I find

Trandoshan Slaver, tactician, anti pursuit lasers, feedback array to be a great control ship

I really like this list. The only real weakness I experienced was against a 7 tie swarm. I couldnt get away fast enough with the hounds tooth, ended up in a nasty crossfire. All other games I won I've always enjoyed flying a Lambda, and the 'Tooth is like a Lambda on steroids. I like it, although I personally am not yet sure whether to go for the Tactician or the K4 on Boba.

I tried both and settled on K4, simply due to the action economy that it affords with my play style.

Isn't K4 somewhat redundant with Boba's pilot ability? i suppose every bit helps -- just depends on what you're facing and how important Tactician is (e.g. vs Soontir).

Plenty of times Boba is not at range of a ship, or is at range of 1 and wants to re-roll more dice.

Plenty of times Boba is not at range of a ship, or is at range of 1 and wants to re-roll more dice.

Not to mention the times where you really don't want to be at range 1 of your opponents.

I ran the list with great success against a 6 tie crackshot swarm with Mauler and Howlrunner. I actually flew fast with Bossk at the start, a 3 forward and boost got me a target lock on howlrunner and side on to the swarm with a rock blocking them from turning in. First shot stressed howlrunner and popped her stealth device. Because Howl was stressed the formation couldn't k turn and I was able to swing in behind them and pick off the stragglers.

Outlaw tech is my new favourite card on the YV because it opens up the dial. Late game I was able to 0 stop when a tie fighter tried to barrel roll in front of me for a block and I got a range 1, focused shot with a target lock from the previous turn which ended like you might expect. The next turn I green banked for a target lock, took a focus and popped the last tie at range 1 too.

I don't think I ever used the mangler canon though. I was always range 1 or firing a broadside shot.

When talking about tough and hard to hit, consider also counter-measures.

Yes, it's one-use, but it's one-use for the whole turn, and it bins off a target lock at the same time (and does it at the start of the combat phase, which is a lot better than expert handling).

Pop it at the same time as Glitterstim and suddenly the Firespray switches to "I am a leaf on the wind" mode. It's especialy nice on Scum Boba Fett, because it's still leaving his EPT and crew slots free, and it covers that one turn you need to get up close and personal with the enemy where his pilot ability can take over once the upgrades stop.

When talking about tough and hard to hit, consider also counter-measures.

Yes, it's one-use, but it's one-use for the whole turn, and it bins off a target lock at the same time (and does it at the start of the combat phase, which is a lot better than expert handling).

Pop it at the same time as Glitterstim and suddenly the Firespray switches to "I am a leaf on the wind" mode. It's especialy nice on Scum Boba Fett, because it's still leaving his EPT and crew slots free, and it covers that one turn you need to get up close and personal with the enemy where his pilot ability can take over once the upgrades stop.

This is also a fantastic counter to Palp + Aces should you find yourself at Range 1 of Vader or some other TIE Advanced with a TL on you.

I ran the list with great success against a 6 tie crackshot swarm with Mauler and Howlrunner. I actually flew fast with Bossk at the start

I flew fast too, but couldn't boost past because I had clipped an astroid with the boost by just a fraction of a millimeter. Unlucky I guess.

I ran this list yesterday for the first time, its a ton of fun! Kudos to the originator of it as it works VERY well. I took it to 3-1 (losing to a scum build of Kath/Palob/Kaa'to) and 2nd place in the tournament. I beat Brobots twice (handedly) and took down a 6 tie swarm. I didn't lose any ships vs brobots, but did lose one vs the tie swarm (Boba). I'm definitely adding this list to my regular rotation, it took lots by surprise!

I came in second place with this list as wel at a local tourney. It's a fun build. The only game I lost was due to MOV against a tie swarm, scoring Boba just under half health on the last turn...

I ran this list yesterday for the first time, its a ton of fun! Kudos to the originator of it as it works VERY well. I took it to 3-1 (losing to a scum build of Kath/Palob/Kaa'to) and 2nd place in the tournament. I beat Brobots twice (handedly) and took down a 6 tie swarm. I didn't lose any ships vs brobots, but did lose one vs the tie swarm (Boba). I'm definitely adding this list to my regular rotation, it took lots by surprise!

