It's a world filled with aces, and the Rebellion is on the brink because torpedoes are blasting many of their best ships away. One of the last viable Rebellion ships--the A-wing is seen in flocks. There is a king among them, a mad scientist, a surgeon. His name is Celchu, and he's a psycho.

It's seriously crazy to me that Tycho isn't talked about and used more. I've been using him a lot recently and I've been very impressed with the results.

Jake Farrell is often the go-to procket delivery A-wing. Why wouldn't he be? His ability gives you a focus token and great positioning at the same time. Proton rockets need a focus token and great positioning to work. It's a match made in heaven. But Jake's problem right now is that as a PS 7, VI only matches the high-end aces. So to have the upper hand, he needs VI and a healthy initiative bid.

Here's a very common build (my personal favorite):

33: Jake Farrell with Test Pilot, VI, PtL, proton rockets, autothrusters

It's on the cheap end for rebel aces, delivers prockets reliably, and operates similarly to Soontir Fel, but with slightly worse offense and a little tougher.

He's predictable when stressed, is sneaky points intensive (more like 35-36 points for practical purposes), and doesn't inspire offensively after prockets are away.

Enter, Tycho.

He's PS 8, so VI pushes him to the much more reliable PS 10. Only Poe or Vader with VI out PS him, and while both are good, I've never felt like either are too difficult. Moving after every single ship in most Palp Aces, Imperial A-holes, triple U-boats, or crack-swarms is a powerful thing.

But he also doesn't have to go VI. He can also play with the Omega Leaders, Carnor Jax's, Inquisitors, and Corran Horns of the world. But when I go for an Ace, I'm looking for a top dog. An assassin.

Here's what I've been using:

34: Tycho Celchu with Test Pilot, VI, Rage, experimental interface, Prockets

Only 1 more point than the Jake build but with one higher PS, similar action economy, Rage synergizes just as well with prockets as Jake+PtL, and a MUCH less predictable dial. The loss of autothrusters matters but evade+Rage go a long way. And let's face it, most turrets have gone the way of the dinosaur, and 2 dice turrets aren't that scary still.

He can't set up procket shots as easily as Jake with his Farrell rolls, but Rage makes them hit very very hard. He's hit what he wants in every game so far. But unlike Jake, Rage continues to give Tycho a punch turn after turn.

Not really caring about stress is a big deal too. Stress control isn't the most common list element anymore but R3-A2 and tacticians rear their angry heads from time to time. Rebel captive? No problem. It also means that debris clouds are nearly a non-issue for him. 1/8 chance of them mattering. Debris clouds also tend to be large and are great for stopping U-boat deadeye shenanigans, and hiding autothrusterless A-wings.

So he's fast enough to manipulate range and dodge torpedoes. He's high enough PS that he can outfly most aces, has his full dial open to him even when stressed, and hits like a truck.

What's not to like?

Several more pilots outs PS Tycho if they also take VI, or match him with Adaptability (Wedge, Fel, Talonbane, Dengar, Han, Han2-when he comes out)..but yeah VI Tycho is in the top bracket.

As for Tycho he is my go to A-wing, You may be missing that he can't do Reds while stressed.

And though I pile stress on him with VI I usually have enough greens to quickly get rid of it, so I typically end up with few stress tokens on him, if any after his move.

Even with all that I have maybe regretted not being able to do a Red Manever once with him since he was stressed from the prior turn, in the many times I've flown him.

I rarely put VI on him, and prefer Wired with Push the Limit.

I may even end up putting Experimental Interface on him and get rid of Wired and take Marksmanship or something on him to give him more punch..though I'm not sure if it'll be worth it.

No autothrusters. That hurts, though I'll admit that rage does a decent job of catching up on Jake's action economy, so it's not bad otherwise.

Tycho is my go to a wing and it's actually hard not to put him in every list, I usually build him as rage,PTL,refit, test pilot, experimental interface which is gets pretty nasty for actions for the price of 4 stress a turn but who cares the only reds he has are the k turns and I find its better for a wings to break off and come back into the fight than to k turn (I found an a wing with no actions is a dead a wing)

I found if I play him right the lack of vi isn't too bad and he is fairly survivable without autothrusters, with the potential of 2 focus and an evade every turn.

