Ever since Gonk came out, I've been thinking of pairing him with Xizor for mitigation shenanigans.

Now that there's been some flying through wave 8, I thought I should go for it and formed an idea, but it's still incomplete (and theoretical until the weekend).

Prince Xizor (31):

• Veteran Instincts (1)
• Autothrusters (2)
• Virago (1)
• Fire-Control System (2)

Total: 37 pts

Contracted Scout (25):

• Intimidation (2)
• Anti-Pursuit Lasers (2)
• "Gonk" (2)
• R5-P8 (3)
• Feedback Array (2)

Total: 36 pts

This backbone leaves me with 27 points to play.

Now, the gist of it is obvious: Bumpmaster blocks like there's no tomorrow, while making himself an undesirable target. Gonk softens the impact and neutralizes Xizor's leftovers or Feedback Array's kick whenever necessary.

Xizor aims and shoots, gunning for a 1v1 situation against whatever. There's even room for Glitterstim, when you just need those mods.

Problem is: what should round out the squad? I have a few options (2 z-95s, TLT Thug, FCS Freelancer), but I'm torn. Even considering shaving off 2 more pts to fit Cloak/Stygium Graz as a second undesirable target. Any suggestions?

Interesting idea.

This is one case where I think Graz does make sense (or even Laetin w/ title, 'mangler' & stealth might be worth considering).

If you did try Graz, I would leave him naked. Cloak/stygium is not worth it on Graz. Cloak Device is more useful for the decloak move, since staying cloaked means no shooting (the extra greens would only be handy on a ship you want to kite with, and that doesn't make sense for a khiraxz). I'd Spend the last 2 points for Glitterstim on Xizor.

Interesting idea.

This is one case where I think Graz does make sense (or even Laetin w/ title, 'mangler' & stealth might be worth considering).

If you did try Graz, I would leave him naked. Cloak/stygium is not worth it on Graz. Cloak Device is more useful for the decloak move, since staying cloaked means no shooting (the extra greens would only be handy on a ship you want to kite with, and that doesn't make sense for a khiraxz). I'd Spend the last 2 points for Glitterstim on Xizor.

Cloak/Stygium on Graz would really work for positioning the arc at weird angles and getting that free evade. Its' random nature bothers me, but...

And I didn't consider Laetin. With Mangler, he's a slightly better gun and probably more resilient than Graz. Although, if I'm spending the 27 pts on a single ship, I'll probably remake Xizor into Predator/Autothrusters. Artificial PS9 without bid doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

As a side note: Graz and Laetin mentioned as serious options in a squad...what's not to like?

Interesting idea.

This is one case where I think Graz does make sense (or even Laetin w/ title, 'mangler' & stealth might be worth considering).

If you did try Graz, I would leave him naked. Cloak/stygium is not worth it on Graz. Cloak Device is more useful for the decloak move, since staying cloaked means no shooting (the extra greens would only be handy on a ship you want to kite with, and that doesn't make sense for a khiraxz). I'd Spend the last 2 points for Glitterstim on Xizor.

Cloak/Stygium on Graz would really work for positioning the arc at weird angles and getting that free evade. Its' random nature bothers me, but...

And I didn't consider Laetin. With Mangler, he's a slightly better gun and probably more resilient than Graz. Although, if I'm spending the 27 pts on a single ship, I'll probably remake Xizor into Predator/Autothrusters. Artificial PS9 without bid doesn't get you anywhere nowadays.

As a side note: Graz and Laetin mentioned as serious options in a squad...what's not to like?

I suppose cloak/stygium is 4 points for a decloak move + evade. So that makes it a bit better than a shield upgrade. Still, its the first ship you are going to lose, so I'm still not a fan of investing points that may or may not allow it to stay on the board longer...

One small problem for Laetin is that his attacks may often be unmodified (because you want to save his initial token for defense so as to keep the stealth up). Well, obviously its situational (if no one can shoot him, or limited shots coming his way, etc). Graz on the other hand isn't so finicky.

Oh, clever idea! I like it.

Maybe TLT Y-wing? If you have 2 points for Xizor, I find giving him a Flechette Torpedo is essential for stress control vs. certain lists.

Alternatively, if you can save a few points, you could take Tel Trevura instead of the scout - that's good for soaking an extra hit off Xizor.

I'm not sure about Veteran Instincts. If you want to play the PS game, fair enough, but at only PS9, you'll need an initiative bid to beat Soontir and still lose regardless to the hail of PS10+ pilots we see these days (VI Boba Fett, VI Poe Dameron, VI Vader, etc, etc).

You could accept you're not gonna beat them and instead use the EPT for something to make him more dangerous. Not sure what, though.

No, I think PS 9 is where you need to be with Xizor. Yes, there will be those that go after you, but only a few when compared to PS 7.

I also prefer Predator or push the limit on Xizor, because with VI, you need at least a 2 point (if not 3) initiative bid. So you end up 'spending' 3 or 4 points for +2 pilot skill....

However, I don't think you have any good alternatives here. If you take a 3 point EPT, you also need advanced sensors, and at that point, you just can't get an effective 3rd ship imho. So VI + FCS is probably better here...

With a blocker scout, Flechettes aren't really needed here, so those last two points (assuming Graz again) are probably best used for glitterstim. That means no initiative bid, but with blocker scout, you might not need it? You could still take the bid though, since glitter is more nice to have than essential...

I considered TLT Y-Wing, but it's a bit stiff. It's in the back of my mind if nothing works out.

Also thought of Tel, but I wanted the JM5K to play the blocking role, to be disposable without second thoughts. Building Tel into one doesn't make much sense to me (high PS, no APL) and building him "right" takes a lot of points. But it's an idea and I don't discard anything.

PS9 without bid isn't something worth spending points on, IMO. Unless there's a bid, VI isn't what I'm shooting for. PS8 only covers the Imperial neo-aces (OL, Inquisitor) and I'm shooting for blocks on them more than almost anything else.

I'm leaning more towards Pred/Thrusters and 27-pt Laetin for now. Glitterstim would be nice, though, for the end game.