So, I've seen a few times that Homing Missiles are generally the best choice. Why?
I was just reading the "Relook at A-wings" thread and it was mentioned, and was not the first time.
Basically, why should I take Homing Missiles? Very rarely do I see people actually use evade tokens. I understand that you don't have to spend your target lock. Is it really worth it? Really?
...REALLY? 
Range 3 reach!
re-rolls > no re-rolls
evade thing is neat, but not really what matters
ofc, it's not worth it without guidance or long range scanners. too much rng bull w/just a TL, even if it's far superior to a naked throw
With the rise of Juke as a very viable EPT along with Comm Relay for TIE/fo and specific T-70 X-Wing builds, you're certainly going to see a lot more Evade tokens out there I would think. The ability to throw a 4-dice attack with no defense bonus, out to range 3, that doesn't require you to spend a TL to use it, is pretty great.
I mean. Don't use them. I'll use them just because I feel sorry for them. But you shouldn't, nor should anyone else, ever use them. Ever.
The evade shenanigans is just gravy over having a modified and powerful attack.
You don't see people taking Evade actions? There are no Corran Horn, Soontir Fel, Darth Vader, Falcon title or IG-88s in your local meta?
Mainly it's that you keep the TL. Ignoring evade tokens is also important against some popular ships (e.g. Imperial aces, brobots). IMO it's not so much that Homing Missiles are amazing, it's just that they're better than the other ordnance options. If you have a ship that's going to be effective with ordnance (high PS to get the right target lock, long range scanners, etc.), you might as well use the best weapon available.
You don't see people taking Evade actions? There are no Corran Horn, Soontir Fel, Darth Vader, Falcon title or IG-88s in your local meta?
We mix it up every week. Lots of our players are new and don't have quite that much yet. Everyone has been bringing different lists every week, so nothing is set in stone, and it's fantastic. Screw the meta!
You get a reroll off TL.
Against really hard to hit stuff, you get 1 more damage through.
Cons, it costs 1 more point. Most likely not good in mass. But better as 1 or 2.
Screwing that evade token =+1 damage, and a loss of their action,
Unless they're able to use that evade token elsewhere, and gain both back
The TL re-roll is good, though. Gives you an expected damage of 3... which is matched by Concussion missiles, which fare better with a focus token anyway. And are cheaper.
However, it does let you maintain that TL through the attack if it wasn't needed, which is something, I guess?
Homing Missiles also become crazy effective once you factor in the following:
*Guidance Chip
*PTL or Crack Shot
*Bonus attack dice stack REALLY nicely with this ability
At Regionals, I took Miranda + Jan Ors for giggles. Let me say, blowing Soontir Fel out of the sky with a single missile has never been so satisfying. And that was with him successfully rolling 3 out 4 evades. The ignores Evade tokens ability is sheer magic. Then, the Palpmobile went down in a single turn to a Procket and Miranda's augmented Homing Missile. A friend of mine also ran a very successful Chewie + 2 Green Squadron + Deadeye + Homing Missile list, back before Rebel Aces.
Guidance Chip will benefit Concussion Missiles more but Cluster Missiles will receive the larger boost (although they are still one of the weaker ordnances). Offset against this is an environment where Evades are becoming much more commonplace. I would say that the ordnance is merely starting to reflect its cost.
Edited by LampyridaeGreen Squadron Pilot - Push the Limit, Crackshot, Homing Missiles
These little beasts deleted Vader and Fel, even before Guidance Chip. Add it when it comes out for extra insurance.
N'dru Suhlak with the same loadout (minus PTL) is also quite good fun. I call him "the Scum Scalpel".
You keep your TL
They do not get a bonus die at Range 3
They cannot spend Evade tokens
Whats not to like?
What is the best use of ordnance? You use it on a ship with a low attack rating to get one really good attack on someone at just the right moment. Right? So, A-wings, Y-wings, Tie Bombers, Tie Adv, etc.
What does everyone complain about ordnance? It's "action economy". What does that mean, though? It's the fact that you need to grab a TL for your attack and you then can't modify the dice. OK....you can grab the TL and wait a turn, but sometimes you just can't really do that for that perfect shot. What's the average dice for 4 red dice with no Focus or TL to use? Not that high. What happens when you spend 4 pts for a missile attack...and flub the dice? You just wasted all your points on some sort of super attack that just failed.
Is being able to use that Target Lock really that good? Well, just look at the numbers. Your average hits can jump from 2 hits average to 3. Forget averages even. Just think about rolling 4 dice and getting all blanks. I've been there. You get to pick up all those dice and roll again. Think if you can either get both a Focus and a TL. Your chance of doing damage rises considerably.
