Uh-oh, another topic asking for squad-building help. Sorry about that.

Intro: I play casually but would like to put together a tournament squad for the Wave 4 preview event. I won't spend more money on my collection until Wave 4 hits. I'm a fair pilot (I don't crash into asteroids very often), but don't have much experience against really solid players or a wide variety of squads.

Questions:

1. What's the closest thing to a tournament squad I can build with my current collection?

2. What squads/playstyles should I watch out for?

Collection:

2 core sets

1 A-Wing

1 B-Wing

1 YT-1300 Falcon

1 TIE Advanced

1 TIE Bomber

1 TIE Interceptor

Thoughts: My best guess is that my Rebels are stronger and something like a low skill 4-ship squad or maybe a 3-ship high pilot skill squad are my best bets.

XXBYt?

BAXYt?

All the TIEs I can find?

Any suggestions?

Can't go wrong with Han Shoots First..

Han Solo, Falcon Title, Gunner, Marksmanship, and Nien Nunb (or Chewie), and 2 Rookie X-wings.

EDIT: oops.. just realized you don't have a Firespray (Slave-1), so Gunner is out for you..

Still, even remove Gunner and Put Luke as the other Crew Member in that case..

Han is 46, Falcon Title is 1, Luke is 7, Chewie is 4, and 2 Rookies at 21 points a piece brings you to an even 100..

Can't go wrong with Han Shoots First..

Han Solo, Falcon Title, Gunner, Marksmanship, and Nien Nunb (or Chewie), and 2 Rookie X-wings.

EDIT: oops.. just realized you don't have a Firespray (Slave-1), so Gunner is out for you..

Still, even remove Gunner and Put Luke as the other Crew Member in that case..

I was just going to point out there's no Firespray for Gunner but it seems you caught that and added an edit I don't yet see.

Aside from that I'll need to second the HSF idea even if it means using Luke instead of a Gunner. I guess you could also try Chewie instead of Han but with that collection you're definitely going Rebel and almost certainly looking at a 3 or 4 ships build. I'm not sure how well an Outer Rim Smuggler would fit with rebel fighters but you may be able to do a four fighter rebel build using everything you have.

On the Imperial side having the 4 core T/F and one of the other three TIE types really doesn't look so good. A T/F expansion so you had Howlrunner then maybe but otherwise...

With what you got?

Lando + Nien Numb

Garven Dreis

Biggs + R2F2

Fly in formation.

Actions:

Biggs: Use R2F2

Garven: Focus

Lando: Focus and have Biggs use a free Focus action.

When Garven uses his focus, assign it to Biggs.

Now Biggs is pretty tanky. 3 agility and 2 focus. Can probably survive a bit.

The above list (Han Shoots First) is very forgiving.. The 2 Rookies have decent firepower, and if you fly them in formation ahead of the Falcon (they move first because of their low PS), you can use the 2 of them to concentrate fire on a target. The Falcon can move wherever you want because of its turret. It doesn't have to worry about fire arcs. The nice thing about Gunner (or Luke in this case) is that if you roll to hit with Han, re-roll your dice once, and your opponent evades the attack, Gunner or Luke kicks in and you get to attack again. Usually the opponent has used their evade already, so Han should be seriously damaging your opponent every turn..

Some quick responses before I get back to work:

-Won't a loaded Falcon draw a lot of fire?

-Too bad I can't throw my B-Wing in- it's fun to fly (and ate some TIEs alive last night).

-What do I do about TIE swarms, bombers/Y-wings, or Firesprays?

-Should I worry about action economy (Lando/Push the Limit)?

See how you like this:

Chewbacca + Draw their Fire

Biggs + R2D2 + Shield Upgrade

Blue Squadron + Fire Control Systems

Fly your ships together, and just cruise. Biggs will take the heat but a shield upgrade and r2d2 can help him stick around. Chewie is there to peel crits off Biggs so he is able to last longer. The ships all have 3 attack, and your B wing (provided you can keep it on one target) should have target lock/focus a lot.

Don't try to race your opponents. Just cruise and fire

@Vexing- Interesting build. Kind of a "slow boat" approach?

With the HSF Build, I imagine you could use the B, but you'll need to drop a point somewhere. You could drop the MF Title, but that means you don't have an evade.

My only issue with using the Falcon AND a B is that they are both 1 agility ships, which means they are going to take a MAJOR pounding, especially if you go up against Wedge who knocks your agility down by 1 (to 0 in this case). No agility means no possibility of avoiding attacks.. At least with the MF title you can use an evade action for 1 guaranteed evade..

I do love the tankiness of the B, and its potential damage output though. I just think the Rookies give you a bit better all around..

A XXBA squad would do good as well.

Honestly I think you're best making a squad on your own, that's the best way to learn what works or doesn't work for you.

@Vexing- Interesting build. Kind of a "slow boat" approach?

