I played the following against my son today. Yes, he is family, but... well, this squad just crushed him - and he'd been tuning up his Imperial squad for a while. This squad was stress happy, which was good because his squad included Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle, which hands out stress like candy to kids on Halloween.

• Sabine Wren (32) - Attack Shuttle
  • Push The Limit (3)
  • Dorsal Turret (3)
  • Gunner (5)
• Tycho Celchu (32) - A-Wing
  • Wired (1)
  • Assault Missiles (5)
• Wullffwarro (36) - Auzituck Gunship
  • Trick Shot (0)
  • Ezra Bridger (3)
  • C-3PO (3)

I know this strange squad can be improved - and I seek your suggestions!

I'm pretty sure the Assault Missiles on the A-Wing aren't the right choice - but I'm not sure what would be better.

I'd like to stick with these three ships for a while and just try to improve their upgrades and pilots.

Thanks in advance!

And... thanks too for all the great tips and welcoming feeling on this forum. I'm new to X-wing, and I feel so happy to have found this game and this community!

First I would get Guidance Chips in on Tycho. His missile is debateable, but I would probably run proton rockets for the lower points and bigger one shot whammy. With the reduced points you could add Auto thrusters or go PTL on Tycho. I would go PTL for the extra action and if you can save a point somewhere keep wired too with test pilot title.

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself, and there is nothing wrong with your OG list, for example if you se a lot of swarms that assault missile would be huge.

10 hours ago, JSwindy said:

First I would get Guidance Chips in on Tycho. His missile is debateable, but I would probably run proton rockets for the lower points and bigger one shot whammy. With the reduced points you could add Auto thrusters or go PTL on Tycho. I would go PTL for the extra action and if you can save a point somewhere keep wired too with test pilot title.

On ‎18‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 4:52 AM, cooper.marcus said:

Tycho Celchu (32) - A-Wing

• Wired (1)
• Assault Missiles (5)

Autothrusters, Rage, Proton Rockets, A-wing Test Pilot, Adaptability - same price, makes you PS9, and nigh untouchable at range 3 or with turret fire. Rage generates focus and attack rerolls, and the mountain of stress tokens it generates concern Tycho not a jot.

It does make him a range 1 monster at the exclusion of effective range 3 fire, though.

On ‎18‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 4:52 AM, cooper.marcus said:

Sabine Wren (32) - Attack Shuttle

• Push The Limit (3)
• Dorsal Turret (3)
• Gunner (5)

Gunner is expensive and since it only lets you double-tap with the primary, not the turret, it's not actually that great on a small ship like this.

Kanan Jarrus is a cheaper and better option - use sabine's ability to boost/barrel roll, then push the limit to evade, then perform any white or green move (clearing stress because Kanan) and then focus - giving you double tokens without stress on a much wider dial.

Autoblaster turret is only range 1, but 2 dice at range 2 is so-so anyway, and autoblaster turret hits ignore green dice, making it a really good ace-killer.

On ‎18‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 4:52 AM, cooper.marcus said:

Wullffwarro (36) - Auzituck Gunship

• Trick Shot (0)
• Ezra Bridger (3)
• C-3PO (3)

If you save points somewhere (see suggestions above), Selflessness. Wulfwarro is a big tank that gets nastier as he takes damage. People don't want to shoot at him - selflessness gives you a way to force them to do so.

Personally I would start by ditching the Auzituck. You can fly a budget Norra Wexley for the same points, and Norra is unquestionably better.

Sabine is one of my favorites, but you could use better upgrades.

Tycho is good with Rage, but I like Jake better than Tycho because his ability is more fun and less predictable.

I recommend this:

•Norra Wexley (35) - ARC-170
Push The Limit (3), •Nien Nunb (1), •BB-8 (2), Alliance Overhaul (0)

•Sabine Wren (31) - Attack Shuttle
Push The Limit (3), Autoblaster Turret (2), •Kanan Jarrus (3), Targeting Computer (2)

•Jake Farrell (32) - A-Wing
Veteran Instincts (1), Proton Rockets (3), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Intensity (2)

98 point total is a healthy initiative bid. Jake likes that. Sabine can arc dodge low PS, block high PS and clear stress for herself or a friend on white. Autodamage is way better than Dorsal Turret. Norra doesn't have to wait for damage to start buffing her own offense. She's way more efficient and maneuverable than angry Wookiee canoe. You could change Jake's PRockets to Chaardan Refit and use the points to go fully loaded on Norra.

I might try it like this-

(100)

•Sabine Wren (32) - Attack Shuttle
Intensity (2), Twin Laser Turret (6), Intelligence Agent (1), Targeting Computer (2)

•Wullffwarro (38) - Auzituck Gunship
Predator (3), Tactician (2), •Baze Malbus (3)

•Tycho Celchu (30) - A-Wing
Rage (1), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Push The Limit (3)

The plan would be to use Wullff to stress up to two enemies per round. Use Predator to re-roll a hit on your first target, then trigger Baze to shoot and try to hit your primary threat, dealing a stress to each from Tactician. Tycho will be able to Rage then PtL for whatever other action he might want, probably boost or evade. Sabine can use Inteligence agent to figure what her premovement action and direction should be (while picking up a token from intensity) then she can use her normal action to stack an additional token or target lock if desired. You have some room to change things if you want. Targeting Computer could come off and TLT could be changed as well to free up some points. If you cut TC and changed TLT to ABT you could then upgrade Baze to Gunner or fit Tycho with Proton Rockets.

