Predator is and Elite Pilot Talent (EPT), and every ship except the Shuttle & rebel Y-wing has some top pilots that can use them.

Fire Control System (FCS) and Advanced Sensors (AdvS) are a System Upgrades, which only 5 ships can equip (IG-2000, Shuttle, E-wing, Phantom, StarViper).

Thanks! Okay, I have a list of things that I'm going to buy that are within my spending budget. Thanks to all who helped me compile this list! Here are what I will probably buy as an introduction to the game:

Core set x2

X-Wing

Y-Wing

HWK-290

Z-95 x2

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

TIE Fighter

Most Wanted expansion

TIE Defender (for Predator)

Here are the things that I'm thinking about buying later on, when I have more money:

IG2000 x2 (for dual Aggressors)

StarViper (for Autothrusters)

Imperial Ace (for PTL x2)

E-Wing (for Advanced Sensors)

TIE Phantom

VT-49 Decimator

Please let me know if you think I should swap out any item from the first list with my second list. Thanks again.

Get a B-wing, they're awesome. Just drop one of the Z95s

Predator is and Elite Pilot Talent (EPT), and every ship except the Shuttle & rebel Y-wing has some top pilots that can use them.

Fire Control System (FCS) and Advanced Sensors (AdvS) are a System Upgrades, which only 5 ships can equip (IG-2000, Shuttle, E-wing, Phantom, StarViper).

Thanks! Okay, I have a list of things that I'm going to buy that are within my spending budget. Thanks to all who helped me compile this list! Here are what I will probably buy as an introduction to the game:

Core set x2

X-Wing

Y-Wing

HWK-290

Z-95 x2

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

TIE Fighter

Most Wanted expansion

TIE Defender (for Predator)

Here are the things that I'm thinking about buying later on, when I have more money:

IG2000 x2 (for dual Aggressors)

StarViper (for Autothrusters)

Imperial Ace (for PTL x2)

E-Wing (for Advanced Sensors)

TIE Phantom

VT-49 Decimator

Please let me know if you think I should swap out any item from the first list with my second list. Thanks again.

I may be biased but your imperial list is a bit light, especially if you're just buying the Defender for predator. At that point you have five TIEs and a firespray (assuming you aren't using that in Scum) I'm not sure what I'd drop, though to get you more variety since it looks like you are buying into all three factions (except the extra core set but I've mentioned that enough). If you don't think imperials will be a faction of choice, I'd drop the TIE fighter expansion and get something else. I'd also drop the Defender if you are just getting it for predator, since, even though it is a good card, there are other good EPTs.

Get a B-wing, they're awesome. Just drop one of the Z95s

I have 2 Z-95s there so I can run a Fat Han fleet. Is it a good idea to substitute Z-95s for another starfighter as a support for Millennium Falcon? How about dropping a Y-Wing for the Rebel Aces expansion, so I can have an A-Wing and a B-Wing?

Predator is and Elite Pilot Talent (EPT), and every ship except the Shuttle & rebel Y-wing has some top pilots that can use them.

Fire Control System (FCS) and Advanced Sensors (AdvS) are a System Upgrades, which only 5 ships can equip (IG-2000, Shuttle, E-wing, Phantom, StarViper).

Thanks! Okay, I have a list of things that I'm going to buy that are within my spending budget. Thanks to all who helped me compile this list! Here are what I will probably buy as an introduction to the game:

Core set x2

X-Wing

Y-Wing

HWK-290

Z-95 x2

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

TIE Fighter

Most Wanted expansion

TIE Defender (for Predator)

Here are the things that I'm thinking about buying later on, when I have more money:

IG2000 x2 (for dual Aggressors)

StarViper (for Autothrusters)

Imperial Ace (for PTL x2)

E-Wing (for Advanced Sensors)

TIE Phantom

VT-49 Decimator

Please let me know if you think I should swap out any item from the first list with my second list. Thanks again.

