A confession…

The intro…

Hello and welcome to this week’s blog!

In terms of news, well, it’s a little sparse right now. Events-wise there are some things happening here and there and there are now over 80 XWA prize kits out in the wild, either in transit or already int he hands of TO’s (JARGON ALERT!!) worldwide!

I’m still slightly blown away by the response and I can tell you that work is already well under way for the next wave of prize kits from the XWA! Not spoilers for you yet though, sorry!

In terms of events, the Las Vegas Open happened this past weekend. It was an official AMG GT and there were 43 players in total (22 on day 1 heat and 21 on the day 2 heat). After narrowing to a top 8 cut, congratulations to Jocas (Jorge – no idea of your surname, sorry!) who was flying a Scum list. You can check out the Roll Better link here if you want to check out some details!

In other LVO news, Nick Sperry of 312 Squadron did some interviews about the state of the game which is a nice little watch.

There was also an XWA event in Poznan in Poland which was attended by 30 people which is a pretty good turnout. Congratulations to Filip Zilbert who went 4-1 in the day 1 swiss and then got through the top 8 cut using a CIS list.

If you’re interested you can see the Longshanks link here.

It was interesting to see 3 Scum lists and 2 Republic in the top 8.

Alright, that’s enough for now, let’s move on!

Patreon Update…

Yes we are still counting down to the end of quarter 1 for Patreon gifts and this week I’ve got one last tier gift to show you. Some rather lovely shield tokens!

These are slightly oversized and with a matte finish on them which I really love! Thanks to Cog O Two for sorting these out for me!

If you’d like to get hold of some of these or any of this quarter’s gifts then you can sign up to support me on Patreon here!

I’ll keept it short and sharp this week, let’s move on!

The batrep… (JARGON ALERT!!)

What’s that? A game? In 2025!?! Yes, I did indeed play a game this past week.

I hear this image as much as I see it!

And this is the part where the confession comes in.

Last week I mooted making changes to my list. Hera in the B-Wing is cool and everything but could I change her out to something else?

I got a good selection of options. Gavin Darklighter in the E-Wing bring throw out crits, Ahsoka in the A-Wing for some action sharing. Removing Fenn as well and sticking in a 6 & 4 point option (like Chopper and a T-65) or a 7 & 3 point option (like VCX Hera and AP-5 in the Sheathipede).

All amazing options. Do you know which I took?

None of them.

It’s not that I don’t like any of the options. I actually do. I enjoy flying the VCX and the possibility of Hera rolling 6 dice (4 primary plus 1 for range plus 1 from Jan’s ability) is really enticing. I tried it out in Fly Casual while messing around with some of the upgrades and it’s pretty fun to undock AP-5 and fire butt shots when Hera’s really in the mix. I’ve also flown the E-Wing quite a lot and 3 agility plus letting my other ships turn hits to crits is very nice.

The thing is, I got slightly overwhelmed by the choices

As a result, I didn’t re-pack my bag and took exactly the same list as I’ve been using along to casual night. Well, sort of*.

*(I’ll get to that in a moment)

It’s just recently dawned on me just how close we are to the Sith Taker Open and while I’ve certainly no great aspirations to make the top cut, making wholesale changes to a list that I’m actually pretty comfortable with just seems a bit silly at this point. I’ve never been the kind of player that can pick up a brand new list and wreck face with it right off the bat. I need reps and to remember triggers and so while I think there’s possibly something more potent (and fun?) out there than what I’m flying, iterating my way towards it with 2 weeks to go to a big event possibly isn’t the right choice for me.

Post STO though? Quite possibly.

Alright, back to the asterisk then – I did make one small change to the list.

Last week I mentioned Fenn’s loadout and I did make the change from Lone Wolf to Debris Gambit. Hera remained as she was, as did the other 2 ships meaning that I was flying this:

Jan Ors – HWK-290 Light Freighter (5)
Moldy Crow (0)

Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (0/0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2

Fenn Rau – Fang Fighter (5)
Debris Gambit (3)
Marksmanship (2)
Mandalorian Optics (3)

Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (8/8) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2

Wedge Antilles – T-65 X-wing (5)
Predator (3)
Afterburners (8)
Servomotor S-Foils (0)

Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (11/11) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3

Hera Syndulla – A/SF-01 B-wing (5)
Proton Cannons (5)
Stabilized S-Foils (0)
B6 Blade Wing Prototype (0)
Ezra Bridger (9)

Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (14/14) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4

Total: 20

View in YASB: https://yasb.app/?f=Rebel%20Alliance&d=v9ZbZ20Z46XWWWWWW156Y501X118W125WW446WY5X127WWWW105W142Y450XWW470WWWWWW313W372W81&sn=Unsaved%20Squadron&obs=

My opponent this week was going to be Josh Hall. He had a completely new Scum list but there was a complication – he didn’t have cards or an Infinite Arenas sheet! So, we just laid out tokens and carried on!

