If you read my last match review, you know that it was a complete disaster. After blogging about it, the last step in my process of accepting and moving on needed to be getting back on the horse and reminding myself that I'm not actually (always) that bad. It was also a good opportunity to immediately apply some of the lessons learned from the previous affair.
My list
This is, in my opinion, the strongest "standard" two ship list in the game right now. Supernatural Kylo with Primed Thrusters can basically just dial a blue maneuver (including the ridiculous 5 straight) and be placed wherever on the board you see fit. Meanwhile, fully loaded Quickdraw can (usually) play the opening like an I6 arc dodger while the Afterburner charges are up, then later transition to a more traditional Quickdraw bruiser role once some of the larger threats are gone. With Pattern Analyzer and Afterburners, Quickdraw has all sorts of silly interactions, and I usually discover a new trick to do with her every two or three games. She's the gift that keeps giving. Typically, if you can trade Quickdraw for the ship that Kylo most fears, you can find a path to victory in most match-ups, and occasionally you just steamroll to a win without losing points. The points currently spent on Concussion Missile are flexible and I'm continuing to tinker to find out where they best fit, with the current build based around trying to give QD some more options when she has to disengage, since 2-ship lists need to throw as many red dice as humanly possible to make up for the lack of warm bodies. This is a list I've had some success with, including getting to the final table at a Hyperspace Trial back in May, and I like to stay fluent with it as it's a nice option to be able to use for things like the Vassal league.
Opponent's list
Interestingly, this is the second time in as many days that I've encountered someone running this basic archetype. My main play test partner runs a lot of Kylo QD Tavson, but this is actually a pretty different archetype, swapping out Tavson's brute force and frustrating target priority confusion for an extremely solid blocker that can play a few different roles, depending on the match-up and the situation. Dropping Tavson to a Silencer also opens up a lot of flexible points that can be used to further change some of the fundamentals of how the list plays; in this variant, my opponent has gone for a similar arc dodging Quickdraw build, as well as Optics on the two non-Kylo ships. Unfortunately...
Opening strategy
...my list is basically a hard counter to my opponent's. I give up the third ship to have an absurdly capable Kylo and a bid that beats almost any other common list (Guri/Fenn and some Imperial Ace builds do bid a bit higher still). I feel a bit bad about this, considering this was a casual match, but after the previous match, I'm not quite in a place where I'm going to complain about getting an easier ride. To his absolute credit, my opponent was a fantastic sport about it too. Besides, I felt good about the last match-up too, and we all remember how that went.
Killing Quickdraw first is ideal, as my opponent's Quickdraw is the only real roadblock for Kylo preventing him from having more or less free reign over the board. The baby Silencer can be left aside, for the most part. Normally, the blocks would be a problem, but Kylo is nigh-unblockable, and Quickdraw will hopefully not be in a position where being blocked leads to anything disastrous. Hopefully saying that doesn't jinx me.
Another thing I look at this game is switching up my previous approach, with Quickdraw as my "main force" and Kylo as the flanker. In previous games, I've flown Kylo more directly, since he can usually react and avoid arcs while Quickdraw flanks. Quickdraw, as we saw last game, can get pretty locked into some bad approaches. Look at the last game and put Kylo in Quickdraw's positions on turn 2, 3, or 4, and think about all of the different options Kylo would have to get out of that position.
Killing Quickdraw first is ideal, as my opponent's Quickdraw is the only real roadblock for Kylo preventing him from having more or less free reign over the board. The baby Silencer can be left aside, for the most part. Normally, the blocks would be a problem, but Kylo is nigh-unblockable, and Quickdraw will hopefully not be in a position where being blocked leads to anything disastrous. Hopefully saying that doesn't jinx me.
Another thing I look at this game is switching up my previous approach, with Quickdraw as my "main force" and Kylo as the flanker. In previous games, I've flown Kylo more directly, since he can usually react and avoid arcs while Quickdraw flanks. Quickdraw, as we saw last game, can get pretty locked into some bad approaches. Look at the last game and put Kylo in Quickdraw's positions on turn 2, 3, or 4, and think about all of the different options Kylo would have to get out of that position.
