Like most of these lists and will try a few as I love the Defender but how much does VI help in your games? PS8 just doesn't seem all that useful unless you see a lot of Dash maybe. I keep trying to find a place for calculation and some of these lists with VI seem like a place to squeeze it in. Annoying that you need to use your focus but at one point, if you can drop a crit at the right time it might be worth it.

I'm just mentally replacing "VI" with "Adrenaline Rush" everywhere, but you could pretty easily do Calculation, too.

...pitching for AR again, it completely changes not so much how you fly a Defender, but how your opponent has to react to your defender. You don't really fly like an Interceptor, but your opponent has to treat you as if you do, and that's a lot of fun.

And completely aside from that, you do have the option of a white 1-turn once, which in the middle game can turn a knife-fight completely in your favor.

The Colonels Secret Recipe

Colonel Vessery

Bounty Hunter

Sigma Squadron

Fire Control System

Stygium Particle Accelerator

Weapons Engineer

Fly the Bounty Hunter up the middle as the obvious target, flank with the Phantom. Not an easy win squad, but I've had good luck with it and it is fun to fly.

The Colonels Secret Recipe

Colonel Vessery

Bounty Hunter

Sigma Squadron

Fire Control System

Stygium Particle Accelerator

Weapons Engineer

Fly the Bounty Hunter up the middle as the obvious target, flank with the Phantom. Not an easy win squad, but I've had good luck with it and it is fun to fly.

Well it definitely wins the title for best squad name

Jonus

Onyx + HLC

Onyx + HLC

Jonus bros!

This is my favorite defender list:

I would think Engine Upgrade would work well with the Defender since you can K-turn then Boost.

How about:

Bounty Hunter x2

Delta Squadron Pilot with Engine Upgrade

100 pts

Engine Doesn't really help defenders I've found

They want focus to make the most out of their 3 offense and 3 agility, and having barrel roll is already incredibly useful

I flew Vessery with VI, Vader with the X1 title and an Advanced Targeting Computer and Soontir Fel with Ptl, Authothrusters and a Targeting Computer. Vader and Fel having two actions meant a steady stream of Target Locks for Vessery to make use of (almost always a Focus token as well). All three of them hit pretty hard and with PS of 9 and 8 they shoot first most of the time.

Oh! I can't believe I forgot about this list that I'm going to try tonight. Maybe it's because it will be my first time flying my new Decimator. I didn't get it until my Wave 6 stuff came in, too. I got it from Klutz's thread here:

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/138689-a-tale-of-three-stores/

Which is really just a link to his battle reports here:

http://teamcovenant.com/klutz/2015/03/23/a-tale-of-three-stores/

He did 3 Store Championships and his 2nd one he took this list:

• Rear Admiral Chiraneau + Navigator + Ysanne Isard + Rebel Captive + Engine Upgrade + Veteran Instincts
• Rexler Brath + Lone Wolf

Klutz stated that he would change Lone Wolf as it didn't really work as much as he thought it would. Rexler was too close to the Decimator too often. He suggested either VI or Predator. I'm going with VI and am planning on playing my friend's Tie Interceptor list.

Fair enough.

What would you do with the remaining 4 points?

Put Tacticians on both Bounty Hunters?

Put Seismic Charges on both Bounty Hunters?

Put Anti Pursuit Lasers on both Bounty Hunters?

Put a fleet officer on one bounty Hunter?

Upgrade the Delta to an Onyx Squadron pilot (giving all three ships PS3) then giving him a Flechette Cannon?

Give the Delta a Mangler Cannon?

Tactician by far of the above options (works outta both arcs ) for the list as a whole

But IMO the defender specifically truly shines when its given a flechette or ion cannon (or hlc with bonus, **** is terrifying) because they help you abuse the white 4k to no end.

Soontir (PTL, Royal Guard Tie, Stealth Device, Auto-thrusters)

Delta Squadron Pilot (Flechette cannon) X 2

personal favorite and one of my 3 most preferred lists throughout the time ive been playing x-wing

I have never seen this list before or anything like it.

Depending on how Soontir Fel is upgraded the x2 Delta Squadrons can have a variety of cannons up to Manglers

(Fel, PTL, Auto + x2 Delta T/D Mangler) for example.

How good are the Fel+x2 Delta lists in your experience (wins, losses, fun to play with)? Have you flown them in any events?

I am curious to try this or something similar to it now!

My favorite pairing is a defender and a firespray, so two lists I like but haven't played enough of are:

Boba Fett: HLC, predator, fleet officer (52)

Rexler Brath: HLC, predator (47)

Alternatively:

2x Delta Squadron Pilot: Flechette Cannon (32 each)

1x Bounty Hunter: Ion cannon (36)

The first list pumps out a metric ton of damage with good hit % from double predator and gives Rexler a second focus to use defensively or to get hits and still allow his ability.

The second list gives beefy ships that can choose between control and pumping out very solid damage as they wish, depending on what they're shooting at, and they all have good coverage between the rear arc and the 4k

Sadly my list is "casual" in that I havnt brought it to events but have flown consistently well against those that routinely place high or win all the local events

I have a grand total of 2 measly wins against the player who has taken 1st in every local tournue and store champ. The first was with stress Luke that won me a little store champ (he took 2nd) and the other was soontir + double defender immediately after versus his two aggressors.

