So I am fairly new to the game and do not have everything I want .....

However this is my first list I would like to play at my local game store. My questions: 1. Is this too hard to play? 2. Is it competitive? 3. What tweeks would you all make?

Ships I own: 6 Tie Fighters, 2 f/o Tie Fighter, 2 Tie Advanced, 1 Firespray, 1 Imperial Raider

Thoughts - use Vader as a loner and have the 4 Tie's in a formation.

Thanks in advance!

Vader+Miniswarm usually makes for a pretty good list. I would replace AC with Advanced Targeting Computer on Vader, and probably Swarm Tactics over Predator on Howlrunner

Vader is much better off taking Advanced Targeting Computer. With engine upgrade he can be very difficult for opponents to kill, but only if you are good at making use of the extra mobility. If you are new to the game, that may not be the case, however (although its something you can come back to when you have more experience).

Accuracy Corrector is really good on the generic TIE advanceds, like the tempest.

Swarm Tactics is usually handy on Howlrunner, except with your other TIEs being obsidians already, its not as important to have.

I think the list you've got is pretty good though, although with Howlrunner, I think you'd be better off putting lone wolf on Vader. It won't activate while the other TIEs are close by, but then, Vader is benefitting from Howl's re-roll, so he doesn't need it until Howl is dead (and she's likely to be the opponent's first target anyway). Once Howl bites it, Vader can break away from the other TIEs so Lone Wolf kicks in, improving his offense and defense.

Something like:

Vader w/ x-1 title, ATC, lone wolf & engine = 36

Howlrunner = 18

3 obsidians = 13 x 3

93

With 7 points, you have some options. Proton rockets on Vader are nice and throw a hull upgrade on Howlrunner, leaving a 1 pt initiative bid. You could also put shield upgrade on Howl and still take Swarm Tactics and still have 1 pt for initiative bid (or hull for 2 pt bid). Other nifty elite cards for this list on howlrunner would be crack shot or juke. Instead of proton rockets, you could just keep predator on howlrunner as well, although you won't get much use out of it since Howlrunner tends to die quickly...

Predator

Engine Upgrade

Proton Rockets

Howlrunner

Hull Upgrade/Stealth Device

Determination

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

98 points

My questions: 1. Is this too hard to play? 2. Is it competitive? 3. What tweeks would you all make?

1. If you look up Swarm Tactics on Bell of Lost Souls, there's a 4-part series of articles that goes over how to fly swarms and mini-swarms. But to answer your question - swarms aren't easy to fly, but if you fly slow you should be okay. I do recommend flying Academy Pilots instead though. You almost always move first and run virtually no risk of being blocked and messing up your formation if you're flying pinwheel (refer to Swarm Tactics article). It's bad times when your Obsidian formation gets blocked by a single PS1-2 ship.

Vader also isn't the easiest to fly since a bump or asteroid collision can quickly be the death of him. He is more forgiving than TIE Interceptors in that regard though.

2. Very. Swarms will always be competitive IMO, and Vader is theoretically one of the best aces in the game.

3. Blade_merc already touched on some of these, but:

• Vader should have ATC
• Howlrunner could use a Hull Upgrade, but since you don't own Imp Aces or the Starviper, Stealth Device is fine
• Swarm Tactics on Howlrunner is useful if you run PS1 Academy Pilots like I suggested above, but Determination can give you a better init bid and gives Howlrunner a bit more protection
• I would keep Predator instead of Lone Wolf. LW is hard enough to use for experienced players. The fact that you're running 5 ships and new to the game probably means you'll get much more mileage out of Predator.

Depending on your choice of EPT for Howlrunner, you'll have 5-6 points to spare. You could fit in Proton Rockets on Darth Vader for some Alpha Strike for example.

This is what your list would look like:

Darth Vader

Title

Advanced targeting computer

Predator

Engine Upgrade

Proton Rockets

Howlrunner

Hull Upgrade/Stealth Device

Determination

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

Academy Pilot

98 points

This is some great advice. I would like to point out though that in this particular case, Lone Wolf is actually not problematic, because if Vader is close to Howlrunner, you don't even care if its active or not. Its just late game insurance after all the TIEs are gone

Another idea to simplify this list (assuming that its difficult to use Vader effectively) would be to drop him in favour of a Firespray. Firespray + 4 TIEs is a classic, oldschool list that can still be effective. Some options for equipping it would be: recon spec + a mine (proximity or cluster) or tactician + shield/engine upgrade (could also go with a cluster mine instead).