E-Wing 2.0 - Linked action underwhelming

By TBot, in X-Wing

Hopefully im wrong but i dont see myself using the linked action (Barrel Roll -> Lock / Boost -> Lock) very often. You are going to take the long range scan on turn 1. So on the first engagement you are only gonna do 1 action because you already have the lock. Unlike the tie punisher that can Boost -> Lock which should be handy.

Also since you can not lock at range 1 it is even more unlikely that you will use this linked action.

Thoughts?

Edit: on second thought balance wise maybe it is for the best. A reposition plus a linked focus plus the lock from round one and suddenly we are back to 1.0 shenanigans.

Edited by TBot

Actually it may be handy turn 1 ? . You can adjust your approach and acquire a lock.

It's a linked action, so most ships don't even get those. It's probably going to mostly be used after the initial joust to reposition and pick up that LRS TL again. 2.0 E-wings look awesome.

I think that most of 2.0, action wise, is going to be underwhelming at first because we're so used to the wonky-wombo-combo of 1.0 that needs to die.

As linked actions go it's not the best but even having access to linked actions could be a powerful advantage. It allows you to boost into range and get a lock, which could be advantageous with the right approach.

Barrel rolling and still picking up a lock should also be pretty good in 2.0 now that there's a greater emphasis on arcs. You can barrel roll out of arc, or boost to line up a bullseye, and still pick up a dice modifier on top of it.

I agree boost -> Lock or barrel -> lock is good.

I just dont see myself using it very often as i will already have a lock from LRS or i wont be able to do it because im range 1.

I just hope they dont overprice the E wing due to having the LRS and having the linked action because together they arent very synergistic.

Edited by TBot

Consider this: after the first pass, it allows the E wing to disengage, get lock and prepare another pass with focus + TL.

Paired with torpedos this could be a very offensive ship

It's a fast ship that prefers long range engagements. What's wrong with that?

You can equip a regen droid. You can dash in, get a lock in first round, follow up in the second round with a slower maneuver, remove stress, get a focus, get a fully modified ordnance attack. Then you can disengage, get a lock, regenerate any damage you took, and do it all over again.

It's good because nobody else can do anything similar with Rebels. A-wings are squishy, cannot regen, and can only equip missiles which generally deal less damage. X-wings are more suited for close range maneuvering and they both have the linked action in the wrong order for ordnance strikes.

Y-Wings will be better suited for powerful salvos or sustained fire by slowrolling. B-wings... Well I don't know what B-Wings will be good for, but probably not ordnance related.

Plus, the E-wing can still double as a dogfighter, with a really good array of stats. And the only ship with 3 dice, evade, and regen.

I think the E-wing with LRS will be pretty decent.

The anti-synergy of the links and no locking at R1 does seem a bit restrictive. But they are also fairly cheap compared to 1.0.

52 minutes ago, TasteTheRainbow said:

The anti-synergy of the links and no locking at R1 does seem a bit restrictive. But they are also fairly cheap compared to 1.0.

are they? do we know this for sure?

3 hours ago, Wiredin said:

are they? do we know this for sure?

We know what Corran costs, and it’s close to double his 1.0 cost. And we know that high initiative is much pricier than it was in 1.0, so it’s reasonable to believe they’ll be cheaper.

Personally, I'm fine with actions that are useful but highly situational. Just automatically performing the same action(s) every single turn gets rather boring after a while.

Like **** I'm passing up the BEAST that is the U-Wing in 2.0!

11 hours ago, TasteTheRainbow said:

We know what Corran costs, and it’s close to double his 1.0 cost. And we know that high initiative is much pricier than it was in 1.0, so it’s reasonable to believe they’ll be cheaper.

They should be cheaper because they were one of the most overcosted, useless ships left in 1.0 that never got a fix. And since they get this ship trait that is okayish and (i am not sure if i saw that) a hp buff, being only a little cheaper than before would be okay and make them very mildly playable.

Remember the problem was they could not fix without a massive workaround since Corran was still good. Which is not a problem anymore since they can recost some selected ships now if need be. And Corran is probably not that good anymore. Weaker Pilot ability and all his synergies are gone that made him powerful.

On 6/23/2018 at 10:51 AM, TBot said:

I agree boost -> Lock or barrel -> lock is good.

