I came in 3^rdin a tournament tonight, and am feeling contemplative.

Specifically, I'm re-evaluating my strategies against the Scum threats I encountered tonight.

The fleet I flew can be found here.

I encountered two different IG88^{^2} lists (AB and CD, appropriately enough), and found that even though it was counter to the strategy I built the fleet for, Blocking one of the Aggressors turn after turn was a fairly simple way of taking the fleet apart.

The Blocking strategy was basically only possible because I managed to coax them into fighting in an Asteroid Field, which was an inevitability after they let me create a dense Asteroid Field in the first place.

So, against a Dual-Aggressor fleet

Step 1: Construct a dense or semi-dense asteroid field.

This is more easily done if THEY have initiative, believe it or not. Them placing the first Asteroid simply gives you an anchor around which to construct, and you can usually use the 4^th or 6^th asteroid to join their 3^rd or 5^th asteroid to the cluster you form around their 1^st.

Step 2: Dictate the fight so that they cannot ignore the asteroid thicket

The Aggressor covers a terrifying amount of ground when it moves. Use this to your advantage, as it simply cannot move slowly. You can easily predict when they'll actually get to attack you, simply by where they placed their ships vs where you placed yours: A round to charge, a round to turn towards the center, and a round to compensate for where you've moved, then the fight is upon you.

Step 3: Once they've taken the bait, choose one aggressor to block.

Their enormous speed hampers them greatly in an asteroid thicket, as they will run over something with most of their maneuvers. Simply be in a location where their scant remainders will overlap your base, and you've deprived them greatly.

Even Aggressors that have taken Advanced Sensors to attempt to boost around in the thicket will find trouble.

Meanwhile, you only need a single small-ship of PS 0-5 (or -6 if you have initiative) to accomplish this feat. My 1 Banks and 2 Turns were all I needed to shut them down, usually.

Step 4: Ignore the other one, and concentrate fire on the one you've blocked.

It took my fleet around 4 rounds, but I was using a full ¹/₃ of my firepower as a blocker. Meanwhile, I could ignore the other aggressor with relative impunity: the first game involved the second aggressor trying to fly through the thicket at me (C/D), and the second game simply tried to go around and get a better angle (A/B). Both failed to be salient threats in time, for different reasons.

Therefore, Dual Aggressor players, take care.

• Place your first two asteroids as close to your start as possible, in opposite corners of the board. You need the space to maneuver to be effective in a scrim, and can escape and return more easily than any other ship in the game.
  
• Have your ships start in a central location: It allows you to press the advantage far before a wary opponent has sealed their defenses, and allows your Segnor's Loop and Banks to be truly threatening and unpredictable.
  
• Do not chase the enemy into a briar patch, even if it means "delaying" the game. Against most fleets, your obstructed pot-shots from the perimeter will hurt enough over time to win you a points-advantage if they don't adapt.
  
• If you fail to heed the previous advice, do not be afraid of plowing through asteroids. The freedom of actually completing a maneuver will place you in an unexpected location, and may wind up winning you the game even if you park on a rock that turn.

The reason I came in 3^rd was because I was unprepared for the might of the Bullpup Y-Wing (or Warthog or Chupathingy).

This particular list was running two of them with Autoblaster Turrets, R4 Agro, and the BTL-A4 title, along with an Ion Cannon Turret Y-Wing without the title.

What I learned here, by losing:

There is no approach to the Autoblaster Y-Wing that is advantageous. Approaching it takes its slow speed and short range out of the equation, as it doesn't really matter which player closed the gap.

However, they are slow to bring their guns to bear if you can get them going in the wrong direction, and the easiest way to do this is to have them actually chasing you.

The higher your turning-speed, the farther you can traverse while shifting angle, the better.

A 3 turn as your go-to maneuver will keep the engagement at Range 3 if you're swirling in the same direction. If they go with a 2 turn to cut you off, Bank instead.

Boost is your best action in this fight, and Engine Upgrades the best defensive upgrade you can buy. Particularly if they're running a Ion Turret friend.

I did not encounter my Feedback Swarm nemesis, as feared in my list-thread. My strategy, should I find one, is to try to filter them through Asteroids, but mostly try to kill them in passing as I flee. No-one wants to eat 7 damage, and few fleets are equipped to deal with it well.

Assault Missiles might do the trick...

