The current meta, which I will get into below, feels like this from results I have seen and the playtesting I have been doing. I will Tier them out based on counter squads. Basically when you go into a match-up and you know you are going to need a miracle to win you are probably facing you counter. Some squads have more things that can ruin their day than others. When I say Hard Counter, I am referring to the fact that some type of squad or build can just specifically beat you without you really having a chance.

The current meta is still dependent on what shows up in your area. One tourney had 3 Double Phantom squads (Whisper & Echo) in the top 4. While others had no Phantoms in sight, BUT this still means you need to be ready for phantoms in some capacity and if you know there are more Phantoms than average in your area then be even more ready.

The reality is that squads are more or less dangerous because of the players flying them. A Fat Han or TIE Swarm in the hands of someone who has flown them many times is going to do much better than someone who has very little experience with them, Han can get smoked quickly if flown poorly, while he seems un-killable and even un-hittable with someone good with large ships boosting for example.

Now onto the Tiers that make up the current overall metagame in my opinion:

TIER 1: Squads with NO True Hard Counter

Fat Han w/any Wingmate(s)- Dominant and very hard to kill in 60 minutes, No true Hard Counter, but can get tore up if you fly into the teeth of a swarm or get blocked by a swarm.

Full TIE Swarm - Usually true swarms of 7-8 TIEs, NO true Hard Counter, but has a tough time versus Whisper, yet makes up for that by taking out Whisper's support and then winning on time. Swarms are probably the most difficult squad to actually fly well, but when you see experienced swarm players you can bet they will always at least be near the top of the standings.

TIER 2: Squads with 1 True Weakness

Dash w/any Wingmate(s)- Hits very hard, but not as defensible as a Falcon. Biggest weakness is his range 1 “donut hole”, thus his Hard Counter is a high PS super maneuverable ship that can stay inside your “donut hole” and stay with you. Han, Whisper, Chiraneau are all night mares for Dash, BUT if you use Dash’s wingmates as “Hole Protectors” Dash is still very viable.

Whisper w/any Wingmate(s)- Wreaks havoc on any Swarm or Junk build, and hates to see Turrets, but minds less if they are low PS Turrets. Hard Counter is similar to Dash, higher than his PS maneuverable ships or high PS turrets will wreck Whisper. The fact that Whisper will roll almost any random build makes her very viable.

Fat Chiraneau w/any Wingmate(s)- Overall very hard to kill and hits quite hard. Biggest weakness is being swarmed, with the true hard counter being a full on 6-8 ship swarm build. Of course this is why He is paired with Whisper to great results since Whisper can mitigate his weakness very well.

TIER 3: Basically everything else that struggles against the top 2 tiers in some combination and doesn’t beat each other

There have been many squads that have done well in store championships, BUT they have not done well across the board. These squads ALL have more than one weakness and ALL of them hate to see most the TIER 1 and 2 squads.

Once again these are most likely flown by very experienced players that took advantage of holes in their local metagames. These squads can win and do well, BUT they need to be flown well and potentially get some lucky dice to overcome the odds.

Notable in this category (Please note that I don’t mean JUNK in a derogatory way, but rather the idea of it being made of different parts that are not usually together in the same way.):

Junk TIE Swarms – A Swarm that includes or are made up entirely of Interceptors, Bombers, or Sigma Phantom. Could be just as competitive as a full on TIE swarm, but never seem to do well consistently as the 7-8 Full Swarm does and can be killed quicker due to having less ships, 5-7.

Junk Rebel Swarm – Either full on 7-8 Z builds or slightly smaller swarms of 5-6 featuring different ships, the point is the same and similarly to the Junk TIE swarm, has the same weaknesses. Also note that TIEs reach Tier 1 status due to Howlrunner, 3 agility dice, and their dials, which is why 7 or 8 Zs is not in the elite tier even if it could win a tourney.

“Control Builds” – Most typically featuring B wings with Tacticians and Ion Cannons on HWK or YWings. These builds are very difficult to fly, but can really do well against the Large base ships dominating the Meta. Unfortunately you are still very weak to Whisper and Swarms, but more importantly you aren’t necessarily a lock to beat other random builds.

Dual Large Ships – 2 Falcons and 2 Decimators are the most common to see here, but the point is having 2 large resilient turrets. The biggest issue is the lack of upgrades that made these ships so good against the field of randoms, and yet you keep the same weaknesses AND gained some since lower PS means Whisper will also now punish you instead of the other way around. These builds have won in the past, but never at all consistently.

What does everyone else think? Am I totally off base and should there be a TIER 3 and 4 and 5..etc???

I pretty much completely disagree with that. By your definition, if two equally skilled players met, and one had a Tier 1 squad, he should win every time. That's clearly not the case, TIE swarms have been defeated plenty, as have Fat Hans. I'd almost go and say that Corran is a counter to Fat han, the double tap gets rid of all of his defenses (including the R2D2 regeneration), while he himself is difficult to kill (especially if he's equipped with FCS or PTL so you can always evade 1 damage, and regen a second, and then potentially evade a 3rd... always in combination with R2D2).

