Thank you for stopping by. I hope you can provide some input!

I haven't even played a non-demo game yet...

I've been accumulating resources and obsessing over my squad list, and I really just want to get the dang thing put together so I can start playing! My problem is that I want my list to be competitive. If I go out and get stomped I want it to be because I need a lot more practice piloting my list, and not because my list sucks.

I've really locked on to Jake as a pilot. A-wings are awesome and he seems like the most viable/efficient A-wing pilot for his point cost.

This is my Jake setup as it stands:

Jake Farrell (24 pts)
Test Pilot (0 pts)
PtL (3 pts)
VI (1 pts)
Prockets (3 pts)
*Autothrusters (2 pts)

= 33 pts
*I was going to go pick up a StarViper today

Now I just need to figure out what to fly alongside him!

I bought the Millennium Falcon yesterday for some of the cards it comes with, then noticed there was a pretty cool Jake + Han list that people were (are?) running. It looks fun (I've loved the MF since I was a kid. Who hasn't? It's iconic.), but I'm missing some of the cards from the tournament list:

Han Solo (46 pts)
Engine Upgrade (4 pts)
MF (1 pts)
Luke Skywalker (7 pts)
*Predator (3 pts)
**C-3PO (3 pts)
= 64 pts

*I can acquire Predator if I need to.
**I have no intention of buying the Tantive IV to acquire 3PO. If I was going to buy an expansion like that it would be the Rebel Transport so I could get Tarn and the droids.

Are there any adequate replacements for 3PO? What about Predator? I'll probably end up getting Predator just because it's so useful and I'll surely be needing it in the future, I was just curious if there was anything that could be a decent replacement for it in this build. I really need a 3PO replacement though.

So, as it stands, I own 2x Rebel Aces expansions, 2x A-Wing expansions, 1x YT-1300 expansion, 1x E-Wing expansion, the original Core Set, and the Force Awakens Core Set (minus the two droids... the guy I traded wouldn't let them go ). It may seems silly to have all that and not have even played a real game yet, but I have a ton of currency in the form of Magic cards. I got it all in trades. Also, I already know I'll love the game so I have no concerns about committing.

Anyway, that's what I'm working with. The only stipulation I have with my squad list is that I want Jake to be in it. Apart from that, I'm all ears and open for suggestions (even how to equip Jake). I'm not committed to running the Falcon, it's just an option.

Any suggestions on what kind of list to make with what I have available? I'm also not opposed to getting an additional $30-$40 worth of stuff if it's necessary.

I really appreciate the help. I'm ready to start playing!

So I just realized how good 3PO is... Is there anyone who comes close to competing with that at around that point cost and synergizes well with the rest of the build?

You can pick C3PO up on ebay for around £6 - £7. That is still alot for a bit of card but might be an option. He is kind of perfect for the Falcon but I'm still a noob myself so others may be able to provide more assistance.

Thanks TgLoki! I didn't realize they had so many singles on Ebay. Some of them are competitively priced, others I might as well buy a ship I don't need (looking at you, StarViper).

If I do decide to run the Falcon with Jake I probably will bite the bullet and just order a 3PO.

BUT... I'm still looking at possibly running other ships with Jake. Aces? A bunch of A-wings? I dunno...

You can pick C3PO up on ebay for around £6 - £7. That is still alot for a bit of card but might be an option. He is kind of perfect for the Falcon but I'm still a noob myself so others may be able to provide more assistance.

He's an ex Magic player (like me). £6 - £7 for a piece of cardboard is nothing to Magic players.

I can't help with your list, I've only just started playing myself. I would urge you just to get something on the table and have a few games though. I thought like you, probably the Magic background where a poor deck is not worth playing against a meta list. So far X-wing does not seem that bad. I'e had fun with not optimal lists and learned some stuff.

First of all, who are you playing? Odds are it is not a Store Championship (as that round is over) or a Regional (you need more seasoning and ships/cards). If it is just playing at a local store, load your collection into something like YASB (Yet Another X-Wing Miniature Squad Builder) and start figuring out what you have (card wise) and what you think makes good combinations. We can, and will tell you some of our thoughts, but it doesn't replace the value of learning to make something work because you are flying what you have. You can proxy in a lot of places, and it is a good handicap, as long as you are realizing that you are trading away the value of learning how to look at squadron building in a deeper more meaningful way. As a Magic player, I would figure this was some of the fun of playing X-Wing... building your own squad and then winning with it.

To be honest, you just need more cards to go with the ships you want to fly. Nothing wrong with that. In a very short time you will have lots of what you want to fly and have a bunch of options. Trust me, suddenly you look around and have trouble limiting your lists.

