Lightweight frame on TIE Bomber?

By Marinealver, in X-Wing

What do you guys think about this one ? Thought it might be pretty neat with the Accuracy Corrector's (one of my favourite upgrades) and some survivability with the new Lightweight Frame upgrade.

I'm not a major fan of Sensor Cluster, but it's only two points and if you crunch the numbers (just threw them into http://xwingcalculator.x10host.com/) two green dice with Focus and Sensor Cluster are better on average at protecting you than three green dice with a focus. Plus, any time you get attacked at range 3 Lightweight Frame does nothing for you, while Sensor Cluster is still good. Deathrain is also 38 points, which I find pretty poor since he's already relatively overcosted.

The only ship here that it sort of works on it Dutchess - at 28 points you might do alright. Not the others though.

I'm not a major fan of Sensor Cluster, but it's only two points and if you crunch the numbers (just threw them into http://xwingcalculator.x10host.com/) two green dice with Focus and Sensor Cluster are better on average at protecting you than three green dice with a focus. Plus, any time you get attacked at range 3 Lightweight Frame does nothing for you, while Sensor Cluster is still good. Deathrain is also 38 points, which I find pretty poor since he's already relatively overcosted.

The only ship here that it sort of works on it Dutchess - at 28 points you might do alright. Not the others though.

Hmm...(scratches head)... this one?

...or maybe this one???

Honestly, I see Lightweight Frame as a new R3 Astromech. I had high hopes for both to make an underserved-class of ships better, but both ended up 2 points and very poor

Edited by GeneticDrift

I'm not a major fan of Sensor Cluster, but it's only two points and if you crunch the numbers (just threw them into http://xwingcalculator.x10host.com/) two green dice with Focus and Sensor Cluster are better on average at protecting you than three green dice with a focus. Plus, any time you get attacked at range 3 Lightweight Frame does nothing for you, while Sensor Cluster is still good. Deathrain is also 38 points, which I find pretty poor since he's already relatively overcosted.

The only ship here that it sort of works on it Dutchess - at 28 points you might do alright. Not the others though.

Hmm...(scratches head)... this one?

Like Kylo Ren, Jonus there is being torn apart. What are you running him with? Typically I'd try something like this, and that list has no list for Predator or the rest. Pred on two dice isn't great anyways.

As for the Cutlass, it's Guidance Chips or Riot when it comes to missiles! Well, or LRS to a degree. Accuracy Corrector and Jonus have some negative synergies going on since the former makes the latter a bit unnecessary and I have a personal hatred of the Punisher for being a worse TIE Bomber when it came out with the K-Wing, one of the most colorful and multi-build ships in the game.

If I had to use a support shuttle with Lightened Frame, I'd probably use something like this instead. Jonus is a bit pricey already and a generic might be a better call. If it was on a more offensive TIE Shuttle I'd go with something like this.

I don't want to just propose radically different lists though, so building on your Quickdraw idea I'd run this list. This way, you get Quickdraw on the board with Lightweight frame in a way I like more. Accuracy Corrector is great on ships with two attack, but it gets progressively worse the more attack dice you have because Fire-Control System usually gives you more for less. Three dice with a Target Lock yield more average hits than Accuracy Corrector does, and it's especially good on Quickdraw because it means that she can fire twice with a TL the second time.

Edited by numb3rc

Honestly, I see Lightweight Frame as a new R3 Astromech. I had high hopes for both to make an underserved-class of ships better, but both ended up 2 points and very poor

If R3 and lightweight frame had their text swapped. Both would be good.

That's actually hilarious. Lightweight R3 Astro would be good, but I think that the mod would still be a bit meh. I I dislike abilities that are unreliable, abilities that get rid of good dice results, and abilities that are expensive and it'd still be all three.

I'm not a major fan of Sensor Cluster, but it's only two points and if you crunch the numbers (just threw them into http://xwingcalculator.x10host.com/) two green dice with Focus and Sensor Cluster are better on average at protecting you than three green dice with a focus. Plus, any time you get attacked at range 3 Lightweight Frame does nothing for you, while Sensor Cluster is still good. Deathrain is also 38 points, which I find pretty poor since he's already relatively overcosted.

The only ship here that it sort of works on it Dutchess - at 28 points you might do alright. Not the others though.

Hmm...(scratches head)... this one?

Like Kylo Ren, Jonus there is being torn apart. What are you running him with? Typically I'd try something like this, and that list has no list for Predator or the rest. Pred on two dice isn't great anyways.

As for the Cutlass, it's Guidance Chips or Riot when it comes to missiles! Well, or LRS to a degree. Accuracy Corrector and Jonus have some negative synergies going on since the former makes the latter a bit unnecessary and I have a personal hatred of the Punisher for being a worse TIE Bomber when it came out with the K-Wing, one of the most colorful and multi-build ships in the game.

If I had to use a support shuttle with Lightened Frame, I'd probably use something like this instead. Jonus is a bit pricey already and a generic might be a better call. If it was on a more offensive TIE Shuttle I'd go with something like this.

I don't want to just propose radically different lists though, so building on your Quickdraw idea I'd run this list. This way, you get Quickdraw on the board with Lightweight frame in a way I like more. Accuracy Corrector is great on ships with two attack, but it gets progressively worse the more attack dice you have because Fire-Control System usually gives you more for less. Three dice with a Target Lock yield more average hits than Accuracy Corrector does, and it's especially good on Quickdraw because it means that she can fire twice with a TL the second time.

Well, thanks for taking the time, :D appreciate it.

P.S. - (...last ditch effort...) or this one?

I like the mod, but i would have probably put it at one point. Most ships that would take it a are bit overpriced, so a green die for one point seems fair to me. But at least Deathrain (and Deathfire) are now a bit more tanky.

