Right now I have the core of a list that I'm very happy with, but I'm not sure how to spend the last points. So far:

Tycho + VI + PTL + proton rockets (31)

Jake + VI + PTL + proton rockets (33)

36 points left to spend

So that's a pair of high-PS threats with awesome maneuverability and a short-range nuke, and in playtesting so far they've done exactly what I've expected. But I've been trying various support options and so far I'm not really satisfied with any of them:

1) 3x bandit squadron z-95s. Awesome jousting efficiency and brings the ship count up a bit, but they just don't feel very effective. They're always shooting last, and they can't keep up with the a-wings so I feel like it's too easy for them to get isolated and destroyed without contributing much besides soaking up shots that probably wouldn't hit the out-of-arc a-wings anyway.

2) 2x refit prototype pilot, stealth devices on the elite ships. Raw numbers aren't so good, but at least now everything has the same maneuver dial and PS 1 is a slight advantage for blocking. Making the elite a-wings more durable sounds nice in theory, but do they really need it?

3) Wedge + predator + R2-D2. Major offensive threat that's almost guaranteed to kill something, and acts kind of like a super-Biggs that doesn't require a range-1 formation. On the other hand I'm really not sure about a 3-ship list where two of the ships only have two red dice.

4) Farlander + AS + VI + Jan. Same general idea as Wedge, but with less firepower in exchange for much better durability. Obviously Farlander isn't going to hit as hard, but will 8 HP with an evade every turn make up for it? And of course there's the same 3-ship problem as Wedge.

Opinions?

VI Corran is 36 and very maneuverable. I think the double refit is a good idea as well. But those B and X options will just be out there on their own for a swarm to squash.

Eating a Boat, PTL, R2. Should be able to keep up with your Awings and helps make their attacks stronger too.

Luke R2D2 Shield/Engine/Adrenaline Rush + Stealth Device seems pretty good

Horton, ion, Engine, droid + VI?? Horton's ion can help you stun key targets to get that range 1 shot

I like to use the usual little clear plastic pegs to support them.

Wedge or the Bandits look to be the best of those options (although personally I'm a fan of R5-P9 as a defensive choice rather than R2-D2, since he doesn't impact your dial--and Predator means you can often hold on to the token). Basically, either go for the maximum jousting efficiency and trust that you'll do some damage, or accept that 30+31 for your A-wings puts you in 3-ship territory regardless of the attack dice.

...an option you may not have considered: Jan + Ion Cannon Turret + Nien Nunb + Engine Upgrade, with a few points left for Jan's EPT (Predator?) or a Stealth Device for one of your A-wings. It alleviates your attack-dice problem, in a way, and with the EU she's better at dodging than opponents will typically expect.

VI Corran is 36 and very maneuverable. I think the double refit is a good idea as well. But those B and X options will just be out there on their own for a swarm to squash.

Not really a fan of e-wings, especially naked e-wings. Corran doesn't seem all that much more durable than Wedge, only gets a maneuverability advantage from barrel roll, and can't use his ability very effectively without any upgrades to support it. So it seems like this option is really just a weaker Wedge with a different ship model.

(Now, if I had just a few more points to upgrade Corran I'd be tempted, but the rest of the list has no room for changes.)

Eating a Boat, PTL, R2. Should be able to keep up with your Awings and helps make their attacks stronger too.

Luke R2D2 Shield/Engine/Adrenaline Rush + Stealth Device seems pretty good

Horton, ion, Engine, droid + VI?? Horton's ion can help you stun key targets to get that range 1 shot

The support e-wing is interesting, but PS 5 is kind of disappointing. The local metagame mirrors the "standard" metagame with lots of phantoms and high-PS phantom counters. It seems like this is kind of the awkward middle ground where he's as expensive as a high-PS ace but isn't the same level of threat.

Luke seems to have some potential. My biggest concern there is that he's not as much of an offensive threat as Wedge so he won't do as much damage if he gets ganked early, and is going to struggle to do anything to phantoms.

Salm is not appealing at all. Besides the durability issue I really want to get more than one damage per turn out of the last 36 points of my list. Once the proton rockets are gone I've only got a pair of 2-dice ships, so ion cannons seem like a luxury I can't afford. The local league has untimed matches, but I want to refine this into a list that I can take to timed tournaments.

...an option you may not have considered: Jan + Ion Cannon Turret + Nien Nunb + Engine Upgrade, with a few points left for Jan's EPT (Predator?) or a Stealth Device for one of your A-wings. It alleviates your attack-dice problem, in a way, and with the EU she's better at dodging than opponents will typically expect.

I've thought about HWKs (Jan especially), but haven't had any luck with them in the past. They just seem to die too quickly and that terrible dial is frustrating to deal with.

Outer Rim Smuggler, kitted to your preference.

I don't really feel like you need another elite pilot. You are running two at PS9+ already. What you are in desperate need of is MOAR GUNZ.

