Vessery just got a lot more efficient (well, when Imp. Vets comes out), and he likes friendly ships who shoot before him and leave target locks on the defender. The Empire happens to have some great aces that exactly fit that description:

• Vader: PS 9 and wants to leave a target lock in place for the Adv. Targeting Computer bonus.
• Omega Leader: PS 8 and wants to leave a target lock in place for her pilot ability.
• Whisper: PS 7(9) and leaves a target lock in place with Fire Control System.

Whisper + Veteran Instincts + Advanced Cloaking Device + Fire Control System (39)

Colonel Vessery + TIE/x7 + Crack Shot (34)

Omega Leader + Comm Relay + Juke (26)

or

Colonel Vessery + TIE/D + Ion Cannon + Ruthlessness (41)

Darth Vader + TIE/x1 + Adv. Targeting Computer + Predator (33)

Omega Leader + Comm Relay + Juke (26)

Vessery is quite happy to take the lead in shooting, as long as his partners light up the targets.

I would even say he prefers it that way, as that would ensure he shoots at a target at maximum efficiency with no risk of Vader destroying his intended target before he has had a chance.

He otherwise likes low pilot skill guys with locks too. Ex a long range scanner bomber or a shuttle with fcs

He'll love flying alongside TAPs with the TIE/v1 title too. Whether any of them will viable other than the Inquisitor remains to be seen, obv.

Vessery just got a lot more efficient (well, when Imp. Vets comes out), and he likes friendly ships who shoot before him and leave target locks on the defender. The Empire happens to have some great aces that exactly fit that description:

• Vader: PS 9 and wants to leave a target lock in place for the Adv. Targeting Computer bonus.
• Omega Leader: PS 8 and wants to leave a target lock in place for her pilot ability.
• Whisper: PS 7(9) and leaves a target lock in place with Fire Control System.

You can't fit all of those in a list with Vessery, but there are some good-looking lists that include a couple of them, e.g.:

Whisper + Veteran Instincts + Advanced Cloaking Device + Fire Control System (39)

Colonel Vessery + TIE/x7 + Crack Shot (34)

Omega Leader + Comm Relay + Juke (26)

or

Colonel Vessery + TIE/D + Ion Cannon + Ruthlessness (41)

Darth Vader + TIE/x1 + Adv. Targeting Computer + Predator (33)

Omega Leader + Comm Relay + Juke (26)

Good ideas. But this thread belongs in the Squad List forum section. I know it doesn't receive as much attention unfortunately but it allows those who just peruse squad building topics an easy place to go.

Vessery list is my list, back off! Heh. Just joshin.

I do find it interesting the types of ships people tend to choose for him. KISS, f/os and bombers/shuttles. The TIEfoos fly like a dream, block, tank, and are just all around gold. Bombers add non-ace punch. Then again I'm a stickler for 4-ship lists: so it's 1 ace only.

I'm a fan of Vessery with the TIE/D title and a Tractor Beam. You get to modify both shots assuming one of your squadmates has already locked the target, which gives your Tractor Beam a decent chance of hitting to benefit you and the rest of the squad. Of course, this works best if everyone is shooting at a lower PS than Vessery. This isn't the most thought out of lists, but shows the general idea.

My personal experience is that PTL + Twin Ion Engine > Predator on Juno, due to the abundance of greens on her dial.

My personal experience is that PTL + Twin Ion Engine > Predator on Juno, due to the abundance of greens on her dial.

That's very fair. I'm always torn between the two - PtL gives you a lot of options, but those Predator rerolls on ATC are nice to have. That said, PtL gives you a better chance of being able to Focus, so it's difficult to know which is better...

Aye, definitely a Meta call.

Don't forget that the new Tie Adv Prototypes have the title that grants a lock + free evade, and the most expensive pilot comes at 25pts.

So I'd add:

I'd forgotten about the Inquisitor! Once he's available, I'd absolutely swap the two /fos for the Inquisitor + Juke + TIE/v1 + Autothrusters. It makes the whole list PS 8, and the Autothrusters and evade combo should make him reasonably survivable.

Don't forget that the new Tie Adv Prototypes have the title that grants a lock + free evade, and the most expensive pilot comes at 25pts.

So I'd add:

The Inquisitor (25)

Juke (2)

Tie/v1 (1)

Plus XX-23 S-Thread Tracers which will open to bombers alike many TL options.

Ya..I'm really looking forward to a full spoil of the v1. I might rock one instead of two TIEfoos if I can get a good 18pt model that can TL+evade every turn. Be a tad more economic than even comm boosters sometimes.

The humble AC advanced has been supporting vessery of late and its a great combo even one in your list is a great addition.

I'm thinking three scimitar bombers actually

Each have Tactician, then Mara jade, Rebel captive and Intel agent

Tanky, inexpensive, lots of target locks to go around. Bombers make great blockers as well

Vessery has ion Cannon with the new title

1 pt left over so either veteran instincts or crackshot on vessery

Haven't tried it yet but I think looks solid

A list that'll make the high ps ships especially ones who don't like stress really consider who to target and where to move

Don't want to shoot Rebel captive

Don't want to get stuck at range one of Mara.

Has to avoid the range two bubble and with three bombers that can all do it could be very hard

Intel agent to help see where your opponent is going

Not to mention vessery who will have two shots one with a ion Cannon and his main gun and a target lock to modify both attack

Long range scanners.

