Looks fun.

I've been wrestling with trying to fit 3 Aces in a build at the same time (an Interceptor, a Phantom, and an Advanced), and having difficulty, and it looks like you're having similar issues.

Yeah. It's a sign of good balance, I think, when I can't quite pack everything I want into a single list, but... yeah, I'm feeling that pull between trying for two good ships or one excellent ship and one ship that's just okay.

The other super-annoying bit is that all of the aces cost more than 30, so I can't even do it in Escalation well

Is Palpatine doing enough for you in this build, though? I can get Fel and Whisper and a TIE Advanced all together...

Palpatine is fantastic. He usually baits people into attacking him, which gives the others 2-3 rounds of unopposed attacks. If my opponent is smart and heads for one of the more maneuverable ships, the shuttle is a blocker and a decent-sized gun while Palpatine ensure good defensive rolls.

Fair Enough.

Also seen Vader/Fel/Palpa running around, but I can see why you'd want a Phantom over Vader (if you can get the points).

Looks fun.

I've been wrestling with trying to fit 3 Aces in a build at the same time (an Interceptor, a Phantom, and an Advanced), and having difficulty, and it looks like you're having similar issues.

Yeah. It's a sign of good balance, I think, when I can't quite pack everything I want into a single list, but... yeah, I'm feeling that pull between trying for two good ships or one excellent ship and one ship that's just okay.

The other super-annoying bit is that all of the aces cost more than 30, so I can't even do it in Escalation well

Is Palpatine doing enough for you in this build, though? I can get Fel and Whisper and a TIE Advanced all together...

Palpatine is fantastic. He usually baits people into attacking him, which gives the others 2-3 rounds of unopposed attacks. If my opponent is smart and heads for one of the more maneuverable ships, the shuttle is a blocker and a decent-sized gun while Palpatine ensure good defensive rolls.

Fair Enough.

Also seen Vader/Fel/Palpa running around, but I can see why you'd want a Phantom over Vader (if you can get the points).

I initially tried the list with Jax/Maarek, but I was unimpressed with the way the Advanced worked in the list. I really like low-PS Advanced with Accuracy Correctors, but the high-PS guys just haven't felt like they could punch in their own weight class.