I may be biased but your imperial list is a bit light, especially if you're just buying the Defender for predator. At that point you have five TIEs and a firespray (assuming you aren't using that in Scum) I'm not sure what I'd drop, though to get you more variety since it looks like you are buying into all three factions (except the extra core set but I've mentioned that enough). If you don't think imperials will be a faction of choice, I'd drop the TIE fighter expansion and get something else. I'd also drop the Defender if you are just getting it for predator, since, even though it is a good card, there are other good EPTs.

I wanted to get TIE Defender because ultimately I want to have two IG2000 so my brother and I can run a dual Aggressors fleet, and I think Predator is a good upgrade for it. I don't want to negate the Imperial faction though, so maybe I can get an Imperial Aces expansion instead of TIE Defender now, and get it later when I'm buying the IG2000? That will increase my selection of Imperial ships.

Some love the Tie Defender others think it costs too may squad points (30-45 out of 100). I like it because it's the empire's only tanky small ship. It's also the only ship with a white kiogran turn, which makes it very unique.

Tie Interceptors are fun, dodgy & deadly, glass cannons that live & die but maneuvering, but they're very weak against turrets like the Falcon without Autothrusters. The thing about Interceptors (and I think a lot of other will agree) is that the best pilot comes in the standard expansion pack, and the best upgrades for it come in the Imperial Aces pack. This isn't to say that Aces doesn't have some solid pilots, it's just hard to beat Soontir Fel.

Something to keep in mind is that Fat Han is highly competitive and successful tournament build, and if your Imperial & Scum fleets don't have to tools to compete with it, then your brother & friends are going to get really frustrated, fast. However, you wont have C3P0, which is a major piece of Fat Han, so it might not be so bad. I'm not really the guy to advise you on that.

Predator is and Elite Pilot Talent (EPT), and every ship except the Shuttle & rebel Y-wing has some top pilots that can use them.

Fire Control System (FCS) and Advanced Sensors (AdvS) are a System Upgrades, which only 5 ships can equip (IG-2000, Shuttle, E-wing, Phantom, StarViper).

Thanks! Okay, I have a list of things that I'm going to buy that are within my spending budget. Thanks to all who helped me compile this list! Here are what I will probably buy as an introduction to the game:

Core set x2

X-Wing

Y-Wing

HWK-290

Z-95 x2

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

TIE Fighter

Most Wanted expansion

TIE Defender (for Predator)

Here are the things that I'm thinking about buying later on, when I have more money:

IG2000 x2 (for dual Aggressors)

StarViper (for Autothrusters)

Imperial Ace (for PTL x2)

E-Wing (for Advanced Sensors)

TIE Phantom

VT-49 Decimator

Please let me know if you think I should swap out any item from the first list with my second list. Thanks again.

I may be biased but your imperial list is a bit light, especially if you're just buying the Defender for predator. At that point you have five TIEs and a firespray (assuming you aren't using that in Scum) I'm not sure what I'd drop, though to get you more variety since it looks like you are buying into all three factions (except the extra core set but I've mentioned that enough). If you don't think imperials will be a faction of choice, I'd drop the TIE fighter expansion and get something else. I'd also drop the Defender if you are just getting it for predator, since, even though it is a good card, there are other good EPTs.

I wanted to get TIE Defender because ultimately I want to have two IG2000 so my brother and I can run a dual Aggressors fleet, and I think Predator is a good upgrade for it. I don't want to negate the Imperial faction though, so maybe I can get an Imperial Aces expansion instead of TIE Defender now, and get it later when I'm buying the IG2000? That will increase my selection of Imperial ships.

Imperial aces will also give you PTL, which is good for the Aggressor as well, but it's correct they don't match up with Han well unless that have Autothrusters.

As for the Zs. If you are looking to play competitively (beyond just your small playgroup), you'd probably actually want three Zs for a Fat Han list as two isn't quite enough to fill the points and won't allow anything else in there.

What you need for a reasonable force you've got good chance of winning with can be done for about UK £60

If you play rebels you get a core set and add a Bwing or a set of rebel aces.

If you play imperial add a phantom (or two) to your two tie fighters

You dont have to go mental to get a strong list.

