!

I often feel like Xizor is a bit misunderstood. People think that running Xizor means that you need to be running a Z swarm or something with a zillion HP for him to redirect to.

I feel like the only thing that's mandatory for Xizor is like....1 Z-95, which essentially bumps him up to a 50pt ship with like, 9HP, multiple attacks at the start of the game, maybe some blocking potential, 3 green dice....like, that's kind of a modified IG-88 right there. Once the Z dies, Xizor can be a highly mobile Starviper. It's just a little bonus insurance to make sure he doesn't get wrecked in the initial joust. He doesn't need to do it all game long.

Your other 50 points can be like, Dengar or Boba Fett or a pair of TLTs, and even then, Xizor can get next to them to split damage in a pinch.

I do like having Xizor behind my 5 Z's on the approach, especially vs. big ships. I will throw one out in front of a Fat Turret to have it bump and then pump it full of holes. I almost always win vs. Fat Turrets with that list. Bro Bots are different, though. You just wait for the turn where one baits you and hit him with the Flechette Torp. Then, you block him and fire the entire swarm on him. It works great.

After that, you don't have to stick with the swarm and can break off. It all depends on what you want. I do like the approach that way, though.

I haven't tried with TLT's since they came out. I will say that most of the time the Z's did great. They did more damage than I expected often enough.

I often feel like Xizor is a bit misunderstood. People think that running Xizor means that you need to be running a Z swarm or something with a zillion HP for him to redirect to.

I feel like the only thing that's mandatory for Xizor is like....1 Z-95, which essentially bumps him up to a 50pt ship with like, 9HP, multiple attacks at the start of the game, maybe some blocking potential, 3 green dice....like, that's kind of a modified IG-88 right there. Once the Z dies, Xizor can be a highly mobile Starviper. It's just a little bonus insurance to make sure he doesn't get wrecked in the initial joust. He doesn't need to do it all game long.

Your other 50 points can be like, Dengar or Boba Fett or a pair of TLTs, and even then, Xizor can get next to them to split damage in a pinch.

I'm beginning to change my thought to a similar train. Use his ability on the approach and then use his dial for defense.

I've thought about a 666 to soak up damage for Xizor, but that dial is horrible and it turns like the Imp shuttle. Firesprays and Starvipers are a match made in scum-heaven.

So what's the problem with Xizor?

Gotta build your list around him, not enough action economy and too low a pilot skill to be a super ace (especially with PS11 Vader and PS10 Poe in the meta. If you're lucky and have a good bid, you MIGHT catch Soontir), blah blah. Well what about this then?

[boba and Xizor]

100 points

PILOTS

Binayre Pirate (12)

Prince Xizor (40)
StarViper (31), Predator (3), Virago (1), Autothrusters (2), Advanced Sensors (3)

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

Just treat this list like two big ships in the opening. Have them approach from different angles and both close in on the enemy.

If they point towards Boba, he can fly into their swarm and activate Glitterstim for a VERY tanky first turn, or like, evade and glitterstim from R3. If they point at Xizor, odds are they're only going to come away with a dead Z-95. Additionally, Advanced Sensors means that Xizor can Focus+Predator for double modified attacks on the initial joust, then make funky, pre-S-Loop maneuvers in later turns to gain distance and widen his arcs against higher PS Aces, then still get the benefit of Predator when it comes down to shooting. Lots of options for maneuverability.

After the initial pincer movement, it's likely that Xizor and Boba will both be in a dogpile with enemy ships, which is fine, 'cause Xizor didn't lose his action to bumping thanks to Advanced Sensors, Boba has his R1 ability, and if the Z-95 died, Xizor can now pass damage to Boba! The weakness of Xizor is PS7 which we used to try in futility to bump to PS9, but PS10 Boba can kind of cover that blind spot for his royal majesty. Additionally, Boba's Tactician will limit the maneuver options of enemy ships, allowing Xizor to pick up arcs on them more easily, even with his PS7

I feel like this list is kind of decent, and Boba and Xizor could kind of be a real team. Dunno if it's super top tier, but also pretty sure it's not utter nonsense. Could be an effective list, if practiced with and flown properly.

I had good results playing with a Starviper with the following configuration:

Guri

Opportunist

Autothrusters

Virago

Sensor Jammer

The rest of the list was:

Palob

TLT

Wingman

Talonbane

Crackshot

Glitterstim

Played 2 games with this list last weekend. Against a rebel squad featuring a regenerating Poe and Corran, Palob kept stealing Poe's focus and damage from Guri & Talonbane was so much that they took Poe down in a single round of shooting.The second game was against an Imperial Redline list and Guri's S-Loop made it impossible for Redline to ever get her in arc. Palob was a star supporter in both games, stealing focus/evade tokens from enemies and removing stress from Guri and Talonbane. It paired especially well making Opportunist and Sensor Jammer trigger consistently. In both games Guri only lost her shields and once Talonbane was down to 1 hull, but that was it. I don't know about the TLT though. It was ok, but I may try swapping it for an Ion Turret for some control.

I don't know about a unique fix.

To me it feels like the Starviper would need a PS8 or 9 pilot eith a good ability and suddenly it works. And a title exclusively for the generics with a very small boost perhaps.

The Scyk is just overcosted by a point, and the title by another point. Fix that and the ship is good to go. Also a few different pilots wouldn't hurt.

