An old list idea I had. But now that I have the amount of Z-95s and after the release of Guidance Chips I thought about it again and came up with this:

I've faced a similar list some weeks ago and it totally oblitterated my Decimator/Firespray list. Though it's kind of the optimal list for them. It think it'll do good against U-boats aswell. Their alpha strike is quite awsome.

Though that list had Blount with thread tracers, 3 Tala Squad with ordanace and 2 Bandit with ordanance (I don't remember exacly which ordanance)

I think that list finished 3/11 participants with only swiss.

Thats good to hear

What do you think about the ordnance?

I prefer Assault missiles because they provide some table control and make short work of swarms.

I think the key is to have some diffrent missiles so some cluster missiles might work good aswell, especially against single target. 3x2 can deal som good damage.

Against Uboats yes. Against 2 ace pilots with pilotskill 10. Maybe.

This was very similar to the build I took to my first store tourney. I had been playing for about two months and it turned into a fiasco! Didn't remember pilot abilities, what cards I had and even set a dial backwards! Definitely a NPE that day. But I learned several valuable lessons. The two biggest ones being "know how to fly what you brought" and "know what you brought".

Flew a variation a couple of months back with Roark in a HWK and Blount and Cracken with Swarm Tactics. Three pilots shooting at PS 12 completely disjointed my opponent! The look on his face when I told him he needed green dice rather than the reds he grabbed went from confused to shock as he realised his Imp aces had been snookered. The build was fun but not what I consider very competitive. My opponent almost only flies Imperials and didn't know that the rebels have several pilots that have some VERY interesting abilities.

My opponent almost only flies Imperials and didn't know that the rebels have several pilots that have some VERY interesting abilities.

Lesson #3: Know what you didn't bring.

My opponent almost only flies Imperials and didn't know that the rebels have several pilots that have some VERY interesting abilities.

Lesson #3: Know what you didn't bring.

I haven't gotten to that chapter yet.

Before Wave 8 and Guidance Chips, I had a list very similar to what you had posted. It was -

Cracken, Squad Leader and Cluster Missiles (25)

Blount, Veteran Instincts, Assault Missiles (23)

3x Bandits w/Concussion Missiles, Munition Failsafe (17x3=51)

Total = 99 points

Keeping in mind this was before Wave 8 and Chips. Now, I would run the same list, but swap the Bandits for Talas with Chips instead of Munition Failsafes. Same price (99 points), Guidance chips are awesome with Concussion missiles, Cracken passes off 2 actions with the Clusters, plus he can pass one off with Squad Leader. I've splashed many a large ship before they've had a chance to even fire.

Set up for the Alpha, and then immediately peel off and hit your opponent from as many different directions as you can. Blount laughs at Aces with Stealth Devices, and the Assault missile in his hands is guaranteed to do at least 1 point of splash damage if someone is stupid enough to fly their ships close enough to the target.

The thing is, there's 22 potential dice coming across the board at you, from 5 ships with decent Pilot Skills (better than PS3 U-boats anyways). The trick is getting the Target Locks early, and dropping the ordnance asap. With Talas having the PS advantage, it's great, but the U-boats have Deadeye, which works in their favour..

The thing is, there's 22 potential dice coming across the board at you, from 5 ships with decent Pilot Skills (better than PS3 U-boats anyways). The trick is getting the Target Locks early, and dropping the ordnance asap. With Talas having the PS advantage, it's great, but the U-boats have Deadeye, which works in their favour..

Thats the reason I want to use the Tracer on Blount ^^

Blount (Draw Their Fire, Tracers)

Biggs (R4-D6, Plasma Torps, Guidance Chips)

Tala (Homing Missile, Guidance Chips)

2x Tala (Concussion Missile, Guidance Chips)

This has been my Z-95 missile swarm list of late. Biggs helps to ensure that Z's all survive long enough to get their shots off and Blount with DtF is there to help keep Biggs in the game for a little while longer.

