http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/imperial-assault/images/c/c1/Swi32_deployment_shyla-varad.png/revision/latest?cb=20160920191745

Versus

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/imperial-assault/images/e/e8/Swi25_card_bossk.png/revision/latest?cb=20160526160720

In my continuing analysis of Jabba's Realm (see my first one here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ImperialAssaultTMG/comments/5fnr9k/weequay_vs_hk_a_mathematical_analysis/ ) I'm looking at another unit that (at this time) is not getting much attention: Shyla Varad (Skirmish).

Bossk has been a popular bruiser since his release, using his native block and damage, aoe damage, and regeneration to be a bane to Trooper lists. When focused, he also makes a great Assassin.

Shyla, on the other hand, looks to function as an assassin and a minor control unit. Her ability to grab and move enemies allows her to pull activated units from safety and into the line of sight of her allies. Additionally, her native Evade combined with a black die makes her very resilient vs Troopers and helps protect against the many ~:+2D and piercing surges.

The most important metric for any combat unit, though, is damage. Shyla has a damage floor of 2D, 2 Pierce, Cleave 2 (3 surge roll) while Bossk boasts an impressive 3D, 2 Pierce floor (1D red die, 1 surge green die, 2D native).

However, it is in the average damage department that we want to make our main comparisons. The RG+2 pool of Bossk produces 5.5 average damage and 2/3 average surges, with only one surge ability: Pierce 2. Shyla generates a more disappointing average of 3.5 damage but an impressive 1.83 surges with her pool of GGY. Of course, the first surge you'll want to tack on is a cool +2D, and oftentimes you'll have a second surge to add in the Pierce 2 or Cleave 2, leading to an identical average damage and a higher chance of Piercing or Cleaving to Bossk.

Next, we have abilities. Bossk has access to an impressive AoE damage ability that can also apply strain to multiple units at once (a scary prospect if used with Under Duress), as well as a guaranteed 2 recovery and relief from harmful conditions at end of round.

Compare that to Shyla, who has less aoe but can pull people off objectives and terminals or drag a fleeing, injured unit into her allies' LoS. She also has access to Regen, but gets less of it, which is a darn shame.

Finally, Shyla gets access to a far superior command card: Bladestorm. This beast of a card allows Shyla another surge while attacking and damages EVERY enemy within 2 spaces for one... for one point. Wow.

Overall, I don't think there is a clearly superior unit, but, much like the eWeequay before her, I think she deserves a much closer consideration than many have initially given this Mando powerhouse.

She does look quite strong. For the same cost as Bossk, she has +2 health and +1 attack die (which are both very strong), and a nice assortment of surge abilities (which is good since it's a surge-heavy dice pool). She tops off at 7 damage, Pierce 2, in full-damage mode (G-DD, G-DD, Y-D~~), which is one higher than Bossk's damage ceiling (6D, Pierce 2, from: +2D, R-3D, G-D~), and has more flexibility (converting a G-DD, G-D~, Y-D~~ into 6D, Pierce 2, Cleave 2). And the Whip ability gives her the same range as Bossk's guaranteed range (3 spaces), with the added control benefit.

Now that we have Deadly, I think I'd rather have a black die + evade over a white die + block, as well. I haven't run the numbers, but the difference between those two defense pools may be enough to mitigate the lost damage recovery Bossk offers (though not his ability to remove harmful conditions).

Plus they're cheap and share the same traits, so they're certainly not mutually exclusive.

I've contemplated running both of them together. Shyla to better position opponents to allow bossk to hopefully do both IF and an attack.

I've contemplated running both of them together. Shyla to better position opponents to allow bossk to hopefully do both IF and an attack.

I could see that, and Jabba's "Order Hit" could really help position them both.

I've contemplated running both of them together. Shyla to better position opponents to allow bossk to hopefully do both IF and an attack.

