I’ve recently done some test flights of Cassian (and the U-Wing in general) with an eye toward finding a build that feels good without breaking the bank. I feel like it’s gotta be possible, but it’s hard; the U is an easy chassis to pump points into without getting a lot of return. But I’ve got some possible builds here that might spark some ideas. Be warned, only the first is field-tested. Please feel free to jump in with suggestions.

BitterFig’s 4 Actions

Cassian Andor (27)
Expert Handling (2)
Advanced Sensors (3)
Kyle Katarn (3)
Inspiring Recruit (1)
Experimental Interface (3)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 39

I ran this guy this past weekend (build stolen from The BitterFig). He can generate a hilarious number of tokens, but has a great big “but”: you better have room for that pre-move barrel roll, or you just paid too much for a U-Wing. There’s not much to help you if you’re boxed in by rocks and ships, then pick up bogeys on your six.

Just Keep Flipping

Cassian Andor (27)
Wired (1)
Sensor Jammer (4)
C-3PO (3)
Hera Syndulla (1)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 36

Here’s an idea that I kinda like. Basically you commit U-Wing heresy by flying it in landing mode all the time, then you mitigate the impact of that via C-3p0 and Sensor Jammer and Wired, and Hera lets you sit there and flip all you want. Try getting behind this , suckas! Oh, and speaking of that:

Torpedo Face

Cassian Andor (27)
Wired (1)
Fire-Control System (2)
Advanced Proton Torpedoes (6)
"Zeb" Orrelios (1)
Hera Syndulla (1)
Guidance Chips (0)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 38

This one’s a bit like the last one, but the idea here is to throw mitigation to the wind, run in and block someone, shoot them anyway, grab a free TL, flip next turn if you think they’re gonna run, then jam a Wired APT in their face. Probably not a serious contender, but it struck me as amusing.

Turnaround Jank

Cassian Andor (27)
Daredevil (3)
Advanced Sensors (3)
Inspiring Recruit (1)
Hera Syndulla (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 39

I had this idea a while back. Basically you always stay on the +1 AGI side of the title unless you need to do this : perform a pre-move Daredevil, flip to the 180 side, reveal a stop, rotate 180 degrees, flip back to the +1 AGI side. Problem is, you can’t clear the 2 stress this sticks you with right away—Recruit helps with that next turn. Another problem is that this relies on having enough room to do the trick, which is tough with a large ship.

I Wanna Rock

Cassian Andor (27)
Expert Handling (2)
Collision Detector (0)
Dash Rendar (2)
Intelligence Agent (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 36

Here the idea is simply to throw that big beautiful chassis around at people (and rocks!) willy-nilly. Be where they don’t expect you to be and shoot them anyway. Hashtag can’t stop the signal .

2 hours ago, CoffeeMinion said:

Turnaround Jank

Cassian Andor (27)
Daredevil (3)
Advanced Sensors (3)
Inspiring Recruit (1)
Hera Syndulla (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 39

I had this idea a while back. Basically you always stay on the +1 AGI side of the title unless you need to do this : perform a pre-move Daredevil, flip to the 180 side, reveal a stop, rotate 180 degrees, flip back to the +1 AGI side. Problem is, you can’t clear the 2 stress this sticks you with right away—Recruit helps with that next turn. Another problem is that this relies on having enough room to do the trick, which is tough with a large ship.

The problem is this: you're not turning 180 - because you're using Daredevil as a setup move, and Daredevil is always a 90' turn.

So what you're doing is turning left then swapping to face right - which has only limited benefits over just turning right in the first place. What it won't do is let you face 'backwards' relative to your original position.

2 hours ago, CoffeeMinion said:

BitterFig’s 4 Actions

Cassian Andor (27)
Expert Handling (2)
Advanced Sensors (3)
Kyle Katarn (3)
Inspiring Recruit (1)
Experimental Interface (3)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 39

I ran this guy this past weekend (build stolen from The BitterFig). He can generate a hilarious number of tokens, but has a great big “but”: you better have room for that pre-move barrel roll, or you just paid too much for a U-Wing. There’s not much to help you if you’re boxed in by rocks and ships, then pick up bogeys on your six.

