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.

So is AS double Rec spec Kanan.

I'm planning to test out a Lothal Rebel or Chopper Build that uses Hera, Han Solo, an AB Turret and an FCS. It's only 44 points for everything and adds a lot of painful options.

The only question left for me is how to spend the other 56 points.

I'm planning to test out a Lothal Rebel or Chopper Build that uses Hera, Han Solo, an AB Turret and an FCS. It's only 44 points for everything and adds a lot of painful options.

The only question left for me is how to spend the other 56 points.

Free up 2 points and run Super Dash?

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

I was prepared to come here and start singing Sabine's praises as a crew member on the Ghost, but I think putting her on the Warden Squadron Pilot is a stroke of genius. Below is the absolutely not competitive super fun build I ran at game night:

Hera Syndulla

Sabine Wren, "Chopper," Adv. Sensors, Extra Munitions, Conner Net, Dorsal Turret, Ghost

Ezra Bridger

Push the Limit, Kanan Jarus, Autoblaster Turret, Phantom

Prototype Pilot

Autothrusters

99 points

Hera has SO MANY places to drop the bombs! I started off the first match with a straight 2, and then a K-turn, using "Chopper" to let me lob a Conner Net right in front of Zuckuss. 2 damage, no actions, totally awesome! In the next match I used Advanced Sensors to drop a Net before moving, catching N'Dru Suhlak, and allowing me to finish the job that round with the Dorsal Turret. Conner nets are good; doing 2 damage with them is amazing!

Here are some things I took away from my first games with the Ghost.

1) You need to be intentional about your loadout. Fire-control System is pure gold as long as the Phantom is attached, but Advanced Sensors allowed for some bomb-dropping shenanigans with my build. I think FCS is a good default.

2) If you're going to use the Kanan+Push combo on Ezra, Targeting Computer is a really good idea. With the Ghost still on the board, my opponent chased it to finish it off, ignoring the Phantom, and target locks would have really helped make our damage count.

3) Combining numbers 1 & 2, I think I'd go for mnimal upgrades on the Phantom because most of the game it's just going to sit there - the extra attack and the flexibility of the auxiliary arc are too good to get rid of very early on in the game.

3) The dial is amazing, especially that 5 K-turn! Unpredictable is the name of the game, and Hera can do it pretty well.

Can't wait to try some more squads out!

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.

Kanan or Hera either one. Kanan lets you do whites to clear stress, hera lets you just keep doing reds and not care (assuming you have FCS or something to get modifiers)

Words cannot express how much I love Hera crew on the Ghost.

I want to say this about the Autoblaster+Accuracy Corrector: It creates a huge exclusion zone.

With the combination of abilities (Hera driving+Intelligence Agent+Chopper+Engine Upgrade), it could be near-impossible to avoid.

I also think that looking at the Attack Shuttle as 'wasted' points is kind of a misnomer. How much is 4 automatic damage a turn worth? It's also insurance against losing the game too quickly.

50 Hera Syndulla w/ Autoblaster Turret, Fire Control System, Intelligence Agent, Chopper, Engine Upgrade

18 Zeb

17 Tala Squadron w/ Cluster Missiles, Guidance Chips

15 Prototype Pilot w/ Chaardan Refit

The Proto tries for blocks, the Tala goes for massive damage spikes combined with Hera, and Hera can either chase down Aces or use the EU to arc dodge like a champ while shredding anything that comes close.

Lothal Rebel with FCS, Hera and Zeb. 39 Points for one of the best blocker/jousters.

But Im still trying to find out what else to fly beside it maybe an ace and stress hog?

The only problem is often the ghost will be at least half points or destroyed.

I'm actually leaning toward Han Solo as a decent crew option for the Ghost. Especially the Hera crew builds.

I ran Ghost/Phantom with Kanan, docked Ezra and Biggs, and its absolutely devastating. The extra turns Biggs buys you are weighed up in damage. And endgame if you cleaned up at least the high PS pilots the enemy had, Ezra can usually finish the game on his own (i run him at 22 points with Rage/Hera)

I have also tried Autoblaster Hera with Ezra or Zeb, and a Stresshog as second/third ship. That Range 1 is hard to avoid and it murders lists like Palpmobile, Phantoms, and any other Low HP ace stuff it sees. It's also not too bad vs swarms as it reliably kills one a turn every turn! It's very problematic against something like TLT Y-Wings or the Scout alpha strike list however. It just lacks the damage potential and gets focused away too fast.

