Has anyone thought of using Debris Gambit with these guys (assuming it still work with their linked evade action)?

The linked barrel/evade with a turret makes for a good blocking ship.

6 hours ago, BVRCH said:

It's definitely the ship in the imperial roster that got the least attention. Whilst squads of them are no longer useful, the cheapest generic is still a nice cheap way to get an ion weapon on the board.

This.

A Scimitar Squadron Pilot is:

• 2 points cheaper
• Gets a more useful (for an ordnance craft) Barrel Roll/Link/Lock instead of Barrel Roll/Link/Evade
• Gets 1 more hit point (admittedly all hull not shields)
• 2 bomb Slots and Nimble Bomber
• A Torpedo Slot
• Reload (albeit red)

Put simply, it's a much superior craft in pretty much every respect. The only justification for wanting an Aggressor is if you're using stuff unique to the craft - which means turrets (and in practical terms the ion turret since as noted, even if it's only doing a maximum of 1 damage it's much more likely to do that) or the unique pilots. 2 points in 34 doesn't feel like enough economy to justify losing an attack die.

Generics with Ion Turrets are a nice support unit - a fraction cheaper than Y-wings armed with the same. Given that ionizing a ship at all with the turret takes two uncancelled hits, and ionizing something big may require quite a hail of fire, that adds up.

Kestal and Double Edge both feel like head-on attackers, despite the options of turrets.

• Kestal with Saturation Salvo and Barrage Rockets - if you can boresight someone, you can spend charge for rerolls, then spend charge to force an opponent to reroll green dice, then spend your focus to throw away any non-natural evades. Then...you're a TIE fighter, because you've spent your rocket charges like pocket change and unlike a bomber can't reload. But hey, 42 points, and that's one heck of an attack.
  • On a more useful note, She wants an attack modifier not dependent on focus. Ruthlessness is nice, I guess, because a TIE aggressor squadron gets hit points cheap.
• Double Edge with a locked-forward turret is one of the game's only real '1.0 gunner effects' now. You want an effect which applies on multiple attacks - Juke might be nice but does involve pulling red actions.

5 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

This.

A Scimitar Squadron Pilot is:

• 2 points cheaper
• Gets a more useful (for an ordnance craft) Barrel Roll/Link/Lock instead of Barrel Roll/Link/Evade
• Gets 1 more hit point (admittedly all hull not shields)
• 2 bomb Slots and Nimble Bomber
• A Torpedo Slot
• Reload (albeit red)

Put simply, it's a much superior craft in pretty much every respect. The only justification for wanting an Aggressor is if you're using stuff unique to the craft - which means turrets (and in practical terms the ion turret since as noted, even if it's only doing a maximum of 1 damage it's much more likely to do that) or the unique pilots. 2 points in 34 doesn't feel like enough economy to justify losing an attack die.

Generics with Ion Turrets are a nice support unit - a fraction cheaper than Y-wings armed with the same. Given that ionizing a ship at all with the turret takes two uncancelled hits, and ionizing something big may require quite a hail of fire, that adds up.

Kestal and Double Edge both feel like head-on attackers, despite the options of turrets.

• Kestal with Saturation Salvo and Barrage Rockets - if you can boresight someone, you can spend charge for rerolls, then spend charge to force an opponent to reroll green dice, then spend your focus to throw away any non-natural evades. Then...you're a TIE fighter, because you've spent your rocket charges like pocket change and unlike a bomber can't reload. But hey, 42 points, and that's one heck of an attack.
  • On a more useful note, She wants an attack modifier not dependent on focus. Ruthlessness is nice, I guess, because a TIE aggressor squadron gets hit points cheap.
• Double Edge with a locked-forward turret is one of the game's only real '1.0 gunner effects' now. You want an effect which applies on multiple attacks - Juke might be nice but does involve pulling red actions.

Kestal can't take SS, only the bomber and gunboat can.

29 minutes ago, HolySorcerer said:

Kestal can't take SS, only the bomber and gunboat can.

Ah, forgot the reload requirement. Apologies.

Would giving the Aggressor a sensor slot make them more viable?

Compared to the Bomber it looks like the poor Aggressor is paying a fair few extra points just to have the turret upgrade slot.

Hopefully more turret options in the future. Something like a new Synched Turret that requires a Lock and has 3 attack would be nice.

Are these two possibilities something that could help with the assessment?

Onyx Squadron Scout (32)
Juke (4)
Dorsal Turret (4)
Veteran Turret Gunner (8)

Total: 48

View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0

And/or

Onyx Squadron Scout (32)
Juke (4)
Ion Cannon Turret (6)
Veteran Turret Gunner (8)

Total: 50

View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0

The Aggressor is quite squishy so getting close enough to get the most out of these might be hard, but they do exist as an option, maybe as a Quarter list hit and run flanker?

I'm not convinced that Juke or VTG is needed (or Debris Gambit for that matter). They certainly add some muscle but just a a sienar specialist with ICT is 36. That's decent.

That said, I do like the options.

Sienar can be put in at 34/36/44/46 depending on which turret and whether you have VTG.
Onyx between 38-50 depending on DT or ICT, DG or Juke, and whether you take VTG.

Depending on how many points you have free, it can be useful to have that little control piece (either as ion-dealer or as blocker with DT).