#bombersbeforetheywerecool

I find myself wondering why take Deathfire? Ya he has a cool ability, but how useful is it, really? When compared to the glory that is the double k-wing advanced slam Sabine list, it just seems to be lacking. I really want bombers to be a great add to any imperial list. Or a great list in and of themselves. But they seem, as Han would put it "good against remotes, but not good against the living."

simply put, it IS lacking in comparison

why?

Because Deathfire with conners AND extras COSTS THE SAME as a Warden Squadron K...without any upgrades

another thing we have to understand about Deathfire is that...well, he's a bomber. As opposed to a K-wing, this means he's

1.) Cheap

2.) can take missiles without screwing himself over (ie, has a K-turn, which the ironically named K does not)

so you can turn Deathfire into a hybrid damage dealer AND conner carrier for a fairly modest cost (comes out to 28, which is the same as a Gamma Vet with crackshot/deadeye and a homing missile with extras)

currently running him with Long Range Scanners, Conners, Homing and Extras alongside

PTL tie/mk2 tie/x7 Ryad

Juke tie/x7 Vessery

still getting my head around how to properly apply conners with him, since it is completely different than ASLAM Ks, but even in games where I don't drop a single one he's still setting up for Vess and farting out fully modified 4 dice missiles

More to the point, it's lacking in comparison because Deathfire's a different faction.

I like Deathfire. PS3. A relatively good ability. Good as a one off you don't care that much about.

But the rest of the bombers. Dang. They're really poor. Not good for ordnance. Not good for bombs. Die too quickly to high firepower of the modern day. Always get blinded pilot. =P

More to the point, it's lacking in comparison because Deathfire's a different faction.

no, that's just "lacking in sabine"

empire is less about raw bomb damage and more about raw dice damage, hence Deathfire also packing homing missiles and two incredibly powerful defender friends that put out more damage than anything rebels can offer at an equivalent price

guys like Vader, Whisper and the Inquisitor also provide a punch that rebellion aces can't match, unless you're thinking of Procket Jake's one shot

I still struggle with TIE/Bombers having only one Bomb slot. That, for me, stops them from being bombers and instead I use them as missile boats.

If Deathfire had a pilot ability that added an extra Bomb slot, or gave a free Extra Munitions effect, then I'd more likely use him. However, as he's written now, he's a trick pony that can only use the ability twice.

Why would you take Deathfire?

It's simple.

His last name is McDibs.

Where else can you find a pilot with a name as awesome as Deathfire McDibs?

I still struggle with TIE/Bombers having only one Bomb slot. That, for me, stops them from being bombers and instead I use them as missile boats.

If Deathfire had a pilot ability that added an extra Bomb slot, or gave a free Extra Munitions effect, then I'd more likely use him. However, as he's written now, he's a trick pony that can only use the ability twice.

eh...

it's really a difference in expectation then, specifically the expectations regarding "how long will this shieldless ship live; how many bombs can I reasonably fire off in that period of time?"

"two" is already pretty optimistic imo , but you only need one conners to open up game winning plays

not to mention (again) that nothing is stopping him from firing missiles

honestly, for what you're paying over the standard scimitar (1 point), D-fire could probably be justified as just an "obsidian squadron pilot"

If Deathfire is in a position to have dropped a 3rd bomb I'd say either you are winning handily, wasted two bombs, or are playing a very odd game.

Why "Deathfire"?

Because "Mr. McDibs" doesn't have the same ring to it.

He is an affordable control ship which can lay a conner net after repositioning with a barrel roll.

Throw on flechette torps and long range scanners, EM and Conners and you've got a beast of a control ship which interceptors won't want to PLT around.

And any shots they spend on him are shots that they aren't using on your end game finisher

He is an affordable control ship which can lay a conner net after repositioning with a barrel roll.

he can also fart them out as if they were seismics

which is sometimes a horrible thing to forget you can do

But the rest of the bombers. Dang. They're really poor. Not good for ordnance. Not good for bombs. Die too quickly to high firepower of the modern day.

Personally I've been doing well using Tomax Bren w/ Crack Shot, Homing Missiles, Extra Munitions, Guidance Chips.

I have been using deathfire with ex Mun conners proton torps and GC. Alongside Ryad and quisy.

I have found him really useful, the conners are fab it really sets things up or even lands players on asteroids.

I was using a gamma vet but came across a wes list so decided the conners gave me another option, not looked back.

As ficklegreendice said, Deathfire with Conners and Homing Missiles is amazeballs. It combines the two archetypes that normally play completely differently: the minelayer ship and the missile gunboat. Individually each of these ships is relatively inflexibile and predictable.

Minelayers can be predicted to rush into close range, block and drop Conners. They're weak to enemies that keep their distance and manuever in tight formations that make blow-past maneuvers impossible unless initiated at very close range. Even K-wings may find it problematic despite the incredible burst of speed from SLAM. Bombers find it even more challenging and there's always a risk that your minelayer will simply get nuked down before it can make it's Conner net pass.

Missile gunboat on the other hand thrives on staying at range 3, preferably in a flanking position. It is quite predictable in that it will try to slow roll to ensure it's not caught up close. It is vulnerable to enemies who might turn against it, rush in and stick to range 1 or out of arc, never letting it get it's ordnance shot.

