Battle of Yavin Imperial Overview Pt. 1

SWZ96 Battle of Yavin

Having found the location of the Rebel base on Yavin IV, the Galactic Empire moves the Death Star into position to crush the Rebellion once and for all. Sure to face resistance from Rebellion fighters, we’ve prepared a collection of new ships for Galactic Empire players to fly into battle and ensure their moment of triumph!

The Battle of Yavin expansion introduces new Standard Loadout (SL) ship cards to Star Wars: X-Wing™. These ships cannot be customized, but often have unique abilities or loadouts that you can’t find anywhere else. While these new ships cards are great for the scenario included in the product, they can also be mixed into your current squads. This article will examine the Imperial Standard Loadouts from this expansion, and how they can be used.

All the SL Imperial ships seen in this pack have either a Hull or a Shield Upgrade applied to them. Since they all have three agility, this extra point of health will go further than it might on other chassis.

Darth Vader is seen in many Imperial squads already. His SL version has a similar loadout to his original version when you take the Shield Upgrade into account, and trades in his original power for a variant of TIE/D Defender Vader’s pilot ability. This new version is great at dealing damage but isn’t as flexible as his original ship card. You’ll often be performing target lock actions, so try to keep him safe by flying places where you can use Afterburners to react and dodge enemy arcs. Keep him separated from your other ships, so if an enemy commits their squad to him, your other ships are behind them. This Vader is great if you’ve been using TIE/D Defender Vader already and want to find a few more points for the rest of your squad.

Vader’s wingmen, “Backstabber” and “Mauler” Mithel, boast increased loadout, health, and damage. These aren’t your typical TIE/ln Fighters! To use them best, you want to run the full trio. If you have enough points, I’d suggest a more defensive Vader to fly with them. The trio will draw a lot of your opponent’s attention, so TIE Advanced x1 Darth Vader with Debris Gambit and other defensive upgrades will let the team be more impactful. To get the most out of this deadly trio, practice flying them so that you can stay in formation even after turns and around obstacles.

“Dark Curse” returns to X-Wing with a higher initiative than any previous TIE/ln Fighter. Unlike the previous two ships, he is ready to drop solo into an existing list. With the increased hull and defensive ability, “Dark Curse” can be an excellent scenario operative, picking up cargo or controlling satellites. He won’t be dealing as much damage as the other ships in this pack, but his high initiative and Precision Ion Engines enable him to react more effectively than any other TIE/ln Fighter.

“Wampa” closes out the TIE Fighters in this pack and continues the theme of being a bit healthier than a typical TIE/ln Fighter. The SL “Wampa” wants to fly in a TIE Swarm, with lots of opportunities to use the unique Vengeful upgrade and guarantee a bonus attack die, even if previously attacked that round. If your opponent completely ignores “Wampa”, then you can perform red maneuvers and depend on Vengeful to clear your stress later that turn.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be back soon with a look at the TIE/in Interceptors of Sigma Squadron!