It seems like there has been a lot of discussion about the recent article from FFG about an Imperial Vets based squad for under $101. I figured it might make sense to create place to start collecting similar squads.

Here's the rules:

- If you post a squad, list which expansions you are pulling the upgrades and pilots from.

- List the US MSRP for each expansion. Prices are all currently listed on FFG's X-Wing product page .

- Nothing is to be sourced from the secondary market.

- The list should be something that a new player could take to a tournament and have a good experience with.

- All lists must include a core set, even if no ship or upgrades from a core set are used (Yes, I realize this makes Scum lists harder to fit into $101).

Here's an example of a squad similar to what was used in the article, except it uses all Imperial expansions.

Expansions:

Core Set (Mauler Mithel, Black Squadron Pilot) $39.95

Imperial Vets (Countess Ryad, 2x TIE/x7, Crackshot) $29.95

TIE Defender (Col. Vessery) $14.95

TIE/fo (Juke) $14.95

Total Cost: $99.80

Countess Ryad (34)
Juke (2)
TIE/x7 (-2)

Colonel Vessery (35)
TIE/x7 (-2)

"Mauler Mithel" (17)

Black Squadron Pilot (14)
Crack Shot (1)

Total: 99

Imperials

Rebels

Poe, Snap, and Jess ($94.85)

Han and Poe ($95.80)

Poe, Miranda, and Rex ($74.85)

Scum

Fenn, Old Teroch, and Manaroo ($100)

4 x Concord Dawn Ace ($99.75)

I'll take a crack at this. I made a comment in the other thread that I could make a good squad just with the TFA Core Set, T-70 expansion, and Heroes of the Resistance. Turns out, it's a LOT harder than I thought! BB-8 Poe loves Push the Limit. If he doesn't have that, you want to give him R5-P9, which is in the Rebel Transport, etc., etc. Nevertheless, here's my squad.

The Force Awakens Core Set (BB-8) $39.95
T-70 Expansion Pack (Targeting Astromech, Integrated Astromech, Cool Hand) $14.95
Heroes of the Resistance (Black One, Primed Thrusters, Integrated Astromech x2, Snap Shot, Pattern Analyzer, M9-G8) $39.95
Total cost: $94.85

Poe Dameron [PS 9] (33)
Cool Hand (1)
BB-8 (2)
Black One (1)
Primed Thrusters (1)
Integrated Astromech (0)

"Snap" Wexley (28)
Snap Shot (2)
Targeting Astromech (2)
Pattern Analyzer (2)
Integrated Astromech (0)

Jess Pava (25)
M9-G8 (3)
Integrated Astromech (0)

TOTAL: 100

There are a lot of ways to fix/tweak this squad, but I'll leave it like this for now. My biggest gripe is that Poe only has one good red maneuver in him, so I almost want to drop his Elite Talent entirely to pay for Pattern Analyzer, but it's nice to be able to BB-8 while stressed. Say, this would make a great format for a small casual tournament at game night.

This is one I actually suggested to someone who was starting out just before HotR was announced:

TFA Core $39.95 (Poe Dameron, BB-8)
Millennium Falcon $29.95 (Han Solo, Veteran Instincts, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Millennium Falcon, Engine Upgrade)
A-wing $14.95 (Push the Limit)
T-70 X-wing $14.95 (Integrated Astromech)
TOTAL $95.80

Letting you do this:

Han Solo (Veteran Instincts, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Millennium Falcon, Engine Upgrade) [63]
Poe Dameron [PS8] (Push the Limit, BB-8, Integrated Astromech) [36]
99 points

I have nothing to add to this other than I am your target market, a table top gamer who is interested and serious about getting into X-Wing. We have trouble getting 2 people together for IA skirmish these days in my region, but yet our Regionals X-Wing tournament this weekend has 38 people with a waiting list due to space availability. The time to jump ship is now. (pun intended)

So please, list away for my benefit, this is a great resource to attract potential players. IMO this thread should be stickied and updated with new release waves. I will eventually edit this post to make it useful to the thread since it has a great spot near the top, for now I just wanted to voice encouragement.

Edit: list broke the rules and then I came up with one that didn't and was better.

1 hour ago, Funkula said:

I'm gonna break one rule, because Scum isn't happening with a Core Set. My reasoning: if two people are getting in together (which is a pretty common scenario, whether a couple, roommates, or whatever), they can share the necessary stuff from the core set the Rebel or Imperial player needs. Most Wanted serves effectively as the Scum core set, so I'm starting with that.