I can't wait for the option to have different types of obstacles. I hate that so much is dependent on asteroid placement. Maybe having stress clouds that still allow you to shoot will help against those that depend on obstacles.

I can't wait for the option to have different types of obstacles. I hate that so much is dependent on asteroid placement. Maybe having stress clouds that still allow you to shoot will help against those that depend on obstacles.

the importance of asteroid placement is a good thing

it adds additional importance to your maneuvers not only as spur-of-the-moment tactics, but in terms of planning ahead, and limits the effectiveness of arc dodgers that would otherwise have free reign of the table

then again, Aggressors would ******* detest debris clouds too because 1.) they're bigger and therefore easier to overlap 2.) stress + arc = hope you don't like shooting next turn

I think after quite a few games with scum their biggest change for the whole meta is those warthogs escorting Han and Chiraneau off the board with only 3 hull left in turn 4. It's really weird to be planning a store champ list and thinking, "But how can I plan for those **** Y-wings?"

I can't wait for the option to have different types of obstacles. I hate that so much is dependent on asteroid placement. Maybe having stress clouds that still allow you to shoot will help against those that depend on obstacles.

the importance of asteroid placement is a good thing

it adds additional importance to your maneuvers not only as spur-of-the-moment tactics, but in terms of planning ahead, and limits the effectiveness of arc dodgers that would otherwise have free reign of the table

then again, Aggressors would ******* detest debris clouds too because 1.) they're bigger and therefore easier to overlap 2.) stress + arc = hope you don't like shooting next turn

I'd still rather it be clouds than rocks, simply because I always roll damage. Stress and a shot is better than no shot at all

I too came in 3rd in a tournament yesterday with my first scum list.

IG-88B + Pred + Adv Sen + Mangler + Seismic + IG-2000 + Autothrust (50 points)

IG-88D + Pred + Adv Sen + Mangler + Seismic + IG-2000 + Autothrust (50 points)

I went 3-0 in swiss and had to turn around and play the same list again on the top 4 table, but that happens sometimes depending on rankings after swiss.

My oppenent was a good bud who was playing the following list.

Ten Numb + VI + Adv Sen + Mangler

Dash + Calculation + Mangler + Merc + Outrider

Tala Squad pilot

I had just beat him barely in the final round of swiss with only IG-88B with 2 hull left. Of course both Ten and Dash getting "Blinded Pilot" crits on the same turn helped out in that game. He beat me in on the top 4 table by keeping me in Dash's forward arc thus making Autothrusters useless. It also was a hard hit to IG-88B when he had an "Injured Pilot" crit which made his on card and EPT useless. Also grat to him for going on to win the tourney on the final table!

I was very pleased with the way the list worked since the first game of this tournament was the first time I had these ships on a table. Two of my swiss games I thought were going to be losses, but when I lost IG-88D in them early old IG-88B stepped up and became a beast on his own! I had good usage of the bombs which I was hesitant to take over Flechette Cannons, but overall I liked them. I really liked the movement options I had thanks to IG-88D until he died a few times. Even then the base dial on the Aggressor is so soild. I will definately be tweaking this list and trying it out more.

I too came in 3rd in a tournament yesterday with my first scum list.

IG-88B + Pred + Adv Sen + Mangler + Seismic + IG-2000 + Autothrust (50 points)

IG-88D + Pred + Adv Sen + Mangler + Seismic + IG-2000 + Autothrust (50 points)

I went 3-0 in swiss and had to turn around and play the same list again on the top 4 table, but that happens sometimes depending on rankings after swiss.

My oppenent was a good bud who was playing the following list.

Ten Numb + VI + Adv Sen + Mangler

Dash + Calculation + Mangler + Merc + Outrider

Tala Squad pilot

I had just beat him barely in the final round of swiss with only IG-88B with 2 hull left. Of course both Ten and Dash getting "Blinded Pilot" crits on the same turn helped out in that game. He beat me in on the top 4 table by keeping me in Dash's forward arc thus making Autothrusters useless. It also was a hard hit to IG-88B when he had an "Injured Pilot" crit which made his on card and EPT useless. Also grat to him for going on to win the tourney on the final table!

I was very pleased with the way the list worked since the first game of this tournament was the first time I had these ships on a table. Two of my swiss games I thought were going to be losses, but when I lost IG-88D in them early old IG-88B stepped up and became a beast on his own! I had good usage of the bombs which I was hesitant to take over Flechette Cannons, but overall I liked them. I really liked the movement options I had thanks to IG-88D until he died a few times. Even then the base dial on the Aggressor is so soild. I will definately be tweaking this list and trying it out more.