Kyle is always a good call for anyone doing silly moves, and Expert Handling does give you a lot of options. Not as much as Daredevil, though.

My variation on the theme isn't cheap, but does turn the U-wing into a sort of large-based TIE striker, capable of some truly insane moves:

• Cassian Andor (27)
  • Pivot Wing (0)
  • Daredevil (3)
  • Advanced Sensors (3)
  • Kyle Katarn (3)
  • Kanan Jarrus (3)
  • Engine Upgrade (4)
• Total 43

Pre-move hard turn, receive stress, execute any non-stop manoeuvre, remove stress, receive focus to make up for your lost 'perform action' step. Being able to hard turn then straight 4 or bank 3 can put the U-wing in some really unexpected spots.

Unfortunately they just screwed the Uwing with the title. It takes two rounds to turn around. UGH.

I really liked toying around with it when it first came out, enough to take to regionals a year ago.

Ive tried a billion Cassians like the expert handling Katarn you have above, and I ended up liking two builds:

VI,FCS,Op Spec,Gunner,Engine,title for 42pts

PS8 with a boost, can fire on anyone, miss, get a TL and focus for another shot. The boost helps him get away to safety, flip the title, then come back to the fight. Did good in a vassal league with him paired with Rey. Beat triple defenders. Obviously, no sane person is gonna take this guy over Adv Optics Poe nowadays. So this build is very outdated. And really, right now with Wookiee Gunships, if a Uwing is anywhere near 32pts, its way over costed because a wookiee is just better.

The other build I like I just did in October where every rebel player was required to field a Uwing. I brought Cassian w/ Draw Their Fire,Collision,Wookiee Commandos. 29pts.

I paired him with Lowhhrick and Wullffarroo. He kept crits off my wookiees with DTF and his 4 shields, and kept my Expertise always working on the wookiees. Cassian earned his 29pts here. Went 2-0 with that list.

Really hoping for a Uwing fix soon. Errata that title to just be reveal a red maneuver to turn 180 degrees and lose 1 agility. There should be no setup.

A cheap cassian with inspired recruit with a raging wookiee could be cheap fun. But now, you have that AP-5 droid for half the points Uwing is useless

1 hour ago, wurms said:

Unfortunately they just screwed the Uwing with the title. It takes two rounds to turn around. UGH.

I really liked toying around with it when it first came out, enough to take to regionals a year ago.

Ive tried a billion Cassians like the expert handling Katarn you have above, and I ended up liking two builds:

VI,FCS,Op Spec,Gunner,Engine,title for 42pts

PS8 with a boost, can fire on anyone, miss, get a TL and focus for another shot. The boost helps him get away to safety, flip the title, then come back to the fight. Did good in a vassal league with him paired with Rey. Beat triple defenders. Obviously, no sane person is gonna take this guy over Adv Optics Poe nowadays. So this build is very outdated. And really, right now with Wookiee Gunships, if a Uwing is anywhere near 32pts, its way over costed because a wookiee is just better.

The other build I like I just did in October where every rebel player was required to field a Uwing. I brought Cassian w/ Draw Their Fire,Collision,Wookiee Commandos. 29pts.

I paired him with Lowhhrick and Wullffarroo. He kept crits off my wookiees with DTF and his 4 shields, and kept my Expertise always working on the wookiees. Cassian earned his 29pts here. Went 2-0 with that list.

Really hoping for a Uwing fix soon. Errata that title to just be reveal a red maneuver to turn 180 degrees and lose 1 agility. There should be no setup.

A cheap cassian with inspired recruit with a raging wookiee could be cheap fun. But now, you have that AP-5 droid for half the points Uwing is useless

I think FCS/Gunner/Operations Specialist is a very nice trick - the trio is something that whilst not completely unique to the U-wing (the ghost can do it, as can the imperial shuttles) does at least set it apart from the auzituck.

