Hello! As of recent I've become extremely interested in X-Wing and have already bought Myself the First Core set and some other expansions to build a couple casual squads with.

As I don't aim to play competitively and just for fun with family and friends I'm here to ask the X-Wing community what they think of these builds and if they'd be relatively fun against one another or if either is too powerful and would have an advantage over the other. However I have been spending most of my free time learning the game and becoming familiar with Popular builds and phrases for different things.

We will start off with the Rebels:

-Tycho Celchu (26) w/ PtL (3) & Cluster Missiles (4)

-Jake Farrell (24) w/ PtL (3) & Cluster Missiles (4)

- Keyan Farlander (29) w/ B-Wing/E2 (1) & Kyle Katarn (3)

Total: 98 Points

As a note for the Rebels Originally both A-Wings had Chardaan Refit and the B-Wing ran Deadeye and Proton Torpedoes. If the A-Wings seem to over powered with the Cluster missiles I may revert to the previous upgrades in the last sentence. Proton Rockets are also an option I may consider for the A-Wings instead of CM.

Now for the Imperials as I have 3 different lists for them so far.

List One:

-Carnor Jax (26) w/ PtL (3)

-Tetran Cowall (24)

-Howlrunner (18) w/ Swarm Tactics (2) & Hull Upgrade (3)

​-Academy Pilot (12)

-Academy Pilot (12)

Total: 100 Points

List Two:

-Darth Vader (29) w/ Swarm Tactics (2)

-Royal Guard Pilot (22) w/ Determination (1)

-Saber Squadron Pilot (21) w/ Determination (1)

-Academy Pilot (12)

-Academy Pilot (12)

Total: 100 Points

List Three:

-Darth Vader (29) w/ Cluster Missiles (4)

-Carnor Jax (26) w/ PtL (3), Royal Guard Title (0), Hull Upgrade (3) & Shield Upgrade (4)

-Tetran Cowall (24) w/ Royal Guard Title (0), Hull Upgrade (3) & Shield Upgrade (4)

Total: 100 Points

Just as a final note for List 3 to be able to go up against the Rebels the A-Wings will need to either switch the type of Missiles they have to allow Vader to have the CM or equip Chardaan Refit as I don't have enough Upgrade cards to allow all 3 to use them.

Let me know what you think and what would be better to even out the factions!

The hard part about evaluating these lists is that (1) you are limited with your upgrades in what you have, and (2) being limited, you have put together some upgrades that aren't commonly used. It makes it hard to evaluate all the extras with how they balance with each other.

We have that issue in our area as we only have 1 or 2 people who have enough of all the expansion to build competitive lists. Everyone else is either on a limited budget or just starting out, so they don't have all the top upgrade cards (like yourself) and often field less than top notch builds. For example, Darth Vader was the only decent TIE Advanced pilot before the TIE/x1 title, but you need to spend $100 or so on the Raider to get that title, the Advanced Targeting Computer, and the new (but very worthwhile) TIE Advanced pilots. Once you get that, though, you'll have 4 copies of the upgrades mentioned, so you can have 4 competitive TIE Advanced ships. As you can see, though, it really takes a "get at least 1 of every ship" approach (hello, FFG marketing strategy) to really get the most of every ship.

With all that said, though, we just play with what we have and try things out. You'll see Outmaneuver and Expert Handling on the table often here, but never in the top tournament lists on these forums.

With the builds you have listed, none really look overwhelming versus the other ones. Where you will have problems is if you gear up one of those as a top list, without doing the same for the others. If you keep everything limited like you have it, then it will really come down to who flies and outmaneuvers the others the best. Play for fun, not just to win, allow people to correct obvious mistakes (like a dial pointing to a left bank when they get turned around and meant a right bank), and it will all balance out. Get experience, see what you like, change things out to try new things you acquire, read the forums for strategies, and all of that will lead to the most fun in your group.

Good luck!

I agree with above that it is difficult to evaluate. Not to be a jerk, but these all are definitely 'sub-par' lists in terms of their efficiency from a competitive stand-point

The rebel list: the weakness here is the lone b-wing teamed with a-wings. If you are new to the game, this might not become an issue, but basically, it would be simple for a savvy opponent to 'divide and conquer' this type of list. Generally speaking, a lone b-wing does not work well alongside a-wings do to the extreme differences in speed. B-wings like support anyway. When building a list that includes a's and b's, its best to run no more than a single a-wing (could have a cheap blocker in the form of the prototype pilot or a more expensive pimped out a-wing as a lone flanker). But b-wings do better when they have other ships around them in a formation (even a loose one).

The imperial lists: Due to the fact that the first 2 lists have more ships, its likely that they will win vs a small rebel force, especially if you and your friends are new to the game, because it tends to be easier to win with more ships when you are starting out.

Cluster Missiles vs Proton Rockets: these weapons are both good, but in very different ways. Proton rockets are quite strong on a-wings, in fact, are overall better, especially on higher Pilot Skill ships like Tycho and Jake. For low pilot skill a-wings, cluster missiles are not the best choice. Homing Missile or Concussion Missile tend to be more effective, although you will want push the limit to get the most out of them. Since you are not interested in taking the 'best' missile, I would say stick with clusters, but prepare to be disappointed! Its unlikely they will have much impact against imperial targets because of their high agility (they work better against low agility targets or on ships with Fire control system, predator or some other ability to modify the dice on both shots).