Battle for Endor: Chocolate League, Round 1 — Sweet Victory

First game of the Chocolate League — and what a way to kick things off!

After a week of feeling under the weather, it was nice to get back on the virtual table again. Huge thanks to Zog (Andrew Preyer) for staying up late to play; our nine-hour time difference made scheduling a bit of a puzzle, but we made it work.

And yes, the result: 10-1 win, 475–98 (MoV 377).

But don’t let the numbers fool you — this wasn’t an easy stroll through the park.

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The Setup

Zog had the bid (399 to my 400) and took first player, choosing my Intel Sweep. 

Probably the right choice on both counts. Though I must say, I feel Intel Sweep is somewhat underrated these days.

Anyway. That told me what kind of game we were going to have: fast, direct, and bloody.

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Zog’s Fleet — “Romodi Drone Strike” (399 pts)

• Gladiator II (Insidious): Romodi, Minister Tua, Ordnance Experts, Engine Techs, Rapid Reload, ECM

• Gladiator II (Demolisher): Kallus, Ordnance Experts, Engine Techs, Flechette Torpedoes

• Gozanti Assault Carriers: Munitions Resupply

• Gozanti Assault Carriers: Munitions Resupply

• Squadrons (133): Darth Vader (TIE/D), Morna Kee, Boba Fett, Tel Trevura, VT-49 Decimator, Firespray-31

A potent mix of flak-happy Gladiator IIs backing up a brutal 133-point rogue ball: let the rogues bomb everything into dust while the GSDs keep the skies clear and pick off anything that dares to come close.

General Romodi commanded from an Insidious loaded to the gills, with Demolisher prowling nearby like a predator. Add in Vader, Morna, Boba, a Decimator, a Firespray, and Tel Trevura, and you’ve got a squad ball that can eat most ships alive.

Zog said the list was “crowd-funded” — a community effort of sorts — but don't let that fool you: that rogue ball can eat anything, and fast.

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My Fleet — “Krushya Liberty” (400 pts)

• MC80 Star Cruiser (Liberty): Kyrsta Agate, Intel Officer, Caitken & Shollan, Engine Techs, Ion Cannon Batteries, XI7, XX-9

• Assault Frigate Mk II B (Gallant Haven): Ahsoka Tano, Flight Controllers, ECM

• GR-75 (Bright Hope): Toryn Farr

• GR-75: Hondo Ohnaka, Comms Net

• Squadrons (98): Fenn Rau, Jan Ors, Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 2× A-Wing Squadrons

Between Gallant Haven, Jan Ors, and Fenn Rau, I’d hoped to keep my A-wings alive long enough to make a difference. But against that rogue death ball? Yeah, no — this was never going to be a “sit back and escort” kind of game.

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Deployment & Plan

Setup/R1

The Assault Frigate (the “potato”) went out as my Intel Sweep ship, circling the field to collect tokens while staying out of immediate danger.

Meanwhile, Liberty took the flank, ready to sweep up and around to put pressure on the enemy fleet, with the GR-75s offering token support and backup flak.

My general idea was simple:

1. Engage the rogues early, before they could pick targets freely.

2. Focus fire on whichever GSD presented itself first.

3. Pray that Liberty’s Agate defense stack could tank through the counterpunch.

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The Battle

Start R2

I made the first aggressive move in Round 2, throwing in my squadrons late in the round to tie some of Zog’s rogues and kill Morna Kee outright.

From there, the battlefield fractured.

He sent part of his squad ball after Liberty, while the rest hung back to protect his Gladiators.

Good news: fewer rogues to deal with at once.

Bad news: they were already bombing my flagship.

The key moment came in round 3 when Liberty lined up a medium-range shot on Demolisher — a beautiful salvo that almost finished the job.

Mid R3, Demo remains in place after ramming the Goz

If I’d had one more CF die or Spinal Armament instead of XX-9s, it would’ve been a clean kill. Instead, Demo limped away on one hull… only to die the following turn.

Mid R4, Demo is gone

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Endgame

Zog wasn’t done yet.