The fact that Op Spec also provides a nice area buff to the rest of the squad is valuable too.

I remember someone's suggested 'scarif' squad - and with recent releases it might work even better:

• Blue Squadron Pathfinder
  • Pivot Wing
  • Fire Control System
  • Gunner
  • Operations Specialist
• Rookie Pilot x 3
  • Flight Assist Astromech
  • Integrated Astromech

1 hour ago, DodoVonDegurechaff said:

deal 1+x aoe + x dmg which him

Not sure exactly what you mean here.

You'll get a 50/50 chance of causing a point of damage to your target and nearby (range 1) targets plus a gunner primary shot with a focus from operations specialist. That's not that amazing a damage output unless I'm missing something.

36 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Not sure exactly what you mean here.

You'll get a 50/50 chance of causing a point of damage to your target and nearby (range 1) targets plus a gunner primary shot with a focus from operations specialist. That's not that amazing a damage output unless I'm missing something.

I mean you deal 1 dmg to most agi 3 ships through the acc Corrector + Salvo. Which Deals x dmg more, where X is the amount of ships in r1 to your target + the Gunner Shot.

It is a build to aoe swarms or Clusteref ships down.

Or just to potshot something down

1 hour ago, DodoVonDegurechaff said:

Which Deals x dmg more, where X is the amount of ships in r1 to your target + the Gunner Shot.

Saturation salvo only has a 50/50 chance of doing damage, though.

4 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

• Blue Squadron Pathfinder
  • Pivot Wing
  • Fire Control System
  • Gunner
  • Operations Specialist
• Rookie Pilot x 3
  • Flight Assist Astromech
  • Integrated Astromech

I'm going to try this tonight as my mate is bringing Strikers! #thematic

I've had that Scariff squad on my list to fly for ages! You would probably be better off with just four X-Wings though I guess.

Just want to note, I stole that U-Wing. I stole it from Unkar Plutt, who stole it from the Erwin Boys, who stole it from Duquesne, who stole it from someone else . I keep forgetting because I'm awful. It might have been @wurms , even.

Anyhow, when I've flown it, I've also always had Kanan in the same list (usually on a Rey with Finn), and that allows a few hard-turns (although you won't get the Kyle focus tokens). I've also found that it works well with debris rather than asteroids. Barrel rolling into a move which lands you on one of those isn't too bad, and you'll still get at least Kyle focus when you fly off.

//

I'll agree I'd like the title to be changed. If the flip trigger was "at the start of the activation phase" it'd work a lot cleaner.

However, I've found you can often fake people out with it fairly well. Flip the title, and your opponent will plan moves to get behind your 0-K-Turn. Then don't flip. I've got a friend who attempts similar mindfakes with Gyroscopic Targeting: he'll turn it one way to try to telegraph something, then plot a move where that Lancer mobile arc wouldn't work, and turn it back. Sure, it costs an action, but if you've gotten your opponent to bite on dialing in the wrong move, that can be worth it.

//

More broadly, the biggest problem with the U-Wing is that it's not an Auzituck. For cheaper U-Wings, they have about the same statline as a Wookiee, turn around about as well, but have a 180 degree arc. I think a Wookiee Liberator with DTF and Wookiee Commandos would cost 28 points, a point cheaper than Cassian. I guess you lose his pilot ability and the 3 PS, but still. If you aren't leveraging the System slot, it just seems like you're doing it wrong. So then U-Wings wind up quite expensive.

Maybe they need a "Civilian Transport" Torpedo Upgrade, with a sizeable negative cost (-6 too much?), but which reduces the primary weapon value. Then you could have a cheap two-crew carrier and support ship. Maybe that's just too strong in a world with Accuracy Corrector, though.

31 minutes ago, ayedubbleyoo said:

I've had that Scariff squad on my list to fly for ages! You would probably be better off with just four X-Wings though I guess.

I dunno. The U-Wing in flight mode is pretty tough, and potentially generates a fair whack of focus tokens.

3 hours ago, theBitterFig said:

debris rather than asteroids

...