I'm planning to test out a Lothal Rebel or Chopper Build that uses Hera, Han Solo, an AB Turret and an FCS. It's only 44 points for everything and adds a lot of painful options.

The only question left for me is how to spend the other 56 points.

Free up 2 points and run Super Dash?

Well here's the obvious choice:

Lothal Rebel (42) VCX-100 (35), Fire-Control System (2), Autoblaster Turret (2), Han Solo (2), Hera Syndulla (1)

Dash Rendar (58) YT-2400 Freighter (36), Push the Limit (3), Heavy Laser Cannon (7), Kanan Jarrus (3), Outrider (5), Engine Upgrade (4)

Flown with practice, I'm guessing Dash would start writing love poetry about the exclusion zones that the Rebel can set up for him. Kanan also helps to brush off some of those stress tokens from Dash's bodyguard. Solid.

Sure it could be but it depends on the builds. Well lets first get this out of the way.

The single ship Ghost w/phantom docked and no other ships is NOT going to get on top of the meta. That is just too many points crammed into so little space.

Now that is not saying that the Ghost w/phantom won't be competitive. Most successful list with the VCX will likely have the titles and the Phantom docked. But it is going to have to start out with another ship besides the attack shuttle.

So lets take a look at the Ghost. Well with the Phantom it is sort of a weird mix of VT-49 Decimator with Boba Fet with a little bit of Y-wing (turret) and E-wing (attack in end phase). Without the Phantom it is a mix of a Decimator and a Lambda Shuttle withe a bit of Nera and Fet in it. Well the Dial is good for a ship of its size. The stats are alright sure 0 agility means it eats every hit but it has just as much hitpoints as a VT-49 decimator with more shield coverage. Now question is what builds can you make with it? Well the fortress is the obvious with the multiple weapons slots and high hit points. Other options could be support but with the initial point cost being so high that might not be a good idea. A Buzzsaw type build could work with EU and luke/gunner. That could be very tough with the higher firepower. Throw in Zeb to make sure you can attack ships you are closing in on.

What about the other part the Attack Shuttle? Well since all are unique pilots you can only take 4 of them but that would be too expensive money wise. Well the Attack shuttle is like a Z-95 with an X-wing attack and has a mix of Y-wing and TIE Fighter. It is the first rebel ship to not have TL (although Imperials are used to this) so it might see Targeting Computer be used. However again it has the durability of a Z-95 which is not much and will die quickly. You are either taking multiples or it is going to be docked in the Ghost and won't leave the ghost until the ghost is about down to half hull.

So there might be competitive builds but there certainly is a lot of non competitive builds. And with so many upgrade slots it is easy to fall into the trap of putting upgrades that don't fit or don't work too well. Some mechanics like the special firing arc and torpedoes will not work so well (rebels don't have that many upgrades that can build torpedoes/missiles, neither do imperials). So will the VCX be in the top 8 of nationals? still too soon to tell, but will it make the top cut at regionals or win a store championship?, sure it can.

Lothal Rebel with FCS, Hera and Zeb. 39 Points for one of the best blocker/jousters.

But Im still trying to find out what else to fly beside it maybe an ace and stress hog?

The only problem is often the ghost will be at least half points or destroyed.

I don't see a problem, that ghost is destroyed or half dead. As any decent opponent should take out your 1 ship, no matter what, ghost or not. So you still should lose pts, yes with ghost it's easier to lose his half pts sure, but he brings a lot to the table.

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.

Why you would want the Flechette torps +Extra munition? For stress on aces?

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.

Why you would want the Flechette torps +Extra munition? For stress on aces?

Good question. Perhaps he's planning on launching the shutte early as an offensive threat and wants to keep the back arc?

If I were to go down this route I'd replace the APL with a cage full of guidance chimps and upgrade the flechettes to concussion. That free crit is scary.

