I've been perusing the forums here for quite some time, and I've noticed a recurring trend with Rebel lists. Almost every single one has Biggs in there. Now, I get it in certain builds. 26 points of Biggs protecting 40 points of Norra can really come in handy. But for things like triple X-Wing lists? What's the point? Instead of having an X-Wing in there that is purely meant to soak damage, why not try to make all three X-Wings a deadly threat, so that no matter which X-Wing gets focused down, the other two can still do some work? I feel like the 26 points has much better uses than just setting up a meat shield in lists that don't really need one. Granted, I haven't played a ton of Rebels, as I've mainly been Imperial for the past couple years, but I've never felt like I've been vulnerable just because I didn't take Biggs.

So, could someone please explain what I'm missing here?

can only be deadeye torpscout PTSD

though it must be said that 26 points of Biggs and X points of "a deadly X-wing" aren't much of a comparison when they both die the same and X is almost always far greater than 26

can only be deadeye torpscout PTSD

though it must be said that 26 points of Biggs and X points of "a deadly X-wing" aren't much of a comparison when they both die the same and X is almost always far greater than 26

That's kinda my point. Why overbuild one X-Wing and fly another that's there purely for meat shielding, when you could instead spread those points out between two X-Wings (Or any other ships, really) to make them both viable threats? 26 points of Biggs flying alongside two other ships just feels like you're not getting the most out of your points, when you could go for something more offensive in nature instead. Force your opponent into hard decisions of, "Do I kill this first and open myself up to serious hurt from that, or kill that first and open myself to serious hurt from this?" Most of my builds in X-Wing are built around that mentality, having multiple serious threats that force hard decisions. So to me, having Biggs around, which takes away any sort of decision at all, is kind of the opposite of what I try to do.

In something like a triple X-Wing list, you are doing it wrong if you have Biggs taking all the damage. What should happen is that Biggs is forcing your opponent to split their fire and take suboptimal shots.

Biggs isn't so good that he needs to be in every list but he can be a really effective tool.

Edit: Ninja'd.

Biggs isn't there to soak damage. He is there to prevent damage. A lot of players play Biggs by just flying him along next to their other ships until he dies. Ok. That's one way to do it. Another way is to fly Biggs far enough back so that some of the enemy ships have to fire at him at range 3 — maybe even through an asteroid! — but the remaining forces have to fire at someone else because Biggs is out of range of them.

If you can force your opponent to split their fire, then everyone lives longer.

I fly with Biggs quite a lot, and my goal every game is to have Biggs survive until the end. (It is a tertiary goal, sure, but it's a goal.) The last game I flew with Biggs was just a couple days ago. It was against triple x7 Defenders. Biggs survived the whole game. The only ship I lost that game was a 12-point Z-95 Bandit. My other ships took zero damage. Biggs was definitely worth the 29 points I had into him — yes, I put R2-D2 on him that game. If I remember correctly, he even got the kill shot on the last Defender.

Why overbuild one X-Wing and fly another that's there purely for meat shielding, when you could instead spread those points out between two X-Wings (Or any other ships, really) to make them both viable threats?

One reason is that Rebels don't have enough serious threats in the 30-35 point range. Go on, try to make a Rebel list that actually has three equally threatening ships. I'll wait here.

Another reason is that one of the Rebel's best tricks is regen. When it comes to forcing the enemy to make tough targeting priority decisions, it's hard to come up with something that's strong enough to divert their attention away from your regen ace. Nobody wants to face regenerating Norra, Miranda, Corran, or Poe in the endgame. Most intelligent foes will kill the regenerator first if at all possible.

Third reason is what a couple other people have already mentioned: Biggs is more than just additional hit points and green dice. He's a control factor. He forces your opponent to make decisions they don't want to.

Fourth reason: you're making a mistake by assuming one of the other ships is overbuilt. In the case of X-Wings in particular, there's just not that many slots to fill. And most ace pilots need a full suite of upgrades to do their job. There's a good reason nobody runs aces without their standard loadouts - because those upgrades synergize together to multiply the value of the ace beyond their base stats.

Why overbuild one X-Wing and fly another that's there purely for meat shielding, when you could instead spread those points out between two X-Wings (Or any other ships, really) to make them both viable threats?

One reason is that Rebels don't have enough serious threats in the 30-35 point range. Go on, try to make a Rebel list that actually has three equally threatening ships. I'll wait here.

