So I was inspired to learn how to fly interceptors, since I love them so much, so I made a list of Soontir, royal guard title, auto thrusters, stealth device, push the limit, same thing on Turr Phennir, but no PtL, and then Echo with VI and ACD to get me to 100 points. One of our local players and our TO for the tournament was kind enough to play me today. He was running dual aggressors, B and D, loaded out with everything under the sun.

Anyway, we played 4 games, and he tabled me 100-0 every single game. In fact, in four games, in nearly four hours, he didn't draw a single damage card. The best I ever did was stripping shields off one of the aggressors. After the second game of getting pounded into the dirt, I actually considered calling it quits for the day, because it sucks to lose that badly, but I decided that I was just at a tough part of the learning curve, and if I wanted to fly interceptors, I wasn't going to learn how to do it from beating people or from not playing, I was only going to learn from dealing with skilled players. So, I played two more games, and though I didn't actually force him to deal himself a damage card, my play markedly improved. I started to "get it" a little bit in a way that I hadn't before.

That having been said, the learning curve for the interceptor and the phantom (playing with the new rules) is STEEP. At least, it feels steep to me anyway. I think part of that is I'm naturally a hugely aggressive person (which is super handy in actual fighter combat and way less handy on the tabletop). I don't think major acts of bold aggression are the way to fly Soontir and his ilk. But I'm starting to figure it out, slowly but surely.

Anybody else have any steep learning curve moments with any of their lists, or in learning to pilot a ship they particularly like?

I applaud your perseverance. I played three games with B-wings when they first came out and lost horrendously. I've hardly touched them since then. I wonder what would have happened if I didn't give up? To this day I associate B-wings with the word "enemy."

Interceptors are not easy or forgiving. I like flying them, but they can die fast. I played a few games with my son. I thought I had a good move figured out with Turr. The second time I tried it, he anticipated it. I ended up with Ten Numb to my side at range one...kaboom.

From what I have learned save your tokens for defense and its better to move out of arc than risk getting shot at. Keep positioning until you can find a spot where you can shoot, but your opponent cannot (unless they have a turret).

the entirety of the scum faction is a steep learning curve for me

interceptors do have a steep learning curve. i learned to fly interceptors by playing 5 alpha squadrons, so by the time i had them nailed down and winning most of my games; flying PtL interceptors was a breeze

This has been discussed elsewhere by people far more experienced and knowledgeable than me, but Interceptors (along with all glass cannons, Phantoms included) really shine when they are NOT the primary target. Along with their fragile little TIE hulls, this is why lists composed of all-Interceptors tend to struggle competitively. They do great when you run into that all B-wing list, but not so great against turrets and other ships that can handle arc-dodgers- and I would put IG88 in that category, despite having a single firing arc and only PS6. With their crazy movement options and HLC matched up with IG88B, it can be really hard to keep your glass cannons alive against them.

So my advice would be to replace Echo and maybe one of your interceptors with a big, durable threat, such as Bounty Hunters or a mini swarm. Try to keep them focused on your primary threat while you use the interceptor(s) as flankers. If they go after your interceptor anyway, turtle up and arc dodge to keep that little guy (or gal) alive for as long as you can while you tear into them from behind with your main threat.

EDIT: And I realize now after rereading your post I realize that you weren't asking for advice, you were asking for other steep learning curve stories. Whoops.

For me personally, learning to use and appreciate generic ships has been a steep learning curve. The thing is that I LIKE the named pilots, and I can't help but get carried away with thoughts of how awesome they would be with this EPT and that Modification and these Bells and those Whistles and pretty soon I've used up 50+ points on a ship that ISN'T a Falcon/Decimator. In recent Meta times that hasn't been too bad, as loaded up 2-ship lists have been common, but I know I would probably win more games if I got over that. Nowadays I've seemed to settle for a single named pilot + a bunch of generics, which works pretty well, but to this day I don't think I have ever flown a list with NOTHING but generics- No wait, I take that back, I have flown a few 6-Sigma variations. But that's about it.

