I understand the TIE/ad X1 will grant you the option of tacking on a Sensor to your humble little Bright, but the Punisher is the first ship to have both the Sensor and Missile upgrades natively in the upgrade bar, right?

So, why doesn't every generic just take:

—Fire Control System

—Cluster Missiles

—Extra Munitions

8 points for a pair of double-attacks. If I'm reading the cards right, by virtue of you having a TL (thanks FCS) you can fire a Cluster Missile, where you attack twice...and after the first attack, you get a TL you can spend on the second attack, right? Am I interpreting this correctly?

Why would I take Bombers, again, now?

Why would I take Bombers, again, now?

Nostalgia. Maybe Jonas for the rerolls.

Why would I take Bombers, again, now?

Nostalgia. Maybe Jonas for the rerolls.

Which, to be fair, is exactly why you would take Bombers now.

Nostalgia.

Zing!

Honestly I think the vanilla Bomber is pretty solid, and EM + Conner Nets alone will be worth the cheaper Scimitars; two of those for 48 points is solid, and if TIE Upgrade turns out to be a lone point then that's an even 50 for twelve Hull and four Nets. I can make the other half of the list use that pretty well! But given the actions and upgrades on the Punisher, I'm much more likely to take two Punishers with FCS, EM, and proper ordnance (Clusters, Plasmas, AdvHMs, etc).

I like how everyone is responding to the final sentence of the OPs post, and not what the thread is actually about.

I like how everyone is responding to the final sentence of the OPs post, and not what the thread is actually about.

And you are doing what? Responding to responses to the final sentence?

It is still a bit meh, one probably unmodified 3 dice attack and one TL 3 dice attack is still pretty poor for the amount of points you sunk into it. That is close to 30 points. I think it would have better traction with Accuracy Corrector, Extra Munitions and Cluster missiles. However, the advanced at 25 points for one set of missiles probably does it better and cheaper than the Punisher with two sets.

You may be better just upgrading to Redline as he is a better (default) option if you want to use ordnance.

Also Bombers are going to be great with...wait for it...Bombs, that will be why you use them. 20 points for 2 Seismic charges is a great splashable option.

Okay, so assuming you have a TL somehow, you move into range 2, and take your focus action.

Again, assuming that your target is in range 2, which is not that hard to engineer, you spend your TL and possibly use your focus on the first attack, get a TL from FCS and use that and any unspent focus on your second attack.

If you engineer that twice (due to Extra munitions) it's cost you 8 points + the value of the Punisher. I (we) don't know how many points the generic Punisher is, but given Redline is 27, I think a reasonable estimation is somewhere between 20-24 points.

It's a good build, but, 3 attack dice is solid, but not that great. Range 2 is solid, but not that great. Low PS creates extra difficulties for ordnance carriers.

I still think that Accuracy Corrector on a 2 attack dice ship is a *really* good option, and just as good as FCS with Cluster Missiles.

I think the key difference between TIE Bombers vs TIE Punishers will be a question of either quantity or utility. One TIE Bomber with Conner Net and EM is really cheap and durable enough to land the mines while not impacting the rest of your squad.

Nostalgia.

Zing!

Honestly I think the vanilla Bomber is pretty solid, and EM + Conner Nets alone will be worth the cheaper Scimitars; two of those for 48 points is solid, and if TIE Upgrade turns out to be a lone point then that's an even 50 for twelve Hull and four Nets. I can make the other half of the list use that pretty well! But given the actions and upgrades on the Punisher, I'm much more likely to take two Punishers with FCS, EM, and proper ordnance (Clusters, Plasmas, AdvHMs, etc).

I loved naked Scimitar mini swarms, but the Punisher will probably push them out of their original roll of ordnance carriers.

If you engineer that twice (due to Extra munitions) it's cost you 8 points + the value of the Punisher.

For another 4 points, you could do it 4 times.

I'm still trying to get my hands on a TIE Bomber, can't even complain about them being obsolete when I can't find any in store!

Oh well, seems like wait for the Punisher might be the way to go, that combo is just nasty.

I like how everyone is responding to the final sentence of the OPs post, and not what the thread is actually about.

And you are doing what? Responding to responses to the final sentence?

Wait, someone bothered to read OP's post?

What is the punisher's base cost? That might be the main incentive to run the normal TIE bomber.

Redline is 27 points as PS 7, so there are decent odds that the Cutlass Squadron Pilot is 21 points. That's a 5-point premium over the Scimitar. That's a big enough difference to make me question using a punisher over a bomber.

I understand the TIE/ad X1 will grant you the option of tacking on a Sensor to your humble little Bright, but the Punisher is the first ship to have both the Sensor and Missile upgrades natively in the upgrade bar, right?

So, why doesn't every generic just take:

—Fire Control System

—Cluster Missiles

—Extra Munitions

8 points for a pair of double-attacks. If I'm reading the cards right, by virtue of you having a TL (thanks FCS) you can fire a Cluster Missile, where you attack twice...and after the first attack, you get a TL you can spend on the second attack, right? Am I interpreting this correctly?

Why would I take Bombers, again, now?

