Price Check: Z-95 Headhunter Pilots (Scum and Rebels)

By DagobahDave, in X-Wing

Continuing our series where we re-evaluate the points costs of cards in the current meta, one card category at a time. Just copy the list and insert your own point values.

If you find a card on the list that you have never been interested in taking in competition because it seems too inefficient or too situational, consider the point value that would convince you to try it in a competitive squad and write in that value.

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SCUM Z-95 HEADHUNTER PILOTS

Binaryre Pirate 12

Black Sun Soldier 13

Kaa'to Leeachos 15

N'dru Suhlak 17

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REBEL Z-95 HEADHUNTER PILOTS

Bandit Squadron Pilot 12

Tala Squadron Pilot 13

Lieutenant Blount 17

Airen Cracken 19

Blount and Cracken could both drop a point, but they're not so crazy overcosted that they aren't usable. Everyone else is fine.

SCUM Z-95 HEADHUNTER PILOTS

Binaryre Pirate 12

Correctly Priced.

Black Sun Soldier 13

Correctly Priced.

Kaa'to Leeachos 14 (-1)

Why not 1 point more than a Black Squadron (the PS4 Tie Fighter)? Because this is basically a non-spammable version of the Black Squadron with a lame pilot ability. Black Squadrons are already kind of expensive for what they do, and Leechos brings less than a point of extra value to the table, and so should cost the same.

N'dru Suhlak 17

Correctly Priced. N'Dru is a capable pocket ace who carries his weight even before factoring the synergies of upgrade cards.


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REBEL Z-95 HEADHUNTER PILOTS

Bandit Squadron Pilot 12

Correctly Priced.

Tala Squadron Pilot 13

Correctly Priced.

Lieutenant Blount 15 (-2)

Blount's pilot ability has it's niche uses, but he pays a bit too much for his elite upgrade slot and PS6. The main issue is that ordnance is overpriced for him, even with Guidance Chips (they only help if he's using Assault Missiles)

Airen Cracken 17 (-2)

Cracken's pilot ability synergizes well with his high PS8, but the range 1 limit is overly restricting. Buffing friendly ships is great, but Cracken himself is just a Z-95 that shoots before other stuff.

Other than maybe dropping leachos a point since his ability is terrible, I think they are all fairly priced.

N'dru, blount, and cracken all have great pilot abilities, plus an ept slot and good PS. No need to drop them in price I feel.

People keep saying Leachos is terrible.

How many have tried flying him with a dedicated Z95 focus-caddy? a pirate with Glitterstim is only 14 points, and setting up a situation where the enemy is shooting at either a double-focused Leechos or a glitterstimmed pirate really makes those 2 defence dice felt.

People keep saying Leachos is terrible.

How many have tried flying him with a dedicated Z95 focus-caddy? a pirate with Glitterstim is only 14 points, and setting up a situation where the enemy is shooting at either a double-focused Leechos or a glitterstimmed pirate really makes those 2 defence dice felt.

Attanni mind link works really well for him too.

Lieutenant Blount 15 (-2)

Blount's pilot ability has it's niche uses, but he pays a bit too much for his elite upgrade slot and PS6. The main issue is that ordnance is overpriced for him, even with Guidance Chips (they only help if he's using Assault Missiles)

How do you figure? Is converting any die to a hit not good with any other missile? In fact, I'd say they are less useful on assault missiles than on concussions or clusters, since his ability will trigger the secondary effect regardless of whether or not he hits.

Scum pilots are set (even if leechos' ability sucks a fat one, as there is no ship less worthy of another's focus than a crappy Z)

Equalize the named rebs to those values and we'd be set

Both pay way too much for being a one hit wonder and a crappy howlrunner respectively. If cracken were 17 there'd be a lot more room for his shenanigans (vi for free PS 10 boost/rolls to other pilots; not a loss when he drops like a brick)

