Role of the B-wing

By SamTheJ, in X-Wing

I was thinking about how B-wings have been kind of pushed out of the meta by Y-wings with TLT. The cost is fine, it's more an issue of combat role. For this discussion let's assume the B-wings are equipped with FCS to make the cost even with TLT Y-wings. As a low to mid cost filler it has the same or worse damage. than the y-wing, plus no turret. What it does have is the ability to be very effective at close range, and to turn around in a very short range. It's also the only cannon platform the rebels have other than the outrider. Let's emphasize that. What can we do to help in either of those roles.

Cannon Platform:

Title: Shantapole Prototype - cost 1

Reduce the cost of Cannon upgrades by 3

This makes them have a particular role and will make less used cannons live Autoblaster appealing. I did the cost one to prevent tractor beams from being free.

Knife fighter role:

Modification: Rotating cockpit - cost 1

When barrel rolling, aquire an evade token.

I was debating whether this should be a title or a mod. I'm concerned about this and the title being overpowered, but I thought the crew combined with it would be worse. I kept the cost at 1 as i didn't want the E/1 mod to be completely pushed out.

I was trying to avoid power creep, so I really didn't want to reduce the cost of the base ship, I think this just makes wings more fun and interesting and unique.

I also have no Idea where these cards would come from, as I don't thing B-wings need more pilots from a veterans set.

Any Thoughts?

These are both flat buff cards for a ship that doesn't need that.

The problem is the TLT Y-wing being ahead of the pack, not the B-wing being behind. Buff the B-wing and you have to buff everything else too and it turns into fix leapfrog.

The solution to TLT spam is to scare it off with something that counters it quite strongly.

Edited by Blue Five

I'm looking foreward to flying Electronic Baffle Dagger Bwings. Enough health to shrug off control, and a dial that's suddenly FAR more open.

BBBBZ or even BBBB are still seen in pretty much every event. I'd rather save the "hypothetical fixes" for ships that never hit the table...

Bloody Daggers Redux

Dagger Squadron Pilot (24)
Electronic Baffle (1)
Tractor Beam (1)

Dagger Squadron Pilot (24)
Electronic Baffle (1)
Tractor Beam (1)

Red Squadron Pilot (23)
R2 Astromech (1)
Integrated Astromech (0)

Red Squadron Pilot (23)
R2 Astromech (1)
Integrated Astromech (0)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Every single Rebel and Scum jouster except the Z when they don't have 24 points has been shoved out of the meta. No BBBBZ exists along the entire coast as I know right now.

I'm sorry, what was wrong with B-Wings again?

BBBBZ or even BBBB are still seen in pretty much every event. I'd rather save the "hypothetical fixes" for ships that never hit the table...

Like perhaps another Rebel fighter of ~20 points maybe? Beginning with a letter of the Alphabet?

I'm sorry, what was wrong with B-Wings again?

Jousters.

The old idea was that Turrets beat Arcdodgers, Arcdodgers beat jousters, jousters beat turrets.

Then Autothrusters came along to let arcdodgers survive vs turrets, and Engine Upgrade let turrets gain just enough arcdodging to beat jousters and TLT is a turret with near jouster effectiveness.

So far jousters havnt receved an equivilant buff to handle their nemisi- arcdodgers. The closest we have is the underrated Hotshot Blaster, essentially Scum Z and Khilrazx only, that lets them get just enough turret to annoy arcdodgers.

I'm sorry, what was wrong with B-Wings again?

Jousters.

The old idea was that Turrets beat Arcdodgers, Arcdodgers beat jousters, jousters beat turrets.

Then Autothrusters came along to let arcdodgers survive vs turrets, and Engine Upgrade let turrets gain just enough arcdodging to beat jousters and TLT is a turret with near jouster effectiveness.

So far jousters havnt receved an equivilant buff to handle their nemisi- arcdodgers. The closest we have is the underrated Hotshot Blaster, essentially Scum Z and Khilrazx only, that lets them get just enough turret to annoy arcdodgers.

Because Rock-Paper-Scissors isn't a fun game. The game wasn't fun in the Jouster/Turret/Arc-Dodger phase, because one side had a massive advantage before the ships hit the table. Autothrusters help level the playing field between Dodgers and Turrets, where previously Arc-Dodgers could basically cry and explode.

Jousters seem fine, but because they have no dirty tricks or special moves to make up for their Jousting Values, they really need good jousting values, more than any other ship. Which is where the X-Wing, the Kihraxz, and to a much lesser extent the B-Wing fail.

XXXXZ > BBBBZ right now. No BR, but much better dial, more agility and access to two fun 'mechs makes them wreck all around.

XXXXZ > BBBBZ right now. No BR, but much better dial, more agility and access to two fun 'mechs makes them wreck all around.

What better dial are we talking about? They have the same green moves, the B-Wing trades the 3 turn for 1 turn, much more useful for knife-fighting, especially with the Barrel roll.

Astromech is the System slot for poor people. R5-K6 is bad FCS, BB8 is bad Sensors etc.

Agility <<<<<<<<< Health, especially when the agility isn't enough to reliably stop a TLT from getting through.

The T-65 X-Wing right now is that guy in a film, with one finger hanging on the edge of a cliff, as the bad guy comes to stamp on his finger. When Imperial Veterans comes out, the T-65 will be near useless.

Edited by jimmius

XXXXZ > BBBBZ right now. No BR, but much better dial, more agility and access to two fun 'mechs makes them wreck all around.

What better dial are we talking about? They have the same green moves, the B-Wing trades the 3 turn for 1 turn, much more useful for knife-fighting, especially with the Barrel roll.

Astromech is the System slot for poor people. R5-K6 is bad FCS, BB8 is bad Sensors etc.

