I have used him a lot in epic play to push critical hits and finish off targets before they could fire back. He was almost an auto include. Now, I'll start exploring other possibilities.

Just now, dotswarlock said:

I have used him a lot in epic play to push critical hits and finish off targets before they could fire back. He was almost an auto include. Now, I'll start exploring other possibilities.

If anything he's now most useful for this purpose - even rolling two red dice you're very rarely to completely waste him saying 'crit'. It makes his use a lot more offensively focussed, which was probably the goal. Turtling's a good strategy but it's super boring to play against, which was half of the problem with Palp.

Definitely playing him in competitive play, would play palp more often in casual games too!

I have an extremely flashy playstyle, and am already declaring im using palp before rolling since wave 8. To me, this new FAQ has nearly 0 impact to me

7 minutes ago, Verlaine said:

I'm not sure if Palpatine functions dramatically different in a list with Vader and Soontir Fel. If not, then he's still worth the points, although the aces have become less useful in the meta.

How is he still worth the points after the errata? C-3PO whom you might not even need every turn.

10 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

If anything he's now most useful for this purpose - even rolling two red dice you're very rarely to completely waste him saying 'crit'. It makes his use a lot more offensively focussed, which was probably the goal. Turtling's a good strategy but it's super boring to play against, which was half of the problem with Palp.

So boring playstyles should be nerfed? Okay then, kick the regeneration.

Anyway, he wasn´t that bad at any point that we deserved this. This is by far the poorest decision FFG has made. I´m okay with the x7 change, but this is something else.

2 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

If anything he's now most useful for this purpose - even rolling two red dice you're very rarely to completely waste him saying 'crit'. It makes his use a lot more offensively focussed, which was probably the goal. Turtling's a good strategy but it's super boring to play against, which was half of the problem with Palp.

In my experience (20 + matches accross 2 tournaments), turtling is not an issue in epic play. Heck, even autothrusters are not an auto include considering how quickly the battle reaches and stays in range 2 or lower.

I'm not saying that Palpatine is bad and I can actually still imagine him being used frequently in standard games with arc dodgers. If you arc dodge well with Soontir, for example, then defense is a non issue and you can focus Palpatine on offense. With the limited number of attacks involved, that extra crit will very often make a difference.

In Epic play, however, if you spend 8 points then that effect really needs to count consistently. If I land 4 natural hits on a Raider primary attack then transforming one into a crit is not that exciting. I'm not upset about it in the least; I actually enjoy exploring other possibilities. If anything, this frees up 8 points for me to play around with.

3 minutes ago, Still1 said:

So boring playstyles should be nerfed? Okay then, kick the regeneration.

Anyway, he wasn´t that bad at any point that we deserved this. This is by far the poorest decision FFG has made. I´m okay with the x7 change, but this is something else.

I wouldn't disagree with you on regen being boring nerf-bat-bait. I'd like to see it only able to regen shields equal to the ship's base shields per game.

23 minutes ago, Still1 said:

How is he still worth the points after the errata? C-3PO whom you might not even need every turn.

Well, go and replace him with C-3PO then.

Anyway, if a squad with the old and new Palpatine basically play the same way, and he was worth his points before (MJ identified him as a severely undercosted upgrade) then he is still worth it now. From that perspective, you should go out and try it.

Maybe the Palpshuttle needed some extra crew, or maybe it is a good idea to leave it as bare as possible, maybe with some defensive system upgrade. In the latter case, the extra crew slot that Palpatine costs still is not much of a cost - you weren't going to use it anyway.

And when your aces fire on PS 9, you have to make the choice to use Palpatine before you roll instead of after. That's a disadvantage now. But from a defensive perspective, the goal is still to dodge as many arcs as possible and use Palpatine to mitigate damage. And since you already have a lot of info when you need to make the decision of Palpatine is going to turn one die into an evade, his ability is not bad at all. You could also look at it as flexible autothrusters, for anyone on the board, that also works on focus results.

Theoretically, I don't see a reason to declare the Emperor dead. There is every reason to go out and test him. And if you think you the points cost has become problematic, then I'd put him in a ship that is going to engage anyway: the Upsilon or the Decimator. And don't forget to have fun.

I played him a grand total of once in casual play. I will be much more likely to consider including him going forward, because the decisions around using him are more interesting and less of an easy-mode button. It's a much more interesting card than it used to be.