Yeah, I'm finding that maneuvering away from the opponent to eventually get back to a spot where I can shoot is way better than risking an exchange of fire, particularly with those cannons the Aggressors have got.

Interesting about the alpha squadron. Would you recommend them still? I was considering 4 Alphas with auto thrusters and Howlrunner for fun.

This has been discussed elsewhere by people far more experienced and knowledgeable than me, but Interceptors (along with all glass cannons, Phantoms included) really shine when they are NOT the primary target. Along with their fragile little TIE hulls, this is why lists composed of all-Interceptors tend to struggle competitively. They do great when you run into that all B-wing list, but not so great against turrets and other ships that can handle arc-dodgers- and I would put IG88 in that category, despite having a single firing arc and only PS6. With their crazy movement options and HLC matched up with IG88B, it can be really hard to keep your glass cannons alive against them.

So my advice would be to replace Echo and maybe one of your interceptors with a big, durable threat, such as Bounty Hunters or a mini swarm. Try to keep them focused on your primary threat while you use the interceptor(s) as flankers. If they go after your interceptor anyway, turtle up and arc dodge to keep that little guy (or gal) alive for as long as you can while you tear into them from behind with your main threat.

Thanks, I was considering alternatives to Echo - a TIE advanced after raider drops, a bounty hunter, a Lambda, etc. Not sure what I'll end up going with for regionals, but I'm enjoying the challenge of the interceptors - most of the time.

Interesting about the alpha squadron. Would you recommend them still? I was considering 4 Alphas with auto thrusters and Howlrunner for fun.

A ....side benefit, shall we say, of that fleet, from the eldritch-minded.

Yeah, I'm finding that maneuvering away from the opponent to eventually get back to a spot where I can shoot is way better than risking an exchange of fire, particularly with those cannons the Aggressors have got.

Interesting about the alpha squadron. Would you recommend them still? I was considering 4 Alphas with auto thrusters and Howlrunner for fun.

i'm sure you can still have fun with them but i wouldn't recommend playing them competitively. i did this during wave 2 and part of wave 3 before people at my local meta started to catch on and fly B wings equipped with HLC's. that ended my alpha superiority in a hurry

oh and the reason i did well was not running howlrunner. Interceptors shine better on their own rather than in formation. formation flying means your opponent will know exactly where you will end up, which of course is bad news

they were effective at the time because they had no hard counters other than falcon lists (wave 2), but back then it was only an uphill battle. These days it would be a suicide run

The autothrusters thing definitely helps, though - assuming an 'evade' action, you are guaranteed at least two enemy hits stopped (at range 3, presuming that HLC) every turn. That makes them VERY hard to kill them quickly, even for an HLC.

I was tinkering with using AT on cheap Interceptors, too - not sure Howl is a good choice to pair with them, though, owing to the aforementioned formation flying being a real handicap for Interceptors.

But something like:

4x Alpha-squadron w/ Autothrusters

1x Scimitar-squadron w/ flechette torpedoes and munitions failsafe

The Scimitar will be shooting with TL, only - no need to focus, as the point is basically to "miss" over and over, just causing stress. Of course, if you do hit... eh, fine, that torpedo can put out a punch. The Alphas then just do their Interceptor thing - attacking from different directions to maximize flanking opportunities. Basically always taking 'evade' as an action, trying to block when they can, etc.

...I dunno, could work interestingly...

Interceptors are aggressive, but it's the assassin kind of aggressive where you can afford to go all out because the foe has no way of retaliating

Their raw defensive stats for their cost are absolute garbage (tie fighter for 150% to up to 3 times the points), so you have to adapt to their weird style of coming in at odd angles to avoid your foes' arcs.

The "easiest" way to stem the learning curve seems to be Soontir + mini-swarm, which is actually looking to be a deadly competitive list.

