X-wing Pilot Tier Project
Tier lists are about top-level competitive play: which pilots are easiest to use, most consistently effective when used, and most popular... and which are the opposite. This is not saying that you should ONLY use top-ranked pilots, or that you should NEVER use low-ranked pilots; rather, this is to help players be aware of the difference between pilots, when lower-ranked pilots can help them win - and know what is most likely to hit the tables near them.

While tier lists are always somewhat subjective, the goal of the X-Wing Pilot Tier Project is to be as objective as possible, starting with the usage on the List Juggler Time Series Charts , specifically looking at ships which "Made The Cut" and proceeding from there.

As time goes by and different pilots move up and down in usage, the tier list itself will change along with that usage. Ideally, at the start of a new month, the tier rankings will be recompiled with last month's data now included.

I'll start by examining each ship's pilots, opening that examination to community approval, then compiling that into a general faction tier list and moving onto the next faction. Each pilot will have listed in their ranking common upgrades, because judging pilots naked might as well not judge them at all.

In the overview a rough average percentage of use by points spent among top cut players over the last three months will be mentioned, and in each entry will mention the average percentage among pilots used for that ship . So, for example,if the Decimator uses 10% of total Imperial player points, and Rear Admiral Chiraneau is an average of 55% of those points spent, then RAC uses 5.5% of average Imperial player points spent.

For those not familiar with a tier ranking system, here's a brief explanation:

Rank SS is for pilots that are almost unbeatable, with highly specific counters that even then aren't sure things. With Rank SS pilots, a meta either uses them or uses the counter to them (if one exists), with no middle ground. If a pilot is Rank SS, then it needs to be nerfed ASAP. Whisper , prior to the TIE/Phantom nerf, is a perfect example of a Rank SS pilot. If a pilot breaks 10% of overall faction usage, it's a candidate for Rank SS.

Rank S is for pilots which are strong and consistent on their own, requiring little outside support to inflict damage and dodge it, and at an acceptable points cost. Darth Vader is a Rank S pilot; with good action economy, high PS, solid damage output (with ATC), and an EPT slot that's completely open he's always a good choice for a squadron. If a pilot falls between 5% and 10% of overall usage, it's possibly Rank S.

Rank A is for pilots that are pretty good and can function well enough on their own, but either have solid counters or well-known weaknesses. Zeta Leader is an example of a Rank A pilot; he's very strong for his points, has an entirely open EPT for anything but PTL (VI, Predator, Adaptability, Crack Shot, Wired), and his sole downside is being limited to his greens. If a pilot has between 3-5% of overall usage, it may be Rank A.

Rank B is for pilots which are average - neither good or bad - and have downsides to match their upsides, need support to function well, OR are support themselves. Omicron Group Pilot is an example of a Rank B pilot; as the cheapest carrier of Emperor Palpatine he can swing a game in the player's favor but his low durability, terrible dial, and low PS make him vulnerable if used wrong - or if he's your final ship. If a pilot has 1-3% of overall usage then it's probably Rank B.

Rank C is for pilots that a competitive would use only for funsies; they may have highly specific uses but there are just better options to take. Kath Scarlett (Imperial) is an example of a Rank C pilot; while she has an interesting ability, it's so situational that it will rarely get used and she requires so many upgrade points to use when you could get a Decimator/Whisper for just a few points more or Vader/Palpshuttle for a few points less. Anywhere between 0% and 1% of usage gets into Rank C, unless...

Rank F is for "Failure" "Fix me" or "F 'em" depending on your point of view. There is never any reason to take these guys because they're strictly worse than almost anything else. Fel's Wrath is an example of a Rank F pilot; not only is it competing against Fel himself, a non-EPT TIE/IN whose ability only kicks in AFTER it's destroyed - assuming it even has an enemy in arc?

The previous Imperial tier listings are here:
TIE Fighter
VT-49 Decimator
Firespray-31
TIE/FO
TIE Phantom
And the Rebels have been started here:
X-Wing

Now, for the tier listing!

