X-Wing: Unboxing The Phantom II
The Phantom II is the Rebellion’s new support shuttle – come take a look at all the tricks this ship is packing!
Just when you though the Rebels were running out of tricks to pull, FFG releases a new Phantom II upgrade that re-introduces the Coordinate Action to the world of X-Wing:
Coordinate, as you might remember, is from Epic Play for X-Wing. It used to only be available on those Epic ships, but the Phantom II is the first non-Epic ship to get access to the Coordinate Action:
How you end up using this is really up to you! I think Rebel Players out there are really going to want to experiment with this ability. Some would argue “why not just take another ship vs passing off your action so another ship can take an extra action?” I think that’s a valid point – but this ship is geared toward helping out it’s squadmates. How you end up executing that is up to you! We’ve previewed some of the cards in the box already but here is a quick recap:
The Title basically passes off it’s Coordinate Action to the Ghost while it’s docked. That could be pretty useful because you can keep the Phantom II off the board and still benefit.
Maul is a really unique upgrade simply because he’s a Scum and Villainy upgrade that can be used with a Rebel Ship *IF* your squad contains Ezra Bridger. His ability is actually pretty simple – you can gain X stress to re-roll X attack dice. If you perform an attack that hits, remove 1 stress. So if you’re feeling lucky (or desperate) take a stress and get a re-roll. If you hit, discard the stress. Seems simple enough to me!
Flight-Assist Astromech is maybe the MOST sought after upgrade in this pack. Why? Because it should come with a note from FFG thanking those hardcore fans of the old school T-65 X-Wings. It’s 1 point and it should just say “If you’re a T-65 X-Wing, have a free boost or Barrel Roll. We’re sorry it took this long.”
Now, the T-65 isn’t the only ship that can take advantage of this – but c’mon…it’s pretty clear that this was a “fix” for the T-65. Looking at it, you could also slap it on a Y-Wing for some extra gas in the tank as well. Combine it with the BTL Title (you weren’t shooing outside your arc anyways) and you’re paying 1 point for the free boost/barrel roll option.
We do cover the rest of the cards in the video so be sure to check that out as we go over each one. Overall, the Phantom II adds some more tricks to the Rebel fleet but they aren’t 100% obvious. I think this is a ship that has the potential to help other ships really get the most out of smart play. Will that be enough to push it to the top meta-lists? I guess we’ll find out in the upcoming X-Wing Season! The Phantom II hits stores soon but it’s up for pre-order now from FFG or your FLGS!
Phantom II Expansion Pack $14.95
The Phantom II is a Sheathipede-class transport shuttle that the Spectres recovered from a Clone Wars-era military base and modified with weapons and a custom docking system. It makes its X-Wing™ debut in the Phantom II Expansion Pack as an attack-ready vessel that comes with four ship cards and six upgrades. These include new astromechs, crew upgrades, and Title upgrades that incorporate more of Star Wars Rebels in your space battles and add depth to the shuttle’s ability to perform the coordinate action.
…So what happened to the Phantom I? Well there is this show you should watch to find out. Star Wars: Rebels!
