Hey gang!

I was a dummy, and in a moment of weakness and poor forethought sold my entire collection of xwing. Regardless, I am looking to get back into the game, and trying to find a list that can be built on a budget, but is still highly effective.

I do tend to like running Rebel swarms lists, and as I haven't been in the game for a few months, I am not sure if they still have a place in what seems to be a game ruled by aces.

Regardless, I like Xwings and I like Z-95, so this is what I built!

Blue Squadron Novice, Targeting Astromech, Integrated Astromech

Blue Squadron Novice, Targeting Astromech, Integrated Astromech

Bandit Squadron Pilot

Bandit Squadron Pilot

Bandit Squadron Pilot

Bandit Squadron Pilot

Thoughts??

Might be worth dropping 1 Bandit to give the other 3 Concussion missiles and Guidance Chips. That will give you a strong opening salvo to hopefully take out something dangerous on the opponent's side.

I think its fine.

Might be worth dropping 1 Bandit to give the other 3 Concussion missiles and Guidance Chips. That will give you a strong opening salvo to hopefully take out something dangerous on the opponent's side.

That is a worth while suggestion, however I am concerned that this will significantly increase my buy in to the game again. Well, I certainly see Guidance Chips being a hot commodity for a while, so the secondary market probably won't be an option.

I think its a decent list OP. I haven't tried the targetting astro yet. I'm a bit 'meh' on them, but it does make your joust a lot more effective. If you are a decent formation flier and blocker, you should do pretty well with this list.

If you're concerned about buy-in, then I'm a little confused why you are not using any ships from a core set. The T-70 does come in a core, but since you are using Targeting Astromech, you are apparently buying two of the T-70 expansions. Since you'll need to buy at least one of the core sets anyway ($40), you could replace three of those Z-95s ($45) with an X-wing from a core. Granted, you have fewer ships on the map, but you do save $45 that way. You might try something like:

Blue Squadron Novice (24), Targeting Astromech (2), Integrated Astromech (0)

Blue Squadron Novice (24), Targeting Astromech (2), Integrated Astromech (0)

Bandit Squadron Pilot (12)

Ello Asty (30), BB-8 (2), Wired (1), Weapons Guidance (2)

Now this isn't a super good build, but it is cheaper. Your Bandit and Blues will try to joust while Ello tries to flank. Ello is slippery with his white Tallon Rolls. If an opponent gets him stressed, his Tallon Rolls become white, so you want a contingency plan. That's where Wired comes in. Weapons Guidance is wasted space. I threw it on there just to bump it up from 97 to 99 points. You may want to leave it off for an initiative bid.

Alternatively, you could run Ello without any upgrades to turn your Blues to Reds (26) and give each of them Cool Hand. This means that they can perform a K-turn and get focus+target lock on a single attack. Ello can still do his thing without being a points sink. The additional PS on your Reds will help you take out threats like Twin Laser Turret Y-wings before they get a chance to shoot you.

Red Squadron Veteran (26), Targeting Astromech (2), Cool Hand (1), Integrated Astromech (0)

Red Squadron Veteran (26), Targeting Astromech (2), Cool Hand (1), Integrated Astromech (0)

Bandit Squadron Pilot (12)

Ello Asty (30)

I'm just musing, but, "swarm" and "cheap buy-in" usually contradict in wargames. You can get a workable 100 point list with three ships. As was said, make one of them the T-70 in the core set, and you're well on the way.

On the other hand, the heart wants what the heart wants. So, you'll probably end up dropping more money on this game.

When you consider that most Ace lists tend to run a number of upgrade cards from a number of different expansions, I would argue that in the enivornment now, swarm lists would probably end up being cheaper then most competitive 3 list builds.

That's a very thoughtful point. Since I am better at buying stuff for this game than playing it, I will have to agree with you. I had challenged myself with the question of introducing someone to the game, what would be the least expensive, but still viable and fun list, for low buy-in start up?

I thought that either box set plus two phantoms for Imperial, and then, a box set plus B-wing and maybe a Y (or M. Falcon) would be a good core for Rebel. The Aces boxes are next. I don't know how to get someone in long-term for, say, $100 or less.

I am pretty sure that there are people in the world who don't want to spend tons of money for a single game. But, I'm a miniature gamer, and I'm on track to end up buying all the Rebel and Imperial stuff. Two or more of each, probably