So I'm aware that a "good list" and a "fun list" are not always the same thing, nor the same as an "effective list". That being said, I have a definite tendency towards non standard lists, and I am only vaguely aware of the meta. Therefore I was curious about a couple ideas I've had.

The first I call Crouching Lando, Hidden Darklighter.

Lando, Nien Numb, Jan, Tactical Jammer

Biggs, R2-F2, Stealth Device

Rookie Pilot

Clearly just another Biggs build, but I thought that the combo of Lando/Jan plus stealth device and R2-F2 was pretty clever. Rookie moves up, Biggs moves up using Droid to increase his agility to 4, then Lando moves up, lets Biggs take an Evade token, and blocks him with the falcon putting Biggs hopefully at a 5 agility, 6 if lucky enough for long range. Defensively it sounds pretty good to me, but I'm worried about it offensively. Can Biggs take and shake enough shots to let my 9 attack dice come into play? As long as Biggs is in formation (obviously easier said than done) he can soak quite a bit with 5 evade. I'm already aware that arc dodgers and flankers could of course move around the falcon to get him down to 4 dice, but I can still hope right? My theory is that by the time they finally take down Biggs, Lando and random rookie could have done enough damage to make it count but I'm not convinced.

The second is Eating a Bat

Etahn A' baht, R7, Fire Control system

Bandit squadron, cluster missiles x4

Ok this is probably just silly but I keep looking at Etahn and wondering how to maximize on his ability. I came up with this because it throws the most dice downfield in the shortest amount of time. In the event that I can get all of the bandits to fire their missiles, that's a total of 27 dice. 9 of those get free upgrades to criticals thanks to Etahn. Is this enough to make it count and how long do my ships last after that, and how many of those attacks get through... but I really like the idea.

Thirdly I have Stress Test.

Eaden Vrill, Tactician, Engine Upgrade

Dutch, R5-K8, Flechette torps x2, Munitions failsafe

Horton, Btl-a4, Ion Cannon, R3-A2

Looking around I guess this is a Panic attack list? Designed to lock down enemy ships with stress, Eaden zooms to range one as quickly as possible, going for 4 dice, the Y-wings keep the stress on and Horton can hopefully also keep them zooming the way I want with a few ion shots. I would possibly take them down to just gold squadron ships and save 12 points but I think the named Y's have pretty decent abilities that will help me keep the pressure on.

Is there any hope for me or should I just stick to approved lists that seem to work for everyone else?

Is there any hope for me or should I just stick to approved lists that seem to work for everyone else?

Depends on what you are looking for. If you feel very competitive minded and want to do well at tourneys, then you can go with a 'netlist' (or 'tried & true' might be a more tactful term), but at the end of the day, if you want to do well with a list (regardless of what it is), it has to suit your playstyle. Certain ships and builds work better for certain people due to the way they approach the game. For example, I think a TIE swarm suits aggressive players that want to focus on offense over defense.

All of your lists can work if you can maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

Like in your 1st list, I would think the weakness is slightly low damage output (not terrible though) combined with the synergy that requires your ships to stay relatively close together. If your opponent manages to get your ships separated, you will probably have a rough time. And blocking tactics will really ruin your day...

In your second list, your headhunters have a nice alpha strike but high PS opponents might make it difficult for you to get your Target Locks, and certain lists that are strong on the joust (like TIE swarm & BBBBZ) have good odds of destroying at least one before it gets to shoot its clusters. So you will have to practice against such lists and try to find an approach that increases the odds that all your ships will survive long enough to shoot those missiles.

The third list is interesting. Not putting a turret on Dutch really drops him down in terms of target priority, so he will be able to supply target locks for most of the match. I worry about its damage output though, although yes, Vrill could pack a nice strong punch under the right circumstances and horton configured this way is pretty scary, although once he gets double stressed, he will struggle to keep anyone in his firing arc, so I'm not sure the A4 title is a good idea along with R3A2...

Anyway, I guess what I'm getting at is you don't need an 'approved list' (to use your term) to be successful----you just need to find a list that suits your playstyle and fly it as effectively as you can.

I say go with your own lists and try things out. Maybe read some net lists to get ideas, but build your own to see what works and what doesn't. I often find people get thrown off when they are faced with something they haven't seen before.

For the first list, damage output would be the weakness. I don't know if it's workable, but it seems that way. I say go ahead and try it.

The second list has great alpha strike, but you will probably get one round of them firing at you from R2-3 before you get your Target Lock. I would recommend looking into a You Tube video called Rule of 11. It's the idea of trying to gauge the approach on your opponent. If you can get at R3, or just outside of it, on the approach, then you can zip forward to get a TL and probably stay at R1 of your opponent. The damage you can do will be nice, but if you are facing off against three high PS Interceptors, you will have a hard time getting them in your firing arc. Still, it should be a fun list to try.

The last list seems to lack offensive firepower, too. I've not flown anything like it, but I look and wonder where the damage is going to come from.