VT-49 DECIMATOR

The Decimator has been a constant of the Imperial competitive field, sitting at a 11% average for months among top cut players, for several reasons. First, it's the only Imperial ship with ANY kind of turret; second, it's got 3 crew slots (letting it take Palpatine AND another crew!); third, its pilots are all good in various ways. However, its seemingly robust 16 HP is deceptive, as 0 Agility means it melts away very quickly; because of that, it's very vulnerable to swarms, alpha strikes, and even massed TLTs. It is also VERY expensive; even with minimal upgrades, Decimators will run at half your list, and often can go over 60 points for the 'best' configurations.

RANK S

Rear Admiral Chiraneau (5.9%)

Veteran Instincts, Gunner, Engine Upgrade (56)

Veteran Instincts, Emperor Palpatine, Gunner, Engine Upgrade (64)

Predator, Emperor Palpatine, Rebel Captive, Engine Upgrade (64)

RAC is used by a HUGE amount of players who bring VTs to the table, for good reason. Inbuilt dice modification (to crits, no less!), combined with the speed of a large-base Boost, topped off by a VI raising his PS to 10 for solid arc-dodging goodness. To cover his weakness to swarms, Engine Upgrade might as well be stapled to his card - never leave home without it. Either Gunner or Predator is usually chosen to increase his offense without needing actions, with Rebel Captive being the pair-up with Predator (to punish Aces that do outmaneuver him). Palpatine isn't necessary, but as he is more action-free dice modding and the Deci has room for it, is a common add-on.

RANK A

Captain Oicunn (3.5%)

Gunner, Darth Vader (50)

Predator, Engine Upgrade (49)

Daredevil, Engine Upgrade, Dauntless (title) (51)

Predator, Emperor Palpatine, Engine Upgrade (57)

Oicunn is seen as a 'poor man's Decimator' but does have several advantages all his own - he's one of a handful of ships that deals damage which ignores Agility dice (through ramming), and some players even forgo EU to put Anti-Pursuit Lasers on him, especially with the Emperor as well. Gunner + Darth Vader lets him deal more damage through Agility Dice, as even if the first shot misses he can use Vader, then shoot and use Vader AGAIN, making him a skilled Ace hunter - though he's a bit less efficient than Patrol Leader with the same combo. Dauntless+Daredevil+EU is his "Ramming Speed!" list, letting him ram twice a turn in exchange for 2 Stress, which is mentioned just because of how silly-fun it is.

RANK B

Commander Kenkirk (1%)

Predator, Emperor Palpatine, Yvanne Isard, Engine Upgrade (63)

Push the Limit (3), Ysanne Isard (4), Engine Upgrade (4)

Poor Kenkirk. His "Fat Kirk" build lets him ignore at least 2 damage per turn but only once he's down to 11 HP, making him an easy source of half points. Predator + EU is standard fare for Decis, and Isard + Sheev are there to make him more reliably survivable, but in an era of alpha strikes, 4-ship builds, and worse he just isn't durable enough to last, and his PS6 doesn't let him arc dodge reliably against more serious threats. PTL+Isard lets him Boost in the Combat Phase, but is situationally useful and not so good in a stress-rich environment.

RANK C

Patrol Leader (.5%)

Darth Vader, Gunner (48)

Patrol Leader is the most points-efficient way to abuse Darth Vader, and the fact that he has a PWT AND can take Gunner as well is icing on the cake. Strictly speaking, Gunner isn't necessary if you need the points elsewhere and just want to threaten Aces like Soontir with quick crits, but it does speed up the game. It's a suicide sled, but a surprisingly good one.

I'd appreciate any more common good configs of the above pilots, though I did try to stick to the bare bones of what upgrades makes those pilots good.

Should Patrol Leader be in C? It just has the one good config and is only a solid counter to one pilot, Soontir Fel.

I agree with Patrol Leader being a C, in part because you can get Oicunn to do the same thing, fire a tiny bit more points, and substantially increased ability.

I agree with Patrol Leader being a C, in part because you can get Oicunn to do the same thing, fire a tiny bit more points, and substantially increased ability.

Plus he can take Expert Handling for a cheap reposition. I've won many-a-game with that Oicunn build paired with four academies.

I'm surprised in your suggested rac builds, there wasn't rac vader, few things in this game deal out damage like that ship. My current build is

Rac, adaptability, engine, vader, captive, gunner. With whisper in his standard build.

