A topic on the OP-edness of Mindlink set me to thinking about this question.

I've not gotten to explore this, but the combination of a sensor slot and EPT slot on a single ship allows for Advanced Sensors & PtL. That gives an unpresidented level of placement options if the ship also has Boost and BR. If those are naturally on the ship, it can also take AT. The best options I see for this now are the higher PS G-1A and Starviper pilots (who can take AT); but their PS are still not great for expensive aces and Scum have other options that are the current rage.

If we get a ship with the Starviper actions and slots with high PS that is more cost efficient (or perhaps the Starviper fix some pray for) I bet that card combo will be decried as OP.

What can you predict or project?

Corran used to be run with that combo a decent amount. It falls flat when you need to K-Turn, as that means two turns where you can't use your full combo. Not KO-criterium, but a strong limiting factor.

For me, I would bash down in some way or other:

• Jumpmasters
• Attani Mindlink
• TLT
• Some combination of Sabine/Guidance Chips/Extra Munitions/Cluster Mines

Once you get to that point I think I would look at Crack Shot timing to prevent people burning tokens unnecessarily and then we should be in a good place.

Clearly once Mindlink is nerfed to hell, the new hotness with be Triple Jumps with K4, Unhinged, and Expose.

I think Ketsal could be the new broken ship we see in almost every imperial squad. Imperials need the help though, but her ability is going to allow her to constantly get 3 or 4 damage from missiles, easy. Nobody is going to want to run a 4hp ship. When she can blast you away from range 3 behind a rock. This is Party Bossk with Homing Missile scary territory for under 30pts. She cancels all blanks and eyeballs on defensive rolls, aka 4-lom + zuckuss essentially on Missile Bossk. Homing missile bypasses any evade tokens. So, your only saving grace is natural evades which you can't count on. These abilities that instantly cancel dice are NPE. How annoying was it when you roll 2 evades and eyeball and then got Zuckussed and rolled 3 blanks? She is gonna cancel your 2 eyeballs and blank (autothrusters? nope!). 30+pt ship dead. Toss VI on her, and fly her with backdraft or quickdraw with target sync or upsilon with coordinate and its easy get her double mods she needs.

*Like Soontir needed any other reason not to be on the table*

2 minutes ago, Stevey86 said:

Clearly once Mindlink is nerfed to hell, the new hotness with be Triple Jumps with K4, Unhinged, and Expose.

Tom's list on Sunday had crackshot and K4 on his torp boats. No mindlink there but it still beasted everyone he played...

Just now, Smutpedler said:

Tom's list on Sunday had crackshot and K4 on his torp boats. No mindlink there but it still beasted everyone he played...

That's because he didn't play me. You know how OP Luke is!

You can already do that with Sabine in the Shuttle or the TIE. Actually, I came across a Sabine w/ PTL, Chewy, TLT, and Hull that was a PITA. Though at PS5, it's easy enough to react to her.

1 minute ago, Stevey86 said:

That's because he didn't play me. You know how OP Luke is!

SO very true. If we nerf mindlink; Luke in his T-65 will just dominate the meta and push everything else out.

I guess my point is; I don't feel like mindlink is the bogey man. K4/crackshot boats with Torkil is brutal. There are so many other ways to keep jumps on the top tables I think ruining mindlink would do exactly what the OP says; open the door for the next bogey man. Which is really the super efficient ships and dials.

I honestly think we are only moments away from people fortressing Dengar + Tel/Bossk/Whoever in a corner, both equipped with Expertise + K4 while just waiting for their prey to come within range to melt them. I don't have the guts to do it myself, but now that you can get full mod shots by just banging 2 ships into each other in a corner, I'm not sure why I haven't seen it yet. Poor on defense perhaps, but I really haven't seen that stop Expertise K4 Dengar yet.

2 minutes ago, Kdubb said:

I honestly think we are only moments away from people fortressing Dengar + Tel/Bossk/Whoever in a corner, both equipped with Expose + K4 while just waiting for their prey to come within range to melt them. I don't have the guts to do it myself, but now that you can get full mod shots by just banging 2 ships into each other in a corner, I'm not sure why I haven't seen it yet. Poor on defense perhaps, but I really haven't seen that stop Expose K4 Dengar yet.