Now, that's not to say that some lists aren't better than others. I point to the common example of Rebel Op x6 as an example of the lowest tier list possible. But I think to go and put specific lists in specific tiers is a bit too much.

Is the Paul Heaver Fat Han build better than a Gunner Fat Han? When the two match up, the PH will win, but what about against a Phantom? The gunner is probably better. So, does the PHFH deserve to be ranked above the GFH because it can beat it head to head?

sounds about right.

You didn't mention BBBBZ, which has been doing quite well against all comers (at least in my area, plus anecdotal internet reports)

You didn't mention BBBBZ, which has been doing quite well against all comers (at least in my area, plus anecdotal internet reports)

I feel like 4 b's with fcs would be stronger, especially with all the large ships around, fcs LOVES big ships.

The problem I see with this is that this is most likely true, in your meta but overall local meta varies quite a bit. I went to a SC that had mostly Han or Decimator with a few Dash builds and even a Tie Swarm. The final table was a 3 ship rebel vs double falcons I don't think anyone was thinking that would be the result but that's what happened. You must never underestimate a list no matter how much worse it might seem against yours.

8 Z'S is legit. Spread those arcs out baby

I feel like the BBBBZ falls into the Rebel swarm category (I probably should have mentioned more than Zs) and technically is probably the most common high finishing Junk Rebel Swarm. (or just 4 Bs), which I wanted to list, but kinda fell into the Control category as well so I stayed away from getting too deep. I think this list could run another Tier deep, but since I havent tested with too many random builds I didn't want to speak to it as confidently.

I pretty much completely disagree with that. By your definition, if two equally skilled players met, and one had a Tier 1 squad, he should win every time. That's clearly not the case, TIE swarms have been defeated plenty, as have Fat Hans.

I wanted to stress that Tiers are not rock solid in terms of auto-wins. Tier 1 doesn't automatically win against all lower tiers, but their odds of winning and the advantages they have are much higher. the Tiers were based on Hard Counters and overall weaknesses assuming all player abilty/skill/luck is balanced.

Is the Paul Heaver Fat Han build better than a Gunner Fat Han? When the two match up, the PH will win, but what about against a Phantom? The gunner is probably better. So, does the PHFH deserve to be ranked above the GFH because it can beat it head to head?

I didn't want to get into "exact builds", because that would be a Tiering system of it's own as you are describing. Yes there would be a way to rank them based on weaknesses vs strengths, but that's an entire other debate.

I'd almost go and say that Corran is a counter to Fat han, the double tap gets rid of all of his defenses (including the R2D2 regeneration), while he himself is difficult to kill (especially if he's equipped with FCS or PTL so you can always evade 1 damage, and regen a second, and then potentially evade a 3rd... always in combination with R2D2).

Corran is strong against a Falcon/Han for the same reasons a swarm are. there are plenty of one off counters to specific ships, but they aren't a squad dominating deterrent the way Whisper is for a low PS Xwing or the way Whisper folds to any Higher than 9 PS turret. A fully pimped out Corran doesn’t make Han lose because Corran will die to the Han faster than Han will fall to Corran AND Han can arc dodge Corran (Unless Corran has VI, but now we are getting specific.)

I guess the point I was trying to make was the feeling of helplessness you get when you play against certain squads and elements. I never have fear of being dominated when I see Corran on the other side, nor is that a usual result.

YES I would have fit Corran as an amazing pilot on his own and he does impact the meta, but usually as a wingmate and not as a squad built around him.

The problem I see with this is that this is most likely true, in your meta but overall local meta varies quite a bit. I went to a SC that had mostly Han or Decimator with a few Dash builds and even a Tie Swarm. The final table was a 3 ship rebel vs double falcons I don't think anyone was thinking that would be the result but that's what happened. You must never underestimate a list no matter how much worse it might seem against yours.

That's why I went out of my way to explain that this isn't MY Meta. everything is about YOUR meta of course, but the reality is that certain ships/pilots/squads do have advantages over others. It's always possible for the 3 ship rebel and the double falcon to win, but it is almost always based on individual match-ups in the tourney, MOV, and the skill of players. (60 minutes vs 75 also matters) Did the 3 rebel Ships face a Whisper for example? the 3 rebel ships probably wouldn't beat Whisper 75% of the time or more is all I am saying. Unless they ran a Roark or some High PS Turret of course, but that's what metagaming is all about.

An inexperienced player with the tier 1 and 2 stuff isn't going to win probably ever...landing on rocks, not concentrating fire, etc...I based the Tiers off of my own test playing and the reported store championships I have been reading about, not my own Meta.