Well now the Imperials got a pilot that can be across different ships (Boba is just a sell sword, he doesn't change ships). So the question is would Marek Steele be better in a TIE Defender or TIE Advanced?

Well Lets first look at Marek Steel's ability. He is a skill 7 pilot and has the ability to when resolving a critical damage draw 3 cards and pick one.

Advanced Marrek

First the TIE Advanced since it came out first. Back in the day Marrek wasn't much. Then a "buff" came out for TIE Advanced in the Imperial Raider that gives it a free system slot. In that expansion for 1 more point Marrek can take Adv Targeting Computer which states as long as he has a TL on the defender he adds a crit to each of his attack results. That synergize with his pilot ability exceptionally well. Also being on a TIE Advanced it is a rather affordable ship.

Defender Marrek

Now with the TIE Defender fix with two new titles, one that is like a chardaan on steroids but instead of filling up an upgrade slot it removes two upgrade slots so it technically takes 3 slots to give a 2 point reductions (-2 points) and give it free evade actions when at speeds 4 and 5. The second title is one that acts sort of like a revers BTL-A4 title in which after making a cannon attack you may make a primary weapon attack. The drawback is that the cannon cannot cost more than 3 points so that leaves you with Ion, Flechette, or Tractor Beam as your only options. The thing with Marek is you would NOT take any of the titles and fill those upgrade slots with Mangler and Adv Homing Missiles to make the most of his ability. the Adv Homing missiles will be able to get through high shielded ships while mangler can get those crits. Also the primary weapon of 3 makes it so that Marrek will have plenty of firepower. An Extra shield can add to the survivability. The downside, THE HEAVY SQUADRON POINT COST.

So who do you think will do better? Advanced Marrek or Defender Marrek?

Leaning towards 'Advanced', honestly, because as you point out - he can't really make good use of either Defender title. And both titles were essentially "patches" to fix the GROSSLY over-costed base price of the Defender, so...his price point on the Defender doesn't really see a useful discount.

...which isn't to say that you can't make good use of him. Rexler was in a decent enough spot before the update, and still remains a good candidate to build a squad around, and Stele ends up in the same boat. IE., you've got to build the entire squad with him as the core component in mind.

On the other other hand...****, he's cheap in a TIE Advanced with ATC (comparatively).

(Side note: anyone find it vaguely interesting that two of the four 'named' Defender pilots have an ability that is tied to the 'critical damage' concept? That's...a bit above average, no?)

(EDIT: Stele does also seem like he virtually guarantees FFG never releases a cannon-slot weapon costing less than '3' that has any possibility of generating critical hits)

Maarek with marksmanship makes great use of the TIE/D title. It modifies both attacks and gives you a crit!

The problem with mareek in the advanced even after the "fix" is that usually when your in shooting range you are using your target lock for the advanced target computer, so your not modifying your attack

It takes two rounds in order for him to get his target lock and focus to modify

I finally manages to make his ability work when it first came out but it still wasnt easy, and I felt like that was a win alone lol

In the defender you can give him the title to make him cheaper

And give him marksmen. So with title he can get the free evade and use his marksmen ability or calculation.

Whichever floats your boat, and he has an extra shield, that kturn and 3 red dice

I think between the two his defender will be better

However with the new pilot, The glaives, vessery with tractor beam, I don't think we'll see him as often, but I think more than we have.

It still takes some work to get his ability off.

Also depends what your up against too

Something with a lot of shields not so great

Edit

I was going to mention this but forgot

Another option for mareek in the defender that he doesn't have in the advancedis also giving him mangler Cannon.

But now he is getting expensive.

Either way I feel he also has more options in the defender vs advanced

Maybe go with calculation, the x7 title and maybe fly a bomber with Fleet Officer and mara jade/tactician

Maarek with marksmanship makes great use of the TIE/D title. It modifies both attacks and gives you a crit!

Ummm...there is no cannon Maarek can equip with TIE/D that works with Marksmanship?

I think they are thinking along the lines of modifying the cannon attack, while also enabling his ability.

