With Imperial Veterans underway to me via post, I started wondering what could a fun and at least semi-competitive triple Defender list be? I already have triple Ion Deltas and triple Onyxes with hull upgrades ready for testing, and I really want to try Ryad too. What do you think about the following?

Countess Ryad [39]

- Push The Limit

- TIE/x7

- Engine Upgrade

Onyx Squadron Pilot [31]

- TIE/x7

- Twin Ion Engine Mk. II

Delta Squadron Pilot [29]

- TIE/x7

- Twin Ion Engine Mk. II.

Points total: 99.

Please share your triple Defender list ideas too.

I will be trying this:

Delta Squadron Pilot (x2)

- Ion cannon

- TIE mkII

Delta Squadron Pilot

- Tractor beam

- TIE mkII

I don't think it will be competitive in any way, but at least reasonably effective.

My favorite so far is:

Countless Ryad w/ VI, Tie/x7, and Twin Ion Engine Mk.II

2x Glaive Squad w/Adaptability, Tie/x7, and Twin Ion Engine Mk.II

Marak, Adaptability, X7

Glaive, VI, X7

Glaive, VI, X7

99 points

Delta, x7 = 28

Delta, x7 = 28

Rex, TIE/D, Ion Cannon, Predator, Mk2 = 44

or

Delta, Ion Cannon, TIE/D = 33

Delta, Ion Cannon, TIE/D = 33

Ryad, x7, Lone Wolf = 34

A Triple D list I found to be pretty formidible is:

Onyx Squadron Pilot (x3)

- Hull Upgrade

- TIE/x7

These guys have 7 health each and get evades constantly, so they're sticking around for quite a while with their 3 attack dice each. Ships with low health or low evasion don't stay on the board for long when these annoying buggers are shooting it thrice with Target Lock backup.

With Imperial Veterans underway to me via post, I started wondering what could a fun and at least semi-competitive triple Defender list be? I already have triple Ion Deltas and triple Onyxes with hull upgrades ready for testing, and I really want to try Ryad too. What do you think about the following?

Countess Ryad [39]

- Push The Limit

- TIE/x7

- Engine Upgrade

Onyx Squadron Pilot [31]

- TIE/x7

- Twin Ion Engine Mk. II

Delta Squadron Pilot [29]

- TIE/x7

- Twin Ion Engine Mk. II.

Points total: 99.

Please share your triple Defender list ideas too.

Solid List!

Warning: Countess with engine and PTL is NOT easy to use. I suggest practicing with her to familiarize yourself with her crazy movement shenanigans. She requires a bit of 'out-of-the-box-thinking' to get the most benefit out of her.

Delta, x7 = 28

Delta, x7 = 28

Rex, TIE/D, Ion Cannon, Predator, Mk2 = 44

or

Delta, Ion Cannon, TIE/D = 33

Delta, Ion Cannon, TIE/D = 33

Ryad, x7, Lone Wolf = 34

I really like that 1st list! I'm inclined to trade Ion Cannon for a tractor beam because that will give you a slight increase in damage potential in the early part of the game. It also lets you put hull upgrade on Rexler to keep him in the game a teeny bit longer.

A Triple D list I found to be pretty formidible is:

Onyx Squadron Pilot (x3)

- Hull Upgrade

- TIE/x7

These guys have 7 health each and get evades constantly, so they're sticking around for quite a while with their 3 attack dice each. Ships with low health or low evasion don't stay on the board for long when these annoying buggers are shooting it thrice with Target Lock backup.

This is a really durable list for sure. I've used it quite a few times, but ultimately, it is not quite as good as:

Glaive Pilot (x3)

-crack shot

-X-7 title

Two reasons why this list is superior:

1) crack shot lets you remove a serious threat quickly. Getting an enemy ship off the board quickly makes it very difficult for the enemy to actually remove defenders from the board (the best defense is a strong offense often holds true in X-wing, and in particular applies to TIE Defenders). Besides, X-7 defenders are already quite strong in the defense department. Getting the extra offensive ooomph will pay off every single game.

2) Pilot Skill. Pilot Skill 6 is really great in the current meta. Pilot Skill 3 is not that important. It does nothing against aces, is a complete waste against crack swarms and although its nice to shoot at the same time as torpedo scouts, its overall benefit in that particular matchup is a bit of a wash. Pilot Skill 6 on the other hand is incredibly useful against crack swarms and u-boats. Its a waste against high PS aces sure, but crack shot is absolute gold against high agility targets that would be otherwise difficult for X-7 defenders to punch damage through.

