X-Wing: Dealing With TLT Y-Wings
TLT Y-Wings got you down? Well we are here to help – here are some handy tips when facing the dreaded 4 TLT Y-Wings.
When the Twin Laser Turret Y-Wings first showed up on the scene I was actually glad. I was happy to see the Y-Wing get a huge buff in terms of “playablity” which is to say that people actually wanted to use this ship. Unfortunately, since wave 7 people have stopped improvising and stopped trying because they think they have the best build possible with that ship.
The Ship: Syndicate Thug 25 pts
- Twin Laser Turret
- Unhinged Astromech
“There’s nothing else it’s good for – why run anything different?” is something I’ve heard. That’s a fair point – although I don’t think the TLT is the best build, it’s certainly one of the easiest to fly. And I think that’s how you have to approach this list. Having a turret that is range 2-3 is it’s biggest weakness so you have to fly better than them to overcome it. But it’s not as hard as it sounds…
It’s a deadly donut – so go for the throat!
First off, accept that you’re going to get hit and get over it. The better pilots will have overlapping fields of fire supporting ships, so odds are you’re going to get shot at by at least 2 per turn. That’s a lot of dice you’re going to have to deal with – so get ready mentally. It’s not the end of the world if you take some laser burns on the way in – what matters is what you do when you get in there.
Focus Fire your target. If you get lucky and they make a mistake by leaving a ship all by itself, double check to see if it’s a bait ship. If you’re feeling confident that it’s not, go in full throttle and try to get within range one. Ships with a Boost action are great for this.
Autothrusters are your friend. This pairs nicely with those Boost Capable ships. You’re still going to have to out fly them but if you do it right you’ll be a rough target to pin down.
Don’t be afraid to “Block” them. Blocking is a term used when you intentionally fly a ship into another ship. Ideally, you want to cause them to “bump” you so that you’ll still get your turn/actions. The most common Thug TLT builds have some pretty low Pilot skills so it’s easier to cause those blocks. This also has the added benefit of forcing them to stay relatively still on their turn. Nothing screws up the Luftbery like getting all jammed up.
I call it “causing a Luftbery Jam” for obvious reasons.
Get in there! They are going to want to keep you at range 2-3 so they can keep poking you. You’ve got to get inside their donut at range 1 and you want to unload as much damage as possible. Fly smart, fly aggressive and don’t make bad trades. If you keep these concepts in mind, you should be ready to fly against them. But what do you want to fly? Great question.
There are a few other things you can do and a few other ships that are specifically kitted out to kill these slow-boat turret ships. I’m not going to list them all but these are the types of things you want to look out for:
- Bonuses to attack and/or defend at range 1
- High Agility/Evade dice generation
- Free Focus abilities
- System Upgrade Slots
- High damage output (to take them out as quick as possible)
- Higher Pilot Skill than 2
- Shields are a plus – but not mandatory
- Elite Pilot Talents are a plus as well
- AoE Attacks can work wonders
- Ion Attacks are great for setting up an attack run too
Now, you don’t need to have ships that have all of these – U-boats will do a number on the Y-Wings and they just bring ordnance and durability to the field. Now that you’ve got an idea of what to look for in a ship, here are some examples.
Guri
I’ve heard tales of a lone Guri demolishing TLT Y-Wings. I can see why – but you really need the title card for it to make the most sense:
Why the title? Well then you can add this:
Is it starting to make sense now? Guri makes turret focused ships cry. Toss in Autothrusters and you’ve got a ship that will fly circles around those TLTs and not break a sweat. If you want to get really nasty you could opt for Predator in your EPT slot and now you’re re-rolling your attack dice too. Or you could go with Push the Limit to ensure you get that Boost/Barrel Roll going to sneak into range 1. Your call.
Fenn Rau
This is another ship that wants to go heads-up vs a TLT Y-Wing. Autothrusters, the Title and Fearlessness will make him one tough cookie to deal with. Or Push the Limit – if you want to again Boost/Barrel Roll your way into range 1.
What about Rebels? Oh they aren’t hurting for good aces either:
Poe Dameron
Either version works and there are a couple ways to load him up. But I think you start with Autothrusters and then add cards to “flavor” – BB-8 is always a solid choice. You could go old school and get R2-D2 for the regen…I mean, really you can do pretty much whatever you want with this ship. If you fly smart you should be able to take on those TLT Y-Wings no problem. If you’re really worried slap on a Sensor Cluster just for fun.
Corran Horn
Similar to Guri, Corran Horn has all the good upgrade slot options (you just don’t need the title to get them). Autothrusters and Sensor Jammer are where you probably want to start. I like R7-T1 as an option, but again, BB-8, R2-D2 or even R2-F2 are all good options. You’ve still got that EPT slot, too! When Horn gets into Range 1 make it count!
Imperial Ships? Yeah they have options for days.
I have a couple ideas here aside from the standard Palpshuttle+Aces. Really, the Imperials have their pick-of-the-litter! The Inquisitor is a a good option as he can dance at range 2-3 with those TLTs. With Autothrusters and the title equipped he’s pretty tough to pin down too.
Darth Vader is another solid choice. With the Title he gets access to the System Upgrade slot – again, making him really rough to pin down.
But why not get creative and fight fire with MORE FIRE. For example the humble Gamma Squadron Vet:
No crazy abilities. No fancy agility/evade boosting – just lots of firepower. You have to remember that you’re PS 5 and you shoot first. Pick your weapon selection carefully and tag-team those Y-Wings. I like attacks that are going to generate a lot of dice. Cluster Missiles, Assault Missiles, Plasma Torpedoes, or even Advanced Proton Torpedoes will all work, depending on the range.
I like the idea of running two of these Bombers with Assault Missiles, Extra Munitions and Advanced Proton Torpedoes, Guidance chips and Predator. Ideally, when you’re in range 3 with both ships you can unload into those slow moving Y-Wings and do quite a bit of damage – hopefully killing one out right. And because you shoot first you’re not taking that TLT damage back that round. With Assault Missiles, you’ve already softened the remaining ships up too.
If they stay clustered for those overlapping fields of fire do it again. If they break off, pick one and move in for the close range kill. Also, you’ve got 30 points left to add a third ship in…Just saying.
TLTs can be rough – but bringing the right tools to the fight does make them easier to deal with. It just depends on how much you want to invest in worrying about them vs everything else in the meta. So until next time, Fly Causal!
How do you deal with TLT Y-Wings?
