I may be over-simplifying this, but if I want to move last ("arc dodging" if opponent has a tied PS), then I don't want initiative. Otherwise, I do. Correct? I put more value in moving last than shooting first, but maybe that's me. Or maybe I just haven't used a build that this is more important with.

I'm also expecting this to get more complex if games in Swiss that were previously a draw become decided by initiative, though I am aware that it is already like this for the single elimination rounds. Though maybe this is outweighed by the in-game importance as draws are unlikely.

What's your logic for deciding if you prefer initiative or not? Also, how to you judge whether staying below 100pts is worth doing or not? Do you ever do that to get the choice so you can give the other player initiative?

I'm also assuming that if there are no tied PS values with opponents that you always want to take initiative? I can see Boba Fett messing up things by discarding PS modifying cards, but I imagine that's pretty situational.

Thanks.

I may be over-simplifying this, but if I want to move last ("arc dodging" if opponent has a tied PS), then I don't want initiative. Otherwise, I do. Correct? I put more value in moving last than shooting first, but maybe that's me. Or maybe I just haven't used a build that this is more important with.

I'm also expecting this to get more complex if games in Swiss that were previously a draw become decided by initiative, though I am aware that it is already like this for the single elimination rounds. Though maybe this is outweighed by the in-game importance as draws are unlikely.

What's your logic for deciding if you prefer initiative or not? Also, how to you judge whether staying below 100pts is worth doing or not? Do you ever do that to get the choice so you can give the other player initiative?

Thanks.

<100 Depends on the pilot im running and how important it is to move last with them. Also you need to take into account their PS and how many other pilots with same skill as you you expect to face. Soontir fell for instance wants an initiative bid. Additionally PS9 is fairly common so the bid is more important. But if your running someone at PS7 thats less common you may want to spend the full 100 even though you want to move last as the chances of facing many 7s is low.

All that matters in this game is that you can boost and barrel roll last. You don't need to be very good at the game to do well with Palp Aces, for example.

You want initiative in order to block with PS tied ships, when using a Phantom so you can ACD before the simultaneous return fire. In situations where they are no PS ties you can take initiative in order to rob your opponent of 2 of his 3 obstacles, in case he brought large ones or whatever.

Plasma Torpedoes and Reinforced Deflectors happen at the same time. If the player with Reinforced Deflectors has initiative, he will regenerate a shield just for it to be immediately taken away by the Plasma Torpedo ability.

Valen Rudor also works weird with initiative against things like TLT and Cluster Missiles. Is it when he has initiative that he can boost/BR away from the first shot in order to deny the second one? It's in the FAQ.

Well... it depends!

Initiative is one of those tricky X-Wing things where it can mean so many things to so many different lists!

For example I recently lost big to a triple Jumpmaster 5000 list. These guys operate at PS 3 and hit like a ton of bricks. They can also be pretty dodgy if you let them. What was my solution? Well I figured I could outbid them in the PS War, but maybe there was a better way? I took a squad of four Obsidian Squadron Pilots, who are also PS 3, and a fully kitted Whisper. I weighed in at a scant 96 points netting me initiative in all but the most extreme circumstances! So what happened? I was able to move first AND shoot first against those pesky JM5Ks! I was able to set up favourable blocks by virtue of moving first (indeed the only way you will ever block meaningfully!) as well as deliver a solid alpha strike against those who would alpha strike against me. I ended up losing because I'm a bumbling idiot and I haven't much experience with de-cloaking but the point is, I was able to influence that game by careful selection during list-building. Sure it was a hard counter to a list I knew I would face again soon, but the point remains. You can use init any ways you want. Soontir Fel is another great example of how initiative works in X-Wing. When Soontir is used he is usually run with PTL which allows him to proc his ability at will and either hide behind a token stack or reposition like the dickens. He is also PS 9 and since he loves PTL so much he is usually stuck there. So what do you want to do with him? You want to move last with him, because you always want the option with him to either hide behind tokens (which with some builds makes him almost immune to incoming fire ) or reposition with Boost + Barrel Roll to successfully arc dodge and still have a focus token to modify your attack with. Truly Soontir Fel is a well thought out pilot (from a design perspective) and although he can be very devastating, he still relies on one fundamental game mechanic to survive and that is initiative.