As a sidenote, don't be so eager to draw crits onto chewie against a higher ps hypermobile list (like royal guard squints). You'll need chewies 360 arc so their maneuvering doesn't matter, unless you're a maneuvering wizard in your own right (which you may well be)

*edit: almost forgot. A lot of people don't appreciate how much of a luxury it is to move slow sometimes. Your ability to coast means drifting and laying fire on an area if you have an idea of where your opponent will be. Having a higher top speed is nice but not being able to go slow can put you in a tough place when trying to set up shots

I agree with @vexingproposition and with @markcsoul..

The YT's strength is it's ability to take hits and the turret. The turret LOVES interceptors and a-wings (and they in turn hate the fact that their maneuverability means nothing to turrets).

Wedge should always be your Number 1 target.

markcsoul suggested a list I've seen a few times. The two X's are your constants, the B is your heavy hitter, and the A is your flanker/fly in the ointment..

The last tournament I was in had me using HSF against an opponent with 4 fully decked out A-wings.. Man can those things move. I would have had my a$$ handed to me if not for the turret (and gunner). In the end we went to time, and I pulled off a modified win. My opponent was wonderful at maneuvering and I give him a lot of credit for trying that list - it looked like a lot of fun to fly.

I had seen another build that actually ended up winning the tourney. It was a variation on HSF, but rather than the 2 Rookies, he ran 2 Gold Squadron Y-Wings with Ion turrets. A lot of people had bad days flying against that list..

Some quick responses before I get back to work:

-Won't a loaded Falcon draw a lot of fire?

-Too bad I can't throw my B-Wing in- it's fun to fly (and ate some TIEs alive last night).

-What do I do about TIE swarms, bombers/Y-wings, or Firesprays?

-Should I worry about action economy (Lando/Push the Limit)?

A loaded Falcon does draw fire. While it does you should also remember it has more shield/hull points to take that fire so it can hopefully dish is out as well as it takes it. Dishing it out is part of the reason you want Gunner/Luke on it to make sure it DOES dish out that damage.

Although you'd need to find a point you can often put a B-Wing in where you might put an X-Wing. You need to realize the trade offs made in that exchange because while both are similar with 3 primary attack dice they work a little differently. Putting this with the first question a Falcon does draw fire but when you have a couple of fighter flying support that can lay out just as much damage it can force your opponent to choose who to go after. In some cases it is smarter to go after the "escort" than it is to go after the Falcon in a HSF type build.

Swarms are hard on a lot of builds. A key there is DON'T PLAY THEIR GAME. Do what you can to break them up so they can't focus fire on your ships but take them down. I'm not sure how dangerous Bombers are to HSF although it will depend on the Bomber lists; disrupt the alpha strike then normally need and you have almost as many ships as they do. Against Y-Wings you're flying tanks against tanks; the biggest threat is ionization so what where you point your ships and try taking them out quickly. HSF vs. a Firespray is kind of like a mirror match.

A nice thing about HSF is that it really is NOT about the actions. Action economy can be useful but remember actions can be denied which screws them up and it they also depend on being able to use those actions.

Besides the Falcon + two fighter variations you probably could try some BAXX combination. Ultimately the "best" squadron is what you put together and are most comfortable with. I mean there is a thread saying how someone won a tournament use a two-ship build with souped up B-Wing and Falcon.

-Won't a loaded Falcon draw a lot of fire?

It does, but that's what your escorts are for. Put them ahead of the Falcon and force your opponent to either spend shots on the escorts or take fatal damage from them. For example, if you have a pair of rookies at range 1 and the Falcon at range 3 your opponent has to choose between letting the Falcon stay untouched or taking an extremely even range 1 vs. range 3 exchange. Meanwhile the Falcon's re-rolls and extra shots make it suffer a lot less from being at range 3.

Thanks for the great tips, everyone.

-Don't play along with swarm lists.

-Take down Wedge first (unless Biggs is in the way).

-Beware putting all my eggs in maneuver-1 baskets.

-Ultimately my squad is my responsibility (which is very true but gathering suggestions here is part of that process).

Some options- any suggestions?

HSF:

Han Solo + Chewbacca (crew) + Luke Skywalker (crew) + Falcon

Rookie Pilot x2

"Puce Squadron:"

Biggs + R2-D2 + Shield Upgrade

Blue Squad + FCS

Chewbacca + Draw Their Fire

BAXX:

Rookie Pilot x2

Green Squadron Pilot + Assault Missiles + Push the Limit

Ibtisam + Ion Cannon

AX13:

Biggs + R2-D2

Chewbacca + Draw Their Fire + Falcon

Green Squad + Assault Missiles + Push the Limit

Tested out a variant of the HSF list (Han, Chewie, Luke, Falcon + Rookie Pilot + Green Squad, Elusiveness) this weekend. Had a little trouble knocking down the opposing squad (Turr Phennir, Vet Instincts + Darth Vader, Squad Leader + Scimitar Squad, Proton Bombs + Academy Pilot x2) in a reasonable amount of time (anywhere close to an hour). Suggestions?

I second (third?) the HSF list.

One thing, the Falcn will draw fire, so it's important to use the title Evade to keep it alive. Unless there is no shot on the Falcon, do not take any other action.

