Can this be useful on a low level Phantom?

I ran two Sigmas yesterday and got tabled, mostly due to being outpiloted. (I hadn't played since May so I was feeling rusty). Not being cloaked every turn takes away a lot of the arc dodging capacity of the Phantom, and just saddles you with green dice and 1 Evade.

The combination performed poorly for me, but the question is whether it was more me not having flown in almost 3 months, of if it's just genuinely a weak set up.

Are there ways to make low level Phantoms useful?

Well, a Sigma is 25 points (4 more than an X wing)... It has 1 more PS, (+3pt) and 1 less hull (+6pt difference)... so you're paying 6 points to get a 4th attack die, a different (given not really better/worse) dial, and the evade, BR, and Cloak actions... and losing the TL action.

Seems to me that if it was run as just a jouster, its well worth its points, even if you ignore the cloaking aspect of it. It's also a great distraction... for 25 points, would you rather have 2 academies or 1 sigma? It all depends on what you want out of them... but if you had an expensive ship (think loaded Kath)... I think I'd rather the Sigma so the opponent would be more willing to target it instead of leaving it for last as they would the academies.

Stygium with recon specialist can help them live longer when at 2 agility.

Recon specialist is good, but the jammer is the way to make it work. 3 Sigmas with stigium, jammer, and 2 with recon specialist and 1 with rebel captive. Brutal fun and lots of tactics to play around with. Patience is key. Maneuver and wait for prime shots and then cloak and block or evade for the next prime shot. Practice maneuvering with them though because they take more special awareness to run correctly than most other ships. Otherwise you will end up a sitting duck on an asteroid somewhere.

I've been tinkering with running low level Phantoms as a support ship (with opportunity fire) to use the crew slot with Fleet Officer. I actually eschew the SPA for a Stealth Device, keep it cloaked most of the time for 5 Agility, and feed focus to guys like Brath and/or Kir Kanos. When opportunity or need presents itself, decloak and snipe. I'm sorta meh on it thus far. It's just a hair too expensive to do what it does and I'll probably prefer the cheap Decimator later.

Also, been trying to find ways to get cheap Phantoms to work with things like Decoy (since it's longer range than Swarm Tactics) and still use ACD, but am thinking that it's more trouble than it's worth.

Overall, just not finding the SPA to be that great since it requires the action to engage Cloak. Maybe with Squad Leader, but... meh. For the 2 points, the ACD is still better, and running a way to get their PS up instead seems like a better play.

The point of the Particle Accelerator is to give low-PS Phantoms an option, I think. It's not as powerful as the ACD, but it doesn't entail a PS bid, and it helps you survive a turn where you can't dodge every arcand you'd prefer to spend your action cloaking than prepping your defense.

They have been played a lot at my local store. They are still scary.

I flew Chewie, Kyle and a gold squadron Y against 4 sigmas.

I got massacred. It was brutal.

Well if your jousting with it would recon specialist be worth adding, two focus plus the evade or are you tipping over points efficiency line.

I've been tinkering with running low level Phantoms as a support ship (with opportunity fire) to use the crew slot with Fleet Officer. I actually eschew the SPA for a Stealth Device, keep it cloaked most of the time for 5 Agility, and feed focus to guys like Brath and/or Kir Kanos. When opportunity or need presents itself, decloak and snipe. I'm sorta meh on it thus far. It's just a hair too expensive to do what it does and I'll probably prefer the cheap Decimator later.

Also, been trying to find ways to get cheap Phantoms to work with things like Decoy (since it's longer range than Swarm Tactics) and still use ACD, but am thinking that it's more trouble than it's worth.

Overall, just not finding the SPA to be that great since it requires the action to engage Cloak. Maybe with Squad Leader, but... meh. For the 2 points, the ACD is still better, and running a way to get their PS up instead seems like a better play.

This is interesting. With it's mobility, it might make an interesting platform for Mara Jade.

For my part, even on low PS Phantom, I prefer the ACD. The possibility to decloak every turn is just too good to pass. Without it, I won't even bother with the cloak action, unless I'm sure I won't be able to shoot that turn, so I would not get to use the SPA often enough to justify his price.

Can this be useful on a low level Phantom?

I ran two Sigmas yesterday and got tabled, mostly due to being outpiloted. (I hadn't played since May so I was feeling rusty). Not being cloaked every turn takes away a lot of the arc dodging capacity of the Phantom, and just saddles you with green dice and 1 Evade.

The combination performed poorly for me, but the question is whether it was more me not having flown in almost 3 months, of if it's just genuinely a weak set up.

Are there ways to make low level Phantoms useful?

I advocate the following:

Howlrunner + Swarm

Maulter Mithel + Swarm

2x Sigmas + Stygium + Recon

This is flown mini-swarm style dropping 12 to 17 red dice depending on range with an optimum evade and two focus tokens.

I flew Chewie, Kyle and a gold squadron Y against 4 sigmas.

I got massacred. It was brutal.

I really want to fly 4 phantoms. I just don't want to buy 4.

Can this be useful on a low level Phantom?

