Hello, I am a long time Tie Defender fanatic. Now that all of the Tie Defenders are out but we haven't gotten to play with them too much it is a good opportunity to see how they match up against each other and laugh at how poor the analysis was a few months from now!

First a disclaimer. This is not the Tie Defender from Tie Fighter the computer game, it will never be, and as such it plays a little differently and it takes some getting used to. It is not the same model either (cockpit, wings and connecting pylons should be bulkier). The sooner you accept the current Tie Defender as a FFG / mass produced model the more fun you will have with the ship.

Delta Squadron 30 points

Favorite build: x7 and nothing else, 28 points

I think that it is important to have a lvl 1 blocker in your list. At 28 points and an evade action while moving fast the Delta Squadron is squishy in the early game, but surprisingly strong late game. Focus + Evade allows the ship to turtle well and as long as there aren't too many shots coming its was it can survive for a long time. Changing it up and doing a bank with a backwards barrel roll can catch your opponents off guard and cause a pile-up more often than not. Finally, because of the white K-Turn the low pilot skill is not too much of an issue. This is also a good support ship for Vessery. You could get an ace for 28 points, but I have never felt that I am wasting my points using an X7 Delta. Don't add any additional equipment on this ship, it is good as it is.

Onyx Squadron 32 points

Favorite build: none

I have played with Onyx Tie Defenders in at least 50 games. While it used to make some sense to use them in past, the multiple new 34 point choices make the Onyx obsolete - skip.

Countess Ryad 34 points

Favorite builds: Ryad, X7, Juke (34) OR Ryad, X7, PTL (push the limit), Twin Ion Engine (36)

This is the best Tie Defender in the game. If you want to learn to fly defenders, start here. The main trick with the countess is to fly to the side of an opponent if you feel you are going into a trap. You can K-Turn and roll away from your opponent and engage them next turn. This is also the only Tie Defender that can really use "push the limit", but it really depends on what you want Ryad to do in your list.

A bit of an elaboration: the Tie Defender with a cannon likes to fight at long range. The X7 title which removes the cannon suffers a little bit because to have good damage with this ship you need to get into range 1. Something that is neither easy nor comfortable for a Tie Defender to do. Ryad can do that with the 2 and 3 Ks, can change direction depending on lower pilot skill's maneuvers and can do a 5K and roll in either direction for really dramatic repositions.

Glaive Squadron 34 points

Favorite builds: ?

If you don't like flying a lvl 1 Delta blocker then the Glaive is the high pilot skill alternative for you, although you can fit a 3 named Tie Defender in the same list too. Not sure how much play this ship will see.

Colonel Vessery 35 points

Favorite builds: Vessery, T/D, Tractor Beam OR Vessery, T/D, Ion Cannon (alternate crackshot/adaptability depending on points)

Vessery is the master of the T/D title. The only real choice is if you want to use the Tractor Beam or the Ion Cannon. I think rule of thumb is: if you the game is tied or you are winning, Tractor Beam will push it in your favor. If you are loosing, the Ion Cannon can cause a complete reversal. Do not use Vessery without support. Do not forget to use the hard one and hard twos on Vessery, much better to get stressed than to be missing shots on a target that is already locked by a friendly ship.

Marek Steel 35 points

Favorite build: Marek Steel, Juke (35) + Shuttle Emperor

Marek with the Emperor is evil.

Rexler Brath 37 points

Favorite build: none

Before Imperial Veterans Rexler made a lot of sense. Now he is expensive, consumes an action to activate and probably won't be fielding a heavy laser cannon. You can still build a list around him, but it will be a focuses glass cannon.

What has changed:

Lone Wolf: the new Tie Defenders like to be surrounded by friends and with the exception of Vessery have lower burst damage compared to the Heavy Laser Cannon builds of past. Lone Wolf is now much harder to use.

Hull Upgrades and Shield Upgrades: with all the Jukes, Crack Shot and all kinds of ways to make you re-roll your defense dice having shield upgrades on your Tie Defenders is not what it used to be.

