How many viable tournament lists, or even list types are there? I'm going off the impressions I have from my play group and the forum... please help me fill out this list.

"Fat" ship and escort,

-RAC + Fell

-RAC + Whisper

-Fat Han

Balanced Double lists

-Brobots (IG88 pair)

-Freighter turrets (rebel)

-Tie Defender pair? (I heard this one placed recently)

Big Ship and miniswarm

-Doomshuttle and ties

-Firespray and ties

Swarm and Leader

-Howlrunner

-ZZZZZ-Zor

-Phantom + swarm

-Corran and Escort

Pure Swarm

-Tie swarm

-Awing Swarm

-Z swarm (rebel and scum)

Triple Leader (pretty much any balanced 3 ship list)

-Fell, Whisper, Doomshuttle

-Triple Intercepter

Power Quad

-Panic Attack

-BBBB(z)

-Triple Vigo + Z

-Quad Phantom

What list types have I missed, and how viable are they?

Doom shuttle + mini swarm

In fact the good ol doom shuttle bus whale works well with anything

RAC + whisper is still pretty good.

Corran + 2(y or b) also has a couple regional wins.

Fel, whisper, doom shuttle is also still pretty solid.

To answer the title question: The meta right now is more diverse than it has ever been. There are more lists and more play styles that can get you into top cuts than in any prior point in X-wing history.

Well I'm told being obese is bad for you but really what do doctors know?

You missed a category

Small ship +mini swarm

Aka phantom + mini swarm

You missed a category

Small ship +mini swarm

Aka phantom + mini swarm

Addd this to "swarm and leader", as I'm basically calling anything from 28-40 points a "leader" unless it fits in another catigory better.

Dual Firesprays pop up from time to time.

I'm doing pretty well locally with Fett + IG-88C (HLC). (I'm considering switching to IG-88D, but I dunno ... I really like that Evade when I boost.)

For the reckord, I'm losely definig builds by ship point costs.

"Fat" ships are more than 60 points or so

"Big" ships are usually 40-60 points

"Leaders" are about 26-39 points

"Swarmers" are almost always 25 points or below

I say loosely because you have stuff like Triple Vigo + Z, that plays more like a swarm than a triple leader list.

How many viable tournament lists, or even list types are there? I'm going off the impressions I have from my play group and the forum... please help me fill out this list.

"Fat" ship and escort,

-RAC + Fell

-RAC + Whisper

-Fat Han

Balanced Double lists

-Brobots (IG88 pair)

-Freighter turrets (rebel)

-Tie Defender pair? (I heard this one placed recently)

Big Ship and miniswarm

-Doomshuttle and ties

-Firespray and ties

Swarm and Leader

-Howlrunner

-ZZZZZ-Zor

-Phantom + swarm

-Corran and Escort

Pure Swarm

-BBBB(z)

-Tie swarm

-Awing Swarm

-Z swarm (rebel and scum)

-Triple Vigo + Z

Triple Leader (pretty much any balanced 3 ship list)

-Fell, Whisper, Doomshuttle

-??? (included for competion's sake)

What list types have I missed, and how viable are they?

I sincerely doubt that Double Defender is actually good against anything but triple X Wing, and triple X WIng has been crap since the core set.

Balanced double lists and fat lists are the same thing. Is 86 double Phantom still a thing?

Big ship & Miniswarm and Swarm & Leader are the same thing, also Howlrunner falls under 'Pure swarm'. Swarm and Leader is a misnomer also, 4 TIEs and Whisper is not a swarm.

BBBB(Z), and triple Autothruster Starvipers & a Z-95 are not swarms. BBBB(Z) may have the firepower of a swarm, but what is essentially a 4 ship build with a Z-95 instead of upgrades isn't a swarm. Would you consider 4x Sigma Squadron Phantom a swarm? Just because a build has more than 2 ships in it does not make it a swarm. 6 is the minimum. IMO power quad builds like BBBB and Blue Lightning and Panic Attack should be put into a seperate category, perhaps call it, 'normal builds'.

Triple Autothruster TIE Interceptor is also decent, so there is one more for your trio category.

Double defender just placed high at a regionals. Don't let the broken threads fool you.

I sincerely doubt that Double Defender is actually good against anything but triple X Wing, and triple X WIng has been crap since the core set.

I don't know, it seemed to do pretty well. But, you need to have plenty of experience with it. Skill is still important in this game.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/179624-putting-my-money-where-my-mouth-is-on-tie-defenders-step-3-or-holy-crap-defenders-are-going-to-regionals/

The meta is getting better.

