The case against General Hux.

By nikk whyte, in X-Wing

Major Striden + General Hux + Advanced Sensors + Experimental Interface = 43pts

Every turn it can give out 4 free actions + Fanatical Devotion condition (Coordinate + Hux's 3x Focus) to ships at R1-3 even when it gets blocked or hits obstacles. Pair that with a 4x TIE mini-swarm if you like.

Now that is a command ship! Plus, one should not underestimate the ability of being able to Boost or BR an ally before they move, which the Upsilon can do.

You're going to need to find a way to ditch 2 stress a round for that to work out.

Major Striden + General Hux + Advanced Sensors + Experimental Interface = 43pts

Now that is a command ship!

I also don't hate something like this:

Black Squadron Pilot (14)
Crack Shot (1)
Black Squadron Pilot (14)
Crack Shot (1)
Black Squadron Pilot (14)
Crack Shot (1)
Captain Oicunn (42)
A Score to Settle (0)
Emperor Palpatine (8)
General Hux (5)
Total: 100
The general weakness of a list like this is that you wouldn't be able to get Imperial Arc-Dodgers with Autothrusters, but if you give Fanatical Devotion to Oicunn, it's not really a problem. It even gets around the OPs initial complaint, which was that you can't be sure you'll roll a focus result on the attack. Well...Palpatine can guarantee that. Obviously it's not great to waste such a huge amount of resources pushing through ONE damage against most opponents, but it's probably clutch against the specific opponents you need it for, namely Soontir and the Inquisitor.
Not only that, but consider the first turn of combat when you send all 3 of your TIE Fighters in with focus tokens from Hux, and then they spend their own actions on evade tokens AND have Palpatine to back them up on defense. Those TIE Fighters are going to be tough customers on the defense in round one, even if one of them is fanatically devoted. I think it's a good way to send the grunts in first with increased survivability while still giving yourself outs to autothruster aces.
I have no idea if it's as good as just running Palp Aces (it's probably not, but what is?), but with Oicunn ramming, Crackshots and Hux to ALL work on pushing damage through, a good pilot can make this work. That's more than can be said for R3 Astromech, imo.
I have no idea if it's as good as just running Palp Aces (it's probably not, but what is?),

honestly, probably nothing, so if you don't want to run palp aces you just have to ignore that fact :P

my own stabs at hux would be

Lambda ( hux)

with either

Vessery (adapt, tie/D, ion)

Ryad (ptl, tie/mk2, tie/x7)

or

Omega L (juke, relay)

Howlie (crackshot)

Black Squaddie (Crackshot)

Wampa (nada)

nowhere are you going to find the reliability of palp aces because there's nothing out there like palpatine apart from palpatine, but it's got some late game to see you through and Fantatical Devotion can screw with target priority when a crappy little tie Fighter is threatening damage through all your defensive mods

Major Striden + General Hux + Advanced Sensors + Experimental Interface = 43pts

Now that is a command ship!

I also don't hate something like this:

Black Squadron Pilot (14)
Crack Shot (1)
Black Squadron Pilot (14)
Crack Shot (1)
Black Squadron Pilot (14)
Crack Shot (1)
Captain Oicunn (42)
A Score to Settle (0)
Emperor Palpatine (8)
General Hux (5)
Total: 100
The general weakness of a list like this is that you wouldn't be able to get Imperial Arc-Dodgers with Autothrusters, but if you give Fanatical Devotion to Oicunn, it's not really a problem. It even gets around the OPs initial complaint, which was that you can't be sure you'll roll a focus result on the attack. Well...Palpatine can guarantee that. Obviously it's not great to waste such a huge amount of resources pushing through ONE damage against most opponents, but it's probably clutch against the specific opponents you need it for, namely Soontir and the Inquisitor.
Not only that, but consider the first turn of combat when you send all 3 of your TIE Fighters in with focus tokens from Hux, and then they spend their own actions on evade tokens AND have Palpatine to back them up on defense. Those TIE Fighters are going to be tough customers on the defense in round one, even if one of them is fanatically devoted. I think it's a good way to send the grunts in first with increased survivability while still giving yourself outs to autothruster aces.
I have no idea if it's as good as just running Palp Aces (it's probably not, but what is?), but with Oicunn ramming, Crackshots and Hux to ALL work on pushing damage through, a good pilot can make this work. That's more than can be said for R3 Astromech, imo.

