AGRESSIVE DEFENDERS

100 points

PILOTS

Maarek Stele (40)
TIE Defender (35), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Rexler Brath (42)
TIE Defender (37), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Sienar Test Pilot (18)
TIE Advanced Prototype (16), Autothrusters

Doubt it will be competitive but we shall see

OGP with Palpatine

Standard 31 point Inquisitor

Vessery with VI, Engine Upgrade, TIE/x7

98 points.

I don't think Ryad's ability with PtL is as useful as Vessery's ability to get that same token stack without stress at a higher PS for less points.

As much as I've been disregarding Ryad and saying she's just an inferior Vessery, you can do a 2 K-Turn followed by a boost to do a sub-1 speed K-Turn. She has that going for her.

I'd fly a list I've been running around with.

Col. Vessary:

-Ion Cannon

-IPM

-VI

-Tie/D title

-Twin Ion Mk II

Omega Ace:

-Stealth Device

-Comm Relay

-Juke

Omega Leader:

-Comm Relay

-Juke

-Stealth Device.

Yes, I know how quickly greens fail and how tough the action economy is for the Ace, but I don't use him for his ability(though cracking it open has been fun to see).

*edit: forgot my mk II engines.

So many things.

I am currently enamored by

Delta/Ion/D

Delta/Ion/D

Ryad/Lone Wolf/x7

and

Rexler Brath/Ion/D/Lone Wolf/Hull Upgrade

Maarek Stele/Ion/D/Predator

Wampa

Are you properly astonished that you need only one Aces Pack to run lists like this?

'cuz I am.

And I'm dang happy about it, too.

AGRESSIVE DEFENDERS

100 points

PILOTS

Maarek Stele (40)

TIE Defender (35), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Rexler Brath (42)

TIE Defender (37), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Sienar Test Pilot (18)

TIE Advanced Prototype (16), Autothrusters

Doubt it will be competitive but we shall see

The closest thing to a weak spot in that list is the Test Pilot, and it's far from impossible to swap that out for something else as desired later. One of the named TIEs, for example; with so many Tractor Beams flying about you might be better able to capitalise on Mauler Mithel's range-1 bonus, perhaps, or swap a beam for something meatier (Ion cannons, perhaps?) and fly a TIE/FO as a blocker... So many options!

And you haven't even started iterating between the different Defenders, yet.

Assuming the OP means in a 100 point list, I've been anticipating something like this:

Colonel Vessery (38 points)

Tractor Beam

Veteran Instincts

TIE/D

TIE Mk II

Rexlar Brath (44 points)

Ion Cannon

Push the Limit

TIE/D

TIE Mk II

Wampa (14 points)

TL/Focus with Rexlar, focus with the Colonel, Wampa mostly Evades and acts like a pseudo-Biggs. During combat Vessery shoots first, likely applying that tractor beam token, followed up by his primary, Rexlar's double tap (with likely Ion token), and Wampa hopefully survives long enough to get a shot or two in. If you roll a crit with him, all the better.

Should be 4 points left, possibly for a missile on one of the Defenders (Vessery, most likely, since he can use a prior TL to fire, get another, and use it to modify the attack), or maybe a Stealth Device or Hull/Shield on Wampa just to frustrate the opponent. You could also swap Wampa out for Howlrunner, leaving you at an even 100 and with a reroll on the Defenders' primary weapon attacks. She'd likely function much like Wampa as a bullet sponge, though she'd also fire and move on the same PS as the Defenders, which would be super handy.

Targeting Computer on Wampa and a 2 point Initiative bid!

I actually considered that, but his PS is rather low, making it harder for him to TL something useful, and it costs him a valuable action. However, it would let him reroll his dice if he doesn't get a crit, amplifying his ability. That adding to his scary factor and increasing his cost by a couple points to make him a bit more tempting of a target might boost his pseudo-Biggs role.

Vessery enjoys his PS 4 target lock and Wampa enjoys having twice as many dice rolls to find that crit with.

Soontir, standard build

Inky, ditto

Ryad, x7 + juke

In theory, three ships with reasonable to excellent survivability, none of which you want harrying your flanks. In practice, my limited experience with aces will prove a problem.

The triple 8s list is tempting in a vacuum, but locally the 5x awing list has a lot of practitioners, and omega is not happy in a match where he has to deal with lots of attacks backed by crackshot

I have a video covering the Wave 4 Special I am thinking of bringing out once Veterans hits but what are you guys running?

Kris

FYI, Kris, I'm pretty sure the Wave 4 Special ish an illegal list. TIE Shuttle can't take LRS, because it loses all the slots that are a requirement for LRS.

Im still not sold on the PTL thing on defenders. Especially for the tie/d ones because it doesnt help both their shots.

Ruthlessness seems like a vastly better option. Or Predator, since that lets them reroll for both attacks (albeit one die)

Marksmanship works across both attacks.

