X-Wing: The Imperial Countess Ryad
The Imperial Court of X-Wing just got a whole lot more interesting – Let’s talk about Countess Ryad!
Countess Ryad is causing X-Wing Aces everywhere to re-examine their Imperial Lists – but what’s the deal with the Countess? She has so many different ways to play her!
It’s not just her ability that’s driving the discussion (although it’s seriously one of the most dangerous ones out there). It’s the fact that the TIE Defenders just got a steroid injection into their utility. We’ve already touched on this a bit – I even put together a few other thoughts and a sample list with the TIE Defender and the TIE Bomber. But I want to really talk about those options with the Countess as the focal point. How is the TIE defender getting that massive shot of utility? The Title Cards:
Let’s talk about the TIE/D first in relation to the Countess. With the upgrade your cannon shots become icing on top of the 3 shot primary cake. Now, there isn’t a good reason to bypass the cannon options in favor of the primary. You can really get some excellent mileage out of the cheap cannons depending on what you want to do. I keep going back-and-forth between the Ion Cannon and the Tractor Beam personally. The Flechette Cannon could be good if you had a way to make the stress stick. Unfortunately there are lots of ways around stress these days without building a combo to stop it. If you could Ion + Stress…well…that’s another article for another time.
Anyways – the Ion Cannon and Tractor Beam can really set up the rest of your list. This is where the decision tree starts to spread. If you go Ion, you’re trying to control the target’s movement for next turn. Assuming the attack hits, you know exactly where the target will end up. Therefore, you can build a list with High PS ships who can take advantage of knowing where the target ship will be. You could still take a few lower PS ships as long as they pack a punch. TIE Bombers with Cluster Missiles come to mind…
If you go Tractor Beam, she’s only PS 5 – pretty middle of the pack. If you want Higher PS ships, you’re going to need to spend that EPT on VI or Adaptability to get the most out of her cannon (because the Token goes away at the end of the turn – if there are no pilots after her to attack, you’ve just wasted it). Or you take lower PS ships to get those shots in while the target is down an agility.
Another option is to just take another TIE Defender with a similar cannon and title – redundancy isn’t a bad thing.
And since we brought up the Elite Pilot Talent, lets talk about THOSE choices. I’ve already mentioned Adaptability and Veteran Instincts. But there is also Predator and PLT which are always favorites of mine. If you’re thin on points don’t forget about Crack Shot either! That coupled with a Tractor Beam could seal the deal on a big ship getting shot to pieces on a key turn.
On the Modification front, I think the Twin Ion Engine Mk. II is a good choice with the TIE/D title. It’s extra green so if you do run PTL you’ve still got options. Then again, you’ve got so many K-turn options that are all green, it’s almost going to be very tempting to NOT K-turn. You could also run a Stealth Device instead – having 4 agility dice on a ship that is already super slippery is going to be rough to deal with!
Now – the TIE/x7 Title – this one is another set of arguments to work through. With this option she becomes less of a gunboat and more of a jet fighter. If you’re choosing this title you going to want to dogfight, hit hard and not get hit back! So what are our options? I really think with the extra Evade token you’re giving yourself a lot of defensive power. 3 Agility + an Evade token is nothing to sneeze at! You have basically two choices with this title: Go Defensive or go for Action Economy. You could slap a Stealth Device on this build and now you’ve got 4 Agility, a free evade and dial full of green K-turns + a Barrel Roll to get away. Very slippery! You could put the Twin Ion Engines as before, but I like Engine Upgrade for the Boost option. Now you’ve got a Boost/Barrel Roll so why not go all the way and add PLT and complete the trifecta of arc dodge.
Again, the TIE Defender and the Countess here can do a LOT of damage with EPTs. The ones I’ve mentioned already are pretty obvious but lets go down the list. Marksmanship could really sting. Predator would also be great for re-rolls (double for the TIE/D). I’m not 100% sure how Ruthlessness would interact with two attacks a round – is that 2 extra damage on another ship per turn or just one – either way not too shabby!
But I think the Countess in particular can really do well with a few rarely used EPTs because of her unique ability to get behind a ship and stay there (thanks to K-Turns + Ion Cannons). Outmaneuver would let you drop the agility even further for your primary weapon attack and cannon attack. Expose becomes EXTRA damage with little to worry about from the target. The possibility of tagging a target from behind with an Ion shot or Tractor Beam, getting into range 1 and then tossing 5 dice seems pretty good to me.
There are so many different ways to load her out I’m starting to go cross-eyed thinking about it! It really boils down to your list and her wingmen. And Speaking of wingmen who should you take? I think a pair of TIE Defender/Ds would be pretty brutal (that’s the Countess + one other TIE/D). Tractor Beams, Ion Cannons, or Flechette Cannons – you could mix and match and cause your opponent some real headaches, too. Depending on how you load them out you’re probably going to end up with 20-30 points left over. That’s plenty for another solid Ace or a pair of cheap TIE fighters to clog up the enemy’s plan with – OPTIONS!
On to the obligatory list! I’m not going to leave you with a full list just a 3 of the load outs I want to try with the countess. Keep in mind you could swap her out with a generic TIE Defender Pilot, but her amazing ability to K-Turn and get behind her targets is what makes her so darn dangerous.
Countess Ion Ryad
Countess Ryad – TIE/D – 41 Points
- TIE/D Title
- Predator
- Ion Cannon
- Twin Ion Engine Mk. II
This build, I think, is better all around. It’s designed to get behind a target and consistently Ion and blast them. Small ships should be wary around this one for sure!
Lady Godiva Ryad
Countess Ryad – TIE/D – 40 Points
- TIE/D Title
- Expose
- Tractor Beam
- Twin Ion Engine Mk. II
This build will let you really open up on a target at range 1 pretty consistently. Tractor Beam will strip off an agility dice and hold a target up close and personal.
If you’re hurting for points, drop the Mk II engines – you hopefully won’t be full of stress anyways.
Countess Lean Mean Action Machine
Countess Ryad – TIE/x7 – 39 Points
- TIE/x7
- Push the Limit
- Engine Upgrade
As mentioned this build is really hard to pin down. It’s got so much arc dodging ability and you’re also getting a free evade most of the time as well. Once you get behind a target you can stay there and really unload.
Well I hope this was helpful for all you aspiring Imperial Aces – and veteran pilots please chime in below. Don’t forget: These builds are ALL interchangeable based on the rest of your list and other generic TIE Defender pilots. And while you could build an Ion Thug style list, it’s kinda boring and not as effective for the Imperials…
Delta Ion Thugs – 99 Points
Delta Squadron Pilot – TIE Defender 33 points
- TIE/D
- Ion Cannon
Delta Squadron Pilot – TIE Defender 33 points
- TIE/D
- Ion Cannon
Delta Squadron Pilot – TIE Defender 33 points
- TIE/D
- Ion Cannon
If you’ve got more ideas for the TIE Defender let us know, I’d love to see them!
I didn’t know her name was Godiva Ryad…(it’s not).
