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!

FIRESPRAY-31

I'm not going to sugar-coat this: Boba Fett's iconic ship is bad . It sits below a 2% average use, and if you extend that out farther there are months where it was at 0% usage. It has potential, with a decent dial, good stats, double firing arcs to fox Autothrusters, is in the VERY rare position of having Extra Munitions, an EPT, AND able to activate Guidance Chips' Crit-turning clause, but what kills it is partly the overpricing and partly the lacklustre abilities. As the Scum Firespray sees a fair bit of play, I'd be willing to bet the latter is to blame.

RANK S-B

None.

RANK C

Boba Fett (.02%)

Veteran Instincts, Navigator (43)

Predator, Navigator, Cluster Missiles, Extra Munitions, Guidance Chips (51)

Boba, you're almost as useless as you are in the movies (Better get in a bacta tank to heal THAT burn!) Though his ability is pretty bad, with Navigator it gets interesting - if you always pick a bank, you can turn it first to the other direction with Boba and then to any maneuver in that direction with Navigator. Now just stack whatever other upgrades you want to on that framework.

Bounty Hunter (.8%)

Tactician (35)

The Bounty Hunter has as its advantages all of the regular Firespray talents, along with being cheap enough to fit three in a list. Its main problem is that it costs almost the same as a Darth Vader or Soontir Fel even with no upgrades. Tactician is an interesting choice, with double the usual zone, but overall... Well, it's C.

Kath Scarlett (.4%)

Predator, Mangler Cannon (45)

Marksmanship, Gunner (46)

What makes a good Kath? Trying to get as many crits as possible to trigger her ability, apparently. Marksmanship and Gunner gives an interesting conundrum - do they cancel the crit, get the stress, and suffer another attack, or do they just take the crit? Kath is also another rare pilot that suffers from high PS, as to achieve the maximum threat her target must have no shields, otherwise it's a no-brainer - just take the crit.

Krassis Trellix (.8%)

Agent Kallus, Slave 1, Extra Munitions, Concussion Missiles, Guidance Chips (44)

Heavy Laser Cannon, Recon Specialist (46)

This is my gut talking here, but I think Krassis is worth a look at as the only (Imperial) user that can exploit Extra Munitions and turn-to-Crit on Guidance Chips - his ability matches nicely with that. Even after he empties out, he's not useless with a 3-dice primary either.

So, disagreements? Probably some. But none of these ships are top-tier by usage or by eye evaluation - even Krassis, when matched against a full Redline, kinda feels sad.

I'm disagreeing on Boba fett: he can be a viable ship with a navigator on board. You can move out of firing arc or avoid some nasty roadblock. The real problem is the need of space to maneuver and. I think Boba is more a rank C than F.
Recently, I get some interesting results (3-1) with a boba Fett list: http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/465514/team-imperial-fett#view=cards . It was not so bad but gets some trouble with higher PS aces.

One other version of Imperial Kath Scarlet I've seen do fairly well is Marksmanship/Gunner. The problems with using a mangler cannon on her are:

1. You find yourself shooting out of the arse of a firespray quite often. Crew/Elite Talents which are not tied to a secondary weapon arc are therefore a lot better.
2. For her ability to trigger, you don't just need to cause a critical, you need to cause a critical and then have someone dodge it. Since criticals are dodged last, that essentially means it's an 'if you miss' ability. Therefore, pair it with the other 'if you miss' card, gunner. With marksmanship, you get a pretty decent chance (about 75%) of a critical on each attack - meaning your opponent is left with a nice quandary. Don't spend the evade/focus and let a critical through, or stop it, be stressed, and give you another shot, which is likely to put on another stress if they dodge that too.

Agent Kallus is very good on a firespray. I still think he's better in a TIE phantom, but the firespray isn't bad either. Pairing him up with Krassis is a nice call - you've got two ****-near-garuanteed-four-hit missiles and you're probably an academy pilot's worth more capable than a Contracted Scout after the tubes are dry. Given his low Pilot Skill (meaning getting locks aren't easy at range 3), Cluster Missiles might work well too.

I'm disagreeing on Boba fett: he can be a viable ship with a navigator on board. You can move out of firing arc or avoid some nasty roadblock. The real problem is the need of space to maneuver and. I think Boba is more a rank C than F.

Recently, I get some interesting results (3-1) with a boba Fett list: http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/465514/team-imperial-fett#view=cards . It was not so bad but gets some trouble with higher PS aces.

Y'know, that IS an interesting interaction. So you always choose a bank, if you don't like the way the boardstate plays out first you trigger Boba's ability, then Navigator?

I also like your Boba; Predator+Clusters is a rare interaction, very few ships have an EPT and can take EM and more ordnance. That should be another thing noted in favor of the Firespray. I think Homing Missiles or Concussions would have been a stronger choice, despite the Predator modification, as Boba already rolls 4 dice in close. VI+Concussions would make him about as dodgy as can be and still modify his dice heavily. Also, your list has room for anti-ace tech in the form of OmegaL, with enough points for ZetaL... I actually wanna try it out. Contrary to the expectations of some people here I do like winning with 'bad' pieces.

Magnus Grendel, you make many fair points about Kath. I didn't particularly like the cannon/ordnance builds on her anyway, but according to List Juggler it's what people use with her to make the cut - when they use her at all.

I'm disagreeing on Boba fett: he can be a viable ship with a navigator on board. You can move out of firing arc or avoid some nasty roadblock. The real problem is the need of space to maneuver and. I think Boba is more a rank C than F.

Recently, I get some interesting results (3-1) with a boba Fett list: http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/465514/team-imperial-fett#view=cards . It was not so bad but gets some trouble with higher PS aces.

Y'know, that IS an interesting interaction. So you always choose a bank, if you don't like the way the boardstate plays out first you trigger Boba's ability, then Navigator?

I also like your Boba; Predator+Clusters is a rare interaction, very few ships have an EPT and can take EM and more ordnance. That should be another thing noted in favor of the Firespray. I think Homing Missiles or Concussions would have been a stronger choice, despite the Predator modification, as Boba already rolls 4 dice in close. VI+Concussions would make him about as dodgy as can be and still modify his dice heavily. Also, your list has room for anti-ace tech in the form of OmegaL, with enough points for ZetaL... I actually wanna try it out. Contrary to the expectations of some people here I do like winning with 'bad' pieces.

Yes, in the start of the match, I abuse of blanks maneuver to trigger boba then navigator's ability. Later in the game, i like to alterante with straight maneuver for some "surprise move".

I will try the VI+concussions, that's sound sweet