His Insidious, supported by a VT-49 Decimator and Vader, made a fierce push on Liberty (even getting an Insidious butt-shot at medium range), hoping to finish her off before she could escape.

Start R6

But the math caught up with him — every point of hull he risked brought him closer to a tabling.

And in the end, that’s exactly what happened.

Insidious went down, securing the table, and I claimed three Intel tokens to his none.

End state

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Final Score

475–98 (MoV 377) — 10-1 Win

• 400 from the table

• 75 from Intel Sweep

• Lost all my squadrons (98 points), as expected

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After-Action Thoughts

This was one of those games that looks lopsided in the results but was much closer in feel.

My Liberty barely held together; if she’d gone down, it could easily have been a 6-5 the other way.

• Gallant Haven and Toryn Farr didn’t pull their weight this time — not their fault, just not the kind of battle where they shine.

• Ion Cannon Batteries + XX-9 turned out to be redundant (and the one time Ion Cannon could have mattered, I forgot to trigger it…).

• XX-9 alone was solid, but with no Dodonna, I’d much rather have TRCs or Spinals next time.

My squadrons performed decently. I knew they were on borrowed time against that many rogues, and they bought me what I needed: time and breathing room. Tycho should have lived longer (user error), but the rest did their jobs.

Zog’s squad play was very good — losing Morna early hurt, but she absorbed my entire alpha strike, so arguably a fair trade. 

And his use of the Gladiators was clever; Romodi + GSDs isn’t a combo you see often, but it definitely has legs.

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Closing Thoughts

A great opening round. The fleet felt fun — not flawless, but fun — and that’s what the Chocolate League is all about.

Next up: Round 2.

Let’s see if Liberty can stay sweet, or if she’s about to melt under pressure.

Battle for Endor: Chocolate League, Part 1 — The Sweetest Bracket

 

Welcome to the Chocolate League!

After a short break — brought to you by illness, fatigue, and the occasional life event — we’re back.
Sorry for the radio silence! But honestly, the timing wasn’t too bad: I’d just wrapped up The Squadron Files and, having been decisively yeeted out of my Battle for Endor POD, there wasn’t much more to say until the next phase began anyway.

For the uninitiated: when the Endor POD phase wraps up, the top three from each POD go to Gold, the next three to Silver, and everyone else — plus any new arrivals — gets to play in the gloriously informal Chocolate League. 

Think of it as the afterparty. The vibes are good, the stakes are low, and the fleets get weird. Exactly my kind of bracket.

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Fleet Time: Krushya “Liberty” Agate

I could have gone wild and used some Legacy Wave 0 content (the Chocolate League allows it), but none of the Legacy options quite clicked for what I wanted. Another time.

So I went back to an old favorite: the Liberty + Potato + medium squads combo.

I’ve been trying to make this concept work for… I don’t even know how long. Years, plural. I’ve even taken variants of it to live tournaments. It’s never bad — but it’s never quite there, either. Maybe this will be the time it finally sings. Or crashes. Either way, blog content!

I downgraded the BC to an SC to bring Gallant Haven and took the actual Liberty title with Fenn Rau, for some hypothetical synergy between Fenn, Jan, and GH. But the real goal here is oc to activate Fenn with a squad token from Liberty. If that happens even once, the list is the moral winner of this show.

I then kind of ran out of points, so the Linberty has this weird Ion Battery + XI7 + XX-9 combo that looks kind of fun on paper but probably won't be. However, I've never tried it before, so this is the perfect opportunity to prove that this combo should not be on the table.

Name: Krushya "Liberty" Agate

Faction: Rebels

Commander: Kyrsta Agate

Version: ARC01

Assault: [REDACTED]

Defense: [REDACTED]

Navigation: [REDACTED]

MC80 Star Cruiser (96)

• Kyrsta Agate (25)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Caitken and Shollan (6)

• Engine Techs (8)

• Ion Cannon Batteries (5)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• XX-9 Turbolasers (2)

• Liberty (3)

= 158 Points

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)

• Ahsoka Tano (2)

• Flight Controllers (6)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• Gallant Haven (8)

= 95 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Toryn Farr (7)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 27 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

• Comms Net (2)

= 22 Points

Squadrons:

• Fenn Rau (24)

• Jan Ors (19)

• Shara Bey (17)

• Tycho Celchu (16)

• 2 x A-Wing Squadron (11)

= 98 Points

Total Points: 400

Next Up

The first Chocolate League match is coming soon. I’ll post a full after-action report once it’s done (expect the usual screenshots and battle summary).