Deployment
As before, with this list I bring two gas and one big rock. I'd prefer three gas but having one rock gives me a pivot point on the board in case my opponent is bringing a swarm, which I need in order to set up a safe approach. My opponent is using two large rocks and a medium rock.
I give my opponent first player because, despite recent evidence to the contrary, I'm not a complete dummy!
My opponent places his first rock (1) about halfway across the bottom edge of the board, giving me a chance to corner a big rock (2) nice and far away. The next rock ends up near the middle (3), and I corner the other rock (4). Gas clouds go top middle (5) and top left (6), leaving two very big open areas at 2 to 4 o'clock and 6 to 10 o'clock. This is a lot of open space for Kylo to find angles with Supernatural, and the clear lanes give him great options as well.
The Sienar-Jaemus Engineer gets placed midway on my opponent's board, facing south, and Kylo is in line with the bottom row of obstacles. I consider setting up directly opposite Kylo, but I don't think I want to be in a straight joust, since my goal is to hunt down the yet undeclared Quickdraw. I put Kylo in my top right on a diagonal, a previous opening for him that I didn't use last game and immediately regretted, since it lets him very quickly several major board regions.
My opponent's Quickdraw mirror my Kylo, facing diagonally on the top left corner, and I have another choice. I can change my plan and put my Quickdraw in the bottom corner, threatening Kylo immediately and giving my opponent a dilemma to start. However, I think in that situation, my opponent will aggressively move all of his pieces to corner Quickdraw, and I already made that mistake once. I stick with the plan, placing Quickdraw diagonally behind Kylo. He'll be making a break for Quickdraw, but this at least leaves his intentions momentarily unclear.
Turn 1
No half measures this game. Especially considering that I'm not at as much of a firepower disadvantage, it seems in my interest to apply pressure early and force some responses. I imagine the generic Silencer will be turning in, but his Kylo has a couple of options, either moving toward my ship or taking a longer route around the bottom rocks to set up a wide flank. My blue Kylo is tentatively on red Kylo guard duty, so I dial the infamous 5 Forward. If his Kylo indicates a flank, I'll send my Kylo south to intercept and occupy his Kylo's attention, and if not, then I'll send my Kylo straight over to Red Quickdraw along with my own Quickdraw, hoping to get some early damage on the enemy ship.
- Sienar-Jaemus Engineer: 1 Hard Left, Barrel Roll Right Forward
- Kylo Ren (Opponent): 3 Bank Left, Boost Right
The Engineer does indeed turn in but stays otherwise conservative, leaving his options open to pursue threats breaking west or south. Kylo also moves into a flank; not quite as wide as he might have gone, but certainly wide enough that I feel I need to respond to it.
- Kylo Ren (me): Supernatural Reflexes Boost Left (1 Force remaining), 5 Forward, Focus
If his Kylo wants to flank mine now, he's going to have to really work for it, leaving himself out of the fight for a lengthy period. For my part, while having a second gun to harass his Quickdraw would be nice, a Kylo vs. SuperKylo match-up clearly favours the ship with more upgrades and final move, so if my opponent is offering it, I will absolutely take it.
- Quickdraw (opponent): 3 Bank Right, Focus
- Quickdraw (me): 3 Bank Right, Focus
His Quickdraw wisely opts out of a straight joust in a lane that offers limited escape options. I opt in, and leave Quickdraw set up with two viable attack paths for next turn.
No combat, so Kylo regains Force and we go back to dials.
Turn 2
I'm still feeling comfortable taking some of the initiative here, and I'm definitely not going to wait passively for the board to come to me this time. My opponent's engineer can pursue either of my ships, but likely not with any significant firepower this turn, as he'll have range issues and/or actions spent on repositions. His Kylo may either go straight toward my board edge to try to flank, he might bank in to threaten a slow Quickdraw move, or he might turn hard to really try to come after Quickdraw. My Kylo can deal with any of these with another 5 Forward. There are other options that could be considered, but the 5 Forward will serve to either bring my Kylo in a position to join the main fight next turn or tie his Kylo up in the bottom right corner, depending on where his Kylo goes. It's a somewhat safe play but shouldn't keep Kylo irrelevant unacceptably long. My Quickdraw will also be going 5 Forward, hoping to use afterburners to threaten his Quickdraw immediately.