5 shields and a bunch of charges. Makes total sense!

Going into the game I had no real idea what Josh’s list wanted to do to me except I had a nagging feeling that I should avoid the Kimogila’s bullseye.

After the fact Josh did sent me his list:

Talonbane Cobra – Kihraxz Fighter (4)
Fearless (3)

Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (3/4) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3

Graz – Kihraxz Fighter (4)
Fearless (3)
Contraband Cybernetics (3)

Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (6/7) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3

Viktor Hel – Kihraxz Fighter (5)
Fearless (3)
Contraband Cybernetics (3)
Babu Frik (5)
Electronic Baffle (2)
Afterburners (8)

Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (21/22) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3

Torani Kulda – M12-L Kimogila Fighter (5)
Fearless (3)
Proton Rockets (6)
R4-B11 (3)
Contraband Cybernetics (3)
Ablative Plating (2)

Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (17/17) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4

Mining Guild Surveyor – Modified TIE/ln Fighter (2)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (0/0) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1

Total: 20

View in YASB: https://yasb.app/?f=Scum%20and%20Villainy&d=v9ZbZ20Z119X121WWWWWY120X121WW92WWWY121X121WW92W416W106W105Y129X121WW102W389W92W103Y248X&sn=Unsaved%20Squadron&obs=

Right, some quick Pre-Flight checks:
Scenario – Chance Engagement
Target/Objective Priority – Ships off the board. My higher initiative means I might be able to take out a ship before it fires. I think I need that.
Obstacles – With Torani being a medium base a tighter cluster helps me keep him at bay. A little bit at least!
Deployment – Again, my higher initiative helps here. I’ll see where Josh deploys and aim to drag his ships (mainly the Kimogila) through the crowded middle. I hope

We place the objective, obstacles and ships and we’re ready to start!

Not the best turn 0 picture I’ve ever taken!

Turn 1

I’m pretty sure the the TIE will turn away so I will drive my ships up the board edge ready to turn in to the middle. I don’t quite remember why I put Wedge where I did but I’ll wait for Josh to act before I commit on that.

ROAD 1st Player – Josh

The Mining Guild TIE does indeed turn away while all of Josh’s other ships go straight, somewhat committing to their lanes to get to the middle.

Jan banks while other other 3 ships all go straight. Wedge rolls right while Fenn boosts in but doesn’t quite get range on the TIE>

No shooting so we’re back to dials!

Turn 2

Alright, it’s time to make some real choices here. Wedge will bank away because I can’t risk him getting isolated and shot at by several ships. Hera will bank in to start getting an angle for the middle but Jan will bank away to stay behind and power up someone’s shots from relative safty. Fenn will bank in the the middle since I assume the TIE won’t turn at me.

ROAD 1st Player – me

WRONG! The TIE hard turns in at Fenn. Cool. Fenn’s not really all that bothered so it’s ok. Probably.

Josh’s ships continue into the middle and that’s fine by me. Wedge’s bank to the right to disengage now feels a little bit over the top but it’s fine. T-65’s have a tendency to pop so it’s better to not risk it.

Josh’s shots are quite limited but mine are less so. Wedge doesn’t have a shot but Fenn Hera and Jan (out of her side arc) all fire at Talonbane and reduce him to 1 hull. Nice!

VERY annoyingly I remember at the end of the turn that, using the lock she’d taken, Hera could have fired her primary and then shot again using the Proton Cannon. Had I done that the Khiraxz might well be dead.

In response Josh has just 1 shot, a range 3 obstructed on into Wedge which, of course, does 1 damage.

We forget that half points are a thing and we score 1 point each for the objective. Don’t worry, we catch it back up.

End of turn score: 1 (me) – 1 (Josh)

Turn 3

Now I have some choices to make.

  1. Do I ignore the TIE?
  2. Do I chase Talonbane?
  3. Do I ferociously avoid Torani’s bullseye?

Well, in order it’s yes, yes and I’ll try.

Jan will bank 1 left to clear stress and keep her ability online. Wedge wants to hard turn left to get in the fight and Hera will go straight to do the same. Fenn? In the end I decide that Fenn will chase Talonbane since he’s the got the dial to get back in faster than the others and is probably better positioned for it.

ROAD 1st player – Josh

Josh kicks things off by bringing the TIE into play a bit more. The Khiraxz start zooming in with Hel going fast and spending an Afterburners charge to get in my face. Unfortunately for Josh Torani bumps into the back of Graz and they’re both still relatively far away. Talonbane runs, going straight as fast as possible.

Jan banks and focuses before Hera takes her 2 straight and does the same.

Wedge’s 2 hard turn has been blocked but I take the red focus. Fenn 2 banks to clear stress and then, having landed in Torani’s bullseye, boosts into a red focus to chase down Talonbane.

It may not surprise you to know that Talonbane dies to Fenn’s range 1 attack. Hera and Jan both fire at Viktor Hel and again I get a Khiraxz down to 1 hull. Not quite dead though. Wedge takes a shot at the TIE and gets a hit past its green dice. Not dead, not halved either. Still, it’s a start.

