hey guys,
continuing on my obsessive looking into of the ARC-170 (can't help it, the spinning 360 of the model on the news page has me hypnotized
), I decided I wanted to delve a little more deeply into all the possibilities this not so little craft offers
Before we start , though, I have to quickly say that I won't be addressing any upgrades with random triggers . There is A LOT of stuff to go through, and I don't really care to devote time to the kind of upgrade that I particularly despise. So, no, I don't plan to discuss the "merits" of Lando or R3. You have been forewarned
Secondly, a rating system!
The "Will Fickle Ever Use This?" Scale:
Nope
Eh...
Possibly!
Finally, in defiance of the typical order, a
TL;DR!
(it's a long post, guys
)
R4-D6 could be cool with Braylen and Tail Gunner/Nien for a relative cheap ARC that won't immediately go 'splody on you [28 points]
R5 doesn't really do much, but at 6 critable hull mileage may vary.
R2 probably won't do much since we're promised 6 speed 1-2 green manuevers
R2-D6 gives Thane crackshot and Braylen Rage if you like to gamble; wish it were 0 points like it should have been
R5-X3 could be a great one-pointer, if you remember he exists
R3-A2 is still the god of stress
BB-8 might as well have made the ARC his home. 6 greens + aux arc (less need to red maneuver to orientate forward firing make) make this THE ship for him, imo
Targeting Astromech just isn't that great
R7 is nice because 1 agility makes defensive focus kinda bleh. Fingers crossed that Finn/Rey do something to remove opponent's dice mods, because then R7 will kick ass
R2-F2 ...no
R7-T1 is still situational as all hell, but seems fun on Thane. For more fun, use Thane with R7-t1 and Zeb; prepare to give your best Samuel Jackson pulp fiction impression
R5-P9 does not work well with the ARC compared to R2D2
R2D2 is R2D2; you can fly him and c3po to make your prequel ship as OT as possible (don't expect to please the fanboys, though)
with all that out of the way, let's go!
[ 1 POINT ASTROS:]
1.) R4-D6 (aka "the Biggs Bot")
I'd like to start with r4-d6 to to enforce a minor point, that all the ARCS not named "Braylen Stramm" really care about their actions (Thane performs free actions, Shara wants target-locks and Norra wants target-locks AND focus).
Not to say that R4-D6 has no merit on a ship that is probably letting all the damage it takes roll right through its single agility, but there's only one pilot who can essentially ignore the significant downside (and, even then, losing modifiers kind of sucks)
I really like the benefit of R4-D6, though, so lets see if Braylen can hack it
Synergizes with:
Alliance Overhaul . The fact the we have an aux-arc already minimizes the problem with stress (no k-turns or us lowly non-defenders), but the title pulls double-duty by offering action-independent modifiers that aren't hampered by stress. This fact could make Tail Gunner an attractive investment. Gunner/Luke are also options, but at their price point I don't feel you're making the most of them in this build
Nien Nub to give you more greens to gamble with Braylen's ability (you don't need greens, but a green manuever + Braylen will clear two stress in one go)
(sorta) Kyle Katarn. Hey! Actual synergy! Sadly, it's a bit sloppy since the triggering stress is by no means a guarantee (gotta get shot at or pull a red maneuver first)
(sorta) Hera Syndulla. Get stressed; red maneuver anyway. Kind of weird given how I just illustrated how much Alliance Overhaul helps, though, and the added stress doesn't really help with Braylen's random ability
(not really) Chopper. Bam! Actions when stressed! self damage kinda defeats the purpose of
r4-d6 in the first place, though...
(not really) Ezra Bridger. Not only is he kind of redundant with Alliance Overhaul , but Braylen's sometimes stress-removal is going to make their relationship really peculiar
example build: Braylen (25 ) + r4-d6 (1) + tail gunner (2) = 28 points
What we're looking at, ultimately, is cheapish ARC-170 that can soak damage and hopefully contribute at least a little bit offensively.