I'm kind of hesitant to plan on using A Score To Settle for anything until we see what the condition actually does. It seems like it may give the ship with the condition the same benefits against the ship carrying the EPT as the EPT gives against the ship with the condition.

I'm not sure that I'd want to give an opponet's ship extra crits against my Decimator.

I think you'd be better off with Gunner on Oicunn instead of Palpatine. When he gives himself Fanatical Devotion you double your odds of being able to trigger the unblockable damage. When you give someone else the condition it just increases the chance that he either lands some damage or burns off some tokens before your TIEs fire.

Major Striden + General Hux + Advanced Sensors + Experimental Interface = 43pts

Every turn it can give out 4 free actions + Fanatical Devotion condition (Coordinate + Hux's 3x Focus) to ships at R1-3 even when it gets blocked or hits obstacles. Pair that with a 4x TIE mini-swarm if you like.

Now that is a command ship! Plus, one should not underestimate the ability of being able to Boost or BR an ally before they move, which the Upsilon can do.

You're going to need to find a way to ditch 2 stress a round for that to work out.

It's risky, but not necessarily.

First turn of combat :

Adv Sensor --> Coordinate --> Exp Int --> Hux --> Receive two stress --> Move Green --> Shed 1 Stress

Second turn of comba t:

Green Move --> Coordinate --> Exp Int --> Hux --> Receive two stress

So it's possible to get four free actions for the first two rounds of combat (after which you're indeed double-stressed, but the first two rounds of combat are the most important in any game). You could bring along Epislon Leader or a Wingman+BSP as part of the mini-swarm to help with the stress, if desired.

You certainly don't need to go the ExpInt route, and Hux will probably just be better on a simple Lambda with AdvSensors, but it's an interesting route to try for four free "actions" a turn for a mini-swarm, heh. :)

Major Striden + General Hux + Advanced Sensors + Experimental Interface = 43pts

Every turn it can give out 4 free actions + Fanatical Devotion condition (Coordinate + Hux's 3x Focus) to ships at R1-3 even when it gets blocked or hits obstacles. Pair that with a 4x TIE mini-swarm if you like.

Now that is a command ship! Plus, one should not underestimate the ability of being able to Boost or BR an ally before they move, which the Upsilon can do.

You're going to need to find a way to ditch 2 stress a round for that to work out.

It's risky, but not necessarily.

First turn of combat :

Adv Sensor --> Coordinate --> Exp Int --> Hux --> Receive two stress --> Move Green --> Shed 1 Stress

Second turn of comba t:

Green Move --> Coordinate --> Exp Int --> Hux --> Receive two stress

So it's possible to get four free actions for the first two rounds of combat (after which you're indeed double-stressed, but the first two rounds of combat are the most important in any game). You could bring along Epislon Leader or a Wingman+BSP as part of the mini-swarm to help with the stress, if desired.

You certainly don't need to go the ExpInt route, and Hux will probably just be better on a simple Lambda with AdvSensors, but it's an interesting route to try for four free "actions" a turn for a mini-swarm, heh. :)

That's not every turn. That's the first two turns then every other turn.

Every turn is possible, you equip Electronic Baffles and baffle a stress a round into damage.

But it's probably not worth it. You're better off swapping the ExpInt for a Systems Officer to grant the third action and ignoring Co-Ordinate.

Edited by thespaceinvader

What's wrong with Hux's RNG?

