Took a list that I had a good grasp on to a tournament venue I’d never played in. (100 bucks) To play in a 18 man tourney in Victoria.
I took a list comprised of the following.
Blue Squadron
Blue Squadron
Blue Squadron
Blue Squadron
Bandit Squadron
I saw all of one hwk 290 and no TIE advanced, also no YT-1300s. While there were lots of Decimators and YT-2400s and small ship heavy lists.
Opening round I draw a guy who is running
Wedge Antilles
Biggs Darklighter
Corran Horn - Push The Limit, Fire Control System, R5-P9, and a Stealth device.
I deploy on the left side of the board in a tight trio formation. Bwing Z Bwing and then the last two Bwings behind them kind of like a letter W. My opponent is tethering Corran to Biggs and Wedge. He deploys in the middle of the board flying in a V with corran at the back between the two pretty rows of asteroids.
The game starts with me making a slow 2 forward swing as he does a 4 forward. I do a mixed 1-3 forward setting up my side to hard turn on either side of the asteroid closest to me. My opponent does another 4 forward. Nobody has any shots but he now can’t make a hard turn with his whole formation as he’s too tight against the asteroid I am set up to go by on either side. He can’t soft turn because it is the same issue. So instead of breaking formation at this point he arcs everything 4 forward. I end up with 2 guys with no angle and 2 Bs and the Bandit with perfect side shots on his formation. Biggs is holding on by one hull. He K turns the Xwings, and breaks Corran across with a hard turn. Wedge and Biggs hammer one Bwing and both die to my massed target locked focused volley.
Its now 3 fresh bwings and a bandit with a 1 hull bwing for support against a Stacked Corran. I chase him across the board losing shields on a variety of units as I slowly sand Corran down. For a clean 200-0 MOV which is sweet, as its only my second ever.
Second round I draw the only other list that I has a 200-0 MOV.
Soontir Fel – Push The Limit, Stealth Device, Royal Guard TIE, Targeting Computer
Captain Oicunn – Predator, Ion Torpedoes, Seismic Charges, Anti Pursuit Laser, Moff Jerjerrod, Mara Jade, Rebel Captive, Dauntless
I loudly announce that I will win by destroying the Decimator in two turns. Because honestly with that load out if it goes much longer I am going to be a mauled mess.
I deploy in a W formation on the right edge. My middle bandit ahead by slightly more than a one forward and the bwings set up slightly back. (So if he bumps me only the bandit gets it and the other 4 all get target locks is the idea)
Instead it doesn’t play out the way I have thought out. He turns in Oicunn to me. Long range fire… leaves him on 6 hull and he misses the ion torpedo at the bandit rolling 1 hit, 3 focus on 6 dice effectively. So I have 2 shields gone on my bandit and otherwise fresh shields.
The next movement sees him slide a soft turn through the side of my bandit and the row of Bwings behind him. Leaving Oicunn in 3 Bwings arcs. Soontir and Oicunn make up for the first rounds failure and 8 hit kill my one of the bwings who doesn’t bother rolling an evade. (6/8 odds so not totally unexpected) My return fire finishes off Oicunn.
Leaving 2 Health worth of Bandit, and 3 fresh Bwings to chase down soontir… We have almost the entire round left to play. 35 minutes later I am down to 3 bwings with 1-3 shields left and he is still untouched and dancing all over me defensively. Then the turning point of the match he finally decides to somewhat unturtle and only have 1 focus and 1 evade token for the defense step. I strip his tokens with my first focus/target locked set. Then my next shot sneaks a critical through. Soontir is now PS 0.
At this point my Bwings start expertly arc dodging Soontir and its soon over as he can’t hold up under the weight of fire. My MOV is something like 366. I am now pole position.
My next round is
Jake Farrell – Push the Limit, Chardaan Refit, Awing Test Pilot and Opportunist
Gemmer Sojan – Opportunist, Chardaan Refit, Awing Test Pilot
Etahn A’Bhat – Push The Limit
Bandit Squadron
(least sure of this list at this point my mind is mush with the travel time and my epic selling binge of 15 models during the tournaments spare minutes)
This list sees me set up on the right edge as we set up the 3 by 2 by 1 triangle set of asteroids base of them set up across my edge. He sets up his bandit sort of jousting me and the other three in the middle.
I turn into his agile force ignoring the bandit wide. Etahn ends up pinned in by jake on one side and an asteroid on the other and my bandit in his grill so he can’t do anything but turtle. Etahn dies in exchange for a Bwing. We exchange bandits in a bit of a messy chase. (My bandit trying to get Awings in arc his on my bandit’s butt)
I have a triangle of bwings and his awings are sort of in the middle. I barrel roll and place one bwing in an area I guess one of his two awings who are semi flying formation have to go. Farrell bumps me and my two Target locked (one with a focus) Bs shoot at Farrell with 2 hull and a shield left toasting him.
My three Bwings now have to trap Gemmer, then its two Full health bwings against a 2 hull Gemmer. At this point I start sitting target locks and only spending them when I also have a focus to burn and Gemmer finally dies. Leaving my MoV at something ridiculous like 510.
My nemesis list of a TIE swarm doesn’t have a high enough MoV to ever face me and I cut down mostly lists that are giving up too many dice against me.
When I took this list I knew my fear was going to be TIE Swarms and hyper mobile lists. Thanks to some luck I managed to win the hyper mobile shoot outs.
Would I take it again? I guess, its really hard to play conservative and hope the table comes to your side. Having to face all my enemies shots before I get to do anything really does change how I have to position and play. Not sure I enjoyed how reactive it was. The 2 Kturn really is a double edged sword, forcing me at times to 2 Hard or 3 straight and then Kturn the following turn. Because a predictable Kturn is a bad kturn.
My opponents were at times thrown by my willingness to sit a target lock and not modify till the following round when I could add a focus to the pile. Also that I always broke formation after the opening joust to bring more angles of attack. Kind of like how Awings fly only with the beastly Bwing dial.
It meant that my really old and predictable dial was less so when I broke that formation so soon.
Hope someone draws something from this.