Take a look at this build:

Ahsoka with VI, Sabine's Masterpiece, BMST, Captured TIE, Operations Specialist

Shara Bey with Adaptability, Rey, R5-P9, Alliance Overhaul, Vectored Thrusters

Norra with PTL, R2-D2, Kyle Katarn, Vectored Thrusters, Alliance Overhaul.

Your list simply drowns in focus tokens, and you have resistance to stress with Kyle and Rey and Operations Specialist.

Operations Specialist is a pretty good card. It's a way to shunt actions to things that wouldn't normally be able to get them. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

It's the next Attanni Mindlink. Another sleeper card with a great effect that people don't realize the power of.

This is the perfect card for the Captured TIE.

Also, let's look at some Imperial options. Why not pair a Tomax Crackshot TIE Shuttle with some TIE/D's? Then Operations Specialist is lifting a ton of weight for your squad, that's likely an extra 2-3 focus tokens per round. Sound familiar? Omega Leader doesn't always hit, so now when she misses she can get that full stack tho.

Everytime that you miss with an attack, you can use it to supercharge the attack of the next ship in line, or supercharge the defense of ships. All of a sudden you're in a bad spot, you (intentionally) miss, and then you get a defensive token.

This card is crazy.

Holy crap!

Its my favorite card right now. I always try to fit it in a squad if I can. It's not Attanni mindlink good, but it is good enough for Imps and Rebels to get some good action economy. I love it paired with SnapShot. Snapshot misses and you get rewarded, or it hits and you do damage. win win.

Check out Phoenix Swarm made by @Stay On The Leader . Its one of my favorite squads to fly at the moment. So **** fun and can take on any list out there. Focus tokens pop around like candy.

Im currently trying:

Tomax Bren (24)
Crack Shot (1)
Kylo Ren (3)
Operations Specialist (3)
Lightweight Frame (2)
TIE Shuttle (0)

"Quickdraw" (29)
A Score to Settle (0)
Fire-Control System (2)
Lightweight Frame (2)
Special Ops Training (0)

Darth Vader (29)
Adaptability (0)
Advanced Targeting Computer (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
TIE/x1 (0)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

All PS 8,9,10, so they fire early and get focus early or else get kylo crit through. Only done one game so far, but Tomax lasted about an hour being tokened up and was the only death.

I also tossed Op Spec on a U-wing in an epic game and holy crap, it was awesome.

16 minutes ago, wurms said:

Its my favorite card right now. I always try to fit it in a squad if I can. It's not Attanni mindlink good, but it is good enough for Imps and Rebels to get some good action economy. I love it paired with SnapShot. Snapshot misses and you get rewarded, or it hits and you do damage. win win.

Check out Phoenix Swarm made by @Stay On The Leader . Its one of my favorite squads to fly at the moment. So **** fun and can take on any list out there. Focus tokens pop around like candy.

Im currently trying:

Tomax Bren (24)
Crack Shot (1)
Kylo Ren (3)
Operations Specialist (3)
Lightweight Frame (2)
TIE Shuttle (0)

"Quickdraw" (29)
A Score to Settle (0)
Fire-Control System (2)
Lightweight Frame (2)
Special Ops Training (0)

Darth Vader (29)
Adaptability (0)
Advanced Targeting Computer (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
TIE/x1 (0)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

All PS 8,9,10, so they fire early and get focus early or else get kylo crit through. Only done one game so far, but Tomax lasted about an hour being tokened up and was the only death.

I also tossed Op Spec on a U-wing in an epic game and holy crap, it was awesome.

That's a sexy squad. That's literally Attanni Mindlink on Imperial ships.

What's easy to miss about the card at first glance is that it doesn't have to be the ship that missed that gets the focus, it's any ship at range 1-3 of the attacker. That's huge.

How does missing win you the game? I guess the TIE shuttle would miss often enough but at PS8 it would give one ship a focus after they shoot.