Love hearing it did well for you!

This seems to be a common theme for me, I tend to lose to other unique lists more often than the standard meta currently. The list eats up Palpmobile+aces, Brobots, TIE Swarm, TLT swarms for breakfast!

_{Great post OP thank you.}

_{Looking forward to trying out this build.}

I have played that lately:

YV-666: · Bossk (35)

Veteran Instincts (1)

"Mangler" Cannon (4)

Engine Upgrade (4)

K4 Security Droid (3)

Tactician (2)

Inertial Dampeners (1)

Firespray-31: · Kath Scarlet (38)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Engine Upgrade (4)

Flight Instructor (4)

Inertial Dampeners (1)

What do you think of it?

It is a very good squad, and i played a similar one before the large ship nerf.

After that however, if you can't table your opponent, you will not have good MoV most likely. And that makes the list pretty unteliable under the new rules.

Edif: It just occurs to me that on the above list, why would you give Inertials to Bossk, a ship with a 0 move!. You might consider bidding for one or taking Glitterstim on one of your ships instead.

It is a very good squad, and i played a similar one before the large ship nerf.

After that however, if you can't table your opponent, you will not have good MoV most likely. And that makes the list pretty unteliable under the new rules.

Yeah that's what happened. Lost some games and places in the tournament because of the points I gave. I understand how this nerf was needed, because fat pwt really needed to be cleared, but my beloved scum faction suffers of it a lot

It is a very good squad, and i played a similar one before the large ship nerf.

After that however, if you can't table your opponent, you will not have good MoV most likely. And that makes the list pretty unteliable under the new rules.

It definitely doesn't do well for long drawn out engagements. To be completely honest I don't think any if not very little of my matches end on time... I either get tabled, or I table the opponent. MoV has been minimal in factoring win/losses, but the half point rule has had an effect on the MoV total. It's a brutal list, but it can also take a beating easily if not careful.

I've been having my own adventure up in the mostly forgotten Squad Building sub-forum: quick link to my thread here

The YV-666 is definitely underrated. Not just "it's a below average ship", my long experience with it is starting to tell me otherwise. Not once since I've started regularly flying Bossk have I been particularly disappointed and I even got to try him in a competitive environment over the weekend, and all that did was reinforce my current thoughts on him. I'll be honest, haven't given the other named pilots a spin yet, but a lot of what I've put into the YV-666 with Bossk should apply to them, too. Random quick thoughts, which may or may not be quick thoughts I had in my squad building thread:

• Engine Upgrade: Don't leave home without it. Okay, a generic doesn't need it, and Latts might be able to get by without one too if she's running as support (especially since I think there's an argument there to put The Hound's Tooth title on her. I've run Bossk with an EU and without, and there were definitely games where I barely touched it. With an actually OK dial, the 180 arc, smart usage of obstacles, and a good starting position, you can rack up some serious damage with him while keeping yourself in a position that's uncomfortable for your opponent to get. HOWEVER, there's going to be times you need that EU and without it, you're dead. With that in mind, I'm now pretty much of the mind that to be competitive Bossk (and probably Moralo) absolutely needs that EU unless you have another way of protecting against folks like Soontir Fel.
• I'll be honest, one day I still want to try Bossk with Maneuvering Fins and Navigator, maybe Intelligence Agent to boot.
• Mangler Cannon blows on a YV-666, even with EU. Four points for an upgrade you'll be lucky to get two shots off of with in most games isn't worth it. I actually enjoy the dial, but you simply can't turn tight enough to reliably keep your primary arc lined up.
• Saying "screw it" with Bossk and only relying on natural crits for his ability to give him VI instead of Calc/MM could very well be the way to go, along with a good initiative bid. Calculation has helped, no doubt, but it may be a small boost worth sacrificing to really get Bossk murdering folks.
• Huh, Daredevil... confession: I never even thought about it. That sounds incredible. A little pricey (a cheap YV is a happy YV), but I'm going to have to try that out.
• Action Economy: Can't stress this enough. Want to know why my Bossk has only ever lost two games (not counting the part where in both I derped as hard as I could), regardless of his escorts? Because I've always run him with both a K4 and a Jawa. Green move? Free TL, Focus on a hapless target or Boost in for a better shot. Need to turn as hard as I can with that red hard two, or I'm slamming the brakes? Boom, free Focus. Modified dice are deadly dice. Modified dice on a pilot who can naturally pump out four plus damage a shot are terrifying dice. At the very least you put a K4 on there: those 1 speed moves (and the straight greens that go all the way up to THREE on the big bastard!!!) are the YV-666's bread and butter.
• Keep it cheap. I love the YV-666, and I feel like in my hands Bossk is a real threat on the table, but I'm not kidding myself: that huge chunk of health can wilt quickly with only one green dice to protect it. Putting too much on there is begging for the YV to get singled out and focus fired down, especially if you're loading on crap like the Mangler that isn't worth the points.

