Rebel damage mitigation is my bane! This is the list to beat in our local meta right now and I honestly can’t figure it out.

(100)

•Ezra Bridger (22) - Sheathipede-class Shuttle
Snap Shot (2), Hera Syndulla (1), •R3-A2 (2)

•Jess Pava (30) - T-70 X-Wing
•M9-G8 (3), Advanced Optics (2), Integrated Astromech (0)

•Captain Rex (14) - TIE Fighter

•Lowhhrick (34) - Auzituck Gunship
Draw Their Fire (1), Rey (2), •C-3PO (3)

I was flying Kylo and two x-7 defenders tonight and my plan was kill Ezra and run, but it didn’t work out. I ended the game having list a defender and got one damage into Rex (I had no one else to shoot on one round, landed 2 hits 2 crits. He blanked out but had an evade token and Lowie drew one and reinforced the other), Shields down on Lowie (draw their fire) and one damage on the sheathipede.

none of my lists have a path to victory that I can see, and I don’t really get how to unpick that much damage mitigation. He can tank harpoons, it’s hard to approach to bomb without getting shot to bits, spike damage won’t work...

at the Open he was killed off by quad Wookiees. I’m not doing that! Anyone got any advice for teaching against it or tactics to use?

Looks like formation flyers. Things formations hate: Harpoon Missiles, Assault Missiles, Bombs, Ruthlessness, Arc-Dodgers.

Be thankful he is not running Fenn instead of Ezra, it could be significantly harder.

I would suggest that you Kill rex and Ezra. Attack from out of Ezras and Lowhricks arc with 2 of your 3 ships for 2 consecutive turns. You definitely can do this thanks to the fact he will be in a formation. If you are not approaching from three separare angles (both sides, and front) something is wrong. Your opening, rocks, and his placement can force this regardless of where he sets up. Basically there is no where on the board he can go where your 3 ships cant execute a kind of pincer attack. Your win condition is destroying 2 ships and running to time with just Kylo or ideally Kylo and 1 of the defenders. The key is to recognize and accept that it is unlikely for you to destroy all his ships. So dont bother. Get enough pts to allow Kylo to run to time. If its casual, just run until he complains and conceeds to you.

If your on Vassal im happy to experiment with this with you so you get a sense of how your opening and initial engagement should look. Its very specific, if you do it wrong you lose. Lowhrick and the Phantom II have made X-Wing a sometimes sad and often frustrating game like it was at the height of Biggs/Low. Thankfully can tactics instead of combo your way out of this particular matchup since he doesnt have Fenn, I promise.

ps: Lose the defenders unless you want to change them to toss Ion. Id suggest QD or 2 gunboats, or Palp with OL or countdown. The shuttle can block and prevent re-enforce if ezra also bumps and ruin the formations day, the boats can do the same and harpoon nuke something quick to allow Kylo to run to time more easily. Believe it or not Kylo/Firespray works ok against this, you can arc dodge with the rear arc drop a bomb, intentionally bump and shoot a thing, and fire ordinace all from one ship they basically have to shoot before Kylo.

Not all of this advice is good probably.

Hit one person hard, force Low to spend his Reinforce, then hit him - he dies, you run and win on points.

Dont worry about ezra. Its a single stress unless he snaps you, but with Kylos dial, and the defenders moving first, it shouldnt happen. He wont be doing any/much damage otherwise.

You have to look at your win game, cause killing all that in 75 minutes aint happening. You can trade a defender for lowhhrick. This puts you ahead, and now your opponent has to play more aggressive. Which means if you get double stressed by Ezra, just bug out and de-stress cause you are winning.

Trading a defender for rex or ezra makes your win game much more difficult, cause you are still behind in points, and now only have two ships to kill lowhrick before time.

Create tight rocks and use them to get behind and create cover while you do. Like a lion hunting prey, if Rex slips out of lowhricks protection, be ready to pounce.

Get kylo behind their formation, a couple 5 straights and you are good. It makes losing stress from ezra easier to lose because you dont worry about snapshot except his 3 kturn (which you should always be mindful of) and then lowhrick has to split his reinforce decision making every round.

Whoever Rex shoots, have them shoot at rex so you get the 3 dice attack, and low (your target anyways) will DTF crits away. Everyone else just shoot lowhhrick. Get him off the table asap to win the game. Once he is gone, all you have to do is take out Rex or Ezra with kylo and win the game.

Kylo is good versus these types of lists though (Adv PTL kylo anyway) cause if the formation goes after him, he can bug out any time. Otherwise, he is behind them in a few turns.

Lists like this are the reason I am glad 2.0 is coming.

Anyways, trade lowhhrick for a defender. That is your best outcome. And like @Boom Owl said, be thankful Fenn is not in that list instead of Ezra.

Can always go full hard-counter and run Kimotherapy

3x Cartel Executioner (24) w/

Deadeye (1)

EM (2)

Harpoon (4)

R4 Agro (1)

Contraband Cybernetics (1)

Chips (0)

For 99 total which would give you init choice. So what happens is you take initiative, harpoon the **** out of one of the PS5s (good chance of taking out low on the first pass), and due to PS5 simulfire, the PS5 isn't destroyed until it activates, at which point the 3rd harpoon that killed it explodes, for a total of 3 splash damage, which kills Rex before he fires and cripples the rest. With R4 agromech you can hang onto your focus tokens if you think it's needed to keep all of your ships alive until the 2nd round of combat, and can pop cybernetics to get another round of nonsense even if you have 3 stress or whatever.

It probably won't gain you any friends, but it'll clear that list out of your meta.