Activation
- SE Engineer: 1 Hard Left, Barrel Roll right middle
- Kylo (opponent): 1 Hard Left, Barrel Roll left forward
- Kylo (me): Supernatural Barrel Roll right backward (1 Force remaining), Autothrusters Boost right, stress, 5 Forward, clear stress, lock (Kylo Ren)
His Kylo gives up on the flank and moves to threaten my Quickdraw. Doing this does accept my Kylo as a flanker, but I don't think my opponent has a ton of other great options, so he opts for the target he can actually hope to isolate. The fact that he has these difficult decisions already suggests that I'm playing this much less stupidly this time. My Kylo moves in to the main fight; his next turn is completely telegraphed, but I don't think my opponent will be able to punish it very hard if he chooses to.
- Quickdraw (opponent): 2 Hard Left, Focus
- Quickdraw (me): 5 Forward, Afterburners Boost left (1 charge remaining), lock (Quickdraw)
I spend a long moment after my 5 Forward double- and triple-checking my geometry before boosting, and I look to be out of arc without needing a barrel roll. With only one shot coming in, I'm happy to grab a lock and hope to put some free damage in on Quickdraw.
Combat
- Quickdraw attacks Quickdraw (concussion missile, range 3), spends lock, 1 shield damage
The Concussion Missiles are mostly there for meaningful rear arc shots, but I'm happy to use one here to avoid the third green die from Quickdraw. He natties out, but one damage is all I would realistically expect here anyway, and every free shield off of a Quickdraw is a big win.
- SE Engineer attacks Quickdraw (range 3), no damage
Nearly a coin flip that I take damage here, but given that my opponent's Quickdraw didn't end up spending his focus (and so is unlikely to take damage from an unmodded QD shot from me), I'm relieved that I win the coin flip and take no damage.
Kylo regenerates a Force, and we're on to turn 3.
Turn 3
My opponent is almost certainly going to try to take on Quickdraw here, but the question is: where does he think Quickdraw is going, and how do I best avoid it? My Quickdraw's most plainly obvious maneuver here is a 1 bank in, but even if my opponent doesn't block that, I'm probably going to be in every arc, possibly even range 1 across the board. I know how that story ends. I could do a hard 3 left here, which if not blocked will almost certainly allow me to spend my final Afterburners charge and get out of arcs, grabbing a lock and shooting a missile out of the rear arc. If it does get blocked, however, I'm in trouble.
The one place I'm almost certain not to get blocked, however, is on that corner gas cloud. I don't imagine my opponent will put me on that maneuver, and if he tries to block the 1 bank, he's not going to be point an arc over there with at least one ship. Plus, with the Sloop, I still get an action and I'm in good position to follow up on the next turn. It seems like a reasonable plan, and almost certainly not the one my opponent will be prepared for.
Another alternative I did not consider at the time would be a 4 Forward. This would let me arc dodge almost everything, most likely, but my future positioning wouldn't be ideal. That said, this might actually have been the best option (and really is exactly why I've got Concussion Missiles in the list to begin with).
Kylo, as mentioned, is basically committed to a hard one, but as mentioned, he should be safe. If he doesn't get a great shot this turn, he'll still be in fine board position after that.
Activation
- SE Engineer: 2 Forward, Focus, Autothrusters Barrel Roll right middle, stress
A nice move. This blocks the hard 3 plan nicely, as well as a 2 or 3 bank, while leaving him at range 1 if I do the 1 bank. It's unlikely I'd be able to initiative kill a full health Silencer, but even if I could, my opponent would be delighted to trade the Sienar-Jaemus Engineer for Thiccdraw. Fortunately, I avoided this block.