Some of the lists you talk about need a lot of cards. If you are thinking of A-Wings (and you have a few, but not quite enough) as a squad, you need to buy Autothrusters. Whether that means investing in a StarViper fleet or paying kind of crazy prices for singles. C3P0 should actually be fairly decently priced with all of the alt-art cards on the market (I didn't look, I just know a lot of people suddenly had multiples... and overall there are less people flying 1 Agility turret ships). Predator is another of those interesting cards in limited places. It is one of the reasons I now have 4 Kihraxz Fighters (and know how to spell it)... the others being Glitterstim and Crackshot.

I say you are on a track to having fun with a pretty decent squad. For now, if you don't have the cards you need, take a look at the points left over and see what else you can include. A basic Prototype Pilot (A-Wing) with your Chardaan Refit is only 15 points and works really well with this squad. You'll have to drop Luke Skywalker to do it, but Han already has dice modification, so it is your choice on how much dice modification you want. The Prototype is an excellent blocker and can actually end up doing a lot of damage to your opponent as they will usually leave him alone. Instead of Autothrusters on Jake, for now put a Hull Upgrade on him until you can have the card.

You have a good idea, just work with what you got. You already pretty much know what you need from this point on to make this squad work in a better way (though Gunner instead of Luke would shave off 2 more points). If you want to play around with C3P0 shenanigans, test out Lando Calrissian in the spare crew slot. It's not quite the same, as you can't guarantee 1 evade, but you have a chance at blocking some. As competitive squads do not like much variance, you wouldn't really look at him for a tournament, but it is fun in casual games.

Aside from just flying (which is obstacle number one), you're going to have to remember each of these cards and how they interact with each other. Sometimes that is a larger obstacle as you are either paralyzed with rules lookups or forget too many things that you will later regret. For now, focus on the flying as much as possible... then, secondly, focus on building the best list you can, and thirdly work on remembering everything in your squad. Then you can move onto the Rule of 11 and Turn 0 strategies.

I sincerely appreciate all the advice guys. And you're absolutely right. I need to start playing and quit obsessing about meta calls, tournament lists, and optimization at all costs (with inevitable diminishing returns, fun included). I'm bad about doing this. Always have been. I'd be a real audiophile (and, consequently, probably wouldn't be able to enjoy my music nearly as much) if I made a six-figure salary. MtG (most formats at least) is geared towards this behavior. I played modern Jund for a long time (though I was never really a good enough pilot for a deck like that) and you had to know everyone else's deck, front and back (the backs were easy because they were all the same ), to run the deck effectively. It paid to be obsessive about the aforementioned things.

I am looking forward to playing a game that readily rewards pilot (player) skill, even with homebrews.

I was already thinking about procuring a YT-2400 expansion because I wanted to make an Ace B-Wing with Keyan (also Dash is cool. I still need to read Shadows of the Empire), and based on your suggestion of both Gunner and Lando, I may go ahead and do it.

I like the idea of running a second A-Wing with Solo and Jake.

Question: Are Prockets (on Jake specifically and also in general) worth the 5 pts? I'm sure it depends on the build, but I'd like some elaboration as to why, if it's not too much to ask.

Another Question: Can a good pilot (player) make X-Wings viable? I really love the ship but stuff I've read about the viability of running it has deterred me from thinking too much about X-Wing builds or inclusions. I have Luke set up right now with R2 and a shield upgrade and was looking for another synergistic upgrade for him. What are some other good X-Wing builds? I wish I could get ahold of a Tarn...

Try out the X-Wings. It is a good exercise. Heck, if you are worried about competition... put them on one side of the table and your YT-XXXX on the other with the A-Wing list and fly them at each other. Yes, you will know what the other is going to do... consider it that they predicted you 100% of the time. Doesn't really matter. When you put them on the table and fly them at each other, you start to see what works and why much more than just pouring over the cards. Don't let the dice get in the way... really analyze what is going on. If you play the X-Wings, be sure to include Biggs. He's a key player in learning how ranges work and how to use it to your benefit.

The YT-2400 is a great buy if you want a turret. Look up the Dash Rendar builds with a Heavy Laser Canon and you'll see that lots of players still hate that guy. Really read what people are saying about them as there is good and bad info. Mostly you want to load up Dash and run him around in the middle keeping your opponents outside of his Range 1 donut, especially out of arc. This is a great place to then throw in a really good second ship, or two other ships. If you want to block and be a nuisance, look at your A-Wings. If you want to put more damage out quickly, look at the X-Wings... though they are a lot more expensive, and don't turn as well, so you have to be careful. Practice with Dash (and SuperDash if you can) with both Asteroid placement and Debris placement and learn why you want to place the rocks and debris in the optimal configuration for you when flying Dash.

