So I got my first two games in with the xi.

Malarus swarm looks okay. Malarus can be her own worst enemy and she is the priority target. That being said I only played one game with her.

Crew terex is great I ran a game with first order courier holo and friends. It was awesome you can effectively move the calculate token to basically range 4. It's crazy! I expect terex crew to go up in points.

On 9/23/2020 at 8:44 AM, reqent said:

So the xi includes 2 copies of automated target priority! It also 2 dead eye shot upgrades meh....

To heck with your pessimism, I have 4 kimogilas that require dead eye! It's not meta, it's clearly doubling down on a narrow (hah) strategy, but by ****, this is the jank we've been looking for!

I feel ATP is a trap in large numbers.

RAW, if you have 2+ ships with ATP at the same initiative, if they all have the same ship as the closest target, they would all have to keep shooting at it even after it's dead as it isn't removed till the end of the initiative step.

I've put it in a few lists on one ship at a low Initiative, someone that may miss anyway/only have a range 2-3 shot by that stage and will more likely get a calculate for later. Someone like Rivas as the only I1 in the list. Get yourself a lock, calc and maybe an evade at some point in the game.

2 hours ago, InterceptorMad said:

I feel ATP is a trap in large numbers.

RAW, if you have 2+ ships with ATP at the same initiative, if they all have the same ship as the closest target, they would all have to keep shooting at it even after it's dead as it isn't removed till the end of the initiative step.

I've put it in a few lists on one ship at a low Initiative, someone that may miss anyway/only have a range 2-3 shot by that stage and will more likely get a calculate for later. Someone like Rivas as the only I1 in the list. Get yourself a lock, calc and maybe an evade at some point in the game.

Might totally be a trap. Still seems fun to try out for a few games, see how it feels.

One place where it might work out well: TIE/sf. With the front primary and a rearward turret, you'll be able to "cheat" the ATP somewhat, and choose between front and rear, then the closest target in that arc. It might be fun to fly 6 of them. Probably not top-tables-large-tournament, but an interesting experience.

Yeah I still really like the card. Just when I saw that interaction brought up it did give me pause for swarms. If I throw everything at a ship but kill it 2 ships into my 4/5 others, kinda wasted a round for those ships.

I like it on the lowest Initiative of the squad, just to finish off a ship or spend a shot gaining a calc for later. As I said, Rivas getting a lock and a calc for no actions spent feels really good to me.

1 hour ago, InterceptorMad said:

Yeah I still really like the card. Just when I saw that interaction brought up it did give me pause for swarms. If I throw everything at a ship but kill it 2 ships into my 4/5 others, kinda wasted a round for those ships.

I like it on the lowest Initiative of the squad, just to finish off a ship or spend a shot gaining a calc for later. As I said, Rivas getting a lock and a calc for no actions spent feels really good to me.

Under what circumstances are you typically able to have 4-5 arcs on the same target, while ALSO having other viable targets for several of those, AND all at the same initiative number? Is your opponent marching 1-forward with multiple ships all game long? Or are you really good at focusing fire with your swarms?

My (fairly limited) experience with flying swarms of TIEs and Vulture/Hyena Droids has taught me that even flown well, you’re lucky to catch a Delta-7, StarViper, or TIE Interceptor with more than 2-3 arcs at once. And there’s tons of dodgy ships out there. This doesn’t seem like a major problem.

Just to reiterate, the zombie ship problem only applies if said zombie is also the only target in the closest range band.

So, someone sell me on sensor buoys. For one point less than the probe droid they can’t reposition and allow locks only for the ship that deployed them and must be immediately deployed on setup.

i can think of only two uses for these things:

1) Freelance slicer

2) Tavson so he can have even more action economy.

Still, feels like maybe should be worth 2 pts max.