While either of these archetypes is quite predictable and inflexible, having both on the same ship actually makes it very flexible and quite unpredictable. I've used this combo recently and quite often my opponent was genuinely surprised when I rushed into a blocking position instead of slow rolling when I had a TL on him. He made a deliberate move to get close and ensure no missiles are fired only to bump or overshoot and set himself in a perfect position for a Conner at the start of the next turn. Or to the contrary, I'd set up in a flanking position that would normally be pretty terrible for a minelayer but perfect for a missile gunboat. The opponent was given a choice to eat the missiles or turn against the bomber fully knowing that doing so will not only expose his flank to my other fighters but also set up a Conner Net attack on the next turn unless he can nuke down Deathfire in one round of shooting (harder than it seems).

Now, without Sabine Deathfire's mines obviously won't have the killing power of a K-wing minelayer. They'll be there mostly to deny actions and set up winning situations, not to damage. That said, at close range Deathfire's ability makes him actually far more capable and flexible at dropping those mines at the target he chooses. And when it comes to long range threat and actual killing power, 2 homing missile salvos provide both in spades.

Finally, Deathfire is much cheaper than a K-wing. Losing it isn't such a blow and there's enough budget left for two really dangerous fighters to accompany him. Or should I say two fighters that Deathfire can support. Unlike a K-wing, Deathfire is more of a disruptor and a useful tactical tool rather than a primary damage dealer. Even if all he does is to distract the enemy, he's already done his job. If he manages to actually run out of either Conners or Missiles (never mind both), he's probably more than paid for itself.

'cause he's fire....that causes death!

Thanks Lightrock. that makes a lot of sense.

Ive been wanting to fly Deathfire with Conners, EM, and EU for 27pts. After the conners he can be a great blocker with boost and rolls. For 2 more pts he can equip fletchette torps to stay relevant on offensive end.

Having used him I can say he's a pretty flexible minelayer. Very cheap and his ability is very good for minelaying. He can also alpha strike for five more points.

He is an affordable control ship which can lay a conner net after repositioning with a barrel roll.

Throw on flechette torps and long range scanners, EM and Conners and you've got a beast of a control ship which interceptors won't want to PLT around.

And any shots they spend on him are shots that they aren't using on your end game finisher

Almost every conner net I hit is after a barrel roll. His ability really opens up the options for netting.

My goto also is Flechettes, mostly cause they're cheap. They do up damage and cause stress too.

Deathfire + Conner Net + Flechette Torp + LRS = 23 points

I'm even starting to skip extra munitions to save more points for the endgame ships.

Ive been wanting to fly Deathfire with Conners, EM, and EU for 27pts. After the conners he can be a great blocker with boost and rolls. For 2 more pts he can equip fletchette torps to stay relevant on offensive end.

I played my first game with him with this same build. EU seemed obvious. But it Sounds like people are getting better results by skipping EU for GC to make him a dual threat. Flechettes seems like a good option. Must try!

First, you take two of the coolest words in the English language - and then you COMBINE them!

Second, you get to play this every time he claims an ace:

What more could you possibly want?

Ive been wanting to fly Deathfire with Conners, EM, and EU for 27pts. After the conners he can be a great blocker with boost and rolls. For 2 more pts he can equip fletchette torps to stay relevant on offensive end.

I played my first game with him with this same build. EU seemed obvious. But it Sounds like people are getting better results by skipping EU for GC to make him a dual threat. Flechettes seems like a good option. Must try!

Long Range Scanners man. Chips are all nice but with PS3 you'll have the same problem that bombers always had - after you make your move enemy is not in range yet so you can't lock him. After he makes his move, he's within range but you don't have him locked. The next turn you can lock him but after you've both made your moves he's too close or dodged your arc. One way of dealing with this is by taking Deadeye but Deathfire has no EPT slot. So LRS is your only other option. The disadvantage of LRS is obviously that you have to pick your target in advance, telegraphing your attack. On the other hand it allows you to have both TL and focus when you open fire. Telegraphing a possible missile attack is also not always bad if you mean it as a feint while you prepare for a Conner manuever. And it's great when you've got Vessery in your squad. Sometimes Deathfire can lock a target on the other side of the play area that he clearly won't be shooting at in the immediate future just to give a TL to the colonel.

Ive been wanting to fly Deathfire with Conners, EM, and EU for 27pts. After the conners he can be a great blocker with boost and rolls. For 2 more pts he can equip fletchette torps to stay relevant on offensive end.

I played my first game with him with this same build. EU seemed obvious. But it Sounds like people are getting better results by skipping EU for GC to make him a dual threat. Flechettes seems like a good option. Must try!

Well just played a game with Deathfire. Went for Conners, EM, EU build and it was effective. Played against Echo, Soontir, and OL.

He 3 banked in front of Soontir, then boosted past him, dropping conners. My squad made a nice deathtrap for Soonts. Unfortunately, or perhaps not, Omega Leader moved first into the conners, a move I wasnt expecting but I will take what I get. Next turn Deathfire 1 bank, focused, and dropped Conners on OL again. This time, my squad lined up shots on OL and took him out. So double conners on OL. By this time Deathfire had 4 damage on him, not sure if I want to spend more points on him then what he has now. I just made him try and block afterwards. Boost helps turn him around quicker rather than kturn. I can see a case for Homing Missiles and LRS. Boost worked magnificently though this time.

My squad was

Ryad + PTL + x7

Gamma Squad Vet + Deadeye + Proton Torps + EM + Chips

Deathfire + Conners + EM + EU

Academy Pilot