I tried to get my friend to use imps it did not go well my first game with rebels I wiped him out only losing three shields, 2nd game I lost a headhunter we haven't repeated the experiment.

Honestly for me the biggest issue I have is poor positioning. Having a well-honed list isn't going to matter if I'm landing on rocks or missing arcs all the time.

I say let him fly what he wants until he's at least got his guns on your ships most turns. Once that happens, he'll probably have enough games under his belt to make better calls about list composition.

Though the attitude of "I want to be competitive" and "I don't want to lose games" makes it sound to me like there might be some more fundamental issues that need to be addressed. Maybe try explaining that what he's saying is akin to "I want to be a chess Grandmaster, but only play games with you," or "I want to be a pro golfer, but I'm only going to practice on this one course."

If the issue is actually "I don't want to embarrass myself in front of strangers" maybe work on rules fundamentals, etc. until he's confident enough to play strangers?

I've liked almost every post here. So relevant and lovely. =)

(I kinda disagree with the ones i didn't like too!)

Swapping lists is a great idea. Play 2 games together. Very nice.

He does have some issues to address... but everyone does. I know my issues are pretty egregious too.

It depends on how your dynamic is too. Some people are seriously incredibly stubborn and really don't want to even consider another opinion.

Others are just afraid of being wrong, but are willing to change their opinion after seeing bad results.

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One great idea is to have him literally see this thread. I'll look over his list now and post my version, optimized. Others too can write their versions of the list and why they think theirs is an improvement.

Currently:

R2D2 is just usually better than R5P9. You tend to end up spending the focus more often than not with only 3 ships. 1attack, possible multiple defends wher you roll more than 1 eyeball. Second, you also don't get to regain it if you bump someone. All of this is mitigated by R2D2 for 1 more point and moving green. R2D2 is known to be incredibly powerful.

DTF and Shield are fine. Nice to try and keep biggs alive longer.

On biggs, the "stealth combo" is a fun addition... however mathematically and you will find in real life (trust me, 4 or 5 people personally have tried it now...) that R2F2 /Stealth without a focus is a BAD IDEA. WITH a FOCUS, its a GREAT idea. Emphasis added.

On Wedge Swarm is fine, it works. R5K6 is terrible. You want to be focusing 90% of the time. Only TL when you are not being attacked. Wedge will also be targeted first, I guarantee it right after Biggs dies or gets a tad too far from Wedge.

Xwings are not the most tanky of ships. They tend to take only 4 or 5 attacks before they die. If the enemy team has 3 ships, thats only 2 turns before Biggs is dead (yes that includes your current combo). With 4 ships, likely 1.5 turns.

After that, another 1.5 turns to drop Wedge or Luke.

His list is good, but could be better on upgrade use. Idea is great. (Will have a moderately hard time vs Phantoms though, so its not what I would call meta-competitive either).

Your idea, same ships, better upgrades.

Swarm Tactics is optional and nice vs BAD Phantom players. Vs good Phantom players you've already lost the game by picking this list. =)

Why do you need to show him "the light"?

What is your end goal here? I'm going to guess that it's to keep your friend interested in X-Wing.

If he asks for advice and doesn't take it, your goal shouldn't be to prove that he's wrong.

Change your list and play something fluffy. Play a list you've always wanted to try out. Play 3 TIE advanced. Play cards no one ever uses. If you play enough and have a laugh while doing it, he may eventually improve, or he may not.

Keep it fun. Fly casual.

Seriously keep on being decent and giving any advice you're asked for, if your friend is too pig-headed to take it then move on and beat him at the game so he can see why his list doesn't work when he flies it. Some folks just have to learn through doing, words are just wind to them.

I do think that your big problem is his lack of willingness to sink in time/effort combined with the pride that says "I'm going to find the unique solution that trumps the meta" in listbuilding, and I hope that you find a way to get him past that(even if its just a few matches of "so this list beats falcons and phantoms 100% of the time, shall we try it vs fat han or whisper/chiaraneau tonight then so that you can get your practice in?" to moderate the theory with some harsh reality.). If you want to keep someone engaged then play to their tune, frame the whole game as a debate where he can prove his theories correct and let his defeat be the self proving evidence of his analytical failiure rather than being the friend who is always telling him his ideas are stupid and wrong(which is how many people take list building advice.).

I would take his list and switch upgrades so you have a semi mirror match.

His Luke build is strong, so leave that. Change the upgrades your Wedge and Biggs then play him,

*THEN* switch lists. Win or lose, he'll notice a difference between the two.

The best way to learn is by experience and curiosity is usually stronger than reason. You could give him the best advices, sometimes he'll just have to fly it to satisfy his curiosity and see that you were right (or wrong).

It's also important to note that what is best for you might not be for him, so unless you want to drag him into playing meta/min/maxing lists only, I would not give too many advice or tweaks to the builds he want to try. Let him see for himself, he might also find a good combo for him that you personally would have dismissed.

So basically, there is no ''light'' in team building, it's finding something that click for you. Without trying new stuff and experimenting, you'll never be able to find your style. Some people love the Defenders, some people hate it. Should you limit yourself to the opinion of one or try the ship by yourself and see if you personally like it?

Once you start Net Listing and seeing what people think about certain combos it will completely change the way you look at this game.

And that's why you never ever start.