Just another two cents on the subject, probably putting me up near $100. Been obsessed with the Hound's Tooth since she was announced and I've spent months theory-crafting around it, practicing with it on Vassal, playing with it among friends, and finally taking her into tournament play (played sooo many games with her this week...). I've made it my mission to make Bossk flying death-murder in X-Wing, and by golly I think I'm on the precipice here.

Also, I think this is how I'd personally run Bossk+Boba now (I've run em' before, but with slightly different load outs).

Boba Fett

Veteran Instincts

K4 Security Droid

Slave-1

Extra Munitions

Cluster Missiles

Engine Upgrade

Bossk

Veteran Instincts

K4 Security Droid

Outlaw Tech

Engine Upgrade

98pts

Initiative bid to give Bossk a chance to take full advantage of VI and not be so vulnerable to high PS arc dodgers, but could always switch it for Calc if you want to put two more points somewhere else (don't think Bossk+VI is really worth it without the bid). Scum Fett is designed to pump out a truly tremendous amount of damage: K4 to TL, then you either Focus or Boost into R1 for Fett re-rolls and unleash hell twice with Cluster Missile attacks. I've run a very similar list to this before (different load out on Bossk), and Double Cluster Fett (haha, finally a use for the Slave-1 title...) basically gives a middle finger to the first two ships he can line up in front of him.

If I did throw on two more points, maybe Seismic Charges on Fett. With PS10 and already a knack for diving into the pile, he should be very well suited to then dropping more damage behind him as he passes.

Daredevil is a must.

even after FFG SPOILED IT TO HELL
by making it a white maneuver.

>_>
filthy FAQ ruining our Outlaw tech fun!

Thanks for posting your list. I have tried it against my friend today and won both Matches. The first match was vs Poe, Corran, but none of them with VI. And a TLT Y-Wing. Boba and Bossk both survived, Bossk with 3 Hull left, Boba lost 2 shields. Managed to kill Poe and the Y-Wing. The other list were 3 PS9 Pilots, Whisper, Vader and Soontir. He had 99 Points too, I won the initiative Roll, everything was in my favour from the beginning. I won 100:0 and it was a lot of fun to fly these iconic Bounty Hunters.

Thanks for posting your list. I have tried it against my friend today and won both Matches. The first match was vs Poe, Corran, but none of them with VI. And a TLT Y-Wing. Boba and Bossk both survived, Bossk with 3 Hull left, Boba lost 2 shields. Managed to kill Poe and the Y-Wing. The other list were 3 PS9 Pilots, Whisper, Vader and Soontir. He had 99 Points too, I won the initiative Roll, everything was in my favour from the beginning. I won 100:0 and it was a lot of fun to fly these iconic Bounty Hunters.

I am asking myself how to beat 4 Y's with TLTs? Dive in R1 with Boba and try to stay there I think. But the Opponent will spread them out then. And Bossk can go down quick against TLT Spam with only one green dice even at R3. The only tactic I see is to get shot just by one Y-Wing each Round. Easier said than done. I think it is unlikely to take one out in the first round of shooting.

How did you go against TLTs?

Best Regards

You're right in the assumption of diving in at R1 with Boba and keeping him there. Remember it really only takes maybe 3 shots before a Y-wing goes down. Once the first Y wing is down and you control the range of engagement you can clean up easily. I've never had any issues with a TLT spam list. Even though Bossk only has 1 agility, he is significantly faster than the Y wings, and there's too much hull/shields to chew through both Boba/Bossk for them to really be able to do much of anything, especially when you can focus fire and almost one shot each of them.

