Thread:Wazat/@comment-2600:6C40:1900:2F0:A413:A184:B685:549F-20171214201650/@comment-454133-20171214212639

Hi there, I love A-Wings too!

Jake's ability lets him do a boost or barrel roll whenever he gains a focus token. That alone makes him quite relevant since the act of focusing (for better attack or defense) repositions him. He can move into range, or dodge out of the enemy's arc so they can't even shoot him. This repositioning without sacrificing your focus token can be really powerful.

Certain upgrades go well with this, e.g. Proton Rockets. Jake could do his maneuver, focus, and optionally boost/roll into range 1 to fire the prockets with that same focus token. Prockets require a focus token but don't spend it when fired, so you can spend it to change your focuses into hits for high damage. Prockets come in the Rebel Aces expansion, which includes Jake, so they're a natural fit.

Intensity is a strong option, as he could gain a focus or evade simply because he boosted or rolled. For example, he could focus, boost/roll, intensity another focus, and boost/roll again (whichever reposition action he didn't do earlier, since Jake is still limited to using the same action only once per round, like all other ships). Intensity comes with the TIE Aggressor, and Empire ship, but if you're playing casual (not in an official tournament) you are usually allowed to "proxy" (use a placeholder for cards you don't have, or even just write them down on paper).

Veteran Instincts is also a strong option, since reposiitons like Boost and Barrel Roll work best when you're activating after everyone else (that way they're in their final position while you're choosing yours). And you want to fire your prockets and hopefully kill a target before they can shoot, so that's another advantage of being Pilot Skill 9.

Rebel Aces also contains A-Wing Test Pilot, which lets him equip two elites. Intensity + VI or VI + Deadeye + (missile other than prockets) works great. VI comes with several expansions; visit its page for a list.

Another valuable upgrade is Autothrusters, which you can get with the Starviper or TIE Silencer. It improves his defense at range 3 or against turrets.

An example build is: Jake (24) with A-Wing Test Pilot (0) + Intensity (2) + VI (1) + Proton Rockets (3) + Autothrusters (2), for a total of 32 points. Jake in this build is a slippery fighter that can escape firing arcs and shed damage reasonably well, and he has a one-time use nuke at range 1 with those prockets.

Unfortunately, to do this we're spanning quite a few expansions (which is FFG's business strategy: tempt you to expand your collection). Casual play at the game store or over the kitchen table lends itself very well to proxying, but if you want to play in tournaments, you could end up buying a crap-ton of expansions trying to supply a single ship with cards, and that can quickly become non-viable. I recommend proxying if at all possible, or asking other players if you can borrow certain cards.

If you do feel like you need to buy expansions, see if you can build a team around them, and know which upgrades to leave off. For example, I'd abandon Autothrusters since Jake can do okay without them, and because the StarViper is the Scum faction (which is pricey to buy into when you're just starting into the game). Jake can even do fine without VI or Intensity, especially if your opponents don't have lots of expansions either. But if you wanted VI, maybe see if you want to include the Millennium Falcon in your team. It's a reasonably effective Rebel ship that contrasts nicely with Jake, as Jake is agile but delicate while the Falcon can take and dish a beating (but it often uses a lot of squad points). If you want to buy into the Empire or Scum factions, choose one or the other for now. Empire may be the best choice... in which case you could pick up the TIE Aggressor and/or Slave I both for the cards and to build an Empire fleet around them, for you and your buddies to play or play against.

I hope that helps!