Finger Four: Redux

By Gupa-nupa, in X-Wing

Posted at

Back in the days of 1.0, Finger Four A-Wings were a thing. Nowadays, we 5 Rz-2 A-wings doing consistently well for the past few metas. Lets pretend you work at FFG, and you are tasked with making the Finger Four (Rz-1s) viable again in 2.0. How would you go about doing it. (Keep it to adding new content rather than reworking already released cards, mechanics, ect...)

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Refresh my memory what was the finger-four a-wing list in 1.0 again?

Posted at
41 minutes ago, Gupa-nupa said:

Back in the days of 1.0, Finger Four A-Wings were a thing.

Were they? That one article is sweet, and it's certainly a fascinating list to think about and use as a tool to understand maneuvering, but did it ever really win anything big?

41 minutes ago, Gupa-nupa said:

How would you go about doing it?

  • #1. Miniaturized Concussion Missiles (missile). A-Wing and Z-95 only. 4 Charges, vanilla Lock-based 3-dice attack. Just something with a bit more staying power into the late game.
  • #2. Buckets of pilots . Don't have to be good. Let Resistance have the i5 slot, give Rebels a tonne of i4 A-Wing pilots.
    • Wedge Antilles "Phoenix Trainee" - same pilot ability but i4.
    • Shara Bey - She ought to be there, and out of ease can keep her same pilot ability and initiative from the ARC. It's not stellar, since it's hard for her to have the lock and the focus token, but it wouldn't be impossible for Jake to hand one over. It'd make for an interesting ship to fly.
    • Hobbie Klivian - since he was training with Wedge on A-Wings after defecting. Maybe a new pilot ability, maybe not. It'd be OK on a missile A-Wing, actually, with Lock > Boost and clearing stress after attacking.
    • Maybe an I4 generic, or even a two-dot "Atollon Ace " pilot with some modest ability.
  • #3. Open Wing Formation (talent). RZ-1 only. "At the end of the activation phase, remove 1 stress from another friendly ship with Open Wing Formation at range 1. When another friendly ship at range 1 with Open Wing Formation would be dealt a damage card, you may spend 1 charge (1 total, non-recurring) to discard it without effect." Turns everyone into Iden Versio, kinda, with a sprinkling of of Cassian Andor.
    • Doesn't work at Range 0, so don't bump.
    • Is that extreme? The first A-Wing is now 7 health in a 4-ship list, and the second one might even be 5, depending on how an opponent attacks. But they're weak if caught on their own. Maybe A-Wings could use extreme, and having a 4-ship list of peashooters who don't get free actions (well, beyond their boost) could be a fun niche for them.

Of course, the sum total of this is probably something which isn't really a thing (certainly not The Thing ) but would be kinda cool, kinda fun.

thing-jack-kirby-fantastic-four-40.jpg

Edited by theBitterFig
Posted at
46 minutes ago, Sciencius said:

Interesting with all the formation flying theory, but I asked for the list in order to adress the OPs question, and I could not find it.

There was a list linked in the Composition section but it looks like the link is dead now (it is to an old 1.0 squad builder). Found the list though in a "Head to Head" poll from Feb 26, 2016 on their site.

Jonathan Scott's "Green Arrow"

100 Points

Green Squadron Pilot x4

Edited by Hiemfire
formatting is from the article itself. I just copy and pasted it.
Posted at
3 hours ago, Gupa-nupa said:

Nowadays, we 5 Rz-2 A-wings doing consistently well for the past few metas

I just want to point out that this is not remotely true. They have not veen doing well for roughly 14 months

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I asked Green for a count recently. In all Galaxy qualifiers, meaning 5x~150+ player tournaments, we had exactly 8x 5As registered. So yeah, not sure where do you even see 5As currently :D

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40 minutes ago, funwok said:

I asked Green for a count recently. In all Galaxy qualifiers, meaning 5x~150+ player tournaments, we had exactly 8x 5As registered. So yeah, not sure where do you even see 5As currently :D

934 total i believe

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Sensor Suite (configuration) - A-wing only. Add the sensor slot. Action: You may choose a number of enemy ships in your \/ equal to the speed of your revealed maneuver and gain 1 stress token. If you do each chosen ship gains 1 jam token.