I just dont see myself using it very often as i will already have a lock from LRS or i wont be able to do it because im range 1.

I just hope they dont overprice the E wing due to having the LRS and having the linked action because together they arent very synergistic.

Just remember "Overpriced" is a thing that can be fixed, now.

As a design rule, it's not bad though - it means you can get your LRS scan off after a repositioning action (Perhaps you're trying to desperately race across the board-space, or dodge an asteroid the same turn you want to grab that lock), and is self-balancing in that yeah, once you have the lock, there's no point to getting a second one - but that is also almost certainly why they made target locks the E-wing red specialty.

Basically, E-wings are gonna be getting their locks. They might not get a lot else, but target locks? You betcha!

Perfect to set up an Alpha strike with Proton Torps.

On 6/23/2018 at 12:09 AM, DerRitter said:

Consider this: after the first pass, it allows the E wing to disengage, get lock and prepare another pass with focus + TL.

Paired with torpedos this could be a very offensive ship

Indeed. Remember that unlike current Long Range Scanners the 'blind spot' is only range 1. For that matter, there might even be cases where being able to barrel roll back out of range 1 then acquire a lock might be the right thing to do!

The E-Wing will be a very potent attacker, indeed. It is quite easy to set up TL+Focus attacks without help from support ships. The E-Wing fits into the imperial 2.0 pattern.

As I am an imperial player, this is the only rebel ship I am looking forward to test drive.

5 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Indeed. Remember that unlike current Long Range Scanners the 'blind spot' is only range 1. For that matter, there might even be cases where being able to barrel roll back out of range 1 then acquire a lock might be the right thing to do!

Two modifiers are better than one; double the pleasure, and triple the fun.

Stressing yourself turn 1 to acquire a Lock, then clearing the stress with a blue move allows you to not only get double mods and/or set up munitions strikes early and effectively, but it also allows you to remove the stress before engaging giving you a free dial when it matters.

Compare and contrast to, say, a PtL E-Wing from 1st edition. both ships can Target Lock/Focus, but the 1st edition E-Wing needs to be in combat range to do so, then has the problem of shedding stress against an opponent who knows it the next turn. The 2nd edition still gets the double mods, but doesn't have to worry about clearing the stress while engaged. It can hit and run to reaquire the lock, turn and chase, k-turn, pretty much whatever it wants.

3 hours ago, FTS Gecko said:

Two modifiers are better than one; double the pleasure, and triple the fun.

Stressing yourself turn 1 to acquire a Lock, then clearing the stress with a blue move allows you to not only get double mods and/or set up munitions strikes early and effectively, but it also allows you to remove the stress before engaging giving you a free dial when it matters.

Compare and contrast to, say, a PtL E-Wing from 1st edition. both ships can Target Lock/Focus, but the 1st edition E-Wing needs to be in combat range to do so, then has the problem of shedding stress against an opponent who knows it the next turn. The 2nd edition still gets the double mods, but doesn't have to worry about clearing the stress while engaged. It can hit and run to reaquire the lock, turn and chase, k-turn, pretty much whatever it wants.

Can't like this enough - the reposition allows the e-wing some really excellent responsiveness regarding approaches and obstacles. You can set up directly across from an asteroid and tease two separate approaches. Not only will you still be able to get your lock but you can then adjust your setup on either side. The freedom to dive in or skirt the edge of the field is clutch to proper range control.

It's one of those next level moves that helps you bring your ships together at the key spot of your choosing, versus getting stuck on predictable approaches to compensate for lackluster blues.

Big fan and expect we'll see some interesting e-wing builds that take advantage of this. 2.0 can't get here soon enough!

On 6/23/2018 at 11:02 AM, TasteTheRainbow said:

The anti-synergy of the links and no locking at R1 does seem a bit restrictive. But they are also fairly cheap compared to 1.0.

It's not anti-synergy, though. If you end your move at R1, and want a lock, you can potentially barrel roll or boost to get further away than R1 in order to acquire a lock.

2 minutes ago, Freeptop said:

It's not anti-synergy, though. If you end your move at R1, and want a lock, you can potentially barrel roll or boost to get further away than R1 in order to acquire a lock.

Boosting Corran into range 1 and picking up a TL to delete something is way better than flying away from a target and picking up a stress just to do what he easily did in 1.0.