Hotshots & Aces II Resistance Overview

SWZ97 Hotshots & Aces II

“I’m never really ready for anything, but that hasn’t stopped me yet.” –Kazuda Xiono™, Star Wars: Resistance™

The Resistance receives five additional pilots in the Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack for Star Wars™: X-Wing. In this pack, the Resistance expands their options with some tactics and tricks that they haven’t had access to before.

Starting with the Resistance Transport, Taka Jamoreesa excels at distracting her opponents. She can jam two opposing ships at once, if they are at range 0-1 from each other. Note that only the first jam recipient must follow the jam action rules. The second target only needs to be at range 0-1 from the first, so it doesn’t matter how far away it is from Taka. Taka has a low initiative, so her jam tokens will often be assigned before the opposing ships take their actions. A smart opponent will spend actions on the first turn target locking obstacles so that Taka’s jam tokens will burn those useless locks first. Expect Taka to draw a lot of fire, since her ship can’t dodge any arcs and has an ability your opponent will hate. If you can make her unappealing to shoot at and get her into close combat, her jams will drastically reduce the power of the opposing squad.

Zay Versio–in her T-70 X-wing–is the child of Del Meeko and her ability reflects that. Her ability allows her to reroll one defense die when her attacker is damaged. She’s very similar to Joph Seastriker in that she’s a lower initiative pilot with a defensive ability, but Joph is strongest in the beginning of the fight when he has shields and multiple incoming attacks. Zay is weakest at the beginning of a fight, when few ships are damaged. As the fight goes on, her ability becomes more valuable, so try not to lead with her. She’s best at hunting down ships that have been weakened from other attacks and can’t fight back as effectively.

The other T-70 pilot, Venisa Doza, comes from Star Wars Resistance. Her ability allows her to fire an equipped missile or torpedo behind her, at range 1-2. This means that an equipped Advanced Proton Torpedo can be fired either at range 1 in front of Venisa, or range 1-2 behind her! When most ships might consider doing a koiogran turn to stay in the battle, Venisa doesn’t need to commit to that and can instead use her munitions. This expands her tactical options greatly from a typical T-70. You’ll always want to focus on her munitions when you fill her loadout, and plan around how you will use it when setting up. Properly using her ability makes or breaks this pilot.

Next, Lando Calrissian rejoins the fight piloting his old Millennium Falcon. He still has a high initiative, and his ability is excellent for an alpha striking squad. When Lando fully executes a red maneuver or performs a red action, up to three ships (including himself!) can perform an action. You can perform a Segnor’s Loop and take a focus action, for example, and if there are other friendly ships nearby, you can have them also take actions. If you take an Engine Upgrade, you can still perform the red boost action from your bar and get additional actions. If you are blocked by an opponent and perform the red focus, you can still use Lando’s ability. Note that Lando is not allowed to perform additional actions during his activation if he is blocked, so he can’t target himself in this case.

Finally, Poe Dameron also flies the old YT-1300 in this pack as a new pilot. Like Lando, he has recharging charges to perform powerful effects. Poe’s let him ignore obstacles while executing a maneuver, so he can fly over any obstacles without taking damage or negative tokens. It does not allow him to ignore them during combat, so Poe will not be allowed to fire if he lands on an obstacle. Since it only costs one charge, he can always do it. However, he has another choice: he can spend both charges at once when he fully executes a maneuver to perform a boost or red barrel roll. Getting a boost and then being able to perform a focus or target lock to modify his dice is a typical use of his ability. The barrel roll is for emergencies only, when you need to stress yourself and risk a badly exposed damage card for position. But sometimes it’ll be worth it!

That’s all of the Resistance pilots coming in the Hotshots and Aces II Reinforcements Pack! Look for it at your local game store in November. Pre-order your copy at your local game store or through the webstore today!