I proxied Shyla a couple times in lists with Bossk and they really do work well together. The list I ran was Bossk, Shyla, Vinto, Greedo, Onar, and regular HK Droids with Prey On The Weak (IIRC). This was without the new command cards so I am really excited to try it again with their character cards and also drop the HKs for elite Weequays. You should definitely give it a try!

I ran almost the same list last night (just with Jabba and Dev Scheme instead of Onar and Prey on the Weak). It was a lot of fun. What Shyla can do to enemy figures' positioning is brutal, and Bossk is nasty as always. That rancor caused me problems all match, but I killed nearly everyone else and eked out a victory.

-ryanjamal

I ran almost the same list last night (just with Jabba and Dev Scheme instead of Onar and Prey on the Weak). It was a lot of fun. What Shyla can do to enemy figures' positioning is brutal, and Bossk is nasty as always. That rancor caused me problems all match, but I killed nearly everyone else and eked out a victory.

-ryanjamal

I ran almost the same list last night (just with Jabba and Dev Scheme instead of Onar and Prey on the Weak). It was a lot of fun. What Shyla can do to enemy figures' positioning is brutal, and Bossk is nasty as always. That rancor caused me problems all match, but I killed nearly everyone else and eked out a victory.

-ryanjamal

so far, out of 4 games, I've seen the rancor die way faster than I thought ( dies in 2 turns)

-ryanjamal

I ran almost the same list last night (just with Jabba and Dev Scheme instead of Onar and Prey on the Weak). It was a lot of fun. What Shyla can do to enemy figures' positioning is brutal, and Bossk is nasty as always. That rancor caused me problems all match, but I killed nearly everyone else and eked out a victory.

-ryanjamal

so far, out of 4 games, I've seen the rancor die way faster than I thought ( dies in 2 turns)

Ha ha, for me too, but only when I've been playing him myself :-). Yeah, he's a heavy investment and hit or miss on how much of a return you get. But when he's working for you, oh man!

-ryanjamal

Feeding Frenzy helps a lot keeping him alive. I recovered 8 health in a game with him, died right at the end. I had also managed Pummel, Ferocity, Jabba, and Survival Instincts that game, though.

I like Shyla but I think I still lean a bit more towards Bossk.

She's much harder to burst down and the natural evade is probably a bit better than a natural block.... but damage wise Bossk comes out on top. The +2 natural damage is just so strong and he's nowhere near as reliant on surges, which also means he does a bit better against white dice.

Shyla's cleave is cool but I prefer Indiscriminate Fire. The whip is also cool but again, shooting at the same range just seems easier. Displacement is a very interesting mechanic but probably pretty situational.

Her command card is very nice, Bossk's is probably better but her's is cheaper.

They are much closer than I was expecting... but overall I think Bossk is more of a threat. He scares me more than Shyla. I think she's probably more flexible and more tanky, but she just doesn't scare me as much.
I was about to say that she gets much scarier with Jabba giving her focus and/or another attack.... but the same goes for Bossk.

Bossk has been a popular bruiser since his release, using his native block and damage, aoe damage, and regeneration to be a bane to Trooper lists. When focused, he also makes a great Assassin.

I've never seen a competently piloted Trooper list struggle against Bossk. In fact, whenever I wound up playing against him with Blazing Troopers I was enjoying the prospect of 8VPs packaged in a single figure that needs to get within striking distance of my cluster of troops to even try to pay its points back.

More on point, I enjoy the prospect of playing Shyla on account of the clever positional tricks you can do with her. That said, I don't think she'll be played competitively. 8pts is still too much to tie up into a single figure, no matter the tricks and attacks and health pool and whatever.

I actually have to agree with you there. I've never seen Bossk be a power piece. He always hangs back and does little or rushes in, does a bit of damage, and then dies unceremoniously.

However, people seem to like him and he keeps showing up in lists, so maybe my opponents have been using him wrong or he just doesn't do much in the Bantha matchup. Anyway, he's a popular unit so I figured he would be a good baseline to show why I think Shyla is worth a second look.