Thanks for all your advice! I took (some ) of it and attempted to improve this squad thusly:

• Sabine Wren (30 total) - Attack Shuttle
  • Intensity (2)
  • Twin Laser Turret (6)
  • Intelligence Agent (1)
• Jake Farrell (31 total) - A-Wing
  • Push The Limit (3)
  • Proton Rockets (3)
  • A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
  • Veteran Instincts (1)
• Wullffwarro (38 total) - Auzituck Gunship
  • Predator (3)
  • C-3PO (3)
  • Tactician (2)

I played a tournament this weekend, in which I won one match (destroyed all of my opponent's ships), lost one on points (I destroyed neither of my opponent's Han Solo YT-1300 nor Luke Skywalker X-wing, he destroyed my A-wing and my Attack Shuttle), and again lost one on points (I destroyed two of my opponent's Tie Fighters, he destroyed my A-wing and Attack Shuttle).

My flying is improving, and I made only a couple maneuvering mistakes the whole day (two asteroid collisions, only one of which did damage).

I was able to joust fairly effectively with the Auzituck, and the games all ended with him having many hull points left. I had some trouble getting enemies into the range 2 band for Tactician.

Arc dodging with Jake Farrell worked well, though his Proton Rockets were less effective than I'd hoped.

Sabine Wren's TLT was hugely powerful in one game, and then in the other two games she was destroyed before she could take many shots. Intelligence Agent helped a only a few times - it seemed worth its low cost, but its value was inconsistent. Additionally, I had some trouble getting enemies out of range 1 so I could fire TLT, even with all the repositioning actions I had.

I was imagining the squad was going to be stronger than it was.

So, when I got home, I drafted the following tuneup:

• Sabine Wren (33 total) - Attack Shuttle
  • Intensity (2)
  • Twin Laser Turret (6)
  • Chewbacca (4) - to give Sabine more staying power, so she can get more TLT shots before being destroyed
• Jake Farrell (28 total) - A-Wing
  • Push The Limit (3)
  • Chardaan Refit (-2) - because Proton Rockets just weren't that helpful
  • A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
  • Autothrusters (1) - to give Jake more staying power
  • Crack Shot (1) - to help Jake hit harder the one time he must
• Wullffwarro (40 total) - Auzituck Gunship
  • Predator (3)
  • C-3PO (3)
  • Tactician (2)
  • Vectored Thrusters (2) - to help with repositioning to get enemies into Range 2 and thus make Tactician more effective.

But you can see the problem - 101 points is (at least!) 1 too many

I welcome your suggestions for further improvements.

@cooper.marcus I was the one flying Han and Luke yesterday. Small world.

Try switching Sabine for Ezra with Elusiveness. For 1 less point you get a much more durable attack shuttle. Ezra with Elusiveness is a cockroach.

That makes room for all your other changes.

The Auzituck gets more benefit from Engine Upgrade than Vectored Thrusters, but you need to free up 2 more points.

You could take Intensity instead if PtL on Jake. I prefer it. You could also take Tracers instead of Proton Rockets. If it hits, your whole squad benefits, especially since your other two ships don’t normally get Target Locks. It’s possible your net damage from using those target locks later could be higher than the burst damage from one Procket. Those changes on Jake save 3 points; enough for an Engine Upgrade on the Auzituck and a small initiative bid.

Nice to hear from you @jmswood! Thanks for those tips, and for the great game yesterday (even though you crushed me

That combo of Ezra plus Elusiveness is nice - I presume that Elusiveness' effect "When defending, you may receive 1 stress token to choose 1 attack die. The attacker must reroll that die." triggers first, then Ezra's "When defending, if you are stressed, you may change up to 2 of your focus results to evade results." triggers off the just-received stress?

It never occurred to me to try "XX-23 S-Thread Tracers" - they seem tricky to use, but hey, they only cost 1 point. Or, they are a change of 3 points when I swap with Chardaan Refit - though I can see that having Target Locks that I wouldn't otherwise have might make that worthwhile.

I'm not so sure about Engine Upgrade on the Auzituck. That ship needs to get enemies into range 2 to trigger Tactician, and I was thinking that the barrel roll from Vectored Thrusters would allow repositioning side to side AND forward/backward - Engine Upgrade only allows me to reposition forward, and costs more. Do you think when I fly it I'll find the boosts of Engine Upgrade to be more helpful than the barrel rolls of Vectored Thrusters?

Ezra and Elusiveness work the way you described.

Tracers are easier to use than Prockets, especially if you start your ships in formation. Jake can break out after shooting the tracers and do his thing on the flanks.

Barrel Roll is good for range control, and it does pair well with Tactician. Tactician doesn’t do you any good if there isn’t a ship in your arc. With 180 degree firing arc, a barrel roll will rarely get a ship in your arc that wasn’t already there.

A straight boost can turn a Range 3 shot into a Range 2 shot, triggering tactician. A bank boost can change the angle of your firing arc, lining up shots where you had none. A turn + banked boost also makes it easier for the Auzituck to change direction, regardless of targets for attacks.