Hello everyone!

Somehow I see netlists with Crackshot quite often, but I usually wonder why people would spend their Elite Skill Slot for a one trick pony.

Why is it so good? Why do people love Crackshot so much? I know... it's cheap... but is that really it?

Predator costs 2 points more than Crackshot, but you can use it in almost every round of combat. Isn't it so much better to use Predator instead?

Because often what determines the match is whether you can kill the scariest thing on the board in a single pass. Crack shot helps you do that.

Also anybody who's ever gotten into competitive list building knows that 2 points might as well be an insurmountable mountain at times.

Predator has potential to be more useful, but green side of opponents could still beat you. Crackshot is a guarantee extra damage (assuming you don't die before using it, but that applies to Predator also)

Crackshot also has a secondary effect of sometimes forcing an opponent to spend a focus token to ensure your Crackshot doesn't kill him

Definitely my go-to 1 pt EPT

Getting less and less valuable as Scum becomes more broken and all ships released have double the health of Interceptors, Zeds, etc.

But still pretty good - it's 1 point and it achieves a lot more than just a damage: allows things like Kylo or Boba or Whisper's focus to proc.

Aside from the obvious "it's cheaper", extra damage early can be more useful than extra damage that is generated over the course of the match. This is particularly true as matches grow shorter and the number of combat rounds your ships can expect to be on the table decreases. Predator is still great, but Crack Shot is a good choice for ships that aren't expecting to live long and/or are trying to maximize early damage. So it pairs well with swarms of weak ships (TIE Fighter/A-Wing Crack Swarms) or with Alpha Strike oriented ships (Bossk, Gamma Squadron Veterans, etc.).

And it can be used with Snap Shot

Remember all those 1 agility ships? Yeah they are gone. Also since it has been moved to damage modification instead of dice modification (modding after defender modifies their defense dice) it can be good for stripping evade tokens as well. Against crack shot you need an extra evade. And if a token is spent to get 3 evades agaisnt 2 hits the crack shot won't be spent.

So yes it is good, especially since there are so many Y-wings and K-wings out there. So yoou got your evade result on that B-wing, aannndd it's gone!

Its one guaranteed damage for one point. The best 'ordnance' in the game and really powerful when scaling.

One thing that I think often gets overlooked with crackshot is that it forces opponents to be inefficient with tokens. I roll 2 hits, you roll 2 evade and a focus? If I have crackshot, you might now have to spend that focus token and I don't have to spend my crackshot. So crackshot is more than just a 1 time damage, it also forces tokens to be spent inefficiently.

The other way I'd think of it is this: people will spend 3 points for a hull upgrade or 4 for a shield upgrade, which is also one time use. So 1 point to do one extra damage isn't a bad deal.

...add crackshot and lightweight frame, stir, and season to taste.

It's amazing. Although worth noting that each Crack Shot you add to a list makes every other Crack Shot a bit better.

I would hit it with a minor nerf if I had say, just to make you spend it before they roll green dice.

4 minutes ago, Stay On The Leader said:

It's amazing. Although worth noting that each Crack Shot you add to a list makes every other Crack Shot a bit better.

I would hit it with a minor nerf if I had say, just to make you spend it before they roll green dice.

Ummmm, one use, save Bren, and you think it needs a nerf?

Love your analysis and thoughts most every time; but on this? What are you smokin?

As described above 'the best ordnance in the game'... and you don't think it needs a nerf?

My opponent brings, what 20-30 hull on his ships for 100pts. For 1pt each I can pretty much guarantee negating 1 hull, that's too cost efficient.

In large numbers it's too easy for 6/7pts of Crack Shot to straight up delete 20-30pts of small ship.

True, but the ships that run it are underpowered already and without that punch, would practically be useless against the current meta.

It's the best 1 point EPT. Well, maybe VI is better. Ok, it's one of the best 1-pointers and by far the best spend-to-use EPT. The other spend-to-use EPTs would need to be miles better in order to compete.

Something else not mentioned above is that Crack Shot can often prevent overkilling ships by forcing that last point of damage through.

Edited to add: Also, I have had opponents take a less advantageous shot against one of my TIE Fighters that still had Crack Shot on it over one of the others that had already spent it. Whenever that happens, I think, "Sweet, I just got the benefits of a Stealth Device for 1 point."

What I find interesting is the comparison with Juke. For one more point, you can have a similar (similar) effect that is repeatable.

Yeah, but with Juke, you need to have an evade token to make it work, and your opponent having a focus will negate your advantage. Crack shot is one-use, but automatic, and at your discretion. Don't get me wrong, Juke is great, but it kind of needs the right ship and pilot, where Crack Shot is good on almost everybody

Crack Shot is so much better than Juke, people overvalue Juke because they see it so much on O.Leader.

You could/should flip the points cost on Juke and Crack Shot.

BTW I'm saying all this as somebody who played Crack Swarm last year. That's why I know how bonkers Crack Shot is.

17 hours ago, Stay On The Leader said:

As described above 'the best ordnance in the game'... and you don't think it needs a nerf?

Although ordnance in general isn't that great. Sorta like being the least stinkiest pile of poodoo

38 minutes ago, piznit said:

Although ordnance in general isn't that great. Sorta like being the least stinkiest pile of poodoo

2015 called, it wants it's opinion back.

Well skipping one evade means one free hit. It is always good.

22 hours ago, Rinzler in a Tie said:

Getting less and less valuable as Scum becomes more broken and all ships released have double the health of Interceptors, Zeds, etc.

But still pretty good - it's 1 point and it achieves a lot more than just a damage: allows things like Kylo or Boba or Whisper's focus to proc.

I think you mean, different types of ship are good now. Why would you fly something low health when it can be bombed to death in a round by K wings?

Also, how is scum as a faction broken? I mean, mindlink is the flavour of the day, but the scum faction is not just jumpmasters. Poor Starvipers and Khiraxzs.