Soontir (ptl, stealth, title, thrusters)

Backstabber

Academy X 4

You get a nice solid core to shove down the enemy's throat while the good baron and the stabber of backs can weasel in from the side and do what they do best

I feel like a surgeon hard 2-ing and boosting + barrel rolling Soontir on the table when I'm arc dodging or barely hugging rocks.

Just gotta be precise and willing to take those risks with Soontir because he has a lot more leeway to work with than every other ship in the game.

HWKs are pretty much an 89-degree learning curve for me. And I don't care to or plan on getting over that wall anytime soon.

This has been discussed elsewhere by people far more experienced and knowledgeable than me, but Interceptors (along with all glass cannons, Phantoms included) really shine when they are NOT the primary target. Along with their fragile little TIE hulls, this is why lists composed of all-Interceptors tend to struggle competitively. They do great when you run into that all B-wing list, but not so great against turrets and other ships that can handle arc-dodgers- and I would put IG88 in that category, despite having a single firing arc and only PS6. With their crazy movement options and HLC matched up with IG88B, it can be really hard to keep your glass cannons alive against them.

So my advice would be to replace Echo and maybe one of your interceptors with a big, durable threat, such as Bounty Hunters or a mini swarm. Try to keep them focused on your primary threat while you use the interceptor(s) as flankers. If they go after your interceptor anyway, turtle up and arc dodge to keep that little guy (or gal) alive for as long as you can while you tear into them from behind with your main threat.

Thanks, I was considering alternatives to Echo - a TIE advanced after raider drops, a bounty hunter, a Lambda, etc. Not sure what I'll end up going with for regionals, but I'm enjoying the challenge of the interceptors - most of the time.

A Doomshuttle pairs well with interceptors; it's only 24 points so lots of room for interceptor goodness, it brings ten health to the table but more importantly it has a big, predictable arc of doom. Most enemy ships will try to avoid this arc, which gives you a huge advantage when it comes to guessing your opponents manoeuvres, as you can practically close of entire lanes with the shuttle allowing you to more easily dodge arcs and bring your interceptors to bare.

I also think the defender pairs well with interceptors. Ok, it's certainly more points than the shuttle but its durable, manoeuvrable (once you crack the dial) enough to keep up with the squints and dodge some arcs and let's you bring a ion cannon to the table which again, is a huge leg up for the squints.

It's not 'all interceptors' but I've had success running;

Fel

PTL, RGT, TC, AT

Vessery

VI, Ion cannon

Omicron pilot

Vader, ST-321

Want more punch? Drop Fel to a royal guard and soup Vess up to a HLC, with a 1 point int bid (helps the RGP a LOT vs dual agressors)

Interceptors are definitely one of the trickier ships to get the hang of - well done for recognising this and persevering!

I keep two key rules in mind when flying them:

Fly defensively

It's much better to get out of arcs and not get a shot, than it is to have a shot and get shot back. Always consider how you can stay alive, and only then whether you can attack effectively.

Use your maneuver actions

The interceptor is the only ship in the game with a boost and a barrel roll as standard, plus green hard-turns (although a few others can be upgraded to do this).

After every maneuver, think about which combination of boost and/or barrel roll will put you in the best position. This extreme flexibility to reposition is vital, both to staying alive and getting to a shot. It's much better to be in the perfect position without a token than it is to be in a poor position with one... this is why Soontir Fel is so good, because he gets a focus anyway!

Good luck...

Thanks guys, this is a super helpful thread for me. I'll keep working on them.

Focus on one target at a time BUT don't develop tunnel vision.

and as has been pointed out, it's better to be out of arc and out of reach than in arc and able to shoot. Of course this is situational, more than once i've gambled on killing the enemy with an interceptor before he can get a shot off - when that works it is epic.

It doesn't always work. That's why it's a gamble. To be fair on myself when I do this and actually take the risk I have 2 ships lining up, incase the first doesn't do the job.

With Scum and their illicits, a new challenge for the ceptor is to keep out of range 1, those range one autohit ion charge things really hurt our unshielded fragile asses.

