More recently in my local games, I have found myself coming up against several large TIE swarms, and was wondering what tactics other people use to counter them. Typically such swarms have included anywhere up to a dozen TIEs, often with a couple of Interceptors thrown in and usually with aces like Howlrunner or Dengar to complement. This has proven challenging to a number of different builds: on the one hand, a bomber fleet ends up getting tied up and often pulled apart, simply because the sheer quantity of TIEs are throwing a lot of dice; on the other, TIEs can prove a menace to ships in a squadron-light fleet, where the number of blue dice can do some real damage.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about TIE swarms; I think it's a perfectly legitimate tactic, it feels thematic and it makes for an engaging squadron game. Instead, I am interested to know how people handle these builds, and I ask at this point in the game's development, as I feel like some of the new squadrons, pilots and upgrades may be the answer, but am not quite sure which ones yet. Thanks!

Tycho. Just Tycho

In all seriousness, if an opponent is bringing a air superiority fleet, dont bother contesting it. Come with zero squadrons and go for the ships. If you really want you can bring double AA ships to clear space, though I prefer MC30s and Glads to just knock out the enemy carriers. The trick is to table them quickly, within 3 turns if possible.

Assault missiles and ruthlessness....oh wrong forum.

Two blue AA dice work wonders against TIEs, 3 hull squadrons melt under that sort of fire.

Neb Bs, Toryn Far.

Shara is absolute death to these guys too, she basically one shots anyone who attacks her.

As above.

But, dare I say it, it is also worth considering........wait for it........the GR-75 Combat Retrofits ​ *ducks*

​I've been considering them myself for some time to help out the squad game. Plus, nobody has any ​experience facing them.

- Witness the uncomprehending look in your opponents eyes as you begin to measure medium range from your GR-75's (they'll think it's for a squad command).

- Watch as their expression slowly changes to horror (after you've had to explain to them for the third time that there really are 2 variants of this ship).

- Laugh manically as your retrofits wreck havoc upon his unsuspecting underlings (read here: cause the occasional damage)

​

Of course we're all just assuming that you're playing rebels because you're facing imperials.

​If you're not, then I'd recommend: *ahem* "anywhere up to a dozen TIEs, often with a couple of Interceptors thrown in and usually with aces like Howlrunner or Dengar to complement"

That kind of brawl would be so much epic fun​!

Plus, you know, Jamming fields to make it go longer. A decimator, because it's an epic image, plus it'd probably be quite good at swatting ties. And Valen Rudor. Because he's cheap, swats ties and doesn't die.

Anti squadron attacks of any kind. Preferably from a raider.

lol TIE Swarms is so last year.

Get Ready for Z-95 Swarms!

What's this? A thread about countering Tie swarms?

I once heard about Tie swarms, but everyone said they are too weak to be effective... never bring Ties when you can bring bombers...

It's almost as if....this game is balanced and people are successful with anything they bring to the table so long as they have the skill and plan to fly it....

I'd bring A-Wings commanded by a GR-75 with Toryn Farr on it. 3 blues is enough to 1 shot with the reroll, and counter with rerolls can deal a lot of damage. With CC coming out, grab Ten Numb and drop AOE to wipe out swarms.

As above.

But, dare I say it, it is also worth considering........wait for it........the GR-75 Combat Retrofits ​ *ducks*

​I've been considering them myself for some time to help out the squad game. Plus, nobody has any ​experience facing them.

- Witness the uncomprehending look in your opponents eyes as you begin to measure medium range from your GR-75's (they'll think it's for a squad command).

- Watch as their expression slowly changes to horror (after you've had to explain to them for the third time that there really are 2 variants of this ship).

- Laugh manically as your retrofits wreck havoc upon his unsuspecting underlings (read here: cause the occasional damage)

​

Of course we're all just assuming that you're playing rebels because you're facing imperials.

​If you're not, then I'd recommend: *ahem* "anywhere up to a dozen TIEs, often with a couple of Interceptors thrown in and usually with aces like Howlrunner or Dengar to complement"

That kind of brawl would be so much epic fun​!

Plus, you know, Jamming fields to make it go longer. A decimator, because it's an epic image, plus it'd probably be quite good at swatting ties. And Valen Rudor. Because he's cheap, swats ties and doesn't die.

That brawl could be fun, but you'd be there a while.

I can see your point on the Combat Retrofit - for the extra few points, you get a ship that can do some squadron damage at distance without sacrificing shots on your larger vessels. Might work better on the Gozanti, however - you can put Kallus on and add the dice that'll prevent a squadron with scatter from doing so.

lol TIE Swarms is so last year.

