Im still kinda a x-wing newb, and im trying to make a list that involves the tie bomber and my favorite ties, and so far i've ended up with the following.
I fear the bomber won't live long enough to use the full payload. Any tips to make it better, without losing the bomber.
100 Points
I keep playing with similar ideas but my list always turns into a Palpmobile list.
Your fears are correct, OP. The bomber will die first and will likely die without accomplishing much, unfortunately.
When I first started playing, one of my favourite lists was 2 interceptors + Firespray. I thought it was good because the interceptors could flank and the 'spray was a tank (Sorry, I have kids and they like rhymes). Anyway, the firespray would die first every time and sometimes it would die a lot faster than I thought it should (I ran just a bounty hunter with recon specialist back then). And the reason was simple: the 'spray was an easy target for the opponent to focus fire on. And while it is a tough ship, nothing wants to be taking the brunt of an entire 100 pts worth of firepower (which is what I was doing to the poor 'spray).
And there's nothing you can really do about that with this type of list. Your other ships cannot support each other. They are arc-dodgers and want to work independently. So you have to ask yourself what you want to run more: a jousting list or arc-dodging? Now, its possible to run a single flanker in a jousting list, but remember, the more points you spend on the flanker, the less you have to build a solid jousting list. If you want to go all arc-dodgers, that can work too, but then you have to lose the bomber.
The same thing happens with the Palp + 2 ace build, but some players get more success with that list for one of two reasons: either they are able to use the palp bonus to kill enough enemy ships that the aces can breeze through the remainder of the list once the shuttle goes; OR, the opponent tries to kill one of the aces and fails; thus putting themselves in a bad position that they just can't recover from.
Back to the drawing board then, or use it to play against my son, who complains that my other lists are to hard to beat.
i'll be waiting for some Tie-bomber action when the imperial vets. come out.
Back to the drawing board then, or use it to play against my son, who complains that my other lists are to hard to beat.
i'll be waiting for some Tie-bomber action when the imperial vets. come out.
Well, my suggestion would be to drop one of the aces and use the points to include some more jousty ships to go along with the bomber. Perhaps TIE fighters (ln or fo), advanced, a shuttle, a firespray, etc. You could even downgrade your existing ace to a cheaper arc-dodger, to further bulk out the jousting component (if that interests you, maybe it doesn't).
Been working abit on the list, trying to follow your advice. I dont have any tie/fo's yet, not sure what to invest in next,
Im thinking that homing missiles should work well with the long range scanner, since i don't need to spend the TL. Vader flanks who ever attacks the bomber, and academies to block the road in front of the bomber, trying to prevent a range 1 shot on him.
I sadly had to lose the outmaneuver to afford an extra Tie. Im bit on the egde about which bomb to use, i can afford to replace the Charges with proximity mines, but action wise, charges seems the best choice atm. I could add missiles instead of the bombs, but i doubt it will live long enough to fire 4 rounds of missiles, plus the issue of getting another tl.
Advanced Targeting Computer
Long Range Scanners
3x Academy Pilot
99 points
Looks solid!
That second list looks like a lot of fun! Homing missiles and LRS is a great combination, and the three Academy pilots will help everyone live longer by blocking to deny actions.
I've been testing my list and changed a few things for the better imo.
First of all i removed the bombs, because it was rarely used, because i try to keep the bomber at ranged 2-3, and it wouldn't survive for long anyways. I also removed the LRS, because i found i hard to get target lock on again, when i used the first TL to reload the homing misiles, and had great succes with the guidance chips. The traces worked wonders for the tie fighters, who were almost allways in ranged to get it, and they were often in range 1 of the rebel scum they were blocking or trying to block.
The main issue with the build atm, is the ace, im not sure if the meta forces me to use VI on vader, or if I should use Outmaneuver or something instead. which would still leave me with 97 squadpoints to get the initiative.
Any ideas for another ace or maybe another EPT?
TIE PATROL
95 points
PILOTS
Darth Vader (35)
TIE Advanced (29), TIE/x1 (0), Veteran Instincts (1), Engine Upgrade (4), Advanced Targeting Computer (5)
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (24)
TIE Bomber (16), Extra Munitions (2), Homing Missiles (5), XX-23 S-thread Tracers (1), Guidance Chips (0)
Academy Pilot (12) x 3
Predator or possibly juke would be my suggestions. If you are good at flanking and getting behind the enemy, then outmanoeuvre is good too.