- Kylo (opponent): 2 Forward, Focus, Autothrusters Barrel Roll right backward, stress
- Kylo (me): Supernatural Reflexes Barrel Roll right backward (1 Force remaining), 1 Hard Right, Focus
His Kylo stays on my Quickdraw, getting in front of the rock to obstruct the shot from my Kylo's obvious play.
- Quickdraw (opponent): 5 Forward, lock (Quickdraw), linked Rotate Arc (rear)
- Quickdraw (me): 3 S-Loop Right, Pattern Analyzer Lock (Quickdraw), stress
His Quickdraw tries to open up some space, probably hoping to get the range 1 rear shot on a blocked QD and then regroup afterwards. I avoid the block and one arc, leaving my QD to defend against a couple of single-modded shots. I opt for damage again, locking Quickdraw to fire a second missile. This play does leave me pretty susceptible to losing all of my shields (especially if I get shot at by Quickdraw twice, it's a 51% chance of 3 damage on my Quickdraw), but if I manage to still have one remaining, I will be in a great position.
Combat
- Quickdraw (opponent) attacks Quickdraw (me) (range 3), 1 shield damage
- Quickdraw (me) spends charge, attacks Quickdraw (opponent) (range 3), reroll with Fire Control System, 1 shield damage
- Quickdraw (opponent) spends charge, attacks Quickdraw (me) (range 3), 1 shield damage
- Quickdraw (me) attacks Quickdraw (opponent) (range 3, concussion missile), spends lock, 1 shield damage, 1 critical hull damage (Weapons Failure)
A messy exchange. I decide to spend my QD charge at the first opportunity, rather than wait to see if I lose my last shield and then shoot with Fanatical online. I really didn't want to take a chance that Kylo whiffs and I save a QD charge for nothing.
- Kylo (opponent) attacks Quickdraw (me) (range 3), spends focus, 1 shield damage
Unfortunate but not completely unexpected. I might have gotten lucky and kept a shield, but it doesn't happen for me.
- Kylo (me) attacks Kylo (opponent) (range 2 obstructed), spends focus, Kylo (opponent) spends 2 Force (0 remaining), 1 shield damage
Some bonus Kylo damage to ease the pain of losing Quickdraw's shields so fast.
With the SE Engineer arc dodged, both Kylo's regenerate a Force and we go back to dials.
Turn 4
I'd really like to finish Quickdraw off quickly here, if possible. Since both enemy Silencers are stressed, I can at least be reasonably comfortable knowing that they can't effectively threaten the area directly behind them, so Kylo should have fairly free movement this turn. Either 2 bank seem like decent options for Quickdraw, and I decide that the 2 bank to the right gives me a reasonable chance at catching Quickdraw. It's possible I bump Kylo, but I don't think I get punished too badly for that bump, so I'm happy to avoid a shot that way.
A 3 Forward for Kylo means his Force point will likely be spent on Supernatural again, but it lets me either reposition for next turn or possibly catch one of the enemy Silencers out of arc if they decide to clear stress to the left.
Activation
- SE Engineer: 2 Bank Left, clear stress, Focus, Autothrusters Boost Left, stress
- Kylo (opponent): 5 Forward, clear stress, Focus, Autothrusters Barrel Roll Right Middle, stress
My opponent goes for fairly defensive regrouping maneuvers. I get the sense here that taking a fairly aggressive approach has made my opponent take the defensive or reactive role in this game, which I'm pretty happy with. I can't strongly punish either of these, but I don't feel any pressure to need to do so, and both Silencers are in a position that I can look to arc dodge with Kylo next turn.
- Kylo (me): 3 Forward, Focus, Autothrusters Boost Right, stress
No need to spend a Force here, as the best I think I can do is get a gas cloud obstructed shot range 3 on Kylo. Since I already have him locked, I can settle for a pot shot at SE Engineer this turn, and I'm in good shape for next turn. I'm completely happy with the blue maneuvers on Kylo's dial for next turn, so taking the stress for a focus on Kylo is fine by me.
