Here's something I threw together and I think it is kinda fun to fly. Any thoughts?

StarViper: · Guri (30)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Autothrusters (2)

· Virago (1)

Sensor Jammer (4)

HWK-290: · Palob Godalhi (20)

Opportunist (4)

Blaster Turret (4)

K4 Security Droid (3)

· Moldy Crow (3)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

Feedback Array (2)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

Feedback Array (2)

VI isn't very important on Guri, it only brings her to PS7. You could throw in a crack shot and can still choose to shoot before Palob.

Aside from that, I might go recon specialist instead of the K4 on Palob, a focus is as good as a target lock mathematically on offense, it doesn't limit the already bad dial, you can bank tokens with the title anyway, and you can use focus on defense.

I like the idea though! Block 'em with the Zs so they can't token up, and hit 'em hard!

Palob with blaster turret needs engine upgrade, imho. And since you have Opportunist, he REALLY needs engine upgrade! Being limited to greens makes it too easy for enemies to escape the predictable moves a stressed Palob has available (being able to boost helps a lot!).

Just drop the feedback arrays to get it. I agree with the above sentiment that VI is not good on Guri. Recon Spec is not a bad idea, especially if you go with engine upgrade. However, K4 droid is also good, so I think the two are a toss up, really. Doesn't hurt to try them both and see what you prefer

HWK-290: · Palob Godalhi (20)

Opportunist (4)

Blaster Turret (4)

· Moldy Crow (3)

StarViper: · Guri (30)

Push The Limit (3)

Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)

Autothrusters (2)

· Virago (1)

Advanced Sensors (3)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

Z-95 Headhunter: Binayre Pirate (12)

What about this?

Doesn't look like a theme team of any sort, just done good ships with good upgrades. Your PS overall is fairly low, so maybe you should switch Guri's EPT with something else. Calculation wouldn't be a bad choice for her, though maybe if you drop Sensor Jammer to FCS and gave her PTL, you'd be more offensive with her. I like the interaction on Palob with the security droid. My only concern is if you are going to be able to get enough focus built up before the shooting starts. His ability plus Opportunist works really well together, you just have to make sure you can get that focus for firing the turret. Recon Spec works great in the building up, but I think K4 gives you better economy in the fight.

Overall, I like it on paper, but I'd like to see how you fly it too.

Suggestions to drop Sensor Jammer when flying Guri with Palob are not really well thought out. SJ + Palob is like peanut butter and chocolate

Also, I will repeat since it seems to be falling on deaf ears: Palob + opportunist + blaster = ENGINE!!!

Calculation is not terrible on Guri, but its also not great. Crack shot would be better if you gotta go 1 point EPT. even better would be to get lone wolf/predator.

And lastly, advanced proton torps are too expensive for what they do, even on Guri, although they do encourage people to go after Guri early, rather than Palob and that can sometimes be helpful if you plan accordingly...

Get rid of K4. The name of the game is Dengar.

Lose FAs and either give Palob the engine or Guri her Predator. On the latter case, give Palob Cloaking Device, at least.

I was using Palob w/K4 rather than Recon Specialist because my flight plan was to slow-roll Palob and Guri, giving Palob at least 2 focus before firing. EU isn't a benefit for the HWK in my mind-the only action I want to be doing is focusing.

Guri, yeah Calculation would probably work better, VI was a throwaway EPT for me. I'm definitely not taking off Sensor Jammer though- combined with Palob's ability it can make Guri **** near untouchable, while PTL relies too much on the very predictable Starviper green maneuvers.

Suggestions to drop Sensor Jammer when flying Guri with Palob are not really well thought out. SJ + Palob is like peanut butter and chocolate

Calculation is not terrible on Guri, but its also not great. Crack shot would be better if you gotta go 1 point EPT. even better would be to get lone wolf/predator.

Here's a list I have that goes against a lot of the points you are bringing up, but maybe helps show you where I'm more on the aggressive side of the fence:

Opportunity Knocks

Palob Godalhi — HWK-290 20

Opportunist 4

Blaster Turret 4

Recon Specialist 3

Engine Upgrade 4

Moldy Crow 3

Ship Total: 38

Guri — StarViper 30

Opportunist 4

Advanced Proton Torpedoes 6

Autothrusters 2

Ship Total: 42

Kaa'To Leeachos — Z-95 Headhunter 15

Opportunist 4

XX-23 S-Thread Tracers 1

Guidance Chips 0

Ship Total: 20

Guri and Palob do most of the work, but Leeachos can still get in there and sometimes get that R1 Opportunist 4 dice shot. Gave him the tracers in case there's a time when Guri boosts to R1 but doesn't have a TL, he can possibly snag the lock for her and grant Opportunist APT shot. 6 dice, 3 hits guaranteed on Guri, and huge percentage to cash in 6 hits with it. Other than that, most everything else has been discussed in this thread. I thought of this as his build is somewhat similar to this one, and shares a lot of the same tricks, so just another way to approach it.