I sincerely doubt that Double Defender is actually good against anything but triple X Wing, and triple X WIng has been crap since the core set

What are you on about?? XXX builds were fine until wave 3 aka the B-wing

Biggs, Luke, Wedge was a good list if played well

I sincerely doubt that Double Defender is actually good against anything but triple X Wing, and triple X WIng has been crap since the core set.

I don't know, it seemed to do pretty well. But, you need to have plenty of experience with it. Skill is still important in this game.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/index.php?/topic/179624-putting-my-money-where-my-mouth-is-on-tie-defenders-step-3-or-holy-crap-defenders-are-going-to-regionals/

The meta is getting better.

I think what impresses me the most, (and I mean no offense, more like it's kind of fun to be a part of), is that one weekend only "meta" lists will place, and the next weekend, 1 or 2 other lists place, and all of a sudden "everything is getting better". The "meta" is still basically the same until more upgrades/ships get released, or people start hard playing one particular squad such that it clearly squashes the most seen builds.

I think it all hammers in the point that there are a lot of squads that can win, as long as you are building pretty optimally, and have solid plans to win games. There are just squads that are clearly easier to out play people with, or at least, more apparent ways to out play people.

Double defender just placed high at a regionals. Don't let the broken threads fool you.

Sample size of 1. I have personally seen exactly 0 double defenders in play, ever. It is possible that with a lot of practice and a pancake meta they might do alright, but they are not common.

Double defender just placed high at a regionals. Don't let the broken threads fool you.

Sample size of 1. I have personally seen exactly 0 double defenders in play, ever. It is possible that with a lot of practice and a pancake meta they might do alright, but they are not common.

I sincerely doubt that Double Defender is actually good against anything but triple X Wing, and triple X WIng has been crap since the core set

What are you on about?? XXX builds were fine until wave 3 aka the B-wing

Biggs, Luke, Wedge was a good list if played well

I don't know about that. Those are easily wrecked by swarms.

Still bedridden from wave 5itus, but showing signs of healing

If you really think about it, Double Defenders is pretty just a slightly different double IG88 list. They seems to play in a similar way. Not as strong across the board in terms of action economy, but up there (if not better) in terms of arc dodging. The 4k is after all the best arc dodging move in the game.

I think what sets the IG apart is the ability to take Autothrusters, and the Title card sharing abilities... If the Defender had a title that gave it boost on the action bar...

Jacob

If you really think about it, Double Defenders is pretty just a slightly different double IG88 list. They seems to play in a similar way. Not as strong across the board in terms of action economy, but up there (if not better) in terms of arc dodging. The 4k is after all the best arc dodging move in the game.

if it only it worked against turrets

personally wouldn't put much faith in the dual defender since the poor buggers are missing out on

1.) sensors

2.) auto-thrusters and evades (oh god, the green dice horror !)

3.) exceptionally relevant pilot abilities (poor vess has so little to work off of) that they get to share

4.) boosts (unless they pay 8 points)

5.) 1 hull, 1 shield

I'm a fan of these weird little ships (I especially like the PS 1s with flechettes or ions ) but I don't think you're deriving enough benefit out of flying the two named pilots over a brobot list. The white 4k and small base are significant, but i dont think they stack up super well because they're just much more of a crapshoot without all the guarantees the igs have.

If you really think about it, Double Defenders is pretty just a slightly different double IG88 list. They seems to play in a similar way. Not as strong across the board in terms of action economy, but up there (if not better) in terms of arc dodging. The 4k is after all the best arc dodging move in the game.

The limited amount of things the Defender dial has going for it do not in the least makeup for it. They end up surviving an extra turn or two longer than your average TIE Fighter against RAC Predator always 3/3 and 4/4 attacks even though I spent my action on boost shenanigans.

I've seen some combos with a Gunner FCS Super Phantom and HLC Vessery that wasn't bad. Even then just go for another Super Phantom at that point.

Their "maneuverability" would be best used against 'normal' non-super ships like X Wings and B Wings and TIE Fighters, which aren't super common in the meta right now because 2 ship shenanigans meta.

No Dash anywhere?

No Dash anywhere?

i believe that would fit into the fat ship area, but not quite

Double defender just placed high at a regionals. Don't let the broken threads fool you.

Sample size of 1. I have personally seen exactly 0 double defenders in play, ever. It is possible that with a lot of practice and a pancake meta they might do alright, but they are not common.

Exactly. A double defender build placed high some place in the world.