IMO, (which means little) Bossk is the beginning of a conscious shift from nameless troopers to named characters. Some people like to play the helmeted stormtrooper, others get into the game to play the iconic characters. I think trooper spam is being balanced where it is not as competitive. So Character killers (what Bossk does well) will come into style even more. Bossk is just on the early side of it. Shyla will come around as well. I'm hoping sooner rather than later, as playing 3 straight trooper +Blaise lists in a tournament is a drag.

I like Shyla but I think I still lean a bit more towards Bossk.

She's much harder to burst down and the natural evade is probably a bit better than a natural block.... but damage wise Bossk comes out on top. The +2 natural damage is just so strong and he's nowhere near as reliant on surges, which also means he does a bit better against white dice.

Shyla's cleave is cool but I prefer Indiscriminate Fire. The whip is also cool but again, shooting at the same range just seems easier. Displacement is a very interesting mechanic but probably pretty situational.

Her command card is very nice, Bossk's is probably better but her's is cheaper.

They are much closer than I was expecting... but overall I think Bossk is more of a threat. He scares me more than Shyla. I think she's probably more flexible and more tanky, but she just doesn't scare me as much.

I was about to say that she gets much scarier with Jabba giving her focus and/or another attack.... but the same goes for Bossk.

I disagree with you on a couple of points here.

I think cleave, with her attack dice and high propensity for getting surges, is about equal or stronger than indiscriminate fire. Unless Bossk is already in position, he's using indiscriminate fire instead of his main attack, and if your opponent is alright with losing a few command cards, it only comes out as a single damage on a few units. Shyla's attack+cleave keeps the damage consistent and focused, rather than spreading it out.

That whip can be game changing. Moving your opponent's figures is a powerful effect that we rarely see, and it can really turn the tables in an objective game. Pulling Leia into open fire, Obi Wan away from an objective, or a token carrier out of scoring position can be game changing. With her move of 5, her effective range with this ability is 8, which is pretty insane for a melee figure. It also means she doesn't have to put herself as deep into enemy territory to score her hits.

As for granting an extra attack from Jabba, I'll grant that it is slightly more threatening with Bossk, since his attack is more consistent overall.

I just like playing with her. I don't know if she's better, but the whip is a lot of fun.

-ryanjamal

I like Shyla but I think I still lean a bit more towards Bossk.

She's much harder to burst down and the natural evade is probably a bit better than a natural block.... but damage wise Bossk comes out on top. The +2 natural damage is just so strong and he's nowhere near as reliant on surges, which also means he does a bit better against white dice.

Shyla's cleave is cool but I prefer Indiscriminate Fire. The whip is also cool but again, shooting at the same range just seems easier. Displacement is a very interesting mechanic but probably pretty situational.

Her command card is very nice, Bossk's is probably better but her's is cheaper.

They are much closer than I was expecting... but overall I think Bossk is more of a threat. He scares me more than Shyla. I think she's probably more flexible and more tanky, but she just doesn't scare me as much.

I was about to say that she gets much scarier with Jabba giving her focus and/or another attack.... but the same goes for Bossk.

I disagree with you on a couple of points here.

I think cleave, with her attack dice and high propensity for getting surges, is about equal or stronger than indiscriminate fire. Unless Bossk is already in position, he's using indiscriminate fire instead of his main attack, and if your opponent is alright with losing a few command cards, it only comes out as a single damage on a few units. Shyla's attack+cleave keeps the damage consistent and focused, rather than spreading it out.

That whip can be game changing. Moving your opponent's figures is a powerful effect that we rarely see, and it can really turn the tables in an objective game. Pulling Leia into open fire, Obi Wan away from an objective, or a token carrier out of scoring position can be game changing. With her move of 5, her effective range with this ability is 8, which is pretty insane for a melee figure. It also means she doesn't have to put herself as deep into enemy territory to score her hits.

As for granting an extra attack from Jabba, I'll grant that it is slightly more threatening with Bossk, since his attack is more consistent overall.

