I realize they don't have the extra shield you were going for but I feel that one shield isn't always worth the points when I can get re-rolls with focus. Besides if you are in arc and worried about getting shot up, boost into the opponents ship and shoot someone else. It's kind of a cheesy move when outnumbered, but can change the odds quick.

You can't boost into another ship. If you can't complete the maneuver (just like Barrel Roll) it doesn't happen. I was sad to see this too as it really allowed Turr to mess with someone with lower PS.

Crap! something else I've been doing wrong. Thanks

Royal guard is getting the same discount! That's why they're both point efficient. Compare him to the other generics.

I realize they don't have the extra shield you were going for but I feel that one shield isn't always worth the points when I can get re-rolls with focus. Besides if you are in arc and worried about getting shot up, boost into the opponents ship and shoot someone else. It's kind of a cheesy move when outnumbered, but can change the odds quick.

You can't boost into another ship. If you can't complete the maneuver (just like Barrel Roll) it doesn't happen. I was sad to see this too as it really allowed Turr to mess with someone with lower PS.

Crap! something else I've been doing wrong. Thanks

For the first 5 games or so I played TURR, he was untouchable. We were allowing this and for him to take the same action twice (double boost or double BR). He was UNTOUCHABLE. Turr is still great but no longer getting a 3 speed boost or BR, or being able to ram other ships, he actually gets shot at (sometimes when people claim to never get shot and at or always being able to arc dodge I wonder if they are still doing one or both of these).

Royal guard is getting the same discount! That's why they're both point efficient. Compare him to the other generics.

Yes, I know about the other generics, I mentioned it in my post.

But if there is another ship that cost 2 points less with the same ''discount'', you are still paying 2 points for 1 more PS. So unless you REALLY want your ship to be PS7 instead of 6, why would you take Cowall instead of a Royal Guard if not for the ability?

Because the other PS 7 guy is still 1 more at 25. Sure you can VI your Royal Guard to get them to PS 8 for 23pts, but you lose your EPT to do so.

It's not perfect, but when compared to all other interceptors except the RGP outlier, Cowall is a point cheaper than he "should" be. If you're looking for a buddy for JAX to take into the furball, he's a great choice.

While I like the tough Interceptors there comes a point when you may be asking yourself "why not just jump up to a Defender instead?"

Your PtL Interceptor may be prime candidates for Stealth Devices. They have a lot of agility to start with an are likely to have a Focus when needed to turn that extra die.

I think defenders look bloody awful thats why

...I...But...the bromance is over *runs off crying*

Because the other PS 7 guy is still 1 more at 25. Sure you can VI your Royal Guard to get them to PS 8 for 23pts, but you lose your EPT to do so.

It's not perfect, but when compared to all other interceptors except the RGP outlier, Cowall is a point cheaper than he "should" be. If you're looking for a buddy for JAX to take into the furball, he's a great choice.

Heh, not convince. Don't forget that the other PS 7 pilot we are talking about is Turr, which has a stellar ability that should indeed cost more points than Cowall.

If there was no RGP, I would agree that you are not paying for the ability, but you always have the option to take the Royal Guard Pilot, so why should we compare Cowall to the other generics when there is the Royal Guard that is still cheaper? You can't deny that when you take Cowall, given the existance of the RGP, you are now paying 2 points for a 1 bump in PS.

I personally believe that when they made Imperial Aces, they acknowledged that the Generic Interceptors were slightly overcost so made a generic more in line with what it should be. If you take the RGP as the base and drop the price by one per PS, you'll find the Alpha costed at 17pts, right where Major formula place it. Maybe they came to the same conclusion and realised that the Interceptor needed a slight boost.Given that Soontir and Turr have stellar abilities, they both didn't really needed a price drop in the first place, so it didn't made them obsolete. As for the cheaper pilots, they are still cheaper so if you are low in points, they are still an option (but not that good, as we can see with their presence in tournaments).

