Newby Build Questions

By homeboyslim, in X-Wing Squad Lists

I am fairly new to the game, I have played a handful of games but mostly with the same person, who is also new. I am going to staring playing some at my local hobby shop starting next week. I REALLY want to have a build with a YT-1300 and B Wings, or YT-1300 and Y Wings, mainly because those are all my favorite ships :) Mostly just for fun but I also dont want to get crushed every game b/c of a crappy build and i dont have many option in regards to testing it.

Here are my initial builds, please rip them apart and make suggestions;

YT-1300; Rey, with Kyle, Kanan, Predator, Engine Upgrade, Title (evade)

B-Wing; Ten Numb, Adv Senors, Shield Upgrade, PTL

OR

YT-1300; Chewy, with Kyle, Kanan, Predator, Engine Upgrade, Title (evade)

Y-Wing; Grey Squadron, Title, R2

Y-Wing; Gold Squadron, Title, BB8

ps i do have other Rebel ships including YT2400, both starter kits, Ghost and a few others.

Rey has built-in rerolls provided she can keep her target in her front arc so doesn't need Predator so much (although it is a good choice on Chewie). On the other hand, she likes having extra dice to reroll which is why Finn is a good crew card for Rey (although not so much for anyone else). Veteran Instincts puts Rey at PS10 which allows her to Boost or pivot after pretty much everyone else has moved which in turn maximises the value of those upgrades.

If you haven't already got it, Rebel Aces is a great expension which adds some good pilots and upgrades to both B-wings and A-wings. If you like B-wings then it is definitely worth getting.

Ten Nunb needs Crits for his ability to work so I would look for some way to generate Crits for him. Normally Push the Limit is a good upgrade but in his case, you might want to take Marksmanship instead as it will give you a 3/8 chance of getting a crit on each dice.

Thanks for the input.

One more, I cant seem to make Y or B wings work with my cards, so how is this one

YT-1300; Rey, with Kyle, Finn, Engine Upgrade, VI, and Title (newer title)

X-Wing; Poe, with BB-8, PTL, Black One, WG, and Primed Thrusters (I dont have Autothrusters yet or I would use that)

Edited by homeboyslim

Your latest version is a good one. But if you have Kanan Jarrus, use him instead of Kyle Katarn: you'll be able to remove your stress after the 3-bank turn-around, so you can still take actions and or do back-to-back "s-loops".

Looks like you have the Heroes of the Resistance pack, so I would use Pattern Analyzer on Poe for the same points. It allows you to still take an action if you do a red maneuver when you start the turn not stressed. That way you can Tallon Roll and still get your focus token (which Poe really likes having, and not spending).

You have BB-8, so you probably can use that for general PtL shenanigans, but, if you use a green move and don't use BB-8 for some reason, you can still use the pattern analyzer to double action with PtL and clear the stress. You won't want to PtL on the turns you use Pattern Analyzer with a red move, as a double stressed Poe is not a happy Poe.

I appreciate all the suggestions, I think i will switch Kyle to Kanan. I have never used Kanan, but he only removes stress from friendlies at Range 1-2, and not himself (Falcon), correct? I still see the obvious advantage of flying him with Poe, just double checking that.

Looks like you have the Heroes of the Resistance pack, so I would use Pattern Analyzer on Poe for the same points. It allows you to still take an action if you do a red maneuver when you start the turn not stressed. That way you can Tallon Roll and still get your focus token (which Poe really likes having, and not spending).

You have BB-8, so you probably can use that for general PtL shenanigans, but, if you use a green move and don't use BB-8 for some reason, you can still use the pattern analyzer to double action with PtL and clear the stress. You won't want to PtL on the turns you use Pattern Analyzer with a red move, as a double stressed Poe is not a happy Poe.

Raven,

Pattern Analyzer is 1 pt more than my Primed Thrusters and im already at 100, otherwise I agree its a better switch...Although I am using Heroes of the Resistance Poe. Is it worth changing to the original Poe and using the saved 2 points for Pattern Analyzer (bringing me to 99), or keeping the 9 PS Poe?

I appreciate all the suggestions, I think i will switch Kyle to Kanan. I have never used Kanan, but he only removes stress from friendlies at Range 1-2, and not himself (Falcon), correct?

Incorrect. A ship is both "friendly to" and "at Range 1" of itself. See Jan Ors pilot in the HWK, "When another friendly ship at Range 1-3 is attacking," and note the additional word "another."

