Currently X-wing(or other durable 3-attack fighters) spam is popular in our local X-wing group.

Mostly, rebel users use 3-4 X-wing(T-70 or T-65) with integrated astromech upgrade, form a firing line, and crush almost every enemy ships in their way while moving forth and K-turn and so on.

How do you deal with these rosters?

Maybe split your forces to two groups? They will have to make some decision there. And hopefully some mistake. Or just circle around them, lure them onto the asteroids, make them break the formation.

I thought this'd be about the spam the forums received recently

cause otherwise, it's like asking about how to counter woolly mammoths

I thought this'd be about the spam the forums received recently

cause otherwise, it's like asking about how to counter woolly mammoths

Curling Irons and drizzle soon see those shaggy behemoths put to flight!

Bombs strike me as a pretty good idea to make 'em think twice about K-turning. Extra Munitions + Proton Bombs a great combo on TIE bombers.

Death Rain with Cluster Mines. Come at me bro!

If you can't out shoot them then you simply out fly them.

If 3-4 X-Wings were such a powerful squadron that caused many people fits you would hear a lot more about them. DR4CO really points out what you should be doing with is NOT flying to your opponent's strengths. Don't fly head to head with them. Use obstacles to break up any formation. Come in from the side to minimize their firing opportunities.

Is this thread a joke?

X wings are smashing everything they face? What are you guys flying against these x wings, pre-fix tie advanced? Hwks with Intel agent?

If they wanna rumble like that, I'd say do what they do better. Get a bunch of b wings and out joust them BBBBz should do the trick.

Or else use their ****-level maneuverability against them with a wings/interceptor flankers. Or bomb them. Or stress/ionize them so they can't k turn.

I wish I ever saw 3-4 x wings around here. Fairly easily beaten in my book. They've really only got one play - bulldozing and k turning and they aren't even the best at doing that. Your options are either outfly them, control them or out joust them. Really, I'm curious as to how you've managed to lose against them? Jousting with interceptors? Even then, if you could control range and get shots at r3, Autothruster interceptors should come out on top.

TIE Fighter spam

I think it's a weird problem to have, too, but, hey, good on their local meta for embracing the game's titular starfighters, I guess?

Oh boy - I would love to see x-wings on the table

Focus fire one at a time and you good.

Depends what you fly also.

So what typical list you fly?

ah their meta has embraced the Joust. The Joust is defeated by anything that can arc dodge. Fat Han, Soontir Fel, Corran-Dash.

Kturning x-wings are extremely easy to predict and they lack the ability to reposition. dodge their arc and they're dead.

What's an X-wing?

The game is called 'Palp-aces' for a reason.

Wait, it's not?

In all seriousness though, as has been mentioned: Don't let them shoot you, use more maneuverable ships and asteroid placement to force them to break formation, focus fire so you're destroying one ship at a time. (A ship with 1 Hull has just as many shots as it did with all its Hull - a dead ship does not).

What X-wing spam? Oh you mean the T-70? Yeah well what do you expect it was made to make the T-65 X-wing obsolete.

(too offensive to show)

Seriously? Just don't joust with them mindlessly as soon as you force them to manoeuvre to get a shot their teeth fall out.

They are one of the least threatening fighters out there at the moment.

I assume that OP was referring to T70's Novices with Integrated Astromechs? They are really good jousters now with an effective 7 HP and having both K-turns, T-rolls and boost actions.

I thought this was a necro'd thread.

First of all guys, it's a new poster with 1 post, no need to jump down their throat or act condescending just because their experience of the game doesn't match your own.

Secondly OP, I'd like to know what X-Wing builds your opponents are running - which pilots/ships and which upgrades. Would be good to know what you usually fly as well so we can give you specific advice on what you like to fly.

I thought this was a necro'd thread.

Me too, to be honest. I had to check the date of the thread. Still, I LOVE seeing a thread like this.

OK.....let me go back to my Wave 1 meta. This was all the rage back then.

I used a form of "Hammer and Anvil" strategy. I used to sucker them with my anvil and hit them with my hammer. I used to use:

Darth Vader w/ Concussion Missile (and other stuff)

Backstabber

Dark Curse

2 x Academy Pilots

The Anvil was Dark Curse w/ Tie Fighters. I would try to set up a nice open flight path in the middle of the board. I'd put my anvil in the middle. Dark Curse would go first with the other ships a bit behind. I didn't know about the "rule of 11" trick to figure out approach, but I'd always try to do their speed to either be right outside R3 or just have Dark Curse inside R3 and facing the enemy formation. People still forget about his ability! Firing at him from R3 with no modifiers makes him pretty survivable.

Oh...if you don't know the "rule of 11", search for it on YouTube.

The Anvil is Vader w/ missile and Backstabber. Later, I was even able to use a Scimitar Tie Bomber and Squad Leader from Vader. I found Concussion Missiles cheapest and best on Vader because he could double action to get a Focus. This would mean one blank would change and he could use a Focus for the rest. Homing Missiles weren't out yet, but they are better. You can get one depending on the build you go with. This was all before the X1 title.