27 minutes ago, missileaway said:

So, someone sell me on sensor buoys. For one point less than the probe droid they can’t reposition and allow locks only for the ship that deployed them and must be immediately deployed on setup.

i can think of only two uses for these things:

1) Freelance slicer

2) Tavson so he can have even more action economy.

Still, feels like maybe should be worth 2 pts max.

Agree. At first I thought they were amazing, but then I re-read correcty, and the fact that only the one ship that carry them can take a lock with them really kills it. With that price and that caveat, they could have at least make it so any small ship can also equip it, I don't think it would have broken Quickdraw to be able to take a early lock like once per game, if the opponent deploys right in front of them.

2 hours ago, missileaway said:

So, someone sell me on sensor buoys. For one point less than the probe droid they can’t reposition and allow locks only for the ship that deployed them and must be immediately deployed on setup.

i can think of only two uses for these things:

1) Freelance slicer

2) Tavson so he can have even more action economy.

Still, feels like maybe should be worth 2 pts max.

You can team it with Bio Codes and Jam from far away and early. Mess up a ships first engagement by stripping their token. Add Pyre for extra initial turns of no actions for a certain ship.

You can team it with Targeting Sync and a load of SFs with missiles to set them up for a great Alpha Strike.

Team it with LeHuse in the list for again, a great double-modded Alpha Strike (Primary).


Or a mix of the above! It's not crazy OP, but there are some cool uses for it. Both shuttles having 2 tech slots really helps it's uses, and it's only 4 points.

5 hours ago, missileaway said:

So, someone sell me on sensor buoys. For one point less than the probe droid they can’t reposition and allow locks only for the ship that deployed them and must be immediately deployed on setup.

i can think of only two uses for these things:

1) Freelance slicer

2) Tavson so he can have even more action economy.

Still, feels like maybe should be worth 2 pts max.

With Biohex Codes you can long range coordinate your own ships!

Yeah, I'm not really into Sensor Buoys.

• Targeting Syncrhonizer maybe can do something, but the only efficient missile ship in First Order can take Passive Sensors, and that's just going to be a way better list. Maybe with a Huge ship, for easier Turbolaser or Ordnance Tube attacks? Probably not though.
• Biohex tricks work, but they're slow, and wicked position dependent.
• I suppose a 3rd use would be forward-deploy Dormitz-Upsilons, where it'd be a really easy way to ramp up your offense, but that's a list which is prohibitively expensive. Yeah, if that list was affordable and added these to Hyperspace Tracking Data, that's a powerful thing.

Sensor Buoy Suite is even worse, because it has range 0-1 and you place buoy before placing forces. So opponent can be outside of range 1 whole game.

And opponent can destroy them before you use them.

3 hours ago, Boreas Mun said:

Sensor Buoy Suite is even worse, because it has range 0-1 and you place buoy before placing forces. So opponent can be outside of range 1 whole game.

And opponent can destroy them before you use them.

But as there's two, you can spread them enough so that at least one will catch ships at some point. And personally I'd set them up on obstacles and around the mid-point of the board where you know in 2/3/4 turns the ships will engage.

I tried the sensor buoys. I used the generic xi with buoys commander pyre and agent Terex. The list also included lt lehuse and lt rivas with friends.

Between Pyre and the buoys I was able to get an advantageous first engagement. It definitely helped lehuse a lot. Multiple locks locks allowed me to fly him less predictably. That being said lehuse isn't exactly competitive to begin with. Your also investing 2 points in rivas and 4 points in buoys to do this.

I do think with more tools (fo bombers please) sensor buoys could be relevant. I'm just not sold on them at the competitive level.

43 minutes ago, reqent said:

I tried the sensor buoys. I used the generic xi with buoys commander pyre and agent Terex. The list also included lt lehuse and lt rivas with friends.

Between Pyre and the buoys I was able to get an advantageous first engagement. It definitely helped lehuse a lot. Multiple locks locks allowed me to fly him less predictably. That being said lehuse isn't exactly competitive to begin with. Your also investing 2 points in rivas and 4 points in buoys to do this.