The reasons for requiring a Core Set in this build challenge are solid: templates, obstacles and damage deck. How is a new player supposed ro learn without those? Also, the goal is lists that are competitive on some level. The tournament rules require a Core Set, or at least components found only in a core set. Most Wanted does not contain templates, obstacles or damage deck.

On 2/8/2017 at 7:37 PM, DR4CO said:

This is one I actually suggested to someone who was starting out just before HotR was announced:

TFA Core $39.95 (Poe Dameron, BB-8)
Millennium Falcon $29.95 (Han Solo, Veteran Instincts, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Millennium Falcon, Engine Upgrade)
A-wing $14.95 (Push the Limit)
T-70 X-wing $14.95 (Integrated Astromech)
TOTAL $95.80

Letting you do this:

Han Solo (Veteran Instincts, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Millennium Falcon, Engine Upgrade) [63]
Poe Dameron [PS8] (Push the Limit, BB-8, Integrated Astromech) [36]
99 points

Thanks for this. I'm fairly new but already have a ton of ships, my girlfriend wants to play but didn't know what to make. I suggested this as I have everything but integrated astromech. Thanks man!

Once I started looking at what $60 can get you, I realized you can do a basic Old Man Rau list out of just a Punishing One and two Protectorates.

I probably should note though that this is a list with a high skill cap, i.e. it's not super intuitive.

$101 mark 2 (100)

Fenn Rau (30) - Protectorate Starfighter
Attanni Mindlink (1), Concord Dawn Protector (1)

Old Teroch (27) - Protectorate Starfighter
Concord Dawn Protector (1)

Manaroo (43) - JumpMaster 5000
Attanni Mindlink (1), Dengar (3), Punishing One (12)

Scum 101

4x Concord Dawn Ace (25) - Protectorate Starfighter
Fearlessness (1), Concord Dawn Protector (1)

Core Set of choice $39.95

Protectorate Starfighter $14.95 x4

Total: $99.75

Going for budget here:

Rebel 101 (100)

Poe Dameron (37) - T-70 X-Wing
Veteran Instincts (1), Plasma Torpedoes (3), BB-8 (2)

Miranda Doni (46) - K-Wing
Twin Laser Turret (6), Extra Munitions (2), Bombardier (1), Conner Net (4), Ion Bombs (2), Advanced SLAM (2)

Captain Rex (17) - TIE Fighter
Sabine's Masterpiece (1), EMP Device (2)

TFA Core - $39.95

K-Wing - $19.95

Sabine's TIE - $14.95

Total - $74.85

10 minutes ago, jmswood said:

Scum 101

4x Concord Dawn Ace (25) - Protectorate Starfighter
Fearlessness (1), Concord Dawn Protector (1)

Core Set of choice $39.95

Protectorate Starfighter $14.95 x4

Total: $99.75

I would totally be comfortable taking this squad to a tournament, but I'm not sure it provides many options for a beginner. Still, it fits all the criteria, so thumbs up!

I just spent over an hour trying to come up with an Imperial Squad I like within the constraints. Holy crap my Imperial Aces are needy.

Tonight I tried Batwing Blitz for the first time and it's amazing, and i only had to remove two cards to make it doable with TFA Core, Upsilon, and TIE/fo ($94.85).

Batwing Blitz $101 (99)

Lieutenant Dormitz (40) - Upsilon-class Shuttle
Operations Specialist (3), General Hux (5), Hyperwave Comm Scanner (1)

"Epsilon Ace" (17) - TIE/FO Fighter

Epsilon Squadron Pilot (16) - TIE/FO Fighter
Hyperwave Comm Scanner (1)

"Omega Leader" (26) - TIE/FO Fighter
Juke (2), Comm Relay (3)

Again, this is a pretty fiddly list, though once you're on the board it's pretty straightforward. All the shenanigans happen during deployment.

For the Rebels fans among us:

Original Core $39.95 (Luke Skywalker, R2-D2)
Ghost $49.95 (Chopper pilot, Zeb Orellios pilot, Predator, Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Reinforced Deflectors, Dorsal Turret, Ghost, Phantom)
TOTAL $89.90

The build:

"Chopper" (Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Reinforced Deflectors, Dorsal Turret, Ghost) [47]
Luke Skywalker (Predator, R2-D2) [35]
Zeb Orellios (Phantom) [18]
100 points

Imperial 101 (95)

"Omega Leader" (26) - TIE/FO Fighter
Juke (2), Comm Relay (3)

"Omega Ace" (23) - TIE/FO Fighter
Wired (1), Weapons Guidance (2)

Major Stridan (46) - Upsilon-class Shuttle
Kylo Ren (3), Operations Specialist (3), Hyperwave Comm Scanner (1), Targeting Synchronizer (3), Kylo Ren's Shuttle (2), Ion Projector (2)

TFA Core $39.95

First Order TIE $14.95

Upsilon Shuttle $29.95

Total $84.85

I'm really liking this exercise. You guys are posting some great squads! Here's another take on an Imperial squad.