Still, I see nothing wrong with breaking out the Mangler Cannon occaisonally.

Don't waste your Defender Stele with a Mangler. AHM might have a place, but you're better off getting crits some other way. Palpatine, perhaps. I'd even say that with a /D title it might well be worth running him, using the cannon to strip tokens and enable his follow-up shot to get a natural crit through. If you need a way to guarantee results and want to save Emps for defense, go with Calculation. You can use your focus to turn a crit if you get the opportunity, or stick with hits (or defense). Combine that with another ace (2nd Defender?) and a Fleet Officer TIE Shuttle and you could really have him do some work.

Defender. Looks way cooler.

Maarek with marksmanship makes great use of the TIE/D title. It modifies both attacks and gives you a crit!

Ummm...there is no cannon Maarek can equip with TIE/D that works with Marksmanship?

All cannons can still benefit from the dice modifying part of marksmanship.

*sigh* I hate to admit it because Maarek is my favorite pilot in the lore. But I think his pilot ability just isn't that great.

And while I would infinitely prefer to be flying him in a Defender, I do think the Advanced simply makes better use of him.

All cannons can still benefit from the dice modifying part of marksmanship.

Indeed. You won't get any damage or crits off of it, but it still makes you much less likely to miss.

What Stele really needs to make him shine in the Defender is a cannon that deals a crit on a hit. Just a simple 2-3 point, three dice cannon that cancels all dice and deals a crit when it hits. A precision laser cannon if you will.

What Stele really needs to make him shine in the Defender is a cannon that deals a crit on a hit. Just a simple 2-3 point, three dice cannon that cancels all dice and deals a crit when it hits. A precision laser cannon if you will.

Don't hold your breath.

I think I like the Defender pilot better. The problem with the Advanced pilot is that, without PTL, he has no way to modify his defense rolls on that first turn with a target lock. Plus, if the target dies before he can shoot, then his ability doesn't help much. He has a much better chance of being lit up during the turn he acquires a lock.

An x7 Defender will give him at least an Evade token, plus he's free to use his combat actions to take a Focus. In this situation, you're just relying on the dice to eventually give him crits, rather than the ATC to guarantee them.

What Stele really needs to make him shine in the Defender is a cannon that deals a crit on a hit. Just a simple 2-3 point, three dice cannon that cancels all dice and deals a crit when it hits. A precision laser cannon if you will.

Don't hold your breath.

I doubt it will happen, as only the TIE/D would ever really want to use it.

What Stele really needs is Miranda's special ability and this:

Maarek with marksmanship makes great use of the TIE/D title. It modifies both attacks and gives you a crit!

Ummm...there is no cannon Maarek can equip with TIE/D that works with Marksmanship?

All cannons can still benefit from the dice modifying part of marksmanship.

True, I am surprised with all these multiple attack ships you don't see marksmanship that often. I think an R2-D6 on a Y-wing would work great with TLT.

What Stele really needs is Miranda's special ability and this:

Make it 2 points so it is on par with VI.

Well as for me I am actually surprised that the Defender Marrek has supporters (even though he doesn't get a Red Paint Job ). Me personally I would think that the Advanced Marrek is the better Stele and that seems to be the popular opinion. But still surprised plenty of people going for the Defender.

But still surprised plenty of people going for the Defender.

Because it's fluffy. Defender is where he BELONGS.

It's too bad the TIE/D title doesn't work with the mangler. But then again, that's probably exactly why FFG made the title that way.

But still surprised plenty of people going for the Defender.

Because it's fluffy. Defender is where he BELONGS.

The defender pilots all cost a point more than I had hoped (except for Ryad) but finally we can do this:

Maarek Stele (TIE Defender) (35)
Calculation (1)
Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)
TIE/x7 (-2)

Darth Vader (29)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Advanced Targeting Computer (1)
Engine Upgrade (4)
TIE/x1 (0)

Omicron Group Pilot (21)
Tractor Beam (1)
Emperor Palpatine (8)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Too bad I can't fly both Maareks.