Run him on RAC with a rebel captive vi and engine, wingman is x/7 Maarek with VI. Use him on offense to reliably throw 3 crits a round of firing and dig for crits.

just my 2 cents

16 hours ago, Tbetts94 said:

I'd much rather fill my list with 29 points of something else that will make my opponent go after that ship to have a Biggs effect. That will prevent more damage than this overpriced crew now.

14 hours ago, Lightrock said:

Yes I will.

Not on Lambda though. He's no longer good enough to spend 29 points on, even if you get a somewhat crappy ship for free as well . I think he's still solid on RAC though. I'm gonna test it to see how it goes.

13 hours ago, ScummyRebel said:

I don't own a lambda or a palpatine card. I never played with him before. I don't think I'll go out and buy what I need just because of the FAQ. I don't think I'll skip it just because of the FAQ.

I'll probably pick up a lambda someday for playing HotAC. I doubt I'll buy a raider but just because of its price tag and the rarity of the times I get to play epic. That and I'm just more likely to play as scum or rebels in epic because I like their ships more.

Haven't read past first page so maybe has been addressed but folks act like the Upsilon isn't a thing. It has white turns and four reds! Why automatically assume the lambda is the only option? Plus, Decimator? And the fact that if you weren't getting some jousting efficiency from the palpshuttle you were doing it wrong anyway.

4 hours ago, Jedu said:

Also, it's a bit suspicious - a new guy to the forum (first post ever) post such a survey... maybe it's FFG's agent

Fulcrum!

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster! This FAQ was the first real topic I wanted to weigh in about!

Also in a deci build you only need to use him on the support ship on defense if the support ship is in danger.

the other thing i see people complaining about is the Lambda. sure it is a lumbering cow. but a lumbering cow with a 3 dice primary, if the cow is not firing at least 2 or 3 times you are playing him wrong because lets face it everyone chases the shuttle down, and if you are trying to run and do not get to shoot back a couple of times then that 29 points is a waste. but I have killed a lot of ships because they forgot the cow can shoot and usually after all other tokens have been stripped.

the other point i make is the Phantom Nerf... OMG I can't fly my phantom anymore they made it unusable... 3 moths later it was still on the table... 1 year later it was still on the table... what killed the phantom was Wampa, autoblaster lothal rebel, x/7 defenders, and BMST honestly not the nerf. Play the Emperor post faq he may just surprise you on how good he is still.

56 minutes ago, gamblertuba said:

Haven't read past first page so maybe has been addressed but folks act like the Upsilon isn't a thing. It has white turns and four reds! Why automatically assume the lambda is the only option? Plus, Decimator? And the fact that if you weren't getting some jousting efficiency from the palpshuttle you were doing it wrong anyway.

Yeah, it has white turns alright. It also doesn't turn around. It has maneuverability and endurance very similar to YV-666, a ship that is notorious for being easy to outmaneuver despite having a 180 degrees firing arc, which Batwing doesn't have. As soon as you get behind it with something remotely agile, it'll never get another shot again. I played against it and despite the fact that it was a game against a very competent player (a runner up at our regionals) I never really had any problems with it. It's just another case of a ship too pricey for it's dial.

Also, I never claimed you get no jousting efficiency from Lambda. You do, but it's just not worth 21 points (which is why nobody used Lambda for anything else than carrying Palp around). It's a ship that can distract enemy, block some, and probably get a couple of volleys off before the enemy gets behind it. Even before the Palp nerf I believed a Delta Defender, Deathfire or Pure Sabacc were all at least as good or better as a third ship despite Palp's imba power. Now it's not even a question.

I have had Palpatine since a few months after release. I have never put him on the table. Not once.

No I never will.

AND, I'm not angry about it either.

Nope. He's garbage now. I was so mad I put mine in my cat's litter box.

15 minutes ago, AllWingsStandyingBy said:

Nope. He's garbage now. I was so mad I put mine in my cat's litter box.

He is garbage now, or you suspect he might be but haven't tested it yet? I'm guessing the latter.

I don't know if you recall, but people said the same thing when he was initially released. It was all "8 points, and 2 crew! What a waste!" Then he started running tournaments and everyone did a complete 180.