AGRESSIVE DEFENDERS

100 points

PILOTS

Maarek Stele (40)

TIE Defender (35), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Rexler Brath (42)

TIE Defender (37), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Sienar Test Pilot (18)

TIE Advanced Prototype (16), Autothrusters

Doubt it will be competitive but we shall see

So you want Maarek to have Marksmanship. It modifies both attacks and synergizes with his ability

Then you want Vessery with VI or Adaptability in order to fire before Maarek does in order to strip shields for him. Sorry Rexlar. T_T

Then you put the TIE V1 title on the STP, in order to be better TL buddy for Vessery and live longer himself. Maybe also thread tracers.

AGRESSIVE DEFENDERS

100 points

PILOTS

Maarek Stele (40)

TIE Defender (35), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Rexler Brath (42)

TIE Defender (37), Tractor beam (1), Predator (3), TIE/D (0), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Sienar Test Pilot (18)

TIE Advanced Prototype (16), Autothrusters

Doubt it will be competitive but we shall see

The closest thing to a weak spot in that list is the Test Pilot, and it's far from impossible to swap that out for something else as desired later. One of the named TIEs, for example; with so many Tractor Beams flying about you might be better able to capitalise on Mauler Mithel's range-1 bonus, perhaps, or swap a beam for something meatier (Ion cannons, perhaps?) and fly a TIE/FO as a blocker... So many options!

And you haven't even started iterating between the different Defenders, yet.

yeah, its the question of what do you do about Uboats and my thinking is to use him as a blocker, hence PS 2. Ether that or bare Alpha squad pilot

Vessery, OL, Inquisitor.

Which I have dubbed my H8ful Eights. Because pilot skill.

I had the same idea except mine is called Crazy 8s.

Guess great minds think alike?

Im still not sold on the PTL thing on defenders. Especially for the tie/d ones because it doesnt help both their shots.

Ruthlessness seems like a vastly better option. Or Predator, since that lets them reroll for both attacks (albeit one die)

Marksmanship works across both attacks.

Problem with marksman is it doesnt work defensively. I used to take it often in my early days but every **** time i used it i'd roll 0 eyes on attack and all eyes on defense.

Im still not sold on the PTL thing on defenders. Especially for the tie/d ones because it doesnt help both their shots.

Ruthlessness seems like a vastly better option. Or Predator, since that lets them reroll for both attacks (albeit one die)

Marksmanship works across both attacks.

Problem with marksman is it doesnt work defensively. I used to take it often in my early days but every **** time i used it i'd roll 0 eyes on attack and all eyes on defense.

The way I look at it, Marksmanship sort of counts for 2 actions, since you have two shots, but they're flexible. You get the kicker of about a 75% chance of getting a crit off of an eyeball for your primary attack, not counting the chances of a natural eyeball.

Predator counts for about one action (2 half actions on each attack), but leaves you your regular action, so you can Barrel Roll or use Focus for defense, or use Focus on top of a re-roll for attack. You have a pretty decent chance of getting a crit the old-fashioned way anyway, if you're really interested in Maarek's ability. I could see going Marksmanship for him, and I don't think I'd tell anyone it was a bad idea, but I like Predator better. Getting those re-rolls on both attacks is pretty rough.

Vessery, OL, Inquisitor.

Which I have dubbed my H8ful Eights. Because pilot skill.

Was crushed by Imperial Aces with emperor

Bossk and Dengar

I was toying with these two;

Palp Aces (99pts):

Ryad (x7,PTL, Twin Ion Engines) 36

Black Leader (Juke, Comm, Shield Upgrade) 30

Captain Yorr (Palps, Tactical Jammer) 33

Yet Another X-Wing Squadron Builder

Crushing Royalty (100pts):

Ryad (x7,PTL, Twin Ion Engines) 36

Captain Oicunn (Palps, Mara Jade, Intimidation, Shield Upgrade, Prox Mines, Dauntless) 54

Yet Another X-Wing Squadron Builder

Im still not sold on the PTL thing on defenders. Especially for the tie/d ones because it doesnt help both their shots.

Ruthlessness seems like a vastly better option. Or Predator, since that lets them reroll for both attacks (albeit one die)

Marksmanship works across both attacks.

Problem with marksman is it doesnt work defensively. I used to take it often in my early days but every **** time i used it i'd roll 0 eyes on attack and all eyes on defense.

The way I look at it, Marksmanship sort of counts for 2 actions, since you have two shots, but they're flexible. You get the kicker of about a 75% chance of getting a crit off of an eyeball for your primary attack, not counting the chances of a natural eyeball.

Predator counts for about one action (2 half actions on each attack), but leaves you your regular action, so you can Barrel Roll or use Focus for defense, or use Focus on top of a re-roll for attack. You have a pretty decent chance of getting a crit the old-fashioned way anyway, if you're really interested in Maarek's ability. I could see going Marksmanship for him, and I don't think I'd tell anyone it was a bad idea, but I like Predator better. Getting those re-rolls on both attacks is pretty rough.