I think keep it simple with the best filler ships you can add just to beef up your hp and overall attack.

Dagger (or Blue+FCS) and a Bandit I like best. Dagger+HLC+FCS or AdvS might be an option if you are worried the support not keeping up with the As. He can fire effectively from the background. Of course, nothing is going to keep up with the As except more As, and really they are two independent operatives anyways, so I think you'd be best to just not worry about ships "keeping up" as long as they make it to the initial exchange in time.

Edit: Okay, that was hyperbole. I'm sure you could add EU/Expert Handling to some things to keep up with the As. But I'm still thinking you need to worry about more guns rather than keeping up with the flyboys.

Dagger (or Blue+FCS) and a Bandit I like best.

B-wing + z-95 is worse than 3x z-95. A b-wing (at least without AS) is just a generic "add more red and green dice" ship where jousting efficiency is everything, and the z-95s have better jousting efficiency. There's a reason why rookies and blues have pretty much disappeared from tournament lists.

Dagger+HLC+FCS or AdvS might be an option if you are worried the support not keeping up with the As. He can fire effectively from the background.

But dagger + HLC is just Wedge with PS 4 instead of PS 9. It's a little better at range 3, a lot worse at range 1, and has a much worse maneuver dial. In a metagame with lots of phantoms I don't really see the appeal of PS 4 "Wedge" compared to the PS 9 version.

Of course, nothing is going to keep up with the As except more As, and really they are two independent operatives anyways, so I think you'd be best to just not worry about ships "keeping up" as long as they make it to the initial exchange in time.

The issue less the raw speed of the a-wings and more the maneuvering. The z-95s need to maintain at least a loose formation to concentrate their fire, which makes them predictble. I'm concerned that this predictability makes them vulnerable to getting picked on early and wiped off the table wile the a-wings are off screwing around with fancy maneuvering tricks. Wedge/Farlander/Corran/etc might not be able to keep up with an a-wing either, but at least they're a lot of power in a single high-PS package so they can fly a little less predictably.

Jan Ors. As long as she is within range 3 of the A-wings that A-wing now has 3 attack dice. If Jan has an Ion turret and is slowly orbiting the battle area she can usually handle her stress without much trouble.

Dagger+HLC+FCS or AdvS might be an option if you are worried the support not keeping up with the As. He can fire effectively from the background.

But dagger + HLC is just Wedge with PS 4 instead of PS 9. It's a little better at range 3, a lot worse at range 1, and has a much worse maneuver dial. In a metagame with lots of phantoms I don't really see the appeal of PS 4 "Wedge" compared to the PS 9 version.

It is a PS4 Wedge with 5 shields, 3 hull and FCS. Just my opinion of course, but the beefier ship adds more to the list. I see Wedge as little more than the easy pickings to focus fire down. I've always felt that my opponent is going to shoot at something, and ships on my side are going to blow up. Whether you go with a B-Wing or Wedge, they are going to be THAT guy in your current list. I don't have any math to back it up, so maybe I'm totally off here, but I've seen many many X-wings focused down in a single round but I seldom see it happen to a B-Wing. The B is better at the long range shots he is likely to get, and will probably get a couple extra actions out of the FCS. Either way, I wouldn't expect either of them to make it to the point where they do a whole lot of maneuvering. There seems to me to be a cutoff in maneuverability - you are either Fast and/or maneuverable or you are not. The X-wing may technically have a better dial than the B, but it still isn't likely to dodge lots of shots with unpredicable maneuvers.

In other regards, there are two psychological effects at play. Wedge will definitely be your opponents target because he is the largest offensive threat, he is the easiest to hit and because people hate Wedge. On the other hand, a low PS B-wing may be ignored in favor of targeting your higher PS ships. Second, since people don't often expect to wipe a B-wing quickly, they sometimes choose targets they think they have a chance at wiping. Both of these might make someone point toward my arc-dodgers, which is what I often want if I'm flying arc-dodgers.

I can't speak to the Jousting efficiency of 3 Zs vs 1B/1Z. I'm biased against 2 attack ships, so I like the B/Z better. I can't support it with fact or math, and it probably isn't supported.

But overall, I think we just view these support ships to our elite ships in an entirely different manner; the problem you see with 3Zs doesn't give me the same heartburn it does you. If I fielded two pilots very good in the endgame as you have and my opponent chose to trade shots with my "predictable" filler ships for a few rounds and pick them off, I'd do a jig (in my mind). I feel like they have fallen into the trap and they are settling right in to the endgame I want. You seem intent on making this last chunk survivable through maneuverability, and I give up on making everyone survive, try to win the war of attrition, and have the better ships in the second half of the game.

i would get rid of proton rockets for 10pts extra (chardaan refit) to spend on maybe farlander fcs,ptl/oppertunist and a bandit

I would go with the extra A's with SD. Easier to keep them all in formation for combined fire.

Of course thats if your dead set on keeping your 2 kitted out A's as is.

Angry B or HWK via Kyle or Jan.

