It seems to me that the designers could easily introduce a new feature to the game that would immediately make different parts of the meta viable without breaking anything: Squad Cards.

A Squad Card would be standard sized ship card that would contain discounts (or buffs) for flying certain configurations of ships. Only one allowed per 100-point squad. They could could come in thematic flavors (based on canon or EU), experimental, hypothetical, or even "funzies".

For tournament play, they could be played for a year at a time, and then retired on a rotation basis. This would be key, as it would allow for developers to respond to meta shifts without breaking their self-imposed ban on errata and card reprints to fix obviously overcosted ships.

Examples:

EX-Wing Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic X-Wings or E-Wings (limit 4).

Astromechs reduced by 50% (rounded up).

M3-A Squad: 1 point

Add one Hull and -1 points to M3-As equipped with a Title card (limit 4).

One canon reduced by 50% (round up).

Imperial Variety Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 1 point for each different ship type in your list, as long as your list contains no more than one unique pilot, and no Crew costing more than 4 points.

--------

Etc.

Thoughts?

I like the idea of promoting thematic squads in a tournament format by giving certain combinations a bonus. It would let us see some of the 'lesser' ships in the tournament scene on a rotating basis. It's basically a temporary cost fix for over-costed ships.

Something like this could be read as FFG attempting to fine-tune the meta too much. It'd be kind of strange and not very exciting if cost-adjusting cards like this come out to make certain ships flyable but only as specific pre-determined templates. Those unflyable ships would get into an even more complicated scenario if some future equipment cards catapulted them out of unflyable status.

Because of the super long development cycle, it seems like it could immediately produce some variety and also provide a response to any unintended consequences (JM5k). Once proper counters or fixes are actually introduced, the squad cards time out and we move on. OR perhaps they stay in the loop permanently and developers are done.

I think it could encourage players to purchase more ships too, or at least get more mileage out of prior multiple purchases. Maybe even help distributors clear inventory of any duds! (M3-As, Kihraxzs...)

Examples:

EX-Wing Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic X-Wings or E-Wings (limit 4).

Astromechs reduced by 50% (rounded up).

M3-A Squad: 1 point

Add one Hull and -1 points to M3-As equipped with a Title card (limit 4).

One canon reduced by 50% (round up).

Imperial Variety Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 1 point for each different ship type in your list, as long as your list contains no more than one unique pilot, and no Crew costing more than 4 points.

Interesting thought and I like the concept. Although I like the X-wing squad card idea above, I don't think the other two balance out as a squad increase as much; seems a bit biased. Maybe:

X-Wing Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic X-Wings or E-Wings (max two of each type).

Astromechs reduced by 50% (one per ship, percentage rounded up).

M3-A Squad: 2 points

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic M3-As or Kihraxz (max two of each type).

Canons reduced by 50% (one per ship, percentage rounded up).

Imperial Variety Squad: 2 points

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic TIE and TIE Variants (max two of each type).

Modifications reduced by 50% (one per ship, percentage rounded up).

Examples:

EX-Wing Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic X-Wings or E-Wings (limit 4).

Astromechs reduced by 50% (rounded up).

M3-A Squad: 1 point

Add one Hull and -1 points to M3-As equipped with a Title card (limit 4).

One canon reduced by 50% (round up).

Imperial Variety Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 1 point for each different ship type in your list, as long as your list contains no more than one unique pilot, and no Crew costing more than 4 points.

Interesting thought and I like the concept. Although I like the X-wing squad card idea above, I don't think the other two balance out as a squad increase as much; seems a bit biased. Maybe:

X-Wing Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic X-Wings or E-Wings (max two of each type).

Astromechs reduced by 50% (one per ship, percentage rounded up).

M3-A Squad: 2 points

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic M3-As or Kihraxz (max two of each type).

Canons reduced by 50% (one per ship, percentage rounded up).