I ran two Sigmas yesterday and got tabled, mostly due to being outpiloted. (I hadn't played since May so I was feeling rusty). Not being cloaked every turn takes away a lot of the arc dodging capacity of the Phantom, and just saddles you with green dice and 1 Evade.

The combination performed poorly for me, but the question is whether it was more me not having flown in almost 3 months, of if it's just genuinely a weak set up.

Are there ways to make low level Phantoms useful?

I advocate the following:

Howlrunner + Swarm

Maulter Mithel + Swarm

2x Sigmas + Stygium + Recon

This is flown mini-swarm style dropping 12 to 17 red dice depending on range with an optimum evade and two focus tokens.

How many points are you adding that up to be? You're at 95 before you add the swarms.

Swarm tactics is 2 points each. So 2 of them is 4 points.

Can this be useful on a low level Phantom?

I ran two Sigmas yesterday and got tabled, mostly due to being outpiloted. (I hadn't played since May so I was feeling rusty). Not being cloaked every turn takes away a lot of the arc dodging capacity of the Phantom, and just saddles you with green dice and 1 Evade.

The combination performed poorly for me, but the question is whether it was more me not having flown in almost 3 months, of if it's just genuinely a weak set up.

Are there ways to make low level Phantoms useful?

I advocate the following:

Howlrunner + Swarm

Maulter Mithel + Swarm

2x Sigmas + Stygium + Recon

This is flown mini-swarm style dropping 12 to 17 red dice depending on range with an optimum evade and two focus tokens.

How many points are you adding that up to be? You're at 95 before you add the swarms.

It comes out to 99 - 60 for the Sigmas and 39 for Howl & Mithel.

This is an excellent jouster list, turn one the group moves 2 and the Sigmas cloak. Turn two the Sigmas boost 2 and move 2 with Howl and Mauler moving 4. The decloaked Sigmas now have an evade and two focus tokens and shoot at PS 8 & 7 respectively. If Han drops 4 hits at range 1 on a Sigma and you whiff the green you will still have 1 hull left to drop 5 reds back on him with focus and a Howlrunner re-roll. the second Sigma will do the same.

Just for ***** and giggles I came up with this build

Sigma Squadron pilots x2

Stygium Particle Accelerator

Recon specialist

Howlrunner

Decoy

Mauler Mithel

Decoy.

Just looks like fun.

Something a little different than the usual high ps Phantom with veteran instincts and advanced cloak device

Went with Decoy over swarm tactics because with the Phantom's cloak, and decloak, don't have to worry about them staying at range one of Howl, and Mauler

Also this may make my opponent add to who to shoot.

Shoot the ships which have already fired, or the ones who haven't.

Plus with recon and free evade hopefully survive the intial combat round

Thoughts?

Like? Dislike?

I'll have to give it a go maybe Thursday at our game night

Lord love a duck that five hundred buck, hello moose.

Didn't even see the almost identical build up above lol

Can this be useful on a low level Phantom?

I ran two Sigmas yesterday and got tabled, mostly due to being outpiloted. (I hadn't played since May so I was feeling rusty). Not being cloaked every turn takes away a lot of the arc dodging capacity of the Phantom, and just saddles you with green dice and 1 Evade.

The combination performed poorly for me, but the question is whether it was more me not having flown in almost 3 months, of if it's just genuinely a weak set up.

Are there ways to make low level Phantoms useful?

I advocate the following:

Howlrunner + Swarm

Maulter Mithel + Swarm

2x Sigmas + Stygium + Recon

This is flown mini-swarm style dropping 12 to 17 red dice depending on range with an optimum evade and two focus tokens.

How many points are you adding that up to be? You're at 95 before you add the swarms.

It comes out to 99 - 60 for the Sigmas and 39 for Howl & Mithel.

This is an excellent jouster list, turn one the group moves 2 and the Sigmas cloak. Turn two the Sigmas boost 2 and move 2 with Howl and Mauler moving 4. The decloaked Sigmas now have an evade and two focus tokens and shoot at PS 8 & 7 respectively. If Han drops 4 hits at range 1 on a Sigma and you whiff the green you will still have 1 hull left to drop 5 reds back on him with focus and a Howlrunner re-roll. the second Sigma will do the same.

I understand now. I was reading it as Howl plus a swarm of TIEs. My bad.

If you're going to run them with howl, why not take swarm for both instead since they would need to be within range 1 anyways for howl's benefit? Then EVERYONE can shoot high!

If you're going to run them with howl, why not take swarm for both instead since they would need to be within range 1 anyways for howl's benefit? Then EVERYONE can shoot high!

The first attack round probably wouldn't be a problem, but after that things can get pretty jumbled depending on who moves where and etc.

I'll try it and see how it works

May go back to the st

Since the Advanced Sensors + SPA ruling I haven't played it. It was a viable combo to get your Evade and focus+ decloak movement but now you can't so it's just not useful anymore.

got my new Vader list now

Sigma Squadron Pilot (25)
Fire-Control System (2)
Recon Specialist (3)
Stygium Particle Accelerator (2)

Sigma Squadron Pilot (25)
Fire-Control System (2)
Recon Specialist (3)
Stygium Particle Accelerator (2)

Darth Vader (29)
Outmaneuver (3)
Engine Upgrade (4)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

just for fun