Rogue Squadron - First Order Aces

Welcome to Rogue Squadron, pilot! In this series we will be looking at different squadrons you can fly in Fantasy Flight Games X-Wing miniatures game. We give you the squad, what expansion pack all of the upgrades come from and then give you the low down on how best to fly it. Strap in and get ready to fly…

All Wings Report In

TIE/sf “Quickdraw” (TIE/sf Expansion) (36 pts) (PS 8 or 10)

Once per round, when you lose a shield token, you may perform a primary weapon attack.

Title- Special Ops Training (TIE/sf Expansion): When attacking with a primary weapon from your primary firing arc, you may roll 1 additional attack die. If you do not, you may perform an additional attack from your auxiliary firing arc.
Elite Pilot Talent- Adaptability (Mist Hunter Expansion): Side A: Increase your pilot skill value by 1. Side B: Decrease your pilot skill value by 1.
Tech- Pattern Analyzer (Heroes of the Resistance Expansion)- When executing a maneuver, you may resolve the “Check Pilot Stress” step after the “Perform Action” step (instead of before that step).
System- Fire Control System (B-Wing/TIE Phantom Expansions): After you perform an attack, you may acquire a target lock on the defender.
Missile- XX-23 S-Thread Tracers (Inquisitors TIE Expansion): Attack (Focus): 3, range 1-3. Discard this card to perform this attack. If this attack hits, each friendly ship at Range 1-2 of you may acquire a target lock on the defender. Then cancel all dice results.
Modification- Lightweight Frame (TIE Striker Expansion)-When defending, after rolling defense dice, if there are more attack dice than defense dice, roll 1 additional defense die. You cannot equip this card if your agility value is “3” or higher.

TIE/sf “Backdraft” (TIE/sf Expansion) (34 pts) (PS 6 or 8)

When attacking a ship inside your auxiliary firing arc, you may add 1 Crit result.

Title- Special Ops Training (TIE/sf Expansion): When attacking with a primary weapon from your primary firing arc, you may roll 1 additional attack die. If you do not, you may perform an additional attack from your auxiliary firing arc.
Elite Pilot Talent- Adaptability (Mist Hunter Expansion): Side A: Increase your pilot skill value by 1. Side B: Decrease your pilot skill value by 1.
Tech- Pattern Analyzer (Heroes of the Resistance Expansion)- When executing a maneuver, you may resolve the “Check Pilot Stress” step after the “Perform Action” step (instead of before that step).
System- Fire Control System (B-Wing/TIE Phantom Expansions): After you perform an attack, you may acquire a target lock on the defender.
Missile- XX-23 S-Thread Tracers (Inquisitors TIE Expansion): Attack (Focus): 3, range 1-3. Discard this card to perform this attack. If this attack. If this attack hits, each friendly ship at Range 1-2 of you may acquire a target lock on the defender. Then cancel all dice results.
Modification- Lightweight Frame (TIE Striker Expansion)-When defending, after rolling defense dice, if there are more attack dice than defense dice, roll 1 additional defense die. You cannot equip this card if your agility value is “3” or higher.

TIE/FO “Omega Leader” (TIE/FO Expansion) (29 pts) (PS 8)

Enemy ships that you have locked cannot modify any dice when attacking you or defending against your attacks.

Elite Pilot Talent– Juke (TIE/FO Expansion)- When attacking, if you have an evade token, you may change 1 of the defender’s Evade results into a Focus result.
Modification- Stealth Device (M3-A/Slave-1/U-Wing Expansions)- Increase your agility value by 1. If you are hit by an attack, discard this card.
Tech- Comm Relay (TIE/FO Expansion): You cannot have more than 1 evade token. During the End phase, do not remove an unused evade token from your ship.

Lock S-Foils in Attack Position

As promised a few weeks ago, here is one of the lists I took to the Mustafar Hangar Bay tournament. This one was a lot of fun to fly and proved surprisingly effective. My first game I got creamed but that was due to a boneheaded maneuver on my part (getting Quickdraw surrounded by Miranda and Poe).

This is not a squadron you really want to spread out too much. Swinging Omega Leader around to come in later in the game has potential as it keeps fire off her when she’s the least effective. She is a good closer ship to make your opponent try to kill with a single ship in the end game.

With Adaptability all three ships can be Pilot Skill 8 which makes flying them together very convenient. If your opponent does not have a PS9 or 10 ace then Quickdraw doesn’t mind dropping down to stay in formation. That gives you a lot of flexibility for the order in which you activate your ships and make their attacks. And if you are facing a high pilot skill ace, Quickdraw can become PS 10 and you have a one point initiative bid to help give him move last.

The dream position is to get Backdraft right in the middle of the enemy formation at range 1 so he can pull two attacks and get his bonus Crit. Meanwhile your goal for Quickdraw is make him the only target for one ship giving your opponent the hard choice between not firing or getting shot twice.

Your special forces TIEs are heavily kitted out but everything on them really enhances everything else. Fire Control System plus Pattern Analyzer makes you very action efficient. Take a red maneuver on round two and you’ll still have a target lock and focus. Additionally, being able to barrel roll after taking a s-loop maneuver can be very useful for catching your opponent in a bad spot.

Lightweight Frame goes a long way to helping keep these ships alive a little longer. That additional dice makes them as effective as pre-X7 Defenders. Which is not as good as current Defenders to be sure but that rear arc and tech upgrade really gives them a lot more flexibility and maneuverability than a Defender. Defenders joust, TIE/sf have the potential to arc dodge.

Variations

With this list you already have a one point initiative bid but you could easily make that three points by dropping the XX-23’s. They aren’t all that useful on this list. I just didn’t feel the need to have a three point bid. You could also spend those points on an Ion Pulse Missile to give yourself some potential board control. Ioning a big ship when it’s facing the wrong way is always fun.

But beyond that you do not have a lot of room to play with as every single upgrade slot on all three ships is filled. You could chip away at it and try to lighten everything to fit an Academy TIE if you really wanted. Or spend those spare three points to give Quickdraw Sensor Jammer or Accuracy Corrector. Both are worthwhile upgrades on him.