X-Wing: Mist Hunting
The G-1A Starfighter has a lot to offer – let’s explore the hidden gem from Wave 8!
Well the results are in and Wave 8 has been a giant boon for Scum & Villainy players with the arrival of the JumpMaster 5000. Everyone is talking about this ship and how to combat it or what the best load-out is. However, there is another ship that many players have skipped over in the hunt for the best meta-breaker out there. While it’s not as meta-shattering as the JumpMaster 5000 the humble G-1A Starfighter aka “the Mist Hunter” has some pretty great tricks up it’s sleeves. Let’s see of we can take advantage of this tough gunboat!
For starters – I just want to get this one out of the way now: Take the Title Card! For basically 1 point (because you have to pay for the Tractor Beam) you get a Barrel Roll and you get to equip the Tractor Beam (which you wouldn’t normally be able to do). Having an extra action like Barrel Roll is ALWAYS nice to have even if you don’t think you’ll use it. Oh and Tractor Beam can cause lots of trouble if you use it correctly…
Messing with your opponents movement is just gravy – the real prize here is the ability to strip those agility dice from their defense. It’s like volley-ball: Set, Spike, Score!
The Mist Hunter is your best blocker on a small base. It’s tough and tanky and can really help other ships do what they do best. It’s also got some serious firepower in the right hands. Speaking of which lets talk pilots for a moment:
Zuckuss here is a GREAT choice because of his ability. He’s going to be able to toss out 4 attack dice pretty reliably and can even get up to 5 dice at range 1!
4-LOM has another great ability. Giving out stress to your opponents is already a great ability. Giving them one of YOUR stress is even better. The down side is you have to get within Range 1. But I’ve got a plan for that, too!
Looking at the Mist Hunter’s dial – it’s not that impressive. What it does have, however is a white 4 ahead. That’s something we can work with. Compared to the Y-Wing (the other gunboat for Scum) it might not have as many turns, but it’s got the speed where it counts. Plus it’s going to have that Barrel Roll and it’s still got it’s Mod slot. With a lack of secondary weapon options it seems natural to toss on the Engine Upgrade to really get this ship moving!
So now we’ve got a Boost and Barrel Roll on this ship. We’ve got a sweet Pilot ability and a tractor beam. What else are we missing? Well, we’ve still got our Elite Pilot Talent and a System Upgrade to play with as well as a Crew slot (and Illicit). Oh we’ve got options alright…
This is where the builds really start to diverge. It seems like a waste to make a tractor beam attack on a ship late in the round because it won’t have any repercussions if there aren’t any ships to follow-up with the attack. It also seems like a waste to NOT use the primary 3 dice attack. So what can we do? Glad you asked! The first combo is just to get more firepower on the target:
This one is pretty pricey if you ask me, but it will allow you to toss a lot of shots at your target. If this is on Zuckuss it can help ensure you’re getting that Agility Dice stripped off with a tractor beam or it will allow you to get a second shot with a 4 dice primary – and the second shot will have a target lock to boot!
Now, let me back up a moment. Lets just go ahead an say you’ve taken Push The Limit as your EPT – because why not! Recon Specialist will allow you to get 2 focus on your ship…and if you’re feeling worried you could also take an evade action with your “free action” granted by PTL. Couple that with 4-LOM and you’ve got a super dodgy gun boat that can toss that extra stress on the target. Weird, right?
What if we just bypassed the “what ifs” and just give ourselves a Target Lock after green maneuvers. Now we can use PTL to Boost/Barrel Roll into closer range or into our firing Arc and have a Target Lock to use for the killing blow! Now what about that System Upgrade. I know – what about Advanced Sensors?
Okay – now stick with me on this because it gets a little complicated. Let’s give ourselves a green maneuver on the dial. Now before we reveal it we activate Advanced Sensors. We can Boost, Barrel Roll, Focus or Evade. Immediately after we use PTL to do ANOTHER action and get the stress. Then we execute our Green Maneuver removing the stress. Oh and hey look at that – K4 kicks in and we get a Target Lock, too. You basically performed 3 Actions on a “slow gunboat” how do you feel? Stress Free. Not too shabby!
Throwing this all together is a little challenging. The G-1A Starfighter has a LOT of cool tricks it can pull depending on how you want to load it up. Here are a few build’s I’ve put together as examples:
Zuckuss – the Big Game Hunter – 43 points
- Mist Hunter
- Tractor Beam
- Engine Upgrade
- Fire-Control System
- Gunner
- Push the Limit
Zuckuss – The Agile – 42 Points
- Mist Hunter
- Tractor Beam
- Engine Upgrade
- Advanced Sensors
- K4 Security Droid
- Push the Limit
4-LOM & Zukuss – Bounty Hunter Bros. – 39
- Mist Hunter
- Tractor Beam
- Engine Upgrade
- Advanced Senors
- Zukuss
- Push the Limit
I like this last one because it allows you to clear all your stress before you attack and then use Passenger Zukuss’ ability to generate another stress. If you’re at range 1 can then pass that off to the target. Oh and it helps with your odds of hitting, too!
I really think the Mist Hunter has a lot of great options. I haven’t even touched on Illicit upgrades yet! Plus there are more options in the EPT beside PTL. Rage, Juke, Wired, and Expose can all be used with great effect on the Mist Hunter. Expose with Pilot Zuckuss gives you the chance to roll 6 Attack Dice! That’s crazy!
I still think there are more combos and tricks this ship can pull off – and I think it’s got a great place in the Scum & Villainy stable. I just hope players give this ship a chance once the JumpMaster hype train dies down…It’s full of surprises.
So X-Wing Aces, What’s your take? What cool combo would you want to try with the G-1A Starfighter? Who would you want as wingmen? Let us know in the comments below!