Another reason is that one of the Rebel's best tricks is regen. When it comes to forcing the enemy to make tough targeting priority decisions, it's hard to come up with something that's strong enough to divert their attention away from your regen ace. Nobody wants to face regenerating Norra, Miranda, Corran, or Poe in the endgame. Most intelligent foes will kill the regenerator first if at all possible.

Third reason is what a couple other people have already mentioned: Biggs is more than just additional hit points and green dice. He's a control factor. He forces your opponent to make decisions they don't want to.

Fourth reason: you're making a mistake by assuming one of the other ships is overbuilt. In the case of X-Wings in particular, there's just not that many slots to fill. And most ace pilots need a full suite of upgrades to do their job. There's a good reason nobody runs aces without their standard loadouts - because those upgrades synergize together to multiply the value of the ace beyond their base stats.

Why overbuild one X-Wing and fly another that's there purely for meat shielding, when you could instead spread those points out between two X-Wings (Or any other ships, really) to make them both viable threats?

One reason is that Rebels don't have enough serious threats in the 30-35 point range. Go on, try to make a Rebel list that actually has three equally threatening ships. I'll wait here.

Sabine Wren (21)

Push the Limit (3)

Chewbacca (4)

Jake Farrell (24)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Proton Rockets (3)

Push the Limit (3)

Autothrusters (2)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

Poe Dameron (31)

Push the Limit (3)

BB-8 (2)

Autothrusters (2)

Total: 99

Haven't used it in a bit, but it has served me well, including a Spring Kit win.

Why overbuild one X-Wing and fly another that's there purely for meat shielding, when you could instead spread those points out between two X-Wings (Or any other ships, really) to make them both viable threats?

One reason is that Rebels don't have enough serious threats in the 30-35 point range. Go on, try to make a Rebel list that actually has three equally threatening ships. I'll wait here.

Sabine Wren (21)

Push the Limit (3)

Chewbacca (4)

Jake Farrell (24)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Proton Rockets (3)

Push the Limit (3)

Autothrusters (2)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

Poe Dameron (31)

Push the Limit (3)

BB-8 (2)

Autothrusters (2)

Total: 99

Haven't used it in a bit, but it has served me well, including a Spring Kit win.

Interesting squad. Tons of maneuverability for sure. I'm thinking with most squads I fly Sabine would be my lowest priority target out of those three. Without the Target Lock action or a secondary weapon she's less of an offensive threat than the other two. Choosing whether to kill Jake or Poe first would come down to just playing opportunistically.

Why overbuild one X-Wing and fly another that's there purely for meat shielding, when you could instead spread those points out between two X-Wings (Or any other ships, really) to make them both viable threats?

One reason is that Rebels don't have enough serious threats in the 30-35 point range. Go on, try to make a Rebel list that actually has three equally threatening ships. I'll wait here.

Sabine Wren (21)

Push the Limit (3)

Chewbacca (4)

Jake Farrell (24)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Proton Rockets (3)

Push the Limit (3)

Autothrusters (2)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

Poe Dameron (31)

Push the Limit (3)

BB-8 (2)

Autothrusters (2)

Total: 99

Haven't used it in a bit, but it has served me well, including a Spring Kit win.

Interesting squad. Tons of maneuverability for sure. I'm thinking with most squads I fly Sabine would be my lowest priority target out of those three. Without the Target Lock action or a secondary weapon she's less of an offensive threat than the other two. Choosing whether to kill Jake or Poe first would come down to just playing opportunistically.

If I've only got about 30 points left in a Rebel build, this Sabine as a base (other upgrades can be added as points allowed) is what I first reach for.

As a new rebel player I started using Biggs a lot as everyone's favorite meat shield. As mentioned above, I've learned a little bit better to dip him into and out of R1 of allies to force split fire. I've also tried to always remember that Biggs is still in an X-wing. His 3-die primary can be used. On a few games I've had him flying cover as trail ship with a pursuer. Then I'll unexpectedly K-turn while the other ship flees. If your opponent is expecting you to stay in formation to keep the "Biggs effect", you'll likely either cause the block which means no one gets shot or you'll wind up with a R1 shot on the pursuer. Sure Biggs may die but he was going to take that hit anyway and at least now the guns are facing the right way.

I'm sure this is old hat to veteran players but I'm learning there is more to Biggs than I originally thought.