Some love the Tie Defender others think it costs too may squad points (30-45 out of 100). I like it because it's the empire's only tanky small ship. It's also the only ship with a white kiogran turn, which makes it very unique.

Tie Interceptors are fun, dodgy & deadly, glass cannons that live & die but maneuvering, but they're very weak against turrets like the Falcon without Autothrusters. The thing about Interceptors (and I think a lot of other will agree) is that the best pilot comes in the standard expansion pack, and the best upgrades for it come in the Imperial Aces pack. This isn't to say that Aces doesn't have some solid pilots, it's just hard to beat Soontir Fel.

Something to keep in mind is that Fat Han is highly competitive and successful tournament build, and if your Imperial & Scum fleets don't have to tools to compete with it, then your brother & friends are going to get really frustrated, fast. However, you wont have C3P0, which is a major piece of Fat Han, so it might not be so bad. I'm not really the guy to advise you on that.

I see. So, if I want to build a fleet with TIE Interceptors, I still need to buy the expansions and not just Imperial Aces, because they have their best pilots there? I still need PTL so I can either get it through Imperial Aces or A-Wing. Quite frankly, I dislike the fact that you have to buy a certain ship in order to get an upgrade, like if I want C-3PO I will need to spend an extra $60 for Tantive IV just for that card in order to run a good Fat Han fleet. It seems to me that in order to keep the costs down, you have to play casually and not going for any specific strategy. Fan Han, like the dual Aggressors, is quite expensive if your wish is to build a competitive version of it. I think I'll build a fleet with what we get at first, then go from there instead of spending too much before we even start playing.

I see. So, if I want to build a fleet with TIE Interceptors, I still need to buy the expansions and not just Imperial Aces, because they have their best pilots there? I still need PTL so I can either get it through Imperial Aces or A-Wing. Quite frankly, I dislike the fact that you have to buy a certain ship in order to get an upgrade, like if I want C-3PO I will need to spend an extra $60 for Tantive IV just for that card in order to run a good Fat Han fleet. It seems to me that in order to keep the costs down, you have to play casually and not going for any specific strategy. Fan Han, like the dual Aggressors, is quite expensive if your wish is to build a competitive version of it. I think I'll build a fleet with what we get at first, then go from there instead of spending too much before we even start playing.

Well, I think part what you're running into is that you are trying to buy in on all factions equally on your budget as well as keep them competitive and that is hard to do and there are six waves worth of expansions (plus a couple aces packs and big ships), so the game has changed quite a bit.. I won't get too much into the business practice, but I think that in general, FFG (especially recently) has been trying to package upgrade cards with the right ships while still coming out with new ones with space available in a pack. It's a lot better than random draws or the practices of other companies.

The other thing is that a lot of people here have plenty of experience and know the "ideal" combos. For example, the Falcon comes with Chewbacca and Luke, both of which are good cards on Han but cost 11 points together and do something similar to Gunner+3PO, a more point efficient version for 8 points but another $100. However, the first combo is still pretty darn good, it's just that it costs an extra three point that could go elsewhere in your squad if you had the other two cards. While there are some "ideal" combos, you can still play with what you have in the packs you buy. I've lost games (and won) games to/with poor combinations of cards that you would never really see in competitive play (autoblaster, expose, etc..) because the game is relatively balanced compared to other systems.

As an example, if you want to fly a couple of imperial interceptors with some support, you can get the interceptor expansion ($15) giving you Soontir Fel, Imperial Aces (other pilots, RGT, 2x PTL) for $30 and along with the core set ($40) you have a couple of ties for a full squadron at $85 (at retail) with some good upgrades and decent support (TIES).

Finally, I'll say that if you are playing casually, it should not be a problem to proxy a card (like predator). If you're playing in a tournament and get to know a few more players, most X-wing groups I know are more than happy to lend out cards (and even ships) to new players. We had a younger guy show up this weekend to a store championship for the first time with two TIES at 36 points. A couple of the guys helped him get to 100 points on the spot pulling out their cards and collection and lending them for the day.

