Hello xwing savants. I am quite new to the game, but I have been reading many informations about the terminology and tactics for tournament play. I have also been checking out championship lists and reading up on the best pilots. What surprises me is that I don't see Tycho Celchu much. It seems to me that his ability makes him extremely valuable, and when I have played with him he has been an extremely important part of my squad.

Is this a beginner oversight, has the meta moved on and I am just catching up? Or am I overlooking a huge disadvantage with him?

Tycho the psycho is great! He is possible one of the best (if not the best) arc dodgers in the game. His main problem is that with only 2 attack and no potential to attack multiple times, he is not as efficient as some other builds for rebels (like twin laser turret btl4 y-wings). In x wing being able to attack multiple times and/or with lots of dice is very effective for stripping evade or focus tokens from the enemy, thereby helping you get more damage thru. Tycho is best paired with some hard hitting counterparts as a flanker/dogfighter.

The best builds I have seen for him are either

Tycho, wired, push the limit, auto thrusters , test pilot, (makes him incredibly hard to kill)

Or

Tycho, daredevil, push the limit, experimental interface, test pilot (becomes the most maneuverable ship in the game)

I have had success pairing him with btl4 y wings or b wings with gunner for some punch.

I love tycho and am currently trying to fit him into a build to counter stresshogs/control

I am a big fan of Tycho and learning that Jake is nearly interchangeable if you need a few more squad points elsewhere. I have learned, the hard way, you have to think several moves ahead with either as opposed to just a general goal. They are great about breaking up formations and picking (little hits) and distracting as the big boys come in.

Tycho?

Yes. Next question!

Which do you guys think is better on Tycho - Daredevil or Expert Handling?

Expert Handling means that (along with PTL and EI) you can run Tycho like Jake but with an almost full dial and the ability to shake off target locks. However, the daredevil does mean that you can throw in a 225 degree turn if you take a tight turn, daredevil and then boost and you can still throw a focus on top of that which is just crazy.

Be interested to hear what you guys think

I like daredevil so that you can basically k-turn whenever you want. Plus if you use experimental interface, boost and focus as well. Literally fly circles around opponents and still have modified dice.

Daredevil is better for two reasons. One, as mentioned, you can basically U-turn and stay range 1 of enemies you are chasing (where the a-wing actually has a chance of hurting stuff). Secondly, he is extremely unpredictable. Expert handling means he flies like Jake or any interceptor using push the limit. That's familiar and lots of good players are comfortable dealing with that. But daredevil takes him to a whole other level of wonkiness (or can). You can also achieve the exact same thing as a barrel+ boost by using a bank/turn away from the opponent, then daredevil and/or boost back towards them to get out of their arc. It puts you in a slightly different position, but most players don't expect it unless they have experience playing against Tycho (very few people can say that!)

Can't agree with daredevil enough. Mix up your dials; turn and burn in a tight knife fight then zoom away with the 5 speed and boost and watch your opponents wondering what/why/how..: lol. Too funny. Just be careful with the order of events. Use regular action (say focus), EI for daredevil, then PTL for the boost. (I think that is the correct order... )

Can't agree with daredevil enough. Mix up your dials; turn and burn in a tight knife fight then zoom away with the 5 speed and boost and watch your opponents wondering what/why/how..: lol. Too funny. Just be careful with the order of events. Use regular action (say focus), EI for daredevil, then PTL for the boost. (I think that is the correct order... )

Just to be clear, you can use EI or PTL in any order. So first action can be whatever you want (except daredevil, you want to save that for EI). Then you can push for a 2nd action (again whatever you want) and then EI for daredevil (then take stress from both); OR EI after the first action to use daredevil, then push for another action (then take stress from both). The reason is that the FAQ states when resolving simultaneous effects, you the owning player resolves the order (the simultaneous effects being the activating of free action from EI/Push and receiving the stress---and the stress doesn't of course stop you from taking actions, because its TYCHO!).

Can't agree with daredevil enough. Mix up your dials; turn and burn in a tight knife fight then zoom away with the 5 speed and boost and watch your opponents wondering what/why/how..: lol. Too funny. Just be careful with the order of events. Use regular action (say focus), EI for daredevil, then PTL for the boost. (I think that is the correct order... )

Just to be clear, you can use EI or PTL in any order. So first action can be whatever you want (except daredevil, you want to save that for EI). Then you can push for a 2nd action (again whatever you want) and then EI for daredevil (then take stress from both); OR EI after the first action to use daredevil, then push for another action (then take stress from both). The reason is that the FAQ states when resolving simultaneous effects, you the owning player resolves the order (the simultaneous effects being the activating of free action from EI/Push and receiving the stress---and the stress doesn't of course stop you from taking actions, because its TYCHO!).

Thank you for the clarification.

Is this a beginner oversight, has the meta moved on and I am just catching up? Or am I overlooking a huge disadvantage with him?

On EH vs DD the latter is superior except for corner cases with TL removal.