It's a world filled with aces, and the Rebellion is on the brink because torpedoes are blasting many of their best ships away. One of the last viable Rebellion ships--the A-wing is seen in flocks. There is a king among them, a mad scientist, a surgeon. His name is Celchu, and he's a psycho.

It's seriously crazy to me that Tycho isn't talked about and used more. I've been using him a lot recently and I've been very impressed with the results.

Jake Farrell is often the go-to procket delivery A-wing. Why wouldn't he be? His ability gives you a focus token and great positioning at the same time. Proton rockets need a focus token and great positioning to work. It's a match made in heaven. But Jake's problem right now is that as a PS 7, VI only matches the high-end aces. So to have the upper hand, he needs VI and a healthy initiative bid.

Here's a very common build (my personal favorite):

33: Jake Farrell with Test Pilot, VI, PtL, proton rockets, autothrusters

It's on the cheap end for rebel aces, delivers prockets reliably, and operates similarly to Soontir Fel, but with slightly worse offense and a little tougher.

He's predictable when stressed, is sneaky points intensive (more like 35-36 points for practical purposes), and doesn't inspire offensively after prockets are away.

Enter, Tycho.

He's PS 8, so VI pushes him to the much more reliable PS 10. Only Poe or Vader with VI out PS him, and while both are good, I've never felt like either are too difficult. Moving after every single ship in most Palp Aces, Imperial A-holes, triple U-boats, or crack-swarms is a powerful thing.

But he also doesn't have to go VI. He can also play with the Omega Leaders, Carnor Jax's, Inquisitors, and Corran Horns of the world. But when I go for an Ace, I'm looking for a top dog. An assassin.

Here's what I've been using:

34: Tycho Celchu with Test Pilot, VI, Rage, experimental interface, Prockets

Only 1 more point than the Jake build but with one higher PS, similar action economy, Rage synergizes just as well with prockets as Jake+PtL, and a MUCH less predictable dial. The loss of autothrusters matters but evade+Rage go a long way. And let's face it, most turrets have gone the way of the dinosaur, and 2 dice turrets aren't that scary still.

He can't set up procket shots as easily as Jake with his Farrell rolls, but Rage makes them hit very very hard. He's hit what he wants in every game so far. But unlike Jake, Rage continues to give Tycho a punch turn after turn.

Not really caring about stress is a big deal too. Stress control isn't the most common list element anymore but R3-A2 and tacticians rear their angry heads from time to time. Rebel captive? No problem. It also means that debris clouds are nearly a non-issue for him. 1/8 chance of them mattering. Debris clouds also tend to be large and are great for stopping U-boat deadeye shenanigans, and hiding autothrusterless A-wings.

So he's fast enough to manipulate range and dodge torpedoes. He's high enough PS that he can outfly most aces, has his full dial open to him even when stressed, and hits like a truck.

What's not to like?

Would more likely give hime Expert Handling (or Outmaneuver) instead of VI.

I fly Jake and Tycho built like this backed up by Jan Ors for a six dice procket attack the problem is imperial aces and Palpatine. Shoot one at a tokened up Soontir and your six hits will get countered by four evades plus an evade token, and that's half your firepower wasted.

Several more pilots outs PS Tycho if they also take VI, or match him with Adaptability (Wedge, Fel, Talonbane, Dengar, Han, Han2-when he comes out)..but yeah VI Tycho is in the top bracket.

As for Tycho he is my go to A-wing, You may be missing that he can't do Reds while stressed.

Also I'm not sure what you meant with the last sentence, but I am aware he's unable to K-turn while stressed. I don't consider it much of a flaw though, because that's no different than any other PtL ace (except Dengar). But with the entire rest of his dial available, the break off and boost maneuver is often better. I do like keeping stress off him until the first engagement, because I like opening combat with a 5k and possible boost to get behind an enemy formation early.

No autothrusters. That hurts, though I'll admit that rage does a decent job of catching up on Jake's action economy, so it's not bad otherwise.

Jake is better at delivering prockets, and more defensively minded, with more post maneuver repositioning. More easily blocked and out PSed.

Tycho delivers prockets harder usually, is more offensively minded, more difficult to block, and with higher PS. The loss of autothrusters hasn't been a problem for me yet.

Would more likely give hime Expert Handling (or Outmaneuver) instead of VI.

