How to handle Dual IG-2000

By Extropia, in X-Wing

Hi all

This has probably been asked, but my search skills suck, so apologies.

What are the best ways to deal with double IG lists at present? They are dominating my local meta pretty hard, and i'd rather try to beat them than join them.

I have access to pretty much everything, though i only own 2 B-Wings and 1 Phantom (for tactician) so Panic Attack is a problem for me.

Actually i lied, i own 3 B-Wings. Still only 1 Phantom though :(

You want a rebel list?

Block them! When these guys loose their actions it hurts. Most people waste (and I do mean waste) their EPT on VI, so getting blocked means no action.

I say, go two B-wings (for offense) and 2 Y-wings with Ions (for control). While they attempt to dance like a butterfly and sting like a bee, you should be boxing and blocking!

Let me provide the auto answer: give them stress

now that this has been covered, focus on one. You are dealing with a two ships build, once one is down the fight becomes one sided. Focus on ship and try to control the engagement with blocking as previously mentioned. The lower PS and only having a forward firing arc can be a challenge for the IG-2000's.

They hate blocking and they hate stress and they hate ions. (Admittedly they resist the latter pretty well.) Do one or more of those things.

before stress, blocking, and ion, they actually hate obstructions more than anything

the IGs' only real weaknesses are the large base and arc. If they're not far away, they can't really bank or turn without their speed taking them shooting past their target. If they're nearer, they need their read maneuvers to overshoot targets and still have shots.

obstacles absolutely screw over the number of final positions they can enjoy by shutting down boost and/or red maneuvers (Debris)

bring out the biggest obstructions you can (yay errata!) can take control you the middle of the table with them. From the middle, you can head aggressors off no matter where they go because you'll have far less distance to travel.

Thanks all. For the first time i really wish i owned more tacticians!

I'll see what I can scrounge up :)

I disagree with all the stress comments. Do you see all the green on that dial!?! Yes, many people like to run IG with PTL. I personally think this is a mistake. IG, with a system slot, DOES NOT NEED PTL. IG is at its most destructive when it is built around free abilities. (FCS and Predator are better than VI and Adv. Sensors)

This being said, you know your opponent is going to be running a PTL IG more than likely. Put your points toward offense. Make your shots count. With that huge base, it is easy to block an IG. Give it nowhere to go an nothing but pain when it gets there.

I disagree with all the stress comments. Do you see all the green on that dial!?! Yes, many people like to run IG with PTL. I personally think this is a mistake. IG, with a system slot, DOES NOT NEED PTL. IG is at its most destructive when it is built around free abilities. (FCS and Predator are better than VI and Adv. Sensors)

This being said, you know your opponent is going to be running a PTL IG more than likely. Put your points toward offense. Make your shots count. With that huge base, it is easy to block an IG. Give it nowhere to go an nothing but pain when it gets there.

All these greens are forwards and banks. If you've flown dual IGs you'll know that these moves alone won't be enough to keep targets in arc, you're going to have to either S-loop or k-turn or hard turn (hard 1 on big bases is one of the best moves in the game) sooner or later. That's why the guys above you said stress can limit them greatly.

I disagree with all the stress comments. Do you see all the green on that dial!?! Yes, many people like to run IG with PTL. I personally think this is a mistake. IG, with a system slot, DOES NOT NEED PTL. IG is at its most destructive when it is built around free abilities. (FCS and Predator are better than VI and Adv. Sensors)

This being said, you know your opponent is going to be running a PTL IG more than likely. Put your points toward offense. Make your shots count. With that huge base, it is easy to block an IG. Give it nowhere to go an nothing but pain when it gets there.

the aggressor dial is incredibly misleading, as is the purpose of stress against them

The purpose of stress is to deny the aggressor its shots by limiting its turns, specifically its red maneuvers. Unlike the other arced ships, the Aggressor has only one arc (Firespray) and is incapable of going slowly (shuttle's stop maneuver and cheapness letting you build it with ships to block it and upgrades that could make it care less about getting its action). If it overshoots the enemy without a red maneuver, it's just not getting a shot that turn.

At face value, the 9 green maneuvers seem amazing...but they're either straights or banks. You can get a 90 degree turn from the bank + boost, but the large base will fling the robotic bastard forward

I'm unbeaten against dual IG with Thug Life (4-5 Y wings depending on your taste for Mechs). Run in on one (usually the Gunner model to get the shooting shenanigans stopped) and hit him with ABs (no, you may NOT roll 3 dice against my hits) then create a parking lot to force him to bump (IGs are very maneuverable...but not fast on the strait away). Regardless of how he turns, he's still going to be R1 of some of your ships. 2-3 more AB shots should finish him off. You may lose a ship in the exchange (including the other IG snipping you as he comes in), but you lost 20 points to his 50. He now has to kill 2 more Ys (yeah, good luck with that) for a Mod-win.