How do you figure? Is converting any die to a hit not good with any other missile? In fact, I'd say they are less useful on assault missiles than on concussions or clusters, since his ability will trigger the secondary effect regardless of whether or not he hits.
Why would you use the direct-damage missiles with Blount? The whole point of his ability is to auto-proc the "if this attack hits" missiles. And with those, guidance chips doesn't actually do anything for Blount.
Ion Pulse Missiles: If this attack hits, the defender suffers 1 damage and recieves 2 ion tokens. Then cancel all dice results. Guidance chips has no effect, as Blount auto-hits.
Adv. Homing Missiles: If this attack hits, deal 1 faceup Damage card to the defender. Then cancel all dice results. Guidance chips has no effect, as Blount auto-hits.
XX-23 S-Thread Tracers: If this attack hits, each friendly ship at Range 1-2 of you may acquire a target lock on the defender. Then cancel all dice results. Guidance chips has no effect, as Blount auto-hits.
And then finally:
Assault Missiles: If this attack hits, each other ship at Range 1 of the defender suffers 1 damage. Guidance chips gives you 1 extra hit result on the attack itself, wich is nice. But the missiles AoE damage is unaffected by guidance chips, as blount auto-hits

People keep saying Leachos is terrible.

How many have tried flying him with a dedicated Z95 focus-caddy? a pirate with Glitterstim is only 14 points, and setting up a situation where the enemy is shooting at either a double-focused Leechos or a glitterstimmed pirate really makes those 2 defence dice felt.

I have, I really thought Leechos was a hidden gem when he was first released. After all, stacking tokens is awesome (that's what makes Soontir Fel so strong). But the issue is: he's just a Z-95. Those focus tokens are comparatively less valuable because you throw fewer attack and defense dice than, say, a TIE Interceptor. And worse, you have to deprive another ship of that focus - a ship that has equal or better dice-throwing capability to a Z-95. In your example: not only are you paying 2 points for the glitterstim, but that little combo only works for 1 turn. For the rest of the game, all you're doing is shuffling focus tokens from one Z-95 to another, to buff a weak 2 dice attack, on a weak 2 dice evade ship with only 4 HP. At best, you could use it to get a nice whammy with a concussion missile or something like that, but I found it very underwhelming in practice. Especially when you could get a kitted-out N'Dru with cluster missiles for a bit cheaper than those 2 Z-95s.

Edited by Daniel Beaver

How do you figure? Is converting any die to a hit not good with any other missile? In fact, I'd say they are less useful on assault missiles than on concussions or clusters, since his ability will trigger the secondary effect regardless of whether or not he hits.

Why would you use the direct-damage missiles with Blount? The whole point of his ability is to auto-proc the "if this attack hits" missiles. And with those, guidance chips doesn't actually do anything for Blount.

Ion Pulse Missiles: If this attack hits, the defender suffers 1 damage and recieves 2 ion tokens. Then cancel all dice results. Guidance chips has no effect, as Blount auto-hits.

Adv. Homing Missiles: If this attack hits, deal 1 faceup Damage card to the defender. Then cancel all dice results. Guidance chips has no effect, as Blount auto-hits.

XX-23 S-Thread Tracers: If this attack hits, each friendly ship at Range 1-2 of you may acquire a target lock on the defender. Then cancel all dice results. Guidance chips has no effect, as Blount auto-hits.

And then finally:

Assault Missiles: If this attack hits, each other ship at Range 1 of the defender suffers 1 damage. Guidance chips gives you 1 extra hit result on the attack itself, wich is nice. But the missiles AoE damage is unaffected by guidance chips, as blount auto-hits

Okay, fair enough. It's just that you say ordnance is overcosted and it really seems like all you're saying assault missiles are overcosted. We'll toss out clusters and concussions because his ability has no bearing, so neither does their cost.

Xx-23 tracers? Should they be less than 1 point? I think it would be hard to justify that.

IPMs. Possibly a point to expensive but that has nothing to do with guidance chips. If they're fairly costed on anyone, it's Blount.

Advanced Homing missiles are in the same boat. Powerful, yet tricky to pull off with anyone but Blount.

It just seems like your criticism is less that ordnance is overcosted on Blount and more that ordnance that Blount doesn't use well is overcosted.

I suspect Leeachos will get more annoying once more pilot who have affinity with attani mindlink become availible.

I feel like they tried to make Leachos specifically for BodyGuard or visa versa. In practice the combo doesn't work all that great. You have a huge cost to get one more measly evade die.

Maybe if Bodyguard was like: "When another friendly ship at Range 1 is defending, it may treat your focus & evade tokens as its own." He'd be useful. I'd still drop him a point at least.

Edited by Jo Jo

On blount, because his ability generally needs a little help to get off (either biggs or roark to make sure he fires before is shot down, let alone range issues) i'd perhaps agree with the -2. maybe only -1.

I like Blount a lot, given my distaste for z-95s this is more impressive than it sounds. Still, he's very niche.