I think you mean Expertise?

Just now, Smutpedler said:

I think you mean Expertise?

Right. Thanks. Will edit. Not sure why I have Expose on the mind.

Just now, Kdubb said:

Right. Thanks. Will edit. Not sure why I have Expose on the mind.

Probably because of @Stevey86 bringing it up further up the thread

23 minutes ago, Kdubb said:

but now that you can get full mod shots by just banging 2 ships into each other in a corner, I'm not sure why I haven't seen it yet. Poor on defense perhaps, but I really haven't seen that stop Expertise K4 Dengar yet.

Maybe it's because fortressing is just a terrible strategy in general.

The Reinforce action being brought to 100/6 Standard Play.

Because Reinforce, C3-PO and some way of getting it an evade, like via Jan Ors Crew is just urgh.

Looking forward to it though.

4 minutes ago, miguelj said:

Maybe it's because fortressing is just a terrible strategy in general.

It is until it isn't though. It's already the smartest strategy against all out bombing lists when you know you will just get mauled by the bombs if you leave your side of the deployment zone. Now that there is a way to get full mods every round by just bumping yourself, I'm not sure we can say for certain that, outside of it just being an annoying strategy, it is a terrible one. Perhaps not quite a good one yet, but a couple more powerful upgrades introduced that can fit on the Jumpmaster that gives you a benefit even when bumping, and we might start seeing it.

It's worth noting though that bumping your opponent's ships is usually better anyways. Getting full mods and negating an attack from your opponent? Crazy that the game is starting to promote bumping into your opponents ships.

Kylo Crew (because if imperials ever get a cheaper or easier way to deal crits...)

12 minutes ago, Tlfj200 said:

Kylo Crew (because if imperials ever get a cheaper or easier way to deal crits...)

Black Squadrons with Calculation EVERYWHERE.

Just now, FTS Gecko said:

Black Squadrons with Calculation EVERYWHERE.

2 minutes ago, Tlfj200 said:

Kylo Crew (because if imperials ever get a cheaper or easier *good way to deal crits...)

*fixed. Thanks for catching this.

A Score to Settle on Omega Leader. I can't decide if it is worth giving up Juke, but it is one of the best ways of getting crits through without downsides.

3 minutes ago, Tlfj200 said:

Kylo Crew (because if imperials ever get a cheaper or easier *good way to deal crits...)

*fixed. Thanks for catching this.

You're welcome.

....dammit, now I want to try

Kylo Ren - Kylo Ren's Shuttle, Rebel Captive
Black Squadron Pilot - Calulation x 4

1 minute ago, AEIllingworth said:

A Score to Settle on Omega Leader. I can't decide if it is worth giving up Juke, but it is one of the best ways of getting crits through without downsides.

Or, you know, A Score to Settle on Kestal. Poor A-Wings.

19 minutes ago, FTS Gecko said:

Black Squadrons with Calculation EVERYWHERE.

Youngster with Marksmanship

1 hour ago, Kdubb said:

I honestly think we are only moments away from people fortressing Dengar + Tel/Bossk/Whoever in a corner, both equipped with Expertise + K4 while just waiting for their prey to come within range to melt them. I don't have the guts to do it myself, but now that you can get full mod shots by just banging 2 ships into each other in a corner, I'm not sure why I haven't seen it yet. Poor on defense perhaps, but I really haven't seen that stop Expertise K4 Dengar yet.

Fortressing/castling Dengar-Tel also has four dice if and when it goes to final salvo...

1 hour ago, Kdubb said:

It is until it isn't though. It's already the smartest strategy against all out bombing lists when you know you will just get mauled by the bombs if you leave your side of the deployment zone. Now that there is a way to get full mods every round by just bumping yourself, I'm not sure we can say for certain that, outside of it just being an annoying strategy, it is a terrible one. Perhaps not quite a good one yet, but a couple more powerful upgrades introduced that can fit on the Jumpmaster that gives you a benefit even when bumping, and we might start seeing it.

It's worth noting though that bumping your opponent's ships is usually better anyways. Getting full mods and negating an attack from your opponent? Crazy that the game is starting to promote bumping into your opponents ships.

My Xwing heart died a little reading this. Someone's gonna do this and it won't be a terrible idea.