He is still pricey, and for that reason I highly doubt he'll ever breach the upper echelons of competitive play, but it is probably the cheapest way to run a sexy ARC that won't spontaneously combust on you
2.) R5 ASTROMECH
The "**** it, I have a point left over" astromech
The effect of this astromech could be significant on our 1 agility, 6 hull ship but I've personally never been impressed. If you feel differently about him, keep him in the front of your card binders. He is, after all, only a point
R5 does do the impossible of making me wish Greedo were
Rebel Scum Only
, because with him, r5 and Determination we could have ourselves a troll of a time. Alas, not meant to be
Synergizes with
(not really...I think) R2-D2 (crew). Someone's going to have to dig through the phase order and determine whether or not "during the end phase" (r5) and "at the end of the end phase" (r2-d2 crew) actually allow them to trigger in the proper order (R2-d2 first; r5 to undo the damage hopefully).
3.) R2 Astromech
given the promise of 6 green maneuvers at speed 1-2, r2 astro is set to only open up 2-turns as green maneuvers. As solid as I feel the little droid is, I don't think the ARC in particular cares enough
4.) R2-D6
Ah, the two point, double-priced crackshot
r2-d6 is a tragically limited card that I don't believe deserves to cost a point (if your upgrade doesn't do anything by itself, imo it should be zero points like Slave 1 ).
Only Braylen and Thane actually get anything out of R2-D6. Of the two, Thane is probably the one you'd want with an ept due to his action efficient ability
If R2-d6 were 0 points as he should have been, I do believe I would slap him on Thane without hesitation. Having access to crackshot or adrenaline rush (red move without denying your own ability) could be a lot of fun, but the double cost associated makes it far less attractive
Synergizes with
Crackshot. Probably why you'd run it in the first place. Thane is Theodore Roosevelt's "Big stick", ie he's there to discourage people from targeting friendlies by threatening fully modified retaliation. Crackshot helps hit the enemy where it hurts. Could run with Tail Gunner for extra "**** your green dice", though at a not inexpensive 30 points.
Rage (Braylen). Not the combo for me, because you're crutching on Braylen's 50% ability, but it's there if you want to chance it. Like with r4-d6, Tail Gunner providing an action-independent modifier and Nien Nub opening up some green moves could be good options when you're dealing with stress.
Draw Their Fire . Yeah, it's not a crew but this is r2-d6 we're talking about here. I'm not super stoked about the combo, but given Thane's easy synergy with Biggs you may want to give DTF a look. At two points and without regeneration (r2-d2 crew anyone?...yeah too pricey), I'd personally give it a pass
Stay On Target (Braylen). Sadly, the big draw to Stay on Target (targeting astromech) can't fit when r2-d6's fat arse is already sitting in his seat. Still, if you like being an absolute bugger with Intelligence Agent, well here's your chance.
Outmanuever. Four points of investment on a low pilot skill, mostly included to remind you that it exists and that the arc has two arcs to work with it. I do believe, however, that Tail Gunner is the far superior investment
5.) R5-X3 (aka "Dash Bot")
like his generic cousin, R5-X3 is one of those "I have a point, so **** it" options that don't really synergize with much
the difference here is, while r5 astro could sometimes help you, r5-k6 can be used to give you a pretty decidedly epic turn based on how you fly rather than what you're hit with
for one turn, your ARC-170 will turn into Dash Rendar (both the pilot AND the crew, though I'm not certain if he ignores obstruction on attacks)
His biggest problem, imo is that he can't be taken with bb-8 for maximum troll, so you are going to have to put some thought into making him tick
Because Braylen and Norra are probably going to be using astromechs that synergize with their abilities (more specifically, PTL in Norra's case though R5-X3 will help her there too for one turn), R5-X3's most likely home is Thane. Some positioning flexibility will allow you to utilize maximum arc coverage for his ability
He's not something that you can slot in easily for maximum efficiency, but he's probably not someone you want to forget exists entirely. For one point, he could lead to some glorious plays
[2 POINT ASTROS:]
1.) R3-A2 (God of Stress)
Won't spend much time here, because we should all know this little guy kicks ass
The most obvious synergies with the ARC-170 are
Braylen (again, cares the least about stress) with either Gunner or Tactician to emulate the BTL-a4 Y's ability to double stress
Norra with KK. r3-a2 + KK is the only way (other than PTL) to generate a self sufficient focus + TL for her ability thanks to Biophysical for noticing the combo! While single stress doesn't seem amazing, it can actually really dictate an opponent's ability to fire at you at all in addition to helping set up your pilot ability.