For now, I’m just happy to be back at the keyboard — and back in the game.

The Squadron Files, Part 6: Roger, Roger

 

Welcome to The Squadron Files!

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know we just wrapped up The Upgrade Files. That series was about card slots, costs, and the odd bit of rebalancing theory. This one is about the little plastic guys themselves — the squadrons that clog our tables, win our games, and sometimes rot forever in storage because AMG (and FFG before them) gave them a points cost that makes no sense in this universe or the next.

It’s important to set expectations right away. This is not Special Modifications. We’re not doing a ground-up redesign here. We’re not pretending the ace cap doesn’t exist (it does, and that means “best four aces” is always the reality). We’re not rewriting Sloane out of the Empire faction (believe me, I’ve fantasized about it). This series is about the game as it is, with ARC-realistic tweaks that could actually happen.

So: point changes (can fix many things but not all), keyword swaps (ARC has already done this), and commentary on what already works and what doesn’t. That’s the scope.

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CIS Squadrons: Droids With Attitude

The Separatist squadron suite mirrors the Empire in a lot of ways (cheap fighters, fragile interceptors, good aces), but with its own quirks. Most notably, CIS got a bomber lineup that’s cheap, fast, AND deadly, which gives them a very different squadron identity than basically any other faction. Vultures and Tris are the swarmers, Hyenas are the hammer, and then there’s the Belbullab — a ship so weird it feels like it wandered in from a different game.

(And yes, Legacy has added some very cool CIS squadrons, but that’s outside scope for today. If you’re curious, my full review is here: Legacy Wave 0 Review).

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Vulture Droids

At first glance, these are just “droid TIE Fighters.” But the comparison only goes so far. TIEs roll 3 blue dice on AS. Vultures roll 1 blue + 2 black — which is much better. Or 2 blue + 1 black if you need the accuracy. That flexibility is huge.

Granted, FC is relatively rare in CIS fleets, but it exists. WIth FC your Vultures can do 2 blue + 2 black. That's insane for an 8-point squadron!

The red battery is mediocre, but let’s not pretend the TIE’s single blue is much better (except with Sloane oc). And CIS can slap TI-99 into any Vulture-heavy list, suddenly giving your swarm Counter 3 (with a catch, but still). That’s a whole different level of efficiency.

So yeah, Vultures at 8 are fine. If TIEs come down to 7 (and they should), Vultures still compare favorably.

Verdict: Leave as-is.

DFS-311

Scatter ace with Intel. Post-1.5 Intel is “meh,” and its unique ability is weak sauce. For some reason, it also has a red-black AS battery, which is… odd. It’s already down to 16, but I’d happily see it come down to 14. Even then, with the ace cap, it’s hard to justify. Yes, it's not the actual cost that needs evaluation, but rather the points cost AND the opportunity cost.

Verdict: Make it 14.

Haor Chall Prototypes

Another scatter ace, but at 16 points it’s a waste of space. No punch, no staying power, no synergy. If it had a black battery or double reds, it might be worth talking about. As-is? Drop it to 14, and even then, I’d probably rather take a pair of generics.

Verdict: Make it 14.

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Droid Tri-fighters

The obvious comparison is to the TIE Interceptor, but again, black dice matter. A Tri’s black battery makes it far more threatening to ships than an Interceptor will ever be.

The downside is in the AS dice: no black there, which means you can’t add one with AI. That hurts when compared to the pair of blacks Vultures can chuck. You really want Flight Controllers to make them shine, and without a Howlrunner-style aura, they don’t snowball like Empire squadrons do.

For that reason, I’d actually argue Tris should be 10. Yes, I said it: 10. They’re good, but not great, and the weakness in the AS armament drags them down. This is probably too controversial, though, so it won't ever happen. Pitty.

