I pretty sure Im going to use a Vader + mini swarm list for upcomming SC.

I have run some variants a few times and it always seem to just work for me, especially Vader. Lately I have considered a few variants and cant really decide.

Which one would you choose and why?

1.

- Vader, X1, ATC, EU

- Howlrunner

- Academy Pilot

- Academy Pilot

- Academy Pilot

- Academy Pilot

Total: 100

Pros:

- One ship more than list 2 and 3

- Good blocking potential with 4 PS1 ships

- Easier to fly as most of the swarm has same PS

Cons:

- No room for VI on Vader

- No protection for Howlrunner

- No initiative bid

2.

- Vader, X1, ATC, EU, VI

- Howlrunner, Swarm Tactics

- Black Squadron, Swarm Tactics

- Black Squadron, Swarm Tactics

- Academy Pilot

Total: 99

Pros:

- VI on Vader

- Shoot early

- 1 point initiative bid

Cons:

- No protection on Howlrunner

- One less ship than list 1

- Only 1 PS1 ship for blocking

- Bit harder to fly, due to mixing PSs

3.

- Vader, X1, ATC, EU, VI

- Howlrunner, Elusiveness, Hull Upgrade

- Dark Curse

- Academy Pilot

- Academy Pilot

Total: 98

Pros:

- VI on Vader

- Protection for Howlrunner

- More survivability (Dark Curse and Howlrunner)

- 2 point initiative bid

- Decent blocking potential

Cons:

- One less ship than list 1

- Bit harder to fly, due to mixing PSs

What do you think?

Okay. I'd say List 1.

List 2 - A swarm tactics blob is nice in theory but you're paying 10 points for it, and it's still only leaving you at PS8.... which a lot of aces exceed.

List 3 - Elusiveness is kind of bad unless you have the means to get rid of the stress so you can reuse it. I'd rather take Push The Limit and Stealth if I wanted to make howlrunner as tanky as possible, or give her a draw their fire 'secret service buddy'. Dark Curse is nice, though.

Personally, I'd consider a hybrid. Drop Swarm Tactics down to Crack Shot, and you have a 4-shot flensing machine capable of doing impressive damage because you can afford to make all of Howl's wingmen black squadron crack shot ships. That makes the mini-swam an anvil your opponent MUST avoid jousting with....which in turn gives you more flexibility with Vader. Plus, it lets you cram as much damage as possible into the opening pass before Howlrunner (inevitably) explodes...

My personal choice is usually to run:

Vader(VI, ATC, x1, EU)

Howlrunner(Either Crack Shot or Swarm Tac.)

Black Squadron, Crack Shot x 3.

Crackshot is a must these days imo for running swarms, mini swarms with TIEs.

Thanks for the input guys. Good points.

I agree that the Crack shot swarm has a stronger alpha strike, but I have 2 issues with it.

1. I dont own any Crack Shot upgrades (or scum ships for that matter), and I dont like to have to buy 4 ships just for upgrades.

2. I like to use my swarm for blocking. With only PS4 blacks the opponent can easily mess it up with a low PS awing, headhunter etc. I flew a black squad swarm the other day, and I felt I lost some control over the match compared to the academies.

I think I will try out list 3 with PTL and Stealth on Howlrunner. If I dont like it, I will go with list 1