It is more of a turtling card or something that goes well with gunner or munitions failsafe/flechette torp. Need to focus on the trigger to get the focus.

Note, not a good card when used with Lt. Blount.

I like the card a lot. Don't think it is anywhere near being Mindlink crazy (limited to crew ships, triggers on a negative outcome), but throw it in a list that is triggering Gunner consistently, and you are getting some great action economy.

Also, on a side note, the comparison between Operation Specialist and Captain Rex crew is hilarious. Just as a quick reminder- these cards were released IN THE SAME WAVE.

· Captain Rex - After you perform an attack that does not hit, you may assign 1 focus token to your ship.

Operations Specialist (limited) - After a friendly ship at Range 1-2 performs an attack that does not hit, you may assign 1 focus token to a friendly ship at Range 1-3 of the attacker.

So, for one more point, you are getting the same effect as Captain Rex with Operations Specialist, except

a) it triggers not only for the ship it is equipped to, but EVERY ONE OF YOUR SHIPS AT RANGE 1-2

b) the token can also be assigned to ANY FRIENDLY WITHIN A RANGE RULER OF THE SHIP THAT ATTACKED

c) bonus- it isn't unique

Seriously, how did this happen? How is Captain Rex crew a card?

8 minutes ago, Turbo Toker said:

That's a sexy squad. That's literally Attanni Mindlink on Imperial ships.

No... No it really isn't though. You are missing shots to get the trigger. Mindlink would never work as well as it does if it needed the ships to miss to get their focus stacks. And it also doesn't have a single 6 health, 2 agility target that can be killed to ruin the synergy 100% (at least not in any good Mindlink list).

Again, Op Spec is a nice card, but let's not get carried away here.

So Operations Specialist in an Attani Mindlink list, just to, you know, "continously" resupply all your ships with focus tokens during a single round?

1 minute ago, Sciencius said:

So Operations Specialist in an Attani Mindlink list, just to, you know, "continously" resupply all your ships with focus tokens during a single round? Perhaps on Palob with a TLT. Oh? One of my TLT shoots missed...

You would need both TLT shots to miss to trigger OS, but sure. Maybe you use that one attack die primary to intentionally miss LOL.

You could also do this with Overclocked Astromech.

12 minutes ago, Kdubb said:

No... No it really isn't though. You are missing shots to get the trigger. Mindlink would never work as well as it does if it needed the ships to miss to get their focus stacks. And it also doesn't have a single 6 health, 2 agility target that can be killed to ruin the synergy 100% (at least not in any good Mindlink list).

Again, Op Spec is a nice card, but let's not get carried away here.

Fair points, but it's not far behind. Also, Tomax would have Lightweight, so 3 agility most of the time.

OS has some corner cases where it's better than Mindlink. In a situation where a ship can't focus itself, Mindlink can only pass it one focus.

In a situation where a ship can't focus itself, OS can stack as many focuses as attacks that miss can stack on it.

It's a corner case, sure, but you could stack 2-3 focuses on something in a pinch.

As Sciencius pointed out, maybe you combo this with Mindlink. Manaroo range 1-3 baby.

17 minutes ago, Mep said:

How does missing win you the game? I guess the TIE shuttle would miss often enough but at PS8 it would give one ship a focus after they shoot.

It is more of a turtling card or something that goes well with gunner or munitions failsafe/flechette torp. Need to focus on the trigger to get the focus.

Note, not a good card when used with Lt. Blount.

First, Wampa is Op Specs best friend, his ability does damage and triggers Op Spec

For everyone else, missing wins you the game by supplying you a token for defense to live longer, or a friendly you blocked, or boosted or barrel rolled. Captain Rex firing range 3 through a rock on Fenn Rau can supply a focus token to your TLT Ywing. Lots of possibilities. Have the Rey crew card on the Ghost? Last person to miss resupplies her. Waste not!

