I just became the proud owner of 2 new TIE Fighters to bring my set up to 7 total.

This means I've spent a good number of clicks building lists with these guys. I won't get to fly this number until this evening, but with a (very small) tournament coming up soon, I would like to hear some input from other pilots.

There's the 6 TIE Swarm with Howlrunner, Black Squadron Pilots, and Swarm Tactics.

Then there's the 7 TIE Swarm with variations using Howlrunner, Backstabber, and/or Dark Curse. All these sprinkled with different tastes of Stealth Device, Hull Upgrades, Shield Upgrades, and some EPTs.

My questions, for those who have flown these bad boys/girls, would be:
1) What did you find most fun about your variation?

2) What was most effective about your variation?

3) Stealth Device or Hull Upgrade?

4) What's the best way of getting lots of mileage out of Howlrunner?

5) Should I consider running TIE Fighters without Howlrunner?

6) Should I just go ahead and grab another TIE and run 8?

For reference, my only swarm experience is with BXXZZZ, different combinations of rebel miniswarms with an anchor/ace, and a couple mini TIE swarms with Fel/Shuttle.

1) Dark Curse with a Stealth device is frustrating for most folks and fun to run.

2) Running Academies and using them to block moves of your opponent seems to allow more positioning by higher PS Ties.

3) I prefer Stealth, but with the new Twin Turret Laser, I might rethink it.

4) Got to keep formation tight enough. If you are running Blacks and can jump on PS2 fighters first, it is effective.

5) I think it depends on your list. I like Dark Curse and Backstabber best and if I try to run 4 Black Squad Pilots with them - I only have enough room for an Academy or upgrades to the ships.

6) You're that close to it. Just do it. Run 7 Academies and Dark Curse.

If you want the 7 Tie Swam - Howlrunner with Determination+Hull, Dark Curse, and 5 Academies.

1) Dark Curse with a Stealth device is frustrating for most folks and fun to run.

2) Running Academies and using them to block moves of your opponent seems to allow more positioning by higher PS Ties.

3) I prefer Stealth, but with the new Twin Turret Laser, I might rethink it.

4) Got to keep formation tight enough. If you are running Blacks and can jump on PS2 fighters first, it is effective.

5) I think it depends on your list. I like Dark Curse and Backstabber best and if I try to run 4 Black Squad Pilots with them - I only have enough room for an Academy or upgrades to the ships.

6) You're that close to it. Just do it. Run 7 Academies and Dark Curse.

If you want the 7 Tie Swam - Howlrunner with Determination+Hull, Dark Curse, and 5 Academies.

Thanks for your input!

So you prefer Dark Curse AND Backstabber without Howlrunner?

And Dark Curse does ok without a Stealth Device?

From personal experience Dark Curse can do ok without stealth, I usually fly him with no mods, and I've had game where he lasts forever, then again I've also had him blown up in one shot because someone rolled three hits and my greens did no work. Your mileage may vary

I've run a 6-TIE list (one being Vader in the Advanced) and I enjoy it.

I don't use Howlrunner, preferring to use the named Black Squadron pilots + Academies for flanking/blocking duty.

Here's a video of a game I played with a 6-TIE list:

I've run a 6-TIE list (one being Vader in the Advanced) and I enjoy it.

I don't use Howlrunner, preferring to use the named Black Squadron pilots + Academies for flanking/blocking duty.

Here's a video of a game I played with a 6-TIE list:

I remember watching this game on stream. Nice flying! Thanks for the input!

The one time I ran a 7 TIE squad was in this year's Spring Kit tournament at a LGS.

http://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic%20Empire&d=v3!s!18:9:-1:-1:;11::-1:-1:;11::-1:-1:;11::-1:-1:;11::-1:-1:;11::-1:-1:;11::-1:-1:

I borrowed 2 TIE's from my buddy. I wanted to lessen the effects of Predator, so all my TIEs were at least PS3.

1. What I found most fun was running that many TIEs in a squad. I didn't have too many maneuvering mistakes considering it was the first time I ran more than 5 TIE Fighters in a squad. Attacking 7 times per round was pretty great and it let me nuke a Decimator in 2 rounds of Combat.

2. What was most effective was countering Predator with Obsidians, the amount of attacks sent at Chiraneau was pretty brutal too. After nuking that thing I had to contend with Soontir Fel, which was quite the challenge.

3. Swarm Tactics. But seriously, if given that choice, Hull Upgrade seems the better option.

4. Not accidentally placing Howlrunner in front when maneuvering. Lost her early but my Obsidians still cleaned up Chirpy.

