So, talk me out of running this themed list:

Echo with ACD

Delta Squadron Pilot

Alpha Squadron Pilot

Alpha Squadron Pilot

Its 3 PS 1's, and a PS 6 Echo with nothing fancy. I get it. But I played a game yesterday against an all PS2 Rebel swarm, 5 guns all shooting before my ps1's do, and yet the only ship I lost all game was the Delta because I clipped a rock by a mm, pulled a direct hit, and he promptly finished it off with a Blue.

I mean, sure it has some good guns, but they will be shooting last, so they have to survive long enough to attack. And Alphas generally get laughed off of the board without someone giving them swarm tactics. What I really like about this list is that it is a challenge. I have to fly it to keep my ships alive, which means I have to guess ranges right and arc dodge without knowing where my opponent will be. And that to me is fun.

So, am I crazy for even considering running this list at a tourney?

It sounds to me like you need stiffer competition across the border Doug.

I respect the fact that you're running what many people here consider a "sub-optimal build" just to challenge yourself.

Crazy? Probably. But it's my kind of crazy! Sounds fun!

Oh, I think my opponent is more than competent, since his squad really fits him perfectly. Good dice by me helped, but I really had to limit the shots against in order to survive.

As we discussed last night man, I really it. There is a lot in there to be worried about, namely the 13 - 17 attack dice you bring to the table with some very agile ships, totting the same number of evade dice!

I would love to see it fly man!

So, talk me out of running this themed list...

No.

There's nothing wrong with anything in the list. Deltas are effective if you play to their strengths ("boom and zoom") and use the white K to pick up shots other ships can't get. Echo is, obviously, a strong choice; the lack of VI is unusual but isn't much of a drawback in a metagame that currently strives for PS9+ or no bid at all. And Alphas have the most efficient offense in the game, and are therefore an excellent choice as long as you give your opponent something else to shoot at--which of course you are, here.

It's not a list I think I'd play very well, but it's a strong one. Find opponents who are willing to run a diverse set of lists against it (you know how to find me if you want a Vassal game), and get a good handle on how to fly it against different kinds of opposition. If it holds up, stick with it!

I may try it out tonight on vassal after my son goes to bed.

Let me start by saying you can play whatever you like and I expect you will have a good amount of success with it. Hell, I'll probably try this because I love interceptors and Phantoms so much, but I expect my result will be much less favorable since I'm not very good with them =).

That being said, I think that everyone's two favorite lists, the Falcon (particularly Han w/3-4Zs, or Paul's build) and Whisper&co, could give you some trouble and that's pretty serious given how prevalent those lists are/have been. I do think that both the Falcon and Whisper-based stuff will likely subside a bit, which helps a lot. Quite honestly, if I were able to play X-Wing at Worlds I would strongly consider a Rebel Swarm-style list to counter the massive amount of Falcons, and take my chances with Whisper. Obviously if many people think this way, you would do fine, given your success thus far and player skill. If you had to face constant Falcon/Whisper, though, I would be worried that the tourney would be rocky.

Not sure if that should dissuade you, particularly if we are talking about a local tourney. If you feel you are good against the Falcon and Whisper, then I'd go for it. I think you can beat most other lists with this without much trouble.

I've got a list with two Shadow Sqs with ADV cloak and Alphas. I'm hoping Alpha interceptors are more useful than indicated to be by the community, they're expensive but as long as they're cheaper than the rest of your list?

So, talk me out of running this themed list:

Echo with ACD

Delta Squadron Pilot

Alpha Squadron Pilot

Alpha Squadron Pilot

Its 3 PS 1's, and a PS 6 Echo with nothing fancy. I get it. But I played a game yesterday against an all PS2 Rebel swarm, 5 guns all shooting before my ps1's do, and yet the only ship I lost all game was the Delta because I clipped a rock by a mm, pulled a direct hit, and he promptly finished it off with a Blue.