Core set (Academy Pilot, "Mauler Mithel", Determination) $39.95
Imperial Aces (Carnor Jax, Push the Limit, Royal Guard TIE, Hull Upgrade, Shield Upgrade) $29.95
Lambda-class Shuttle (Captain Kagi, Sensor Jammer, Rebel Captive) $29.95
Total Cost: $99.85

Carnor Jax (26)
Push the Limit (3)
Hull Upgrade (3)
Royal Guard TIE (0)
Shield Upgrade (4)

Captain Kagi (27)
Sensor Jammer (4)
Rebel Captive (3)

"Mauler Mithel" (17)
Determination (1)

Academy Pilot (12)

TOTAL: 100

Because this topic is targeted at new players, I will describe some of the strategy. Carnor Jax prevents the use of focus and evade tokens by enemy ships at range 1. As such, he usually gets target locked. But if Captain Kagi is in range, his pilot ability forces them to target lock him instead. Sensor Jammer helps protect Kagi by changing a [hit] to a [focus] that cannot be rerolled, and the attacker can't spend focus tokens with Jax nearby. Rebel Captive is just a great Imperial card, adding to the "control" nature of this squad. The shuttle also comes with Darth Vader crew, if raw damage is more to your liking. "Mauler Mithel" rushes into range 1 with Carnor Jax so he can launch a brutal 4-dice primary weapon attack, and the Academy Pilot should be able to land some damage if the opponents can't spend focus tokens.

I'm torn on the wingmen. I really like having Galactic Civil War era ships in the TIE fighter, but if you're really going to tournaments, you'll want the new damage deck that comes in the Force Awakens Core Set . You can swap "Mauler Mithel" and the Academy Pilot out for two Epsilon Squadron Pilots found in the TFA Core Set if you'd rather.

P.S. More experienced players may not agree that the shuttle is a great idea to hand a beginner, and they may be right. It takes some time to learn how to fly it, but it's a good little ship. Pick the smallest asteroids to give you enough space to move around (the smallest asteroids are found in the TFA Core Set). Also important is learning how to control range, so that you can be sure that Carnor Jax arrives at range 1 the same time that Kagi is in range 2-3 so they have to lock him.

On 2/8/2017 at 10:20 PM, WWHSD said:

- All lists must include a core set, even if no ship or upgrades from a core set are used (Yes, I realize this makes Scum lists harder to fit into $101).

I was looking into building a Scum "Core Set" by buying dice, tokens, gauges, damage deck etc... Even if FFG sold all that stuff, a core set is much cheaper!

For another look at Scum:

Any Core Set $40

Protectorate Starfighter $15

Punishing One $30

Quad jumper $15

Gives you: (95 points, so some wiggle room for customization)

Dengar (attani mindlink, punishing one, over clocked R4, Boba Fett)

Fenn Rau (attani mindlink, Concord dawn protector)

Jakku Gunrunner (spacetug tractor Array)

Not a perfect list, but a different take on what you usually get.

Or, we can do:

Either Core Set $40

Millennium Falcon $30

U-wing $30

For:

Han Solo: Expertise, Engine Upgrade, Luke Skywalker, Evade title

Cassian Andor: Baze Malbus, Weapons Engineer, Pivot Wing, Sensor Jammer, Veteran Instincts.

Or, instead of Cassian you could do:

Heff Tobber: engine upgrade, Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, Sensor Jammer, Pivot Wing.

Now, I'd rather fly list #1, and it gets exponentially better with a Heroes of the resistance (change Han for Rey, Weapons Engineer for Hot Shot Copilot). But that doesn't fit in the budget, so a Falcon is good enough.

@Parakitor and I have started having 101-battles. It's interesting because your damage deck and asteroids also have to come from the core you chose to buy. It's a neat, new way to play. Tonight was our first time trying this out. I took the following:

Core Set ($39.95)
A-Wing ($14.95)
B-Wing ($14.95
Rebel Aces ($29.95)

Prototype Pilot (Chardaan Refit) - 15
Prototype Pilot (Chardaan Refit) - 15
Blue Squadron Pilot (Fire Control System) - 24
Blue Squadron (B-wing/E2, Jan Ors) - 25
Rookie Pilot - 21

Basically, I bought the Rebel expansions that most intrigued me back in the early days and tried to come up with something I thought could be good. In the end, I got so frustrated with not having enough Elite upgrades for my unique pilots that I decided to just throw a bunch of ships at my opponent instead. He brought the Jax+Kagi build above and I got destroyed.