Don't fly a fat Han when your just starting nothing is more guaranteed to put other learners off, it also won't teach you one of the most important aspects off the game which is anticipating the other guys movement and flying accordingly.

Thanks! Okay, I have a list of things that I'm going to buy that are within my spending budget. Thanks to all who helped me compile this list! Here are what I will probably buy as an introduction to the game:

Core set x2

X-Wing

Y-Wing

HWK-290

Z-95 x2

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

TIE Fighter

Most Wanted expansion

TIE Defender (for Predator)

Here are the things that I'm thinking about buying later on, when I have more money:

IG2000 x2 (for dual Aggressors)

StarViper (for Autothrusters)

Imperial Ace (for PTL x2)

E-Wing (for Advanced Sensors)

TIE Phantom

VT-49 Decimator

Please let me know if you think I should swap out any item from the first list with my second list. Thanks again.

I would drop the second core set and a z-95. Then add a phantom (learning how this ship plays is -critical-)

The core sets aren't going to go out of stock anytime soon so their less of a priority. You can probably pick one up anytime. Its likely that if you play the core set with a friend they will also go out and buy one as well.

Your getting two z's in the most wanted pack so you can just substitute them across in your games. When learning the game you want to be able to play a variety of ships so you can learn the pro's and con's of each ship.

I also wouldn't worry about getting what people consider the most efficient upgrade cards for torney play right at the start. In casual games you can just proxy these.

Folks are talking up the fat Han but in a few months you can bet it will be something else they rave about. I'm also not going to advocate that a dual aggressor list is a must buy, its just the fancy new toy that will probably go out of style soon enough.

X-wing lists don't play themselves so don't get hung up on the lists worlds champs churn out. You cant come into the game as a beginner buy the ships that people consider top lists and expect to win all the time.

You will learn more from the games you lose then the ones you win.

Unless you're planning to jump right into tournaments or playing at a game store with strangers, you can easily proxy any upgrade card you need. The ship models, dials, & ship tokens are what you really need. You can make a squad on one of these Squad Builder websites and print out a roster with the equipped upgrades and their effects listed with the corresponding ships.

(Yet Another) X-Wing Miniatures Squad Builder

X-Wing Miniatures Squadron Builder

In regards to the TIE Interceptor, you need to keep in mind that Imperial Aces came out around a year after the standard version was released. It was meant to address some of the issues that kept it out of high end competitive play, mainly its durability. It came with a bunch of new Unique pilots (and a truly awesome elite generic pilot) rather than reprints of those included in the standard expansion. Then wave 4 hit, and everyone started using Falcons (Fat Han specifically) to battle the Phantoms. The Interceptor fell out of use because turrets are a hard counter to Interceptors (all arc-dodgers really). So in wave 6 they released Autothrusters to help arc-dodgers compete with turrets. At least you get 2 Autothrusters cards with the StarViper. The A-wing has a similar story, but for different reasons.

I'd also advise against starting with Fat Han. You can easily do a Han Shoots First build instead, with just a falcon and any combination of 2 B,X, and Y-wings. It's still solid and much more affordable.

While there is a lot of good information here on how you may want to plan your collection, I really think you shouldn't spend the entire 200 all at once. Buy a core and one additional rebel and impreial ship that looks interesting to you. Then play some games. You don't need to have 100 point squads just learn the game and figure out what you like. Proxy whatever upgrade cards you want.

While there is a lot of good information here on how you may want to plan your collection, I really think you shouldn't spend the entire 200 all at once. Buy a core and one additional rebel and impreial ship that looks interesting to you. Then play some games. You don't need to have 100 point squads just learn the game and figure out what you like. Proxy whatever upgrade cards you want.

NO $200 is not enough! Take out a loan, take a 2nd mortgage on your house. Sell your body if you have to. Just make sure you buy everything now, including templates, dice tower and custom trays!

Sorry couldn't help it. I think I need more sleep.

But pointing out the extreme can put things in perspective.

NukeMaster is right. solid advice.