What do you think about Engine Upgrade on Ryad? Do a 2K, and boost back to almost your original position.

I dismissed Ryad, but after using Vessery with Engine Upgrade I was boosting after 4K's constantly. Having that ability on a 2k seems nice. Since you can angle boost, it doesn't matter that much if you only destress on k's and straights since you can change your angle with boost, and then K and change it again. Assuming PtL use, of course.

Im still not sold on the PTL thing on defenders. Especially for the tie/d ones because it doesnt help both their shots.

Ruthlessness seems like a vastly better option. Or Predator, since that lets them reroll for both attacks (albeit one die)

Marksmanship works across both attacks.

Problem with marksman is it doesnt work defensively. I used to take it often in my early days but every **** time i used it i'd roll 0 eyes on attack and all eyes on defense.

The way I look at it, Marksmanship sort of counts for 2 actions, since you have two shots, but they're flexible. You get the kicker of about a 75% chance of getting a crit off of an eyeball for your primary attack, not counting the chances of a natural eyeball.

Predator counts for about one action (2 half actions on each attack), but leaves you your regular action, so you can Barrel Roll or use Focus for defense, or use Focus on top of a re-roll for attack. You have a pretty decent chance of getting a crit the old-fashioned way anyway, if you're really interested in Maarek's ability. I could see going Marksmanship for him, and I don't think I'd tell anyone it was a bad idea, but I like Predator better. Getting those re-rolls on both attacks is pretty rough.

What do you think about Engine Upgrade on Ryad? Do a 2K, and boost back to almost your original position.

I dismissed Ryad, but after using Vessery with Engine Upgrade I was boosting after 4K's constantly. Having that ability on a 2k seems nice. Since you can angle boost, it doesn't matter that much if you only destress on k's and straights since you can change your angle with boost, and then K and change it again. Assuming PtL use, of course.

I like it a lot, actually (assuming x7 title). Better than Mk2 engines. It's wonky, as you only have straight destressing moves, but it's also completely nuts in its maneuverability. It really makes it easy to grab a lot of TL/Focus Range 1 shots, too, which makes Ryad hit way harder than most conventional aces. It gives her excellent pre-combat maneuvering, too. You can really get into good positions with the Defender dial plus boost. I'll say I wasn't really a believer until I actually tried it myself. Just for grins, try her against a couple of Uboats starting at close range, loosely simulating the loss of 60 points of Ryad's squad for 33 points of Scout. It's a hard match, but you start thinking it's pretty doable if you're on your game and get a touch lucky. With asteroids, great arc-dodging skills, a solid gun, defensive tokens, and 4 speeds of K-turns to do, you've got a chance. This also works against Crackswarms to a degree. She's just a filthy closer against 2 major legs of the meta, and is merely a good jouster and blocker against the other leg.

Delta Tie/D - 30 - 33

Ion Cannon - 3

Delta Tie/D - 30 - 33

Ion Cannon - 3

Carnor Jax - 26 -34

Royal Guard Tie - 0

Push The Limit - 3

Autothrusters - 2

Stealth Device - 3

I've been running this a while and seems to give good options for a variety of lists. Carnor can either buddy up with the defender joust line to deny actions or he can act as an independent flanker.

I was toying with these two;

Palp Aces (99pts):

Ryad (x7,PTL, Twin Ion Engines) 36

Black Leader (Juke, Comm, Shield Upgrade) 30

Captain Yorr (Palps, Tactical Jammer) 33

Yet Another X-Wing Squadron Builder

Crushing Royalty (100pts):

Ryad (x7,PTL, Twin Ion Engines) 36

Captain Oicunn (Palps, Mara Jade, Intimidation, Shield Upgrade, Prox Mines, Dauntless) 54

Yet Another X-Wing Squadron Builder

I don't think you can put Palp and mara jade on Captain Oicunn. Doesn't Palp take both crew slots?

You can put palp and 1 other on a decimator since it has 3 crew, but a shuttle has 2 so you cant do that. Palp takes 2 slots

I was toying with these two;

Palp Aces (99pts):

Ryad (x7,PTL, Twin Ion Engines) 36

Black Leader (Juke, Comm, Shield Upgrade) 30

Captain Yorr (Palps, Tactical Jammer) 33

Yet Another X-Wing Squadron Builder

Crushing Royalty (100pts):

Ryad (x7,PTL, Twin Ion Engines) 36

Captain Oicunn (Palps, Mara Jade, Intimidation, Shield Upgrade, Prox Mines, Dauntless) 54

Yet Another X-Wing Squadron Builder

I don't think you can put Palp and mara jade on Captain Oicunn. Doesn't Palp take both crew slots?

Oicunn has 3 crew slots.

A triple Defender build. Not sure which one quite yet.

As a fan of TIE fighter (it was my first Star Wars video game) I have to run TIE/x7 Maarek Stele with two Ion TIE/D Deltas. One point left means either Veteran Instincts or Crack Shot on Stele. Can't wait!