I do think with more tools (fo bombers please) sensor buoys could be relevant. I'm just not sold on them at the competitive level.

So where did you place them and why didn't opponent shoot them or avoid them?

1 hour ago, Boreas Mun said:

So where did you place them and why didn't opponent shoot them or avoid them?

They were close to the middle of the board and right at range 2 of the edge. They were a little offset I had placed a long gas cloud which obstructed one of them (which was shot at). The other was protected by an asteroid.

My opponent did avoid them it funneled him towards the center. Pyre slowed his flanker down. I didn't get a lock my first engagement but I dictated his approach. So I focused fired and he didn't. Later I was able to acquire locks when his ships broke off engagements and one where he chased a wounded target. He targeted the buoys when he couldn't shoot at something that could shoot back.

I mentioned in my earlier post that this isn't a great strategy. I would be better off replacing lt lehuse with holo. The lehuse build was 49 points plus 4 the buoys as he and the xi were the only 2 that could take advantage of the locks. Holo is just better.

1 hour ago, reqent said:

They were close to the middle of the board and right at range 2 of the edge. They were a little offset I had placed a long gas cloud which obstructed one of them (which was shot at). The other was protected by an asteroid.

My opponent did avoid them it funneled him towards the center. Pyre slowed his flanker down. I didn't get a lock my first engagement but I dictated his approach. So I focused fired and he didn't. Later I was able to acquire locks when his ships broke off engagements and one where he chased a wounded target. He targeted the buoys when he couldn't shoot at something that could shoot back.

I mentioned in my earlier post that this isn't a great strategy. I would be better off replacing lt lehuse with holo. The lehuse build was 49 points plus 4 the buoys as he and the xi were the only 2 that could take advantage of the locks. Holo is just better.

Yeah I had a very similar game today. I put the buoys on either side of the table, just inside range 2 from the edge. One I put totally within the footprint of an asteroid so it had permanent cover. My opponant shot at them both turn 1, but failed to kill them, and then from turn 2 on we had engaged so he had no reason to waste shots on them.

However, i got an early lock on Boba Fett with one of them and the other never triggered. And i then didn't really have a use for that lock. But I also didn't do much to build around using that lock, so it was mostly my fault the card wasn't 'useful'.

It has probably been answered already, but when Terex moves the illicits around, I assume the requirements still apply? No handing out Cargo Chutes to FO-Fighters?

3 hours ago, Okapi said:

It has probably been answered already, but when Terex moves the illicits around, I assume the requirements still apply? No handing out Cargo Chutes to FO-Fighters?

Yep. This was established with Vizago in a FAQ a while back, but like, who was paying attention to Vizago?

.

On 9/30/2020 at 2:11 PM, theBitterFig said:

Yep. This was established with Vizago in a FAQ a while back, but like, who was paying attention to Vizago?

Also Rules Reference:

"UPGRADE CARDS (...)

Some effects can “exchange” or “equip” an upgrade card from one ship to
another during or after setup.
- An effect can move an upgrade to a ship that does not have the matching icon on its upgrade bar.
- An effect cannot move an upgrade to a ship that does not meet the requirements set out in the restrictions box of the upgrade card unless the effect says to equip the upgrade “ignoring restrictions.”

There was some fun stuff you could do, making bringing Cikatro worth it (despite him costing more back then if I remember correctly). Now with all those stopped per RR and FAQs, why would you ever want to exchange Illicits and sacrifice more points points and a crew slot aside from the costs for the Illicuts themselves?

Poor Cikatro. He striked me as more competent than Azmorigan (and actually commanded the Mining Machine in combat), yet he is relegated to a dysfunctional crew card, while Azmorigan gets to be a worthwhile Commander card.

DO I WANT... a Xi Class Shuttle expansion pack?

https://stayontheleader.blogspot.com/2020/09/do-i-want-xi-class-shuttle-expansion.html