It was that 2nd win that convinced me of the list's viability especially agaInst aggressors. He cornered and eliminated soontir in the first 2 rounds of fire and I thought I was done. 64 points can't do **** to a barely damaged 100, right? Wrong

The defenders have an uncanny ability to isolate an aggressor and double team it into submission (a combination of the defender stats being similar to the aggressor but the dial and base size allowing it to maneuver much more precisely through obstructions).

The game came down to a five health defender and a 3 hull ig-88b and the defender won the final dice off with his higher health total.

Not sharing this experience to brag, just to relate how proud I was of my defenders when they overcame a scary list in the hands of the most consistently amazing player in the local scene.

Dreading facing him again, though

Why run one overpriced, un-competitive, and terrible dial ship with a situational pilot ability when you CAN RUN BOTH?!?

(anyone who has read my posts in the other Defender thread will know to read that with a pinch of sarcasm)

Babysitting the Brass

Rexlar

Vessery+VI

OGP+FO+ASensors

I've only played it twice and it's a fun semi competitive list that works better than I thought it would. Topping out at PS 8 and no hypermobile ships probably dooms it too being second tier, but it is fun to play.

3xDelta+Ion Cannon. 99 points.

The list I was using that got me to start the other Defender thread:

Delta squad + HLC

Delta squad

Baron Fel + Predator and Autothruster

99/100

If the opponent focused on either the Def with the HLC, it let Fel run loose or vice versa.

The list I was using that got me to start the other Defender thread:

Delta squad + HLC

Delta squad

Baron Fel + Predator and Autothruster

99/100

If the opponent focused on either the Def with the HLC, it let Fel run loose or vice versa.

I'm sorry to say, but if you DON'T put Push the Limit on Soontir Fel, you're doing it wrong!

The list I was using that got me to start the other Defender thread:

Delta squad + HLC

Delta squad

Baron Fel + Predator and Autothruster

99/100

If the opponent focused on either the Def with the HLC, it let Fel run loose or vice versa.

I'm sorry to say, but if you DON'T put Push the Limit on Soontir Fel, you're doing it wrong!

I usually do but I wanted to try something different. It hasn't lost a game yet.

Engine Doesn't really help defenders I've found

They want focus to make the most out of their 3 offense and 3 agility, and having barrel roll is already incredibly useful

I disagree. Put VI and Engine upgrade on Vessery. Being able to boost after that white 4K is killer! Then, enjoy the free target lock.

I was impressed with Biophysical's list/report:

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/136321-putting-my-money-where-my-mouth-is-on-tie-defenders-step-2-the-store-championship/

I've only flown this once, but it worked quite well vs BBBBZ:

Brath w/ Lone Wolf, Shield Upgrade, HLC and either prockets or IPM

Whisper w/ VI, FCS, gunner & ACD

Was fun.

ninja'd....

Strange, I would think the raw firepower would take out brath very easily. How did you keep him alive?

I was impressed with Biophysical's list/report:

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/136321-putting-my-money-where-my-mouth-is-on-tie-defenders-step-2-the-store-championship/

I've only flown this once, but it worked quite well vs BBBBZ:

Brath w/ Lone Wolf, Shield Upgrade, HLC and either prockets or IPM

Whisper w/ VI, FCS, gunner & ACD

Was fun.

ninja'd....

Strange, I would think the raw firepower would take out brath very easily. How did you keep him alive?

Thinking on it now, I'd certainly fly that Brath + Whisper list. It likes quite enjoyable and stronger than I first envisioned.

I've had a lot of luck with what I call the Vessimator:

COL Vessery + Outmaneuver + HLC

CAPT Kenkirk + Determination + Isard + Captive + W-Engr

Vessery shoots with 4 dice at any range, and often reduces opponent's Agility. 4v2 again Corran or Fel? yes please! And getting outside the Falcon's arc means 3P0 can't make his guess, as they roll no dice!

Kenkirk provides support of Vessery's ability with Weapon's Engineer for TLs on 2 different foes, giving Vessery more options to shoot with free TLs. Captive hurts high PS pilots (looking at you, Phantoms) and low ship number builds (swap Jade if your meta has more swarms). Isard synchs well with Kenkirk's ability, so you're rolling 1Def + free Evade after you start taking hull damage. And Determination on a 12 hull ship means I discard an average of 1-2 pilot crits a game, for only 1 point!

Certainly has its weaknesses, but it's been very competitive and a lot of fun to fly.

I've found the 2 scim + seismic + 2 academy mini-swarm is a pretty solid base to build a squad around and leaves plenty of points for an elite pilot

I really like that mini-swarm, too! I've put together quite few lists like that, using various elite pilots, and I have not yet had much chance to try them out (apart from Vessery), but I look forward to doing so.

Here is a fun one for casual play. If you feel less daring about risking losing initiative vs PS9 then you can drop Rebel Captive on Whisper for 2 points of "other stuff", like Adrenaline Rush on Vessery and Intel Agent on Whisper.

100 points

Whisper + VI + ACD + FCS + Rebel Captive

Vessery

Omicron Group Pilot + FCS

Edit: or you could sub in the new TIE/Advanced if you proxy:

99 points

Whisper + VI + ACD + FCS + Rebel Captive

Vessery

Tempest Squadron Pilot + title + ATC