I completely agree that the Whip is interesting. However... as far as an attack goes.... it's the same as a range 3 shot. Still needs line of sight.

The displacement can also screw with your ability to use Cleave since she doesn't have reach. So quite often you'll have to choose between pushing an enemy or doing cleave.

The extra speed over Bossk does make her more flexible.

That being said, the displacement has limited use. If you're leaving Leia out in the open to be pulled with a Whip, you've already made a mistake. Higher cost or tougher figures like Obi Wan or Vader are good targets too but again, they are usually already in the firing line and all you're doing then is pulling the melee beasts closer to you and the rest of your list.

It's certainly good to pull people off terminals and objectives but I think that's situational. Depends on the map of course. Don't forget that Shyla (and Bossk) can easily one shot troopers, sabs, hired guns etc.... stuff that usually holds terminals. So pulling them doesn't mean much when you just kill them outright anyway.

Certainly both units are very capable and scary. If played well, they are a major pain and they really hurt medium to high cost figures.

I'm actually planning on trying to run both Bossk and Shyla.

I do like they are both Brawlers and Hunters. Makes better use of cards. Shyla is much better for Grisly Contest.

I'm not sure why people are saying they don't see Bossk competitively. He's a top tier figure. The problem was always that the rest of the Merc list was a bit sub par and didn't back him up very well.... there's a lot more toys available now. It's going to be an interesting few months.

Oh Bossk is definitely top tier. Shyla is probably top(ish) tier as well. It's just somewhat hard to get them in the same list, depending on the units you like to use.

-ryanjamal

Shyla has really stepped it up for me in my last tournament. She is pretty good on defense. I did have to use her strategically, but it worked out great. I whipped their exhausted long range units over to her for an attack, and within reach of a Gamorrean Guard for a Pummeling, or at least a good focused attack.

In "To Your Stations", I would activate her at the end to whip somebody off a security terminal, attack him, and take over the terminal for points and another 2 damage.

It's not all about comparing numbers straight up, sure, they are comparable, but it has to work with the missions and the rest of your squad.

I used Shyla to win my way up to top 4 this weekend at regionals. I am very impressed with her and will generally take her over Bossk.

Bossk can do better if he starts the turn in range, being able to use both an attack and indescriminate fire in the same activation. Beyond that setup, Shyla is going to do better every time.

Offensively you trade 1 red for a green and a yellow (roughly same damage, much better chances for surges), and you lose the auto +2 dmg, but you can surge for +2 dmg and surge for cleave 2. With GGY, Shyla tends to have plenty of surges, and she gets even better if you focus her. Focus on Bossk just adds the Green die damage, it doesn't really expand his ability to utilize his one surge (as it doesn't significantly change the chance of getting 1 surge).

Shyla's command card is far better, 1) you can use it after you see the dice results - 2) it has a greater range of effect (anything within 2 as opposed to just adjacent). While Bossk's card can do more damage if they enemy clumps up enough, in practice at a high level of play that shouldn't happen. Having a space within 2 of multiple figures for Shyla to get to - that does happen even at high levels. Plus her command card is only 1 pt vs Bossk's costs 2.

Defensively you trade auto block for auto evade, but you also trade the white for black die and gain 2 health. They are pretty even here, with a slight edge to Bossk if you can roll some Dodge results from time to time.

The positioning with her whip is what takes the cake. Bossk's attack is to be weathered and endured, but thats it. Shyla's attack not only do you have to survive it (with roughly the same odds as a Bossk attack), but if you do survive now you are out of position for whatever you planned to do. When I whipped someone I knew they were either going to be dead, or they were going to be wide open for my follow up attacks from other figures.

My round 4 fight really impressed me with what she can do. I whipped a focused elite royal guard (10HP) and one shot him. She was focused and I played assassinate and bladestorm with a max damage roll. She killed him outright and put some damage on 2 other figures - all at the start of turn 2 before the Royal guard could activate.