- Quickdraw (opponent): 1 Forward, repair Weapons Failure
My opponent can either try to prolong Quickdraw's life, or try to maximise his last shot, and chooses the latter.
- Quickdraw (me): 2 Bank Right, clear stress, no action (gas cloud)
A bit of a surprise here, I didn't see the tiny bit of gas cloud protruding from in front of me, and I lose a token as a result. A target lock would have been nice to make sure I secure the QD kill.
Combat
- Quickdraw (opponent) attacks Quickdraw (me) (range 2), rerolls with FCS, uses Fanatical, 1 hull damage
- Quickdraw (me) attacks Quickdraw (opponent) (range 2), uses Fanatical, 2 hull damage and Quickdraw dies
A bit of bad luck for my opponent, but at least my unexpected gas cloud bump ends up being irrelevant.
- Kylo (me) attacks SE Engineer (range 3, gas cloud obstructed), no damage
With something like a 1-in-5 chance of doing damage here, I would have felt like a bit of a heel if I actually got damage through.
My opponent's Kylo regenerates back to full Force, and we're back to dials.
Turn 5
With Quickdraw down, I now want to take out Kylo as quickly as possible. SE Engineer is still probably a turn away from entering an engagement (I have him on hard turn + boost this turn), so I can set up and only worry about Kylo for now. Kylo is essentially forced to choose a hard turn left or right (possibly followed by a boost), and with two ships still on the board, I can mostly cover both of these and remain relatively safe. A 2 bank in with my Kylo covers the left turn. The hard left turn with Quickdraw catches him if he chooses to escape or try to reengage from that direction, and I don't think I'll be in arc, even if he boosts.
Activation
- SE Engineer: 2 Hard Left, clear stress, Focus, Autothrusters Boost Left, stress
- Kylo (opponent): 2 Hard Right, clear stress, Focus, Autothrusters Boost Forward, stress
No surprise from the Engineer, but Kylo going to for the escape is interesting, as I mostly expected him to try to re-engage quickly in order to catch me before I can really set up for a favourable engagement. Unfortunately, he's now exposed even to my very conservative Quickdraw play.
- Kylo (me): 2 Bank Right, clear stress, Focus, Autothrusters Boost Right, stress
- Quickdraw: 3 Hard Left, lock (Kylo)
A very bad spot for his Kylo. I debate burning an Afterburners charge on Quickdraw to get range 1, but I think I'm comfortable enough right now that I'd rather save it for a greater need.
Combat
- Quickdraw attacks Kylo (opponent) (range 2, concussion missile), spends lock, Kylo spends 1 Force (1 Force remaining), 1 shield damage
A pretty silly mistake here, there's almost no reason to shoot the last missile at range 2 on this one. I think I was sort of optimistically hoping I'd get two damage and flip a crit? Regardless, a silly misplay on my part, without question.
- Kylo (me) attacks Kylo (opponent), spends Focus, Kylo (opponent) spends focus, 1 hull damage, Kylo (opponent) spends 1 Force to apply I'll Show You The Dark Side (Panicked Pilot) to Kylo (me)
Half points on Kylo. The condition is annoying, but with the current position and especially with Primed Thrusters, it's not a big concern at the moment.
My opponent's Kylo goes back to 1 Force, and we go to the next turn.
Turn 6
My opponent's Kylo is in a real bad spot, with few good options. I figure he'll be banking around the rock and boosting and dial accordingly. A 5 Forward preceded by a supernatural boost for my Kylo should still have a shot. Quickdraw's position is a little annoying to chase, so I dial a Sloop, which should still get me a shot thanks to the options that Afterburners and Pattern Analyzer give me on that maneuver. The SE Engineer might get a shot here, but I'm still not too worried about him at this time.
Activation
- SE Engineer: 2 Bank Left, clear stress, Focus, Autothrusters Boost Left, stress
- Kylo (opponent): 2 Hard Right, clear stress, Focus, Autothrusters Barrel Roll Right, stress
A surprise from Kylo! I didn't think he'd be able to fit something like that without being able to do the hard 1 turn. My Kylo will be missing the shot this turn. Unfortunately, my Quickdraw maneuver happens to punish this maneuver about as hard as possible.