More broadly, the biggest problem with the U-Wing is that it's not an Auzituck. For cheaper U-Wings, they have about the same statline as a Wookiee, turn around about as well, but have a 180 degree arc. I think a Wookiee Liberator with DTF and Wookiee Commandos would cost 28 points, a point cheaper than Cassian. I guess you lose his pilot ability and the 3 PS, but still. If you aren't leveraging the System slot, it just seems like you're doing it wrong. So then U-Wings wind up quite expensive.

My buddy and I pretty much only use rocks, but I do have some debris I suppose...

You make a good point about the Aussie and the upgrade slots here. The U has a System and a Torp to make it unique. I guess that does tend to push the cost higher, but it's also part of the package. At a minimum, FCS is never a bad use of the System slot...

I dunno. More than other ships, the U feels hard to build in a vacuum--it's not a big enough stick to get by without asking about the rest of the list that it supports. By statline and dial, it seems a lot like a Rebel Lambda, and of course there are plenty of Imperial Lambda devotees...

There's gotta be something I'm missing here!

13 minutes ago, CoffeeMinion said:

My buddy and I pretty much only use rocks, but I do have some debris I suppose...

You make a good point about the Aussie and the upgrade slots here. The U has a System and a Torp to make it unique. I guess that does tend to push the cost higher, but it's also part of the package. At a minimum, FCS is never a bad use of the System slot...

I dunno. More than other ships, the U feels hard to build in a vacuum--it's not a big enough stick to get by without asking about the rest of the list that it supports. By statline and dial, it seems a lot like a Rebel Lambda, and of course there are plenty of Imperial Lambda devotees...

There's gotta be something I'm missing here!

Palpatine.

More seriously though, while the Rebels have Auzitucks and B-Wings (they've got system, crew, and 8 HP), Imperials don't feel too close. Upsilons are a good deal more expensive, and TIE Shuttles are a lot squishier.

My version of Air Traffic Control:

Sheathipede-class Shuttle: •Ezra Bridger (21)

Trick Shot (0)

Tactician (2)

•R3-A2 (2)

U-Wing: Blue Squadron Pathfinder (31)

Anti-Pursuit Lasers (2)

Pivot Wing (Landing) (0)

Fire-Control System (2)

Operations Specialist (3)

•Hera Syndulla (1)

Y-Wing: Gold Squadron Pilot (24)

BTL-A4 Y-wing (0)

Ion Cannon Turret (5)

Flight-Assist Astromech (1)

Y-Wing: Gold Squadron Pilot (24)

BTL-A4 Y-wing (0)

Ion Cannon Turret (5)

Flight-Assist Astromech (1)

Total: 100/100

The U-wing is a nice blocker to set up the ions and support the list with Op Spec. It's basically a deployable turret that I can jam up the field with and have it spin back and forth to still get shots.

Ezra also contributes with stress to really shut things down. I used to have Snap Shot on him too but could never get it off.

Overall doesn't pack a huge punch but it shuts stuff down and is pretty beefy.

You can also make him very hard to kill:

Cassian Andor (27)
Lone Wolf (2)
Sensor Jammer (4)
Jan Ors (2)
Recon Specialist (3)
Countermeasures (3)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 41

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

So I love the Expert Handling/EI/Kyle/IR build. Super fun and Janky.

The second list is nice and survivable. What if you used FCS instead of SJ - provides at least a bit of offense? That largely matches the 3rd list.

I'm not as big a fan of the others tbh.

I would also throw this into the mix (it can go on ANY U-Wing):

Title

Ezra

Hera

FCS

Lock in landing mode. Function as a stationary turret with sufficient mods.

5 hours ago, Greebwahn said:

So I love the Expert Handling/EI/Kyle/IR build. Super fun and Janky.

The second list is nice and survivable. What if you used FCS instead of SJ - provides at least a bit of offense? That largely matches the 3rd list.

I'm not as big a fan of the others tbh.

I would also throw this into the mix (it can go on ANY U-Wing):

Title

Ezra

Hera

FCS

Lock in landing mode. Function as a stationary turret with sufficient mods.

