Okay, so I try to buy my ships according to a certain in-universe logic combined with some buying practicality. Basically I try to buy according to in-universe proportions first and then stray on a case by case basis. (A-wing is my favorite ship so exception was made in buying a second Rebel Aces even though I now have almost as many A-wings as X-wings for example.)

But I have no idea what the proportionality is of the scum ships. I get that the Scyk is like a TIE/Ln but does that mean they are ubiquitous? How common were StarVipers outside of Xizor's personal fighter wing? WTFrakk do I do with the IG-2000??? So if I'm going by in-universe numbers, how many of each should I consider getting where:

Prototype: TIE/Adv /TIE Phantom

Rare: TIE/Defender E-wing

Uncommon: A-wing/B-wing TIE/Int

Common: X-wing Y-wing TIE/Ln Z-95

I'm thinking: 2 Most Wanted (4 Z-95, 2 Y-wing), 1 StarViper, 3 M3-A, 1 IG-2000 StarVipers seem like they were part of an elite and isn't only Virgo the only truly known one?

According to your signature you need more regular TIEs as surely these are the most common TIE variant.

But I agree with your comments regarding the Most Wanted as a good starting point.

There were TONS of StarVipers owned by Black Sun. The final battle of shadows of the empire (the game) was against dozens of StarVipers. Outside of Black Sun, I don't know how common they were. Wookieepedia says the Zann Consortium used them.

There were only 4 IG-2000s, owned by each IG-88 model.

For Scum-

Common: Z-95, Y-Wing, M3-A Scyk Interceptor

Uncommon- HWK-290, StarViper, Firespray-31

Rare/Prototype- IG-2000 (the Agressor heavy fighter itself would probably be rare, while IG-88's unique version is a prototype)

I also focus on a plausible squadron composition when expanding my collection. It helps that more advanced ships (lore-wise) also tend to be more expensive (points-wise). What you've listed is probably a pretty good spread.

For Scum-

Common: Z-95, Y-Wing, M3-A Scyk Interceptor
Uncommon- HWK-290, StarViper, Firespray-31
Rare/Prototype- IG-2000 (the Agressor heavy fighter itself would probably be rare, while IG-88's unique version is a prototype)

I'd say the Starviper would also be "rare", since it is almost nonexistent outside of the upper echelons of Black Sun. Where it is available, however, it will likely show up in decent numbers.

The HWK-290 could also be "common", but most people don't field them in numbers.

According to your signature you need more regular TIEs as surely these are the most common TIE variant.

But I agree with your comments regarding the Most Wanted as a good starting point.

I've exercised some restraint regarding TIE/Lns since 1) neither I nor anybody in my playgroup ever plays the TIE swarm and b) I'm not going for literal proportions. Once I have enough TIE/Lns to do what I needed to do, I stopped. Likewise, you gotta figure other editions are coming out. So I held off on buying Y-wings because I figured they'd get an Aces treatment eventually and they effectively have. Same for the B's.

StarVipers and Firesprays both were unique, one of a kind ships that became merely uncommon ships through subsequent canon. The Firespray Slave 1 was supposed to be the last surviving model after Jango Fett made off with it and blasted the other prototypes (or so the story goes, roughly) and for a time might have been the only one. Originally, bounty hunters probably were meant to have unique ships, but seeing as Boba Fett is the more iconic of the profession, his ship became symbolic of bounty hunting and therefore the generic pilot card is called the "bounty hunter". Other characters that pilot the ship in this game are mercenaries or bounty hunters. Of course, the canon explains that the ships went back into production and that generated more firesprays. Similarly, I'm sure the Virago was meant to be a one-off vehicle for Xizor originally.

I like what the game has done in these situations. We have a unique Title card to designate a specific ship as THE slave 1 or THE virago or THE falcon giving it something unique and flavorful. Of course, there are some issues with dual falcons when the difference between a falcon and a stock yt-1300 is much bigger than a 1 pt card, both in game and in canon. overall I like how we can have the Xizor's virago and keep it unique if you wish or recreate the video game and include many "stock" StarVipers. Same with firesprays. You might lose some uniqueness but then you get more cool ships.

Once we learn more about the pilots and ships, I'll start considering how many StarVipers I want. I doubt I'll do a double Firespray build because I don't like doubling up on big ships, even if it is essentially a big fighter. However, I like the look of the StarViper and I'd love to have a couple in my list along side more common craft. If they're good enough, I may field a bunch of them...

Rarity matters less in a single squadron than it would as a survey of an entire organization. Yes, any given Imperial formation will have TIE/lns, but an elite squadron might have a ton of Interceptors, perhaps even shielded. If there are several StarVipers or TIE Defenders in a group, then I figure they'll likely stick together in the same squadron. It makes perfect sense to field multiples of such ships.

Joker Two, StarVipers were NOT rare. Black Sun used tons of them, as well as the Zahn Consortium, and it is a Mandalorian made fighter, so I'm sure they used them as well. Now the Virago on the other hand.........

Joker Two, StarVipers were NOT rare. Black Sun used tons of them, as well as the Zahn Consortium, and it is a Mandalorian made fighter, so I'm sure they used them as well. Now the Virago on the other hand.........

It really, really, really depends on what era you're talking about and what sources you're using.

The Zann Consortium was basically created out of whole cloth for Empire At War: Forces of Corruption, and doesn't show up in any other material that I'm aware of. Prince Xizor certainly had the Virago, that's well-established, but the Starviper's supposed widespread use within the timeframe of the movies comes entirely from the Empire At War: Forces of Corruption and Shadows of the Empire games, and video games are one of the least consistent sources of reliable in-universe information.

The Starviper did eventually go into limited production after the Virago's success, just like how the Slave I was originally a prototype whose popularity (both in- and out-of-universe) caused it's chassis to see a resurgence, but it never became anyone's mainstay. Also, I believe it didn't happen until after Xizor's death (he didn't want anyone to have toys as shiny as he did).

And Mandalore has had some...continuity problems...with more recently released material. Let's leave it at that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for the Starviper! I played a ton of Empire At War! But I stick to the novels and Essential Guide sourcebooks when consistency is an issue, since they are far more cross-referential than comics, video games, or TV shows. And although there's the Virago and perhaps a couple other singles or pairs in various hodgepodge squadrons across the years, the Starviper doesn't show up in either in any significant numbers.