So we played a second game, switching sides. My Imperial squad:

Core Set ($39.95)
Slave I ($29.95)
TIE Phantom ($14.95)
TIE Phantom ($14.95)

"Whisper" (32)
-Veteran Instincts (1)
-Fire Control System (2)
-Advanced Cloaking Device (4)
-Gunner (5)

"Echo" (30)
-Determination (1)
-Fire Control System (2)
-Stygium Particle Accelerator (2)
-Recon Specialist (3)

"Dark Curse" (16)

TOTAL: 98

Parakitor had 3 T-70 X-wings with the TFA core, Heroes of the Resistance, and a T-70 expansion. It felt like a powerful squad for this format and I was quite impressed with the action economy and synergy he could incorporate into the list for $101. I lost again. It was my first time flying TIE Phantoms outside of a free-for-all and my second time ever, so it was a learning experience and I hope Parakitor and I will have a rematch soon. Dark Curse blocked Echo and got Echo killed. It was inexcusable because they are the same Pilot Skill, so I should have just had Whisper move first.

After the match, Parakitor pointed out that I could get two copies of Veteran Insticts if I buy 2x Sabine's TIE instead of the Firespray. I think I might go that route next time and lose Gunner.

Looking at the Scum lists, I'm inspired by the thought that Scum is plenty playable at $101. They don't need their own core set. One reason is because their expansions are pretty decent at providing a playable list in the package. Here are two purchases I might consider for Scum.

TFA Core ($39.95)
2x IG-2000 ($29.95 each)

I'm not going to build a list with this. What is exciting about this purchase is that its so modular. Now, competitive IG lists usually have things like Crack Shot, Autothrusters, Heavy Laser Cannon, and better elites (this purchase gets 1 elite: Wired). However, what this purchase does do is get you flying your squad's chassis right away. Dual Aggressors is an archetype that's here to stay, so if you start with these two scum ships, you can focus on building the list with future purchases while still gaining practice with how your list's ships will maneuver and what things they do good against or struggle against. Some purchases just use ships because you have them, even if they're not going to be the main part of your force in the future, but this one gets you the actual ships you're going to fly. I love that about this purchase.

TFA Core ($39.95)
StarViper ($19.95)
Protectorate Fighter ($14.95)
Kihraxz Fighter ($14.95)

Talonbane Cobra (28)
-Crack Shot (1)
-Glitterstim (2)

Fenn Rau (28)
-Fearlessness (1)
-Concord Dawn Protector (1)
-Autothrusters (2)

Guri (30)
-Wired (1)
-Autothrusters
-Virago (1)
-Accuracy Corrector (3)

Say what you want about Kihraxz Fighters, but one of the neatest things about the expansion is that one of the more popular builds for it comes in the box. You try to get into the first round of combat at range 1 with a target lock, then use Glitterstim to get all the focus results. If the target rolls an evade, use Crack Shot to push damage through. This build keeps Talonbane cheap, and once his upgrades are spent, he's less of a target (in theory) because he won't do as much.

Fenn Rau's expansion isn't so self-contained, but the StarViper comes with 2x Autothrusters, so this purchase gets you a good Fenn build. Guri is the weakest part of the list, but she's not exactly weak. Accuracy Corrector means you can focus on boosts or barrel rolls instead of offensive/defensive actions, especially since if those actions get you into range 1, you get a focus for defense. If you have to use a Segnor's Loop, Wired will try to help your defense somewhat.

In hindsight, this list isn't as strong as some of the Protectorate ones above, but it does get Fenn Rau an extra upgrade he needs while still being playable.

I have no idea if this is any good, but it is simple to put together. Each ship's upgrades come in its own expansion!

Original Core Set ($39.95)

TIE/fo Expansion Pack ($14.95)

2x TIE Aggressor Expansion Pack (= $29.90)

Total: $84.80

Sienar Specialist (17)
Twin Laser Turret (6)
Lightweight Frame (2)

Sienar Specialist (17)
Twin Laser Turret (6)
Lightweight Frame (2)

Academy Pilot (12)

Academy Pilot (12)

"Omega Leader" (21)
Juke (2)
Comm Relay (3)

Total: 100

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