You are correct, Scyk titles are 2 points. Still it's pretty cheap upgrade for some powerful weapons, especially on a cheap ship.

...well, for that tiny handful people who aren't running Scyk swarms, of course.

Scyk swarm is an oxymoron - only way to field a scyk is as a flanker

I've never heard anyone say the Scyks were competitive before. Cool.

Speaking of 5 unique pilots; I have 5 points left would you switch pilots or upgrades? Could be awesome fun and brutal. Who is your target?

"Wampa" (14)
Stealth Device (3)

"Night Beast" (15)
Stealth Device (3)

"Winged Gundark" (15)
Stealth Device (3)

"Backstabber" (16)
Stealth Device (3)

"Howlrunner" (18)
Squad Leader (2)
Stealth Device (3)

Total: 95

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

In before "Imperial Homers".#

All three of the previous Worlds were won by the same faction. Guess which one.

I've never heard anyone say the Scyks were competitive before. Cool.

Speaking of 5 unique pilots; I have 5 points left would you switch pilots or upgrades? Could be awesome fun and brutal. Who is your target?

"Wampa" (14)

Stealth Device (3)

"Night Beast" (15)

Stealth Device (3)

"Winged Gundark" (15)

Stealth Device (3)

"Backstabber" (16)

Stealth Device (3)

"Howlrunner" (18)

Squad Leader (2)

Stealth Device (3)

Total: 95

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

In before "Imperial Homers".#

All three of the previous Worlds were won by the same faction. Guess which one.

Tournament wins mean little, top 32-16 has more value in determining viability.

I've never heard anyone say the Scyks were competitive before. Cool.

Speaking of 5 unique pilots; I have 5 points left would you switch pilots or upgrades? Could be awesome fun and brutal. Who is your target?

"Wampa" (14)

Stealth Device (3)

"Night Beast" (15)

Stealth Device (3)

"Winged Gundark" (15)

Stealth Device (3)

"Backstabber" (16)

Stealth Device (3)

"Howlrunner" (18)

Squad Leader (2)

Stealth Device (3)

Total: 95

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Take Dark Curse or Mithel instead of Gundark IMHO.

And Mithel has and EPT. So chaning Hithel and Howlrunner to use Juke comes in a 99 points.

Ha, actually you could get six unique TIE pilots in a 100 point squad but without any upgrades.

Final was Rebel on Rebel if I'm not mistaken. There was a TLT spam in the top rankings as well, a three K-wing squad...

I've never heard anyone say the Scyks were competitive before. Cool.

Speaking of 5 unique pilots; I have 5 points left would you switch pilots or upgrades? Could be awesome fun and brutal. Who is your target?

"Wampa" (14)

Stealth Device (3)

"Night Beast" (15)

Stealth Device (3)

"Winged Gundark" (15)

Stealth Device (3)

"Backstabber" (16)

Stealth Device (3)

"Howlrunner" (18)

Squad Leader (2)

Stealth Device (3)

Total: 95

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Take Dark Curse or Mithel instead of Gundark IMHO.

And Mithel has and EPT. So chaning Hithel and Howlrunner to use Juke comes in a 99 points.

Ha, actually you could get six unique TIE pilots in a 100 point squad but without any upgrades.

The Named Swarm was one of the earliest squads. Problem is that it used Winged Gundark.

By the way, five stealth devices is 15 points. You're much better off with another TIE.

Try:

Howlrunner (Crackshot)

Mauler Mithel (Crackshot)

Backstabber

Night Beast (TIE Mark II)

Dark Curse

Wampa

99 points. If you think Crackshot is more useful than Wampa here then by all means swap him out for a 15 point Black Squadron Crackshot.

Someone's cranky/trolling.

Can't let the rebels actually have some competition? THE GAMES CALLED X-WING THEY SHOULD TRUMP ALL

#techme

Speaking as a predominantly Scum player, the game is becoming more and more fun with each passing wave.

You could also, if you want a reliable way to kill Regen:

Howlrunner (Determination)
Scourge
Dark Curse
Backstabber
Youngster (Marksmanship)
Wampa

Backstabber and Dark Curse are exchangeable for Mithel and Night Beast if need be, or drop one to Night Beast to get Crackshot on Scourge.

It seems to me that FFG is causing that galaxy far, far away to fall into Imperial and Scum hands.

Shitposting at its finest.

I understand you're not having fun if you resolve to tlt spam[/sarcasm]

Rebels seem to be doing just fine. I don't think this wave will change that.