What's the point of ordnance again? To get one super hit. What does Homing Missiles do better than other ordnance? It lets you re-roll to ensure that super hit happens.
If you can use Extra Munitions, it even makes Homing Missiles that much cheaper. If you can't, it's still useful just for the TL.
In addition to all the things everyone else has said, Homing Missile (compared to it's closes rival the Concussion Missile) is notably better if you have especially good rolls or especially bad rolls on your Missile shot. If you roll all garbage, a Concussion Missile only makes one blank to a hit. The Homing Missile lets you either re-roll all the garbage, or just hold onto the Target Lock for next turn (that's certainly not ideal, but it's a useful option in some circumstances). If you roll very well, and don't need the TL, then Homing Missile still lets you keep it for a later turn. Significantly, both LRS and GC make it more likely that you won't need to spend the TL to get to max damage because stacking modifications becomes easier.
Finally:
Soontir Fel + Stealth Device + Autothrusters + Evade token + Focus Token + the Emperor can stop 5 hits attack without getting too lucky. Homing Missiles with TL/Focus have a pretty high likelihood of getting the 4 full hits, and it ignores Soontir's evade. Say you've got Crack Shot on your Homing Missile Carrier (hint: Gamma Squadron Veteran), then you can reliably hit Soontir Fel no matter what his green dice roll.
Bren + crack + HM + GC. Fel takes a crit even at R3 turtled with the emperors help.
hmmm another double post..
Edited by Carnor Rexhomer good. evade bad. chimp angry. soontir go boom. (maybe).
and.. sold already? 
What is the best use of ordnance?
I see a lot of people posting stuff where you get re-rolls of extra actions. I would almost always prefer Concision Missiles in those cases.
The biggest advantage for Homing Missiles is that, though you must have a TL, you get to keep it. Meaning you get a 4 attack dice attack and you get use your TL for Re-rolls. The second advantage is that your opponent is not allowed to spend evade tokens.
The problem is that Homing Missiles are a 5 point upgrade. Concision Missiles cost a point less ad do change 1 blank to a hit. They don't ignore the evade token, but how common are those evade tokens really. If you see evades all the time in your meta then Homing Missiles might be a good idea, but I don't see them very often.
One place I do see a lot of evade token is on Millennium Falcon titled ships. When I play my fat Han list I evade every turn. But if I was shooting at someone playing that and I was going to use a missile I think I would prefer Cluster Missiles.
concerning evade;
you'll see it on the falcon. on the decimator. on soontir, other interceptors, phantoms, TAPs, tie/fos... quite a lot of things that did not came to mind, and with juke their number will increase.
homers ARE good and have their place.
Edited by WokeUpDeadI see a lot of people posting stuff where you get re-rolls of extra actions. I would almost always prefer Concision Missiles in those cases.
The biggest advantage for Homing Missiles is that, though you must have a TL, you get to keep it. Meaning you get a 4 attack dice attack and you get use your TL for Re-rolls. The second advantage is that your opponent is not allowed to spend evade tokens.
I used to love Concussion Missiles. I will say, though, that being able to re-roll as many dice as you want is better than turning just one blank into a hit. I've rolled some utterly horrible dice in the past and wasted Concussion Missiles. I've found that being able to use the TL is much better in the long run than changing one die result.
It never was much about the Evade. I will say, though, that I see it more and more. It's on Bro Bots, Soontir Fel, Vader, hurt Decimator, Falcon, and a few others. The best reason really is Stealth Soontir as he's a very common enemy. Also, he's very hard to hit. If you are able to fire two Homing Missiles at Stealth Soontir in the same round, you will most likely kill him.
With Guidance Chip, though, I think Proton Torpedo might be better than Concussion. The average is that you will roll 2 hits, one eyeball, and one blank. This way, on average, you will get 3 hits and a crit!
concussion missiles without focus are just a handful of **** dice begging to happen
hence, homing. It gives you the most immediate and effective bang with GC, while concussion really needs LRS to set up a focus mod
plus, as has already been hinted at, the empire is swimming in evades
Isanne
PTL Interceptors (soon Tie/v1)
Vader Advance double action
Tie/x7
Comm Relay FOs
These are 3 clips of my E wing and 3 Z. It does show how useful homing missiles can be. I don't think the list is quite as good as it used to be against big 2 ship lists, but it is alot of fun to setup; especially the Cracken Clusters - a big alpha strike potential.