Imperial Variety Squad: 2 points

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic TIE and TIE Variants (max two of each type).

Modifications reduced by 50% (one per ship, percentage rounded up).

I feel like there could be far more interesting bonuses to squads than just point reductions.

This is always billed as something to improve diversity, but all I see is shoehorning into running particular ships.

I would enjoy a squad card or "directive" card that influence whole squads. The Magic geek in me like Squad cards because the have the ideas of tribal decks (my favourite kind) in them, but might bring more swarm like lists instead of diversity.

This is always billed as something to improve diversity, but all I see is shoehorning into running particular ships.

Isn't encouraging people to fly particular ships (that are never ever flown competitively) by definition encouraging diversity?

I don't get your point.

It's a fact that certain ships are out-classed and will never be used competitively unless the developers introduce something that changes the game. There are also certain archetypes that never see play, even if an individual ship does.

Simple discounts to encourage more experimentation with no-representation squads seems a low-risk way to encourage diversity and broaden the meta.

we did this over in Warmachine with a system known as "Tier/Theme lists"

you have to be very careful with it, because while it makes certain normally unviable configurations hilarious it can also break the **** out of the game depending on which benefits you give

even if it doesn't break the game, it can turn games into horrible match-up nightmares as suddenly someone shows up with nothing but swarms of magic anti-infantry pistol-wielding mages and swarms lightly armored semi-sentient robots packing the equivalent of high caliber anti-tank rifles, a combination of which will swiss-cheese some lists and get stone-walled by others

warmachine did lessen this problem by having their competitive formats be multi-list (which we have in X-wing leagues, I believe it's called "Hangar"?) but they ultimately decided to get rid of the idea in the latest edition of the game

ultimately, it's a bit of a pain to have to plan for tier/theme lists on top of normal list building options, and it would mar the relative simplicity of x-wing a bit

One of the (very few) things I like about competitive Star Trek Attack Wing over X-Wing is the resource cards. These are given out as participation prizes in kits. The resource always has a cost in squad points, and also has a benefit to the entire squad. The only catch really is that you can only take 1 resource in your squad and WizKids didn't get the cost/benefit ratio perfect for every single resource (I'm putting it kindly). It does make squads a little more interesting.

Having the T-65 fix be a squadron card is an idea I like. A 4 X-wing squad verse a tie swarm is something I would like to see on a regular basis. Though I do worry about unintended consequences if squad cards happen.

no need to make Squadron cards when it could just be title cards

Rogue Squadron X - 0/1 point

X-wing Only. Rebellion Only. Title.

When attacking, if another friendly ship at range 1 has the defender inside its firing arc, you may re-roll 1 attack die

which, imo, would be a simpler superior fix since you're encouraging Xs by making it an x-wing specific title, but you're not necessarily encouraging ONLY x-wing spam because it'll work with any friendly ship

you COULD still spam Rogue Squadron X-wings, just so you can laugh in howlrunner's face, but you have the option of running that list AND other, more diverse lists instead of just having the former option

This is always billed as something to improve diversity, but all I see is shoehorning into running particular ships.

Isn't encouraging people to fly particular ships (that are never ever flown competitively) by definition encouraging diversity?

No.

Encouraging people to fly specific ships is quite the opposite.

You can buff the X-wing directly or you can buff the X-wing only when teamed with three other X-wings. Both approaches allow X-wing spam, but one doesn't allow X-wings to be incorporated into other squads in a viable state.

It's a fact that certain ships are out-classed and will never be used competitively unless the developers introduce something that changes the game. There are also certain archetypes that never see play, even if an individual ship does.

I'd call that an unsubstantied claim, not a fact. Unless you have evidence to back it up?

Simple discounts to encourage more experimentation with no-representation squads seems a low-risk way to encourage diversity and broaden the meta.

Or they could buff those ships directly.