A-wing Slash (talent) - RZ-1 A-wing only. While you are at range 1 of another friendly ship you may use its [lock] to fulfill the [lock] requirement on your equipped missile.

Posted at
1 hour ago, Asaverino1019 said:

Sensor Suite (configuration) - A-wing only. Add the sensor slot. Action: You may choose a number of enemy ships in your \/ equal to the speed of your revealed maneuver and gain 1 stress token. If you do each chosen ship gains 1 jam token.

A-wing Slash (talent) - RZ-1 A-wing only. While you are at range 1 of another friendly ship you may use its [lock] to fulfill the [lock] requirement on your equipped missile.

Yep, I believe another inexpensive Talent or two (in the 1-2 cost range) would help, as well as a missile or two in the 3-4 cost range.

Right now it doesn't seem like they can take advantage of the double Talent slots, especially in hyperspace.

Posted at
8 hours ago, Asaverino1019 said:

Sensor Suite (configuration) - A-wing only. Add the sensor slot. Action: You may choose a number of enemy ships in your \/ equal to the speed of your revealed maneuver and gain 1 stress token. If you do each chosen ship gains 1 jam token.

A-wing Slash (talent) - RZ-1 A-wing only. While you are at range 1 of another friendly ship you may use its [lock] to fulfill the [lock] requirement on your equipped missile.

Do we want RZ-2 to get access to Tech + Sensors? I'm not sure there's anything exploitable but wondering.

That said, I like these.

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I don't have any remotely decent ideas off the top of my head, but I'd like to see some Rebel only talents here, especially since the A-wing can equip two of them.

Hope - Rebel, small ship only. 3 Charges, single recharge pip.

Spend 3 charges to treat a red linked action as white.

Bush Pilot - Rebel, small ship only. 2 Charges.

If you execute a talon roll, segnor's loop, or koiogran turn that overlaps another ship, spend one charge to rotate your ship 90 degrees.

Posted at
On 11/3/2020 at 5:46 AM, Hiemfire said:

There was a list linked in the Composition section but it looks like the link is dead now (it is to an old 1.0 squad builder). Found the list though in a "Head to Head" poll from Feb 26, 2016 on their site.

Jonathan Scott's "Green Arrow"

100 Points

Green Squadron Pilot x4

Thank you :)

Well, then to answer the OP's question the card we need to introduce inorder to make 2.0 work like that is an ability similar to the "Wingman" card.

Wingman:
1 charge (regenerating 1 per round)

"At the start of the engagement phase you may spend one charge to remove one stress, or strain, token from a friendly ship at R0-R1".

Posted at

Alternate for the same names. Some DJ scratching vibes.

Hope, 1 charge, while attacking or defending spend a charge to change all your blanks to focus

Bush pilot, after you perform a white or red maneuver that overlapped an obstacle, you MUST perform a boost or barrel roll.

Sensor suite custom, gain focus>redlock

Wedge A-wing, while defending the attacker rolls one less die.

Posted at
1 hour ago, Sciencius said:

Thank you :)

Well, then to answer the OP's question the card we need to introduce inorder to make 2.0 work like that is an ability similar to the "Wingman" card.

Wingman:
1 charge (regenerating 1 per round)

"At the start of the engagement phase you may spend one charge to remove one stress, or strain, token from a friendly ship at R0-R1".

If the trigger is the start of a phase, it doesn't need a charge, since you'll be limited by once per opportunity.

Posted at
1 hour ago, Sciencius said:

Thank you :)

Well, then to answer the OP's question the card we need to introduce inorder to make 2.0 work like that is an ability similar to the "Wingman" card.

Wingman:
1 charge (regenerating 1 per round)

"At the start of the engagement phase you may spend one charge to remove one stress, or strain, token from a friendly ship at R0-R1".

That is essentially a more powerful version of Muse's ability. To fit the pattern of upgrades being less powerful versions of pilot abilities I would suggest "At the start of the Engagement Phase if you are not stressed or strained you may transfer 1 stress or strain token from another friendly ship at R1 to yourself."