The HWK is a complicated case. Fluff suggests it was indeed a very fast and maneuvrable ship (at least the Moldy Crow), and full of the newest technology. But in the game it's neither maneuvrable nor fast, it just has a few decent pilot abilities and 2 good slots! But the slots need to be filled and that can overcost the ship. Which is not advisable since it's pretty fragile too.

Honestly i have no idea how to fix the HWK.

Actually, the HWK, in universe, is an unarmed, fast maneuverable transport on par with some starfighters, not the clumsy crap it is in the game.

The HWK in game represents the Moldy Crow, an upgunned HWK.

There are few things in the game as poorly represented as the HWK. It's physically way too small, and its stats are just completely counter to what its supposed to be.

and disregarding the too big A-wing, I'd say it has the right size. The cockpit and crew section is really crammed, only the most basic needs on this ship.And very light cargo.

(...)

The HWK is a complicated case. Fluff suggests it was indeed a very fast and maneuvrable ship (at least the Moldy Crow), and full of the newest technology. But in the game it's neither maneuvrable nor fast, it just has a few decent pilot abilities and 2 good slots! But the slots need to be filled and that can overcost the ship. Which is not advisable since it's pretty fragile too.

Honestly i have no idea how to fix the HWK.

But Game>fluff, so now we're stuck with the ship as it is right now.

So what exactly do we want to fix?

-Armament? Maybe give it a "Ventral Turret": (Dorsal turret anyways a stupid title, as a HWK wouldn't be able to meaningfully have a dorsal turret)

Ventral Turret. HWk290 only. 2dice. Range 1-3. Attack: Attack 1 ship (even a ship outside your firing arc). If the target of this attack is in range 1, roll 1 additional attack die. 2pts. Too strong?

Edit: After posting I realised 5 Rebel Operatives or Spice Runners would be lazy 360deg firing. So maybe Range 3, subtract 1 attack die.

Yes i agree the HWK is poorly represented in this game. This picture only means the Moldy Crow perhaps, but still even if it has been modified, the base ship should be way better than what we have

The HWK pays for a 1 attack weapon that is utterly useless. Make it a bit cheaper, remove the 1 attack entirely, or leave it at its points and give it a good dial and 3 Agility.

I know how people dislike TLTs a bit, but then you would have a real alternative to the Y-Wing as a carrier.

These are radical changes however and i doubt they would be possible to implement. And that's why i said that i have no idea how to fix the HWK

A ship, even if it is a support ship, needs to be able to survive and maneuver and thus pull a bit of its weight in combat. Or it won't be played. It's as simple as that!

So what's the problem with Xizor?

Gotta build your list around him, not enough action economy and too low a pilot skill to be a super ace (especially with PS11 Vader and PS10 Poe in the meta. If you're lucky and have a good bid, you MIGHT catch Soontir), blah blah. Well what about this then?

[boba and Xizor]

100 points

PILOTS

Binayre Pirate (12)

Prince Xizor (40)

StarViper (31), Predator (3), Virago (1), Autothrusters (2), Advanced Sensors (3)

Boba Fett (48)

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

Just treat this list like two big ships in the opening. Have them approach from different angles and both close in on the enemy.

If they point towards Boba, he can fly into their swarm and activate Glitterstim for a VERY tanky first turn, or like, evade and glitterstim from R3. If they point at Xizor, odds are they're only going to come away with a dead Z-95. Additionally, Advanced Sensors means that Xizor can Focus+Predator for double modified attacks on the initial joust, then make funky, pre-S-Loop maneuvers in later turns to gain distance and widen his arcs against higher PS Aces, then still get the benefit of Predator when it comes down to shooting. Lots of options for maneuverability.

After the initial pincer movement, it's likely that Xizor and Boba will both be in a dogpile with enemy ships, which is fine, 'cause Xizor didn't lose his action to bumping thanks to Advanced Sensors, Boba has his R1 ability, and if the Z-95 died, Xizor can now pass damage to Boba! The weakness of Xizor is PS7 which we used to try in futility to bump to PS9, but PS10 Boba can kind of cover that blind spot for his royal majesty. Additionally, Boba's Tactician will limit the maneuver options of enemy ships, allowing Xizor to pick up arcs on them more easily, even with his PS7

I feel like this list is kind of decent, and Boba and Xizor could kind of be a real team. Dunno if it's super top tier, but also pretty sure it's not utter nonsense. Could be an effective list, if practiced with and flown properly.

Something else i dislike about the list. You give damlage to Boba, but this way you sacrifice the more expensive ship for the less efficient one.

If you want to do this i would suggest using Guri. He is cheaper, better defensively and just like Xizor acts after the big boys... And his pilot ability is actually good!

nah, hwk is pure support. both Y and K are better TLT carriers.

and no shield will change that.

it just needs a buff to pilots.

Imagine the PS getting upped\downed during ACTIVATION PHASE

D:<

nah, hwk is pure support. both Y and K are better TLT carriers.

and no shield will change that.

it just needs a buff to pilots.

Imagine the PS getting upped\downed during ACTIVATION PHASE

D:<

And yes the K and the Y are much better TLT carriers. They are more resistant and they have - shockingly - better dials than the HWK.

I am not saying they should completely change the HWK, it's probably too late for that.

But if we look at fluff the HWK should be much more maneuvrable than a Y-Wing. This just feels wrong.