The Attack Shuttle has been welcomed with open arms. It is a fairly cheap and powerful ship with lots of options for upgrades.

But what about The Ghost? Have you found it worthy of the cost both with and without the title upgrade? Many discussions about what can be placed with who have been started, but little talk about its place in a successful 100 point list. What lists have you found to be effective and why? How could the VCX-100 find a effective place in a competitive list? What strategies seem to work?

I'm on the fence about it. We really didn't get a lot of data because wave 8 hit on the tail end of SC season. You didn't see them pop up so much. But that might be more to do with the fact that the Ghost is way different than any ship we've had in X-wing. Its like a weird combo of the Firespray, Aggressor, and the Decimator.

Regionals will be a pretty good test to see how the Ghost shakes out.

To kick off this topic... I call into question placing the autoblaster turret on The Ghost (with title upgrade). For the right to fire a turret weapon at the end of combat at least 18 points has to be spend on a docked shuttle. R1 is very limiting. The one time I played with a set up centered around the Autoblaster, time and time again high PS aces stayed out of R1. It was an expensive point sink and a TLT or a Dorsel Turret would have actually been able to fire.

While I like the idea of a TLT or a Ion turret, they both bring more cost to an already expensive 0 agility ship. I'm starting to think the Dorsel Turret really is its best option at 3 points if 18+ points is being sunk into a docked ship.

For now i see some options for ghost.

One is cheap lothal rebel (fcs,hera ezra or dash/han if ezra flies shuttle) - self explanatory, great mobility, good dmg.

Second is control-kanan (fcs, ion, recspec) , pretty tanky, setting up primaries with ions is brutal.

Third one would be some tanky-dodgy variation of hera that could work.

I tested first two, so i can say they work really nice, AB+AC is IMO not so good due to one simple reason: PS. Hera got only 7 ps, and your only chance would be to equip zeb and go for bumps.

Obviously we need more details from regionals, but I'm working on this list for casual tournaments (I don't really care enough about competitive to travel for regionals):

Kanan

FCS, Dorsal Turret, Jan Ors, Recon Specialist, title

Zeb (attack shuttle)

Title

Warden Squadron Pilot

Sabine Wren, Conner Net, Extra Munitions, Advanced Slam

The idea is that the action economy on Kanan helps overcome the lack of an EPT, and getting 2 focus or a focus/evade plus a target lock really helps. Also, PS 5 has surprising benefits now. He shoots before U-Boats and TLT spam, but at the same time can move to block aces. I tried to come up with a list that would be fun but also have potential answers to meta threats. Against TLT spam, the ghost just doesn't care. It charges into range one and murders the heck out of a y-wing. Against brobots, try for either blocking or utilize your better arc coverage. Palp-aces is why the Warden is there, advanced slam conner nets with an extra damage from Sabine are a much more reliable way of killing interceptor aces than the previous 2 prototypes. I am concerned about stress a bit, but I'm not sure if I would trade a crew member for chopper. Also, the triple U-Boat could be a problem, but the idea is to have enough health to weather the storm and then just smack them silly. Unfortunately, after eating an alpha strike of torps to the face, the ghost is one of the few ships actually afraid of a 2 die primary. I think a slow approach designed to have no range 3 engagement at all my be the way to go. Warden goes before the U-Boats so he could hypothetical slam and conner one of them.

Anyway, that's the theory for this list. I do agree that the autocorrect ghost is way too many eggs in a single one-trick basket. Chopper with EU, autocorrect, zeb, IA and an Ezra shuttle is already 68 points. That's over 2/3 of your list dedicated to getting into range one and doing 4 damage. Meanwhile my build does better at range 2, and at range 1 it gives up the guarantee of 4 damage for the potential of 8 (plus crits). Worse against Soontir, better against almost everything else.

Anyway, I know this was more discussion about viability and less about lists so sorry for going on too long there. I think the ghost will be an interesting addition to the competitive landscape, and if we can "solve" this ship, it can be a serious contender.

One thing to bear in mind is that the ghost flies like no other ship I've ever flown before. Not quite a PWT, but hitting harder than anything short of a phantom (with quadruple the hit points), I feel like a ghost with docked shuttle is more like a super firespray than anything else. Sure, there's more red on the dial, but you have the 1 turns and the 5k if you need them (and if you deploy the shuttle, you WILL need the 5k) plus it hits like a freight train. In the games I have played so far, if there is a small based ship at range one in arc of this thing, if it gets away at all it is hurting pretty severely.

The Attack Shuttle has been welcomed with open arms. It is a fairly cheap and powerful ship with lots of options for upgrades.

Au contraire. As I've noted before, I think the Attack Shuttle is like an Interceptor, but (typically) without the option to boost or take Autothrusters. It gets a little bit of a discount after considering PS and pilot abilities, but I think the Attack Shuttle is a pretty poor all-comers ship.