Oh, I agree with you 100%. I was just explaining the how.

PS 7 is a good place to be in an interceptor with PTL. Not as good as 8-11 but can you afford VI on any interceptor but Turr (and that's highly debateable at best)? Ties or beats some important stuff.

PS 7 is a good place to be in an interceptor with PTL. Not as good as 8-11 but can you afford VI on any interceptor but Turr (and that's highly debateable at best)? Ties or beats some important stuff.

You're right. And for the record, even if I don't consider his ability free, I still think Cowall is a nice pilot that I like to fly sometimes. Once you pull the 1 k-turn in a game, you understand how sneaky he can be. That's why I prefer to run him with Predator, so even after his k-turn, he can still shoot with a modifier, and never being stressed because of PtL means he can make his k-turn anytime. Can't wait to try him with Lonewolf for some survivability.

While I like the tough Interceptors there comes a point when you may be asking yourself "why not just jump up to a Defender instead?"

.

For people taking a defender without an HLC, I'd be asking the opposite question, and I love Defenders, but it's one of the reasons I advocate taking a HLC on them.

In my experience, the tubby PTL interceptor with SU and HU is more resilient than a defender with the evades more than making up for the extra.

RG with HU, SU, and PTL is 32 points. That's 5 HP, +4 PS over an onyx at the same cost, and the ability to evade and far more maneuverable. The onyx only has the white K-turn on it to make up for all that, and I don't think that's enough.

When you look at the named pilots like Jax and Fel it's actually even more in the favor of the interceptor. Fel's ability makes him much harder to kill with the extra focus and he's the same cost with PTL SU+HU as Brath except Fel also has the all important PS 9 in today's meta.

Alright, so I was playing around with your idea and I came up with the following interesting variation:

Turr Phennir + PtL + HU + SU

Tetran Cowall + PtL + HU + SU

Kir Kanos + HU + SU

I know, I know, what's with Kanos being in the mix?? Well, with 2 pilots shooting before him Kanos can use his ability to great effect in finishing off a wounded target.

well, whatever that is effective against the phantom is also effective against the TIEint, and given that the TIEint has less agi, less hp, no shields, you can quickly see where this is going. It gets even worse if your TIEint does not have PTL on them, such as the generic Alpha or named pilots like Kir Kanos and Lt L'Oreal

I still vouch for the 3/4 royal PTL being a good list, although if you meet any phantoms running VI, you can kiss your butt goodbye

I'm pretty confident the "magic bullet" in the form of interceptor "love" will come in modification form so as to make the phantom choose between it and ACD. It's going to have to be pretty great or pretty expensive to keep phantoms off it...which doesn't bode we'll for the interceptor.

Still a bit miff'd by the Stygian + adv sens interaction the ruling is right but that interaction would have at least given phantoms a second load out option. Might have been a whole different meta if ACD wasn't auto-include because there is no other modification option for the phantom.

I'm pretty confident the "magic bullet" in the form of interceptor "love" will come in modification form so as to make the phantom choose between it and ACD. It's going to have to be pretty great or pretty expensive to keep phantoms off it...which doesn't bode we'll for the interceptor.

Still a bit miff'd by the Stygian + adv sens interaction the ruling is right but that interaction would have at least given phantoms a second load out option. Might have been a whole different meta if ACD wasn't auto-include because there is no other modification option for the phantom.

well, thematically speaking they wanted it to move around while cloaked, not teleport

Then theme killed a viable, flexible, tactical, and fun option; I'd prefer theme to stay with aesthetics.

I'm pretty confident the "magic bullet" in the form of interceptor "love" will come in modification form so as to make the phantom choose between it and ACD. It's going to have to be pretty great or pretty expensive to keep phantoms off it...which doesn't bode we'll for the interceptor.

You may want to reread what you just wrote because it looks like you're trying very hard not to set yourself up for disappointment. If it's so good a phantom player would consider it over ACD it's going to be a no-brainer on an interceptor. Besides, and I mean no offense, it seems like a huge leap to think it's going to do that anyway.

