Hello guys !

So, I'm trying to understand Ruthless Strategists better to see if I fit it in my lists, and a question sprung to mind : When the defending squadron is engaged with multiple of your squadrons, is it possible to proc the card multiple times by selecting more squadrons ?

For example, I have 2 TIE Fighter squadrons engaged with an enemy X-Wing, and I shoot at it with a ship equipped with Ruthless Strategists. Can I have both my squadrons take 1 damage to inflict 2 damage on the enemy ? (In this case, it would highly favour squadron builds with swarm so you're incentivized to snipe enemies by ganging up).

I don't find the card very clear when it comes to the number of friendly squadron you can damage per each defender. Does the "a" refer to a single squadron or does it refer to one squadron in general, in which case you could technically choose more than 1 and be within the constraints of the rules.

Just curious to see what you guys think about this !

Ruthless Strategists: After attacking a squadron, you may deal 1 damage to a friendly squadron engaged with the defender. If you do, the defender suffers 1 damage.

You could not activate this card on single squadron once for each of your squadrons engaged with it because the trigger is "after attacking a squadron" not how many squadrons of your own you can deal damage too.

You would only be able to deal damage to the defending squadron (the squadron the ship's hull zone attacked) once per time a hull zone fired at the squadron. If the squadron is in the firing arc of more than one hull zone and each hull zone fires on the squadron you would be able to activate Ruthless Strategists more than once on any particular enemy squadron. If a particular hull zone may fire on an enemy squadron twice you would be able to use Ruthless Strategists each time. "after attacking a squadron"

You would also be able to use it on every squadron in the hull zone's arc as long as you have your own squadrons engaged to the enemy to deal damage to (here's where the benefit of more squadrons engaged to the enemy comes into play.)

i never considered this before. but reading the card again now, i could do this:

I have the following

Squadron A engaged with enemy Squadron 1 and 2

Squadron B engaged with enemy Squadron 3 and 4

If i use my ships right hull zone to attack squadrons i could do the following steps:

1. attack enemy 1, deal 1 damage to my A, then enemy 1 takes additional damage

2. attack enemy 2, deal 1 damage to my A, then enemy 2 takes additional damage

3. attack enemy 3, deal 1 damage to my B, then enemy 3 takes additional damage

2. attack enemy 4, deal 1 damage to my B, then enemy 4 takes additional damage

then IF i had say Enemy squadron 2 in my front hull zone as well i could attack squadrons again then when i hit enemy squadron 2 i could deal 1 more damage to my A squadron to make enemy squadron 2 take yet another 1 damage.

I'm are interpreting Ruthless Strategists correct?

You are.

Thanks guys for the replies !

I had the feeling that it didn't favour swarms, but it's good that you confirmed it !

Your two last posts give some very interesting ideas : Ruthless Strategists doesn't favour swarming but it favours being swarmed. Also, it doesn't favour carriers, but it favours ships flying alongside autonomous squadron escorts that can tank.

I can see how well it would work on an ISD 2 with Point Defense Reroute managing a little flight of Rogues that just get in engage multiple targets. Boba Fett and Bossk/YV-666. After all, bounty hunters, we don't need that scum.

i never considered this before. but reading the card again now, i could do this:

I have the following

Squadron A engaged with enemy Squadron 1 and 2

Squadron B engaged with enemy Squadron 3 and 4

If i use my ships right hull zone to attack squadrons i could do the following steps:

1. attack enemy 1, deal 1 damage to my A, then enemy 1 takes additional damage

2. attack enemy 2, deal 1 damage to my A, then enemy 2 takes additional damage

3. attack enemy 3, deal 1 damage to my B, then enemy 3 takes additional damage

2. attack enemy 4, deal 1 damage to my B, then enemy 4 takes additional damage

then IF i had say Enemy squadron 2 in my front hull zone as well i could attack squadrons again then when i hit enemy squadron 2 i could deal 1 more damage to my A squadron to make enemy squadron 2 take yet another 1 damage.

I'm are interpreting Ruthless Strategists correct?

Pretty much the way I read it only you don't have to hit them with the attack to use the RS. You just have to attack them and have a squadron of your own that can be dealt a damage engaged to the squadron the hull zone attacked.

ok thanks guys, wow i just read this upgrade card wrong when i first saw it way back when, good to know.

As an aside, would gallant haven be able to stop the damage to your own squadron?

As an aside, would gallant haven be able to stop the damage to your own squadron?

No, as it is Dealing Damage, rather than Attacking... Gallant Haven only stops the damage from an attack .

The Same as Mauler Mithel. He ignores Gallant Haven.

Which means that Cluster Bombs would also ignore Gallant Haven, as it causes damage rather than attacking to do damage.

That being said... Gallant Haven does prevent damage from the actual engagement fight...

Every HP I save from being attacked, is a HP I can spend on Ruthless Strategists, and still come out ahead... At least with Rebel Squadrons.

Just dropped in and, just because I don't see the reason for the (correct) answers given to OP's question, I wanted to point out:

An “after” effect occurs immediately after the specified event and cannot occur again for that instance of the event.

Just dropped in and, just because I don't see the reason for the (correct) answers given to OP's question, I wanted to point out:

An “after” effect occurs immediately after the specified event and cannot occur again for that instance of the event.

Because each attack against a Squadron is counted as a separate attack for the purposes of card upgrades. If it is a separate attack, it is a new instance .

Drasnighta has the right of it.

Just dropped in and, just because I don't see the reason for the (correct) answers given to OP's question, I wanted to point out:

An “after” effect occurs immediately after the specified event and cannot occur again for that instance of the event.

Because each attack against a Squadron is counted as a separate attack for the purposes of card upgrades. If it is a separate attack, it is a new instance .

Yes, I agree. Just pointing out, in the interest of clarity, that the reason you can't use it multiple times off of one attack (as described in OP) is that it's an "after" trigger, and therefore can only be triggered once per attack. Which, yes, for the purposes of upgrade cards, each anti-squadron attack counts as a separate attack.

So you don't need to damage your target squadron to use the ruthless strategist? I could roll a crit, fail to damage and still use it? And same goes for if they scatter, i can still use the ability? (which of course they couldn't scatter)

So you don't need to damage your target squadron to use the ruthless strategist? I could roll a crit, fail to damage and still use it? And same goes for if they scatter, i can still use the ability? (which of course they couldn't scatter)

Correct. Attacking is the condition, not dealing damage. For contrast, consider Dutch's abilities, both trigger when he deals damage to a squadron, so a bad roll, or Scatter stop them from working. That is not the case for RS.