My son asked me recently what my favorite X-wing ship was. I had to stop and think about it for awhile. I couldn’t come up with just one. And I kept wanting to layer on some stipulations and provisions. In the end, I decided it was worthy of further thought.

One of the main problems I faced while thinking about it related to Pilot vs Ship. There are some really awesome ships whose pilots just aren’t great. And some meh ships with an awesome pilot that make them functional. I’ll review pilots at some point but for now, I want to focus primarily on chassis. Pilots are a factor but only as a piece of the puzzle.

Also, this look is all about personal preference. Favorites don’t have to be the best. You just have to like them the best.

Favorite Rebel- T-70 X-Wing

I love flying T-70’s. I’d prefer that I loved flying the original X-wing but they just can’t compare. Sure, this may be because the T-70 is more competitive but it has more to do with why it is more competitive. It has Boost and the Tech slot which the original does not. The extra shield is nice too but it’s really the other two that matter.

I personally find the maneuver game one of the best aspects of the X-wing. The T-70 doesn’t have the best dial to be sure but it has a pretty decent one. You have choices when turning around which is nice compared to a lot of ships. With native boost you also have some repositioning ability.

The upgrades expand on this potential. R2 Astromechs, BB-2, Vectored Thrusters, Pattern Analyzer etc. all add different dimensions that add to your flight choices. Not many ships can take a boost after a red maneuver. Double actions without stress can be achieved several ways too (PTL + BB-8 or Pattern Analyzer). The ship’s available Title also encourages maneuverability by letting you clear target locks when you take reposition actions.

Many of the pilots also add different maneuver aspects. Blue Ace, while never that competitive, is just cool. Nien Numb doesn’t add anything directly but he does reward you for good maneuvering by clearing stress. Snap gives out free maneuvers. Ello can turn around without stress.

Maneuvering isn’t the T-70’s only strength. It can work equally well as an arc dodger, jouster or tank. This versatility keeps the T-70 exciting to fly and gives you lots of ways to play.

Favorite Imperial- TIE Striker

This one really comes out of left field. The Striker, sadly, has never really found a strong place in the competitive scene. Looking at its pilots and raw stat line you’d think it would. After all, it is the cheapest three dice attack ship available. You can take five of them with fifteen points to spare.

But it’s really Adaptive Ailerons that make the Striker so much fun. It’s practically a pre-maneuver boost! But it’s not a boost so your aileron maneuver can bump into things. Now, this can screw you if you have a bad crit or are running into an Anti-Pursuit Laser. Beyond those events, in most cases, you can use it to your advantage. Gain a slight angle with a bank or more slightly forward even if you don’t clear. Then maneuver.

Banking with ailerons followed by a hard one puts you in a pretty unique position. Especially if you barrel roll afterward. This makes the Striker particularly slippery and hard to predict.

You also have a lot of options with the pilots right out of the box. Three generics to fit your needed pilot skill or price point. And three unique, all with pretty cool abilities.

Favorite Scum- Aggressor

What’s up, Brobots? I’ve never not had fun flying Aggressors. Even while losing.

Part of this is nostalgia. These ships introduced the Sloop maneuver which I really like. Even though it doesn’t end up being as useful as you want it to be.

However, mostly, it is the wide range of ways you can build and fly these. They have quite a lot of different upgrades you can equip and enough points available in a double Aggressor set up to make use of them. Bombs to discourage pursuit. System and all its range of functionality.

Even the double cannon, once rather questionable, has a purpose with the advent of the Tractor Beam. You don’t want to fire it all the time but it’s great as a threat. Just because you have one your enemy, especially if their pilot skill is lower than yours, has to be more careful where they go to avoid being tractored onto a rock. With double cannon you can take the cheap tractor beam and some other cannon.

You can go super hard to kill with Sensor Jammer and Authothrusters and super offensive with Heavy Laser Cannon and Crack Shot. Or be really weird and put Fearlessness and Autoblaster with Countermeasures, Scavenger Crane, and some bombs on IG-88A. You have so many possibilities it makes flying the ship multiple times a unique experience.

What are you favorite ships?

For those curious, my son’s, whose question prompted this article, favorite ships are:

Ghost But only if Phantom is docked. He loves Rebels so this is no surprise. It’s high on my list for the same reason. Decimator Not really sure why on this one. G1-A It has an evade action.

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