Bear with me here...

Dace is PS 7 with EPT... So he can ping that most glorious number nine.

If tlt hits twice it does 2 damage. If Dace hits once with ion he does 2 damage. 2 damage is a pretty great amount for PS kills. Poe can't stop Dace on 3 hits rolled/modded. K wings and Ys can't stop it very often at all. Ion effects are very strong... Basic ion is good in these scenarios arguements.. Plus Dace's ion does meaningful damage.

PS 9 ion Dace is 29 points. That's not the most dynamic squad building place to start off at. HWKs are not very tough, and Dace needs a squad that is efficient, and consistent. If you are willing to PS bid I can concieve of Dace functioning well in a 3 ship build. Having an ace or late game ship that is not getting targeted before a HWK is a strong way to control a game. Maybe homing glitter chimp Zs will finally break through X wing players belligerent anti ordinance stance. Having a 4 dice homer with a ©Perfect Dice Guarantee could create game situations where a high PS ion ship could achieve the safety neccessary for it to work.

Dace has options for upgrades in spades. The engine version of VI Dace is coming in at 33, that's the same as VI Kavil with aggro TLT. I think they are very similar ships, and Kavil can be back breaking with his damage consistency and PS.

And... The obvious thing to add on Dace is his ability is not exclusive to himself. Making things like ion missiles and ion torpedo more interesting.

Indeed. Dace works best with multiple Ion turrets on the board. Plus, he has a crew slot, so you can also throw Greedo in the gunner's seat to theoretically cause critical as well, or else a K4 security droid - you're likely to be doing green moves all the time to shed stress from his ability; why not pick up free target locks at the same time?

I'd suggest that Y-wings are a good pairing for him.

Firstly, you're not going to have a fast and manoeuvrable squad if you want the fighting to occur within range 1-2 of a HWK.

Secondly, Y-wings are cheap platforms that can also carry Ion turrets - and twin laser turrets, giving some longer range punch.

Thirdly, scum have Drea Renthall and Kavil, both far more dangerous threats than 'just' a HWK.

Fourth, if you're taking massed Y-wings and have many ion weapons on the board, bomb loadout Y-wings with mines and bombs become very tempting; firstly ionised targets are predictable for you to drop stuff in their path, and secondly, Dace makes Connor Nets extra painful.

Oh... That's sneaky. Ion bombs/Connor nets and trigger dace. Now we're thinking!

You are right, he can be nice. Forget the EU and run him with Ion, VI and K4 Security Droid for a pretty accurate and lethal ship.

How about:

DACE AND CRAZY IVAN

100 points

PILOTS

Syndicate Thug (24) x 2
Y-Wing (18), Ion Cannon Turret (5), Unhinged Astromech (1), BTL-A4 Y-Wing (0)

Syndicate Thug (22)
Y-Wing (18), Bomb Loadout (0), Extra Munitions (2), “Genius” (0), Ion Bombs (2)

Dace Bonearm (30)
HWK-290 (23), Veteran Instincts (1), Twin Laser Turret (6)

So PS9 Dace is there to strip tokens with his TLT. You got 2 BTL Ion Thugs focusing stuff down and perhaps doing some chip damage, and a crazy Ivan Ion bomber that will probably Ion himself but will really screw up your opponent's formations.

Idk, it just doesn't look like enough damage to take seriously.

Does a HWK have enough hull to avoid dying from smart concentrated fire from a relatively experienced pilot?

I think not. Sadly.

I would aggree Blail... Except that alpha strike scum has been crushing B wing and tlt squads and letting heretofore ships that are considered corner cases or not efficient work. When that tie swarm looses 2 ties in the first exchange its ability, and frankly desire, to be rid of a HWK is questionable.

Does a HWK have enough hull to avoid dying from smart concentrated fire from a relatively experienced pilot?

I think not. Sadly.

Does the experienced pilot always focus the HWK?

I think not, if your list is build reasonably.

I'm planning on running a list built around a TLT Dace this week. For extra S&Gs, I'm going to stick Greedo on as crew. Will make the TLT that little more potent, I hope...

Does the experienced pilot always focus the HWK?

I think not, if your list is build reasonably.

I dunno, I always feel like if your HWK isn't being targeted right away it's not doing it's job well enough. It should be the most annoying thing on the board, after all.

I've been pondering on this idea myself, if only because I was musing over the viability of an all PS 9 Scum list. I think it doesn't have quite enough damage output or durability to really work, but I like the idea.