Scenario, you have a single focus token and need one hit to kill enemy. You roll hit eye eye. Spend focus token obviously. Opponent rolls evade evade eye. Spends their focus token. You get a focus token in return. Now they attack and get hit hit blank. You roll defense and get eye eye blank. But wait, you have a focus token! Op Spec just saved you two damage!

Remember those scenarios where you roll eye blank blank and you are just like "Meh, I wont use my focus." Well, now there is no penalty, get the damage through or get your focus token back, or pass it to a friendly.

Take this list:

Rey (45)
Stay On Target (2)
Finn (5)
"Zeb" Orrelios (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
Millennium Falcon (1)

Cassian Andor (27)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Fire-Control System (2)
Gunner (5)
Operations Specialist (3)
Engine Upgrade (4)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Rey slams into people with her arc. Cassian fires first, misses, tosses her a focus token, then has a target lock for his second attack, and Rey is full modded range 1.

Lots of possibilities with Op Spec.

I've been playing around with a Jyn/Jan/Op Sec list for a bit... haven't got it tuned yet, but feels like there's potential there

5 minutes ago, Lobokai said:

I've been playing around with a Jyn/Jan/Op Sec list for a bit... haven't got it tuned yet, but feels like there's potential there

What is it? When combined with Jan Ors, Ops Spec basically hands out an evade token.

That's Palpatine for 5 points. Huh.

The trouble with Op Spec is that you have to miss AND you have to be shooting again or defending again after. Unless you have a lot of ships or you have Gunner etc, and/or you have good agility, I think it's easy to run into diminishing returns.

12 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

The trouble with Op Spec is that you have to miss AND you have to be shooting again or defending again after. Unless you have a lot of ships or you have Gunner etc, and/or you have good agility, I think it's easy to run into diminishing returns.

It works well with snapshot since it happens before combat. If the 2 unmodified dice hit then great but if not then free focus which you can then spend on either defense or your own real attack regardless of PS. Have had good success comboing it with snap/juke A-Wings, snap/tac Rymer, and snap/R3-A2 Nien. It's not tier 1 by any means, nowhere near as good as Attani simply because it's far less reliable. You can't guarantee you'll get a shot or that shot will miss so you can't base a list off of it, but for 3 points it does provide quite the boost.

Op Spec can be good, no doubt, but I think the conditions required to make it work properly means it's a long way short of Mindlink.

It's about the same cost, but occupies a different slot which is a lot harder to actually get in most lists so you may have to take sub-optimal ships to get it. It also has specific triggers which mean quite often you may have already focussed with the ships who would benefit from it, leaving less benefit overall. If you didn't focus with those ships in order to try to get maximum benefit from Op Spec you may find yourself in a bad situation should you hit with your attacks (which is actually a very strange thing to think about - hitting might be bad).

I've seen it used to good effect a few times, notably in an A-Wing Snap/Crack swarm with Sabine in a TIE Fighter carrying the Op Spec. It handed out focus very efficiently but the list fell apart once the TIE was killed. Part of the reason Mindlink is as good as it is, is because even with one ship killed the remaining still get the benefit and there's no real weak link/lynchpin to exploit.

57 minutes ago, Makaze said:

It works well with snapshot since it happens before combat. If the 2 unmodified dice hit then great but if not then free focus which you can then spend on either defense or your own real attack regardless of PS. Have had good success comboing it with snap/juke A-Wings, snap/tac Rymer, and snap/R3-A2 Nien. It's not tier 1 by any means, nowhere near as good as Attani simply because it's far less reliable. You can't guarantee you'll get a shot or that shot will miss so you can't base a list off of it, but for 3 points it does provide quite the boost.

Yeah, Snap Shot/Op Spec is nice.

I found it really fun doing Snap Shot/Op Spec/Gunner on Kylo pilot, but the 'can't turn around' issue kills it.

Outside of Snap Shot I think any comparison to Mindlink is purely hyperbolic.

In Snap Shot lists it's nuts.