But a 4-rebel ace build has never really been a thing. That's not how rebels work.

I'm sorry that you're not enjoying yourself in the game OP.

Though, from your original argument, it's hard to claim the "anymore" part. You begin with a story of

a rebel build that can field four or five named pilots with fantastic pilot abilities that keep your opponent from hitting you or evading your attacks.

and the thing about that is, you're describing imperial with that post. Imperials are low cost, high evade ships. Rebels are and have always been higher costing, higher health, health regaining ships. 4 ships in rebels is a choice, but almost never 4 named.

My suggestion:
Try out imperials, because they sound like the kind of ships you want to fly.
or
Try out escalation play, Epic, or a mission that allows you to field more than 100 pts so you can have 4+ named rebels out. Or try this list?

Hope one of those helps you find the game fun again.

[...], if you want a reliable way to kill Regen:

Since you mention it, yes, Yes, YES!!!

Even if Bossk could one shot an a-wing that rolled 3 evades (it's already been established that he can't), Bossk with a mangler cannon, some decent crew and an EPT of choice is getting really close to 50 points, and it will likely go over 50. A prototype a-wing with refit and autothrusters is 17 pts. Even a psycho tycho build is 33 points (and does not hit as hard or survive as long as wired/autothrusters). 1v1 Bossk SHOULD have an edge. However, when those a-wings get behind Bossk, it's a different story and Bossk is dead (unless you put on the brakes and hope they fly past).

And for your frustration against the new TIE fighters, an auto-correct ghost can just delete them. One a turn, no evade dice necessary. Range 1 of swarms or mini swarms is nothing new, the difference is, now it's a place you may not mind being. A cheap enough ghost also lets you use Poe. True to the movie, Poe shreds TIEs.

Rebels have never been able to put together a truly viable 4-5 ace list. Even so, as others have pointed out, they have done fine at most major tournaments. Thank god we aren't back in the dominance of the TIE swarm era...

I'm sorry that you're not enjoying yourself in the game OP.

Though, from your original argument, it's hard to claim the "anymore" part. You begin with a story of

a rebel build that can field four or five named pilots with fantastic pilot abilities that keep your opponent from hitting you or evading your attacks.

and the thing about that is, you're describing imperial with that post. Imperials are low cost, high evade ships. Rebels are and have always been higher costing, higher health, health regaining ships. 4 ships in rebels is a choice, but almost never 4 named.

My suggestion:

Try out imperials, because they sound like the kind of ships you want to fly.

or

Try out escalation play, Epic, or a mission that allows you to field more than 100 pts so you can have 4+ named rebels out. Or try this list?

Tycho Celchu (26)

Rage (1)

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Push the Limit (3)

Autothrusters (2)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

Jake Farrell (24)

Push the Limit (3)

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Juke (2)

Autothrusters (2)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

Gemmer Sojan (22)

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Arvel Crynyd (23)

Chardaan Refit (-2)

Adaptability (0)

A-Wing Test Pilot (0)

Total: 100

Hope one of those helps you find the game fun again.

If I may... *flexes fingers*

Anyone who complains about Rebels having nothing like Bossk has clearly never flown Ten Numb or Lt. Blount against a couple of Empire Aces before.

You are correct, Scyk titles are 2 points. Still it's pretty cheap upgrade for some powerful weapons, especially on a cheap ship.

Do you realize that the Scyk title does not give you a FREE weapon, and you still have to pay the weapon's price in addition to the 2 point title? So a putting a Mangler cannon onto the Scyk actually costs 4+2=6 points. How is it cheap?

I'd like to suggest this to you. I happen to know a lot of people that got burnt out on the game. Something changed for them that they didn't like. The current meta wasn't the type of game that they wanted. They felt the new cards that came out were too powerful. It happens a lot in X-wing. I've known a number of people that quit for good or a short while. It's more common that you might know.

Just leave the 100 point tournament snoozefest behind. I find the game much more enjoyable at 150 points, and doubly so when we incorporate objectives other than "kill the other guy".

Experiment with some different point values, try some of the scenarios included in the larger ships, play HotAC, and remember that tournament games are only one small facet of the game.

Chucknuckle has it right. From what I gather, you don't like all the current meta lists and all the tournament heavy games right now, but you like X-wing. Why not play something different? Play a mission. They are pretty fun and ships that are normally not so good can be quite good. X-wings are awesome ships in missions and scenarios. They are fast and pack a lot of punch where B-wings are too slow. All sorts of different game play options are there. Babaganoosh has a lot of great missions out there.