That's the beauty of Tycho, since his baseline PS is the same as 2nd tier aces, VI is not a requirement. He's a very customizable platform and can be built to handle whatever is in your meta. Juke, Crackshot, Wired, Rage, Lightning Reflexes. There are tons of EPTs that he uses well, mix and match as you please.

Though I will say VI has absolutely been a difference maker for me. Tycho took full health Dengar 1v1 in one game, and went toe-to-toe with VI Corran in the next (luckily Corran had initiative). I look forward to using Tycho without VI, but as I set my sights on regionals, I think I need to be higher PS than Palp Aces.

I fly Jake and Tycho built like this backed up by Jan Ors for a six dice procket attack the problem is imperial aces and Palpatine. Shoot one at a tokened up Soontir and your six hits will get countered by four evades plus an evade token, and that's half your firepower wasted.

Thanks for the replies so far, folks!

If delivering max damage PRocket is the goal, just goes balls to the wall with Psycho Tycho and give him Opportunist and Rage, or really up your gambling game and give him Opportunist and Crackshot, to hell with re-rolls, you're gonna roll all crits anyhow on those 6 red dice!

Proton Rockets? Yeah that can help like 1 time. I rather go with 5 A-Wings. Tycho on 8-9, 1 A-Wing on 4 and 3 A-Wing on 1. Bump is the key and power for A-Wing.

1 time is often all you need. Alpha strikes are a very common consideration in the game. Nobody alpha strikes harder than Tycho.

If I destroy a U-boat before it fires, I won't be bummed that it was one time use. I've blown up a wounded Poe, spiked enough damage onto Corran that he had to do greens to live and became predictable, and blasted a B-wing off the map before it fired.

There is definitely a strength in numbers, but don't underestimate the game-changing ability of burst damage.

If delivering max damage PRocket is the goal, just goes balls to the wall with Psycho Tycho and give him Opportunist and Rage, or really up your gambling game and give him Opportunist and Crackshot, to hell with re-rolls, you're gonna roll all crits anyhow on those 6 red dice!

Don't think opportunist works on Tycho. If you Rage, you have stress tokens and can't activate opportunist.

If delivering max damage PRocket is the goal, just goes balls to the wall with Psycho Tycho and give him Opportunist and Rage, or really up your gambling game and give him Opportunist and Crackshot, to hell with re-rolls, you're gonna roll all crits anyhow on those 6 red dice!

Don't think opportunist works on Tycho. If you Rage, you have stress tokens and can't activate opportunist.

Well dang, there goes that idea

I heard he was all the Rage lately.

This is what I'm running on Tycho now... Rage, Test Pilot, PTL, Vectored Thrusters... then Prockets or Chardaan Refit depending on whom I'm flying him with... cost 35/30 point depending on with or without missiles.... I like having the Barrel Roll... I wasn't using Rage earlier because I love Dare Devil on him... but now that VT is out I can still arc dodge decently and have a focus and re-roll dice with rage. So before I had a weak hitting Tycho who was really maneuverable, now with VT I'm getting on the Rage band wagon and my Tycho can duke it out with the best of them.

Lost AutoThrusters... but a fair trade-off for BR on my actions bar.

I think tycho (or jake for that matter) with swarm leader and 3 green squadron pilots with PTL could be good, tycho can get a 4 dice primary (5 at range 1) gives him a gun that might actually do some damage now

4 a wings (100)

Tycho Celchu (31) - A-Wing

Rage (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Experimental Interface (3), Swarm Leader (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Crack shot helps the rest of the a wings push some damage through as well

So he's fast enough to manipulate range and dodge torpedoes. He's high enough PS that he can outfly most aces, has his full dial open to him even when stressed, and hits like a truck.

What's not to like?

2 dice primary

"hits like a truck" is not an honest description, post prockets

maybe a balloon shaped like a truck

I think tycho (or jake for that matter) with swarm leader and 3 green squadron pilots with PTL could be good, tycho can get a 4 dice primary (5 at range 1) gives him a gun that might actually do some damage now

4 a wings (100)

Tycho Celchu (31) - A-Wing

Rage (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Experimental Interface (3), Swarm Leader (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Crack shot helps the rest of the a wings push some damage through as well

I'm wondering if it'd be worth downgrading two of the Greens into a trio of naked Prototype pilots. It'd let the other Green upgrade to Juke, and gives you an extra Evade token on the board to fuel your Swarm Leader.