(I don't mean it's bad, exactly, just that you need a particular kind of list in a particular kind of situation to make it work.)

But what about The Ghost? Have you found it worthy of the cost both with and without the title upgrade? Many discussions about what can be placed with who have been started, but little talk about its place in a successful 100 point list. What lists have you found to be effective and why? How could the VCX-100 find a effective place in a competitive list? What strategies seem to work?

So... many... questions.

I strongly prefer the Ghost without the title. In a 100-point game, I don't think tying up a substantial number of points in the Phantom is a good play; most often you want those points on the table earning themselves back, not packed up inside the Ghost hoping not to be shot at until the right moment.

In fact, I think "fat" builds are the wrong direction right now (given the sudden arrival of effective ordnance). The right opposing list could cripple your large investment on the first round and kill it on the second. But "skinny" Ghosts are a much more moderate point sink, and provide a fairly nasty main gun and a death clock that's much easier to read than (for example) Fel's: the variance in the amount of damage they take from attacks is much lower.

To kick off this topic... I call into question placing the autoblaster turret on The Ghost (with title upgrade). For the right to fire a turret weapon at the end of combat at least 18 points has to be spend on a docked shuttle. R1 is very limiting. The one time I played with a set up centered around the Autoblaster, time and time again high PS aces stayed out of R1. It was an expensive point sink and a TLT or a Dorsel Turret would have actually been able to fire.

Placing the Autoblaster Turret on the Ghost without the title, though, can pay off. It's just 2 points to create a big zone of exclusion on a ship your opponent otherwise wants to run right up to. In particular, Chopper + Autoblaster is a nasty piece of work: you can simply run him up to opposing ships and watch them frantically try to get away while the rest of your list (probably two ships, since you can easily afford them if Chopper tops out at 40-45 points) takes leisurely potshots from longer range.

While I like the idea of a TLT or a Ion turret, they both bring more cost to an already expensive 0 agility ship. I'm starting to think the Dorsel Turret really is its best option at 3 points if 18+ points is being sunk into a docked ship.

I agree about ions, and I'm tempted to agree with regard to TLT. 1-2 damage per round is just not enough output for a ship that costs you an absolute minimum of 58 points, and probably a lot more. The TLT's likely 2-3 points per round is better, but still not great given what you probably paid to get it.

Also various EI Lando builds are floating around tht may be effective.

"Chopper" (37)
Advanced Sensors (3)
Autoblaster Turret (2)
Lando Calrissian (3)
Kanan Jarrus (3)
Experimental Interface (3)

Corran Horn (35)
Push the Limit (3)
Fire-Control System (2)
R2-D2 (4)
Engine Upgrade (4)

Total: 99

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

My early experiences have shown the Ghost to be very killable, and even if it survives the game it will be below the 50% mark and award half points. Tiebreakers won't be good for the Ghost players, so they have to crush it in W/L ratios. The Ghost hits like a train, though.

I find the Ghost quite strong in casual but I think it gets focused down too easily to make it a competitive option.

I think it's a great ship, both with docked and undocked Phantoms. My preference on turret is still ABT and usually Zeb crew too. FCS also seems way better than accuracy corrector (makes sense with a 4 dice gun). Also, throwing an ABT on the docked Phantom makes the undocking very threatening.

This echoes what others have said, but I am totally sold on the VCX for competitive play. I am not at all sold on the title. I was before the new ordnance overlords showed up, but no longer.

Palp aces > auto-correct Ghost > Scouts

a PS 3 blocker (W/bid) flown by good hands might stand a chance against all those torps

the trick is probably forgetting the boring "fat ship" archetype. It's gone; brobots are the vultures picking at its corpse.

for 46 points, expensive but below 50, gets you an auto-correct generic with EU int agent and Zeb. has promise

basically a cheaper Deci-vader with far more utility due to boost and reliability due AC; less range

Chopper + wingman can be built to be downright disgusting.

I like:

I keep Hera always, as ignoring stress to make K-Turn is great

Thinking maybe to try Kanan Crew, that might help, then i can maybe exchange Hera (probably not)

Still testing Ion Turret on Ghost, Dorsal turret is very effective, why i picked Ion, it's for anti Aces. With 3 dice, you have higher chance to get through vs 3-4defence and if you hit, 1dmg, but ion makes next turn very predictable. Had a game, were i Ion'ed a Red Ace like 4 times in a row and finished it off with Poe flying by Ghost side

If you go Kanan ghost, i think you need 1 crew Recon Specialist, other Jan Ors or second Reacon. Maybe intelli agent

Hera, did not try her at all, don't know if here maneuver changing ability is worh it. You probably will want Kanan crew on her. Navigator maybe to maximize her ability or Intelli Agent to see opponent move.