Agility >>>>>>>>>>>> Health, especially when the agility isn't enough to reliably stop a TLT from getting through.

The T-65 X-Wing right now is that guy in a film, with one finger hanging on the edge of a cliff, as the bad guy comes to stamp on his finger. When Imperial Veterans comes out, the T-65 will be near useless.

Zero red on the dial aside from the K-turn, 6 effective HP behind 2 greens is better than 8 behind 1, and your choice of stress clearing or flipping over ship crits (which due to the dial I favor R5 over R2, but that's just preference). IA Xs are better than naked B-wings. Now once you start buying systems for them the Bs do get a bit better, but then they cost more than the Xs. So yeah, XXXXZ is probably better than BBBBZ.

XXXXZ > BBBBZ right now. No BR, but much better dial, more agility and access to two fun 'mechs makes them wreck all around.

What better dial are we talking about? They have the same green moves, the B-Wing trades the 3 turn for 1 turn, much more useful for knife-fighting, especially with the Barrel roll.

Astromech is the System slot for poor people. R5-K6 is bad FCS, BB8 is bad Sensors etc.

Agility >>>>>>>>>>>> Health, especially when the agility isn't enough to reliably stop a TLT from getting through.

The T-65 X-Wing right now is that guy in a film, with one finger hanging on the edge of a cliff, as the bad guy comes to stamp on his finger. When Imperial Veterans comes out, the T-65 will be near useless.

Zero red on the dial aside from the K-turn, 6 effective HP behind 2 greens is better than 8 behind 1, and your choice of stress clearing or flipping over ship crits (which due to the dial I favor R5 over R2, but that's just preference). IA Xs are better than naked B-wings. Now once you start buying systems for them the Bs do get a bit better, but then they cost more than the Xs. So yeah, XXXXZ is probably better than BBBBZ.

No, mathematically they aren't. Like, they literally, statistically, numerically, factually aren't. I'm not sure why people have such a hard time grasping this, but the B-Wing is STILL better at jousting than an X-Wing with IA.

Mag pulse torpedoes

Torpedo

Cost 1

Attack 3 Range 1-3

Attack [Target Lock]: Discard this card to perform this attack.

If this attack hits, the defender is assigned one mag pulse token for each uncancelled (hit) result, and two for each uncancelled (crit) result. Then cancel all dice results.

Mag pulse token:

Combat phase:

When you activate during the combat phase, if you have one or more mag pulse tokens, discard one, then skip the rest of your combat phase.

Equip two B-Wings with a couple of these torpedoes and see them eating the TLTs alive.

With chimps I think the b wing might be the best torp boat the rebels have. Nera especially will be brutal.

X-Wings are what's wrong with B-Wings?

Hmmm, weird. I always leave my Biggs at home unless I need him. Even then I fly him with B-Wings so... I guess I'm a mathematical anomaly.

XXXXZ > BBBBZ right now. No BR, but much better dial, more agility and access to two fun 'mechs makes them wreck all around.

What better dial are we talking about? They have the same green moves, the B-Wing trades the 3 turn for 1 turn, much more useful for knife-fighting, especially with the Barrel roll.

Astromech is the System slot for poor people. R5-K6 is bad FCS, BB8 is bad Sensors etc.

Agility >>>>>>>>>>>> Health, especially when the agility isn't enough to reliably stop a TLT from getting through.

The T-65 X-Wing right now is that guy in a film, with one finger hanging on the edge of a cliff, as the bad guy comes to stamp on his finger. When Imperial Veterans comes out, the T-65 will be near useless.

Zero red on the dial aside from the K-turn, 6 effective HP behind 2 greens is better than 8 behind 1, and your choice of stress clearing or flipping over ship crits (which due to the dial I favor R5 over R2, but that's just preference). IA Xs are better than naked B-wings. Now once you start buying systems for them the Bs do get a bit better, but then they cost more than the Xs. So yeah, XXXXZ is probably better than BBBBZ.

No, mathematically they aren't. Like, they literally, statistically, numerically, factually aren't. I'm not sure why people have such a hard time grasping this, but the B-Wing is STILL better at jousting than an X-Wing with IA.

6 effective HP behind 2 greens is better than 8 behind 1

Is it?

I guess it depends on what you're getting attacked by.

My recent experience is that any ship with low agility needs to hit hard early on, because they won't be able to last into the late-game. One X-wing might stand a chance against an ace arc-dodger, but one B-wing can not. Assuming you will loose a B every 1-2 turns of battle, you need to pile on when you can.

An argument can be made that while Y's have turrets and stress-bots, and K's have turrets and SLAM, the B at-the-moment lacks the "something-extra" the other two heavy rebel ships have.

An argument can be made that while Y's have turrets and stress-bots, and K's have turrets and SLAM, the B at-the-moment lacks the "something-extra" the other two heavy rebel ships have.

This was kind of my idea. The compelling thing about the B-wing was always a jouster that was good at knife fighting. I just want that to be something that still present. It's not that they need a 'fix', I just like the idea that every ship should have a role unique to itself.

The bwing is one of the last ships in the game that needs a fix.

Technically it already got a small fix with the e2 title. As well as two new pilots with rebel aces.

The bwing is one of the last ships in the game that needs a fix.

Technically it already got a small fix with the e2 title. As well as two new pilots with rebel aces.

And Baffles now.

Domination! Running all B Wings is hard to fight against. keep them close together and they can put out some heave firepower. I normally play imperial and going against 4 Brian wings is rough.

6 effective HP behind 2 greens is better than 8 behind 1

Is it?

I guess it depends on what you're getting attacked by.

They're equivalent enough that the 'noise' inherent to X-wing's dice system renders them equivalent; so then you look at what else each ship has to offer.