I think tycho (or jake for that matter) with swarm leader and 3 green squadron pilots with PTL could be good, tycho can get a 4 dice primary (5 at range 1) gives him a gun that might actually do some damage now

4 a wings (100)

Tycho Celchu (31) - A-Wing

Rage (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Experimental Interface (3), Swarm Leader (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing

Crack Shot (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

Crack shot helps the rest of the a wings push some damage through as well

I'm wondering if it'd be worth downgrading two of the Greens into a trio of naked Prototype pilots. It'd let the other Green upgrade to Juke, and gives you an extra Evade token on the board to fuel your Swarm Leader.

Maybe this then

All a wings (99)

Tycho Celchu (31) - A-Wing

Rage (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Experimental Interface (3), Swarm Leader (3)

Prototype Pilot (15) - A-Wing

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Prototype Pilot (15) - A-Wing

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Prototype Pilot (15) - A-Wing

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Arvel Crynyd (23) - A-Wing

Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Juke (2)

This is what I'm running on Tycho now... Rage, Test Pilot, PTL, Vectored Thrusters... then Prockets or Chardaan Refit depending on whom I'm flying him with... cost 35/30 point depending on with or without missiles.... I like having the Barrel Roll... I wasn't using Rage earlier because I love Dare Devil on him... but now that VT is out I can still arc dodge decently and have a focus and re-roll dice with rage. So before I had a weak hitting Tycho who was really maneuverable, now with VT I'm getting on the Rage band wagon and my Tycho can duke it out with the best of them.

Lost AutoThrusters... but a fair trade-off for BR on my actions bar.

It's nice that VT add BR to the Action Bar so it's usable in combination with Boost via PtL. May miss some of the maneuverability of psycho Tycho and it pretty much makes Rage the default action but not a bad choice.

I would not live without Autothrusters. Would rather take Expert Handling insteas of rage and take Autothrusters instead of Vectored thrusters

I used to believe in taking a target lock for rerolls, though I still do. Rage has an automatic focus bonus without using PTL... in one turn. So with PTL you can barrel roll, focus and get rerolls. Now plug in Rage with Proton Rockets thats a five dice attack with focus and a three dice reroll. I'm thinking thats pretty awsome. If you switch out with cluster missiles then that would be focus and on 2 attacks a 3 dice reroll for each. Rage... correct me if I'm wrong... can reroll both cluster missile attacks... though only one attack gets the focus benefit.

You could spend a Focus token on each of the Cluster Missile's attack but only one Focus for the standard benefit with each attack.

I used to believe in taking a target lock for rerolls, though I still do. Rage has an automatic focus bonus without using PTL... in one turn. So with PTL you can barrel roll, focus and get rerolls. Now plug in Rage with Proton Rockets thats a five dice attack with focus and a three dice reroll. I'm thinking thats pretty awsome. If you switch out with cluster missiles then that would be focus and on 2 attacks a 3 dice reroll for each. Rage... correct me if I'm wrong... can reroll both cluster missile attacks... though only one attack gets the focus benefit.

Yeah, but you would still need the target lock to fire the cluster missiles, unless you took dead eye as your second EPT

Your answer: Take Jake

1 time is often all you need. Alpha strikes are a very common consideration in the game. Nobody alpha strikes harder than Tycho.

If I destroy a U-boat before it fires, I won't be bummed that it was one time use. I've blown up a wounded Poe, spiked enough damage onto Corran that he had to do greens to live and became predictable, and blasted a B-wing off the map before it fired.

There is definitely a strength in numbers, but don't underestimate the game-changing ability of burst damage.

5 dice alpha strike. There are I believe 9 dice alpha strikes possible, although they require synergy and good positioning.

5 dice alpha strike, hard to follow, effective but unless someone else is softening them up in earlier turns, who are you unloading it on?

Or an easier one, but needs a bit of positioning/joust.

Fenn Rau, Swarm Leader. 2 scum sycks. Give Fenn the title (for that bit of joust survivability, he may get a second shot) and he can roll 6 dice, 7 at range 1. With focus, unlike Tyco unless he focuses and rages, which he would need either Exp I or Ptl.