So I've noticed the growing popularity of mind link lists, so thought I'd have a stab at one. You know just to see what the fuss is about. Let me know what you think won't be flying it till Tuesday.

Fenn Rau (28)

Mind link (1)

Title (1)

Auto thrusters (2)

Kavil (24)

Mind link (1)

Tlt (6)

R4 agro (2)

Manaroo

Mind link (1)

Unhinged astro (1)

K4 security (3)

Kavil should be getting 2 Damage a turn, fenn hits hard and manaroo is just a pain especially with the free target locks to pass about. This sits at 97 points thinking of giving Kavil some plasma torps for that extra kick any other suggestions?

I've seen this list before and its ok-ish. The main problem is that Kavil is the obvious first target. He can be destroyed relatively easy and then you are down to 2 ships. personally, I would use the last few points to either put vectored thrusters on Kavil to help move him to safe spots, or put APL on Manaroo and get her in the opponent's face as a way to protect kavil.

I was wondering if it would work using manaroo as a blocker. What would you suggest using instead of kavil?

Well, you could try it with Kavil first and see how it goes. Definitely blocking with Manaroo when it seems advantageous is a good idea.

If you end up not liking Kavil, there's always Old Teroch (which in fact is the more popular version of this particular list).

Talonbane Cobra!

Needs more Teroch. As much as i like to see variety with lists Terry has saved my rear more times than I can count. Plus pulling a perfect pincer with him and fenn is wonderful. Strip all the tokens then slap them with 9 fully modded dice. Cue maniacal laughter.

I've thought of a variant using 4lom with with wired and zuckas crew to throw stress every where. Also put tactian instead of k4 on manaroo to try and get aces double stressed. Give her some plasmas and an agro mech for that hard hit when needed. Would also mean her two attack would have more chance of being double hits.

I'll chime in and say Kavil isn't overwhelmingly good. For 33 points you can get a slim Guri, who has more synergy with mindlink, or Palob, who has the same going for him with less survivability and probably less damage. His ability however is Old Terroch on steroids.

I'll chime in and say Kavil isn't overwhelmingly good. For 33 points you can get a slim Guri, who has more synergy with mindlink, or Palob, who has the same going for him with less survivability and probably less damage. His ability however is Old Terroch on steroids.

Kavil isn't bad, really. I think it comes down to a few factors. One is your ability as a player to protect him (tweaking the list for this purpose can help). Compared to other ships in the same price range, he does have one significant advantage: his damage output is higher than anything else. Combine his ability with mindlink and R4 agromech, and suddenly his TLT is about as close as 'guaranteed 2 damage' that you can get, even ships with autothrusters are not safe from him...

So as I mentioned above, using vectored thrusters on him to help position him better (to protect him from enemy shooting) and/or guarantee his TLT shots have targets goes a long way. Also, using your other ships relative position can help too. Of course, you also have to be a bit careful with Fenn too, or your opponent can burn him down instead of Kavil...

Long story short, this is a finesse list that requires an experienced player to get the most out of, but admittedly, there probably are more efficient lists out there...

What about Kavil + Mindlink + Dorsal Turret + Vectored Thrusters + Unhinged? Unhinged lets him use that 3-turn + a barrel roll to dodge away and make him very elusive without stressing the whole list, Dorsal meshes well with his ability (not that TLT doesn't, but TLT is expensive!) and lets him roll four modded dice at R1.

It's also two points cheaper, letting you place a Feedback Array on Manaroo.

I mean, yeah, I'd prefer Palob myself, but I have a friend who doesn't own an HWK and really liked the Y-Wing, so he's always using Kavil... and getting a little tired of it dying every game.

I run a mindkinked Palob with Manaroo and Fenn. I intentional keep a bid, because I want to guarantee that Fenn moves last.

I've never flown Old Teroch, but suspect he works like Palob. Either force your opponent to never take evade or focus tokens for fear of Palob. Use vectored thrusters to position him where he needs to be, and Dengar for a nearly guaranteed two points of damage each turn.

And yes, Manaroo is absolutely a blocker. I've defeated lists I probably shouldn't have by blocking with Manaroo and prohibiting enemy actions. I all but one turned a Lancer in a league game. Positioned Manaroo perfectly in the way, Fenn was R1 and received a focus and TL for the Lancer. He dropped 5 points of damage. Palob dropped two more hits, and Manaroo finished it off with feedback array. I believe Palob had done two points of damage on a previous turn.

What about Kavil + Mindlink + Dorsal Turret + Vectored Thrusters + Unhinged? Unhinged lets him use that 3-turn + a barrel roll to dodge away and make him very elusive without stressing the whole list, Dorsal meshes well with his ability (not that TLT doesn't, but TLT is expensive!) and lets him roll four modded dice at R1.

Not a bad build, for sure, and if you needed to shave points, its worth considering. However, TLT on Kavil is actually better (yes, it is more expensive), but it has greater odds of breaking stealth devices and pushing damage through autothrusters and defensive tokens (even if it is only a single damage).

It depends on what you want Kavil to be a 'counter' against: if high agility, low hull targets; then TLT is better. If low agility, high hull targets is your prime concern, then go with Dorsal.

With Fenn in the list, I would lean towards TLT. Fenn can hunt (and catch in R1) high hull targets easily (they generally have less re-positioning and lower PS). Its the slippery arc-dodgers that can avoid Fenn (either by fleeing or bumping him) and so Kavil's TLT will provide a 2nd high threat for them to have to deal with.