Verdict: Make it 10, but realistically, leave as-is.

DIS-T81

Fixes the AS flaw by actually having a black die there. Add Snipe and the “can’t be obstructed” rule and suddenly this guy is spicy. At 17 he feels like a bargain, even compared to the 14 points I suggested for the Vulture aces. Could easily be 18 IMO.

Verdict: Fine at 17, but 18 is probably more suitable.

Phlac-Arphocc Prototypes

Fixes the AS flaw and adds auto-damage. At 18, it’s fine — maybe should still be 19, but even with Wat escorting, it’s not exactly dominating the table. 

Verdict: Acceptable at 18, but 19 is probably fairer.

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Belbullab

Where do I start? Speed is fine, hull is fine, AS looks fine, but somehow the whole package just doesn’t work. The battery is practically nonexistent, Relay 1 is awkward, and Screen is… kind of bad on this chassis.

Why? Because in-faction, you’re better off with literally anything else. Want AS dice? Two Vultures with Swarm do more than a Belbullab. Want bombing? Hyenas. Want Relay? One isn’t enough, and you’ll need multiples to get anywhere, which is hilariously inefficient. Want Screen? Great, but why are you wasting points keeping this alive instead of your real threats?

And then there’s the one blue battery die. On a 15-point squadron. In a faction with no Sloane. That’s just insulting.

Drop it to 13 and it’s still weak. Drop it to 12 and suddenly it’s interesting — not oppressive, but at least something you’d consider. As-is, it’s a dud.

Verdict: Fine at 13, but 12 would make me take a pair. But really, the whole thing is sub-optimal in faction and should never have been designed this way.

General Grievous

Relay 2 fixes part of the chassis. A black battery (which all Belbullabs should have had) finally makes him threatening. His ability shreds generics and pressures aces. Double brace with 5 hull is fine. 

Verdict: At 22, he’s not bad, though 21 would be neater.

Wat Tambor

The one and only CIS escort, which makes him immediately valuable. Combine Escort with Screen and he’s actually a decent guardian. Relay 1 is still awkward, but at least he has a black battery. 

Verdict: At 18 he’s Axe-level useful. Leave him there.

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Hyena Droid Bomber

Now this is where CIS shines. Speed 4 is fast for a bomber. Hull is okay-ish, but whatever: they’re cheap two-dice bombers. Yes, they’re swingy red dice. But when you bring 4–5 Hyenas, something’s going to connect, and enemy ships melt.

Unless PDIC shows up, in which case… sigh. (Seriously, that card should be deleted or reworked.)

But the point stands: Hyenas are fine. You can’t make them cheaper. You can’t make them more expensive. They’re exactly where they should be.

Verdict: Leave as is.

Baktoid Prototypes

A scatter ace Hyena for +5 points. Not awful, but not inspiring either. The ability is weird and situational, and in a faction full of good aces, he’s rarely worth an ace slot. At 16 he’s fine, at 15 he’d still be ignored.

Verdict: Let's say 15; it's more useful than the Vulture aces.

DBS-404

Now here’s value. He adds a third red die to his bombing runs (for the cost of 1 damage to himself). That’s insane pressure for 17 points. 

Verdict: This one feels spot-on.

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Jango Fett

The only Rogue in the entire CIS roster. That makes him both attractive and a little sad — he’d be even better if there were more Rogue partners. Still, at 22 he’s a solid package. Grit is nice (especially compared to Boba), and his damage output is respectable. 

Verdict: Good value; leave him as is.

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Wrap-Up: Clankers at War

CIS squadrons are in a good place overall. Vultures are efficient, Hyenas are terrifying, Tris are playable, and the ace lineup has some real highlights. The weak spots are scatter aces that do nothing (DFS-311, Haor Chall) and the Belbullab chassis, which feels like an undercooked design that never found its niche.

But unlike GAR, which often feels starved for variety, CIS actually has a balanced stable. They can swarm, they can bomb, they can screen with Wat, they can pressure with Grievous. The only thing they can’t do is run a proper Rogue ball — unless you go Leagacy, of course...

Next Up: We've covered all the Objectives, Upgrades, and Squadrons... so it's time for the real ships of Armada. Best for last and all that. Stay tuned!

