FFG announces the next waves of Star Wars X-Wing and Armada

Fantasy Flight Games have announced the next waves for the X-wing and Armada games.  First up is the 12th wave for the X-wing Miniatures Game consisting of that Alpha-class Star Wing, the M12-L Kimogila Fighter, and the Phantom II.  The Alpha-class Star Fighter was the first widely deployed star fighter by the Empire and features shields, a hyperdrive, and the ability to mount some impressive weapons.  While it innately can equip any torpedoes or missiles, if you use the Assault Configuration title, you can then equip it with up to two cannons.  Plus with it's reload ability you have a ship that can dish out some major damage, more than once. The M12-L Kimogila Fighter is the latest fighter for the Scum faction of X-wing and like the Star Wing, is not very maneuverable, but packs a mean punch.  But since this ship isn't so great at turning, it makes up for it with raw power and a tough hull to be able to take the hits.  With a strong main weapon, the ability to equip missiles, and a bulls-eye firing arc that negates enemy focus, you have a fighter that when it hits, will hit HARD. Next we have the Phantom II, pulled straight out of the third season of the Star Wars Rebels TV show.  While this ship is average for strength and durability, it makes it's mark by it's ability to coordinate with other ships, especially the Ghost.  With the Phantom II title card you can dock this ship with the Ghost, allowing you more fire arcs to shoot from on the Ghost, and giving you the ability to use coordinate actions.  Also you can then deploy the Phantom II at any time to bring this new ship onto the battlefield, increasing your numbers when it could be needed most.  Look for all three of these new ships on store shelves in the 4th quarter, and you can check out FFG's website for more information. Now we move onto the bigger ships with the 7th wave of ships for Star Wars Armada, which includes the Chimaera and the Profundity.  The Chimaera is most likely making Empire players drool as not only do you get an Imperial Star Destroyer with a distinctive paint job and two Mandalorian Gauntlet squadrons, but you get access to fan favorite Grand Admiral Thrawn.  The bane of the rebels' existence in the third season of Star Wars Rebels, he gives you the ability to add additional command dials that you can add to your other commands dials on any turn.  This could turn the tide of battle by giving all your ships that extra bit of maneuverability to get them lined up to attack.  Plus with the addition of Gar Saxxon of the Imperial Supercommandos and you have some impressive upgrades. Not to be outdone, the Rebel side of the conflict gains access to the Profundity, a ship featured in the battle of Scarif in Rogue One, and headed up by Admiral Raddus.  This star cruiser has a lot of versatility and impact already built in with a punishing arsenal, powerful shields, resilient hull, and the ability to equip a dozen different upgrades.  But, this ship is made special when you add the Admiral Raddus card, now you have the ability to bring in reinforcements in the middle of battle.  That means at the start of the game you will be down one ship as it has to stay off the board, but when the time is right, using the Admiral you can bring that ship into battle, right next to him.  This opens up a whole new strategy in which you can overwhelm a ship in an instant by suddenly deploying an additional ship without warning.  You can read more about these two ships on the FFG website, and look for them on store shelves in the fourth quarter of this year.