I appreciate all the suggestions, I think i will switch Kyle to Kanan. I have never used Kanan, but he only removes stress from friendlies at Range 1-2, and not himself (Falcon), correct?

Incorrect. A ship is both "friendly to" and "at Range 1" of itself. See Jan Ors pilot in the HWK, "When another friendly ship at Range 1-3 is attacking," and note the additional word "another."

Even Better! Thanks

First off, the BTL-A4 title will not work without some kind of turret equipped. Otherwise, these are pretty decent starting places for beginner builds.

I changed Predator to Push the Limit because it works better for this build to always have a stress token that can be removed by Kanan so that Kyle can assign the Focus token. My suggestion would be to take a Target Lock to replace your Predator reroll and then either take an Evade token or Boost out of enemy firing arcs. An additional Focus token wouldn't be bad either because it can be used for offense or defense. Ideally, both of the Y-Wings would be Greys, but there weren't enough points available. I also would have liked to have enough points to put Vectored Thrusters or Engine Upgrade on the Y-Wings.

Chewbacca (56)
YT-1300 (42), Push the Limit (3), Kyle Katarn (3), Kanan Jarrus (3), Millennium Falcon (Evade Version) (1), Engine Upgrade (4)

Gold Squadron Pilot (22) x 2
Y-Wing (18), BTL-A4 Y-Wing (0), R2 Astromech (1), Dorsal Turret (3)
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On your other list, I tried to make each ship work better by themselves. I put Wingman on Ten Numb for those times Rey has to flip around so you can remove the stress and use Expertise for your attack. Bistan gives Ten his Critical at Ranges 1-2 and Fire Control System allows you to reroll your blanks. For this build, I think you'd need to get a U-Wing and a Z-95 to make it work. If you get rid of Engine Upgrade on Rey, you wouldn't need the Z-95 for Wingman because you could use Expertise instead.

Rey (62)
YT-1300 (45), Expertise (4), Finn (5), Kyle Katarn (3), Millennium Falcon (Segnor's Loop Version) (1), Engine Upgrade (4)

Ten Numb (38)
B-Wing (31), Fire-Control System (2), Wingman (2), B-Wing/E2 (1), Bistan (2)

Edited by Nickel

First off, the BTL-A4 title will not work without some kind of turret equipped. Otherwise, these are pretty decent starting places for beginner builds.

I changed Predator to Push the Limit because it works better for this build to always have a stress token that can be removed by Kanan so that Kyle can assign the Focus token. My suggestion would be to take a Target Lock to replace your Predator reroll and then either take an Evade token or Boost out of enemy firing arcs. An additional Focus token wouldn't be bad either because it can be used for offense or defense. Ideally, both of the Y-Wings would be Greys, but there weren't enough points available. I also would have liked to have enough points to put Vectored Thrusters or Engine Upgrade on the Y-Wings.

Chewbacca (56)

YT-1300 (42), Push the Limit (3), Kyle Katarn (3), Kanan Jarrus (3), Millennium Falcon (Evade Version) (1), Engine Upgrade (4)

Gold Squadron Pilot (22) x 2

Y-Wing (18), BTL-A4 Y-Wing (0), R2 Astromech (1), Dorsal Turret (3)

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On your other list, I tried to make each ship work better by themselves. I put Wingman on Ten Numb for those times Rey has to flip around so you can remove the stress and use Expertise for your attack. Bistan gives Ten his Critical at Ranges 1-2 and Fire Control System allows you to reroll your blanks. For this build, I think you'd need to get a U-Wing and a Z-95 to make it work. If you get rid of Engine Upgrade on Rey, you wouldn't need the Z-95 for Wingman because you could use Expertise instead.

Rey (62)

YT-1300 (45), Expertise (4), Finn (5), Kyle Katarn (3), Millennium Falcon (Segnor's Loop Version) (1), Engine Upgrade (4)

Ten Numb (38)

B-Wing (31), Fire-Control System (2), Wingman (2), B-Wing/E2 (1), Bistan (2)

NIckel,

Thanks man. I may try your first one as I was a little disappointed with using a version of the many Fat Rey type builds and really looking to use Y Wing or B wings in my build, but due to inexperience, folded easily :) That said I will experiment with them and would love to run the Rey/Ten Numb you listed but i dont have Bistan or Expertise...guess a U-Wing is in my future purchases :) Until then I will have fun with the earlier Rey/Poe suggestions and your Rey/Gold Squadrons. Thanks all! Any others are welcome :)

Edited by homeboyslim

I appreciate all the suggestions, I think i will switch Kyle to Kanan. I have never used Kanan, but he only removes stress from friendlies at Range 1-2, and not himself (Falcon), correct?