I also can't believe this has gone on for 4 pages.

Unless you're planning to jump right into tournaments or playing at a game store with strangers, you can easily proxy any upgrade card you need. The ship models, dials, & ship tokens are what you really need. You can make a squad on one of these Squad Builder websites and print out a roster with the equipped upgrades and their effects listed with the corresponding ships.

(Yet Another) X-Wing Miniatures Squad Builder

X-Wing Miniatures Squadron Builder

In regards to the TIE Interceptor, you need to keep in mind that Imperial Aces came out around a year after the standard version was released. It was meant to address some of the issues that kept it out of high end competitive play, mainly its durability. It came with a bunch of new Unique pilots (and a truly awesome elite generic pilot) rather than reprints of those included in the standard expansion. Then wave 4 hit, and everyone started using Falcons (Fat Han specifically) to battle the Phantoms. The Interceptor fell out of use because turrets are a hard counter to Interceptors (all arc-dodgers really). So in wave 6 they released Autothrusters to help arc-dodgers compete with turrets. At least you get 2 Autothrusters cards with the StarViper. The A-wing has a similar story, but for different reasons.

I'd also advise against starting with Fat Han. You can easily do a Han Shoots First build instead, with just a falcon and any combination of 2 B,X, and Y-wings. It's still solid and much more affordable.

Thanks for the Squadron Builder link. I guess I'll print out some proxy first for our casual play first before dishing out more money to extra ships and their upgrades. I think when I was watching the X-Wing miniatures games on Youtube, I had the wrong assumption that just by buying a particular ship, you can have all of its available upgrades in one fell swoop, so I thought that it won't cost as much as other miniature games. I'm also more of a card games player and have never played miniatures before, so after reading this forum and asking questions, it turns out to be quite different than my expectation. I guess I'm going for a Han Shoots First build, and see how it pans out, before I buy more and spend way over my budget.

Well, I decided to spend a little over $100 and get the following ships as my introduction to this game?

Core set

X-Wing

Z-95

HWK-290

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

Most Wanted

I'm just going to play around these ships, not necessary trying to build the best squadron, and see how the game is. I'll probably spend another $100-200 depending on how I like the game and how much I have later on, after selling my collectibles.

Well, I decided to spend a little over $100 and get the following ships as my introduction to this game?

Core set

X-Wing

Z-95

HWK-290

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

Most Wanted

I'm just going to play around these ships, not necessary trying to build the best squadron, and see how the game is. I'll probably spend another $100-200 depending on how I like the game and how much I have later on, after selling my collectibles.

That's a good plan dude. Start small get a feel for the ships you like and your play-style and then expand.

Well, I decided to spend a little over $100 and get the following ships as my introduction to this game?

Core set

X-Wing

Z-95

HWK-290

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

Most Wanted

I'm just going to play around these ships, not necessary trying to build the best squadron, and see how the game is. I'll probably spend another $100-200 depending on how I like the game and how much I have later on, after selling my collectibles.

That's a good plan dude. Start small get a feel for the ships you like and your play-style and then expand.

I would simply sub the Z-95 for the Phantom. That would make it extremely ideal:

Phantom comboes very well with cards form Slave1 and Falcon.

Well, I decided to spend a little over $100 and get the following ships as my introduction to this game?

Core set

X-Wing

Z-95

HWK-290

Millennium Falcon

Slave I

Most Wanted

I'm just going to play around these ships, not necessary trying to build the best squadron, and see how the game is. I'll probably spend another $100-200 depending on how I like the game and how much I have later on, after selling my collectibles.

That's a good plan dude. Start small get a feel for the ships you like and your play-style and then expand.

I would simply sub the Z-95 for the Phantom. That would make it extremely ideal:

Phantom comboes very well with cards form Slave1 and Falcon.

I'll probably get the Phantom next, since I saw the video of a player using it and it seems like a very fun ship to use, with its cloaking technology. I just want to get a feel on the game and then go from there.

Many thanks to everybody for all your input! Your help is greatly appreciated.