5. That depends on how you want to play things. Howlrunner will inevitably be shot at first until dead, as the benefit she gives is just so good. On the one hand, you're preventing your other ships from being shot until Howlrunner dies. On the other hand, you're likely losing your most expensive ship first.

6. That could work, though you wouldn't be able to run all Obsidians.

My questions, for those who have flown these bad boys/girls, would be:

1) What did you find most fun about your variation?

2) What was most effective about your variation?

3) Stealth Device or Hull Upgrade?

4) What's the best way of getting lots of mileage out of Howlrunner?

5) Should I consider running TIE Fighters without Howlrunner?

6) Should I just go ahead and grab another TIE and run 8?

1. I might lose a TIE in the initial exchange, but stuff melted.

2. The high number of attacks with rerolls, messing with target priority.

3. Hull for Howlrunner.

4. Keep her in the back and take Focus at R3, otherwise Evade.

5. You should definitely consider it, I prefer not to however (personal taste).

6. If you are ever going to play Epic, you might as well. Otherwise borrow one from a friend and try the list.

My own list is:

Howlrunner /w Determination and Hull

Academy Pilot x2

Alpha Squadron x3

Thanks for all the input, guys!

List

I got to run a swarm yesterday for 2 games. I ran Determination Howl+Dark+Backstabber+4xAcademy. For my obstacles, I chose debris.

Game 1

The first game was against Vader with AC and Cluster Missiles, Whisper without Gunner, and aTempest with AC. I closed in, keeping howlrunner furthest from his setup area in formation. We both came from opposite corners and closed in. My backstabber flew along my board edge and came up on vaders flank as he turned in. In the initial exchange, I eliminated the Tempest and began work on Vader. Vader Cluster Missiled out Howlrunner and then Backstabber rolled 4 blanks against him, but my TIEs finished him off in a basic volley. Once Vader was gone, I then used my remaining TIEs to block whisper for a couple rounds, dealing one damage to her each round, winning with backstabber and 3 academies alive.

For this game, I felt my opponent just needs a little practice with Whisper and he would have had a much better time. The cluster missiles were very handy in taking out Howl. They aren't a bad ordnance choice.

Game 2

The second game was against 2 ion hogs, a blue sq pilot, and Kyle Katarn with Jan Ors crew and Moldy Crow. This game happened like the other except one hog peeled off to meet backstabber. In the joust, 2 TIEs on two separate turns were ioned, but I was able to K-Turn around them well. I eliminated one hog and Kyle in the joust, but only managed to wound the B-Wing. After the initial K-turn, I tried to 1 turn to block the B-Wing or get range 1 on him, but he turned into me which meant I didn't get many shots. I then dropped the B and Y to low HP and had to fly Howl away as she was at 1 hull. The match then turned into a weird struggle to turn my ships around and take long shots at the two ships (debris and K-turns are nasty together). But I eventually used my remaining 4 badly hurt TIEs to knock out the last 2 hull on the B-Wing for the win.

My opponent here flew really well, his list just wasn't the best in a swarm matchup. I also could have flown a little better. Picked some bad turns and bumped around quite a bit more than I liked, and lost backstabber or dark curse flying over an asteroid hoping to finish off the b-wing.

Thoughts

I didn't feel Howlrunner did as much as I would have liked, but that's probably because I don't remember the rolls well. In the first match she only helped on one round of shooting. I will have a better idea of her impact when I run 8 TIEs. Backstabber was great, not because of his damage, but because of his ability to distract. I will definitely be running him more.

As far as the tournament goes, I'm kinda shying away from this list just because of how much effort it takes to fly it. However, the confusion of so many ships also seemed to effect my opponent more than I thought it would, which was nice.

The big win, though, is that lots of TIEs in formation looks really awesome lol

My questions, for those who have flown these bad boys/girls, would be:

1) What did you find most fun about your variation?

2) What was most effective about your variation?

3) Stealth Device or Hull Upgrade?

4) What's the best way of getting lots of mileage out of Howlrunner?

5) Should I consider running TIE Fighters without Howlrunner?

6) Should I just go ahead and grab another TIE and run 8?

My seven TIE list is just the standard Howlrunner, ST, Backstabber, Dark Curse and 4 APs. I have more variation in the six TIE lists. I like running all the named pilots with Hull Upgrade Howlrunner. I enjoying using all of varied pilot abilities that they have. It's a fun list, but the downside it that it lacks PS1 blockers.