The thing is, there's 22 potential dice coming across the board at you, from 5 ships with decent Pilot Skills (better than PS3 U-boats anyways). The trick is getting the Target Locks early, and dropping the ordnance asap. With Talas having the PS advantage, it's great, but the U-boats have Deadeye, which works in their favour..

Thats the reason I want to use the Tracer on Blount ^^

So, pardon the novice inquiry, how does this tracer card work? (assume I'm an idiot, not because I am (I am in so many things) but because I've never used them or seen them used).

You spend the focus token, to perform a 3 dice attack at an enemy in range 1-3. If the attack hits each friendly ship in range 1-2 around the ship which fired the tracer can aquire a target lock on the ship you shot at. The tracer deals no damage, hence cancel all dice results after you hit.

You spend the focus token, to perform a 3 dice attack at an enemy in range 1-3. If the attack hits each friendly ship in range 1-2 around the ship which fired the tracer can aquire a target lock on the ship you shot at. The tracer deals no damage, hence cancel all dice results after you hit.

OK, that makes sense now, thanks for the explanation! So I now get it that all friendly ships within range 1-2 of the user of this card can acquire a Target Lock even though they have already performed their action doing something else, thus the boost of this card. So the two benefits of this card is to 1) allow a group of ships to perform 2 actions (a target lock in addition to another previous action), and 2) ships without the target lock icon in their action bar can perform a target lock due to this modifier. Interesting.....

So I now see where this would be very useful against a large ship if you can hold your formation (all-be-it gratuitous spacing at range 2). I can see this modification would be somewhat of an useless card against enemy small ship squads.

You spend the focus token, to perform a 3 dice attack at an enemy in range 1-3. If the attack hits each friendly ship in range 1-2 around the ship which fired the tracer can aquire a target lock on the ship you shot at. The tracer deals no damage, hence cancel all dice results after you hit.

You don't actually have to spend the focus token to fire, you just have to have one (same as proton rockets).

Oh, you are right ^^'

Thats even better.

So, I can't decide which ordanance I should use.

1) Tracer, 2 Cluster, 2 Assault

2) Tracer, 4 Cluster

3) Tracer, 5 Assault

Blount (Draw Their Fire, Tracers)

Biggs (R4-D6, Plasma Torps, Guidance Chips)

Tala (Homing Missile, Guidance Chips)

2x Tala (Concussion Missile, Guidance Chips)

This has been my Z-95 missile swarm list of late. Biggs helps to ensure that Z's all survive long enough to get their shots off and Blount with DtF is there to help keep Biggs in the game for a little while longer.

This

I faced this recently (only all 3 tala's had concussions, and Biggs a proton + IA) and lost. Very tough fight and the list is really strong.

Blount (Draw Their Fire, Tracers)

Biggs (R4-D6, Plasma Torps, Guidance Chips)

Tala (Homing Missile, Guidance Chips)

2x Tala (Concussion Missile, Guidance Chips)

This has been my Z-95 missile swarm list of late. Biggs helps to ensure that Z's all survive long enough to get their shots off and Blount with DtF is there to help keep Biggs in the game for a little while longer.

This

I faced this recently (only all 3 tala's had concussions, and Biggs a proton + IA) and lost. Very tough fight and the list is really strong.

I have a friend who loves Z95's and will love this thread and will add to his collection to swarm them I'm gonna wager; so I have a future dilemma coming. So I have two questions:

1. What did you (or others) bring to the fight against this type of swarm and what was its overarching weakness?

I guess their biggest concern will be arc dodgers and turreted ships, since the dial on a Z-95 is quite limited. Stress is quite bad against them aswell, since if they're stressed they can't obtain target locks and by that can't shoot

[edit] Swarms might be a problem aswell if they don't have some assault missiles [/edit]

Important to note with the tracers, the ships who are gaining a target lock from it have to be in range of the target ship as well.