X-Wing: The Kihraxz Fighter Strikes Back
The Kihraxz Fighter is back with a new title and a new lease on life – Scum’s Attack Dog just went bonkers.
Hello X-Wing Aces and Casual pilots, this is your Captain AdamHarry speaking. I’ve returned with some more craziness I’ve cooked up with X-Wing. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten the itch but something about the new Scum expansion “Guns For Hire” got the wheels turning again. I wasn’t sure where this rabbit hole was going to lead but I’ve loaded up on the caffeine and taken the plunge. So what kicked this crazy-train off? Haven’t you heard? THe Kihraxz has a new title card and it’s going to be so VERY fun to play with:
Vaksai here is straight-up amazing for the Kihraxz Fighter. It’s one of those cards that has been created to fix an issue with a ship – that issue was that the Kihraxz was just a tad over-costed. But instead of just making the title a negative, they’ve made it so that you can get some crazy discounts for your ship. I think I like this approach much better than the alternative. First off, it encourages you to spend points on upgrades – more upgrades means the card is more efficient. Secondly, it opens up a TON of possibilities for this humble fighter. Vaksai is the equivalent of taking your Honda Civic into the custom mod shop and it’s time to pimp yo’ ride!
Xzibit-Wing. Mind Blown.
My initial thought was to jump straight for the man himself – Talonbane Cobra. He’s the Kihraxz Fighter Ace that is at the top of the PS order and his pilot ability can make your opponent cry when he lines up a shot. Unfortantely, the Scum Players opted to go for the large ships in the meta and Cobra got skipped. I never really felt like he got his time to shine…until now:
With the Title Card, he’s suddenly got access to ALL the good maneuver upgrades. It gets pricey but check this out:
Talonbane Cobra – Kihraxz Fighter – Total: 36
- Push the Limit
- Glitterstim
- Vectored Thrusters
- Engine Upgrade
- Autothrusters
- Vaksai
Normally Talonbane would cost a whopping 41 points due to upgrades (if you could equip them, that is), but with the title it’s only 36 points! You could go in and add XX-23 S-Thread Tracers if you really wanted to…it’s free after-all. And not everyone is a fan of Glitterstim, but still – look at what this ship has become! It can Boost, Barrel-Roll, and Arc-Dodge with the best of them now. You’ll probably want some support ship around to help Talonbane manage the stress of his new super-ride however. The good news is this ship shouldn’t have any trouble finding it’s way into a nice firing solution. And if you’re shooting at him at Range or beyond – good luck!
Now, I did say that was my initial thought. But what if we want to go the other route? What if we wanted to just create a solid wing-man type ship. Something that isn’t super flashy but is reliable. Well don’t discount your old Black Sun Ace friends:
I’ve always liked the Aces because of their EPT slot. If you’re in a sporting mood you could go with Predator for the re-roll. Or if you want to feel the stress, you could choose Push the Limit. However, if you saw the excellent 2017 World’s Meta-Analysis ChasDresh worked up, you probably noticed that Scum had risen to dominance with the help of a card that was once thought terrible:
Could we work this in somehow? Yes. Yes we can! The best way to do so is to have a bunch of ships loaded with the same thing and we can do that a couple of ways. For now, I wanted to show you an example:
Black Sun Ace – Kihraxz Fighter – Total: 25
- Attanni Mindlink
- XX-23 S-Thread Tracers
- Glitterstim
- Munitions Failsafe
- Guidance Chips
- Vectored Thrusters
- Vaksai
You could run 4 of these ships in a single list. They would toss out stress to each other like crazy but you’d also have focus and Target-Locks for days. Now, maybe you’re a really good pilot and can take advantage of ML. maybe you just want to run two of these and then pack in another 50 points worth of Scum Ships that you like – Manaroo or Dengar come to mind… You do you! It’s part of the fun of X-Wing.
Personally, I want my Fighters to have a bit more bite than that. Here’s what I’d run:
Black Sun Ace – Kihraxz Fighter – Total: 30
- Predator or Push the Limit – your call
- Concussion Missiles
- Glitterstim
- Munitions Failsafe
- Guidance Chips
- Vectored Thrusters
- Vaksai
I’d probably go with a 3-ship list. Two of these Black Sun Aces and maybe Talonbane from above. Or I’d look for another good ship to go with – for 40 points, I’m pretty sure I could find something effective. I’ve had some luck in the past with Concussion Missiles + Guidance Chips. I’m hesitant to include the Munitions Failsafe, but it’s basically free and I like Vectored Thrusters to add in Barrel Roll. Really, you could just go with the same Talonbane Cobra load out and make these Aces super tough to pin down.
The new title card really helps the Kihraxz Fighter out quite a bit. The extra upgrades are great and the discounted price on all of your upgrades can go a LONG way. I think this once overlooked ship will make a comeback in a big way when the Guns for Hire Expansion hits later this year – and I’m looking forward to it!
Guns for Hire Expansion Pack $29.95
The Scum and Villainy aces expansion for X-Wing™, Guns for Hire adds tremendous versatility to the faction’s Kihraxz fighters and StarVipers. Both are represented by miniatures with eye-catching alternative paint schemes, and you’ll find a handful of ambitious new pilots eager to fly them, as well as two new Titles and other upgrades with which you can get them combat-ready. Altogether, the expansion comes with two starfighter miniatures, eight ship cards, twelve upgrades, and four condition cards, plus all the maneuver dials, bases, and tokens you need to send your hired guns to battle!
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What do you think of the new title? Will it make the Kihraxz Fighter a powerhouse or will it get mothballed again?