Another six TIE list that I use occasionally is Howlrunner, Shield, ST, Mauler, ST, 2x BSPs, ST and 2 APs. I can have 5 ships shoot at PS8 or 3 that shoot at 8 and 3 that shoot at 7. Sometimes that's really great and sometimes it's just a waste of points.

I have yet to run an 8 TIE swarm. I like having Howlrunner in a list too much.

3. Hull. Stealth sounds really cool, but it practice it hasn't worked for me.

4. Evade, keep her at the back of the formation, don't worry about getting shots from her, just let her buff the others.

5. I have considered it, but not done it. I like having the higher PS even without her ability. If there was another named TIE at PS8 that didn't have a buff, I might run that instead. Howlrunner requires a formation to get the most out of her, but the formation can be limiting.

6. Can't go wrong with an eighth TIE.

I just became the proud owner of 2 new TIE Fighters to bring my set up to 7 total.

This means I've spent a good number of clicks building lists with these guys. I won't get to fly this number until this evening, but with a (very small) tournament coming up soon, I would like to hear some input from other pilots.

There's the 6 TIE Swarm with Howlrunner, Black Squadron Pilots, and Swarm Tactics.

Then there's the 7 TIE Swarm with variations using Howlrunner, Backstabber, and/or Dark Curse. All these sprinkled with different tastes of Stealth Device, Hull Upgrades, Shield Upgrades, and some EPTs.

My questions, for those who have flown these bad boys/girls, would be:

1) What did you find most fun about your variation?

2) What was most effective about your variation?

3) Stealth Device or Hull Upgrade?

4) What's the best way of getting lots of mileage out of Howlrunner?

5) Should I consider running TIE Fighters without Howlrunner?

6) Should I just go ahead and grab another TIE and run 8?

For reference, my only swarm experience is with BXXZZZ, different combinations of rebel miniswarms with an anchor/ace, and a couple mini TIE swarms with Fel/Shuttle.

1: Swarming big ships with few defend dice...

2: Evade lost to frustrate them

3: 50/50 choice there ... do you have good dice luck?

4: People tend to target Howl early so evade and stealth device help her live longer

5. NO

6: if you want

What about this:

6-TIE SWARM

99 points

PILOTS

“Howlrunner” (22)
TIE Fighter (18), Determination (1), Hull Upgrade (3)

Dark Curse (19)
TIE Fighter (16), Stealth Device (3)

Obsidian Squadron Pilot (13) x 3

Backstabber (19)
TIE Fighter (16), Stealth Device (3)

---

You've got two flankers, Dark Curse and Backstabber with Howl and three Predator-resistant Obsidian Squadron Pilots to back her up. My only concern is that Howl + 3 OSP's doesn't have enough oomph to be a main force.

Theres also something to be said for keeping it as simple as possible when it comes to PS, allowing your TIEs to move and fire in whatever order you desire.

Howlrunner with Determination and a HU

6 Obsidians

Predator-proof and once you are forced to break formation, everyone minus Howlrunner is at same PS

Howl + 6 OSPs is also very in-theme. Your dice will generally roll better with those kinds of lists.

I have presented this 6 TIE swarm a few times around here. It is the maximum durability I can get for Howlrunner.

Howlrunner with Determination and Shield Upgrade

Black Squad with Draw Their Fire and Shield Upgrade x 2

Obsidian Squad x 3

None of the ships are susceptible to enhanced Predator. The Black Squads draw crits from Howl and don't wear them badly the first time. Determination lets you shrug off some crits. If you want to gamble, a Stealth Device on Howl could be better than a single shield. Howl will be target #1, #2, and #3 so anything that can keep her around longer is a plus.

My favorite is:

Howlrunner w/ PtL, SD (24)

Black Squad w/ Wingman (16)

5x AP (60)

Howl usually survives a little bit longer due to Focus and Evading every turn, and it has the teeth of a 7 tie swarm! This list is very vulnerable to predator though.

I'm loving this thread because I picked up a TIE swarm for the first time last Thursday and flew it in a tournament that Saturday... Had 1 bye and finished 2-2, my losses were pretty competitive (the last game came down to the final turn), and my win was 100-0... Wasn't bad imo for having flown 6 TIEs exactly once 2 days before the tournament...

I used a version of list from a poster on here, ForgottenLore, who recommended:

Doom Shuttle w/ Engine

6 APs

I dropped the engine and ran:

Doom Shuttle

4 Obsididians

2 Acadamies

I'm kind of conflicted on the shuttle... On one hand, people seem to always shoot at it first, so it pulls fire away from the swarm for 2-3 rounds... On the other hand, it always dies without doing much to validate its point cost, imo... Sooo... I don't think I'm crazy about just 6 TIEs on their own though...