5 minutes ago, Stay On The Leader said:

Outside of Snap Shot I think any comparison to Mindlink is purely hyperbolic.

In Snap Shot lists it's nuts.

Both Mindlink and Ops Spec can add a few extra focuses to a list. Mindlink is generally the better card, but there are corner cases where Ops Spec can be better and Ops Spec isn't limited to Scum.

I don't think the comparison is hyperbolic.

Mindlink adds focus before you fire to make sure you are effective. Ops Spec adds focus after you fire as a reward for being ineffective.

It's almost entirely hyperbolic, as many people have already pointed out. But as you're the great and wonderful @Turbo Toker I guess we can expect another 20 page thread of you sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting "I'M NOT LISTENING! I'M NOT LISTENING! I'M NOT LISTENING!"

3 hours ago, Kdubb said:

Seriously, how did this happen? How is Captain Rex crew a card?

This is by far a better question. Rex crew is just SO BAD compared to Op Spec for just one point more, I can't help but wonder if they actually meant to swap them round and forgot.

15 minutes ago, Stay On The Leader said:

Mindlink adds focus before you fire to make sure you are effective. Ops Spec adds focus after you fire as a reward for being ineffective.

It's almost entirely hyperbolic, as many people have already pointed out. But as you're the great and wonderful @Turbo Toker I guess we can expect another 20 page thread of you sticking your fingers in your ears and shouting "I'M NOT LISTENING! I'M NOT LISTENING! I'M NOT LISTENING!"

It can reward you before you fire. Ship A fires and misses, which triggers Ops Spec and can gives ship B a focus before it fires. If you have high PS, it can work defensively too.

I think it's a reasonable comparison. Both can add a few extra focuses to a list. I acknowledge that Mindlink is generally better.

LOL holy ****, calm down. And you're calling me hyperbolic.

I mean, in your example it's not even used on good ships because the value of additional focus tokens on 1 Agility ships is pretty low, AND you've already got plenty of ways of getting Focus it's literally just stacking eyeballs for the sake of stacking eyeballs.

36 minutes ago, Turbo Toker said:

Both Mindlink and Ops Spec can add a few extra focuses to a list.

THis is like saying 'giving Soontir PTL and running him with a TIE Bomber with Op Spec both add 2 focus tokens to the list so they're the same'.

They're just not.

That's not to say Op Spec isn't good in context - it's great with FCS and/or Gunner on mid to low PS ships, though it's outclassed by Hotshot Copilot on high PS ships and Bossk crew in most Scum lists that might use it, and it's got some value as swarm support, and some value on Whisper to make sure she can *always* get her focus token for defence, hit OR miss - but saying it's the next Mindlink is hyperbole.

42 minutes ago, Stay On The Leader said:

I mean, in your example it's not even used on good ships because the value of additional focus tokens on 1 Agility ships is pretty low, AND you've already got plenty of ways of getting Focus it's literally just stacking eyeballs for the sake of stacking eyeballs.

When I flew the list before with a U-Wing, I didn't have enough focuses to support Shara.

You need to have one for her offense, R5-P9, and ideally also have one leftover for defensive rolls, and you also want to target lock for Norra. I ended up facing a Wes Janson too and Stresshog too. Rey alone wasn't normally enough and if I only focused + Rey with Shara I would never get to utilize her pilot ability.

Norra needs extra focuses too. One for an extra hit result, one for an extra defensive result.

So Shara can do 2 actions a turn (1.5 really with Rey). She actually needs 4.

Norra can do 3, Push the Limit and Kyle. This should be enough most of the time, but an extra would help.

Ahsoka's ability and Ops Spec should patch the action economy of the squad. If both ARC's have shots, it's likely that at least one is missing. So that's an extra focus, sometimes 2 a round. That's a shield regen I wouldn't have had or an extra evade result, or an extra Rey focus I can bank so I don't have to choose between shield regeneration and banking focuses.