Actually scratch that, I've just noticed the Ghost is missing a systems upgrade! Heresy! FCS and keep the flechette.

I'm actually leaning toward Han Solo as a decent crew option for the Ghost. Especially the Hera crew builds.

My Ghost build. I've been loving Han crew.

This is a great thread, many thanks. As a new player this is my current squad using the ghost,

Poe Dameron (38) - T-70 X-Wing
Veteran Instincts (1), R2-D2 (4), Autothrusters (2)

Lothal Rebel (42) - VCX-100
Reinforced Deflectors (3), Dorsal Turret (3), "Chopper" (0), Hera Syndulla (1)

Ezra Bridger (20) - Attack Shuttle

Poe is the hammer, Lothal the anvil. Ezra is the pest that deploys based on situation. The key for me is flying Poe well.

This is a great thread, many thanks. As a new player this is my current squad using the ghost,

Poe Dameron (38) - T-70 X-Wing

Veteran Instincts (1), R2-D2 (4), Autothrusters (2)

Lothal Rebel (42) - VCX-100

Reinforced Deflectors (3), Dorsal Turret (3), "Chopper" (0), Hera Syndulla (1)

Ezra Bridger (20) - Attack Shuttle

Poe is the hammer, Lothal the anvil. Ezra is the pest that deploys based on situation. The key for me is flying Poe well.

I could see this list doing well. Poe hits hard and if given R2-D2 or R5-P9 can be a real pain to destroy.

I'm personally working with the following list:

Poe+VI+R5-P9+IA

Rookie (T-65)+R3-A2+IA

Chopper+FCS+AB Turret+Zeb

The primary goal for Chopper early game is to get those 4 die front arc shots on the same target at Poe. When Poe needs to retreat for a round or two, Chopper gets in the way. The Rookie keeps the main target predictable with stress.

I've been running an AS Lando Roulette w/ Kanancrew along side a 48 Supercorran on vassal. it's been dong well, but nothing tried to out PS Corran yet.

I want to say this about the Autoblaster+Accuracy Corrector: It creates a huge exclusion zone.

True--but remember the Accuracy Corrector isn't strictly necessary for that to happen. As an example, FCS is cheaper and works well with your primary weapon too, and with TL and focus you end up with hit/hit 74% of the time anyway.

With the combination of abilities (Hera driving+Intelligence Agent+Chopper+Engine Upgrade), it could be near-impossible to avoid.

It's pretty hard to avoid even if you don't Hera driving, and even without boost. (I personally like Chopper driving with Hera along for the ride.)

I also think that looking at the Attack Shuttle as 'wasted' points is kind of a misnomer. How much is 4 automatic damage a turn worth? It's also insurance against losing the game too quickly.

If you're looking for insurance against losing quickly, I think you're asking the wrong questions: losing slowly isn't actually any better. You want to focus on how you can win, and 18+ points spent on an Attack Shuttle that spends its time tucked away inside the Ghost is 18+ points that aren't attacking your opponent.

The extra attack with a turret really does help, if you get the attack. But that's not a guarantee if you have an Autoblaster Turret along, so now you're looking at even more points for (probably) a Dorsal Turret or Ion Cannon Turret. I'm not saying that it can never work, but I think competitive builds will trend away from the Attack Shuttle, and I think running without it is probably a better (easier, less finicky) choice for players just getting their feet wet with the Ghost.

I'm actually leaning toward Han Solo as a decent crew option for the Ghost. Especially the Hera crew builds.

Yeah, FCS + Han Solo is a really nice bump to your damage, and it's relatively inexpensive and completely actionless.

All in all i still think that there will be a place for the Ghost in competitive meta. In the first store championship results there are already top 4 Ghosts and iirc. even a win for Hera.

I think that the ship can do really well against ace builds while it suffers a bit against the alpha strike ordnance. So i think it will depend on the meta evolution if the Ghost can do well in the future.

I think that the ship can do really well against ace builds while it suffers a bit against the alpha strike ordnance.

Does it, though? Even Triple JumpMasters can't take it down in a single turn without some extraordinary luck, and even without boost the Ghost is fast enough to potentially close from Range 4+ to Range 1. And if you're running something like Kanan/Biggs, they simply don't have enough ordnance to do you in.