R3-a2 + KK Norra has a free ept slot, which means you can invest in TL-independent re-rolls (lone wolf or Predator) or in Veteran Instincts to shoot her up to Pilot Skill 9
2.) BB-8 (so awesome that they had to give him a lighter, even though no one in star wars smokes)
after immensely enjoying BB-8 on Wedge and Ello, I have to say the ARC-170 strikes me as the far superior platform
the most annoying thing about BB-8 is that having stress will shut him off for the round (free action triggers before maneuver), so having to k-turn or T-roll will take him out of the game for two. Even Asty's white t-roll means a turn without bb-8, and that's a sad thing to live through
The ARC, though? you don't need to k-turn when you have an aux arc
the promise of six green maneuvers is also the most of any Astromech bearing ship, making it a very promising time for bb-8 even if they don't have a green 3 foward
Synergizes with
Tail Gunner. In keeping with how the aux arc frees you up for more bb-8 fun, Tail Gunner makes your aux arc far more potent than normal which makes it an easy combo. PTL Norra especially benefits from bb-8 and Tailgunner, due to bb-8 shedding PTL's stress and the combination of her ability and Alliance Overhaul from the rear-arc interacting with Tail Gunner.
Nien Nunb , for when you gotta roll fast!
Intelligence Agent. Annoy the crap out of your opponent with low PS blocking! Might actually be a use for Shara, since she ain't using that TL if she's not shooting anything right?
Sabine Wren . I love bombs, and if I understand this correctly Bb-8's "when you reveal a green maneuver" and seismic charge's "When you reveal your maneuver dial" should trigger simultaneously, allowing you to determine the order (allowing you to barrel-roll into optimal seismic dropping position!). The reason I'm not recommending this whole-heartedly, however, is because it's freaking expensive. You're looking at 8 points for Seismics + extras + sabine + bb-8 at a minimum; 9 for VI (makes your seismics far more effective because you know when they'll detonate on lower PS pilots)
Dash Rendar. A rarely seen and oft forgotten but interesting crew, Dash Rendar's crew ability doesn't work off of bb-8 as much as his pilot ability would have (imagine just bb-8ing onto rocks without a care in the world), but he does let you land yourself on asteroids without forcing you to forfeit an attack. With PTL, you'll still get a single action off of bb-8's barrel roll too (with Norra and Alliance Overhaul , you'll want a target-lock)! A corner case and situational benefit, but in the right hands it could be game defining. Don't forget that he allows you to ignore obstruction; that lucky green die could be game changing if your let your opponent have it!
3.) Targeting Astromech (it's not red here because it's a red droid...)
eh, you'd think the promise of a lot of high speed red maneuvers would make TA a more exciting option, no? Unfortunately, I just don't see it being too impressive
TA's biggest problem is that you normally can't chain it from round to round (Stress + red maneuver = no no) making a 2 point cost a rather suspect investment in most cases. Unlike the Ghost, the ARC doesn't have the upgrade real-estate necessary to compensate for the lack of mods when using something like Hera to assuage this drawback (though it does have Alliance Overhaul from the rear)
Braylen provides the obvious answer...half of the time.
Half the time
, you're looking at 2 points for a fully modified shot (maneuver, TA for a lock, magically shed your stress; focus)
and you'll get to do it again next turn
the other half of the time?...
sucks
. You can see perhaps why FFG chose to make ept-less Braylen have an rng dependent ability, but I personally weep for what was lost here
None of the other arcs particularly enjoy losing their actions, with perhaps the exception of Shara since TA will get her a lock regardless
Synergizes with
Chopper (Braylen). For 0 points, TA Braylen is guaranteed full mods for one turn with a 50% chance of self-damage for 28 points. Don't think you'd want to help your opponent kill the normally not so durable ARC, especially when Chopper doesn't get around the fact that Braylen cannot chain red maneuvers if his ability craps out on him. Personally, I believe even Thane without upgrades is the strictly investment, as he has a better chance at getting fully modified shots at a higher PS (significant over scouts) for cheaper.
Hera. The problem with Hera in this set-up is that the ARC doesn't have a way to generate focus mods after you've clogged up both the crew and astromech slot. This means you'll only ever run around with re-rolls, provided you only take red moves (easier to do with Stay on Target ).