That's why i don't like title and docked shuttle, thats 18pts that doing nothing a long time

I squared off vs a ghost, zeb, hera, autoblaster, AC, title ghost that with good asteroid placement and flying skills (that kturn is bananas) was able to bump or stay within range 1 numerous times and auto drop 4 damage each time. It was nasty.

To kick off this topic... I call into question placing the autoblaster turret on The Ghost (with title upgrade). For the right to fire a turret weapon at the end of combat at least 18 points has to be spend on a docked shuttle. R1 is very limiting. The one time I played with a set up centered around the Autoblaster, time and time again high PS aces stayed out of R1. It was an expensive point sink and a TLT or a Dorsel Turret would have actually been able to fire.

While I like the idea of a TLT or a Ion turret, they both bring more cost to an already expensive 0 agility ship. I'm starting to think the Dorsel Turret really is its best option at 3 points if 18+ points is being sunk into a docked ship.

So far with my Chopper/(docked) ezra/sabine list I've gotten every single ace I've played against at range 1 to slaughter them with a double autoblaster. The problem with dorsal or TLT against the same aces you're worried about not getting in range 1 is odds are you won't hit them anyway with the other turrets even if you get the attack. Espeically dorsal turret. Anything that's super scared of the autoblaster and is going to be sure to get out of range 1 isn't going to get hit by 2 dice at range 2. And TLT only gets 1 of its two shots at the end of the round.

I do think the Ghost will be a competitive ship. Our store championship on the 19th had 2 ghost lists (me and another guy) in the top 4. I've flown a ton of games with the afore-mentioned chopper/ezra/sabine list (5-0 in the vassal league first round with it and only lost 1 game with it so far period). I took a double ghost list to the store championship, and have 5 or 6 more various lists put together using the ghost. A couple with 1, quite a few with 2 (some with the docked shuttle on one, some without).

Chopper + wingman can be built to be downright disgusting.

Except it can't happen cause no VCX-100 pilot has an EPT slot.

Chopper + wingman can be built to be downright disgusting.

Except it can't happen cause no VCX-100 pilot has an EPT slot.

I'm assuming he means wingman on another hsip? Dunno

The Attack Shuttle has been welcomed with open arms. It is a fairly cheap and powerful ship with lots of options for upgrades.

Au contraire. As I've noted before, I think the Attack Shuttle is like an Interceptor, but (typically) without the option to boost or take Autothrusters. It gets a little bit of a discount after considering PS and pilot abilities, but I think the Attack Shuttle is a pretty poor all-comers ship.

(I don't mean it's bad, exactly, just that you need a particular kind of list in a particular kind of situation to make it work.)

I share your feelings about the Attack Shuttle and I am presently not a fan. I too am leaning toward VCX-100 builds without the title and Phantom.

Chopper + wingman can be built to be downright disgusting.

Except it can't happen cause no VCX-100 pilot has an EPT slot.

I'm assuming he means wingman on another hsip? Dunno

Okay...but what's so disgusting about it? I'm not seeing it. Please enlighten me!

Chopper + wingman can be built to be downright disgusting.

Except it can't happen cause no VCX-100 pilot has an EPT slot.

I'm assuming he means wingman on another hsip? Dunno

Okay...but what's so disgusting about it? I'm not seeing it. Please enlighten me!

Yep, another ship.

As to the disgusting part, an unguessable (when it comes to maneuvers) ship that doesn't care about stress, has a 4 dice wide Primary, a 5K-turn (to enable that arc) and a TLT turret with modifications on both attacks.

Then, you add the wingman...

Every time a VCX flies without fcs an angel dies. Just sayin'.

What about something like this?

(Ghost) “Chopper” [Ghost, Dorsal Turret, Flechette Torpedoes, Extra Munitions, "Zeb" Orrelios, Anti-Pursuit Lasers] (47)

(Attack Shuttle) Ezra Bridger [Push the Limit, Phantom] (23)

(T-70) Blue Squadron Novice [R2-D2, Autothrusters] (30)

Cheap, and you can ram things until you feel the need to launch the shuttle. And when you do launch, you still have 2 torpedoes to shoot out the special firing arc if necessary.

Every time a VCX flies without fcs an angel dies. Just sayin'.

AS EI Lando/Jarrus chopper isnt on the side of the Angels, then.

Chopper + wingman can be built to be downright disgusting.

Except it can't happen cause no VCX-100 pilot has an EPT slot.

I'm assuming he means wingman on another hsip? Dunno

Okay...but what's so disgusting about it? I'm not seeing it. Please enlighten me!

Yep, another ship.

As to the disgusting part, an unguessable (when it comes to maneuvers) ship that doesn't care about stress, has a 4 dice wide Primary, a 5K-turn (to enable that arc) and a TLT turret with modifications on both attacks.

Then, you add the wingman...

What's the benefit of Wingman over Kanan crew with Chopper? Sure Wingman is one point less but with Kanan you have to worry less about positioning.