It does suffer against a Z-95 alpha strike led by Blount (assuming it can't PS-kill Blount), but that's a lot more unusual, and has a lot more holes you can exploit. If your opponent builds an entire list around the alpha strike and then has to spend it all to eliminate a single ship, you could actually be in a very good position for the remainder of the game--assuming you have a plan for what you'll do with your escort ship(s) in that scenario.

I want to say this about the Autoblaster+Accuracy Corrector: It creates a huge exclusion zone.

True--but remember the Accuracy Corrector isn't strictly necessary for that to happen. As an example, FCS is cheaper and works well with your primary weapon too, and with TL and focus you end up with hit/hit 74% of the time anyway.

With the combination of abilities (Hera driving+Intelligence Agent+Chopper+Engine Upgrade), it could be near-impossible to avoid.

It's pretty hard to avoid even if you don't Hera driving, and even without boost. (I personally like Chopper driving with Hera along for the ride.)

I also think that looking at the Attack Shuttle as 'wasted' points is kind of a misnomer. How much is 4 automatic damage a turn worth? It's also insurance against losing the game too quickly.

If you're looking for insurance against losing quickly, I think you're asking the wrong questions: losing slowly isn't actually any better. You want to focus on how you can win, and 18+ points spent on an Attack Shuttle that spends its time tucked away inside the Ghost is 18+ points that aren't attacking your opponent. The extra attack with a turret really does help, if you get the attack. But that's not a guarantee if you have an Autoblaster Turret along, so now you're looking at even more points for (probably) a Dorsal Turret or Ion Cannon Turret. I'm not saying that it can never work, but I think competitive builds will trend away from the Attack Shuttle, and I think running without it is probably a better (easier, less finicky) choice for players just getting their feet wet with the Ghost.

I'm actually leaning toward Han Solo as a decent crew option for the Ghost. Especially the Hera crew builds.

Yeah, FCS + Han Solo is a really nice bump to your damage, and it's relatively inexpensive and completely actionless.

I don't know if competitive builds will go away from Ghost/Phantom, but i have tried the ship as an ordnance carrier with Sabine, Guidance, Bombs, Torps and FCS and i can tell you for around 50-55 points it hits like a truck from front arc anyway, but now also from rear arc where you have bombs and 2 Torpedo shots. Add Autoblaster turret to the mix and suddenly the only place enemies can really hide is on the sides at distance 2-3.

And for the remaining 45-50 points you can easily afford some escorts that are more than worthy to cover these blind spots.

I think that the ship can do really well against ace builds while it suffers a bit against the alpha strike ordnance.

Does it, though? Even Triple JumpMasters can't take it down in a single turn without some extraordinary luck, and even without boost the Ghost is fast enough to potentially close from Range 4+ to Range 1. And if you're running something like Kanan/Biggs, they simply don't have enough ordnance to do you in.It does suffer against a Z-95 alpha strike led by Blount (assuming it can't PS-kill Blount), but that's a lot more unusual, and has a lot more holes you can exploit. If your opponent builds an entire list around the alpha strike and then has to spend it all to eliminate a single ship, you could actually be in a very good position for the remainder of the game--assuming you have a plan for what you'll do with your escort ship(s) in that scenario.

I agree it's nigh impossible to kill you turn 1, but then they will have an easy time killing you turn 2 even if they don't get any ordnance shots. 2-3 dice turrets or normal shots will finish you off quite easily with 0 evade. And you just can't deal enough damage back so quickly in order to make the trade worthwile for you. That's where i see the problem lying!

post-torp jumpies do still shred low agility

might be a good idea to fly a more durable ace alongside auto-correct ghost in order to prepare for such an eventuality. It's almost impossible to kill even just high agility with those crappy 2 dice pwts; a lost cause against PTL thrusters

Jake farrel w/thrusters may be a good idea, and you can fit him (complete with VI PTL prockets!) with an auto-correct lothal rebel (complete with EU, int agent and Zeb) ferrying around crackshot ezra

though you may just want to drop crackshot to get that bid and block the crap out of the scouts