What happened? One minute I was musing about what FO can do and the next minute… well, I had to travel for work, then for a short holiday, then pre-christmas stuff, then Christmas… and here we are! 4 weeks later. Doesn’t time fly!
In x-wing terms, I played a bunch of games, all online. In every case I played the same list:
Kylo Ren – TIE/vn Silencer (16)
Brilliant Evasion (2)
Sensor Scramblers (1)
Mag-Pulse Warheads (7)
Ship Cost: 16 Loadout: (10/10) Half Points: 8 Damage Threshold: 3
Commander Malarus – TIE/fo Fighter (10)
Fire-Control System (2)
Concussion Missiles (6)
Deuterium Power Cells (7)
Ship Cost: 10 Loadout: (15/15) Half Points: 5 Damage Threshold: 2
First Order Test Pilot – TIE/vn Silencer (12)
Predator (3)
Sensor Scramblers (1)
Ship Cost: 12 Loadout: (4/5) Half Points: 6 Damage Threshold: 3
First Order Test Pilot – TIE/vn Silencer (12)
Predator (3)
Sensor Scramblers (1)
Ship Cost: 12 Loadout: (4/5) Half Points: 6 Damage Threshold: 3
Total: 50
I think this is the cumulation of all the learnings over the last 10 weeks:
- Lots of containment – all ships are able to take multiple actions or (in the case of Malarus and Kylo) make sure that there are extra mods available.
- Tanky. Most ships have a very respectable stat-line to ensure less chance of being one-shotted.
- Cheap and cheerful! Most ships are very respectably priced (Malarus at 10 is very good value, and the test pilots are very decent at 12).
It’s also a list I felt really comfortable with – lots of ace-y style flying and things to surprise at the last minute.
I flew this list in 7 games, and the result was… middling – I won 3 and lost 4. Unfortunately, the one thing that stops this list cold in its tracks is high initiative aces. More specifically Fenn Rau: I ran into him in at least 3 games and in each, this list doesn’t really have an answer to him. In 3 separate games, Fenn managed to 1 shot a “Malarus Modded” Malarus. In all the Scum games, I was roundly thrashed with Fenn being the biggest issue, but also Mando and
However, in the games where I wasn’t against Fenn it went pretty well!
So at the risk of being “that guy”, I have to say that Fenn Rau (SL) is a bit of a problem. He’s really good value and a massively dangerous piece on the board. I think 15 is about 2 points too cheap in the current climate – with most lists gravitating to 4 (maybe 5) ships, the ability to consistently put out 5 dice with mods with complimentary damage prevention (the concordia effect and 4 dice at range 1) is a really dangerous combination. If you compare him to other “top dogs” per faction, he really comes out well because he’s such a focused package. Other than the force, there’s nothing he doesn’t have! Yes, he is slightly susceptible to being ganged up on outside of range 1, but that’s why being I6 helps! Obviously, though, having been at the receiving end of things recently, I probably would say this…
So at the end of the year, it being a time for reflection, it’s time to make a difficult choice! My original plan was to stick with FO until the other side of Sith Taker Open in the hope that I could find something I got on with and something that would help me win. After 10 weeks (tied to the Nickle City league), I’ve tried all the things I can think of that I’d like, and yet the results were, at best, middling. As such, I think it’s time for a change. With the new year basically upon us, I’m going to try another faction to try and take it through to STO (and maybe beyond). More on this next time!
So, a short and sweet post this week, but I wish you a Happy New Year and see you around in 2026!
X Wing Musings 
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