Imagine a chessboard
Knights , rooks, pawns, queens. A knight had an easier time attacking a queen than a pawn, because of its movement patterns. Each piece has a hallmark style, and limited options. So to with x wing do chassis have different movement types. Though many are far more similar than we tend to think. Consider each movement dial - they are all unique, but this doesn't mean our movements with each ship differ greatly. An X-wing and a Y-wing have more in common than the b-wing and a-wing. Even some pilots have movement styles altogether different than their counterparts. Soontir Fel and an alpha squadron interceptor are further removed in play than the iconic episode 4 rebel fighters.
While we can imagine a threatened zone similar to that of a chess piece for nearly every fighter (soontir' looks a little like a Fleur-de-lis 2 turns / 4 straight + boost/barrel) we can also group similar pieces together, their common load outs and attributes creating several classes of movement. It is the application of this that lends to tactics, traps and approaches.
Current dialogue separates ships and lists closely to set me of the pillars of movement type, without really explaining how to leverage the positioning possibilities. I am sure you've heard the terms "arc dodger", "turret" and "jouster" before, these work well for many ships, but fail to describe the movement of a great many ships. I'd like to add a few more, especially with the introduction of wave 9. "Tanks", "Trolls", and "scissors" amongst a few other niche builds - like the Fang Fighters that are drawn like magnets into the jaws of an enemy ship. There are also a few ships that fit into multiple categories, but manage neither category as well as a specialist ship, and certain upgrade cards / pilots can shift a ship to a different roll - PTL Engine BB8 Wedge functions more like an arc dodger than a jouster, but these shifts usually come at great cost.
So - what are the types and how do they move?
Jousters - Ships like the X-wing, with little or no after market maneuverability. These ships will always be within their previous positions arc after movement, and they tend to be drawn towards the enemy on the shortest line possible. Usually they will come in from the front, and k-turn after passing. On Average, you can expect that they will show us lots of 1 straights and banks while in range of an enemy ship - followed by a k-turn. Depending on the opponent you will see fast or slow closing moves (3 banks / 4 straights) - these ships rarely use the 2 speed maneuvers unless they need it for a corner / avoiding a bump / asteroid. They like to point towards where the enemy will be moving. These ships are good at blocking turrets, tanks and knife fighters. They struggle vs Arc dodgers, Trolls and Scissors.
Ships that generally fit in this category -
Rebel: T70Xwing, T65X-wing, Y-wing*, Z-95, E-wing, naked attack shuttle
Imperial: Tie Fighter, Tie Bomber, Tie Punisher, Tie Advanced, non ptl interceptors
Scum: Scyk, Kihraxz, G1-A, Z95, Y-wing*, missile U-boat
Arc Dodgers - Ships like the Tie Interceptor, with stacked maneuverability options - though they come in multiple flavours
The Kite - A ship that will stay at range 3 for protection, avoiding close quarters combat
The Ace - A ship that will stay out of arcs as possible
The Blocker - A ship that will get in the way of opponents arc dodging ships.
The Arc Dodger can be flown in different ways - but enjoys push the limit or other enhanced maneuverability options - often turning 90 degrees before boosting and rolling or moving at high speeds. These ships rarely perform 1 speed movements, and are often restricted to green maneuvers due to reliance on Push The Limit. They like to flank the opponent and while their final position can be hard to predict - their initial movement is often much easier to guess than people realize. They will often close with obstacles to take advantage of cover opportunities. PTL versions often telegraph a k-turn with the lack of PTL, which higher skilled players can use to feint a k-turn. These ships excel vs slower knife fighters, Trolls and Jousters - They often have enough tricks to deal with turrets.
Ships that generally fit in this category -
Rebel: A-wing, Dash Rendar, Sabine Wren (Attack shuttle).
Imperial: Tie interceptor, Tie Phantom, Tie Advanced Prototype, Juno Eclipse
Scum: Aggressor, Fang Fighter, Advanced Sensor / Cloaking Starvipers.
And ALL ENGINE UPGRADED large ships.
Turrets - Ships like the Millenium Falcon, that will often turn away from you, and kite around the edge of the battle. These ships care more about range and obstacles in between than arc - although a few of them are beholden to the arc for effects like Dengar / Autothrusters. Expect longer, faster moves and often turns, these ships will rarely pull a straight maneuver, unless they are running from, or alongside the battle. They tend to avoid slow moves unless it will cause a bump or they are out of arc or on approach. These ships will turn out of a fight, and do not mind being chased. Large based turrets often have trouble when pushed to the corners of the battlefield. These ships excel vs knife fighters, Scissors and Tanks.