I reserve the right to be disappoints and hopeful at the same time. If it is a no brained on interceptors AND gives the phantom a new option...well, that might be too glorious a day to even hope for.

Some great ideas guys.

I'm a narrative/scenario/story based player and this always influences my choices.

One of the reasons why i'm set on some of my choices is that I want to run three similar coloured models, the visual image of three royal guard is great.

In the backstory Royal Ties have shield units fitted as standard, I'd like to keep them on to fit the lore., otherwise it just seems like choosing 'royal tie' for an extra upgrade slot.

I also prefer SU over HU for the obvious reason that the first hull damage you take can totally screw your intereptor by making you for example PS1 or increasing the amount of 'reds' on the dial. Whereas SU is always going to guarantee shrugging off that first hit.

I can see the merits in Stealth though given with PTL you can always have a focus handy if you need it.

Like I say my primary goal in a list is to make something 'thematic', making it credible to compete comes secondary.

For a while I was toying with the idea of dropping one interceptor to have vader in a shuttle, give them something *really* thematic but i still suck with the lambda so i need to play a few more games with it first.

I reserve the right to be disappoints and hopeful at the same time. If it is a no brained on interceptors AND gives the phantom a new option...well, that might be too glorious a day to even hope for.

My point is that anything will have a hard time displacing ACD. I have a very difficult time imagining a card made in defense of turrets that would not only be defensive enough to replace ACD but the action economy involved as well. It would have to be a darn good card, especially as it will be useful against turreted ships. So, I think it will likely be a card focused on the interceptor or ships like it.

HU and SU doesn't make Interceptors tough; that's a fallacy that people need to get out of their head. One less shield and one more dice than an X-Wing, so equivalent toughness, but X-Wings are far from it. And the difference in why 3 X's work is because they are usually three named pilots with abilities that compliment each other.

I love Interceptors, and run them often. They are my favourite ship. But I would not run 3 in this meta, and I certainly wouldn't pump so many points into something so fragile.

I you are going to do this though get Soontir Fel in there. Also, Turr really wants VI to make sure he can shoot first and then Barrel Roll out of the way.

It's an interesting build, but you are sinking 34 points to have a tie interceptor use squad leader and have no focus or evade token left on it (and no possibility to use the manoeuver unless an enemy is in front ofit). As weird as it sounds, Vader might just be a better choice at 31 points. In the end though, feel free to try it for the fun of it and give us feedback!

I had actually run a similar list a week ago or so. I don't have an Advanced, so I borrowed my friends. He ran a HSF Variant with -

Han, Gunner, MF Title

Blue Squadron B-Wing

Rebel Operative, Moldy Crow Title, Recon Specialist, and Blaster Turret

So, not necessarily the strongest list, but 2 - 3 attack turrets and 2 tanks (B-Wing and Falcon).

I ran the following -

Vader - Squad Leader

Backstabber, Hull Upgrade

RGP, PtL (x2)

I set up Backstabber and RGP 1 directly across from the Falcon in one corner, and Vader and RGP 2 in the opposite corner across from his B and Hwk.

Backstabber and #1 moved diagonally through the asteroid field trying to come at the Falcons flank - out of its primary arc, to make use of Backstabbers ability. RGP 1 kept Han busy, while Backstabber was allowed to do his thing and pound on Han from the side and back.

RGP 2 was set up just in front of Vader. #2 moved forward, with Vader staying within range 2. When I met the B and Hwk, the RGP barrel rolled out of the B's arc. Vader moved last, focusing, and passing an action to the RGP who focused and evaded. The B never even got a shot off before Vader and #2 destroyed it (I was kind of worried about the B truth be told.) The Hwk went down next, with me doing the same sort of action passing from Vader to #2.