The main thing is that I certainly agree with the notion that weak ships need to be buffed, there are already mechanisms in place to assist them (ace boxes, primarily). FAQ rulings are historically used to temper overpowered mechanics (Tactician limiting, TLT excluded as viable for Ghost use). It's slow, but with how inflexible the game is as a product of being physical media, it's understandable that they proceed cautiously. I wouldn't even say that the strength of the triple contracted scouts is a meta emergency, we've got Imp Vets and Heroes of the Resistance, both with opportunities to complicate things in the meantime.

Edit (forgot the point):

The idea of releasing cards with the intent to create and encourage new, specific lists will likely end up narrowing the playing field and not widening it. If 4 T-65 X-wings suddenly became powerful meta on the back of a squad card, people would celebrate this up until the point where the list wins two tournaments.

I would enjoy a squad card or "directive" card that influence whole squads. The Magic geek in me like Squad cards because the have the ideas of tribal decks (my favourite kind) in them, but might bring more swarm like lists instead of diversity.

Are there any serious tier-1 competitive swarms except for TIE? Nothing for scum anyway. (Once in a blue moon you may see a 5-A or Z-95 list out there).

5-A, Tie Swarms (of the Crackshot variety) and the Rebel z-95 are all commonly used.

You don't see Scum swarms (save for 3 Uboats) because the scum indendity promotes the use of Rag Tag units. It might not have been the maker's intention, but scum lists shine when diverse, an aspect I love.

5-A, Tie Swarms (of the Crackshot variety) and the Rebel z-95 are all commonly used.

You don't see Scum swarms (save for 3 Uboats) because the scum indendity promotes the use of Rag Tag units. It might not have been the maker's intention, but scum lists shine when diverse, an aspect I love.

Everyone loves something about the game, right

Seriously, the designers are on record as saying the M3-A are over costed and need a hull on top of that. I believe the community feels generic X-Wings are in need of something.

Putting out a squad card with a one-year expiration date, that makes M3-As interesting without being O/P cannot but help to increase diversity somewhat, with little downside risk. If they get it wrong, it times out. If they get it right, they can make the fix permanent with a title or whatever.

Putting out a squad card could be done at a printer in a day. Putting out new ship with a fix card included for a different ship could take years.

@Blue: I'm sure you've seen list juggler and can see the stats on ships that see competitive play, and ships that do well in tournaments.

The idea I proposed (which is far from original I completely acknowledge), was mainly to give the game some increased options in a lower risk way.

To reduce the risk of getting "fixes" wrong even further, some of these cards could be introduced just for specific tournaments, or seasons. Granted, this would have the downside of potentially confusing the casual player who bump into these cards. However the casual player may never attend a tournament anyway, and perhaps isn't even aware of ship tiers.

@All: thanks for the feedback!

It's clear that there are a lot of competing thoughts about where the game is, where it's going, and where it should go. I'm excited to hear other (more) practical ideas to get more use out of lower tier ships.

This is always billed as something to improve diversity, but all I see is shoehorning into running particular ships.

Isn't encouraging people to fly particular ships (that are never ever flown competitively) by definition encouraging diversity?

I don't get your point.

It's a fact that certain ships are out-classed and will never be used competitively unless the developers introduce something that changes the game. There are also certain archetypes that never see play, even if an individual ship does.

Simple discounts to encourage more experimentation with no-representation squads seems a low-risk way to encourage diversity and broaden the meta.

Fixes should focus on making a ship competitive, not a group of them.

It seems to me that the designers could easily introduce a new feature to the game that would immediately make different parts of the meta viable without breaking anything: Squad Cards.

A Squad Card would be standard sized ship card that would contain discounts (or buffs) for flying certain configurations of ships. Only one allowed per 100-point squad. They could could come in thematic flavors (based on canon or EU), experimental, hypothetical, or even "funzies".

For tournament play, they could be played for a year at a time, and then retired on a rotation basis. This would be key, as it would allow for developers to respond to meta shifts without breaking their self-imposed ban on errata and card reprints to fix obviously overcosted ships.

