Arc-170 Squadron

The ARC-170 Starfighter (ARC) is one of the coolest fighters in Star Wars lore. The ARC was a multi-purpose fighter for the Republic. It could be used in dogfights, reconnaissance and could even be used as light cargo transport if necessary. The design of these ships is just fantastic. Here's another picture just cause they're some damn cool.

I mean, look at that beefy dude right there. It's just pure cool.

Anyway...

In-game, the ARC is the heavier bomber for the Republic. It's slow but packs a hefty punch, much like the Rebels B-Wings.

Off the bat, 15 points is a killer price for what these are. 7 hull, bomber, counter 1, and some mean dice. The only downside is the speed, but if you were/are a rebel main, that shouldn't be an issue for you. As we've seen with Gold Squadron, 2 blue bomber dice is fantastic. I think that is .750 average damage per die for an average of 1.5 per shot plus any rerolls from Nevoota or BCC. 7 hull and counter 1 make them a nuisance to get off the table. Protect them with torrents and some Jedi aces, and you've got a mean squad ball.

When it comes to the speed challenges of the ARCs, I am a huge proponent of using Flag Bridge + All Fighters Follow Me! (AFFM!) It is the easiest way to get a speed boost for them. AFFM! can be put on your clams or venators, though personally, I don't believe you'll ever need to use it more than once per game. Another option is to use Hyperspace rings which I wrote about here.

Odd Ball is one of the most famous clone pilots in all of Star Wars. He was known to fly ARCs, Y-Wings, V-Wings, and even Torrents. 23 points! He is expensive and debatably worth it. He gains a brace and an evade, which makes 7 hull an absolute pain to chew through. He swaps 1 red for 1 black anti-squadron die. He also gains his ability, which is pretty good. Getting a free reroll just for moving is killer, especially since he could reroll both his bomber dice or two of his anti-squadron dice. With new intel, it is a little bit harder to force a move every turn, but it is possible. Personally, I don't see much worth in him over the generic ARCs since GAR has such good access to rerolls (BCC, Nevoota), but I'm sure he has his lists and situations.

The B-Wing is my favorite of the Rebel squadrons, so I imagine once I get more time with these on the table, I will fall in love with them too. It will take practice to fly these efficiently, but it'll be worth it when you start blasting damage into the enemy for 4 rounds straight since these refuse to die.