Meanwhile on the other side of the board, Han had taken out RGP #1, but not before he had been whittled down. With Backstabber playing cat and mouse out of Han's primary arc, Vader and #2 joined the fray, and Han went down without much more of a fight.

Vader's paint wasn't even scratched, nor was #2. Backstabber was down to 1 hull when Han was finally eliminated.

People don't give Vader the credit he is due. With some fancy flying from the RGP's I was able to make much shorter work of my enemies than I thought.

Here's the thing. When people see RGP's on the table with PtL, they KNOW they're a threat. People underestimate Vader because of his 2 attack. People underestimate Backstabber when he is paired with higher priority targets. I purposely kept Vader back and at range 2 of #2, to prevent him from being the primary points heavy target. That left the 2 RGP's. Interceptors have such an amazing dial, and combined with the economy of action from PtL, they are a huge threat. Giving one a 3rd action is icing on the cake.

HU and SU doesn't make Interceptors tough; that's a fallacy that people need to get out of their head. One less shield and one more dice than an X-Wing, so equivalent toughness, but X-Wings are far from it.

Uh, what? Whether Hull Upgrade and Shield Upgrade are worth adding together to an Interceptor is a reasonable question, but whether a ship with 3 Agility and 5 total hit points is tough really isn't up for debate--particularly when you can back up your dice and hit points with excellent maneuverability and/or an extra defensive action. It's going to be a pretty hard list to kill.

My major concern about three HU+SU Interceptors isn't about toughness, but about offensive efficiency. It's hard to make three Rebel ships work because often they just don't have the firepower; I'm worried that might be the case here, as well.

HU and SU doesn't make Interceptors tough; that's a fallacy that people need to get out of their head. One less shield and one more dice than an X-Wing, so equivalent toughness, but X-Wings are far from it. And the difference in why 3 X's work is because they are usually three named pilots with abilities that compliment each other.

Sure, if you only go head-on against your opponent only taking a focus action, they are not that much more tough than a X-Wing. But you are forgetting the two most important points that make this ship much more harder to kill than a X-Wing.

1-Arc dodging: the Interceptor is more maneuvrable ship than the X-Wing, so your opponent will have a harder time getting a shot on it on the first place. If they can't shoot it, they can't hit it, no matter how many defense dice it has.

2-Evade action: When the arc dodging fail and there is no way to get out of the line of fire, you can Turtle Up with a focus+Evade action. If you get to use the evade action, it is like having one more shield per round.

So no, this is not a fallacy that people need to get out of their head. If played like an Interceptor should be played, it will be much harder to kill than a X-Wing. Soontir, unlike Wedge, doesn't need no stinkin' Biggs to save his butt.

I've found those extra two HP mean i usually have one still in the game at the end...

I've nearly always put a shield upgrade on interceptors when i've used them and i find that its not just an extra HP, its an extra hp that doesnt have the chance of shredding you if i critical is that one hit that goes through.

Again, its based on prior experience where the first damaging hit going through has in the past made an interceptor pretty useless by either makng it PS0, removing its action bar or increasing the amount of red moves

HU and SU doesn't make Interceptors tough; that's a fallacy that people need to get out of their head. One less shield and one more dice than an X-Wing, so equivalent toughness, but X-Wings are far from it.

Uh, what? Whether Hull Upgrade and Shield Upgrade are worth adding together to an Interceptor is a reasonable question, but whether a ship with 3 Agility and 5 total hit points is tough really isn't up for debate--particularly when you can back up your dice and hit points with excellent maneuverability and/or an extra defensive action. It's going to be a pretty hard list to kill.

My major concern about three HU+SU Interceptors isn't about toughness, but about offensive efficiency. It's hard to make three Rebel ships work because often they just don't have the firepower; I'm worried that might be the case here, as well.

I've found 3 three attack ships to be good enough in the current meta. The problem with three rebel small-ship builds is that those rebel ships that have three attack dice aren't maneuverable enough to regularly escape concentrated fire.