Ships that generally fit in this category -
Rebel: HWK-290, Turreted Y-wing/Attack shuttle, Turreted Ghost, K-wing, YT2400/YT1300
Imperial: Decimator,
Scum: Hwk-290, Turreted Y-wing, JumpMaster, Pursuit Craft**
Tanks - These ships are slow and bulky, they move slowly They often have the ability to stop, and get in the way. They tend to have high HP, and will often turn into the path of the fight, or pursue the fight, trying to keep the battle in front of them. They will use self bumping and stop maneuvers. They will often delay movement in the beginning of a match. They function almost as a jouster - but are often accompanied by an additional ship type. They excel against scissors, jousters and knife fighters, and are quite weak to large numbers, turrets and arc dodgers
Ships that generally fit in this category -
Rebel: Ghost, ORS.
Imperial: Imperial Shuttle, Oicun
Scum: Yv-666, Bumpmaster
Trolls - These ships are equipped with an Auxilliary arc, and will bait the opponent for a chase. Expect to see them speed past a fight, or k-turn before a fight. Often attempting to gain an action advantage. These ships can also flank by turning away from the fight and barrel rolling. While they may seem like an acceptable jouster, they are at their best while dictating range and forcing the opponent to follow, often making an opening for the rest of a squad. They excel against turrets, jousters and arc dodgers, who will give chase. They rarely k-turn, unless it would lead to a positional advantage in future rounds. They will move at moderate speed - only flying at the quickest in early game, or at the merge, to leapfrog over an opponents force. Turrets can sometimes be flown as trolls, when arcs do not matter.
Ships that generally fit in this category -
Rebel: Arc-170
Imperial: Tie SF / Firespray
Scum: Firespray, Pursuit Craft,
Scissors - These are ships that can leapfrog back and forth in a manner unlike most other starships, giving them the ability to constantly get the drop on jousters and give arc dodgers a tougher time. Turrets usually do not care. Expect to see a large number of K-turns / Tallon rolls and or Sloops. They will fly towards open lanes and like to be at right angles to the opponent. depending on range, they will alternate straights and kturns.
Ships that generally fit in this category -
Rebel: Ghost w Hera Crew, Blue Ace, Ello Asty, certain Hobby and Jek porkins builds.
Imperial: Tie Defender,
Scum: NA
Knife Fighters - These ships like short moves, and can stay infighting closely, they have the ability to handle scissors and jousters, but can struggle vs arc dodgers when lower p.s. They are good at keeping turret ships in arc, but have trouble keeping range. They often have shorter K-turns or sloops and perform 1 turns.
Ships that generally fit in this category -
Rebel: B-wing
Imperial: Tie FO
Scum: Starviper
General P.S. interactions - Higher Pilot skill will arc dodge if it has aftermaneuver repositioning, especially if it will grant you a shot while denying the opponent. Lower P.S. will opt to block, or cover possible movement of an opposing ship type. In cases of greater HP / Action economy, ships not near death with higher HP will look to trade a better shot vs a worse one. Ships with Barrel roll Or Boost generally make better blockers - but are not necessarily arc dodgers. Barrel roll is essential for knife fighting - staying within the turn radius of other ships.
As you compare these ships with eachother, you'll notice that some features push them towards one category more than an other - the z-95 is almost a knife fighter with its shorter 3-kturn, but its lack of barrel roll and its fast recovery green banks make it inefficient at the knife fighting task, while the starviper can almost work as an arc dodger. The Tie fighter is almost a knife fighter as well, but lacks the 1 forward to keep it in a close space without turning out. While the Tie F0 lacks the short straights, it makes up for this with the tight Sloops.
Pay close attention to how each ship type likes to move - and some named pilots, and note what movements they rarely do. You can uses these rare movements to create opportunities - Tie Engine MKII soontir is far more slippery than expected because of access to those 3 banks, which are unusual to see. Print out the movement sets of each ship and black out the rare moves*** - and you'll find certain ships have movement tendancies - just like a knight, bishop or pawn. Knowing a ships common options can be extremely helpful, just don't let yourself believe you'll never see some of the lesser used movements.
*Naked Y-wing, without turret, rarely seen, ocasionally as a bomber/torp ship.
** really a hybrid of an arc dodger and a turret, simmilar to Dash Rendar.
***When was the last time you saw an A-wing do a 4 straight?