Firespray-31 Teardown

Note: User feedback has suggested that I add links to cards and ships in order for newer players to more easily follow what I am rambling on about. I am giving it a try in this article. Let me know what you think.

Slave-1. This is what the Firespray-31 model is painted to look like and invariably it is the name that springs to mind when this distinctive ship appears on the field. However this model of ship while not as numerous as other ships was used by many nefarious and cunning types. I would like to review the ship and the available pilots to try and find some interesting ways to use this ship.

Starting with the stats; it has 10 combined points of health which so far matches with the other medium base (I am reserving large base for the larger ships coming out) model which is the Lambda Shuttle. 3 Attack Dice is also on par with the Lambda as well as having Target Lock and Focus. That is where the similarities end. Assuming a base cost of 21 points for the Omicron Pilot and 33 points for the Bounty Hunter this is what that 12 points buys you. +1 point of Pilot Skill, +1 Agility Die, the Evade Action, a rear facing firing arc, and the ability to Equip Missiles, Mines, and/or Torpedoes. Also it is very important to note that the Firespray-31 is vastly more maneuverable than its Lambda counterpart.

 

(read in George Takei's voice) Oh my

As the rear facing firing arc is the closest thing the Imperials have to a turret that makes it especially valuable to take for any list which needs to threaten a greater area along a flank or outside a formation. In my opinion the Firespray makes the Mini-Swarm build for the Imperials a real threat. While the Lambda can also form the foundation of Mini-Swarm as well it cannot keep up with Imperial Fighters, only threatens the front, and cannot K-Turn. All of the following builds assume a Mini-Swarm build around it though I have seen strong lists containing nothing but Firespray-31s and/or Shuttles as well.

Note: A Mini-Swarm is the addition of 4 or more TIE-type fighters in order to round out a list containing a single Firespray-31.

Bounty Hunter with Recon Specialist and Seismic Charges

This build comes in at 37 points. The Recon Specialist increases the reliability of the offensive output as well as usually leaving a Focus token left over for defense. The Seismic Charges makes the rear arc of this model even more threatening and at the right time could be used to yield some automatic damage with no dice rolling. Very useful for getting the last point on a hard to kill ship or for forcing your opponent to reconsider flying in tight formation.

Note: Two of these and a Lambda with Vader makes for a very decent list.

Krassis Trelix with Heavy Laser Cannon

This build comes in at 43 points. Krassis was made for the Heavy Laser Cannon with his ability to reroll an Attack Die when using a secondary weapon he has a much greater chance of hanging onto a Focus token or perhaps getting more mileage from one and it means he has somewhat less reliance on Target Lock. This build is always attacking with 4 Attack Dice in the front arc regardless of range and that makes it a serious threat which is needs to be at that points level.

Kath Scarlett with Mercenary Copilot

This build comes in at 40 points. Kath's ability to potentially cause stress is very powerful. For two more points while at Range 3 you can guarantee a Crit if you can score at least one Hit result. Another idea would be taking Marksmanship for 1 point more since Kath is an Elite Pilot but I personally prefer keeping her Action free as she has lots of good options to choose from.

Boba Fett with Expert Handling and Navigator

This build comes in at 44 points. This build takes advantage of Boba's ability to change bearings combined with the Navigator to essentially become highly unpredictable on the field. The ability to change your move to compensate for battlefield conditions is useful though that usefulness is slightly reduced by Boba's high Pilot Skill of 8. In addition being able to Barrel Roll on a medium base model is very powerful. This should keep the board open as well as preventing collisions and or potential bumps.

In conclusion I am really glad to see this model on the table more. I think it is strong in the current meta and if used correctly presents a serious threat that can divert some firepower away from your TIE fighters long enough not to miss those lost attack dice from just taking one of the TIE swarm flavors.

75x75 - 3 Headed Whelp

Biggs Darklighter with Hull Upgrade and R5-D8
x2 Rookie Pilot with R2 Astromech

This list comes in at 75 points. A variant of the 3 Headed Dragon list scaled down for use at 75 points. I have found three X-Wings can still be a threat at 100 points when properly tooled and the effect works just as well scaling down. Using Biggs to soak damage and possibly regenerate 1 or 2 health while your Rookies do some work in applying the hurt. I feel that R5-D8 is a little underused though this should change now that Hull Upgrade is out and has had some time to propagate. I am more of a fan of this rather then the Stealth build on Biggs (Stealth Device and R2-F2) because Stealth Device is negated as soon as you take a hit and R2-F2 requires you to use your Action on him as much as possible to be effective whereas R5-D8 doesn't need to be used until after your Shields are gone thus freeing up Biggs for a turn or two of using Focus or Target Lock.

See you all next week!