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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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).
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