Bad RNG either turns a surefire effect into a gamble that often isn't worth it (the hull regen astromech) or is a card you'd otherwise combo off but which becomes far too unreliable thanks to needless RNG (R5-K6).

For a start, Hux hands out three focus tokens in exchange for stress. That's essentially a powered up Fleet Officer giving you three actions for the price of one (and stress).

Fanatical Devotion in essense turns all of a ship's focus tokens into a different type of token. This "Fanaticism token" can't be spent defensively (the ship still has its own action to defend itself though) but when spent offensively the first result it converts pierces shields. That's more powerful than a standard attack modifier and it's no more RNG based than focus tokens themselves.

Saying that Hux isn't worth it because Fanatical Devotion might not trigger is akin to saying that Howlrunner isn't worth it because the TIEs she gives rerolls might roll blanks. Fanatical Devotion can turn an Academy Pilot into a Range 3 baby Autoblaster and handing out three focus tokens for one action isn't to be scoffed at in of itself.

If your squad could benefit from extra focus action economy he may be a better call than Palpatine: his modification isn't as powerful or reliable but there's a lot more of it.

Edited by Blue Five

The only thing wrong with Hux is that the TIE Shuttle can't fit him in there, there's just too much GINGER RAGE!!!!!!!!

Bacon anyone?

If your squad could benefit from extra focus action economy he may be a better call than Palpatine: his modification isn't as powerful or reliable but there's a lot more of it.

I think this is why we'll see palp aces and hux swarms as two distinct flavors. Palp is much stronger saving a bad ace die and hux is much better supporting a squadron and punching through ace defenses.

If your squad could benefit from extra focus action economy he may be a better call than Palpatine: his modification isn't as powerful or reliable but there's a lot more of it.

I think this is why we'll see palp aces and hux swarms as two distinct flavors. Palp is much stronger saving a bad ace die and hux is much better supporting a squadron and punching through ace defenses.

well swarms and other ships that don't have the agility/defensive mods to abuse the **** out of palp, such as Tie/SF and Tie/Ds etc

also, revised list for those super OCD about formation flying

http://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic%20Empire&d=v4!s!56:43,-1,209,-1:-1:-1:;18:140:-1:-1:;187:152,153:-1:-1:;10::-1:-1:;153::-1:-1:&sn=mo%20hux%20mo%20problems

Edited by ficklegreendice

Hux might not be amazing, but he is no R3. Get real.

I can turn a mini-swarm into a Fel-slaying net. No other game effects allow me to do that.

Crackshot did just fine at this. No need to reinvent the wheel.

The only thing wrong with Hux is that the TIE Shuttle can't fit him in there, there's just too much GINGER RAGE!!!!!!!!

Frack, i forgot that limitation even existed lol. Im just used to thinking "no palp" since before now the only beyond 3pt crew we had was Palp and forgettable idiot #1 and forgettable idiot #2 lol.

Oh, i forgot about Forgettable Idiot #3 and 4.

Yeah, whopping 6 cards right now that cant go on him. Gunner + Tac being the only one outside Palp that i'd actually do if i could, feth the 4pt guys lol

Edited by Vineheart01

Rear Admiral Chiraneau (46)
Veteran Instincts (1)
General Hux (5)

Kath Scarlet (38)
Push the Limit (3)
"Mangler" Cannon (4)
Kylo Ren (3)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Hmm, just brainstorming. Only two ships, so losing some of the benefit of Hux's 3 focus tokens, but the idea is...

Fanatical Devotion RAC, and give each a Focus. RAC can then push through at least one damage. Kath can PTL for Kylo Ren and Evade so has both Focus and Evade. Mangler Cannon + Focus pretty much guarantees a crit result, which will push through Kylo's Real Ultimate Power Dark Side condition. If it gets cancelled, Kath punishes with a Stress.

So, only rolling two 3-dice attacks, but both will be modified and almost guaranteed to push through 2 pts, with one being a Pilot critical, no matter the defense.