I'm genuinely curious, here, MJ. At that top 16 or top 8 level of Worlds, do you think the relatively small difference between Tier 1.5 and Tier 1 has more of an effect on the outcome of a game than the specific matchups or the die rolls? I can see over the course of 100 games that you'd start to see a trend, but we never have that kind of sample size at that level to empirically test someone's opinions about where a ship should actually stand. Even in the most recent worlds, when discussing their games, a lot of the top 16 players could point to specific movement mistakes that they made, and sometimes die rolls, when accounting for their losses. It seems like the sample size at that level combined with the fact that highly skilled players can "stretch" a Tier 2 or Tier 1.5 into a Tier 1 means that Worlds is actually not that useful for determining a ship/pilot's quality at finer resolution.

Everything matters, and even at the top levels the better pilot usually wins -- but there is a MUCH smaller margin for error or squad inefficiency at the top end. A great player with a tier 1 list will generally beat a great player with a tier 1.5 - tier 2 list. So the best players try to find those tier 1 lists, which is part of why they are good players. They play the game and the meta-game.

Looking at the results empirically...

2015 Top 16: All 16 players there are using Tier 1 ships / combos, in my opinion. You don't even see any Tier 1.5 until Top 32, and I don't think there's any Tier 2 in Top 32 at all.

So are the best players taking the best lists, or are the best lists making the best players? Some of both is true. There are a lot of extremely strong players in that Top 32. National winners, previous Worlds Top 16 finishers. Ultimately it is hard to definitively answer this question without some hardcore data mining and analytics, which we don't have for the game.

But the correlation is extremely strong. If you want to place high at Worlds then ideally you need a tier 1 squad, certainly at a minimum tier 1.5. Sometimes tier 1 squads like Danger Zone or Panic Attack aren't widely "discovered" before the tournament.

Certainly everything matters. My concern is how much we can observe everything mattering in the fairly noisy environment of a handful of X-wing games. Basically, top 16 at worlds is NOT at equilibrium, matchups, dice, and individual errors serves to make it difficult to understand how much each factor contributes to player's victory. Furthermore, how do you determine that Danger Zone is a Tier 1 squad? Wardens have unimpressive efficiencies, even with TLTs, so the squad is relying almost entirely on skilled use of Tactician and SLAM to put it over the top.

K-Wings have no TLT croissants. This no longer makes them inefficient if they always have shots. So a triple K-Wing list with Miranda in it is already a decent list. Tactician pushes it over the top.

Also, I think this is how I'd personally run Bossk+Boba now (I've run em' before, but with slightly different load outs).

Boba Fett

Veteran Instincts

K4 Security Droid

Slave-1

Extra Munitions

Cluster Missiles

Engine Upgrade

Bossk

Veteran Instincts

K4 Security Droid

Outlaw Tech

Engine Upgrade

98pts

Initiative bid to give Bossk a chance to take full advantage of VI and not be so vulnerable to high PS arc dodgers, but could always switch it for Calc if you want to put two more points somewhere else (don't think Bossk+VI is really worth it without the bid). Scum Fett is designed to pump out a truly tremendous amount of damage: K4 to TL, then you either Focus or Boost into R1 for Fett re-rolls and unleash hell twice with Cluster Missile attacks. I've run a very similar list to this before (different load out on Bossk), and Double Cluster Fett (haha, finally a use for the Slave-1 title...) basically gives a middle finger to the first two ships he can line up in front of him.

If I did throw on two more points, maybe Seismic Charges on Fett. With PS10 and already a knack for diving into the pile, he should be very well suited to then dropping more damage behind him as he passes.

OP- what are your thoughts on bomb loadout , glitterstim, tactician vs missiles and k4?

On daredevil, as good as it is i think it falls into the EH category.. that is to say it's great but not worth the opportunity cost.

I thought as per the FAQ that tactician was limited to 1 per list?

I thought as per the FAQ that tactician was limited to 1 per list?

Limited means one per ship

Unique means one per list

You can have 4 b-wings with tactician

You can't have 3 tacticians on a YV-666