At the time of the first edition I really enjoyed the Palp-Shuttle with two strong aces.
Since Palpatine's ability changed, you have to rethink a lot. So far he doesn't get much love: For 11 points and 2 crew slots he seems a little too expensive, because there are better crew options. Because of that I haven't seen him at any tournaments or at my local store. Nevertheless, I wanted to build a list around him and tried a lot. Unfortunately, I always had the feeling that Palp was of little use in these lists. With 2x Ini 1 Defender and the OGP, Palp started to do some work. I became aware of the nice synergy between the Shuttle with Coordinate and the Tie Defender. I noticed that Palp wants ships that really want that force mod:
2 ships turned out to be particularly potent:
- Whisper
She has "only" 2 green dice as defense and likes to use the focus offensively. Palp can help her out defensively.
- Rexler Brath
The Defender already has good modifiers thanks to its ship ability, but in the right situation it can also take a lock that is backed up by Palp.
Due to the point costs, you have hardly any options with these two ships + Lambda:
Rexler Brath (82)
Juke (5)
“Whisper” (54)
Juke (5)
Omicron Group Pilot (43)
Emperor Palpatine (11)
Total: 200
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0
I want to start with the star of the list. . .
Omicron Group Pilot (Lambda)
The shuttle is super strong because it is incredibly flexible:
- With I1, the shuttle flies first and has good blocking potential; is hardly blocked itself and almost always has its action.
- It can reinforce to absorb damage
- the coordinate action gives both aces more flexibility. Especially the Defender loves a companion who can coordinate him.
- Three red dice out of the front front and 2 out of the back can hurt.
Because of that you often have the right tools for any situation. Your ace needs help, you can coordinate. If the shuttle needs to be protected, reinforce. Palp helps as well.
After all the test games I have to say that the shuttle is the MVP of the list. Either my opponents wasted too much time and resources to take it off the board, or they ignored it, allowing it to support the aces far longer.
Rexler Brath
Defender are also not played very often, because they are still a little too expensive. But they have another big problem: They are predictable. A single Defender without support can easily be blocked. Psychology plays an important role because we tend to always want the benefit. So you always setting your dial to 3+ maneuvers to get the Evade. However, the opponent knows this as well and can react properly. And so it happens that your most expensive ship doesn't do much.
Fortunately, Defender pilots have learned never to leave the hangar without a shuttle, because the Lambda gives the Defender much more options. Especially boost + 4 white K-turn is super strong. Thanks to the coordinate action, Rexler can also fly a slow maneuver and still get his modifications. Besides, Palp is always there to help.
In combination with the Lambda Shuttle I really learned to love the Defender. It is tanky and can hit like a truck. Rexler also has a juke and a decent pilot abilty to deal even more damage.
Whisper
There is not much to say about her. In any case, she really likes the Lambda and its coordinate as well and she really appreciates the emperors ability.
Why no bid?
I want to shoot first against other I5 ships because of Juke. The other fact I noticed is that bids are going very deep right now (below 190pts.).
Conclusion
I'm glad I finally found a solid Palp Aces list in 2.0. The ships are good at dealing and avoiding damage.
With both aces flying at I5 will grant more flexibility. I was able to make good use of Palp in almost every round, because all three ships can benefit from his ability. The shuttle provides a lot of flexibility thanks to the coordinate and reinforce action + it's decent blocking potential.
So far all test games went well and I am happy with the list.
Finding this list really took me some time and lots of trial and error to find the right ships for Palp. Therefore I was really happy to see Travis Johnson playing the exact same list at the Atlanta System Open and made the cut with it.