What your looking at is a 6 red dice ship for 23pts with no range bonus for the defender. Hes going to be the perfect flanker/bait. High agi/low hp ships needed to have the extra challenge :-)

Intensity is worthless since you can't Boost/Barrel roll with a non-modified Z. I'd run VI on him to make sure you can get a TL or Deadeye. I would prefer VI + Glitterstim. That's 6 dice with TL + Focus.

Depending on the rest of my list I prefer VI or Mindlink but yeah a real beast that has to be accounted for.

I certainly don't expect it to be at the top of the meta. The cruise missiles suffer from Dash's donut problem, and require you to actively fly (quickly!) towards the ship you want to hit.

It'll change the pattern of first engagements, but that's about it.

Also, it still can get PS killed, because it's a gorram Z-95.

Going to be hard to ensure you're at range 2 for max dice when going full speed at them. Good luck

I'd try this with 6 Z's. Would be fun to wipe out Decimators in the first engagement.

Lieutenant Blount — Z-95 Headhunter 17
Veteran Instincts 1
XX-23 S-Thread Tracers 1
Vectored Thrusters 2
Ship Total: 21

Bandit Squadron Pilot — Z-95 Headhunter 12
Cruise Missiles 3
Guidance Chips 0
Ship Total: 15

Bandit Squadron Pilot — Z-95 Headhunter 12
Cruise Missiles 3
Guidance Chips 0
Ship Total: 15

Bandit Squadron Pilot — Z-95 Headhunter 12
Cruise Missiles 3
Guidance Chips 0
Ship Total: 15

Bandit Squadron Pilot — Z-95 Headhunter 12
Cruise Missiles 3
Guidance Chips 0
Ship Total: 15

Bandit Squadron Pilot — Z-95 Headhunter 12
Cruise Missiles 3
Guidance Chips 0
Ship Total: 15

Yes, wipe out the Deci in the second round in a blaze of Glory, enjoy the amazing thrill. Then watch Whisper slowly take down all your Z's one by one as their 2 attack dice plink at her cloak, like nats lightly pummeling a speeding car's windshied on a hot summer's night.

12 minutes ago, clanofwolves said:

Yes, wipe out the Deci in the second round in a blaze of Glory, enjoy the amazing thrill. Then watch Whisper slowly take down all your Z's one by one as their 2 attack dice plink at her cloak, like nats lightly pummeling a speeding car's windshied on a hot summer's night.

Your green dice must be nicer than mine.

Also, Deci (and Whisper) could still outright kill Blount before he gets to shoot, so I wouldn't count on it being THAT easy.

38 minutes ago, ArbitraryNerd said:

I certainly don't expect it to be at the top of the meta. The cruise missiles suffer from Dash's donut problem, and require you to actively fly (quickly!) towards the ship you want to hit.

It'll change the pattern of first engagements, but that's about it.

Also, it still can get PS killed, because it's a gorram Z-95.

4 dice range 1, 6 at range 2 and 6 at range 3, for 23 pts. Where is the donut? The built was an example, the core is actually the pilot + the missile for 20 pts. The EPT could be replaced by VI or even other more expansive options. The thing is, for 23 pts you are giving your opponent some though decisions to make when used as a flanker:

If he focus on your other more expansive ship, he risk gettind hit by all those dices.

If he focus all of his ship on the Z95 you just got the perfect bait and your other (better ship) are free to do their things for some rounds.

If he splits his forces your not getting focus fired.

Thats an amazing 23pts investment.

18 minutes ago, clanofwolves said:

Yes, wipe out the Deci in the second round in a blaze of Glory, enjoy the amazing thrill. Then watch Whisper slowly take down all your Z's one by one as their 2 attack dice plink at her cloak, like nats lightly pummeling a speeding car's windshied on a hot summer's night.

And then watch Whisper being destroyed by all those nasty bombs... like a mosquito on those blue lights :-) What im suggesting is not meant to fly with a Z95 squad but as a flanker with more expansive/nastier options (you know, Asajj, Fenn, Jumps, Nym, etc)

14 minutes ago, ArbitraryNerd said:

Your green dice must be nicer than mine.

Also, Deci (and Whisper) could still outright kill Blount before he gets to shoot, so I wouldn't count on it being THAT easy.

Whisper is a fickle date, but I have single handily taken out a Missile Z-Swarm with her when the Missiles did take down my Deci; though one Z was dead and another on life support before they volleyed and rolled very, very well. I think my greens were well over 50% evades every roll that game, never a scratch on her. Poor guy went from optimistic to downtrodden as I took one turn each to erase them; quickly. When she's good, she's very, very good. And Z's? well, they are like popcorn paper-tigers post secondary weapon usage.

13 minutes ago, Thormind said:

And then watch Whisper being destroyed by all those nasty bombs... like a mosquito on those blue lights :-) What im suggesting is not meant to fly with a Z95 squad but as a flanker with more expansive/nastier options (you know, Asajj, Fenn, Jumps, Nym, etc)

I would too, Z's need a beefy assistant or they are a no-go against Aces. Jump is the obvious as it keeps your cost low (pre FAQ anyway), but the Scrugg might be a great fit....sold B+ to just under A team if flown really well?

9 minutes ago, clanofwolves said:

(pre FAQ anyway)

It's the reason why i did not put mindlink on the ship. Everyone know whats comming :-)

14 minutes ago, clanofwolves said:

And Z's? well, they are like popcorn paper-tigers post secondary weapon usage.

I played an epic match not so long ago. My opponent had 8 Z + Chewbacca in his built. I managed to destroy them all with 3 defender and took no dmg from the Z or from Chewbacca's ability. My opponent wasnt happy

21 minutes ago, clanofwolves said:

Whisper is a fickle date, but I have single handily taken out a Missile Z-Swarm with her when the Missiles did take down my Deci; though one Z was dead and another on life support before they volleyed and rolled very, very well. I think my greens were well over 50% evades every roll that game, never a scratch on her. Poor guy went from optimistic to downtrodden as I took one turn each to erase them; quickly. When she's good, she's very, very good. And Z's? well, they are like popcorn paper-tigers post secondary weapon usage.

You're not wrong. I actually did have Whisper almost solo quad TLTs in the 2016 MA Regionals.

... She eventually died, though, but it WAS my only loss before the top cut, so I'm a fan (and hoping to have her hit the table more if certain erratas ever actually drop).

N'dru with Mindlink + Cruise Missile + Guidance Chips

Fenn with Mindlink + Autothrusters + CDP

Talonbane with Mindlink + Tracers + Dampeners + EU + VT + Autothrusters + Vaksai

Inaldra with Mindlink + Light Scyk

100 pts exactly.

Who the heck do you kill first?

51 minutes ago, defkhan1 said:

Who the heck do you kill first?