Also - when the enemy is using swarms and you are using carnor, it is customary to laugh maniacally.

This is really helpful to me, too. Interceptors have always been my favorite ships, and I'm also trying to be more effective with them.

Yeah, I was kind of afraid to try flying them at first, because I had so little experience, and my first time playing I tried interceptors and the game lasted out 4 turns before I was tabled. So, I switched to scum while I worked out how to play, and now I'm back to trying to make interceptors work for me. A-wings will be my next project.

My biggest problem on the table is aggressiveness.

I'm actually going to draw an FPS analogy: there are a lot of games where the biggest factor in who wins a firefight is who gets the first shot off. Assuming neither player has made a mistake with their loadout, and assuming neither player is bad, the person who starts counting down their time-to-kill clock first is likely to pick up the kill.

So far, so good. But if you get that kill and keep pushing forward, you're likely to run into a fresh player... while you're still carrying damage from the last firefight. And now even if you get the drop on the other guy, it's much easier for him to kill you than vice-versa.

The relevance to X-wing is that I'm having to carefully develop and cultivate the skill of figuring out when not to brawl. I've had mixed results, so far: highly maneuverable ships like Super Dash still tend to gut me more often than not, but it's getting better.

I jumped into the game, and picked up a Phantom and an Interceptor expansion.

Worked up a 100 pts with Whisper, Soontir, and Backstabber.

Got wiped.

Went with Han and a couple Rookies for a while. Really helped me learn the basics of the game.

But, I'm an Imperial at heart. Picked up a Decimator. Have been running that with various escorts for a while, including Soontir and Whisper.

Have been in 3 tournaments now. Still nowhere near being called a 'good player', but I am starting to get some compliments on my lists and my manuevering skills.

Game does have a lot of skills to learn, and then once you do get 'the basics' down, you have to learn tactics, and remember to use your upgrades and pilot abilities, etc.

As I often say, this is one of the few games where even when I lose, I still have a ton of fun AND learn stuff every game.

My biggest problem on the table is aggressiveness.

I'm actually going to draw an FPS analogy: there are a lot of games where the biggest factor in who wins a firefight is who gets the first shot off. Assuming neither player has made a mistake with their loadout, and assuming neither player is bad, the person who starts counting down their time-to-kill clock first is likely to pick up the kill.

So far, so good. But if you get that kill and keep pushing forward, you're likely to run into a fresh player... while you're still carrying damage from the last firefight. And now even if you get the drop on the other guy, it's much easier for him to kill you than vice-versa.

The relevance to X-wing is that I'm having to carefully develop and cultivate the skill of figuring out when not to brawl. I've had mixed results, so far: highly maneuverable ships like Super Dash still tend to gut me more often than not, but it's getting better.

My analogy is more to flight sims. I always sucked at FPS for the very reason you describe. In flight sims though, there is a huge penalty for not being aggressive, and almost no penalty (within reason) for aggression. If you are on the attack, the enemy literally can't hit you back (unless we're talking head-on passes, but you avoid those). This means that the more aggressive you are, the more enemy pilots you down, and the safer you are. Aggression = Survival. It seems not not be that way on the X-wing tabletop. Although, if I can equate staying out of arc with avoiding head-on passes, maybe I can work out a balance where I keep the pressure on the opponent, without giving up shots I shouldn't be taking.

Play operation flashpoint. / ARMA.

Charging in shouting dakkadakkadakka will get you killed.

hiding in a bush with an M-21 on the other hand...

Yes, playing conservatively or aggressively has seen me both win and lose matches. There is a careful balance, and of course, a lot depends on the list you're flying and facing.

The problem with that list is that they were all arc dodgers, so how do you engage without one dying horribly? The trick is to get a big, reliable brick of a ship: a TIE pack, a Decimator, a Lambda, a Firespray, a TIE defender (they don't like focus fire either) and let them draw the fire. Interceptors are great once they get into the fray, but they need to get there.