Envisage this;
Two players, setting up across from each other after the first round pairings of a local tournament. The Villainy player - flying Dengaroo with experience on his side - gazes across to his Imperial foe, and laughs. The Imperial has brought numerous bombers, and loaded with bombs, no less. Dengar sets up for the joust, knowing the odds were in his favour. The match begins with a straight run at each other. Dengar tears 4 hull off the lead bomber, and experiences... nothing in return. The bombers will not shoot. Round 2: the bombers move just shy of Dengar's base, and each drops a load of cluster mines. The Villain's smile drops, and he sheepishly reveals his ace's signature white sloop, moving through first one cluster mine, then another, and another...
Cluster mines have always been a lot of fun in moderation, and with the recent errata to the card (where crits also deal a damage), they have become that much deadlier. I've always though that just one of them is easily avoided. So, in order to make one's first cluster mine useful, one must add a second to cut off all escape routes. But why stop at two?
Deathfire (25)
Cluster Mines
Extra Munitions
2 x XX-23 S-Thread Tracers
Guidance Chips
3 x Scimitar Squadron Pilots (25)
Cluster Mines
Extra Munitions
Plasma Torpedos
Guidance Chips
Total: 100 pts.
This list comes with - count them - 8 cluster mine sets. 24 tokens. 24 potential damage (on average). Not only this, but you've also got 3 decent ordinance carriers and a spotter for them. As in the flavour text - joust, wait for the inevitable k-turns, then drop your first 12 tokens into their path. Here are some potential highlights:
-Killing a TIE swarm without firing a shot. 21 health, 24 potential damage.
-Soontir Fel dodging your cluster tokens? surround him in 12 of them, then watch him die of laughter.
-Dengar not only laughing at your piddly little 2-die attacks, but killing you with them (via return fire)? Drop 12 tokens into the obvious segnors' loop path (and take advantage of that large base, too) to take him down. Follow up with the second set to either discourage pursuit or kill him outright.
You could swap out Deathfire's cluster mines for Connor Nets if you want better field control (and to set up the next turn's bombing run), but that's up to your personal preference.
Its worth keeping in mind that you could actually fit more cluster mines into a 100 pt list. The max is 12 token sets (or 36 individual tokens) using 3 Punishers with 2 cluster mines and extra munitions. While this has greater potential, Punishers don't normally live 4 turns in order to deploy them, so its a bit wasted. I feel that at least 3 out of four bombers would drop all their bombs, and the fourth at least one.
I've never run this, and am likely to never do so. Here's why:
Shopping List:
- 4 x Imperial Veterans ($30 each)
- 4 x Punishers ($20 each)
Total: $200. Owch. Looks like Ebay will be my friend from here on in.