In casual games, people will likely let you PROXY in cards. As long as you're willing to accept that in tournies you're on the outside looking in, no reason for you to feel intimidated.

I think combining competitive and relatively affordable builds IS an achievable goal. At least if you don't play as the Rebels :/ (The really good lists mostly contain the ultra-expensive "Stresshog").

If you look at top tier lists you'll see a pretty wide range of cost in dollars among them. For example, Corran and Dash in much cheaper than Paul Heaver's 2015 Worlds list. But I haven't seen any convincing arguments that Heaver's is actually better--skill plus dice made the difference, from what I can see.

You can get a competitive squad for well under $100 retail using Imperials. For scum, "Brobots" can be had for less than the standard Corran/Dash.

Unfortunately, I expect some of these to be knocked down to next level or two with the release of Wave 8. (Along with one or more of the expensive squad-types). Because of this, if I were introducing a friend right now I would suggest getting a Core and maybe one or two specific ships and just play with those - as a starting point to learn the basics and gain experience.

By the time wave 8 comes around they should be ready for 100-point lists and then, I suspect, a purchase of some or all of the Wave 8 ships will be the cheapest path to competitive lists.

Just my two cents.

One of the key components of playing X-Wing is flying the ships you want. My personal policy is, if I don't fly them, I don't buy them. That's why I don't own the Falcon or the Shuttle. They are both excellent ships, I highly recommend them if they interest you. However, I just don't like using them; they don't really fit my style. True, the highly valuable upgrade cards, "Veteran Instincts" and "Engine Upgrade" are found on the Falcon while "Darth Vader" crew member is on the Shuttle, but I don't have them because I haven't bought the ships. Even so, I have managed to come up with lists that I thoroughly enjoy flying and have tournament matches that while not always successful, are almost always pretty intense.

Basically, you need to choose your ships carefully. Think on what you want to fly and focus on that (pun intended). For example, want durable, hard-hitting ships? The Rebel faction has some good options, such as the B-Wing and the YT-1300. (The Empire and Scum have them also, but bear with me) Another thing to remember is that while list-building is an essential part of the game, it is only a portion of it. Getting it to be effective on the table is another. One can have the most spectacular list but, if flown incorrectly, it is not worth squat. That's why it is important to enjoy what you're using, since you'll need to practice with it for a while before becoming decent with it. You could restart with the basics, X-Wings and TIE Fighters. They're good ships and can give you a glimpse as to what style you are leaning more towards.

Finally, you may want to set goals for yourself as to what ships to buy and in what order. Figure out a budget for X-Wing that you can work with and go from there. The more definitive you make your plan, the less overwhelming it will be. You don't need the latest or most effective card to enjoy this game. Get ships that fit your style and budget and you'll be having a fantastic time as you re-enter the world of X-Wing!

If you don't go into tournament play most people will let you proxy everything. That gives you, with the ships you have right now (maybe drop by in the list building subforum if you want a bit help with getting back), a good opportunity to learn what expansions you really want for your playstyle. Then you can get those and be ready for some tournaments if those interest you (they are great fun, but not the only point of the game).

X-Wing is relatively cheap still, but it is also very tempting with all the options it has. It can go out of controll fast (it did for me), just be aware of what you want and need.

Yes, I am this guy at my local shop. I've spent considerably less money on X Wing, and I have no intention of attending all-day tournaments or playing at a competitive level. However, I am a regular at our weekly casual night where we play 2-3 games. I've settled into an older list (Wedge, Luke and Keyan in his B-Wing) that isn't too terribly expensive to put together and performs better than .500. I typically fly against some popular lists, and I don't feel out of the running. I can only remember 2 games where I lost horribly, and that was more due to my poor flying than my list. I would go into my list more, but that would defeat the point which is to fly what you love. Mess around with your models and their dials, figure out what you enjoy flying and build a list out of it. After you take it for a few casual games, tweak it and test it again. Have fun and fly casual.

No two people play the same lists with equal skill, it's not just down to how 'good' you are at playing X-wing but also down to temperament and preference.

Some builds are inherently vulnerable to certain tactics and some ships really benefit from particular upgrades. However due to the range available in even the most modest collections you can probably play a reasonably competitive and fun list without unduly handicapping yourself.

Don't be put off by what you don't have, enjoy what you do own.

Not sure where the Rapture hate is coming from... telling someone that they'll be handicapped playing strictly worse lists against optimal ones just seems like common sense to me.

Anyway, OP, I'm not sure anyone can answer your question but you because fun is completely subjective. I know that I have fun being competitive - playing my best with my best list against someone doing the same - so I wouldn't have fun playing a handicapped list. I know others that prefer casual or theme lists, though, and they seem to have the most fun playing others that feel the same.

All I can suggest is that you take what you have and get some games in. If you find that you can have a perfectly good time with that then awesome! If not, no harm.

If you want to play a highly competitive list, you can play either a TIE swarm (7-8 TIE Fighters) or BBBBZ (4 B-Wings and a Z-95). Those are pretty cheap to put together, relatively speaking. Some "top tier" lists are really expensive because they use 1 card each from a bunch of different expansions, or rely on lots of copies of a card that only comes as a singleton (I'm looking at you, Crackshot!).

If you compare a "top tier" list to a "sub par" list, my guesstimate is that you will find a real difference of only about 5 squadron points worth of upgrades, either in terms of efficiency or real expected play value. In other words, if Sam Stick Jock and Katy Casual sit down to play, and Sam's list requires an investment of at least $350 and Katy has spent less than $100 on the game, the competitive difference between their lists probably amounts to one good or bad die roll either way.

So that's it: the "top tier" player probably has the equivalent of one good die roll on you. The rest of it can be made up for with all the blood, sweat and tears that compose the true essence of this challenging game.

Seven and eight Tie Swarms are also one of the most challenging lists to fly. I really don't recommend them to novices. 6 Tie swarms can be easier because they're less dependent on blocks, but that's due to upgrade cards like crack shot (Which you'll need at least four copies of), with the possible addition of Youngster (From the Imperial Transport) with Rage (From the jumpmaster), which makes for a pretty expensive list.