This is an unprecedented experience for me. I flew:

"Blue Ace" (27)
Flight-Assist Astromech (1)
Integrated Astromech (0)

Poe Dameron (31)
Veteran Instincts (1)
BB-8 (2)
Advanced Optics (2)
Autothrusters (2)
Black One (1)

Wedge Antilles (29)
Predator (3)
Flight-Assist Astromech (1)
Integrated Astromech (0)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Against VI Quickdraw, Intensity Vader, and a TLT Aggressor. I drove straight up the left side of the board at the Aggressor and used the astromechs to boost into range -- unfortunately, Poe did not get to stock up his focus, but I thought strategically it was worth it. Three damage into the Aggressor, but Vader, flanking, melted Blue Ace's shields. An unexpected barrel roll let the Aggressor slip past banking Blue Ace and block Wedge, but Poe dusted him at Range 1 and Wedge flew through the blast. Quickdraw got off the first of several double shots, but Wedge tore off his shields. Coming around through the rocks, I forgot to do a good hard boost with Blue Ace, without effect: Quickdraw spaced him the next turn. Two turns later, Quickdraw sidestepped Poe at Range 1 -- setting up to plow through a rock the next turn -- and blasted his three hull apart. That was a swing. Quickdraw slooped, then turned toward Wedge -- and the /sf crumpled in the joust. Vader and Wedge. Both their shields had been whittled away. In the corkscrewing chase, Wedge was able to get behind Vader, until the rocks allowed him to break away. Damage into Vader. Two damage into Wedge. Astromech ejected. Another joust. I take a risk and spent my focus on the attack, to no avail. Vader rolls two hits. Wedge needs natural evades. I shake the dice. 'The odds are against him.' I consider. 'But he is Corellian.' Drop the dice. Two evades.

Wedge continues to roll exactly the number of evades needed. 'Wedge is trying to fly a Defender,' I quip. He chips another hull from the Dark Lord. At last Vader, too, K-turns, to set up for a final run. Long-range fire lances past a rock: Wedge's hair-triggered vermillion beams first. Hit, hit ... hit. Vader's four dice give him paint, but only one evade. First the angled panels, then the struts, then the convex canopy ... the TIE's innards flare, then dim. Wedge floats alone among the asteroids, carbon-scored -- and victorious.

Okay, sorry, I can't help the melodrama. That was a white-knuckled game for me, and an outcome that has proven most elusive. Flight-Assist was worth the one point, mostly for Integrated Astromech, but it also enabled the initial engagement and triggered a few other times, though I didn't always choose to use it. Advanced Optics didn't do a lot for Poe, but that was because I chose to boost on the approach and not store the token -- an anomaly. Blue Ace I think needed Primed Thrusters -- my mistake. Wedge did shockingly well. I don't know whose post persuaded me to use Predator, but it was a very good call. I think I need to try him with BB-8 again.

Whenever I fly Wedge, and I fly him poorly or he inevitably comes apart, my opponent and I joke that he was 'Fake Wedge'. This time -- against a Dark Adept in a bright and some newfangled craft -- he was Real Wedge. By the skin of his teeth.

I like narrative battle reports. Even if traitorous scum win

eerily similar to a list I am flying right now. If I have a spare point I go expertise on Wedge. Either way, I can vouch for the success. lol

Wedge is beast mode.

I remember doing really well in one of my first tournaments with Swarm Tactics Wedge, Biggs and two Rookies. Back in the wild days of Wave 4...

Played Wedge vs. Wedge last night.

I flew him on a whim, since I wanted to fly a list with some newly repainted ships that all match.

ME

Resistance Sympathizer with Gunner

Wedge w/ BB8, IA and Engine Upgrade

Green Squadron pilot with PTL and Autothrusters

HIM

Wedge w/ ptl, R5-k6 Advanced protons

Biggs w. r2-d2, IA

garven w/ r5-p9, IA flechette torps

Casual game. he played biggs the old way, since he was not up on faq stuff and mostly plays at home. made a mad dash with the green to block him from using the torps, not an ideal play, but it worked out. kept my wedge back at first, looped around with the falcon, keeping distance, trying to not make a big target. Biggs and the A-wing died on the third round. both of our wedges got down to about 1-2 health by the time I got Garven. last round, his wedge with initiative kills mine, I miss my revenge shot. The falcon ends up finishing him off, so about 100-57, (he only plinked off a couple shields on the falcon.

Played another game, with FAA, Primed Thrusters Jess instead of Blue Ace, against Omega Leader, Tractor Beam Vessery, and Echo. The second turn of combat, I managed to fly my formation into a perfect killbox without any shots ; Jess died and Wedge got chewed up. Wedge ran and K-turned while Poe got up in Vessery's grill and nixed him versus blanks. I then flew Wedge into a killbox AGAIN; he brewed up Echo, who had lost his shields to a rock, then OL downed him. Black One delivered Poe the victory over his First Order opposite.

Jess Pava was as strong as her reputation suggested on the joust. Flight-Assist Astromech again provided useful repositioning and flexibility on the approach. I wasn't able to use BB-8 that much, unusually, which made me wonder about just using FAA on Poe, too, though the Ball is from experience very useful ordinarily (I was really missing Primed Thrusters). I felt I got my money's worth with Wedge again. Notably, the X-wings pulled through despite two ABYSMAL maneuvers. I guess they had just enough durability, I got lucky with Vessery's blank and Echo's shield loss, and the best ship possible was there for the endgame tangle with Omega Leader.

Three X-wings tailing each other are a glorious sight.