X-Wing: The K-Wing Bombing Run
The K-Wing is the A-10 of the Star-Wars Universe – and it’s time to take this ugly duckling out for a spin!
Hello BoLS Readers – AdamHarry here with some more Star Wars Action! This time I’d like to take another look at the wonkiest ship in the rebel fleet: The K-Wing!
Let’s just get this out there – it looks weird, it’s slow(ish), it’s tough and it can bring a LOT of firepower. That sounds like one of my favorite tank-busters of all time the A-10 Thunderbolt II aka “The Warthog!”
I can kind of see where the designers were going with the K-Wing. It’s like an X-Wing and the A-10 had a baby. That baby was born on top of the ugly-tree and hit all the branches on the way down…but still – I can sort of see the resemblance. Thankfully the designers didn’t just pass down the “aesthetics” of it’s two parents, it also inherited the toughness of the A-10 with it’s 5 hull and 4 shields. Not because the A-10 had shields...I just mean the durability – it’s a fictional ship and my metaphor is breaking down…Just stick with me.
The K-Wing, at first glance, appears slow. The dial only goes up to speed 3 and it’s all white and green. But that’s before you take a look at the SLAM action:
That’s right, it gets to move TWICE. If you execute the a 3 maneuver and use the SLAM you end up going faster (and farther) than any other small ship (not counting boost/barrel roll shenanigans). So the K-Wing ends up being surprisingly fast – and the maneuver just has to be the same speed, you could mix in some turns or banks to change it up!
Because of the point cost of this ship I don’t see this ship being a “wing-man” unless you go with a super cheap Warden Squadron Pilot with a minimal load out. No, I think the K-Wing really shines when you go for the ordnance and bring the pain! I’ve got two load-outs I’d like to share. The first is with Esege Tuketu:
Esege Tuketu K-Wing points – 43
- Extra Munitions
- Proton Bombs
- Proximity Mines
- Recon Specialist
- Advanced SLAM
This load-out is more of a support role but still brings a lot of discount firepower. Esege combos nicely with the Recon Specialist/Advanced SLAM to generate two focus that you can then pass over to your more aggressive wingmen.
Advanced SLAM also pairs nicely with the Bombs you’re bringing. You may not be able to attack when you use the SLAM ability – however you can still take advantage of either bomb. Just remember you can only drop 1 bomb per round. It’s in the FAQ – Page 3.
And of course this build takes advantage of Extra Munitions. When you’re paying 2 points (and a torpedo slot) to score you an extra 8 points in bombs. Not a bad deal at all! It almost makes me want to load up ALL the weapons to see what happens. Kind of like this next build:
Miranda Doni K-Wing points – 52
- Extra Munitions
- Plasma Torpedoes
- Cluster Missiles
- Proton Bombs
- Proximity Mines
- Advanced SLAM
- R2-D2
This load-out is going to blow stuff up. Before I get into “the how” – let’s look at the savings you’re getting by taking Extra Munitions. You’re spending 2 points (and a torpedo slot) for 15 points worth of ordnance. That is the same price as an A-Wing with Chardaan Refit or a Z-95 Headhunter – It’s like you hid a ship inside another ship! And we’ve never seen that before…
The R2-D2 card is the one from the Tantive IV pack, so he’s a crew and not an Astromech droid slot. He is there for pure durability. As a bonus you can combo that with Doni’s ability to spend a shield and then recover that shield in the mid-game. If you do it right, you’ll be able to ride the wave between one shield and no shield to bump your damage output/potential up.
For using this load-out – just remember the bombing tricks with Advanced SLAM. You can also still use Target Lock as your action to setup then next turn missile death. The new Plasma Torpedoes are also very good against high-shield targets.
I haven’t even touched on some of the other crew options like Gunner, Weapons Enginner or Bombardier. The K-Wing really does make your opponent second guess their moves because of the SLAM/Bomb interactions. If you can get the K-Wing into a flanking spot you can really open up with the primary turret, drop bombs or rain missiles on your targets.
Here is a list I’ve put together based on the Esege build from above. I really wanted to take advantage of the focus-passing abilities of the K-Wing and his Wingmen.
Who’s on Focus? 100 points
Esege Tuketu K-Wing points – 43
- Extra Munitions
- Proton Bombs
- Proximity Mines
- Recon Specialist
- Advanced SLAM
Garven Dreis X-Wing points – 33
- Plasma Torpedoes
- Hull Upgrade
- R2 Astromech
Jake Farrell A-Wing point – 24
- Chardaan Refit
- Autothrusters
This list allows you to pass focus between Esege and Garven or dump it on to Jake. And as far as I can tell “placing at token” is the same as “assigning a token” based off the wording in the FAQ for Garven (FAQ Page 9). I was also tempted to swap out Plasma Torpedoes for Advanced Proton Torpedoes on Garven. But then I would have dropped Jake for Arvel Crynyd + Chardaan Refit…but that would have been a different gimmick!
I hope this article has given you some ideas about the potential of the K-Wing. If you can get over the “form” and focus on the “function” of this gunboat you can really unlock the devastation on your foes. The A-10 tankbuster flies again through it’s spiritual descendant…in SPACE! Now go out there and get setup for your attack run!
What do you think X-Wing Aces? What ships would you run with a K-Wing? What about bomb load-outs or effective uses of the SLAM ability? Let us know in the comments below. AdamHarry, OUT!