Suggestions to drop Sensor Jammer when flying Guri with Palob are not really well thought out. SJ + Palob is like peanut butter and chocolate

Only issue is SJ is 4 points. It works wonders, yes, but I think the suggestion is there for personal preferences. I like an aggressive Guri. Others may like a slippery Guri. Biggest thing here is just throwing ideas against the wall to see which ones stick with the OP.

Calculation is not terrible on Guri, but its also not great. Crack shot would be better if you gotta go 1 point EPT. even better would be to get lone wolf/predator.

I said Calculation wasn't bad on her, not that it was great on her. As far as 1 pt EPTs are concerned, I think she can use it better than most. And in my experience, pushing crits is rarely a bad thing. Crack Shot is good too, but it's one time. It can make a huge difference, or it may just push one damage through in a game.

Here's a list I have that goes against a lot of the points you are bringing up, but maybe helps show you where I'm more on the aggressive side of the fence:

Opportunity Knocks

Palob Godalhi — HWK-290 20

Opportunist 4

Blaster Turret 4

Recon Specialist 3

Engine Upgrade 4

Moldy Crow 3

Ship Total: 38

Guri — StarViper 30

Opportunist 4

Advanced Proton Torpedoes 6

Autothrusters 2

Ship Total: 42

Kaa'To Leeachos — Z-95 Headhunter 15

Opportunist 4

XX-23 S-Thread Tracers 1

Guidance Chips 0

Ship Total: 20

Guri and Palob do most of the work, but Leeachos can still get in there and sometimes get that R1 Opportunist 4 dice shot. Gave him the tracers in case there's a time when Guri boosts to R1 but doesn't have a TL, he can possibly snag the lock for her and grant Opportunist APT shot. 6 dice, 3 hits guaranteed on Guri, and huge percentage to cash in 6 hits with it. Other than that, most everything else has been discussed in this thread. I thought of this as his build is somewhat similar to this one, and shares a lot of the same tricks, so just another way to approach it.

That's a dangerous list and its got engine on Palob, so I approve

Good to see that some others can understand the power of positioning! This game is won with getting superior positioning over your opponent, not by how many focus actions you take

Even so, you'd be better off with Sensor Jammer + Virago over Advanced Proton Torpedoes. 6 points for +1 attack die is a terrible deal (even with the blanks to eyeball conversion!)

Suggestions to drop Sensor Jammer when flying Guri with Palob are not really well thought out. SJ + Palob is like peanut butter and chocolate

Only issue is SJ is 4 points. It works wonders, yes, but I think the suggestion is there for personal preferences. I like an aggressive Guri. Others may like a slippery Guri. Biggest thing here is just throwing ideas against the wall to see which ones stick with the OP.

Calculation is not terrible on Guri, but its also not great. Crack shot would be better if you gotta go 1 point EPT. even better would be to get lone wolf/predator.

I said Calculation wasn't bad on her, not that it was great on her. As far as 1 pt EPTs are concerned, I think she can use it better than most. And in my experience, pushing crits is rarely a bad thing. Crack Shot is good too, but it's one time. It can make a huge difference, or it may just push one damage through in a game.

Here's a list I have that goes against a lot of the points you are bringing up, but maybe helps show you where I'm more on the aggressive side of the fence:

Opportunity Knocks

Palob Godalhi — HWK-290 20

Opportunist 4

Blaster Turret 4

Recon Specialist 3

Engine Upgrade 4

Moldy Crow 3

Ship Total: 38

Guri — StarViper 30

Opportunist 4

Advanced Proton Torpedoes 6

Autothrusters 2

Ship Total: 42

Kaa'To Leeachos — Z-95 Headhunter 15

Opportunist 4

XX-23 S-Thread Tracers 1

Guidance Chips 0

Ship Total: 20

Guri and Palob do most of the work, but Leeachos can still get in there and sometimes get that R1 Opportunist 4 dice shot. Gave him the tracers in case there's a time when Guri boosts to R1 but doesn't have a TL, he can possibly snag the lock for her and grant Opportunist APT shot. 6 dice, 3 hits guaranteed on Guri, and huge percentage to cash in 6 hits with it. Other than that, most everything else has been discussed in this thread. I thought of this as his build is somewhat similar to this one, and shares a lot of the same tricks, so just another way to approach it.

I get where you're coming from on this list, but I'm a little wary of basing your entire list around Palob. A 38 point HWK is a very tempting target, and even with EU and his defensive tokens you've got potential issues with him getting focused on and dying - and once he's gone, Opportunist is just too unreliable to be worth it. Here's a modified version I think should be more consistent:

Palob (20)

- Opportunist (4)

- Blaster Turret (4)

- EU (4)

- Recon Specialist (3)

- Moldy Crow (3)

Total 38

Guri (30)

- PTL (3)

- Virago (1)

- Sensor Jammer (4)

- Advanced Proton Torps (6)

Total 46

Kaa'to Leachos (15)

- X-23 S-Thread Tracers (1)

- Wingman (2)

You get the Sensor Jammer defense, and PTL guri is a nightmare to pin down. Wingman on Kaa'to helps clear stress from Guri and/or Palob to make them more unpredictable. If you don't want Advanced Proton Torps, swap them and the X-23s out for Homing Missiles and Guidance Chips on Kaa'to, and Cloaking Device on Guri or Palob (probably Guri).