Drop one or both proton rockets. I'm not sure that 2 ace a-wings is going to get you there.

I like:

Jake + PTL + outmaneuver+ refit + test pilot

Craken + cluster

Bandit + concussion

Enough points left (33) o get you another hitter but I don't think 2 dice more is going to do it. The Craken cluster F gets you the action economy you need. Jake is a monster with 3-4 actions a turn. Tough to pin down list with a strong B or named x backing it.

Yeah, looking at your list, I'd think about

What is synergistic, what adds attack power...This makes me think of....3 attack ship, focus tokens...

Tycho is a lone wolf, and might really prefer predator to vi.

Jake, is maneuverable and loves to party.... What about Garven dries or Kyle Katarn? That gives you 9-10 points depending on blaster or in turret.

Kyle with jan gives your a wings evades if needed, and can let you boost and barrel with jake, while keeping an action for defense. You'd even be able to take the focus action, get an evade token with jan, barrel roll with jake, then pass focus from Kyle, and Boost, with a ptl for target lock. 5 actions enough?

Garven does the same but without the evade, and post firing timing. If you want to be sneaky, you can put r5-p9 on Garven, spend the focus token at the end of combat, and pass it to jake to barrel roll or boost, and then ptl for a future target lock. If you drop one VI you can run Garven and a bandit.

I'm having a very difficult time even coming up with a list I like enough to field Tycho. I really want to love flying him, but sadly, I think he basically requires VI at this point to push him up to 10 so he can go phantom hunting. Leaving him at 8 doesn't do too much for him, since you're paying lots of points for a 2 attack maneuverable ship, that gets outmaneuvered. So now you're sitting at PS10, and 25 points. But he's currently just a PS10 A wing. In order to make use of his ability, he needs PTL or EI or something to get make use of his stress free attitude. If you go the PTL route, you've made him 2 PS higher, and 1 point cheaper than he used to be, but he was never much of a threat anyways, and the PS gain is kinda useless because in the pre-W4 meta, PS8 was rather high, where as there are probably more pilots at PS10+ than there were at PS8+ before. So, he's 1 point cheaper, but he still comes in over cost, and still gets outflown by an interceptor (no BR).

So then if you go the EI route, you can put him up at 30-31 points if you equip EH or DD as well. Note that EI is a W5 item, and is not going to be legal for approx 2 months. But we can discuss it anyways. The main short coming I have with EI is now you have 1/3 of your points in an A wing, which, for the same reasons as an interceptor, is rather frail. Unlike the interceptor though, it only has 2 attack... Sooo... Now you've gone and paid all these points to basically make a Fel-lite, that's not as good, but costs just as much. And sure, you can add proton rockets, but on an A wing, they cost 5 points, and they aren't worth it.

Jake however, is quickly becoming one of my favorite A wing pilots. I had a Green w/ PTL in every one of my Regional squads, and I loved how they flew. I did decently at 2 of the 3 I attended, placing 13 and 14 respectively in 40+ events, always losing out on the top 8 via tie breakers (<3 the new MoV tiebreaker for large events btw). But it was 22 points, which is nothing to snoff at - I could have a blue for the same cost, and just 1 pilot skill lower. Once W4 hit, I couldn't justify running a PS3 Green for 22 points when I could run 2 PS2 Bandits for 24 points, so for Gencon, I had to (sadly) remove my A wing from my list.

Now, that same Green w/ PTL costs 20 points (or PS5 costs 21). Not too bad. But for 23 points, you could have a PS9 Jake. Jake, unlike every other A wing, doesn't really require PTL since he has his own version built in. Furthermore, he's even more maneuverable since he can BR instead of boost. And since he doesn't require PTL, he has the full dial available, just like Tycho does. If you truly wanted to increase his killing potential, I would recommend predator or outmaneuver over PTL, they keep him stress free, and help increase his power.

Now when you compare the two, there are obviously things that Tycho can do that Jake can't, primarily F+E. However, Jake can BR and Tycho can't. Tycho is 1 PS higher, which ensures he gets to move after all phantoms, and shoot before, whereas Jake will likely only be able to move after (so he will be shooting at cloaked Whispers). They both have access to 100% of the non-K dial. Jake has access to the K turn. Tycho doesn't care about tactician or rebel captive. Jake costs 4+ points less.

But regardless of which pilot you settle on, realize that interceptors do best when they play second fiddle to a larger 60+ point main squad threat. Multiple interceptor lists rarely do well. The same can likely be applied to the A wing, so I would recommend only choosing one of the two pilots to fly.

A-WING: · JAKE FARRELL

Veteran Instincts

Proton Rockets

A-Wing Test Pilot

Push The Limit

A-WING: · TYCHO CELCHU

Veteran Instincts

Proton Rockets

A-Wing Test Pilot

Push The Limit

HWK-290: · JAN ORS

Predator

Blaster Turret

· Nien Nunb

· Moldy Crow