Would you agree with the Aggressor tips I put after than Anti-Aggressor tips?

I think after quite a few games with scum their biggest change for the whole meta is those warthogs escorting Han and Chiraneau off the board with only 3 hull left in turn 4. It's really weird to be planning a store champ list and thinking, "But how can I plan for those **** Y-wings?"

Which Y-wings do you find more dangerous - the ion turret variety or the auto blaster variety?

Ion for sure. R3-A2 with title and ion is just ugghh.

After thinking about 2 IG, I came to the same conclusion, the amount of space they take up and use makes them easy to block and deny shots and actions. Should be relatively easy for ANY list to deal with a single IG.

Honestly, do you think its better to focus the blocked IG or the other IG? I'm not sure. It might be easier to use both the blockers to shoot ahead and the rest of your fleet to take down the other one, so it has less action potentials for damage and to remove that one from the equation while constantly blocking one.

A calculus of sorts if you could say. Impotence over time.

Ion for sure. R3-A2 with title and ion is just ugghh.

Good. This is what my experience has been as well, though I've only had two games to test it out. I love my Warthogs though. I need to custom paint my Y-wings.

Ion for sure. R3-A2 with title and ion is just ugghh.

Good. This is what my experience has been as well, though I've only had two games to test it out. I love my Warthogs though. I need to custom paint my Y-wings.

I'd say that Ionization is more powerful than the attack of the Ion Cannon Turret, but the Autoblaster pushing through the damage is frightfully effective on the BTL-A4 as well.

Basically, BTL-A4 and the Blaster Turret don't mix, but the others are nasty.

We found that in in btl-a4 s better than autoblaster in btl-a4.. At least vs Interceptors

Ion for sure. R3-A2 with title and ion is just ugghh.

The extra range on Ions gives you far more chances to deal damage. AB Turret also only averages to a single damage per hit without modifiers. Add in the extra control, and Ions are a no-brainer if you can afford them.

If we're talking about the Y-wing title, there's no reason not to take ICT

Without, there is a reason for auto-blasters. It's Feedback Array's big Bro, something you use to polish off annoyingly flighty enemies and to deny them a fairly sizable positioning bubble.

I too came in 3rd in a tournament yesterday with my first scum list.

IG-88B + Pred + Adv Sen + Mangler + Seismic + IG-2000 + Autothrust (50 points)

IG-88D + Pred + Adv Sen + Mangler + Seismic + IG-2000 + Autothrust (50 points)

I went 3-0 in swiss and had to turn around and play the same list again on the top 4 table, but that happens sometimes depending on rankings after swiss.

My oppenent was a good bud who was playing the following list.

Ten Numb + VI + Adv Sen + Mangler

Dash + Calculation + Mangler + Merc + Outrider

Tala Squad pilot

I had just beat him barely in the final round of swiss with only IG-88B with 2 hull left. Of course both Ten and Dash getting "Blinded Pilot" crits on the same turn helped out in that game. He beat me in on the top 4 table by keeping me in Dash's forward arc thus making Autothrusters useless. It also was a hard hit to IG-88B when he had an "Injured Pilot" crit which made his on card and EPT useless. Also grat to him for going on to win the tourney on the final table!

I was very pleased with the way the list worked since the first game of this tournament was the first time I had these ships on a table. Two of my swiss games I thought were going to be losses, but when I lost IG-88D in them early old IG-88B stepped up and became a beast on his own! I had good usage of the bombs which I was hesitant to take over Flechette Cannons, but overall I liked them. I really liked the movement options I had thanks to IG-88D until he died a few times. Even then the base dial on the Aggressor is so soild. I will definately be tweaking this list and trying it out more.

Would you agree with the Aggressor tips I put after than Anti-Aggressor tips?

For the most part. I never had initative in any of my games, and asteroid placement really didn't hinder me. Thanks to Advanced Sensors and IG-88D's ability my mobility was rather well throught them (also didn't hurt that I have flown a Fat Han for months so eyeballing what will and won't work I have learned). For the most part I focused fire on my opponent's ships while they only had IG-88D as a target option most of the time. Even when I lost him IG-88B was able to function well alone. It really came down to the "Injured Pilot" crit that crippled him in that top 4 game. Loosing the on card and Predator was nasty.