So I play a lot of Armada, but I have a decent number of X-wing games under my belt as well, and I think I could really get into it. It's much easier to learn, faster gameplay, and I think I could get my non-gaming friends to play a game pretty easily. The issue I have is that I haven't bought in to X-wing and Armada costs a lot. So for now, I'm looking for what a quick, relatively cheap buy in options I have to assemble a decently competitive list that I could take to a tourney and win some/lose some/have fun without getting totally wrecked.

My constraints:

I exclusively play rebels (though I get the concept of buying Imp/scum for upgrades)

I like flightier lists with multiple activations (2 As and an X/T70 would be ideal in my mind, but not set in stone)

Looking to stay under $100, including a Starter set. Retail or online for costing

In games I've played, I've been pretty good at predicting opponent maneuvers to prevent actions and shots on my ships while getting to take my own actions.

Ebay is your best bet to get stuff 2nd hand and for cheaper than retail. http://xwing-builder.co.uk/buildwill let you build a squad and tell you what sets you would need to make that squad.

Do you want to play in sanctioned tournaments? I expect not for the money you want to lay down. If the answer is indeed no then my advice is proxy. Go to http://xwing-miniatures.wikia.com/wiki/X-Wing_Miniatures_Wikiand print out any cards you want to use as proxies. Then you will only have to buy the models you want and you can print everything you dont want to buy.

If you do want to play competitive I would say you can buy individual cards off of ebay from some places so do that becasue proxies will not be allowed at official events. Also making friends and borrowing stuff from them is a cheaper route to go than buying everything.

Based on your stated intentions, if you purchase new stuff, I recommend the following:

TFA Core Set, Rebel Aces, Imperial Aces

This gives you enough to fly a decent Rebel list, and enough Imperial ships to have a fair casual game at home. My first tournament list is below. I placed 7th out of 14, and all the cards except Veteran Instincts come from the packs listed above. Add an A-wing expansion to better fit the style of play you described above.

Jake Farrell (31) - A-Wing

Veteran Instincts (1), Proton Rockets (3), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Push The Limit (3)

Poe Dameron (36) - T-70 X-Wing

Push The Limit (3), BB-8 (2)

Keyan Farlander (33) - B-Wing

Opportunist (4)

always start with a K

outfits your Ys with TLTs and, more importantly, gives you an incredibly powerful out the box ship in Miranda with TLTs (more stuff can later be added to make her even better!)

the K itself seems slow dial-wise, but when you factor in the clutch SLAM actions it gets real **** speedy when it needs to be

also extra munitions and conners

always start with a K

outfits your Ys with TLTs and, more importantly, gives you an incredibly powerful out the box ship in Miranda with TLTs (more stuff can later be added to make her even better!)

the K itself seems slow dial-wise, but when you factor in the clutch SLAM actions it gets real **** speedy when it needs to be

also extra munitions and conners

Seconded. The K-Wing is one of the most fun ships you can get for the Rebels. Finally got myself a second one just because of how much fun the first one was.

totally worth it

they look amazing

and they play amazing

(good ole chopper crew)

Thanks all for the link and suggestions. I'll probably chew on it for a bit