Heroes of the Aturi Cluster is an awesome campaign pack! I've just started it at my local store. We have a lot of folk that are interested. There are several guys that quit X-wing that are playing every week now. They don't like the tournament mindset and 100 pt deathmatch in the current meta. They love X-wing, though, and have a great time with this campaign. It's challenging and fun. X-wings are awesome in this campaign.

Know anyone with those Epic ships? They probably would love for a chance to get them out. The campaigns they come with are actually pretty fun. Also, just setting up some epic games is pretty cool. Just try to have one person make balanced lists for both sides and you can have a lot of fun. If you have one side just trying to find some gimmick to win just makes a lot of set up time for a not-so-fun game.

Try odd ball versions of regular 100 pt matches. What about playing All Generics? Have a few games with no unique anything. No astromechs or pilots or crew that are unique. Just old fashioned X-wing. It can be pretty fun that way. Back to basics. Or maybe challenge someone to a B list match up. Pick all those mid PS guys that no one ever uses. Or even do one of those random squad builders to fight off with any weird lists it gives you with someone else who has done the same. See who can turn crap into gold with good flying.

If you are burnt out on the competitive X-wing scene there are a lot of other ways to play the game that can be even more rewarding.

I have a challenge for anyone who is interested. Develop a rebel build that can field four or five named pilots with fantastic pilot abilities that keep your opponent from hitting you or evading your attacks. It would be nice to also have the room for upgrades like Juke, Crack Shot, or Electronic Jammer. Finally, try to keep it under 100 points for a possible initiative bid. Can you make one of those? Yeah, neither can I.

This game is getting less fun as each new expansion rolls out. The Gozanti expansion released several new TIE pilots with magical powers that seem to make them bullet proof as well as experts marksmen. The upcoming Imperial Veterans expansion gives ridiculous titles to ships that are already overpowered. The Imperial Raider expansion gave the TIE Advanced the ability to add an automatic critical hit in addition to its primary attack. What Rebel upgrade has an equivalent answer to that? There isn't one. The Imperial side can easily field five or six named pilots with a few upgrades and still have room to spare.

The Imperial side isn't the only one that has received undue favor. Just look at the scum side. What Rebel pilot has the equivalent of changing a crit into two hits like Bossk? This gives Bossk the ability to one-shot an A-Wing even if the A-Wing rolls three evades. Compare Kavil to Horton Salm. Horton can reroll blank dice at range two or three, but Kavil can fire an extra die outside of his arc. An extra die gives more chances for a hit than does a reroll, especially if Kavil already has a target lock. Furthermore, Kavil can take an EPT, but Horton cannot without spending extra points for a droid. This is in spite of the fact that Horton's PS is 8, while Kavil's is only 7.

Let's talk TIEs, Sycks, and Z-95s. TIEs can take a 1 point mod upgrade to make all bank maneuvers green, while the Sycks can take a 0 point title to equip an HLC or Mangler Cannon. What can the Zs do? Maybe take a Munitions Failsafe, but only if the list has enough points for a missile.

What about the latest wave? The VCX-100 is certainly one of the best Rebel ships yet released. But it is also one of the most expensive, in more ways than one. Hera comes in at 40 points, but she only has a PS of 7. Furthermore, an EPT is not offered as an upgrade on the VCX or the shuttle for any pilot. The Inquisitor comes in at only 25 points, PS 8, with an available EPT, plus he can fire a range one shot out to range three while at the same time negating range agility bonus and autothrusters. What Rebel pilot can do that? Meanwhile, Dengar is a PS 9 with an EPT slot and can also take one of those ridiculous Illicit upgrades. I could go on.

The game has gotten to the point where you must take named pilots to counteract the shenanigans that your opponent's pilots can throw at you. This is fine for Imperials and somewhat for Scum. But the Rebel faction is simply too expensive to field all named pilots, unless you only take three ships, which usually loses to a swarm of five or six named TIE pilots.

The only way I can see for Rebel player to cope with this meta is to take as many low skilled pilots as possible and try to get some dice through, or take three named named pilots and hope that the list doesn't fall apart. Either way, it is not an effective answer to the meta in the Imperial or Scum factions. I understand that the Rebels are supposed to be a bit tankier than other factions. That's fine. The problem is that the Imperial and Scum factions have received pilots and ships that effectively counteract the inherent advantages of the Rebels, while the Rebels have received a mere pittance in return.

