X-Wing - New Rules, New lists!

As some of you may know Fantasy Flight recently released a new FAQ and rules update for Star Wars X-Wing.    This update saw some BIG changes to some pilot cards which I currently use in some of my lists.  In particular I’m thinking of Biggs Darklighter and Dengar. 

In my opinion some of these updates are welcome whilst others seem a little too harsh.  For example I believed the Jumpmaster did need some nurfing.  This ship was frequently popping up in tournaments as a cheap gunboat and the removal of the torpedo upgrade slot seemed a good way to reduce the power of it.  However the loss of the astromech slot seems to go a bit too far.  This means I’ll have to rethink my Dengar list, as I was running him with the unhinged astromech to give him some much needed green manoeuvres.  However my biggest grip is the change they made to Biggs!

For those of you who are unfamiliar Biggs pilot ability is now“one use only”.  This pretty much makes him useless and it has meant that I’ve had to drop him from my most successful list and do a bit of a rethink. 

Originally Biggs featured in a list with 2 Blue Squadron B-wings and an A-wing.   Biggs was in the list to do one job, which is to take the fire of the B-wings long enough for them to launch their torpedoes and do some damage before becoming targets themselves.  However this strategy has now gone out of the airlock.  

After some carful thinking this is the new list I’ve come up with for my B-Wings.

2 x Blue Squadron Pilot’s

Flechette Torpeadoes

Fire Control System

Guidance Chips 

Braylen Stramm

R2-D6

Nien Nunb

Alliance Overhaul

Rage

Sabine Wren

Sabine's Masterpiece

Rey

Intensity 

Biggs has now been replaced by Braylen Stramm, who is the same points cost as Biggs, has the same attack characteristic (when you give her the Alliance Overhaul title) but more hull, more shields oh and a rear firing arc!  Adding R2-D6 lets me give her an elite pilot skill, which in this case is Rage, which seems to fit nicely with her pilot ability as in theory she can Rage (To focus and reroll attack dice), do a green manoeuvre to clear one stress and use her pilot ability to try and clear the other. 

   

This also give me another hard hitting ship in my fleet, which forces my opponent to decided whether to go after the Arc or the B-Wings, as both can do some serious damage. 

When finding a replacement for Biggs I also decided to drop the A-wing and instead I decided to give Sabine Wren a shot.  For 20 points I can give her ship the title card, Intensity elite Pilot Skill and Rey crew which fit really well with her pilot ability.  In theory I can boost/barrel roll, activate Intensity to evade, do my manoeuvre, focus as an action and then if I don’t use the focus, pile it on Rey or discard it to flip Intensity back over again.  

Next, test them out and report back on how it goes.  May the Force be with me!