The Kihraxz Fighter was a hot thing in wave 7. Containing crack shot, glitterstim and predator made them hot property for the cards alone, but the ship itself was alright. However 'alright' doesn't cut it in the tournament scene, and the ship was relegated to Casual games only, for the most part.

Sadly, waves 8 and 9 have done nothing to fix this. Additionally, wave 9 saw the release of a top tier craft that makes the Kihraxz completely useless; the Protectorate Starfighter. The Protectorate was, I believe, the Scum answer to the Imperial Interceptor, but it has some powerful pilot abilities and a title. Let's compare the two, centering around the Black Sun Ace (Kihraxz) and Concord Dawn Ace (Starfighter).

Price:

23 points a piece.

Upgrade Bar:

Kihraxz: EPT, Missile, Ilicit, Modification

Starfighter: EPT, Torpedo, Title, Modification

Statline:

Kihraxz: 3 ATT, 2 AGI, 4 Hull, 1 Shield, PS 5

Starfighter: 3 ATT 3 AGI, 4 Hull, 0 Shields, PS 5

Dial:

Look them up for the details, but suffice it to say that anything the Kihraxz can do, the Protectorate Starfighter can do better (green or more options)

So, for the same 23 points, the Khraxz has 1 shield over the Starfighter. That's it. In return, the Starfighter has 1 more agility, boost and barrel roll actions as well as focus and target lock, a far, far superior dial (green 2-turns and 2-tallon rolls - best dial in the game) and a slightly better upgrade bar.

Now, not only is this true for each ships PS 5 generic, but their elites also have striking similarities. Talonbane and Fenn both adore ranges 1 and 3, and have nearly mirrored pilot abilities. Graz the Hunter is useless, but Old Teroch is fairly fantastic.

Overall, there is absolutely no reason to fly the Kihraxz in its current state. By sacrificing one shield, you get a far superior ship with more options, durability and firepower (with title + autothrusters). I'm hoping for wave 10.5 to fix this - Scum Aces.

Yep, they currently suck are underpowered. You buy them for upgrade farming.

5 Cartel Marauders took me to the top 40 at Yavin and won me a store tournament this year. Black Sun Aces are one of the "Mindlink Six" as well.

I appreciate not everyone's willing to put the time in, but they can still get good results.

I'd still MUCH rather take a naked, generic Kihraxz over a naked, generic Protectorate as well (as I'm sure fickle will agree one extra shield is worth more than one extra inverted commas worthless inverted commas green dice)

they've been....Kihraxed

FFG and Scum small ships....
Another thing is that the M3A Scyk with the (needed) fix is creeping up from the other side:
Almost identical dial
2 ATT 3 AGI, 3 Hull, 1 Shield Ps 5.
EPT.
Focus, TL, Evade, BR. 19pts, cannon to taste or leave be.

The Kihraxz at least has illicit, which the other 2 do not have. And generics cheaper than Fang.
That said, I also saw Talonbane at a recent regional, accompanied by Fenn.

In same matches Fenn dying first in a fireball, TC mopping up the rest.*)

I am a proud owner of 5 Kihraxzes, and field them still, though at home.
I have not bought the Protectorate, do not like the look.

Edited: *) cleared sentence, that happens when you type fast on way home.

I am a proud owner of 5 Kihraxzes, and field them still, though at home.

I have not bought the Protectorate, do not like the look.

Yeah, I use all three myself. I'd suggest the Kihraxz generics are (very marginally) better than the generic Protectorates and Scyks as cheap filler ships or in numbers spam, but the Protectorate has the superior aces.

Talonbane and Fenn can make a pretty potent combination, in fact I'd prefer TBC over Old Teroch in the Old Man Fenn build.

The Kihraxz is a highly simplistic ship design like the X-wing and like the X-wing it has nothing going for it.

• It's a very dull ship so doesn't draw people trying to make interesting lists.
• It has no particularly entertaining mechanics above and beyond other ships so doesn't draw people on fun value.
• It's not particularly powerful so it doesn't draw people who's primary drive is winning.

Unlike the X-wing it doesn't have the thematic draw of being an X-wing. The X-wing is still used because people desperately want to use it because it's the X-wing. The Kihraxz is an obscure design from an MMO with very little sentimental attachment: the only real motive to use a Kihraxz I see at the moment is you already own one and want to make use of it.

TBH I think what we need is a really good small ship Illicit (or 2), You look at the ships with the slot, they could all do with a bit of love... Star Viper (with Virago), Special-K, Z-95, HWK.

It would be a lot easier fix than Titles for the Star Viper and Special-K, as it wouldn't need a Veterans set, just a couple to come in with a new small Scum ship.

I wonder what the Illicit in the Quad Jumper does. (BTW anyone else notice how many Tractor Beam tokens???? Seeing as most sets only come with 1 or 2 (no clue why the G1-A comes with 2, where the Lancer only one given Ketsu's ability))

Very true, all. Its just occurred to me that the Kihraxz has black mrket slicer tools going for it, which is a fantastic anti-ace tool.

Talonbane's ok if you have the guts.

I like to run 3 of them with 40 points of murder put into another ship. Top 8'ed a store championship sithbthem and bossk, back when no one used him. I've had success using them with with an alt-Iggy b too (wired, fcs, tractor beam)

It was DOA.

FFG introduced them as the scum equivalent of the x wing, a ship that already was struggling.

5 Cartel Marauders took me to the top 40 at Yavin and won me a store tournament this year. Black Sun Aces are one of the "Mindlink Six" as well.

I appreciate not everyone's willing to put the time in, but they can still get good results.

I'd still MUCH rather take a naked, generic Kihraxz over a naked, generic Protectorate as well (as I'm sure fickle will agree one extra shield is worth more than one extra inverted commas worthless inverted commas green dice)

Not you specifically, but getting real peaved at people telling me that their statistical variance is the norm.