That looks better as a competitive build. Mine was purely for the firepower aspect, because chucking 6 red dice gives me sweet, sweet satisfaction. Throw chimps on Guri if your going to take off AT, because why not. I think the math I did on this said without chimps he's 97% to get 6 hits and with them he's 99%. But it's 0 points, so why not?

PTL Guri will certainly find more opportunity to use APTs, but at that point, your difference is 4 dice regular attack to 5 dice APT attack. If your heavily modified, I'll take the 4 and throw the Missiles to Kaa'to. Allows him to increase his threat presence as well. Though for the same points, I'd rather throw N'dru on there. So:

Palob (20)

- Opportunist (4)

- Blaster Turret (4)

- EU (4)

- Recon Specialist (3)

- Moldy Crow (3)

Total 38

Guri (30)

- PTL (3)

- Virago (1)

- Sensor Jammer (4)

Total 38

N'dru Suhlak (17)

- Lone Wolf(2)

- Cluster Missiles (4)

- Guidance Chips (0)

Total 23

Would be great to find a point somewhere to squeeze Glitterstim on, but oh well.

That looks better as a competitive build. Mine was purely for the firepower aspect, because chucking 6 red dice gives me sweet, sweet satisfaction. Throw chimps on Guri if your going to take off AT, because why not. I think the math I did on this said without chimps he's 97% to get 6 hits and with them he's 99%. But it's 0 points, so why not?

PTL Guri will certainly find more opportunity to use APTs, but at that point, your difference is 4 dice regular attack to 5 dice APT attack. If your heavily modified, I'll take the 4 and throw the Missiles to Kaa'to. Allows him to increase his threat presence as well. Though for the same points, I'd rather throw N'dru on there. So:

Palob (20)

- Opportunist (4)

- Blaster Turret (4)

- EU (4)

- Recon Specialist (3)

- Moldy Crow (3)

Total 38

Guri (30)

- PTL (3)

- Virago (1)

- Sensor Jammer (4)

Total 38

N'dru Suhlak (17)

- Lone Wolf(2)

- Cluster Missiles (4)

- Guidance Chips (0)

Total 23

Would be great to find a point somewhere to squeeze Glitterstim on, but oh well.

Don't run Push the Limit on Guri without advanced sensors! And because you have Palob, its a less attractive combo than Lone Wolf/Predator + SJ...

I'll second Dengar on Palob. Having a bank of foci, Dengar reroll(s), and opportunist makes Palob an absolute offensive force to be reckoned with. Also, with Dengar you'll never need to do anything but focus. A question worth considering: is a Palob with opportunist, TLT, and Dengar going to consistently pump out more or less damage per game than a Palob, opportunist, Blaster Turret, Dengar? The TLT version is going to consistently plump out 1.8 points of damage each turn.

I love Guri, in any form. If there is a way to get her running with predator, that strengthens her offense. Even without it, she can TL + focus in the same turn. Is your goal to have Guri be offensive or defensive?

Short of exposing Guri to an early alpha strike, Palob is likely to be your first to die. Stacking Guri with offensive potential can achieve two things, 1. Give you a good finisher, 2. Force your opponent to choose who'd they rather face late game.

My view on Palob is that cheaper is better - not because he's not good, but because the main way he's good is fumbling up an opponent's game, and he draws a LOT of hate for it. On top of that, he is NOT hard to kill; two or three shots is all it takes usually, and with his low PS taking EU to arc dodge is just not the strongest notion - and don't forget that U-Boats have a PWT with a decent chance to hit him!

The build I've been toying with is:

Palob Godalhi (28)

HWK-290 (20), Dorsal Turret (3), Intelligence Agent (1), Cloaking Device (2), Stygium Particle Accelerator (2)

Cloaking Device + stolen Focus/Evade+Evade from SPA ensures a Palob that can live through a fair amount of fire, and can dive right into the middle of an enemy formation while the rest of your force (as you still have 72 points left!) dish out some serious hurt. Intelligence Agent gives you info for decloaking purposes, letting you decloak the second round of the furball and add his firepower to the rest of the squad's. What EPT I'm not sure of, though.

Even if the cloak only lasts one round, though, it's done its job.

Basically, the HWK is well known as a soft target. By adding as much hardening to Palob as possible, I'm trying to ensure he takes fire that could disable my heavy hitters, letting them do their job for longer.

A question worth considering: is a Palob with opportunist, TLT, and Dengar going to consistently pump out more or less damage per game than a Palob, opportunist, Blaster Turret, Dengar? The TLT version is going to consistently plump out 1.8 points of damage each turn.

I do like the idea of Dengar on Palob, just need to get a JM5K first.

I will always take Blaster Turret due to the variance that it can generate.

I've been playing with an Attaini Mindlinked Palob running combo with Manaroo and Talonbane.