Any good rules of thumbs for a relatively new player? I'm looking at these two different lists. The EZ A's list seems like the "right" answer to me, but it's hard to say. Especially when all the upgrades added to the ships feel like they help them do their job better.

And yes, I realize the ultimate answer is "if you want to find out, just fly them and see what you like best" but my time to play is limited and I'm curious what resources exist that will get me thinking.

EZ A'S

100 points

PILOTS

Jake Farrell (23)
A-Wing (24), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Chardaan Refit (-2), Veteran Instincts (1)

Gemmer Sojan (21)
A-Wing (22), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Chardaan Refit (-2), Veteran Instincts (1)

Corran Horn (44)
E-Wing (35), R2-D2 (4), Fire-Control System (2), Outmaneuver (3)

Bandit Squadron Pilot (12)

View: http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/151206/ez-as
Tweak: http://xwing-builder.co.uk/build/151206

EAA (issue one with this list: not as fun of a name)

100 points

PILOTS

Jake Farrell (28)
A-Wing (24), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Chardaan Refit (-2), Veteran Instincts (1), Shield Upgrade (4), Adrenaline Rush (1)

Gemmer Sojan (24)
A-Wing (22), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Chardaan Refit (-2), Stealth Device (3), Veteran Instincts (1)

Corran Horn (48)
E-Wing (35), R2-D2 (4), Fire-Control System (2), Outmaneuver (3), Engine Upgrade (4)

View: http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/150817/eaa
Tweak: http://xwing-builder.co.uk/build/150817

You have some courios upgrades on your ships which I think would depend upon the meta of your local area. In your first list the z sorta is out of place as your going with fast ships and it is not, it could end up being an easy target of opportunity when everything else is out of arc, it also don't bring on its own a whole lot of fire power either.

Your second list I think some of your upgrades are not going to do for you as much as others could. Example shield upgrade with vet instincts could be better swapped out for ptl on both a wings( it's some that greatly increases there effectiveness in both attack and defence.

R2d2 is great but he does force you to do greens, if you drop the adrenaline Rush, fire control system and outmanoeuvre you could use advance sensors and ptl instead, this gives you 2 actions create stress remove with green get shield back movement which I have found to be very effective.

Don't take what I suge as gospel as you will find your own style, I'm just pointing to combos that work well together

At my first X-Wing tourney (just this past Saturday in fact) I ran 8 Z-95s and went 2-1, with my one loss just by six points and a 3 attack whiffs on my last round attack against a 2-hull Tie Defender. I suggest starting simple to get the hand of tourney play's pacing, then step up your complexity later on.

I would rather you say "Mike, this is such a clever list! You are the first person to try and ever in the history of X Wing to try and really utilize Corran Horn's ability! See you at 2015 worlds!" but I totally appreciate the points.

MegaSilver, I played a TIE swarm a while back at my game store vs a guy with 4 interceptors and predator on all of them and actually managed to win which was great fun. And yes, I definitely recognize the need to play something that's forgiving. Maybe I'll dumb it down on purpose just to get my legs under me.

Greedyfly, thanks for taking the time to really dig in and think about my list. Thanks for the tips. I never even considered pairing PTL and R2D2 like that.

I would rather you say "Mike, this is such a clever list! You are the first person to try and ever in the history of X Wing to try and really utilize Corran Horn's ability! See you at 2015 worlds!" but I totally appreciate the points.

MegaSilver, I played a TIE swarm a while back at my game store vs a guy with 4 interceptors and predator on all of them and actually managed to win which was great fun. And yes, I definitely recognize the need to play something that's forgiving. Maybe I'll dumb it down on purpose just to get my legs under me.

Greedyfly, thanks for taking the time to really dig in and think about my list. Thanks for the tips. I never even considered pairing PTL and R2D2 like that.

As a rule of thumb. Plastic beats Cardboard.

Like all rules of thumb it's just a general guideline, but typically you're better off with more ships than you are more upgrades. One of the main reasons is that more dice means less likely that a single bad attack is going to hurt as much.

As usual, VanorDM's correct.

If you have enough left over for another ship, you should probably go for another ship.

I also second the notion of push the limit on your a-wings. Completely worth it. It will allow you to boost and still focus to buff your attack (or defense).

I also generally agree that more ships is often a better option, but in this list I'm not so sure. I do think the Z will have a hard time keeping up, and may be an easy early kill, but if they are shooting at it, then your heavy hitters are free to manuver. Often, a lowly Z will get ignored, and that can be a mistake for your opponent as well. It's one more thing he has got to keep an eye on.

FCS is good on horn because you can do 2 attacks, both with target lock. I would also do PTL, and R2 is a fine choice if you have the points.