I've got a new tourny to go to and I *was* going to run a Phantom + Howl Miniswarm but the meta is heavy rebel PS10+. VI's all round, Farlander was the lowest PS. No Fat Falcons during the last tourny, but we did get the odd Shuttle or Firespray.

I still wanted to do the mini-swarm though, so I figured I'd run Rex because I love Defenders and not many people use them or play against them. However, I still want to be able to threaten a Phantom if one does show up. Because there is always one.

Option 1 - 99 points

Rex - VI, Ion Cannon

Howl - Determination, Hull Upgrade

3x Academy Tie

The problem with this one is that Rex is shooting first, so outside of blocking, he will be firing on targets with all their action defense. He can operate independantly as a flanker or join up with the group. The Ion Cannon is for versatility. Not married to it, but I do like having it.

Option 2 - 100 points

Rex - Decoy, Ion Cannon

Howl - VI, Stealth Device

3x Academy Tie

This deals with the Rex Problem of before. He can take Howl's PS vs Phantoms, or an Academy Tie's PS to shoot last, giving him a higher chance of landing that damage he can turn into crits. He's now moving before Whisper, and sometimes before Echo, so there is less chance he'll be able to actually line them up. He also needs to stay close to the group. Same deal with the Ion Cannon.

Option 3 - 99 (100)

Rex - VI, Autoblaster

Howl - Swarm Tactics (or Stealth Device)

3x Academy Tie

Rex doesn't worry about defense dice at range 1 anymore. I know it's generally considered a bad choice, but I'm throwing it in there as a comparison. The more I think about it, the more it seems not terrible.

So, what's your option pick? What would you change about it?

I would probably got with Option 1. Definitely don't do option 3. Autoblaster sucks.

I don't love the ion cannon, but it can be useful for locking down a phantom or anything else and allowing your swarm to chew it up. You could drop both the Ion and HU on Howl to run a HLC on Brath. Howl will lose some ability to stay alive, but Brath will be hitting fairly hard and you have a better chance of using a focus to crit. You won't have any sort of an initiative bid as you'll be right at 100 points though.