Something like this:

https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic%20Empire&d=v3!s!70:100,144,-1:34:17:;49:-1,-1,-1,-1,28:-1:24:;49:-1,-1,-1,-1,28:-1:24:;20:-1:23:-1:U.107

Colonel Vessery (35)
Juke (2)
Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)
TIE/x7 (-2)

Scimitar Squadron Pilot (16)
Fleet Officer (3)
Rebel Captive (3)
Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)
TIE Shuttle (0)

"Whisper" (32)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Fire-Control System (2)
Intelligence Agent (1)
Advanced Cloaking Device (4)

Total: 99

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

This is my thought at the moment. Shame that TIE Shuttle stops you getting long range scanners though D:

Whisper flanks, TIE Shuttle keeps up as best it can with Vessery and gives a neat catcvh 22 - shoot it, get stress, but take the fleet officer off the board, or ignore it and face Vessery with a lock two focus and an evade.

Vessery and inquisitor combo together nicely but the issue is that the inquisitor is likely to want to spend his target lock (unlike Vader, Onega leader and Whisper). That can be overcome with VI but I think wired does much more for him as it boosts his defensive capability.

So I'm leaning towards:

Whisper + Vi + FCS + agent kallus + ACD

Onega leader + PTL

Vessery + wired + X7 title + tie engine

100 points.

Phantoms with FCS are great Vessery buddies. Vessery with an HLC is really the only competitively viable Defender currently. I still refuse to believe that Double Defender isn't just a sub-par variant of double Aggressor, but there is that apparently.

A few weeks ago, before the Imperial Veterans announcement, I ran a terrible, terrible list with Night Beast and a Targeting Computer, a Shadow Squadron pilot with FCS and a Weapons Engineer, and Vessery with Cluster Missiles and HLC.

I knew it was a terrible list, but I won anyway. I got the Vessery/Cluster Missiles combo off, and it was predictably effective. I think I won't do Cluster Missiles on Vessery in future, though, because having to actually take a Target Lock action to fire them really hurts his action economy. Night Beast as a pocket Jake was interesting, but didn't live long enough for me to really evaluate his effectiveness. The Shadow Squadron pilot got very few shots off, but that wasn't a big deal because all he really needed to do was paint targets for Vessery. Outmaneuver never triggered, possibly because Vessery was so clearly the threat so nobody ever turned their back.

NIGHT BEATS GOES CLUBBING v1

100 points

PILOTS

“Night Beast” (17)

TIE Fighter (15), Targeting Computer (2)

Shadow Squadron Pilot (34)

TIE Phantom (27), Weapons Engineer (3), Fire-Control System (2), Stygium Particle Accelerator (2)

Colonel Vessery (49)

TIE Defender (35), Cluster Missiles (4), Heavy Laser Cannon (7), Outmaneuver (3)

Next time I run this, it'll look more like this:

NIGHT BEATS GOES CLUBBING V2

100 points

PILOTS

“Night Beast” (17)

TIE Fighter (15), Targeting Computer (2)

Epsilon Squadron Pilot (15)

Delta Squadron Pilot (28)

TIE Defender (30), TIE/x7 (-2)

Colonel Vessery (40)

TIE Defender (35), Flechette Cannon (2), Marksmanship (3), TIE/D (0)

I lose the concentrated multi-target painting of a pigPhantom, but have the same overall number of target locks available, and don't have to attack to set them up.

Phantoms with FCS are great Vessery buddies. Vessery with an HLC is really the only competitively viable Defender currently. I still refuse to believe that Double Defender isn't just a sub-par variant of double Aggressor, but there is that apparently.

The new title is nice on em though

My buddy flew vessery and Rex with the new title and ion Cannon and he threw in a scimitar with Mara jade on there

I was flying 3 scimitar with prox mine and Deathrain with usually loadout

He won both games.

Both were close as prox mines did a lot of dmg (two scimitar had extra munitions) but that ion was nasty

Second game Deathrain didn't even get to drop a bomb.

He otherwise likes low pilot skill guys with locks too. Ex a long range scanner bomber or a shuttle with fcs

Wow, I was thinking about this all wrong. I started out thinking about Whisper, who needs higher PS than Vessery to set up the TL since it's based on FCS. So then I started thinking about other high-PS pilots who leave TLs in place. And those work great with Vessery, but any old ship with lower PS also works fine since Vessery shoots before they use their TL.

Higher PS partners do still have an advantage, though, in that they're more likely to know what ship Vessery (and they) will want to shoot at and have it in range by the time they take their TL action.

The big question is whether the new defender will bring Pheaver over to the dark side.

Colonel Vessery (35)

Juke (2)

Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

TIE/x7 (-2)

Scimitar Squadron Pilot (16)

Fleet Officer (3)

Rebel Captive (3)

Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

TIE Shuttle (0)

"Whisper" (32)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Fire-Control System (2)

Intelligence Agent (1)

Advanced Cloaking Device (4)

Total: 99

I ran something almost identical just the other day.. Deathrain with LRS instead of whisper. It was excellent. LRS is simply fantastic here. The shuttle was solid but I'm not really sure I 'needed' its help. I've also been running an economy version of vader with DR and vess but I'm gonna try juno eclipse in his place today.

Really not in love with all this ruthlessness on vessery. Doesn't fit the meta we're in, will probably screw him over on range one shots as often as it helps. If you want something bigger than crack shot or vi, outmanuever seems much better and safer.