Get Ready for Z-95 Swarms!

I figured we wouldn't see many of those, given how many packs you'd need to have the same effect. Then I remembered some of the Armada players I've met at tourneys.

Imperial

Raider I or II with ordnance experts

Gladiator II

Interdictor Combat Retrofits

Mauler Mithel

Rebel

AF2A or Combat Retrofits with Toryn Farr nearby

Gallant Haven

Any respectable amount of starfighter cover that is activated will mow down a TIE swarm. For Maximum effect, Escort Yavaris with X-Wings backed with Toryn Farr will make short work of TIE Fighters.

Any capital ship sneezing at a TIE swarm often enough will start killing fighters. For maximum effect any ability to roll two dice will do the trick.

VSD Warlord with H9s firing anti-squadron shots for three consecutive turns will guarantee kill any generic TIE Fighter swarm.

I know all this because I made the mistake of taking a TIE Swarm with light ships to a regionals tournament in the past, hoping their massed fire would at least plink away defense tokens for my main ships to exploit. It was the hope that maximum-points TIE fighters could actually be effective on the board.

By the end of that tournament I was convinced anyone leaning on a TIE Swarm is holding a massive liability. Hull 3 is not workable.

Any respectable amount of starfighter cover that is activated will mow down a TIE swarm. For Maximum effect, Escort Yavaris with X-Wings backed with Toryn Farr will make short work of TIE Fighters.

Any capital ship sneezing at a TIE swarm often enough will start killing fighters. For maximum effect any ability to roll two dice will do the trick.

VSD Warlord with H9s firing anti-squadron shots for three consecutive turns will guarantee kill any generic TIE Fighter swarm.

I know all this because I made the mistake of taking a TIE Swarm with light ships to a regionals tournament in the past, hoping their massed fire would at least plink away defense tokens for my main ships to exploit. It was the hope that maximum-points TIE fighters could actually be effective on the board.

By the end of that tournament I was convinced anyone leaning on a TIE Swarm is holding a massive liability. Hull 3 is not workable.

Maybe it's just me, and maybe it's because I've come up against swarms when I'm trying to fly a bomber list, but I've found them a serious menace. Whilst a massive swarm is maybe a foolhardy investment of points, you can take a decent number plus a couple of aces to buff their abilities, and suddenly you can't move your bombers around and they're posing a real threat. Combine Howlrunner and Dengar with 6 TIEs, and for 84 points - you've got a lot of air cover, four activations, and, if well positioned, most are getting an effective 4 blue anti-squad armament and counter 2, with re-rolls. They may not last long, but they can take down a lot of your squadrons with them, and they're comparatively cheap to lose.

So I'm with you when it comes to leaning on them - I wouldn't build a list around a dozen TIEs. But I think they can be good bang for their buck, and I've struggled to counter them without losing my own squads. I even lost a flotilla, not to the TIEs as such, but because enough of them were able to do enough damage to mean it got pot-shotted at distance. Hence the thread!

Yavaris plus X-wings is a great shout. I've often viewed Yavaris as primarily bomber support, but this works brilliantly for anti-fighter fire.

I think a TIE Swarm's effectiveness really depends on how and when you're activating them. At base it's still a 3-dice attack fighter with a re-roll if you take more of them. Aces certainly help, but you could argue aces are better served in an ace ball than leading massed generics.

If you're caught outside of activation advantage... or when it comes time for the fighters to counter-attack... I feel TIEs die with depressing ease. I guess one has to take that into account and try to get a big alpha strike out of them if possible? This I imagine is why fighter-friendly players chose the Rebels over the empire... their Fighters can take a hit. "ours" can't.

I've faced Yavaris backed with Bs and Xs more times than I wish I had to (only one regular opponent now in my FLGS). I rate it potentially deadlier than Demolisher's triple tap. When you back Yavaris with 1-2 BCCs on GR-75s, it is a forced to be recokned with if that force is helming massed Bwings and X-Wings. Throw in a HWK-290 and you ignore every fighter coming your way, while it allows X-Wings to punch out enemy fighters like loose chad. I feel like to compete, Empire needs to go very high activation and start chipping away at fighters since we don't have an efficiency booster like Yavaris...

...at least we did until Wave 5. Jendon can allow another powerful squadron like Stele or Vader to attack a second time even if activated. It's not much, but the Empire still I think retains the better anti-squadron bonuses that they started with in Wave 1... the key is Defenders carrying bomber makes them a better threat to capital ships, and more survivable with hull 5. Really Imperial Fighters II is a Godsend to anyone wanting to break out of Aces-Advanced+Bomber-Rhymer selections for the Empire.