The Squadron Files, Part 5: For the Republic!

 

Welcome to The Squadron Files!

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know we just wrapped up The Upgrade Files. That series was about card slots, costs, and the odd bit of rebalancing theory. This one is about the little plastic guys themselves — the squadrons that clog our tables, win our games, and sometimes rot forever in storage because AMG (and FFG before them) gave them a points cost that makes no sense in this universe or the next.

It’s important to set expectations right away. This is not Special Modifications. We’re not doing a ground-up redesign here. We’re not pretending the ace cap doesn’t exist (it does, and that means “best four aces” is always the reality). We’re not rewriting Sloane out of the Empire faction (believe me, I’ve fantasized about it). This series is about the game as it is, with ARC-realistic tweaks that could actually happen.

So: point changes (can fix many things but not all), keyword swaps (ARC has already done this), and commentary on what already works and what doesn’t. That’s the scope.

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GAR Squadrons: Clone Wars Workhorses

Both Clone Wars factions actually got a decent set of squadrons compared to the jank of early-wave Rebels and Empire. GAR in particular fields a lineup that looks a lot like “Rebels 2.0” — slow, meaty escorts and bombers that do their jobs well enough but rarely dazzle. Add in the quirky Delta-7 chassis (a weird halfway house between an A-wing and an ace delivery platform), and you’ve got a faction that is… solid. Not great, not awful, but solid.

I’ll also note that Legacy has done some excellent design work with new GAR squadrons (check out my review here: Legacy Wave 0 Review). That’s outside the scope for this series, but worth a look.

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V-19 Torrent

The GAR X-wing: slow, dependable, and boring. At 12 points, though, I think it’s just a touch too expensive. If Tri-fighters and Hyenas can be 11, if A-wings are 11, if I’m advocating for an 11-point X-wing… then Torrents should also be 11.

They don’t have Bomber, but their blue battery averages the same damage as a red bomber die — without the crits, but also without the swinginess. They have one less AS die than an X-wing, but Swarm (almost) makes up for it. If you think X-wings should only drop to 12, fair, but Torrents are still mildly overcosted.

Verdict: 11 points.

Axe

The ace everyone takes. Escort plus Evade/Brace is not the healthiest combo for his lifespan, but his ability to keep your “real” aces alive makes him practically an auto-include. 

Verdict: Fine as-is.

Kickback

A nifty little trick — move after attack — but ultimately still just a meat shield. Double brace is good, but for what he does, 16 feels high. Depending on where Strom and Valen end up (14 or 15), Kickback should match them.

Verdict: 14-15 points.

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BTL-B Y-wing

The GAR Y-wing gets a lot of credit for being “good.” In truth, it’s mostly just fine. The blue-black AS is a subtle but real upgrade over the Rebel blue-blue, but the real reason the GAR Y-wing sees play is context. GAR doesn’t have rogues, doesn’t have ace variety, and doesn’t have generiques. So players lean on the trusty Y-wing. But strip away the context, and it’s still a one-die bomber. 

Verdict: Like the Rebel version, it should come down a point to 9.

Anakin Skywalker (Y-wing)

Dropped to 18, and he’s great value. A two-die bomber with Adept 2 that can ignore engagement is literally unheard of at that price. But he’s rarely seen because Deltakin exists. Still, on his own merits, Ani Y-wing is a bargain.

Verdict: Leave as-is.

Matchstick

Remember AMG’s first draft (I call it a draft because that was essentially what it was) of Kickback? The one that gave every bomber Rogue? Yeah, bantha poodoo. Luckily, they fixed him. Now he’s a “super Relay 3 but only for bombers.” A bit niche, but not bad. Six hull, double brace, reasonable cost. Playable.

Verdict: Leave as-is.

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ARC-170

On paper: amazing. Double blue bomber dice, seven hull, Counter. What’s not to love?

Oh, right. Speed 2.

