Back to my winning ways??

By darkevans, in X-Wing Squad Lists

Ok guys. I've been playing X-wing now for about a year and a half. I haven't played that many tournaments (7, two of which were escalation), but I started out with a pretty good record. I started out 9-3 in my first three tournaments, winning two, one of which was a store championship. I pretty much mastered the Whisper Chirpy list to get those wins. Since then, I've mainly gone 1-2 or 2-1 in FLGS tourneys, only playing for first once. I honestly feel I have had good squads, I just haven't mastered one like the Whisper Chirpy list. So I'd like to get back to my winning ways and I'm going to try that with Whisper again. I have about 3 weeks till my next tourney so I started game planning and doing test runs tonight. I haven't flown Whisper too much since the nerf but I do know with the current meta she needs Sensor Jammer and Intel Agent. So here's what I tested tonight.

Whisper (32)

VI (1)

SJ (4)

ACD (4)

Intel (1)

Jax (26)

VI (1)

Title (0)

Hull (3)

AT (2)

Scimitar (16)

EM (2)

Proximity (3)

Ion Pulse (3)

Total: 98

I really liked the synergy with Jax and the sensor jammer on Whisper. The PS 10 was nice as I was moving last. However, I came really close to losing Jax early. I made an aggressive move that didn't work out and couldn't really evade shots. The hull upgrade saved Jax in the end as she was still alive with that one hull remaining. The Scimitar really did some damage with those proximity mines and the Ion pulse. I hit the with missiles both times and did a total of 5 damage with the mines. After tonights test I really think Jax needs that PTL if only to turtle up and sometimes boost barrel roll to arc dodge. The question is, is she still viable at PS8? And if i do go to PTL i need to lose something on the Scimitar to get that Initiative bid with Whisper. What should I lose on the scimitar or should I go with something completely different? PTL on Jax leaves me with 24 points left, however thats really only about 22 for an initiative bid. So should i go with

Whisper (32)

VI (1)

SJ (4)

ACD (4)

Intel (1)

Jax (26)

PTL (3)

Title (0)

Hull (3)

AT (2)

Scimitar (16)

EM (2)

Flechette Torps (2)

Seismic (2) or Prox (3)

Total: 98 or 99

Or should I go with something different? Though and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Why not go with Lieutenant Colzet instead of the Scimitar?

Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and saviour Conner Net?

Give that to the Scimitar and laugh manicaly as your opponents Soontir/Whisper/Dash/Han/anyone, really, drifts on to an asteroid after sitting there one turn without actions. And taking one guaranteed damage.

Apart from that I feel like VI Jax is a huge gamble when he isn't backed up by a Palpshuttle, although he can still pay off amazingly. The more reliable option would be Soontir Fel, though, although I hate to say that since he is so overused. Whisper looks fine, but i would reconsider the Sensor Jammer should you swap Jax and not expect many TLT lists.

I know people like the idea of VI Jax for the PS 10, but it really doesn't work imho. Jax needs push the limit to get into position (in one piece) and alongside Whisper, its actually tough for your opponent to gun for Jax first (giving him a little more leeway to make it to R1 where is ability causes all kinds of headaches for your opponent). For that reason, I suggest stick with Push the Limit on him. You don't really need Soontir in place of Jax in this list, because Jax + Whisper together can counter soontir nicely (Jax nullifies Soontir's tokens and Whisper's 4 dice attack breaks the stealth device).

I agree that Colzet would probably be more helpful than a TIE bomber, but then again, the suggestion above for a conner net is not a bad idea----further ruining Soontir's day (or anyone you can catch with it). One good thing about the TIE bomber is he will be virtually ignored in this list as your opponent will have their attention entirely on Jax/Whisper (same could be said of Colzet). Another 'third wheel' for this list could be Omega Ace w/ Push the Limit. With Whisper + Jax to strip tokens/shields, he has better chances of putting his crits onto hull.

Lastly, something else to consider is Rebel Captive on Whisper. It has obvious synergy with Sensor Jammer and in a way makes intel agent less necessary because your opponent is forced to fly more predictably (doing green to shed the stress) or else be stuck with the stress token on a white move (and unable to hurt Whisper due to sensor jammer). Rebel Captive is also perfect for killing other phantoms (stops ACD) and is yet another 'soft' Soontir counter (including any push the limit user really).

Edited by blade_mercurial

I was of the opinion that VI Jax was a bad idea once, but I was corrected by tournament results. It remains a highly meta dependent gamble, though, since you lose both 1 point and a huge opportunity by not taking PTL.