I mean, sure it has some good guns, but they will be shooting last, so they have to survive long enough to attack. And Alphas generally get laughed off of the board without someone giving them swarm tactics. What I really like about this list is that it is a challenge. I have to fly it to keep my ships alive, which means I have to guess ranges right and arc dodge without knowing where my opponent will be. And that to me is fun.

So, am I crazy for even considering running this list at a tourney?

OK, so, I like crazy squad ideas so I'll go with it!

What you essentially have is three glass cannons and a tank. Your opponent will almost certainly want to leave your Delta Squadron pilot for last. Maybe that is all part of your evil plan, you can abuse the white K-turn in the end game...

But another idea is to run four glass cannons, to make your opponent's target priority decisions less obvious. So what about swapping out the Delta Squadron Pilot for a Sigma Squadron Pilot? Go big or go home!

95 points

Echo + ACD (34)

Sigma Squadron Pilot (25)

2x Alpha Squadron Pilot (36)

So that leaves 5 points for flavor. A couple of options are:

• Hull Upgrade or Recon Spec on Echo + Stygium Particle Accelerator on Sigma
• FCS on both Phantoms, plus Intelligence Agent or Veteran Instincts on Echo
• Upgrade Echo to Whisper + VI + ACD, with 2 points leftover
• (edit) PS3 Interceptors so all three generics move and shoot at PS3, 1 point left over

I've got a list with two Shadow Sqs with ADV cloak and Alphas. I'm hoping Alpha interceptors are more useful than indicated to be by the community, they're expensive but as long as they're cheaper than the rest of your list?

The cost of an Alpha Squadron Pilot isn't the right metric, I think. The keys are its extremes in efficiency: it's the cheapest 3-Attack ship in the game, and holds up well under just about any reasonable standard for offensive efficiency. (Basically, only the TIE Fighter, Headhunter, and Phantom are really close, and against targets with 2+ Agility you'd rather have the Interceptor.)

It pays for it by some of the worst glass-cannon-ness in the game. It ranks near the bottom of any reasonable value of defensive efficiency. And the Alpha has the worst deal of all Interceptors: not only is it shockingly easy to kill for its cost, but PS1 means literally any PS bid stands to kill it before it can attack again (or, occasionally, to attack at all).

So you're not likely to get your points back out of them if your opponent goes gunning for them early.But if you give your opponent a higher-priority target, that leverages their excellent offense and takes their defensive weaknesses out of the picture entirely.

In a list with a Phantom, then, they have a chance to really tear things up. A pair of them is the best 36 points you can spend in an Imperial list if you can ensure that your opponent ignores them for a few rounds. They're honestly one of my favorite "splashes", lately.

Keep in mind, the theme is "phonetics", so any alterations should stay within the theme (i.e. "s" is Sierra, not Sigma.) I considered taking the 2 alphas out for another delta, but its more fun with 2 alphas in there.

In the game I played, I gave him the delta early while flanking with the alphas and echo. I really have to play to not get shot at (by non turret ships, obviously.)

Played a vassal game last night vs ps8 echo, krassis with hlc and a shuttle. The game went late, so I had to go to bed. We ended with his echo at 2 hull, krassis at 1 hull, my echo at 2 hull and a shield, and 1 alpha at 1 hull. So, to me, the game was actually a lot closer than I originally thought it would have been. It was tough to nail down his echo, and I made some mistakes. But man that is a fun list to fly.

I like the list Hothie, if for no other reason it's not the same FAT Falcon or souped up Phantom crap we see all the time now. I would also say that it has potential to be vicious with the amount of dice it can throw.

The Delta is fast and the white K makes it agile enough to do consistent damage. Echo just needs some thought to play well without ACD, but you just treat her as a Z-95 with 2 extra attack die she'll be fine.

The two alphas should not be underestimated as they can not only shoot, they are great blockers as well.

All in all I like it.

I am thinking of trying 4 naked Phantoms for the fun of it and I am certainly going to be flying 4 A-wings now.

I think folks of your playing caliber not sticking to "the meta" is what will keep this game fresh.

Good on you.