Prockets are good on High Agility ships (TAP, A-Wings), the question is do you want to spend the 5 points on them. If you are running Jake and Dash and want a burst of damage, it is a really good option. Even if you never use them. When Jake target locks someone, they are concerned and may take a chance with Dash... which you will punish them for with the HLC.

I've taken your advice Grayfax and am currently building another squad to pit against Han, Jake, and the Prototype Pilot. It'll be Corran, a T-65, and a T-70. I'm still working on the pilots and loadout for the opposing list. I'll take Han and the A's up to my LGS tomorrow and see if I can find a real live human person to play against. Maybe I can convince my wife to learn the game... That's doubtful though. She's entertained by Star Wars, but doesn't love it like I do. She didn't grow up painting the inside of appliance boxes to look like an X-Wing cockpit.

I just got a pretty good deal on Ebay on a Predator EPT and promo C-3PO crew, so when they get here next week I'll have a fully loaded Falcon if I choose to run it.
Does Procket Jake have the same synergy with Han as he does with Dash?

I also got a BB-8 for $0.99! I thought that was cool. I wanted it for Poe.
I've placed a bid on all the X-Wing pilots and model from the Rebel Transport expansion as well. I won't get R5-P9, but really all I'm looking for is the Tarn. I'm not certain I'll get it, there's still a few days left, but we'll see. I wouldn't be heartbroken if someone outbid me.

Getting those few things from Ebay has really saved me a lot of grief, not to mention storage space for ships I don't need. I'll still need to trade my LGS some Magic cards for a StarViper. That seems to be the most economical way to acquire Autothrusters. I'm also still heavily considering trading them for a YT-2400 as well. As mentioned before, I need a lot of the cards from that expansion. Some for possible Han builds, some for possible Keyan builds, and I was even thinking about throwing Stay on Target on Poe. And, of course, it'd be cool to have Dash and his ship.

*Edit*

I have a quick question (that requires some setup) that I don't believe deserved it's own post:
Opposing Practice List-
Corran Horn (35 pts)
R2-D2 (4 pts)
PtL (3 pts)
Adv Sens (3 pts)
=45 pts

Biggs Darklighter (25 pts)

R7 Astromech (2 pts)??

Blue Ace (27 pts)
R7-T1 (3 pts)??

My question is should Biggs or Blue Ace get the droid? I only have enough points for one, which sucks. They look like they'd go well together if I could take both, but I couldn't imagine taking anything off Corran.

Biggs should get the droid to keep alive as long as possible.

A good C3PO/Luke replacement is Kanan/Katarn combo. Falcon's entire dial is open and gets a free focus every round, then can evade and boost for its actions. Also gives Han PTL rather than Predator. Kanan is like $4 or $5 on ebay.

Summer Kit Tourneys will be providing Predator cards, so entire them when you can and fill up while the gettin is good!

Biggs should get the droid to keep alive as long as possible.

A good C3PO/Luke replacement is Kanan/Katarn combo. Falcon's entire dial is open and gets a free focus every round, then can evade and boost for its actions. Also gives Han PTL rather than Predator. Kanan is like $4 or $5 on ebay.

Summer Kit Tourneys will be providing Predator cards, so entire them when you can and fill up while the gettin is good!

I agree. C-3PO is defensive and gives you 5/8ths of an Evade every round for 3pts. That's a really solid bonus, but I prefer an entire free Focus Token to 5/8ths of an Evade' cause offense is pro. It does make the list a bit weaker to stress mechanics like Rebel Captive and also susceptible to bumping, but barring that, Kanan/Kyle + PTL is really strong.

Oh that's really cool. I like that Han build a lot! It frees up an extra 4 points too, for a total of 7 spare points. What could I do with that? I guess I could lose Jake's Prockets and add a Bandit Squad Pilot? I really don't like taking anything from Jake though.
Any suggestions on what to do with 7 points?

I guess I could also run a different ace with that Han build?

*EDIT*
I ordered a Kanan.

Oh that's really cool. I like that Han build a lot! It frees up an extra 4 points too, for a total of 7 spare points. What could I do with that? I guess I could lose Jake's Prockets and add a Bandit Squad Pilot? I really don't like taking anything from Jake though.

Any suggestions on what to do with 7 points?

I guess I could also run a different ace with that Han build?

*EDIT*

I ordered a Kanan.