So yes, it is possible you might accidentally use him at the wrong time now. Does the fact that every time he is "wasted" it's because you rolled PERFECTLY not offer some solace?

Do you complain that you're rolling too well to use autothrusters too?!

"Guh, this is so dumb! I'm rolling 100% evades every turn, I'll never get to use stupid Palp! And what's with this water glass?! Only 99% full? I'm gonna die of dehydration!"

If you're going to wildly overreact to things, at least have the decency to record the destruction of your property and post it on YouTube, so sensible people can be entertained. Yeesh!

18 minutes ago, Sekac said:

He is garbage now, or you suspect he might be but haven't tested it yet? I'm guessing the latter.

I don't know if you recall, but people said the same thing when he was initially released. It was all "8 points, and 2 crew! What a waste!" Then he started running tournaments and everyone did a complete 180.

So yes, it is possible you might accidentally use him at the wrong time now. Does the fact that every time he is "wasted" it's because you rolled PERFECTLY not offer some solace?

Do you complain that you're rolling too well to use autothrusters too?!

"Guh, this is so dumb! I'm rolling 100% evades every turn, I'll never get to use stupid Palp! And what's with this water glass?! Only 99% full? I'm gonna die of dehydration!"

If you're going to wildly overreact to things, at least have the decency to record the destruction of your property and post it on YouTube, so sensible people can be entertained. Yeesh!

Eh, System Open results will tell, I guess.

Either way my copy is definitely garbage now...Copernicus saw to that.

People compare him to C-3PO, but I say it's an unjust comparison. C-3PO only works on the ship he's flying. Palpatine has no range limit. Can work on any friendly die roll anywhere on the table. Works on offensive and defensive rolls. Even works on things like Saboteur. I say he's still better than C-3PO as a crew card.

I will still be running him at Hoth. We'll see how it goes. I am running a non-meta list, so who knows.

9 minutes ago, heychadwick said:

People compare him to C-3PO, but I say it's an unjust comparison. C-3PO only works on the ship he's flying. Palpatine has no range limit. Can work on any friendly die roll anywhere on the table. Works on offensive and defensive rolls. Even works on things like Saboteur. I say he's still better than C-3PO as a crew card.

I couldn't have said it better myself. As someone who primarily plays Rebels I would LOVE to have the option of sticking new Palp on a U-wing to support my squad. He is not as all powerful as before but he is still in the top 5 best crew in the game. With anything that has an evade token he will work almost exactly the same. You will just use Palp and save the evade token for later instead of the other way around.

3 hours ago, smccaughan said:

Also in a deci build you only need to use him on the support ship on defense if the support ship is in danger.

the other thing i see people complaining about is the Lambda. sure it is a lumbering cow. but a lumbering cow with a 3 dice primary, if the cow is not firing at least 2 or 3 times you are playing him wrong because lets face it everyone chases the shuttle down, and if you are trying to run and do not get to shoot back a couple of times then that 29 points is a waste. but I have killed a lot of ships because they forgot the cow can shoot and usually after all other tokens have been stripped.

the other point i make is the Phantom Nerf... OMG I can't fly my phantom anymore they made it unusable... 3 moths later it was still on the table... 1 year later it was still on the table... what killed the phantom was Wampa, autoblaster lothal rebel, x/7 defenders, and BMST honestly not the nerf. Play the Emperor post faq he may just surprise you on how good he is still.

Ha Phantom is still not dead, fenn killed him for a while but now that his power wingman manaroo is dead,I think the Phantom is still in it.

Just now, TheOz said:

Ha Phantom is still not dead, fenn killed him for a while but now that his power wingman manaroo is dead,I think the Phantom is still in it.

Oh after the nerf i agree completely. I am looking forward to a Whisper mini swarm again.

I'll give it a try. My gut feeling tells me it's not good enough anymore to justify 8 points and 2 crew, but there's no reason not to see how it actually feels on the table first

Yes.

Just played a few games in an Kylo Upsi (Palp) + OL + Inquisitor list. New Palp still made the list strong and kept the aces alive, and let me deal crits the rounds I wanted a crit (combined with ISYTDS).

Other crew on the Upsi or Lambda are either range based support or require the shuttles to fire. For making the shuttle valuable the entire match, Palpatine is still the clear choice for lists that feature aces with a shuttle. He is just weaker at what he does