This is what I am thinking.

Defenders (100)

Glaive Squadron Pilot (32) - TIE Defender

Adaptability (0), TIE/x7 (-2)

Countess Ryad (33) - TIE Defender

Veteran Instincts (1), TIE/x7 (-2)

Glaive Squadron Pilot (35) - TIE Defender

Adaptability (0), Tractor Beam (1), TIE/D (0)

All PS7. One with a Tractor Beam to lower agility for a found everyone else getting evades. Green K turns at any speeds. Should be fun and hopefully potent.

Delta, x7 = 28

Delta, x7 = 28

Rex, TIE/D, Ion Cannon, Predator, Mk2 = 44

or

Delta, Ion Cannon, TIE/D = 33

Delta, Ion Cannon, TIE/D = 33

Ryad, x7, Lone Wolf = 34

These are some nice lists!

being Devils advocate here tho

You can get:

Delta Squadron Pilot (30)

Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

TIE/x7 (-2)

Delta Squadron Pilot (30)

Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

TIE/x7 (-2)

Colonel Vessery (35)

Veteran Instincts (1)

Ion Cannon (3)

Hull Upgrade (3)

TIE/D (0)

Total: 100

Its basically the same list but your trading Rex's situational ability for a hull upgrade on Vessery.

I know its dependent on the Deltas grabbing a target lock etc. Its just a thought.

This is the list I've been having fun with:

39 Vessery w/ Ruthlessness, Tractor, TIE/D.

33 Delta w/ IonC, TIE/D.

28 Delta w/ X7.

I pinched it from somewhere else and have been playing it a bit on vassal.

This is the list I've been having fun with:

39 Vessery w/ Ruthlessness, Tractor, TIE/D.

33 Delta w/ IonC, TIE/D.

28 Delta w/ X7.

I pinched it from somewhere else and have been playing it a bit on vassal.

Yeah, that's Kinetic Operator's DVD list.

The problems it has are: a) getting that first turn TL with the X-7 delta to 'power up' Vessery. b) not losing Vessery early since he's the obvious first target.

Not a bad list at all though. Ruthlessness is great vs swarms, but if you see lots of high PS aces, outmaneouvre on Vessery is a better choice.

Keeping it simple.

Pilots

Maarek Stele (40)

TIE Defender (35)

Tractor beam (1)

Predator (3)

TIE/D (0)

Twin Ion Engine Mk. II(1)

Delta Squadron Pilot (29)x 2

TIE Defender (30)

TIE/x7 (-2)

Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Deltas are still bad imo...

Ryad w/X7, TIE Engine, Adaptability +1

Vessery w/X7, TIE Engine

Glaive w/X7, TIE Engine

I have a few variations of that I'm going to test out, but I think that's my new go to list...

this maybe?

Delta Squadron Pilot — TIE Defender 30 Engine Upgrade 4 TIE/x7 -2 Ship Total: 32

Delta Squadron Pilot — TIE Defender 30 Engine Upgrade 4 TIE/x7 -2 Ship Total: 32

Glaive Squadron Pilot — TIE Defender 34 Adaptability 0 Engine Upgrade 4 TIE/x7 -2 Ship

Total: 36

this maybe?

Delta Squadron Pilot — TIE Defender 30 Engine Upgrade 4 TIE/x7 -2 Ship Total: 32

Delta Squadron Pilot — TIE Defender 30 Engine Upgrade 4 TIE/x7 -2 Ship Total: 32

Glaive Squadron Pilot — TIE Defender 34 Adaptability 0 Engine Upgrade 4 TIE/x7 -2 Ship

Total: 36

Low to mid PS repositioning has almost no value, you're better off looking for different uses for those 12 points...

Low to mid PS repositioning can be extremely useful for blocking and pre-engagement positioning.

Col Vessery

Tie D

Tractor Beam

Adaptability

Glaive

X7

Glaive

X7

Had great fun with this list at a recent comp, got me second place too

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/223482-imperial-veterans-trip-ds-fly-my-red-prettys/

So many triple Defender ideas. So many.

I've been going with:

Here was my thought:

Countess Ryad (36)

TIE Defender (34), Tractor beam (1), Veteran Instincts (1), TIE/D (0)

Glaive Squadron Pilot (32) x 2

TIE Defender (34), Adaptability (0), TIE/x7 (-2)

All three are PS 7, Countess shoots first with Tractor Beam then again with title and then two glaive shots (hopefully Tractor Beam hit). If they are targeting one ship he will likely be gone.