The defender pilots all cost a point more than I had hoped (except for Ryad) but finally we can do this:

Maarek Stele (TIE Defender) (35)

Calculation (1)

Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

TIE/x7 (-2)

Darth Vader (29)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Advanced Targeting Computer (1)

Engine Upgrade (4)

TIE/x1 (0)

Omicron Group Pilot (21)

Tractor Beam (1)

Emperor Palpatine (8)

Total: 100

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

Yup

I'm a huge fan of the TIE Defender, despite never having played TIE Fighter or any of those older PC games. I also really enjoy Maarek Stele as a pilot in this game, and have had a shocking amount of success with him after the release of the Raider. The way I see it:

Advanced Maarek Stele: 27 points

Attack: 2 Defense: 3 Hull: 3 Shield: 2

Actions: Target Lock, Focus, Evade, Barrel Roll

Upgrades: EPT, Missile, Mod, Title

Title grants him the ability to take a system slot. His prefered system upgrade is, of course, the Advanced Targeting Computer. As long as he has a Target Lock, his attack value is basically 3+. The added crit is simply straight up better than rolling an extra attack dice, as it isn't determined by a random roll, and if it hits hull, can be devastating with his ability.

Defender Maarek Stele: 35 points

Attack: 3 Defense: 3 Hull: 3 Shield: 3

Actions: Target Lock, Focus, Barrel Roll

Upgrades: EPT, Cannon, Missile, Mod, Title

Title 1 grants him a 2 point discount, but eliminates two of his upgrade slots. However, it does give him free Evade Tokens, making him more survivable. Title 2 does nothing for him that it doesn't do for any of the other Defender pilots. All it provides is a slight damage boost and some control options.

With either version, you're going to want either Calculation of Marksmanship to trigger his ability more often. Personally, I prefer Calculation on the Advanced version of Stele. It's two points cheaper, and when you're rolling only two attack dice, you're far more likely to end up with only one [eyeball] result that needs modified than you are to end up with two. And if you don't need it at all on offense, you can save the Focus token for defense. On the Defender version of Stele, if you go with the second title, you'd probably want Marksmanship instead, as it can be used to modify [eyeball] results on both rolls. With the first title, however, you'd still probably want to go with Calculation, as you can still save that Focus token to boost your already increased defense.

If you go title-less or go with the second title for the Defender, then you have the option to take a missile. This is an option shared by the TIE Advanced, of course. In both cases, Stele wants to take Advanced Targeting Computer. Getting that crit through shields with Stele's ability is extremely deadly to any 2 hull ship, or 3 hull ship that's playing with the new damage deck (Major Explosion, rolls a hit, Direct Hit).

For the mods, the Defender really, really wants the Twin Ion Engine Mark II to give it more greens that aren't straight maneuvers. I typically don't fill the modification slot on the Advanced version, as I prefer keeping him rather cheap. However, if I had to fill the slot, I'd probably go with the TIE Mark II for him as well, just because the extra greens can be useful.

So, for the most part, you're building both ships with similar upgrades. The only real difference being the Advanced's use of the system slot for ATC, and the fact that the Defender has an option to take a cannon. Now, the cannon that the Defender version of Stele wants most is the Mangler Cannon, as it provides more crits for his ability. Unfortunately, this cannon does not work with either of the Defender's titles. So instead, he's forced to take either a sub-par cannon or no cannon at all.

The dials are where we start getting to the real differences here. The Defender's white K-Turn is a beautiful option, but the fact that the 1 and 2 hards are red make the dial quite limited, and its only greens are straight, unless you take the TIE mark II mod. The first title makes up for this limited dial, encouraging the pilot to use the faster movements on the dial to trigger its ability. The Advanced, on the other hand, has a fairly standard dial. Nothing too fancy or interesting about it, but also not really that limiting, since it only has a single red maneuver. On one hand, the Defender's K-Turning ability is beautiful, while on the other, the Advanced's ability to make 2 speed hard turns without getting a stress is pretty useful as well. Though, I give the Defender the edge simply because I love flying the thing.