Definitely play around with the Pilot Skill meta in your area and see if you can surprise some people by sniping out their favourite PS band with a list of your own!

Building an initiative bid I to a list is very common. The size of the bid depends on the list though and just how important it is.

With simultaneous fire. Shooting second isn't a huge disadvantage usually. Main caveat being that crits dealt before you return fire take effect immediately and may affect your shot that turn.

Moving first or second is huge though and not just for arc dodgers. Obviously Fel really wants that dodging power but likewise with low PS blockers in both sides you may want to move first to get your actions and dictate the blocks.

Then you have card interactions.. if Whisper is on the other side at PS9, having your PS 9 shoot first before she cloaks is pretty huge.

You don't need to be very good at the game to do well with Palp Aces, for example.

Bollocks. I've seen people go with straight losses over the course of day with Palp Aces, precisely because they aren't very good. Palp Aces is hardly "point and click", as you are making it out to be. A degree of skill is still required.

EDIT: I'm not sure why I'm even bothering, given we all know your attitude towards this game....

All that matters in this game is that you can boost and barrel roll last. You don't need to be very good at the game to do well with Palp Aces, for example.

You want initiative in order to block with PS tied ships, when using a Phantom so you can ACD before the simultaneous return fire. In situations where they are no PS ties you can take initiative in order to rob your opponent of 2 of his 3 obstacles, in case he brought large ones or whatever.

Plasma Torpedoes and Reinforced Deflectors happen at the same time. If the player with Reinforced Deflectors has initiative, he will regenerate a shield just for it to be immediately taken away by the Plasma Torpedo ability.

Valen Rudor also works weird with initiative against things like TLT and Cluster Missiles. Is it when he has initiative that he can boost/BR away from the first shot in order to deny the second one? It's in the FAQ.

Completely forgot about the impact of initiative on asteroids. I've not played a tournament yet (first one on Sunday), and people don't seem to stress about asteroids so much in casual play. I don't think that would be a deciding factor in someone taking initiative or not, but it still adds up. Thanks for the reminder.

The times you might want initiative when there's a PS tie are when you have effects that trigger after you attack, that you want to trigger before your opponent can shoot you.

The most common is TIE Phantoms using Advanced Cloaking Device, but Turr Phennir is another.

Other examples where initnative is important:

Ordnance: When you want to move last to be able to be in traget lock range after finishing movement

Passing tokens: If you have a ship which can pass a token before another ship (for example Palob) can steal it from you

Draw: during knock out games in the cut

Initiative also, I believe, determines the order of actions which would happen simultaneously.

Taking two examples:

Oone Scum HWK pilot can reduce an opponent to PS0 at the start of the combat phase, whilst there are several ways you might boost a friendly ship's PS at the same moment (Decoy, Swarm Tactics, Roark Garnet) - who gets to trigger last is clearly important as they'll 'overwrite' the other's Pilot Skill change.

Another can steal a focus or evade token at the start of the combat phase. Guri receives a free focus at the same moment if within range 1 of an enemy; the order of resolution decides if that token is there to be stolen at the point Palob uses his ability...

Epsilon Leader and Chopper pilot is another similar situation.

More complicated than I thought. Seems it's not a simple decision to make and requires some thinking at the beginning of a match. That's alright though. I like high skill ceilings. "Easy to learn. Hard to master."

Depends on what I am running and what my oppent is running, if I am flying whisper and my oppenent has a ps9 ship I always want intiative. If my opponent is flying ships that can boost and barrel roll and I have ships of the same pilot skill then I want him to have intiative so I can place my ships after him and move after him.

Actually most of the time i dont want initiative. Why?

If you move first, tailing someone becomes a real **** chore. Especially if its a large ship, you constantly either slam into their butt or are forced to disengage because theres no available option to keep arc on them until they move.

Something I haven't seen mentioned is that initiative determines setup order, as well. If you and your opponent both have PS2 ships, you might give away initiative in order to force your opponent to set those ships up first, letting you react to their placement instead of vice-versa.