You can add a Concussion or Homing Missile to Han, which isn't really worth the points, but it's the best thing you can do if you don't pull PRockets or change pilots, and it does add a little bit of punch to your range 3 alpha strike with Han, so it's not nothin'. The other option is to swap out Jake entirely for a PS9 or PS10 Poe with a Regen droid and autothrusters.

There's also nothing wrong with Miranda and TLT, if you wanted to go that route, but I don't really like playing her in the current meta without Kanan or Biggs to protect her, as the K-Wing can be a bit weak to the alpha strike of U-Boats or the concentrated fire of a Crackswarm.

It's also worth noting that if you don't care about an initiative bid for your 60pt Han, you can add a pretty decent 40pt Lothal Rebel with FCS, Autoblaster Turret, Hera and Chopper and it's fairly beefy and threatening.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you can provide some input!

I haven't even played a non-demo game yet...

I've been accumulating resources and obsessing over my squad list, and I really just want to get the dang thing put together so I can start playing! My problem is that I want my list to be competitive. If I go out and get stomped I want it to be because I need a lot more practice piloting my list, and not because my list sucks.

I've really locked on to Jake as a pilot. A-wings are awesome and he seems like the most viable/efficient A-wing pilot for his point cost.

This is my Jake setup as it stands:

Jake Farrell (24 pts)

Test Pilot (0 pts)

PtL (3 pts)

VI (1 pts)

Prockets (3 pts)

*Autothrusters (2 pts)

= 33 pts

*I was going to go pick up a StarViper today

Now I just need to figure out what to fly alongside him!

That Jake setup is pretty much the standard.... For good reason, there's not a much better way to equip Jake really.

The proton rockets are sort of an optional extra I think, that's probably something you may want to flex on from list to list. Since not every list can spare the points for them, and making Jake 5 points cheaper (by adding the refit) can free up a lot of list space, sometimes it will make sense to leave the prockets at home.

When I play Jake in this sort of configuration (and that's quite often these days) I tend to play him as the flanker, and the rest of the list ends up being something big and meaty that can dish out and soak up quite a bit of punishment. In essence I play him as the "hammer" to the rest of the squad, which I guess is the "anvil".

I have two favourite builds that use Jake in this fashion;

One is Jake (equipped exactly as you have) plus 3 Blue Squadron B-Wings. (no upgrades at on the B-wings). That clocks in at 99 points.

Plan A is you zero the B-wings in on their main force, whilst Jake makes a flanking move.

If they try to engage Jake directly you get him the heck out of there, and they'll most likely end up out of position and disorganized when the B-wings get there. Jake can come back into the fight a little bit later when they're not trying to chase him.

If they ignore Jake, he gets to close on them from the side or rear and basically make a big huge mess of them whilst they are taking on the B-wings.

I find the list fairly flexible and quite nice to fly. The combination of fast/tanky ships allows for a nice amount of variation in tactics. Against some lists you're going to want to send Jake straight in to soften up the targets before the B-wings engage, against other lists you're going to want the B-wings to do a lot of the work and keep Jake safe for the late game.

The other list is a little more Oddball (and requires the Ghost)

Jake Farrel (28)

test pilot

VI

PTL

autothrusters

Chardaan refit

Kanan Jarrus (53)

Ghost

Ion cannon turret

reinforced deflectors

Chewbacca

recon specialist

"Zeb" Orellios (18)

Phantom

Total 99 points

To be honest, I am liking this list more than the one with the B-wings. The ghost feels more flexible, and feels like it can take a lot more punishment.

I could probably write a short essay on my experiences flying this list... So instead I will just say fly aggressive with the ghost, keep it in close range whenever possible, don't launch the attack shuttle until you have to. Use Jake as an opportunist. General strategy pretty similar to the other list, except you tend to engage much faster.

There is a third option, which I don't have a list to hand for... But is still Decent.

That's the triple Aces.

You should find that Jake, Tycho (equipped similarly to Jake), and Poe will make up to a fairly easy 96-98 points when done up. That's a fun list. but I don't really have enough experience with it to talk much about it.

My favorite list with Jake (built as you have him) adds:

Poe Dameron (with VI, R5-P9, Autothrusters) (37 pts)

Red Squadron Veteran (with R3-A2, Wired, Integrated Astromech) (29 pts)

Total 99 points for 1-point initiative bid. You have the pilots, but not all the upgrades.

I like that aces build. I also like the idea of Tycho with Jake and Poe too. I'll do some brewing for that today. Also, I acquired a Ghost last night (in addition to a ton of other stuff from a guy who wasn't playing anymore), so I might try that build with Jake as well.

