X-Wing: Blue or Gold? Why not Both!
The B-Wing received a hidden present with the Scum and Villainy release – Let’s take a look!
The B-Wing! I remember the first time I saw one of these in the movies and thought “what happened to the Millennium Falcon? Did it lose some hull when I wasn’t looking?” Then I realized there was a whole squadron of them and it was just a different ship. A new ship. And then I thought, “Whoa, that ship moves around cockpit! That’s RAD!” Yes! It was radical – from a design stand point it was special. The B-Wing’s role is that of a star fighter and bomber. I was smitten! I still liked the X-Wings more but the B-Wings have always held a place in my heart for their truly different design.
Sometimes I fly sideways
In game – it packs a heavy punch for a ‘small’ ship but it lacks the speed of some of the more nimble ships in the rebel fleet. So a fairly simple and effective build for the odd unique looking B-Wing has been a Blue Squadron pilot with the Heavy Laser Cannon. It uses the ships slow speeds to stay back at range 2 or 3 and drop the pain from afar. The B-Wing also takes advantage of the being one of the ships that packs a turret and can do a barrel roll maneuver. For 29 points that’s not too shabby.
It’s a tried and true combo – like Root beer and Ice Cream
You still needed to be mindful of faster ships getting to you quickly and closing the gap. So it wasn’t that great mid-to-late game but the Alpha strike capabilities were definitely there. So what about Scum and Villainy? What did that bring to the table? Well not much to be honest. But there is one really strong option that we can’t ignore: The “Mangler” Cannon:
This ain’t no laundry machine
This cannon has the same attack value as the base ship, but it’s a secondary weapon. This means when shooting at range 3 the defender doesn’t get that extra defense die. On top of that added benefit it will do consistently higher damage vs targets because of the ability to flip a hit to a crit. But that’s not all! Oh no, it’s not only cheaper in points vs the Heavy Laser Cannon, it also doesn’t have the doughnut hole issues (but you’ll probably use the main weapon at close range due to the extra damage die). This load out clocks in at only 26 points – it’s quite a bargain!
How about a list
I’ve been bouncing around a few lists in my head using the new stuff from Scum and Villainy combined with ships you might not see on the flight deck. So here goes:
Blue Squadron Pilot (B-Wing)
- Mangler cannon
Blue Squadron Pilot (B-Wing)
- Mangler cannon
Gold Squadron Pilot (Y-Wing)
- BTL-A4 Title
- R2 Astromech
- Ion Cannon Turret
Gold Squadron Pilot (Y-Wing)
- BTL-A4 Title
- R2 Astromech
- Ion Cannon Turret
Total: 100 points
I was wondering why he called it “Blue and Gold!”
There’s no real trick to this list. The Y-Wings move forward to engage the enemy and hopefully drop some Ion love on a target. The R2 unit adds some much needed green maneuvers to a slow/predictable Y-Wing as well. Then the B-Wings move up and put them to bed. I think in a two-ship meta these tough little ships will cause some trouble. I can see swarms causing some issues but each ship has basically 8 hits before they are dead. So you’ve got the beef – it’s up to you on how you use it!
I have intentionally left out the more expensive pilots and their tricks – what do you think the Mangler Cannon would pair well with? Let me know in the comments below! AdamHarry OUT!