As soon as the first IG is dead, make whatever turn you have to do to point him asap. The run right at him and force the R1 parking lot again.

A lot harder to do with BTLs since you lose the 360 arc...but 1 or 2 BTLs in the back row can add enough extra damage on the first pass that you MAY get lucky and kill the 1st IG in the first round of R1 shooting.

I haven't seen this in action, so if I'm wrong, someone correct me.

You are up against 2 ships, and while they are rocking 3 red and 3 green dice base, those dice will still fail if there are enough shots coming in. That being said, 3 green plus autothrusters and evade tokens can make them pretty close to immune to 2 Attack dice. It seems to me BBBBZ (or in your case BBBXZ) is the answer. With your lower PS any use of VI is literally a waste of points, you can set up blocking reasonably well, and you are throwing 14 red dice a turn, while they are throwing 8 at most (range 1 or HLC). A fourth b-wing would up the hit point count of your squadron, but ideally I would try to block with the z and hammer away with your big attackers. In theory it seems to me like it should work.

I can probably borrow a 4th B-Wing before our next games.....how would 4 B's with accuracy correctors look? better to still try the stress route?

I can probably borrow a 4th B-Wing before our next games.....how would 4 B's with accuracy correctors look? better to still try the stress route?

Accuracy Corrector is really good if you want to have a reasonable level of offense while leaving your action available for repositioning or defense. B-wings don't benefit much from focusing for defense, and they don't always need to use barrel roll, so Accuracy Corrector isn't a great buy there. Fire Control System or Advanced Sensors would do more for you.

I can probably borrow a 4th B-Wing before our next games.....how would 4 B's with accuracy correctors look? better to still try the stress route?

2 damage against 3 green dice is bleh

you should at least have three fire control systems, though

as vorpal said, you're probably not spending focus on the defense and a tl + focus has some absurdly high probability for all your dice to come up hits (3 to 4, rather than 2, for cheaper provided you set it up)

Edited by ficklegreendice

I would steer clear of accuracy correctors. Better (in my mind) to have the extra blocker. If you end up facing advanced sensors, they will still get their actions, and limiting yourself to 2 hits against 3 dice and a possible evade is bad news bears.

Good advice, cheers!

4 blues with FCS also gives you room for a couple flechette torpedoes as well to get an avenue for stress.

Don't forget, flechettes give stress whether they hit or not.

Edited by FatherTurin

2 points also gives you intelligence agents (+ b/e mod) if you're just stacking B-wings

int agent B-wings are infuriatingly hilarious

as for flechette, it's a difficult choice between torp and cannon.

Torps are automatic and can stack, but you're losing them after one go

Cannons have to hit and don't stack, but you can use them constantly. Against aggressors and other large ships, you only need the one stress to limit their movement/action options so that the rest of the squad can have an easier time of drawing arcs against them (and ofc torps can't stress a non-aggressor large ship) but torps can scare small base PTL such as soontir

Edited by ficklegreendice

As an alternate to what everyone has said above, I'd also like to point out that Jake Farrel is hilarious against IGs.

Assuming you know the build your opponent likes to use, you can build Jake's EPTs up to counter it. Does he run them at PS6? PTL and Outmaneuver. Double VI? PTL and VI yourself. Abuse their large base and dance around their firing arcs. Throw in your own Autothrusters for R3 protection and either Chardaan or Proton Rocket to taste.

Another alternative is to be patient and keep the fight along either edge of the map, preferably with a few asteroids or debris to limit maneuverability.

If you fight in the middle of the map, an IG-88 with advanced sensor can use a boost prior to executing a K-turn or S-loop, using it to adapt and prevent your block or sneak past in a hole that you just created in your formation.

Should you be fighting along the edge of the map, however, then that advanced sensor boost option gets a bit more limited, making it easier to block. If you block a k-turn or s-loop then not only does the enemy still gets his stress, but he won't be able to turn around next turn either. So that means 1 or 2 rounds where he won't be shooting, which is a win.

Of course if the IG-88 player is also aware of that weakness then he can be patient too and take his time to properly position himself instead of rushing in... but heck, it is a maneuvering game so no tactic is fool proof. Learn, adapt and have fun :P

I like Jake Farrell with PTL & Outmaneuver, autothrusters, chardaan & 3 Bs (one with adv. sensors).

The combo of Jake's maneuverability with the B's blocking ability is wonderful. Keep the Bs in the asteroid field to make the IG join you and flank with jake. The firepower is high with the Bs and you really can focus on getting one of the IGs pretty easily. Especially if you make them fight in the field where they struggle with the number of moves they have available.

I just put up an article on this topic. Check the link in my sig.