Josh now has some decent shots though and between all 4 remaining ships Hera takes a couple of hit and Wedge loses his shields.

End of turn score: 5 – 1

Total score: 6 – 2

Turn 4

Truth be told, this turn is hazy and I don’t have a picture to refer back to (which is VERY annoying!).

Basically though, Viktor Hel K-turns (JARGON ALERT!!) over Wedge and Hera who themselves bump into the front of Torani. Graz ducked out of the way and I, being the coward that I am, opted to 2 bank Fenn when it turned out afterwards, a 2 hard turn (with focus and boost) would have got me the angle and distance to kill Viktor.

Why is this important?

Well because josh’s red dice suddenly came online and my greens went to sleep and I lost BOTH Hera AND Wedge while Viktor lived and none of Josh’s other ships died.

A big swing in points there. The consolation was that the two i6’s had taken Torani down to 1 (or 2?) hull, meaning that Josh now had 2 ships almost dead and my other 2 were untouched. We also added the half points for Viktor that we’d previously forgotten

End of turn score: 5 – 11

Total score: 11 – 13

Turn 5

So, challenge time. How do I get both these almost dead ships?

I set Fenn a bank left and will bost while Jan, stressed from using her ability last time, s facing a rock so will have to white 2 turn. It’s not too bad though, she still got 2 banked focuses.

ROAD 1st player – we stopped rolling as we no longer overlapped!

Josh turns in with the TIE while Torani, well, I can’t actually remember what the move was but he ends up in a very weird spot.

The two Khiraxz pull some shenanigans (Viktor Hel mainly since he talon rolls (JARGON ALERT!!) while stressed using Babu Frik having already used Contraband the previous turn. Sneaky so and so.

Jan hard turns and is still stressed so can’t take any other actions while Fenn banks and boosts into a red focus to stare down the Kimogila’s face.

Fenn shoots at Torani. Torani dies. Jan shoots at Viktor Hel. Viktor Hel dies.

A big swing back in my direction.

The only problem is that the little ol’ TIE rolls hot into Jan who blanks out and the HWK’s shields are gone.

End of turn score: 7 – 1

Total score: 18 – 14

Turn 6

Alright, time to engage sensible brain here. My win condition is keep scoring points for being range 2 of the middle and don’t die.

Jan is going to make a tactical retreat (since 1 more hit loses half points) while Fenn will steer into the middle.

Josh’s thinking seems to be similar as the TIE starts to bug out and Graz takes a hard turn to get back in.

This is not and simple – no shots. All 4 ships are range 2 of the middle.

End of turn score: 1 – 1

Total score: 19 – 15

Turn 7

Barring something really weird happening, I think I’m going to eb able to see this out. Still, Jan will 1 straight while Fenn… hmmm…

I don’t to be shot up the butt by the Khiraxz. I set a 2 hard right turn. Worst case, I take an obstructed shot from Graz which I quite likely survive while still being range 2 of the middle.

Slightly surprisingly, Josh hard turns the TIE back in as well. Hmmmm…..

After Graz turns in and focuses, Jan goes 1 straight and then Fenn 2 hards and boosts into a red focus, right in the TIE’s flank.

Just to be a complete jerk about it, Fenn kills the TIE and then proceeds to take no damage from Graz’s shot.

What a jerk.

End of turn score: 3 – 1

Final result: 22 – 16 win

The conclusion…

Ok, well, considering I had no idea what Josh’s list actually did until either it happened to me or I saw the full list when I got home, that wasn’t too bad!

I do like this list. It’s low stress in terms of decision making, high initiative and has decent firepower. Yes, some of the ships can get 1-rounded but at least they’ve mostly fired first.

With just 11 days to go until the Sith Taker Open I will (almost) certainly be taking this list. Partly because there’s no time for me to rep an alternative but also but I actually quite enjoy this one.

In fact, the only really annoying thing about this list is me. The fact that I keep forgetting to trigger things like Fenn’s pilot ability and Hera’s double tap. Heck, maybe the reason Jan is a mainstay in the list is because the only upgrade she has is the title and it gives her a front arc and lets her hold focuses. Easy!

With so much other X-Wing stuff going on in my brain right now (plus everything else in life that there is to deal with!), this list works just fine for me. I think it’s got enough about it to do 5 rounds of swiss in Stockport for me not to get obliterated every game. I’ve no big aspirations of making cut or anything so it should make for 5 nice easy rounds of play on Saturday. The next question is: what do I do Sunday? Do I play the AMG GT event that’s happening or do I play the XWA doubles event?

Decisions decisions

That’s about it from me for this week. I’ll be back next week, hopefully with some exciting news!!

The outro…

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I hope you’ve enjoyed it! If you’d like to support me in continuing my X-Wing blogging adventure there are a few ways you can do that.

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