That limits the ARC, unless you build your entire list around fixing it — FCT, Hyperspace Rings, objectives, whatever. And even then, its damage ceiling is capped at 2. For 15 points, that’s just too high, doubly so since I'm advocating for a price drop across the faction. Drop it to 14 and suddenly it compares more favorably to the 16-point Scurrg — still slow, still clumsy, but at least fairly priced.

Odd Ball

He’s come down, but not enough. Seven hull sounds great, but brace/evade is barely better than a single brace, and without Grit he just gets locked down. His ability rarely matters. 

Verdict: Give him Grit, drop him to 18 (same as Anakin Y-wing), and maybe he sees daylight.

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Delta-7 Aethersprite

The oddball of GAR squadrons. It’s supposed to be their A-wing — fast, light, dangerous. In practice, it’s too expensive for what it delivers. Four hull, no tokens, and a defense mechanic (Dodge) that doesn’t work against flak. At 17, it’s laughable. At 15, you can fit one (or more) and not feel robbed. That’s where it belongs.

Verdict: 15 points.

Ahsoka Tano

She’s fun, she’s flexible, she’s got Grit, and her ability is neat. But 23 is steep for Adept 1. 

She can, however, be abused with multiple FCT + Deltakin (or Plo Koon, I suppose); she gets silly, but that's a niche case. 

Verdict: Leave her at 23 for safety, 22 if you’re feeling generous.

Anakin Skywalker (Delta-7)

The dirty fix to GAR’s structural weaknesses. He’s an ace assassin who deletes enemy squadrons with ease, and there’s no way he’s just 24. But AMG did it deliberately, because without him, GAR can’t really deal with aces or output enough damage to deal with masses of enemies. A flawed fix, but at least a fix.

I’d either: Bump him to 26. OR Tweak his splash so it only hits other squadrons (not the one he’s already damaging). I’m a bit divided over Dodge. On one hand, it rarely triggers when he is properly escorted and serves as a handy defense against snipers (double-tap Saber, for example). On the other hand, it is maybe one layer of defense too much for an already OP squadron.

Verdict: 26 points or remove Dodge + tweak ability (I prefer the latter).

Kit Fisto

I love Kit. Adept 2 and Intel is a unique package. He doesn't have scatter, but an escorted Kit (and oc he's escorted) can stay on the table all game between the Escort keyword and his ability. But at 24, no thanks. Drop him to 21–22 and he’s suddenly attractive.

Verdict: 21-ish points.

Luminara Unduli

She's good, but also requires you to put her in the middle of the enemy squad ball, while also escorting her with slow escorts, meaning you cannot reliably position her as you want. So she's better on paper than in reality, so you end up taking Deltakin and Axe, plus something other than Luminara. With cheaper Torrents, and a mild points reduction she's be a real alternative.

Verdict: Drop her a point or two.

Plo Koon

My man Plo with his Adept 2 and handing out Counter ability is... fine. But he's also 24 points, same as Deltakin, but needs a ton of Escorts to function properly. He's better than Lumi IMO, mainly because of easier positioning  (he doesn't need to be on top of the enemy to work).

Verdict: Drop him a point or two.

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Wrap-Up: Tweaks for the Clones

Every GAR generic should come down by a point (two for the Delta-7). That might not sound like much, but in practice it means you can fit an extra squadron in your list. Or two, if you go heavier into generics. That’s exactly what GAR needs: a little more breathing room in list-building, and a reason to take squadrons other than “Deltakin and friends.”

Layer on a few ace tweaks — grit for Odd Ball, a higher cost for Deltakin, Kit/Lumi/Plo down a couple points — and suddenly GAR looks a lot healthier. Not overpowered, not “the new Rebels,” just… playable. Which is all they really need.

Next Up on the Squadron Files: CIS squadrons, the last of the series (we'll look at ships after that).

The Squadron Files, Part 4: Rebellious Rogues

 

Welcome to The Squadron Files!

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know we just wrapped up The Upgrade Files. That series was about card slots, costs, and the odd bit of rebalancing theory. This one is about the little plastic guys themselves — the squadrons that clog our tables, win our games, and sometimes rot forever in storage because AMG (and FFG before them) gave them a points cost that makes no sense in this universe or the next.