The biggest problem I'm having right now is finding a match. There's not a ton of people who play at my LGS, and the ones that do come on this day or that, never consistently or consecutively. I'm the same way. I just don't have time to spend my evenings at the game shop. It's kind of discouraging. Maybe I can get something scheduled...

With 7pts you can add Clusters to Han, that gives him a nice double tap against tokened up aces, and his ability works on both shots. Leave the 3pts for initiative. You want to fire first against Whisper, especially with two PS9's, and move last against Soontir.

Try this

http://xwing-builder.co.uk/view/500255/poe-jake-stresshog#

Also, I acquired a Ghost last night (in addition to a ton of other stuff from a guy who wasn't playing anymore), so I might try that build with Jake as well.

Wait... what?!? Someone has a Ghost that was released... what, basically a month ago? And he's no longer playing?

And for the finding someone, be thankful you have a LGS... ask the owner if you can put up a flyer for recruiting people to play X-Wing on a particular night? Even if only 1 other person shows up, you can start something!

I've been running the exact list you posted in your original post for about 4 months now, logging about 20 games with it. I really like the list.

In fact I did a write up of a my rounds in a small local tournament here, I've got a lot of my general thoughts on the list here too...

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/218253-fat-han-and-jake-farrell-at-a-local-spring-kit-tournament/

Jake is awesome. While Tycho can get up to some crazy stuff, Jake's access to barrel roll is golden and what elevates him. To be fair though, both Awing aces have amazing abilities.

Prockets add some nice punch to Jake. The Awings biggest weakness is dealing with high agility enemies as 2 red die just isn't good when your spending that many points on a ship. Without them Jake can nibble someone to death and is still good. With then he can change the way they fly entirely and punch them in the face hard if they let him fire them.

I don't know if i missed someone suggesting it already but my poor man's C3P0 combo is Recon Specialist with Jan ORS. Ties you to doing the focus action but for that you get two tokens, one of which you can turn to an evade. You do not want to be blocked whereas threepio would still work.

All that said, Id just fly. Learning to position ships is a massive part of the game and you can be working on that without a single addition to what you already have while you collect some more.

Happy hunting.

I have a lot to reply to! I truly appreciate all the input. Y'all are generous to take the time to post all of this.

So, I actually got a couple of games in today. My first! The first one I played was against the guy who traded me all of his stuff, including the Ghost (I'm not sure if he pre-ordered it and then decided to quit or what, Grayfax). He was nice enough to play me despite the fact that he had renounced the game.

I ran my rogue squadron list (which the fine people on this forum have been helping me with on another thread) with Wes, Hobbie, and ol' Porkins. He ran my list with Han (Kyle, Kanan, PtL) and Jake (Prockets). I got pretty lucky and double stressed Jake with Stressbot Wes and Flechette torps right out of the gate. That pretty much neutered him and I took him out not long after with some concentrated fire. Never got the Prockets off. Han was a lot harder. He never got his cluster missiles off though and I ended up taking him out with just Porkins left. My opponent hadn't played in awhile and also didn't realize until later in the match that Kanan's ability could be used on the Falcon itself. This was a good match though just to get acquainted with the game.

The second game was very educational. I learned the hard way that the T-65 is not at all great at maneuvering. That, coupled with my being very green at this game, led to me getting pretty well stomped by a couple of Tie Defenders. That white 4 k-turn is sick. That's how you get better though. Porkins held it as long as he could. He couldn't hold it though... Anyway, I think flying the T-65's is a very helpful learning tool, and I will continue to do so. With that said, I want to fly some more maneuverable stuff in my next couple of games,

Which leads me to:
I traded for a K-Wing today for the TLT (the last missing piece for my stresshog). Once I started looking at the pilot's abilities and the ship itself (the K-Wing, that is), I realized that it's a pretty cool setup. I'll probably try to brew around it sometime, but I'll save that for another day. With my stresshog complete I put together the rest of the list that HueyNewton posted. I'm looking forward to trying it out.

C-3PO should be coming in the mail on Monday, so I'll try that Falcon build out with Jake too.

Also, I picked up some Integrated Astromechs today. That'll at least help my T-65's a little bit. Hopefully I'll fly them a little better next time too.

All in all it was a fun day and playing those two games has substantiated my thinking that I will really enjoy this game. I meant to go into a little more depth in this post but I have to get to bed. Thanks again for all the help so far!

Nice report. I'm in a similar position of only just starting up and this forum has given me tons of help. Your enthusiasm almost makes my Imperial fan-boy self want to run X-wings.