It kills things very easily

Patrol Leader is the most points-efficient way to abuse Darth Vader

Fairly sure he isn't.

Captain Oicunn with predator is a solid 45 point ship. Give him an A.

Fly him with the Inquisitor - PTL, title, AT

Doom shuttle

100 points

Gotta disagree with Obsidian Squadron Pilots being an "F". Only a point more than an Academy Pilot gives you resistance to Predator and the chance to fire before the common TLT carriers. Sure, two more points will get you some Crack Blacks, but en masse those two points will build up fast (especially since it's three more than your base Academy).

Though, in my mind, very little is truly an "F". "Fel's Wrath" is an F. Graz the Hunter is at least borderline "F", though I've had surprising success with him before. Really, the only "F"s are those that cost more or equal to something that does what they do, but undeniably better in almost every way (No reason to take FW when Lt. Lorrir has the same price/PS and an ability that can actually be of use, while for cheaper you can get a Crack Shot Black Sun Ace instead of Graz). Generic E-Wings also should probably fall into this category, though there is something to be said about a Blackmoon Pilot with R2-D6, Lone Wolf, and Sensor Jammer (though competitively too expensive for what he does). And definitely the ORS, zero reason to ever fly one of those again.

Just my two cents: Fs should be a true rarity, simply because there's so many directions you can go with a squad and so many creative ways a player can make use out of a lot of pilots.

I agree with Comradebot's comment - Obsidian is not an F-Tier ship, it's probably C-tier. Obsidian Swarms with Howlrunner are a functional competitive squad in a meta where Predator is prevalent. Fel's Wrath and Knave Squadron would be my choice for tier F examples.

That said: there will probably be a wide range of effectiveness in tier F, so I could see it including some almost-usable ships.

Should Patrol Leader be in C? It just has the one good config and is only a solid counter to one pilot, Soontir Fel.

Yes, absolutely. You used Kath Scarlet as an example of a tier C pilots, and I think that's where the Patrol Leader belongs. There are some functional builds, but they pale in comparison to what you can do with the decimator if you pay a few more points for a unique pilot. The Patrol Leader's lack of an Elite upgrade slot relegates it to "space whale" status, good only for absorbing lots of fire before dying. The gunner+vader build definitely has some application against TIE Interceptor aces, but it's not a panacea.

Another good use for Patrol Leader: cheapest option for Palpatine on a Decimator. If you want to run a Palpcimator with a pair of escorting ships, it's about the only option as even Oicunn will make it cost prohibitive (unless you got with a single non-FO TIE Fighter as one of em', which I'm personally not a huge fan of). I've tried it before and it's a nice change of pace and surprisingly effective. Still looking forward to trying it with Valen Rudor and Zeta Leader as the escorts.

I think a C rating is fair, In most cases I'll find those points for one of the named pilots, but there's definitely some niche moments where a Patrol Leader is the way to go.

Otherwise, the Decimator pilots seem pretty spot on. There's not a bad one in the bunch, and all can be effective in virtually any game. Unless your opponent shows up with a bunch of Cluster Missiles, of course.

Sorry, changed the Rank F rating in the old thread, but forgot my template still had OSP as Rank F. He's C at the moment.

Though my OSP cards ARE in the box with my extra ships and token overload. I still can't imagine why I'd take an OSP over an AP and init bid.

Patrol Leader is the most points-efficient way to abuse Darth Vader

Fairly sure he isn't.

Uh... how much is a PWT worth against arc dodging ships? Because I think it's worth a lot. OGP is 4.8 HP lost to Vader usage, and PG is 5.325 (with just Vader); I'd reckon the PWT worth a lot more than .5 HP. Adding a Gunner changes the math to 6 HP lost to each Vader use, but being able to do it twice can focus down a Soontir like no one's business.

Maybe if the Lambda didn't move like a beached whale it'd be a better tradeoff, but I've been arc dodged with it at range 3 before.

The 'new' TIE/shuttle (assuming Scimitar+Vader) is actually worse than both, with 6.16~ lost to each Vader usage.

EDIT: Patrol Leader is now at C.