Ezra
.
"I got your focus right here!" Unfortunately, now we don't have Hera so the combo of TA + Ezra will only kick in half of the time (75% of the time with Bray? I can't do math
) since you can't chain red moves. Also half redundant with
Alliance Overhaul's
rear arc benefit.
4.) R7 Astromech ( the "Mison" in "Tarn Mison")
R7 astromech is one of my personal favorite cards that I've sadly never really been able to find a good home for. Tarn is the obvious combo, of course, but he gets old really quickly.
On the plus side, the ARC-170's measly 1 agility makes defensive focus far less attractive so you'll have plenty of excuses to target-lock (especially if you're already getting the focus --> crit benefit from Alliance Overhaul ) on everyone who isn't Norra
The trick with R7, as with all forced re-rolls (so...just zuckuss crew?), is that it's far more effective against unmodified opponents. Unfortunately, we don't have any abilities nor crew currently that crew over your opponent's modifiers except indirectly (Tactician stress?). Hopefully, Heroes of the Resistance will deliver? (come on Finn or Rey!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Keep this card close at hand . He might soon become A LOT more valuable than he currently is
Currently, the main synergies with R7 currently have to come from external sources, such as stress dealers, blockers and Wes Jenson
Synergizes with
Tactician , albeit indirectly. Tactician stress is a way to attempt to deny your opponent's modifiers to make R7's forced re-rolls all the more annoying.
Weapon's Engineer. Personally, I think the pig's an awful waste of 3 points simply because he cannot stack TLs on the same ship. Because he splits TLs across two ships, he encourages inefficient split fire when you should be doing your utmost to concetrate and kill enemy ships instead of leaving them alive where they can do some horrible damage. Well, with R7 at least the piggy serves an additional purpose. Lock onto the enemy you want dead, piggy onto the enemy you don't want to shoot and use r7 against him. Expensive at 5 points; almost undoubtedly inefficient, but it's something
[3 Point Astros:]
1.) R2-F2
good lord no
synergizes with Flight Instructor to at least get a good laugh
2.) R7-T1
personally, not at all a fan of this guy. He's incredibly conditional, requiring a range 1-2 opponent to have you in arc before you get any benefit out of him
the only ARC-170 pilot that seems to care at all about R7-T1 is Thane. Thane stares enemies dead in the face and DARES them to shoot someone else. If they do, you're either R7-T1ing into range 1 for a fully modified 4 dice or you're already there and taking the focus.
the boost portion of R7-t1 could also help align Thane's firing arc to better orient his ability
Synergizes with:
Tail Gunner . Between the range limitation on R7-t1 and the distance created by boost, you can easily overshoot your enemy with your front arc.
Intelligence Agent. Hey, it's a potential boost on lower PS pilots. That's a perfect recipe for blocking
"Zeb" Orrelios . Continuing with the theme of low PS boost blocking, we have the crew that lets you fire at opponents your normally couldn't have base-to-base. While probably not effective, this is the pinnacle of Thane's "I DARE YOU" technology as there isn't a blocked ace in their right mind who would dare trigger his ability under these circumstances. Be sure to bring Biggs for maximum troll
3.) R5-P9
A situational but potentially powerful (poe; yay alliteration!) astromech that sadly doesn't synergize efficiently with the ARC
while you have the obvious combo of Rec Spec and R5-p9, you're simply better off with the more points efficient and action independent R2-D2 especially if running push the limit (ie norra)
Another problem with the Rec Spec and R5-p9 combo is that the two higher PS ARCs are wedded to their target-locks to have their abilities do anything, while the lower PS ARCs probably aren't going to be able to abuse regeneration to the point where the expense is worth it
[Four Point Astromechs
R2-D2]
1.) R2-D2
I mean, it's r2-d2 and the ARC can stack him with c3po
already wrote about him here
the end! (TL;DR above...hope you didn't miss it...)
sadly, the trip down astromech + crew lane didn't inspire as much as I thought it would, but I did not consider the following two arc builds before
Braylen (r4-d6 + tailgunner) - 28
Thane (r2-d6, crackshot; tailgunner) - 30
and I now hope to try them out ASAP
Edited by ficklegreendice
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