Well for the TIE advance you would not take extra munitions because there would be no where to put it. (EM is a torpedo upgrade and TIE Advance has a missile slot.) But cluster missiles with FCS could work but is really a single 3 dice attack with a target lock worth 4 points? That is less than 1 dice per point.

As for the TIE Punisher we don't exactly know the price cost for it yet. It could cost as much as the K-wing or not. So Bombers are still cheaper for carrying bombs missiles and torpedoes, if only any of them were any good.

I like how everyone is responding to the final sentence of the OPs post, and not what the thread is actually about.

The final sentence neatly summarizes the entire post. It's actually what the thread is actually about.

Or did you think it was actually just about the awesomeness of Cluster Missiles?

Or did you think it was actually just about the awesomeness of Cluster Missiles?

Seemed to me the thread was supposed to be about the viability of a particular combination of cards. Not about whether people would ever use Bombers again.

If you engineer that twice (due to Extra munitions) it's cost you 8 points + the value of the Punisher.

For another 4 points, you could do it 4 times.

Absolutely. The question then becomes, will the ship actually be able to fire 4 times. Durability is part of that equation, and the Punisher definitely has that on it's side. Low PS makes that a bit harder, target ship depending (in a vacuum, arc dodgers are really hard to be pointing at, while other ships less so)

The point is, FCS + Cluster Missiles are good. Not the best thing ever, but definitely worth considering, particularly if you expect shorter range engagements.

Personally, if I was going to use FCS on a Punisher, I would use Redline over generics.

Because both Accuracy Corrector and Captain Jonus are better than FCS.

The Punisher probably isn't cheap. Unless it's a mere one point more than the TIE bomber, you'll only be able to take three of them. Furthermore, they're not exactly maneuverable.

Plus you'd use Accuracy Corrector instead of Fire Control System with Clusters. If your plan is to do an alpha strike wth Cluster Missiles, you'd use the Tempest, which you can take four of and with AC is a competent starfighter afterwards.

Captain Jonus — TIE Bomber 22

Predator 3

Extra Munitions 2

Plasma Torpedoes 3

Cluster Missiles 4

Ship Total: 34

Scimitar Squadron Pilot — TIE Bomber 16

Plasma Torpedoes 3

Extra Munitions 2

Cluster Missiles 4

Ship Total: 25

"Redline" — TIE Punisher 27

Fire-Control System 2

Extra Munitions 2

Plasma Torpedoes 3

Cluster Missiles 4

Hull Upgrade 3

Ship Total: 41

I'm thinking of running this myself let's me use ordnance at all ranges and should hurt something maybe.

Nostalgia.

Zing!

Honestly I think the vanilla Bomber is pretty solid, and EM + Conner Nets alone will be worth the cheaper Scimitars; two of those for 48 points is solid, and if TIE Upgrade turns out to be a lone point then that's an even 50 for twelve Hull and four Nets. I can make the other half of the list use that pretty well! But given the actions and upgrades on the Punisher, I'm much more likely to take two Punishers with FCS, EM, and proper ordnance (Clusters, Plasmas, AdvHMs, etc).

I loved naked Scimitar mini swarms, but the Punisher will probably push them out of their original roll of ordnance carriers.

Ok but who ever used them as ordinance carriers??

Other than bombs that is.....

Ok but who ever used them as ordinance carriers??

Other than bombs that is.....

Me, for one. I ran two Scimitars with Proximity Mines and Concussion Missiles with naked Jonus to a top four finish at a Store Championship, and two Scimitars with Concussions and Jonus with Squad Leader at Regionals, and finished middle of the pack there.

Tie punisher with Sensor jammer

Ok but who ever used them as ordinance carriers??

Other than bombs that is.....

Me, as well.

One thing about the Tie Punisher that will be worse than the Tie Bomber will be the cost. You will be tempted to load them up with upgrades, but they can be focused down too early. It's a tight balancing act.

I do like Sensor Jammer on these guys, though. It's a great way to help keep them alive to deliver their payload, especially on the more expensive ships.

I understand the TIE/ad X1 will grant you the option of tacking on a Sensor to your humble little Bright, but the Punisher is the first ship to have both the Sensor and Missile upgrades natively in the upgrade bar, right?

So, why doesn't every generic just take:

—Fire Control System

—Cluster Missiles

—Extra Munitions

8 points for a pair of double-attacks. If I'm reading the cards right, by virtue of you having a TL (thanks FCS) you can fire a Cluster Missile, where you attack twice...and after the first attack, you get a TL you can spend on the second attack, right? Am I interpreting this correctly?

Why would I take Bombers, again, now?

If I recall the spoiled preview, the cheapest Punisher is 21 points. At best, you'll be able to fit three of them with ordinance into a 100-point list.

Plus, we don't know what the Punisher's dial looks like. As bulky as they are, they could end up making the Scimitar look like Soontir Fel.

Scimitars remain the single cheapest vehicle for those who want to run just one or two bombs on a list without any missile options. You can run one of them with a Conner Net for 22 points. It gives you plenty of space to fill out the rest of your list with heavier threats.

EDIT: Immediately after I posted this, the article goes up.