So far I've found the B-Wing to be the best for it for a number of reasons:

It can move slowly to keep the range open for as long as possible.

It can turn tightly to bring new targets to bear.

It is survivable.

It is relatively cheap which means that you won't have to build your list around it.

As for the other options mentioned:

The Lambda is cheap but it can't hang around for long before it has to begin a big slow turn around.

The Firespray is decent but you're not getting the benefit out of the rear arc that you pay points for. Krassis is decent but I doubt I'd put it on anyone else.

The Defender is too expensive. Adding a HLC to it forces your build to revolve around it, and at the end of the day, it is not much harder to kill than a pair of TIE fighters. It is also lacks the ability to duel in close.

Thanks for the input folks. Looks like B-Wing and Defender get top votes with Shuttle and Firespray honorable mention.

Kath or Boba firespray with predator.

They are both already not worth the points. I don'tget the Kath and boba love around here. Fluff aside, they are both horrible ships for the pts and what they provide. Youre essentially paying a madness of pts just for a high PS firespray.

Krassis was made for HLC. Toss a rec spec on him and you have what I think is the most balanced ship for offense and defense in the game. I use him quite a bit and never regret it.

Another vote for this, although a yt2400 withOUT the outrider title is looking very tempting.

A 360 HLC does sound good but that range 1 dead spot makes me afraid plus it's 12 points to field it.

I think you may have missed the OUT in "withOUT" when talking about the YT-2400. Sure you could spend even more points for the Outrider title making it the "best" HLC use you could have but the hole in the middle tells me to forget the title and save the points. The 2400 has BR to set up better shots and presumably to allow it to move forward at a very slow rate if desired; when something does manage to get by the HLC you'd still have shots due to the Turret primary weapon.

Yup I'm really betting that after the "hey look new stuff!" Phase passes and the wave 5 meta matures, the 2400 with the HLC but without the title will be the most popular. The range 1 weakness is a horrendous setback for the cost of the title.

Kath or Boba firespray with predator.

They are both already not worth the points. I don'tget the Kath and boba love around here. Fluff aside, they are both horrible ships for the pts and what they provide. Youre essentially paying a madness of pts just for a high PS firespray.

Kind of agree the firespray isn't so fragile you need the PS, basic pilot has always served me well.

Fettigator is a great option against phantoms and YT's. There's no good way to get out of his arc and he will shoot first against any phantom when he carries VI, plus he is in an awesome ship.

B-wing pilot farlander with oppertunist is in my opinion the best one. Especially with a Jan and Wes hanging around.

Fettigator is a great option against phantoms and YT's. There's no good way to get out of his arc and he will shoot first against any phantom when he carries VI, plus he is in an awesome ship.

Sure but while you spend 49 pts (HLC + nav) on your overpriced fettigator. I'm spending 49 pts that can wipe the floor with him and still be useful vs lists that don't rely on arc dodging.

To each his own. Its just my opinion that Fett is a 1 trick pony that is about 4 or 5 pts overcosted.

I'm certainly not a min/max type of player. But I do enjoy doing things in an efficient and balanced way. So ships like Bona just rub me the wrong way.

Can't wait for him to be redeemed by a crew card.

I'm digging Rexlar Brath w/ Predator - although that's a hefty point cost (47 w/ hlc) he stands a decent chance to turn a few of those 4 hits into crits. That along with his agility and survivability makes this guy a favorite of mine.

This looks inviting with a mini swarm!

If you're talking just the base ship with a generic pilot and only the HLC as an upgrade, I'd say that the Defender is hands down the winner, due to its 6 hit points and more importantly 3 Agility dice. I would say the B-Wing gets second place, since its 8 hit points means it'll likely get a few shots off before it goes down.

However, throw in some named pilots and other upgrades, and I'd say it flips over to the B-Wing, due in part to the ability to get an additional two attack dice through Jan Ors' pilot ability and Opportunist, though both Ibtisam and Farlander can benefit from Push The Limit (to get a re-roll when attacking/defender, or using a stress token as a focus). Personally, I weigh those higher than Brath's ability, though that may be in part that I haven't been able to proc it, and end up spending his focus to get more damage on a ship with the HLC instead of flipping it up, though admittedly that's partially due to dice and not usually having a target lock and a focus for mitigation.

If you're talking just the base ship with a generic pilot and only the HLC as an upgrade, I'd say that the Defender is hands down the winner, due to its 6 hit points and more importantly 3 Agility dice. I would say the B-Wing gets second place, since its 8 hit points means it'll likely get a few shots off before it goes down.

However, throw in some named pilots and other upgrades, and I'd say it flips over to the B-Wing, due in part to the ability to get an additional two attack dice through Jan Ors' pilot ability and Opportunist, though both Ibtisam and Farlander can benefit from Push The Limit (to get a re-roll when attacking/defender, or using a stress token as a focus). Personally, I weigh those higher than Brath's ability, though that may be in part that I haven't been able to proc it, and end up spending his focus to get more damage on a ship with the HLC instead of flipping it up, though admittedly that's partially due to dice and not usually having a target lock and a focus for mitigation.

I would be curious to know if taking a third/fourth hit over flipping two/three cards is worth it.

Wave five will give the empire the ability to pass focus around which will greatly help old rexler.

Kath or Boba firespray with predator.

They are both already not worth the points. I don'tget the Kath and boba love around here. Fluff aside, they are both horrible ships for the pts and what they provide. Youre essentially paying a madness of pts just for a high PS firespray.

I've played about 25 games with a list solely using kath & boba with hlc and predator and have won about 75% of the time with it. It really is powerful. Taking a ship down each round is not unusual.

So far I've found the B-Wing to be the best for it for a number of reasons:

It can move slowly to keep the range open for as long as possible.

- Yeah, its certainly slower than the defender. But once you close the distance on a B-wing, its hard for it to disengage to get back at range.

It can turn tightly to bring new targets to bear.

-So can the Defender. Last time I check both 1 hard turns were red

It is survivable.

-The Defender is just as survivable, if not more so. I know you are down 2 shields, but the extra 2 agility more than makes up for it. Also, arc dodging is easier with the white K-turn. B-wings tend to die fast when you can land a couple of attacks against them in one round.

It is relatively cheap which means that you won't have to build your list around it.

-True, for the generics but the named B-wing pilots can get pricey.

As for the other options mentioned:

The Lambda is cheap but it can't hang around for long before it has to begin a big slow turn around.

The Firespray is decent but you're not getting the benefit out of the rear arc that you pay points for. Krassis is decent but I doubt I'd put it on anyone else.

The Defender is too expensive. Adding a HLC to it forces your build to revolve around it, and at the end of the day, it is not much harder to kill than a pair of TIE fighters. It is also lacks the ability to duel in close.

My comments are above.

Wave five will give the empire the ability to pass focus around which will greatly help old rexler.

We, the citizens of the Empire, graciously thank his Excellency, the Emperor, for this tremendous boon.