I'm loving this thread because I picked up a TIE swarm for the first time last Thursday and flew it in a tournament that Saturday... Had 1 bye and finished 2-2, my losses were pretty competitive (the last game came down to the final turn), and my win was 100-0... Wasn't bad imo for having flown 6 TIEs exactly once 2 days before the tournament...

I used a version of list from a poster on here, ForgottenLore, who recommended:

Doom Shuttle w/ Engine

6 APs

I dropped the engine and ran:

Doom Shuttle

4 Obsididians

2 Acadamies

I'm kind of conflicted on the shuttle... On one hand, people seem to always shoot at it first, so it pulls fire away from the swarm for 2-3 rounds... On the other hand, it always dies without doing much to validate its point cost, imo... Sooo... I don't think I'm crazy about just 6 TIEs on their own though...

I had the same impression when I flew it. Maybe it just needs another try. In a few weeks, I may take it to the table again.

Awesome suggestions guys! I hadn't even considered some of the lists you guys have mentioned. Crits and predator probably come up more in tournament play than casual, so I'll have to try some of these.

I'm loving this thread because I picked up a TIE swarm for the first time last Thursday and flew it in a tournament that Saturday... Had 1 bye and finished 2-2, my losses were pretty competitive (the last game came down to the final turn), and my win was 100-0... Wasn't bad imo for having flown 6 TIEs exactly once 2 days before the tournament...

I used a version of list from a poster on here, ForgottenLore, who recommended:

Doom Shuttle w/ Engine

6 APs

I dropped the engine and ran:

Doom Shuttle

4 Obsididians

2 Acadamies

I'm kind of conflicted on the shuttle... On one hand, people seem to always shoot at it first, so it pulls fire away from the swarm for 2-3 rounds... On the other hand, it always dies without doing much to validate its point cost, imo... Sooo... I don't think I'm crazy about just 6 TIEs on their own though...

I had the same impression when I flew it. Maybe it just needs another try. In a few weeks, I may take it to the table again.

The reason why 6 generic TIEs does not draw much fire at first in that list is that they don't have Howlrunner with them. I can't express how much of a force (no, not The Force) multiplier she is. Getting a free ghetto Target Lock on every ship in Range 1 is just insane. She turns a pretty lackluster 2 Attack ship into a fairly reliable damage dealer. Put another way, she turns every ship nearby into a low PS Darth Vader (getting two stress-free actions per turn) for almost free. At PS 8 with an EPT with that ability for 18 points is highway robbery.

I'm loving this thread because I picked up a TIE swarm for the first time last Thursday and flew it in a tournament that Saturday... Had 1 bye and finished 2-2, my losses were pretty competitive (the last game came down to the final turn), and my win was 100-0... Wasn't bad imo for having flown 6 TIEs exactly once 2 days before the tournament...

I used a version of list from a poster on here, ForgottenLore, who recommended:

Doom Shuttle w/ Engine

6 APs

I dropped the engine and ran:

Doom Shuttle

4 Obsididians

2 Acadamies

I'm kind of conflicted on the shuttle... On one hand, people seem to always shoot at it first, so it pulls fire away from the swarm for 2-3 rounds... On the other hand, it always dies without doing much to validate its point cost, imo... Sooo... I don't think I'm crazy about just 6 TIEs on their own though...

I had the same impression when I flew it. Maybe it just needs another try. In a few weeks, I may take it to the table again.

The reason why 6 generic TIEs does not draw much fire at first in that list is that they don't have Howlrunner with them. I can't express how much of a force (no, not The Force) multiplier she is. Getting a free ghetto Target Lock on every ship in Range 1 is just insane. She turns a pretty lackluster 2 Attack ship into a fairly reliable damage dealer. Put another way, she turns every ship nearby into a low PS Darth Vader (getting two stress-free actions per turn) for almost free. At PS 8 with an EPT with that ability for 18 points is highway robbery.

Even without Howlrunner, it's still easy to drop 1.75 hits per attack when equipped with a focus... Yeah, Howlrunner's reroll is amazing, but get parked in front of 6 TIE Fighters and see how hard that hits... And the cool thing is there isn't any target priority in 6 generic TIEs... One gets injured, you break it off from the swarm at little loss in efficiency... One gets destroyed, you've lost 2 red dice out of a starting 12...

Howlrunner is a monster though... The swarm itself pretty amazing to me... I started playing the week of the Phantom nerf, so swarms have not been a thing in all the time I've been playing... I think calling it "the shark" as I've seen some do is pretty appropriate...