With the popularity of predator should I try to get my blockers above PS 2?

I'm looking at a list that I want to add some blockers to and have 36 points. That fits 3 Ties perfectly but with the abundance of ships flying predator I thinking they might just get chewed up fast. I could go with 2 ships, add more points to the rest of my squad and an initiative bid.

generally it's not worth it given the amount of points you sink just to stop a single re-roll

unless you're also gearing up to defeat other mini-swarms, you might as well stick to PS 1s.

they'll get chewed up quickly either way, though, that's what ties do

The PS bid just to dodge predator doesn't seem worth it. RAC* can still get 2 hits on an Obsidian Squadron Pilot almost every time he shoots- A third tie will probably do better than giving him one less re-roll, especially if it's a Predator+Gunner setup.

Now, if you think the pilot skill bid might make the difference in another matchup as well, that's a different story.

*Frankly, anything with Predator+Gunner is terrifying to swarms, it's just RAC's mini-focus makes him a poster child for the build. Watching Kath Scarlet with that loadout last night was just... kind of sad, and I was the one flying her.

If you make your blockers higher than PS1/2, then you'll be susceptible to the blocking...

Thanks for the responses. All your points are valid and favor one more ship instead of slightly higher PS.

I did notice that Paul took 3 Talas in his worlds list last year instead of 3 bandits. I assume that was to counter predator and because he had the points to spare. Any other thoughts?

I did notice that Paul took 3 Talas in his worlds list last year instead of 3 bandits. I assume that was to counter predator and because he had the points to spare. Any other thoughts?

If you use everyone's advice as a benchmark, I would assume everyone here would be taking lists with low PS blockers. If you take mid-range generics over the novice ones, you'll potentially knock out other blockers if you encounter them. Yes, you do open yourself to being blocked as well, but think of it this way: your opponent can either try to break formation and block your main ship/s, or try to counter-block you by creating a screen.

If your opponent is attempting to counter-block using the lower PS screen, their movements will be more predictable. Use this to your advantage and abandon blocking as a strategy; your opponent likely sacrificed shots to counter-block you, so try to move somewhere unpredictable to make the counter-block worthless. Easier said than done, but since mid-range generics are so uncommon as of late, I'd say you have the advantage.

Thanks for the responses. All your points are valid and favor one more ship instead of slightly higher PS.

I did notice that Paul took 3 Talas in his worlds list last year instead of 3 bandits. I assume that was to counter predator and because he had the points to spare. Any other thoughts?

To fire before other generics in order to kill them before they shot back.

Thanks for the responses. All your points are valid and favor one more ship instead of slightly higher PS.

I did notice that Paul took 3 Talas in his worlds list last year instead of 3 bandits. I assume that was to counter predator and because he had the points to spare. Any other thoughts?

To fire before other generics in order to kill them before they shot back.

basically as blue five said

pouring fire from 3 Z-95s and a fattie before a PS 2 can shoot can sometimes even destroy a B-wing before it's had a chance to shoot

Yeah, While I haven't actually seen any recordings of Heaver's matches, I've always assumed the PS bid on the Talas was primarily for hunting down Blue Squadron Pilots and Bandits, not to deal with gunner.

That is interesting. I guess since his falcon was geared toward fighting other fat turrets I assumed he built the rest of his list with that in mind.

Of course, the two points aren't mutually exclusive. He may have wanted to shoot before other generics and had the added bonus of limiting the predator reroll to one die. In his case he wouldn't have been able to pick up another ship by going down in PS.

People always worry about having PS1-2 ships against predator, but really, how often do you roll more than one blank on an attack roll (assuming you have a focus). It does happen, but not a lot.

It CAN be a bit handy if you lose your action for whatever reason. But I don't think it's something to be feared for your lower pilots.

People always worry about having PS1-2 ships against predator, but really, how often do you roll more than one blank on an attack roll (assuming you have a focus). It does happen, but not a lot.

It CAN be a bit handy if you lose your action for whatever reason. But I don't think it's something to be feared for your lower pilots.

Predator is getting more common. I think that with mini-swarms to full swarms (4+ low-PS, unnamed ships), it doesn't really matter and the blocking advantage is preferable, so the more ships the better. With 3-ship builds though, I tend to make the unnamed ones PS3+ to mitigate Predator.