So, if we look at some builds for the two:

TIE Advanced Stele: ATC, Calculation, TIE Mark II, AHM - 33 points. Fits pretty nicely into most squads, without having to really build the squad around him. His only real flaw is needing to spend a turn getting the Target Lock for ATC, and needing to spend most of his actions Focusing to trigger Calculation, so he won't be Barrel Rolling or Evading very often unless he knows he won't have a shot. This version also works perfectly fine without the TIE Mark II and AHM, allowing you to drop the price to 29 points and spend the 4 elsewhere, if need be.

TIE Defender Stele #1: TIE/x7, Calculation, TIE Mark II - 35 points. Also fits pretty nicely into many squads, and can replace either Vader or Fel in the typical Palp Aces build. It's extremely durable, but you won't be triggering his ability quite as often, or with quite as devastating of an effect as you would be with the Advanced version. But for two extra points, I'd say this one is pretty good.

TIE Defender Stele #2: TIE/d, Marksmanship, Tractor Beam/Flechette Cannon/Ion Cannon, TIE Mark II, AHM - 43/44/45 points. Here is where you start getting pretty expensive, for not that much gained. When priced in the mid 40's, you're looking at a massive investment of your squad, and something you'll have to build the squad around. With Marksmanship, you'll be getting to modify both of your attacks from the TIE/d title, though only your second shot will really care about the crit. The Tractor Beam is nice for forcing through that crit by lowering your opponent's evade dice, and can also strip tokens quite well or even toss them onto a rock so they can't shoot back. Flechette Cannon deals out a stress and a damage, which could be nice for stripping shields and tokens from enemies. Ion Cannon also deals a damage, and makes the enemy extremely predictable if it hits. Of the three, I'd say either Tractor Beam or Ion Cannon would be the best option, depending on your opponent. Regardless of which cannon you choose though, this build is simply too expensive for what it does, and doesn't have the durability to be worth the point investment, especially not when you consider the TIE/x7 alternative above. Sure, you could drop the AHM, and not really feel the loss. Either way, however, you're still looking at a very costly ship.

TIE Defender Stele #3: Calculation, Mangler Cannon, TIE Mark II, AHM - 44 points. Yet again, a massive investment. This time, you get the most reliable way to deliver crits in a Defender to fuel Stele's ability. However, it still has the same flaws as the previous build. If anything, it's even more flawed, as it has less total firepower without the ability to double-tap. Once more, you can lose the AHM and not miss them. Here, you can save the Focus token that would otherwise be used for Calculation, and use it on defense instead, making it a little more survivable than the above build. But compared to the TIE/x7 build, it's still simply not worth the points.

On the whole, I'd say the first suggested build for Stele in the Defender is definitely worth playing around with every now and then. I wouldn't say it totally outshines the Advanced version, however. Yes, it's far more survivable, however, it's also a full 6 points more expensive than how I normally run the Advanced version of Stele. He's certainly worth the 6 point investment, no doubt, but some of the builds I run with the Advanced version simply don't have the 6 points to spare.

Overall, I'd say Stele has a place in both the Defender and the Advanced. In the Defender, he's a more serious investment, and a big chunk of your squad, even when you go the more affordable TIE/x7 route. In the Advanced, he works a bit better as a filler ace when you can't find the spare points for his Defender counterpart. I'll probably play both pretty equally. But I don't think I'll ever be running him with either the TIE/d title or the Mangler Cannon, as it's simply too expensive, for too little gain. If I'm going to invest that many points into a TIE Defender, it's going to be Vessery, not Stele, as Vessery's ability works far better with the TIE/d title.

I think Maarek's ability is a lot like boba Fett, nice when it happens, but unless you have a convenient way to get it(proton torpedoes for jmk) then don't force it. He is a pretty solid option as a ps7-9 defender anyways, and I would love to run him as VI + x7 + ion engines to keep a solid 35 point ps9 ship. He is no soontir fel of course, but then again his job is just to fly around going fast all day anyways right?