He is a fitting candidate for two 1s in my book. Same cost and same set as R2 Astromech Droid - one is obviously better than the other.

Since we're 25% of the way through all the pieces, here's a graph of average rating per set so far:



There's a big line between the best 10 sets and everything else at the moment. I'm still waiting for a Clone Wars comeback, but a lot of the other 40 piece WOTC sets are quite uneven.

WotC and Vset commandos are not mutually exclusive. All of the bonuses granted by the new Elite Commandos are also granted to the WotC versions. So Scorch here has access to Shields, Synergy, Coordinated Movement, Kolto Pack, and Stable Footing. All that together makes him well worth his points. The problem, of course, is that he's not (normally) a better choice than the other commandos. I think taking an extra WotC Sev or Boss could be worthwhile, or you could take some Omega squad pieces. The reason to take Scorch is if you want another door control option while maximizing the synergy with the commandos. You can basically fit 3 WotC commandos for 2 Vset commandos, which can be worth it when whatever you choose gets all of the bonuses listed above. The 4 Elites are virtual shoo-ins for a Republic Commando squad. Beyond that, there are Omega squad pieces that cost just as much as the Elites, and there are WotC pieces. Plus a few other pieces that might be worth including for further boosts - Captain Rex and Bacara for example.

I don't think the best combo beyond the 4 Elites has been figured out yet, and I don't think Scorch will be part of that combination. Still, I think he's a high 6/10. Might not be the best choice, but if you take him in a commando squad along with the 4 Elites, he'll do just fine.

I think there are a lot of viable Commando squads, but something will probably stand out soon enough.

I tend to think that the strongest commando squads will not include many non-commandos. The synergies are so strong that I think it's worth it to use them on as many pieces as you can. The version I've been running doesn't even have R2-AM. 4 Elites, Niner, Bacara. 2 WotC Bosses and a WotC Sev. (Kaminoan Clone Technician so far, but I decided Mas is better.) With 8 commandos, you have a lot of options with Coordinated Movement. And 3 cannon shots lets you put out a lot of shots when/where you need to. In that squad, you could drop a boss and add Scorch and probably not feel it. Sub-optimal, but it's not going to break the squad. 5 or 6 seems right.

Corso Riggs, from The Old Republic





There's some tough competition for Fringe shooters in this price range - Corso Riggs is competing with luminaries like Dash Renegade Smuggler, Mira of Nar Shaddaa, Bossk Trandoshan Hunter, and Morrigan Corde for game time. It's a tough market to crack, but Corso does have some unique skills. With the combination of Flight and Charging Assault, he has his own inbuilt movement breaker. Quick draw means that he provide some defense against strafers, and can block paths against pieces with Flight.

His synergies also open her up some unique squad building options - he has a specific Camaderie with the Old Republic piece Smuggler, giving them Twin. He also has a broader Protective +10 for all pieces whose names contain Smuggler (although it obviously doesn't work with the 10 hit point Arcona Smuggler), so if he has an injured Dash, Han Smuggler, or Mara Jade Smuggler within 6 squares, he gains a +10 damage bonus.

Corso Riggs does suffer from a low attack - at +9, I don't he's reliable as an attacker outside of factions that offer him an attack boost, like Imperials or Fringe. Embo has quite a similar role as a Charging deep striker, and has seen more competitive play with his higher attack. Still, Darth_Jim took a Corso Riggs squad to just outside the top 4 at the 2013 PA/MD Regional.



Corso's an interesting piece for sure - there's enough going on with his various bonuses, his quick draw, and his movement, that he's on the fringes of competitiveness, but there is tough competition for a place. 7/10.

Agreed. Low 7 or high 6.

Mara Jade, Emperor's Hand, from Rebel Storm





WOTC effectively replaced this piece with Arica in Imperial Entanglements - they're the same character, and have very similar stats and abilities, but Arica also comes with Stealth, 10 extra hit points, Twin, and Sniper. It's well worth the upgrade for an extra 11 points, especially as Sniper means that Blaster Barrage is more useful, and there are very few circumstances where you'd choose to play Emperor's Hand over Arica. She has a little bit of potential in a Daala squad, where Cunning and Prideful stack, or as a scissors option for Pellaeon, but she's still limited in scope, 4/10.

I dunno if I'd go that high, or ever bother bringing her in with Pellaeon. If you're playing a swarm of 10 hp pieces, Momaw is way better. So you'd only play her against 20 hit point pieces, assuming she's with Thrawn or Daala and gets 20 damage all the time. Even then, without Sniper, she's going to struggle to hit more than 2 or 3 pieces at once with a Barrage, unless your opponent plays badly. I just think she's too situational to bother carrying around in your Pellaeon reserves - you'd also have to have a squad with a dispensable 20+ point Imperial commander to swap out. Maybe a 4, but I'd be reluctant to go higher than that.

Yeah, I was thinking of Momaw with Lobot, at least in a Thrawn squad.

She might be better in a Daala squad, since Prideful and Cunning stack. Still limited though. Scout Trooper on Speeder Bike is arguably a better scissors option.

This could maybe be a candidate for an 11. 10 for the sniper, but this can help almost any Separatist build.

I'd probably go 9 for the Sniper - it's awesome, but Heavy Weapon and Single Shot Blaster are significant limitations. Spotter is awesome, but doesn't feel quite like a power 11 piece to me.