It seems to me that FFG is causing that galaxy far, far away to fall into Imperial and Scum hands.

The top two squads at worlds where rebels what are you upset about?

Rebels are still viable there are many great rebel lists: fat Han, Dash rendar, TLTs, Poe/Corran, double turrets, to

name a few. The ships that need help are the ones that are getting it (Tie defender, Bomber, Advanced, etc)

the only faction whose ships honestly need a boost is scum (starviper, scyck, kihraxz, yv-666).

The game isn't fun anymore because of the competitive player focus on the meta. The competitive players are drowning out the players who thought X-Wing would be a game to throw some 'interesting combinations of ships'' together. In the time I have been playing (I started when Rebel Aces was released), the meta really has changed the game to the point where competitive play lists totally dominate casual play lists. Sure, well and good - thus the different adjectives: 'casual' versus 'competitive'. So the first part of the game becoming un-fun really has to do with the people who play it.

Competitive X-Wing play reminds me of the worst of Magic The Gathering, and I'll leave it at that.

The game has also lost a ton of fun because of the power creep and what appears to me to be a clear lack of concern for the consequences of new releases.

TLT/K-Wing drove me out of the game. I saw so many versions of TLT lists that it became nauseating. The way TLT could work with the Tactician card (no limit stress) and the Stress Hawg led me to the conclusion that balancing older stuff against newer stuff was low priority. I look at the difference between Flechette torpedoes/Flechette cannon and TLT/Tactician/Stresshog and I do perceive that as an indisputable sign of power creep.

When I played against my first Tractor Beam (on Vasssal, prior to official release), I knew I had to quit. A one-point, range-3 cannon that can brick you/move you out of your firing arc was more than I can stand. Now I see that the Jumpmaster contracted scout is so amazingly versatile that it is again clear to me that balance between new and old source material is getting further out of whack.

There are far too many 360-degree shooters now.

No upper-limit on stress effects makes them over-powered against a lot of ships, plain and simple, which means those ships are poor choices in the meta.

I don't think the tractor beam makes any sense at all in balance or capability.

I don't think the game can attract new members because there are so many poor ships for competitive play. I don't think it can attract new members because of the cost in this ever-evolving pay-to-win design tradition and release schedule.

I don't think the game is fun anymore. I don't recommend it to new players. It is a game of the haves and the have-nots.

I've been playing for a little more than a year, have all the releases and disagree with the OP. There are so many variables available that he can't have run through them all. If you're not having fun because you're losing, that I can sympathize with. Almost. While I fly mostly rebels I do fly imps and s&v. My friend an I usually play twice a week for a total of 4 to 8 games. I don't think I've flown the same build more than 4 games. Change your builds, change the way you play. Try a mirror match. Each player takes the same unique pilot, outfit any way you like, double the rocks and have at it. A one on one match is very entertaining especially if you don't joust.

They only games I didn't enjoy were 3 of the 4 where I flew 4x TLTs Ys when the TLT was first released. After the first game it became a shampoo game; wash-rinse-repeat. Do something different! Use your imagination!

Lastly, if the game is no longer fun for you, take a break from playing. Do something different. Or if you REALLY find the game un-fun, don't play it. No sense in making yourself miserable.

[...]

And for your frustration against the new TIE fighters, an auto-correct ghost can just delete them. One a turn, no evade dice necessary.

[...]

The TIE still get to roll their dice right? If they roll two evades won't they cancel even the Auto-Corrector?

I'd like to suggest this to you. I happen to know a lot of people that got burnt out on the game. Something changed for them that they didn't like. The current meta wasn't the type of game that they wanted. They felt the new cards that came out were too powerful. It happens a lot in X-wing. I've known a number of people that quit for good or a short while. It's more common that you might know.

I've been seeing this since last year. More talk about it on BGG too. Several have said the game is too complex. One guy over at BGG said several new players at his LGS have stayed away for that reason. Simple rules but complex deck building and all of the possible interactions on combos and more coming out every few months. The game can still be fun and simple like you say. Play generics but the tendency is to include as much as possible and prefect the squad synergy.

P.S. Funny though as many things that have come out all you have to do is check the posts to see people wanting more. Not balanced, doesn't see enough play, fractions of efficiencies, every ship should have the other factions abilities, etc.