Basically, the hammer came in at an angle and out of arc of the formation. Have them come in and be able to fire just when the anvil is out of range or just barely in range. Vader could pound one target pretty hard and Backstabber can hurt him, as well, with the increased dice. When I used another Tie Bomber, it would also work to use another missile. If anything lived through that, then they were usually really hurt. If my anvil was in firing range that round, I'd just focus on the wounded bird and take it out.

For the next turn, just have the Academy Pilots rush forward to try to cause bumpage. Vader and Backstabber would come in on the flanks and blast at whomever they could. Dark Curse would try to slow roll forward. He could create a second rank to cause further blockage. This means that someone trying to zip past your Academy might hit him and then bounce all the way back to the front (with no actions). It was OK if Dark Curse was facing off vs. the entire enemy line as his ability could do well for him. The amount of effort it takes to kill him is well worth the effort, even if he dies.

At this point, the 1 hard turn of the Tie Fighters and the general trouble the X-wings are in with hard turning means just getting in close and out of firing arc on these guys and blasting them to pieces.

This strategy alone helped me win so many games in Waves 1-2. I won or came in top 4 in many tournaments back in the day. It even worked once Soontir Fel was out and people weren't as used to flying him.

Well actually he said both types of X-Wings were used.

Personally I'm glad to hear that people are flying X-Wing squads. Maybe this meta is really new, or maybe it's just quirky, or maybe we're all discounting the X-Wing again on principle. Perhaps in a more casual setting X-Wing squads are pretty good.

Out-fly them.

A ubiquitous term to be sure, but what the hell does it mean? What does ubiquitous mean? It means: You-Big-Quitters. As in y'all done gived up on yonder Incom starfighter!

Anyways. To really outmaneuver your foe you have to start the game well. Like in chess the first moves matter, but unlike in chess you get to set p the board. Start by placing your asteroids in opposing corners, if your foe places one in a corner take the opposing one. Then based on where he places his next rock you can now decide what side of the board you'll be aiming to play in. Wherever your opponent places his last rock you place next to it as close as you can and as close to another rock as possible too. If you get to place first then simply take the corners as above, but now since you place first you are basically trying to pile your asteroids up next to the your opponents last rock. When it's all said and done you should end up with at least 3 rocks in close proximity, if you pay attention during placement you can influence where that pile o' rocks ends up, so practice it!

Now deploying the ships. No matter where your opponent puts that X-Wing block he will be looking to stay together and create as broad a firing line as possible. Your aim is to stay away from that line and draw it into the asteroid field you created during deployment. You don't have to engage them, just make them fly through the asteroids and their formation will break. Now instead of a solid line of 3-4 X-Wings taking shots at you you should be able to focus fire on one or two of them. So with that in mind you want to set up so that you can arrive in the asteroids within a few moves, but not too soon otherwise tthe X-Wings will have no reason to follow you. A good way to get the needed time is to set up parallel to your board edge and fly along your deployment zone for a turn or two. If your foe doesn't buy it, K-turn in the corner instead of turning inward and try it again. The key here is really to give your opponent reason to chase you. Another way in which formations are weak is in their ability to turn. It takes skill to keep rank during turns and even the best pilots cannot maintain that perfect all ships in arc line-up during a turn. Capitalize on this by using this as an opportunity to close in and attack while not all his ships can fire.

And of course, list building. A group of 3-4 X-Wings is either all low PS with maybe one Ace, or 3 Aces, or some combination thereof. So build your squad accordingly. If you know you're looking at 4 Rookie Pilots with R7 and IA, put in a 1 point bid and beat his PS. If you're looking at 3 Aces, there is a good chance you can beat their PS with Aces of your own. Or skip PS and underbid them for easy blocking.

Also... Assault Missiles. Avoid giving the X-Wings more chances to survive by using secondary weapons to deny range bonus.

Edit: Haha! The Ancient Art of Threadromancy works it's evil doings once more. Still though. Could you imagine what that meta would look like today if an X-Wing line was smashing face at a local store. What the heck would they be running nowadays that would make X-Wing spam seems deadly?

Nothing disrupts a formation of jousters like a low point blocker. Make them pile up and lose actions while your main hitters bank off to the sides and flank them.

You guys know it's the first of April right?

Personally I'm glad to hear that people are flying X-Wing squads. Maybe this meta is really new, or maybe it's just quirky, or maybe we're all discounting the X-Wing again on principle. Perhaps in a more casual setting X-Wing squads are pretty good.

If you follow the Store Championship thread, there have been some SC's won by 4 X-wing lists. Several in the Top 4, as well. Integrated Astromech really does help it. I think people are just stuck in the mind frame that they aren't good. Personally, I don't think enough people try different lists these days that go against the group think.