Examples:

EX-Wing Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 2 points on all generic X-Wings or E-Wings (limit 4).

Astromechs reduced by 50% (rounded up).

M3-A Squad: 1 point

Add one Hull and -1 points to M3-As equipped with a Title card (limit 4).

One canon reduced by 50% (round up).

Imperial Variety Squad: 1 point

Receive a discount of 1 point for each different ship type in your list, as long as your list contains no more than one unique pilot, and no Crew costing more than 4 points.

--------

Etc.

Thoughts?

Shouldn't happen.

It certainly shouldn't happen as a "fix" to various ships although I could see a "Squadron Upgrade Card" as some type of all inclusive "team" bonus that affects all ship (maybe of a specific type) in the squadron. I certainly should cost next to nothing and then REDUCE the cost of other things in the squadron which those examples all do.

A squadron upgrade would has bring in questions about how to deal with it as far as scoring goes. Since it isn't a ship is it only scored if a squadron is completely destroyed? Is there a way to remove the bonus during play or is that going to require taking out ships to make it's effect no longer useful? I'm thinking that such an upgrade may be untouchable in game BUT should award your opponent it's cost right away; this means if there is a 4 points Imperial Upgrade to help a TIE Swarm those 4 points are immediately credited to the opponent when it comes to determining victory.

@Blue: I'm sure you've seen list juggler and can see the stats on ships that see competitive play, and ships that do well in tournaments.

The idea I proposed (which is far from original I completely acknowledge), was mainly to give the game some increased options in a lower risk way.

To reduce the risk of getting "fixes" wrong even further, some of these cards could be introduced just for specific tournaments, or seasons. Granted, this would have the downside of potentially confusing the casual player who bump into these cards. However the casual player may never attend a tournament anyway, and perhaps isn't even aware of ship tiers.

Show me a "wrong" fix.

I've yet to see any objective tiering of ships. There are a small number of ships about which there is a rough consensus but beyond that it's highly debated. Ships don't enter tournaments, lists do.

"The idea I proposed (which is far from original I completely acknowledge), was mainly to give the game some increased options in a lower risk way."

It's no different to reducing the cost of each ship except you're requiring that ship to be spammed.

It's strictly inferior to discounting the ships directly as far as diversity is concerned.

How about squad cards you can play if you're sick of a certain list. You can bring one per tournament. When your opponent brings a meta list you hate to the table, hand them this card.

Jumpmaster Hoser (2 points) - If opponent's squad includes more than 1 Jumpmaster 5K, they choose one EPT to keep and discard all others

Not again Soontir (2 points) - If opponent's squad includes Emperor Palpatine, discard all stealth device upgrade cards equipped by their pilots.

Wampa'd no more (2 points) - Emperor Palpatine's ability cannot be applied to pilots with PS 4 or lower.

Stupid **** Omega Leader (2 points) - If opponent's squad includes Omega Leader, your pilots gain "Action: Discard a target lock on a friendly ship in range 1-2"

I hate Turrets (2 points) - Only one TLT per squad may fire twice per turn. All other TLTs fire one per turn.

TIE Swarm Repellant (2 points) - If your opponent's squad contains 6 or more ships, Howlrunner's ability only applies to ships in his firing arc.

Imperial assaults something similar, where you buy a card in squad points, and it grants a bonus. If well done, it could add another layer to listing.

To promote a type of diversity I could see these working:

"Shuttle Only"
"TIE only"
For Imperials.

"YT Only"
"Wing Only"
For Rebels.

"Titled Ship Only"
"Fighter Only"
For Scum.

The Shuttle only is there because the Xwing, no, the World needs more Shuttle squads. For such far reaching upgrades though, I think they'd have to almost cost as much as a Standard Tie Fighter and make you think "Is my whole squad's synergy worth more than an extra ship".