It’s important to set expectations right away. This is not Special Modifications. We’re not doing a ground-up redesign here. We’re not pretending the ace cap doesn’t exist (it does, and that means “best four aces” is always the reality). We’re not rewriting Sloane out of the Empire faction (believe me, I’ve fantasized about it). This series is about the game as it is, with ARC-realistic tweaks that could actually happen.

So: point changes (can fix many things but not all), keyword swaps (ARC has already done this), and commentary on what already works and what doesn’t. That’s the scope.

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Rebel Rogues: A Mixed Bunch

Rebel irregulars are a strange collection — some forgettable, some fantastic, and more than a few that feel like they were designed in a hurry after too much... of something. There are gems here, yes, but there are also clunkers, and then a handful of “what were they thinking?” oddballs (the YT-1300, a non-rogue escort, still takes the cake for me).

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HWK-290

How did this become a 4-hull, double-brace squadron with low speed? It’s physically smaller than most other irregulars, so 4 hull is fine, but why didn’t it get a scatter instead? And meanwhile, the JumpMaster — a much larger ship — was saddled with 4 hull, but did get the scatter AND higher speed. It should have had high hull and a double brace. 

So what can you do with it now? Not much. Intel was once broken, now it’s been nerfed to mediocrity, and the HWK went from essential to forgotten. Drop it to 10 points to tempt people into bringing Intel again, or leave it at 12 and just give it Rogue so it actually does something on its own.

Verdict: Drop to 10 or add Rogue and keep at 12.

Kanan Jarrus

First question: why is Kanan not on the Ghost? Seriously. Instead he’s here, awkwardly bolted onto a HWK. And the result is… mid. He does have a niche now with ARC Draven (since he’s cheap-ish and hard enough to shift to matter), but it feels weird to see a Jedi Knight flying a glorified space taxi. He is also a bit overpriced when you look at his stats, even in a Draven list.

Verdict: I think 17 is enough for Kanan.

Jan Ors

Jan is the definition of “good but problematic.” Brace-passing is amazing, but she’s frail, and her presence always risks pushing squadron combat into degenerate “stack the bubbles and never die” territory. Is she a feature? A bug? A stopgap? I honestly can’t tell anymore. She’s useful, but she’s also a walking balance problem.

Verdict: Keep as is, or increase cost if the X-wing comes down as I suggested.

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Lancer-class Pursuit Craft

The generic Lancer feels like a casualty of Ketsu’s design. It was clearly built to host her scatter-ace chassis, which meant locking the generic into a fragile 4-hull Rogue with unimpressive anti-squad fire. And this is supposed to be a big ship! It should have had 6 hull, minimum.

As it stands, the generic is poor value. At least ARC dropped it to 14, which is just enough to justify taking one. It’s fragile, but it’s fast and does okay damage, so leave it be for now.

Verdict: Leave as is.

Ketsu Onyo

Now here’s the good stuff. Speed 4, scatter, double-blue bomber dice, and an ability that lets her lock squads in place? For 22 points, that’s a steal. Ketsu is arguably the best Rogue bomber in the entire Rebel lineup. She's maybe not Lando good, but she's at least 23 or even 24 points good.

Verdict: Make her 23 or 24 points.

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Fenn Rau / Mandalorian Gauntlet

A special case: no generic counterpart, just Fenn himself. He’s a paradox — both good and bad, depending entirely on context.

If you can leverage Assault (with ARC Draven specifically), Fenn is strong. He pushes extra squadrons, which is always impactful (4 squads from a Liberty token, anyone?). But he’s also very expensive and carries only a single defense token, so he dies faster than you’d like. His personal firepower is mid at best. Use him right and he’s a force multiplier. Use him wrong, and he’s just an expensive ace that evaporates. High ceiling, low floor. 

I kind of feel he's a tad bit too expensive, as I struggle to fit him into a Biggs/Hera X-wing combo, but maybe it's those squads that are a bit too expensive? What if he came down a hair? Would that incentivize Rebels to lean more into commanded squadrons instead of rogues? On the other hand, Gar Saxon is 20, and he's objectively much worse.

Verdict: Leave as is or shave off a point or two.