I might have to give the first build another try. I don’t think I flew it optimally, which I might have just had to fly it to figure out; that build doesn’t want to get stuck trying to thread the needle through rocks.

I’m glad that the second build has potential! I don’t know if FCS is necessary though; shouldn’t Wired mostly cover that?

One other thought about build #2: he could slim down a lot by cutting Sensor Jammer. The Collision Detector flavor clocks in at just 32 points, making me question if I should plush for some Anti-Pursuit Lasers, or at least a Tactical Jammer...

Wired definitely does some nice assistance work, but I'd rather be able to get a TL if possible, definitely more than Sensor Jamming. However, running it even cheaper with Collision Detector, then maybe a nifty mod...that I could see being viable too.

6 hours ago, Greebwahn said:

So I love the Expert Handling/EI/Kyle/IR build. Super fun and Janky.

The second list is nice and survivable. What if you used FCS instead of SJ - provides at least a bit of offense? That largely matches the 3rd list.

I'm not as big a fan of the others tbh.

I would also throw this into the mix (it can go on ANY U-Wing):

Title

Ezra

Hera

FCS

Lock in landing mode. Function as a stationary turret with sufficient mods.

A friend "flew" a list a few times before the Biggs nerf. He called it "The Almighty Sarlacc"

Blue Squadron Pathfinder (Title, FCS, Hera, Jan Ors, Tactical Jammer)

Biggs (R2-D2, Integrated Astromech)

Ten Nunb (Advanced Sensors, Mangler Cannon, VI, B-Wing/E2, Jyn Erso)

Line up Biggs and Ten diagonal in the corner. Have the U-Wing a bit further off so it can take a Hard 2 and land directly facing the two small ships, then it'll activate the title. You'll stall every turn with the U-Wing (flipping the first time), and Biggs and Ten both dial in 1 forwards. Ten will Advanced Sensors to Jyn Erso to add tokens to Biggs every round (an Evade and however many focus you can get). And then just stay there. Biggs now has a stack of focus and Evade tokens, and his closest point will be obscured by the U-Wing and the Tactical Jammer, so he's on 3 dice at least. I normally think Mangler is kind of pricey for Ten Nunb, but when he's not getting any dice mods, having that auto-crit is valuable. The U-Wing just uses FCS.

As I keep ruminating over options, I keep coming back to the supportive nature of Cassian's pilot skill as something that feels like a piece of the puzzle. Rather than trying to combo together something to boost Cassian's offensive potential, can he be made a halfway decent (albeit probably still overcosted) support ship? And what about turning that friggin' brick around?

Introducing:

Good Guy Cassian

Cassian Andor (27)
Draw Their Fire (1)
Advanced Sensors (3)
Jan Ors (2)
"Leebo" (2)
Pivot Wing (0)

Total: 35

DTF and Jan and Cassian's ability should add up to be decent support. At 35 points, you're not completely breaking the bank. And the point of Leebo+AdvSens is to help you when it's time to bug out: Dial a 4 straight, but start with a Leebo-boost to give you more distance and a variable direction, then flip Pivot Wing. Next turn, dial the 0 stop, but start by giving yourself a Jan evade, then flip the title again.

Maybe? If nothing else, I figure it's a cheap way to escape the dreaded 2-turn death trap.

On 1/23/2018 at 1:31 PM, BCooper85 said:

I'm going to try this tonight as my mate is bringing Strikers! #thematic

This game did not go well, the U took 7 damage in the first round of shooting and died the second round (as it always does), after that the Rookies managed to kill two Strikers but I conceded when I was left with one Rook against and a Striker and Soontir. #sadtimes

This is how I run him. It can be difficult to pull off the bump due to high PS is the thing at the moment. Boshek is a ton of fun if you pull it off.

Cassian Andor(34) [Cassian Andor(27), Fire Control System(2), Intimidation(2), "Zeb" Orrelios(1), Pivot Wing(0), BoShek(2)]