The beauty of Han and Luke is that neither of their abilities require an action.

Since you don't have two Y-wings, I'd fly

Han (Luke, Chewie, Title) + two rookies. Save Chewie till you get a bad crit.

Now, keep in mind you don't fly this list like normal. Head to head with the facon is bad. You need him on the flanks, but the beauty is you can flank flying parallel and still shoot...

Good luck

So I kind of have trouble flying the Falcon well, although I seem to be pretty solid with small ships. What's a good alternative (considering the limits of my small collection) to HSF?

Some quick responses before I get back to work:

-Won't a loaded Falcon draw a lot of fire?

-Too bad I can't throw my B-Wing in- it's fun to fly (and ate some TIEs alive last night).

-What do I do about TIE swarms, bombers/Y-wings, or Firesprays?

-Should I worry about action economy (Lando/Push the Limit)?

- Han Shoots First requires you to take the Millennium Falcon Title upgrade. Then you evade every action. With Han+Gunner(Luke) you don't need actions to hit so use them on defense.

- You can definitely fit a B-wing into you HSF list, Actually I would recommend it since, it will draw some of that concentrated fire away from the Falcon.

- HSF is the natural prey for TIE Swarms. But Every list has its strengths and weaknesses. HSF actually does quite well against Firespray heavy lists. I actually can't say one way or the other against bomber heavy lists. I think Han's high PS will help you against low PS Bombers. Also the fact that you want to stay away from the middle of the fray should protect you from bombs.

- The Action economy from HSF comes from the fact that Han does not need to use his action to hit other ships, so he is free to spend it on Evade. Your not really boosting or Barrel Rolling so you don't have much more demand for any more actions.

Yes Barrel rolling big ships are AWESOME but if you want to try it do it in a Firespray. That rear arc and Barrel Roll just love each other. And the YT-1300 needs its action to evade.

Lando is okay, but his problem is that he helps the ships around him. He gives the assist not the win. He is so many points you really want him to be a super star.

Tested out a variant of the HSF list (Han, Chewie, Luke, Falcon + Rookie Pilot + Green Squad, Elusiveness) this weekend. Had a little trouble knocking down the opposing squad (Turr Phennir, Vet Instincts + Darth Vader, Squad Leader + Scimitar Squad, Proton Bombs + Academy Pilot x2) in a reasonable amount of time (anywhere close to an hour). Suggestions?

Keep in mind that "knocking them down" doesn't always mean "killing them all". Kill a ship (Preferably Turr) and keep your ships alive and you get a win as if you had killed them all.

You may also try giving that BAXX squadron a go.

The best build? The one that you have fun with.

I always fly what I like, and I never regret it, even if my build isn't always quite as optimized as some. So I would say build with the ships you like, and then fine tune from there.

Good luck!

"Fly casual" and "fly what you like" seem like the two best bits of advice offered around here. Not belittling the other suggestions, though! I'll have to keep practicing with the Falcon and try out some other nifty combos too. Thanks, all!

While I agree that you've got much better potential with a Rebel squad, let me offer an Imperial perspective on your collection.

No TIE Expansion means no Howlrunner, which hurts a bit. After tinkering with your available ships a bit, I came up with two possibilities:

• Darth Vader - 29
  • Adrenaline Rush - 1
  • Engine Upgrade - 4
• Soontir Fel - 27
  • Push the Limit - 3
• Academy Pilot - 12
• Academy Pilot - 12
• Academy Pilot - 12

• Darth Vader - 29
  • Squad Leader - 2
  • Engine Upgrade - 4
• Scimitar Squadron Pilot - 16
  • Assault Missiles - 5
  • Homing Missiles - 5
  • Seismic Charges - 2
• Academy Pilot - 12
• Academy Pilot - 12
• Academy Pilot - 12

The first squad relies more on outmaneuvering your opponent in the initial skirmish, whereas the second squad relies on a heavy alpha strike to soften up priority targets for the TIEs to eat.

Filling 100 points was a bit tricky, and mostly required Vader to accomplish. He's a solid pick, though, and how the squads played out really depended on how you would want to play Vader in each. In the first, Adrenaline Rush makes Vader a strong initial jouster with huge flanking potential immediately following the first pass. Fel forces a tough decision on your opponent on who to try and chase down first: Fel, Vader, or the mini swarm of TIEs.

In the second, Vader plays escort to the Bomber, helping him quickly and efficiently fire his payload, then breaking off to act as a harrier while the (probably wounded) Bomber and TIE/lns attempt to swarm down the (hopefully) softened enemy.

I wouldn't be embarrassed to field either of these squads at a tournament. Of course, I'd like to have more Imperial options, but if this is what I had to work with, I could do worse.

3- Ap

Vader with cluster missiles, squad leader,

Turr Pherr with Push the limit ,

Or

1- Mauler with Squad Leader, Shield

3- Black Squad (vet inst, markx2)

1- Turr Pherr, with Push the limit, Shield

Cool squads- I think I could handle those.