Not you specifically, but getting real peaved at people telling me that their statistical variance is the norm.

Or... Maybe you are just bad. . Antidotal evidence works both ways. Lots of people stick to the tried and true, not venturing out. They try a ship once, do poorly and write it off.

I would have to agree to disagree... 1 Shield is not amazing compared to +1 Agility and the ability to reposition after the move. It really does suffer from the X-Wing issue... Though the times I have taken Cobra he has been great...

I am wondering if a Mindlink list, with Manaroo to give later turn TLs, and Special-Ks with torps might work.

The Scyk is now better than the Kihraxz. 2016 is some year isn't it.

FFG better release an aces pack for Kihraxz and Starviper in the next 6 months or else.

The Scyk is now better than the Kihraxz. 2016 is some year isn't it.

FFG better release an aces pack for Kihraxz and Starviper in the next 6 months or else.

Either that or some ship with some really good Illicit Mods for small ships... That could fix the Kihraxz and 1 Starviper in a list.

I have the same opinion of the Khyrasdafav as i did of the pre fixed Scyk. It was decent and needed something to tip it over the edge and be good. For the Scyk it just needed an extra hull. And for those who think it needs more just run 2 HLC Linked Scyks with Boba and watch the carnage (does require good flying though). So with the Khyragdagdv it just needs a small boost and something to set it aside from the Fang. And also something to make Talonbane McCoolname a foce to be reckoned with. Toting an ability like that should be something to fear.

Yeah, I loved the Kihraxz when it hit but eventually moved away from it. I see it as the Scum X-wing, but it lacks the versatility that numerous astromechs and a wide range of pilot abilities that the X-wing has.

What it has that other small scum ship (and the X-wing) don't is access to illicits and missiles, in a harder hitting, tankier form than the Z-95, and more spamable illicit carrier than the StarViper.

So I'm guessing that their fix will make it THE scum illicit carrier, possibly trading it's missile slot for a second illicit. My guess some kind of "Extra Munitions" or "Tomax Bren" effect being implemented.

When was the Kgrssfgvdsrubcdtujugc fighter the hot thing? Did I miss a memo...

Not you specifically, but getting real peaved at people telling me that their statistical variance is the norm.

Or... Maybe you are just bad. . Antidotal evidence works both ways. Lots of people stick to the tried and true, not venturing out. They try a ship once, do poorly and write it off.

TBH I think what we need is a really good small ship Illicit (or 2), You look at the ships with the slot, they could all do with a bit of love... Star Viper (with Virago), Special-K, Z-95, HWK.

It would be a lot easier fix than Titles for the Star Viper and Special-K, as it wouldn't need a Veterans set, just a couple to come in with a new small Scum ship.

I wonder what the Illicit in the Quad Jumper does. (BTW anyone else notice how many Tractor Beam tokens???? Seeing as most sets only come with 1 or 2 (no clue why the G1-A comes with 2, where the Lancer only one given Ketsu's ability))

The pilot that has been spoiled for the Quadjumper assigns a tractor token to every ship he's touching at the start of the combat phase. The G1A came with one token for each copy of the tractor beem card it came with. The illicit included in the Quadjumper appears to allow you to equip a Modification or Illicit that had been discarded or was equipped to ship that was destroyed.

I don't believe that this is a fair comparison.

You really are comparing apples to oranges. Would you compare an A-wing to an X-wing or a TIE Interceptor to a TIE Advanced? If the answer is no, then the same could be said about comparing the Kihraxz to the Protectorate Starfighter.

Let me explain. The A-wing, TIE Interceptor, StarViper & Protectorate Starfighter are all classified as Space Superiority Fighters, one notch above Frontline/Standard Fighters (e.g. Headhunter [Rebel Version], TIE Fighter & M3-A Interceptor) whose very mission/job role if you will, is to control the skies/space lanes being the absolute King's of Dogfighting. The Kihraxz is not a Space Superiority Fighter at all, it is a Multi-Role Fighter (e.g. X-wing, T-70 X-wing, E-wing, TIE Advanced Prototype, TIE Advanced, TIE/sf Fighter, Headhunter [scum & Villainy Version] & Virago) whose mission/job role is to tackle a wide variety of mission roles (Frontline Fighter, Light Bomber) hence why the X-wing is so popular with the Rebel Alliance (as they don't have the sheer numbers that the Empire has to field). Therefore, you are comparing two totally different ship types with totally different roles and this is not only unfair to compare, it is simply incompatible. They simply do not fulfill the same mission roles, and to ask the Kihraxz, as fine of a Multi-Role Fighter as it is, it would be unrealistic to expect it to compete against other Space Superiority Fighters for which it simply wasn't designed to do. It would be no different when Germany in WWII started replacing Medium Tanks with Tank Destroyers (Stug III's) expecting them to do the same role, of which they - not surprisingly - were unable to fulfill.

As far as "Sadly, waves 8 and 9 have done nothing to fix this..." why would you want to be quick to condemn Fantasy Flight Games when it is you who are mistaken? Shouldn't we instead be quick to commend Fantasy Flight Games for making such spectacular games like X-wing? Why would we want to accuse them of making mistakes when, in reality, they have demonstrated - especially in this case - that they know exactly what they are doing. Maybe you should re-evaluate your position in this matter and admit that you have made a mistake - as happens to us all (myself included) and give Fantasy Flight Games the credit and praise that they are due.

Best Regards,

.

[Edit: Additional Content Added]

Talonbane's ok if you have the guts.

PTL EU and Cloak is my favorite. I use the cloak for long range attack moves (from out of range to range 1 in a single turn). I call it the Bird of Prey. Got to love the Klingon (aka Kihraxz)