Thank you FFG for updating the Tie Defenders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glaive is nice because (along with Ryad), it's the cheapest way to field 'Juke'.

It's certainly the cheapest way to field it en masse. Easy enough to get 2 of those with x7 in a list and still have 1/3 of your list points left to play with. (Palp shuttle? Ryad? etc...) If NOTHING else, you can field 3 of them with VI and x7 for a triple flight of skill-8 Defenders (and still end up with a slight initiative bid). Which...giggity...

X7/ juke glaive?

Onyx w/X7 & Hull Upgrade is going to be a chore to chew through. It's the new triple BH.

Onyx and Deltas will make fine support for King Vessery.

The TIE Fighter in game model for the Defender was almost like you took an Avenger and flipped the wings, broke the tail down the middle, folded it down, and then put another wing/tail assembly on top of that. The wings were also much closer to the cockpit.

At any rate, I miss the old look, I think shapeways still sells it?

Onyx still have a good place if you want to run a named Defender and two others.

They also shoot before TLT spam which Deltas don't.

Rexler Brath 37 points

Favorite build: none

Before Imperial Veterans Rexler made a lot of sense. Now he is expensive, consumes an action to activate and probably won't be fielding a heavy laser cannon. You can still build a list around him, but it will be a focuses glass cannon.

"now" he is expensive!?

before, he made a lot of sense ?!?!?!?

he's the same overpriced situational garbage he was when he was released, except now the Defender's in the limelight again which makes him seem even worse

Rexler, /x7

Choice of Bomber with title, fleet officer

Extra focus for Rexler to flil any and all damage cards he deals. And fleet officer and/or shuttle pilot ability can support the rat of the list, that's 35 plus 19+, leaving 46 or slightly fewer points for the rest of the list, not too bad, and a lot less than what Rexler used to cost. Throw in a mini TIE swarm, OL and backstabber, palp shuttle and cheap TIE mini ace like Wampa, whatever. Maybe even a 28 point Defender and TAP. Customize. Don't dis the Rex.

Rexler, /x7

Choice of Bomber with title, fleet officer

Extra focus for Rexler to flil any and all damage cards he deals. And fleet officer and/or shuttle pilot ability can support the rat of the list, that's 35 plus 19+, leaving 46 or slightly fewer points for the rest of the list, not too bad, and a lot less than what Rexler used to cost. Throw in a mini TIE swarm, OL and backstabber, palp shuttle and cheap TIE mini ace like Wampa, whatever. Maybe even a 28 point Defender and TAP. Customize. Don't dis the Rex.

Could do all that with Vessery or Maarek and save a couple points, plus get pilot abilities you'll actually use.

Most defender builds weigh in at around 30 to 40 points. There are so many better options available to an imperial player in that points bracket. Like Soontir, Carnor, Whisper, the Inquisitor and Vader. No defender pilot, other than Vessery, can compete with any of them.

Until they get tractor beamed and one shot at range one of a ship they thought they arc dodged.

Rexler, X7, VI, Engine Upgrade (40 points)

If you're fielding Rex, you're fielding him for the pilot skill- his ability is strictly secondary. Between x7 and the ability to dodge arcs, he's quite survivable.

But now the issue of his cost comes back into it: if you're looking for someone to jump up to super-high PS, a VI + EU Vader gets PS11 instead of 10, is only slightly weaker defensively, and is a whopping 5 points cheaper. Why would you ever use Rexlar over him*?

* In a competitive environment, of course. "I just want to use Rex" is a perfectly valid answer elsewhere.

Because Rexlar is in a Defender.

But now the issue of his cost comes back into it: if you're looking for someone to jump up to super-high PS, a VI + EU Vader gets PS11 instead of 10, is only slightly weaker defensively, and is a whopping 5 points cheaper. Why would you ever use Rexlar over him*?

