Hello all,
Thanks to @Sandrem 's Fly Casual simulator, I've recently been playtesting Major Vonreg and felt like sharing some of my impressions on him. Obviously he has no fixed price cost yet (although i find 55 in FC to be pretty fair) and we don't know what the two unreleased upgrades do (Energy Cells and Tradition), but so far he seems like a very interesting FO ship with some neat gimmicks.
Overall, the ship itself is an obvious flanker/arc dodger/interceptor - A-Wing's Hull and Shields, while slightly better than 3 Hull TIE/In, drop pretty darn quick under fire. The dial is as if Delta-7 and TIE/v1 had a baby, with strengths from both - it's not as fast as a typical TIE/In or an A-Wing (although it can match them in speed if it really wants to), but where it's best used is at close ranges. The inclusion of blue Banks 1 and blue Turns 1 gives the ship a lot of room for precise maneuvering, allowing them to actually slow down in an engagement, as opposed to typical fast moving interceptors. Lack of blue Turns 2 can be a bit problematic for potential disengage once the ship gets going with the trait (more on that later). Overall, it seems it's less suited for strafing runs and more for the classic 'tail and shoot' playstyle, meaning that while it's good at chasing and narrowly dodging other ships, it's also very vulnerable to being flanked in return which, combined with very low durability and potential Strain accumulation, it requires pinpoint strategic planning to fly properly without it blowing up instantly.
The trait is where it gets interesting - if you have no Strain or Deplete tokens (the latter can be pretty safely assumed to be a reverse Strain - one die less for 1 attack), you can gain 1 Strain or Deplete to perform a Barrel Roll or a Target Lock, which is a huge thing for double repositioning or double mods without Stress (although Deplete/Strain is dangerous on its own). As I mentioned before, the risk is huge - it's tempting to gain a Strain to do a TL into Focus for 4-dice Range 1 attack, but even a lucky potshot from a weak generic can devastate you if you don't plan accordingly. I often found it's better to take Deplete to gain a lock than a Strain, just to keep it for later and not leave yourself vulnerable to a counterattack. While Strain/Deplete do not prevent you from doing red maneuvers, it's nevertheless good to ditch them as soon as possible, since the debuffs can cripple you if you're caught at an inopportune moment.
Vonreg himself is a curious pilot - boasts the great Initiative 6 stat and much like Fel, his ability is Bullseye-centric. Unlike Fel's, it triggers at the beginning of the next System phase, so not only it has no immediate effect (not a big deal with double action), but also can be countered by an opponent's blue maneuver. It does provide some pretty good control and utility in the end, as forcing an enemy to either slow down to blue moves or having a debuff gives him additional pressure power, especially when tailing a target (which he excels at). It is far more tactical and does not always trigger well (sometimes ships would do blue maneuvers anyway), but there are times when it can be gamechanging. Don't be too hasty to throw Strains around - a well-placed Deplete can often provide far better benefits by having an enemy roll less for his attack and potentially save Vonreg or an ally.
Here are some of my initial thoughts about the upgrades I tested so far:
Daredevil - Imho hands down the very best talent for the ship. It adds stress to Boosting, but on the next turn, a single blue move can ditch both Stress and Strain/Deplete at once. With so much close-range mobility, it opens up even more options with sharp boosts, even allowing for a semi-Tallon-Roll using hard Turns 1 while locking someone or barrel rolling. Priceless on Vonreg's bullseye hunt.
Fanatical - Avoid it. You're more likely to blow up rather than hang around with 2 or 1 Hull and even then it might be a short-lived benefit.
Crack Shot/Predator/Marksmanship - As usual, all three are good as cheap fillers. Crack shot especially can make a difference for double-modded Vonreg to make that decisive shot, while Predator can mitigate reliance on TLs. MMShip can align with double mods for easier crits, but I'd personally take Crack Shot over it.
Outmaneuver - Pricey but can be worth it, it aligns with TIE/bas' 'tail and shoot' approach if you need even more consistent firepower. Prone to crippling counterplay though.
Proton Rockets - For double-modded Daredevil Vonreg, it is likely to be a worthy investment since bullseye hunts are pretty easy for him. Just be careful to not overload him with upgrades, he's very easy to lose.
Mag-Pulse Warheads - With double mods potential, I'd say skip them, unless you want Vonreg to inflict double Deplete and Jam on an enemy ace. Strategic Critical Hits can come in handy though.
Pattern Analyzer - I wasn't doing red maneuvers that often, especially with Daredevil, so for 5p I'd say it's skippable.
Primed Thrusters - 10 whopping points for a ship that imho shouldn't be overloaded with upgrades, but this one might actually prove interesting in good hands. Pair it with Daredevil to make Vonreg unpredictability incarnate, but be prepared for weaker unmodded shots. Extremely situtional and costly, but can work.
Edited by TedWfixed mistaken Focus before Daredevil boost
But yeah, not going to happen, I know.