I'd take it on a named punisher. It's always going to trigger apart from R3 2dice attacks; behind nine health it'll pay for itself by stopping a couple of damage over 4 or 5 attacks (alpha strike does it in though).

The bombs/mines named punisher doesn't need chips and the other one has a good enough PS with TL tricks to get past the lack of GCs. I suspect it is the punisher "fix".

Sorry, couldn't be bothered to check names. You know who I'm talking about...

If only the BOMBER had two bomb slots... Lightweight Frame on Deathfire would be great if you could load Conner Nets and Cluster Mines and EM, or whatever yout bombs of choice would be. Doesn't seem worth it with only one bomb slot and EM, I think I rather take LRS and Homing missles.

any benefit the conditional extra agility offers is going to be quickly overwritten by the fact that you've handed your opponent an extra two points when your ship dies just about as quickly as it would have without the conditional extra agility

I don't see any appeal to this mod over keeping your bombers as cheap as possible. If they don't nuke their target, they're going to die regardless. Might as well make them less expensive

Edited by ficklegreendice

Honestly, anything running Advanced Proton Torpedoes is probably okay without Chips, because you're pretty much getting 5 hits anyway. Of course, you're running APTs, so you have bigger problems.

What we need is some kind of EPT with an awesome ability that has a -1 Agi tradeoff. That way we can equip this on all kinds of TIEs.

dont cloak unless you absolutely have to.

And I'd take this over SPA why again?

Because you want your Phantom to attack more frequently? Lightened Frame would be a good card at 0 points. It would still be okay at 1 point. Two points is really pushing it without being so expansive that people just don't even consider it.

What we need is some kind of EPT with an awesome ability that has a -1 Agi tradeoff. That way we can equip this on all kinds of TIEs.

you have no idea how difficult it is to resist an expose joke right now

you have no idea how difficult it is to resist an expose joke right now

We must not forget, Deathfire with lightened frame is even better. Especially cause cluster mines are his friend now.

Tomax Bren is awesome, and lightened frame will work with some of his builds.

TIE/SF are still the big winners from this card. Most bombers still want Scanners or Chips over this.

More people than usual are wrong about this Lightened Frame card.

We must not forget, Deathfire with lightened frame is even better. Especially cause cluster mines are his friend now.

Tomax Bren is awesome, and lightened frame will work with some of his builds.

TIE/SF are still the big winners from this card. Most bombers still want Scanners or Chips over this.

More people than usual are wrong about this Lightened Frame card.

that about what i was going to say .... adding that its a poor mans stealth device that you dont loose

What we need is some kind of EPT with an awesome ability that has a -1 Agi tradeoff. That way we can equip this on all kinds of TIEs.

What we need is some kind of EPT with an awesome ability that has a -1 Agi tradeoff. That way we can equip this on all kinds of TIEs.

you have no idea how difficult it is to resist an expose joke right now

Well it could work, the upgrade states whenever more attack dice are being rolled than green dice roll another green dice. So you could use it to drop to 1 agility and get it back. Still as most people said that is a hefty 5 points and with MOV every point counts.

It should cost 0 points because the ships that most benefit from it need a buff to make them cost-effective, not a fair upgrade for a fair cost.

I don't think it makes any ship any more playable than it already was, although if you were already using an /sf or Tomax or something then you might consider it as an option.

Naaah.

LWF only on shuttles or when you want to fly a 5xBomber list.

Shocked no one thinks that lightened framed makes the S/F aces even more viable in Palp shuttle builds. An extra green dice backed by palp..yes please.

Quickdraw, adaptability, fcs, sensor cluster, LF is a mean 35 pts.

Shocked no one thinks that lightened framed makes the S/F aces even more viable in Palp shuttle builds. An extra green dice backed by palp..yes please.

Quickdraw, adaptability, fcs, sensor cluster, LF is a mean 35 pts.

Not compared to what you can already get for ~35pts, it's not. Compared to Ryad/Vessery/Soontir etc it's severely second rate - you can't discount just how bad the /sf dial is.

I do say that there might be merit for Tomax Bren without GC when he uses Homing Missiles. I mean, he could go with Homing Missile and Extra Munition, but then go with Lightweight Frame. The thing is that he still gets to use the TL when firing Homing Missiles and can Crack Shot someone when firing, so there is a decent chance that he might not even need the GC when firing. What's important to recall is that Tomax is still valuable after he uses his 2 Missiles as he fires with Crackshot. So...he might just be able to use his extra Green Die for defense and stay alive that much longer.

Adding a defense die is not that good unless you can leverage an extra focus; see stealth device. Its not horrible, but not good on your average ship.

I have to say that I disagree with this. If you are a mid tier SF Tie Fighter, you are most likely just taking a Focus every round anyways. So...this way, you can use the Focus for any defense, but it's there for any offense if you don't need it for defense. I mean, it's something that can boost your green dice. Sure, it's not broken like /x7, but it's not bad.

===

Lightweight Frame is still pretty good on a number of ships. That's a Tie Shuttle, the Tie Striker, and the SF Tie Fighter. It also works on any Tie Bomber or Tie Punisher that is taking Bombs. Yes, it's not something utterly nasty, but it isn't useless or terrible. Maybe you don't always use it, but I'm sure there are times when it's good in a list.

It should cost 0 points because the ships that most benefit from it need a buff to make them cost-effective, not a fair upgrade for a fair cost.

I don't think it makes any ship any more playable than it already was, although if you were already using an /sf or Tomax or something then you might consider it as an option.

I agree with this totally, but I figured they wanted a certain point range for the Tie Striker. Otherwise they should have just boosted all strikers by 2 points and made this a 0 point upgrade.