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Scurrg H-6 Bomber

What the B-wing wishes it was: a heavy bomber with 6 hull, speed 3, and grit. Yes, it’s a worse dogfighter — but if your heavy bombers are dogfighting, you’ve already lost. The Scurrg is built to bomb ships, and it does that job far better than its Rebel stablemates.

Verdict: Leave as is.

Malee Hurra

At 21 points, she’s actually not bad. Two blue battery dice, double brace 6-hull, Grit, Bomber — that’s a solid package. Her ability is situational, but the cost is low enough that she can see real play. She's not a rogue, though, so when you compare her to Ketsu, the cost suddenly feels pretty high.

Verdict: I'd try her at 20 and love her at 19.

Nym

The opposite story. Nym looks amazing on paper, but in practice he demands Adar, Toryn, BCC, and ideally Draven just to make his gimmick sing. That’s a lot of investment for what’s basically a reroll bomb. And when it does work, it veers into NPE territory. Not a great design.

Verdict: Definitely don't bring down the cost. The guy is a MENACE. 

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VCX-100

The quintessential Strategic squadron. Eight hull is incredible. Pair it with Toryn and it hits reasonably hard, too. Relay 1 is mid — you probably want two if you’re serious about Relay, but points rarely allow it.

The real tragedy? This should be a Rogue squadron. Everything about the VCX screams “independent operator.” But since it’s the Rebel Lambda, it had to be "nerfed" with no Rogue. At least it’s still worth taking.

Verdict: Leave as is.

Hera Syndulla / Ghost

The most expensive squadron in the game, but she earns it. Rogue-granting is huge. The ace cap limits her, and the single defense token makes her fragile for her cost, but the flexibility she brings is unmatched. Definitely a good option, and definitely worth her slot.

Verdict: Leave as is.

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YT-1300

Who thought this was a good idea? A slow, fat, high-hull Escort with Counter. It’s not even Rogue! Clearly designed as the “fix” for the X-wing’s underwhelming Escort, but in hindsight, it just feels like an awkward patch.

If I could wave a magic wand, I’d give it speed 3 and Rogue (and bump the Falcon to speed 4). Failing that, at least drop Escort and give it Rogue. Right now, it’s a relic that only made sense in 2015.

Verdict: Swap Escort for Rogue.

Han Solo

Han is… okay. He hits reasonably hard for 24 points, but without dice mods and without Bomber, he doesn’t shine. He’s fine, but never exciting. And when Lando exists at the same cost, Han just looks worse.

Verdict: Make him 23 points and leave Lando at 24, or leave Han at 24 and make Lando 25. Or both. I dunno. But even if I ran Sato, I would almost prefer Lando.

Lando Calrissian

Mr. Dice Fixer himself. He went up to 24, but he’s still a bargain for what he brings. Outright better than Han in most contexts.

Verdict: He's still a bargain at 24, but look at the guy... you don't want to make him more expensive, do you?

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YT-2400

The gold standard of Rebel Rogues. Fast, tough, hits hard, and consistent. At 16 points it’s too good — hence why everyone spams them. Push them up to 17 and you might at least make people think twice.

Verdict: Increase to 17.

Dash Rendar

Double brace, some dice fixing, solid all around. But he’s no Lando, and that makes him feel lackluster.

Verdict: He's 22 points, not 24.

Mart Mattin

Cheaper than Dash, lacks Bomber, but has the hilarious mine gimmick. And honestly? That’s enough. The mine ability more than compensates, making him a fun (if not top-tier) pick.

Verdict: Leave as is.

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Wrap-Up: A Rebel Grab Bag

The Rebel irregulars are all over the place. Ketsu, Lando, Hera, and the YT-2400 are standouts. The Scurrg chassis is quietly excellent. But then you’ve got clunkers like the generic Lancer, relics like the YT-1300, and awkward designs like Nym that demand half your upgrade bar to function.

Compared to the Empire’s rogues, the Rebels have more bright spots and more competitive options — but also more weirdness. Some of that weirdness is charming. Some of it is frustrating. And a lot of it shows just how scattershot squadron design was in Armada’s early years.

Next up on the Squadron Files: GAR squadrons.