* In a competitive environment, of course. "I just want to use Rex" is a perfectly valid answer elsewhere.

Because Rexlar is in a Defender.

As Sithborg alludes, a Defender is a different thing entirely.

The Defender will have an edge in defense as they have another hit point and their Evade token is not action dependent. It's offense is not as action dependent either, with 3 natural attack compared to Vader's Target Lock necessity. Most significantly, though, is the K-turn. While Vader can arc dodge, the Defender can press the attack better. Vader needs to peel off and come around, the Defender can just flip and keep attacking. It lets you kill faster, which is a meaningful advantage.

My top three are...

Vessery

Countess

Maarek

How do they compare? Much better than the host of dud Tie Interceptor pilots, that's for sure.

It's a real shame the Glaive came in at 34 points, as there is no real reason to run them with Ryad at the same cost and Vessery/Stele one point more. On the bright side, I now don't need to buy three red Defenders to run triple x7 Juking Glaives, so it saves me some money.

P.S. WTB Vader in Defender. Will trade points and dollars.

I would think you would give Rexler The X7 Title and Adaptability.

That Title gives him the action economy with the Evade Token and PS 9 or perhaps 7 against an aceless list to have other ships strip tokens for 35 Points. Still not a bad option.

Rexlar is still total trash to me. Expensive as crap and a pilot skill that almost never goes off (always either hitting shields, only doing 1 damage which was a crit anyway, or outright killing the target). I ran him ~10 times and never once got to use that ability, despite saving a focus every time hoping to use it.

He is nasty against Large Ships but usually dies because of this: he's focus-fired down so fast. Give him survivability, costs 1/2 your army just about.

Ryad will probably be the only named Defender i run. Green 2k moves....eesh....and cheap!

Of the named pilots, Vessery is still the undisputed king. If you are building competitively and put a TIE Defender in your squad that isn't him, you're doing it wrong. Even if you're not putting TIE/D on him, he works just fine with TIE/x7, getting Evade, TL and your choice of Focus or Barrel Roll for little effort.

The Countess and Maarek will both be extremely good, but they will suffer a bit due to simply not being Vessery. The Countess is... well, she's ridiculous (thank the Force she's only PS5), and Maarek still has a pretty situational ability but has good PS for relatively cheap so can make up for it in other ways.

Poor old Rexlar, though, exists only for his PS, and even that probably isn't good enough of a reason to run him. The other pilots are all cheaper and come with abilities you'll actually use. RIP.

Col. (Meat Grinder) Vessery has been the king since the defender came out. The Tie advanced fix with its reliance on TLing made him a bit better and Vets will make him either harder to kill or MORE deadly. I don't know why anyone would not include meat grinder is any defender list, he is the most damaging pilot in the game IMO. I used to run him with Vader getting him TL's then have Col. Grinder follow up with HLC shots and it was so beautiful to see 1 agi ships just melt.

i dont see how Vessery does more damage than anyone else. The targetlock is gained after he attacks, and you have to have someone else applying the initial targetlock to begin with.

i dont see how Vessery does more damage than anyone else. The targetlock is gained after he attacks, and you have to have someone else applying the initial targetlock to begin with.

Because with TL and Focus on his attacks he has a very high chance of rolling all hits. He also does not have a downside to gaining TL and Focus like a PTL pilot has so he has no stress to clear.

i dont see how Vessery does more damage than anyone else. The targetlock is gained after he attacks, and you have to have someone else applying the initial targetlock to begin with.

The target lock is gained when he attacks, allowing him to immediately spend it on that same attack. Provided he has a spotter setup, he gets free target locks on every single one of his attacks, allowing him to easily get full modifications or barrel roll and still have modified dice.

Setting it up is also ludicrously easy nowadays. Between the TIE Advanceds and Omega Leader, the Empire has a bunch of pilots who will happily throw down a TL with no intention of ever spending it, and they have another pilot in The Inquisitor who wants to be getting Target Locks every turn.