/shrug

Edited by kris40k

The character is also stupid. The actor was a bad choice. And the writing for his lines was ridiculous.

Kath Scarlet (38)

Push the Limit (3)

"Mangler" Cannon (4)

Kylo Ren (3)

Hmm, just brainstorming...

Mangler Cannon + Focus pretty much guarantees a crit result, which will push through Kylo's Real Ultimate Power Dark Side condition. If it gets cancelled, Kath punishes with a Stress.

I don't hate that idea ....but what does Hux have to do with any of it? Sounds like a solid plan for Kath Scarlet by herself. Either take the Kylo Condition or take the stress, zero alternatives. Not positive how Hux contributes.

Heck ....if you're going to bring a Decimator, leave the Mangler at home and generate your crits via Palpatine, since he has 101 other uses and can let Kath do it from the rear arc, too.

Hux is so that both ships are pushing damage through defenses. Palp wouldn't do that. More flexible than just focusing both, but you wouldn't be pushing two points through.

Kath Scarlet (38)

Push the Limit (3)

"Mangler" Cannon (4)

Kylo Ren (3)

Hmm, just brainstorming...

Mangler Cannon + Focus pretty much guarantees a crit result, which will push through Kylo's Real Ultimate Power Dark Side condition. If it gets cancelled, Kath punishes with a Stress.

I don't hate that idea ....but what does Hux have to do with any of it? Sounds like a solid plan for Kath Scarlet by herself. Either take the Kylo Condition or take the stress, zero alternatives. Not positive how Hux contributes.

Heck ....if you're going to bring a Decimator, leave the Mangler at home and generate your crits via Palpatine, since he has 101 other uses and can let Kath do it from the rear arc, too.

It seems like a crit from Kath would be more likley to be canceled when she is benefiting from FanDev. I think I'd probably go with either Hux or Kylo though and not both.

It seems like a crit from Kath would be more likley to be canceled when she is benefiting from FanDev...

Kath's crit getting cancelled is the concession, not the goal. The goal is that Kylo's condition fires, if not then Kath's.

First and foremost, 5 points to equip.

That's a hefty fee, and it precludes his use on the Tie Shuttle. The next cheapest crew carrier is the omicron pilot. However, it only has the 2 crew slots, so you're automatically locking out palpatine.

Oh, no! Playing a game without Palpatine...! :rolleyes:

Gosh, there are now two good crew cards to choose from!

Gosh, there are now two good crew cards to choose from!

While I'm pretty sure this was sarcasm it honestly rings with the truth to me. Imperials now have 2 really good support crew to build around when making squads.

The first line was sarcasm. The second is really more straight up, but...facetious?

Yes, I agree that there are now two choices.

Hux's free hit basically feels like Ten Numb's ability (but with 2/8 chances to proc per dice instead of 1/8). The downside of both has always been that the ability isnt great against low agility ships that would already be taking the hit. 1 free hit is just rarely enough. I mean, aces are crying in matchups vs Hux Decimator, but high hull low agi ships could care less.

What this amounts to is:

Your list needs to make use of the 2 other focus tokens for Hux to be valuable.

I haven't decided how that will be done, though :P

Pretty much my mentality on Hux. The auto hit is a bonus, you want to use the focus tokens first.

Initially i thought tie shuttle but i forgot about that point restriction there. That leaves Phantoms/Firespray (HAHAHAHA no), Lambda, Decimator, or the UPS itself.

Decimator might as well not be in that list imo. Oicunn is usually cheap enough to slap 5pts more on him but he also rarely gets an action, and the title would doublestress him via Hux. Chira is like ~65pts depending on your upgrades, if you put gunner on him too then he could EASILY break the 70pt limit.

Im not sure if people will bring him over palpmobile. He'd be 3pts cheaper, allowing some leeway (bits or perhaps a different ace) but people are fixated on palp even if hes not a good idea. So....UPS! lol

Did ParaGoombaSlayer hack into this guy's account?