Incorrect. A ship is both "friendly to" and "at Range 1" of itself. See Jan Ors pilot in the HWK, "When another friendly ship at Range 1-3 is attacking," and note the additional word "another."

Don't forget that the same is true for the Black One Title. If you boost or barrel roll, you may remove a Target Lock from yourself or another friendly at R1.

Also I sometimes see newcomers spending Poe's focus token incorrectly, just like I did when I started, so be mindful of that. Remember that when Poe has a Focus he can turn one eyeball into a Hit or Evade but does not "spend" it.

Edited by Force Majeure

I appreciate all the suggestions, I think i will switch Kyle to Kanan. I have never used Kanan, but he only removes stress from friendlies at Range 1-2, and not himself (Falcon), correct?

Incorrect. A ship is both "friendly to" and "at Range 1" of itself. See Jan Ors pilot in the HWK, "When another friendly ship at Range 1-3 is attacking," and note the additional word "another."

Don't forget that the same is true for the Black One Title. If you boost or barrel roll, you may remove a Target Lock from yourself or another friendly at R1.

Also I sometimes see newcomers spending Poe's focus token incorrectly, just like I did when I started, so be mindful of that. Remember that when Poe has a Focus he can turn one eyeball into a Hit or Evade but does not "spend" it.

The Poe thing actually came up at a recent tournament. I believe it was a Carnor Jax nearby that caused someone to question whether or not Poe could do his thing. The answer is yes: he's not spending it, but he still has it, which is all his ability requires.

Raven,

Pattern Analyzer is 1 pt more than my Primed Thrusters and im already at 100, otherwise I agree its a better switch...Although I am using Heroes of the Resistance Poe. Is it worth changing to the original Poe and using the saved 2 points for Pattern Analyzer (bringing me to 99), or keeping the 9 PS Poe?

Sorry, I thought WG was Weapons Guidance. If you are using both Weapons Guidance and Primed Thrusters, well, you save the points of either one you take off, as you can't use both. I just threw the build with Primed Thrusters in and it comes to 99 points (without WG, since I don't know what that is) so you could fit Pattern Analyzer on, but you lose any initiative bid. It's up to you whether PS9 is worth two points or not, though once you get Autothrusters, I would highly encourage you to go to PS8 to fit them on.

Well Thanks guys. I ended up playing last night, i panicked and went with this build at the last second;

YT1300 Rey; VI, Falcon Title (360), Engine Upgrade, Kanaa, Finn

T-70 Poe (newer 9PS Poe); PTL, Black One, R2D2

My opponent had 3 Tie Defenders. Bad news is he killed off Rey fairly quick, probably after about 5 rounds, good news is he never killed Poe, we ended up having to call the game after 2 hours (hobby shop closing) and I still had Poe with full shields and 2 Hull. I was trying not to constantly "run" and i didnt get a few fights with one defender isolated...however I couldnt ever get him around enough for a good one on one or even two on one fight without losing the ability to regen or without assured death from all 3 defenders, so it def got a little boring after a while. I konw that Rey was due to my inexperience/poor flying. All that said i did LOVE flying Poe so I may look to fly some version of this set up again and keep practicing with the Falcon, or Poe with 2 other smaller ships.

Rey against 3 defenders insn't really a fair fight. One thing to think about is that Rey has a turret, defenders don't. When you know how defenders manouvre they can be a bit predictable. Just try and stay out of their arc and shoot them down with the turret. It might cost you not being able to always utilize Rey/Finn but it's far better then being shot down.

But as they say, practice makes perfect.

Rey against 3 defenders insn't really a fair fight. One thing to think about is that Rey has a turret, defenders don't. When you know how defenders manouvre they can be a bit predictable. Just try and stay out of their arc and shoot them down with the turret. It might cost you not being able to always utilize Rey/Finn but it's far better then being shot down.

But as they say, practice makes perfect.

Agreed, I def was over agressive in the early rounds with Rey, and yea 3 Defenders was pretty rough, for me at least. Thanks