Here's what I came up with, but I don't know if it's better than the posted 2 glaives with X7 and Ion and countess with VI.

Countess Ryad (34)

This is a really durable list for sure. I've used it quite a few times, but ultimately, it is not quite as good as:

Glaive Pilot (x3)

-crack shot

-X-7 title

I've been playing around with this one quite a bit and like it, but often seem to have trouble with my engage strategy to get all guns on target and not get one of them really beat up by aces on approach. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to share any tips for setup and approach with this one. Or even better, point to any vassal logs of you using it? (Pretty please? )

Said it before, but I'm excited for

Maarek Stele (Veteran Instincts, TIE/x7)

2x Delta Sq. Pilot (Ion Cannon, TIE/D)

I think having heavy-hitting grunts with an evasive semi-ace is the way to go. I might drop VI to give Maarek a) Crackshot for more offense, or b) Cool Hand for more dial options and less predictability.

Countess Ryad (Tie/D, VI, Tractor Beam) -> or Glaive if you prefer PS8 over Short Green K-Turns.

Delta Squad Pilot (Tie/D, TIEMk2, Tractor Beam)

Delta Squad Pilot (Tie/D, TIEMk2, Tractor Beam)

My theory:

Stacked tractor reduce agility further and you can throw a small ship around obstacles and change your range for the double-tap.

Also, double tap on all 3 to cover off agility reduction on multi-target attacks.

(Edited: Agility Reduction Stacking - Confirmed it in FAQ)

This is a really durable list for sure. I've used it quite a few times, but ultimately, it is not quite as good as:

Glaive Pilot (x3)

-crack shot

-X-7 title

I've been playing around with this one quite a bit and like it, but often seem to have trouble with my engage strategy to get all guns on target and not get one of them really beat up by aces on approach. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to share any tips for setup and approach with this one. Or even better, point to any vassal logs of you using it? (Pretty please? )

Some of my Defender vlogs are available from the VASSAL league season 1:

http://xwingvassal.challonge.com/deepcore

The only match I used Crack Glaives was against dom_xwing. He was flying a 6 TIE crack swarm. I would say my approach in that game was okay. I made one mistake where one of my Defenders was slightly too far away to shoot (a 4 straight would've been the right move). After that though, I think I flew quite well and the end result reflected that.

I think the best part about my approach in that game is how I managed to spread out my 3 ships before the first turn of shooting. I am a firm believer that Defenders work best when they have room to operate between them and use different angles to attack the enemy. This does three things: 1) its harder for higher PS enemies to dodge all the arcs; 2) your ships do not bump into each other when your opponent pulls a surprise move/block; 3) it makes it easier to k-turn with all of your ships as they each get their own 'lane' to fight in.

Other matches from that link where I used triple TIE defenders (but not triple crack glaives):

---vs Karolpie: I think I aced the opening exchange catching him completely offguard with surprise blocks. The most useful part of this match in terms of learning how to beat aces with Defenders is the endgame where my two Onyx take on his lone Inquisitor and I manage to 'bully' him into either trading range 1 shots or fleeing.

---vs assorted needles: I flew pretty awful this game and basically demonstrate how NOT to fly Defenders against aces.

---vs blairbunke: not a bad approach, although one of my defenders ends up having to break off and gets chased around a bit in the early part of the game. After that though, I think I did a good job of getting favourable shooting exchanges where my defenders are able to shrug off limited incoming shots and sneak damage through a bit at a time.

---vs pheaver: I screw up the opening in this match (I mixed up two of my defender dials---a mistake I'm usually careful to avoid!). He also does a good job predicting some of my moves early on and manages to remove a defender fairly early. A lucky shot puts me back in the game and we play a bit cat & mouse until I manage a surprise 1 bank that caught him offguard and allowed me to make a range 1 unanswered shot that leads to victory.

---vs Mr Sunol: I feel I got the approach spot on, but I screw up on the 2nd turn of shooting when Sunol pulls some surprise 1 hard turns with his TIE fighters that leave my defenders with their pants down. Even so, I think I screwed up target priority; I really should've focussed on Whisper. This match also showed me the principle weakness of the Triple Onyx w/ hull list: its firepower is just not quite potent enough to put reliable damage into high agility-based lists on a consistent basis. This is the main reason I prefer the X-7 glaives with crackshot.