- Kylo (me): Supernatural Reflexes Boost Right (1 Force remaining), 5 Forward, clear stress, Focus
- Quickdraw: 3 S-Loop Left, Pattern Analyzer (Focus), stress
Kylo blows right by, but is in fine shape to re-engage next turn with a few options. However, Quickdraw sets up a potential deathblow.
Combat
- Quickdraw attacks Kylo (opponent) (range 1), uses FCS and Fanatical, Kylo spends focus, 2 hull damage and 1 critical hull damage (Disabled Power Regulator), Kylo dies
A nasty bit of bad luck for my opponent, as Kylo only takes 3 hits 26% of the time here.
- SE Engineer attacks Kylo (range 3), uses Advanced Optics, no damage
The Engineer has no good shots, unfortunately.
Turn 7
With the enemy Kylo's abrupt death, my opponent is facing a borderline unwinnable endgame. His best hope here is likely to hope to get the rest of Quickdraw's points before going down, but I don't see a path to victory from his position here. For my part, time is now absolutely on my side, so I just need to play safe and deny my opponent any opportunities to get any damage on my ships. For this turn, that means a regroup around the asteroid for Kylo and a 3 Forward from Quickdraw, the latter of which should keep Quickdraw safe, whether through bumping or possible use of Afterburners.
Activation
- SE Engineer: 5 Forward, clear stress, no action (gas cloud)
I imagined I'd be seeing a 2 Bank with a reposition, so this is a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.
- Kylo: 2 Hard Right, Lock (SE Engineer), Autothrusters Boost Right, stress
- Quickdraw: 3 Forward, Lock, Linked Rotate (aft)
A pretty unfortunate turn for my opponent, as my ships are all able to freely get target locks and set up to initiative kill the Engineer if he ever tries to exchange fire.
Combat
- Quickdraw attacks SE Engineer (range 1, turret arc), uses Fanatical, 2 shield damage
Not the worst outcome possible for the Silencer, but pretty close.
Turn 8
SE Engineer is in the estate planning portion of the match. As with Red Kylo previously, he can either regroup around the rock, or turn hard and barrel roll to be tricky and come in the near side. Neither affect my play here, as I'll either be attack him this turn or hounding him on the next.
Activation
- SE Engineer: 1 Hard Right, Focus, Autothrusters Barrel Roll Right, stress
- Kylo: 2 Hard Right, clear stress, Boost Right, Autothrusters Barrel Roll Left Forward, stress
- Quickdraw: 3 Sloop Right, Pattern Analyzer (Focus, linked Rotate Arc (fore)), stress
Playing out these sorts of endgames is really not a lot of fun for the guy without the Supernatural ace or the I6 ship that can apparently do eight different things even on a red maneuver.
Combat
- Quickdraw attacks SE Engineer (range 2), uses FCS and Fanatical, no damage
- Kylo attacks SE Engineer (range 1), spends 1 Force, 3 hull damage, SE Engineer dies
One TIE Silencer blank-out and it's over, 200-38.
Closing Thoughts and Lessons Learned
X-Wing is awesome?
This one was a bit lopsided from the moment the lists came out, so I really can't fault my opponent for coming out on the losing side. A win for the underdog list here requires a combination of favourable dice, big mistakes by the opponent, super careful flying and great reads, and even then it's not really a sure thing.
For my part, I tried to apply the things I beat myself up for not doing in the previous match, and even aside from the mismatch, I think it made for a much smoother ride. I still was maybe a bit reckless with Quickdraw, most notably on Turn 3, which I think is probably the turn most open to debate on my decisions. Otherwise, I tried to apply pressure, put my opponent on the defensive, and avoid getting too greedy.
My approach can obviously still be refined further, but I think this was a step in the right direction again, and I feel a lot better after restoring at least some of my confidence in being able to actually get a win with this.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read this. Please feel free to share your thoughts and observations in the comments below!
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