I've always felt the swarm would get chewed up by Rebel squads like a HS football team goes through banners when running onto the field.

But I'd say realizing you may not win a toe to toe fight with your squads is a start, then I'd probably keep my squads back and let your AA fire give you a hand.

Demolisher glad two build, just watch them evaporate to four blue dice. Instigator........ And all the other AAA ships. It's the tie swarms fundamental weakness.

Demolisher glad two build, just watch them evaporate to four blue dice. Instigator........ And all the other AAA ships. It's the tie swarms fundamental weakness.

I think the Glad II and the Raider I are the two ships that will get the most out of Flechettes, which I'm super excited for. Add in Kallus, and you've got AA ships that can negate the threat of a large number of squadrons, both ace and generic, simply by switching their activation slider.

lol TIE Swarms is so last year.

Get Ready for Z-95 Swarms!

I figured we wouldn't see many of those, given how many packs you'd need to have the same effect. Then I remembered some of the Armada players I've met at tourneys.

10 Rebel Squadron II packs is all you need. You can field 19 Z-95s compared to 16 TIE Fighters.

So 19 Z-95s vs 16 TIE Fighters. (I think I already made a post about this).

10 Rebel Squadron II packs is ALL you need. You can field 19 Z-95s compared to 16 TIE Fighters.

I cant detect sarcasm here, surely there is sarcasm. ONLY Ten Packs!!!!!!!

lol TIE Swarms is so last year.

Get Ready for Z-95 Swarms!

I figured we wouldn't see many of those, given how many packs you'd need to have the same effect. Then I remembered some of the Armada players I've met at tourneys.

10 Rebel Squadron II packs is all you need. You can field 19 Z-95s compared to 16 TIE Fighters.

So 19 Z-95s vs 16 TIE Fighters. (I think I already made a post about this).

I don't feel like paying more than my opponent to win. $200 for fighters...I felt the same way when I saw the 8 yt-2400 builds. The Chief reason I quit MtG card game.

The Chief reason I quit MtG card game.

I seen swarms of bombers, ties, interceptors with swarm and upgrades those interceptors are throwing 4 dice at a ship. Even Awing will melt quickly. To counter you do need to have them come to you and use your ship AA and squads to whittle them away.

I think the Glad II and the Raider I are the two ships that will get the most out of Flechettes, which I'm super excited for. Add in Kallus, and you've got AA ships that can negate the threat of a large number of squadrons, both ace and generic, simply by switching their activation slider.

Please note that Gladiators get no use out of Flechettes because they do not have black flack dice.

lol TIE Swarms is so last year.

Get Ready for Z-95 Swarms!

I figured we wouldn't see many of those, given how many packs you'd need to have the same effect. Then I remembered some of the Armada players I've met at tourneys.

10 Rebel Squadron II packs is all you need. You can field 19 Z-95s compared to 16 TIE Fighters.

So 19 Z-95s vs 16 TIE Fighters. (I think I already made a post about this).

I don't feel like paying more than my opponent to win. $200 for fighters...I felt the same way when I saw the 8 yt-2400 builds. The Chief reason I quit MtG card game.

The Chief reason I quit MtG card game.

It sucks, but that's what happens when you only get 1 rogue or villain in a pack, or only 2 bombers in an imperial fighter pack.

We wouldn't have to spend so much money if FFG were to package and sell its products differently, but then FFG doesn't make money.

10 Rebel Squadron II packs is ALL you need. You can field 19 Z-95s compared to 16 TIE Fighters.

I cant detect sarcasm here, surely there is sarcasm. ONLY Ten Packs!!!!!!!

No, you only need nine packs, and then you run Blount with 17 generics. That's much cheaper.

lol TIE Swarms is so last year.

Get Ready for Z-95 Swarms!

I figured we wouldn't see many of those, given how many packs you'd need to have the same effect. Then I remembered some of the Armada players I've met at tourneys.

10 Rebel Squadron II packs is all you need. You can field 19 Z-95s compared to 16 TIE Fighters.

So 19 Z-95s vs 16 TIE Fighters. (I think I already made a post about this).

I don't feel like paying more than my opponent to win. $200 for fighters...I felt the same way when I saw the 8 yt-2400 builds. The Chief reason I quit MtG card game.

The Chief reason I quit MtG card game.

I think in this case, it would not be pay to win........ fielding 19 z-95s would be paying to loose.........