Hey guys, I've got an X-Wing tournament approaching at my local gaming store, it's a 3 round 60/90/120pt escalation with little rules except no more than 8 of the same ship.

As a relatively new player I'm having mega difficulty coming up with a list. I've toyed with the idea of Vader and an Omega Leader (giving me high Pilot Skill for cheap) but the upgrades and given the fact they don't have good attack meant every practice run I was having I was getting roasted.

So rather than me posting a list and you giving ideas, I'd like to know how YOU would play this list or if you have and had any success. I own pretty much all Empire ships and have access to all upgrade cards

Thanks in advance!

Are you running this:

?

I think it would be an okay start, depending on what you want to achieve. OL is a good flanker and excells 1v1
So maybe something more survivable for Vader like an x7 Ryad with crackshot or snap shot or adapdability depending on the plans for more.

I usually start an escalation list with whatever ship I want the most. The 2nd round onwards only allows you to buy in 30-point increments so if you want a fat PWT, or a tooled-up Ace, that will have to be there from the start. Once you have that "must have" ship nailed down you can start to assemble the rest of your squad around it.

Ships and builds that rely on particular synergies tend to fall apart in escalation lists since you often will not have the points to get everything you need from the start. Ships that work well in a stand-alone setting can be better for bolting on capabilities as your list grows.

If you really want to use Vader I might start like this:

59 points

PILOTS

Darth Vader (30)
TIE Advanced (29), TIE/x1 (0), Advanced Targeting Computer (1)

Omicron Group Pilot (29)
Lambda-Class Shuttle (21), Collision Detector (0), Emperor Palpatine (8)

Just use TL and Evade on Vader and use Palpatine defensively to keep him alive unless you can kill something by forcing an extra critical hit through. Then, on the second level you can move up to:

89 points

PILOTS

Darth Vader (34)
TIE Advanced (29), TIE/x1 (0), Engine Upgrade (4), Advanced Targeting Computer (1)

Omicron Group Pilot (29)
Lambda-Class Shuttle (21), Collision Detector (0), Emperor Palpatine (8)

“Omega Leader” (26)
TIE/fo Fighter (21), Comm Relay (3), Juke (2)

Now you have a fairly typical Palp-Aces list going for 90 points. For the third level you can do a couple of things:

120 points

PILOTS

Darth Vader (40)
TIE Advanced (29), TIE/x1 (0), Proton Rockets (3), Outmaneuver (3), Engine Upgrade (4), Advanced Targeting Computer (1)

Omicron Group Pilot (29)
Lambda-Class Shuttle (21), Collision Detector (0), Emperor Palpatine (8)

“Omega Leader” (26)
TIE/fo Fighter (21), Comm Relay (3), Juke (2)

“Pure Sabacc” (25)
TIE Striker (22), Veteran Instincts (1), Adaptive Ailerons (0), Lightweight Frame (2)

120 points

PILOTS

Darth Vader (34)
TIE Advanced (29), TIE/x1 (0), A Score to Settle (0), Engine Upgrade (4), Advanced Targeting Computer (1)

Omicron Group Pilot (29)
Lambda-Class Shuttle (21), Collision Detector (0), Emperor Palpatine (8)

“Omega Leader” (26)
TIE/fo Fighter (21), Comm Relay (3), Juke (2)

Carnor Jax (31)
TIE Interceptor (26), Adaptability (0), Royal Guard TIE (0), Autothrusters (2), Stealth Device (3)

120 points

PILOTS

Darth Vader (34)
TIE Advanced (29), TIE/x1 (0), A Score to Settle (0), Engine Upgrade (4), Advanced Targeting Computer (1)

Omicron Group Pilot (29)
Lambda-Class Shuttle (21), Collision Detector (0), Emperor Palpatine (8)

“Omega Leader” (26)
TIE/fo Fighter (21), Comm Relay (3), Juke (2)

The Inquisitor (31)
TIE Advanced Prototype (25), Push the Limit (3), TIE/v1 (1), Autothrusters (2)

The first option adds Pure Sabaac and Outmaneuver+Proton Rockets to Vader for a more robust offensive squad. The second goes for Carnor to disrupt x7's and Mindlink lists while the last offers the traditional PtL Inquisitor for another long-game fighter. I chose A Score to Settle on Vader in those lists over Adaptability or Trick Shot because I think between Vader's re-positioning abilities and Palpatine he should be able to easily avoid taking damage from the chosen ship (you shouldn't put the condition on a turret) and this way, assuming you have TL on the chosen ship, you won't have to spend a focus token to generate 2 crits leaving Vader more defensible from other shots.

On 13/02/2017 at 6:39 PM, wfain said:

120 points

PILOTS

Darth Vader (34)
TIE Advanced (29), TIE/x1 (0), A Score to Settle (0), Engine Upgrade (4), Advanced Targeting Computer (1)

Omicron Group Pilot (29)
Lambda-Class Shuttle (21), Collision Detector (0), Emperor Palpatine (8)

“Omega Leader” (26)
TIE/fo Fighter (21), Comm Relay (3), Juke (2)

Carnor Jax (31)
TIE Interceptor (26), Adaptability (0), Royal Guard TIE (0), Autothrusters (2), Stealth Device (3)

This was the list I ended up rolling with. I almost traded out Palp for Omega in the 60 and added an ace to the second and third game, but as I've never used Palp' I gave it a go and it worked out! Well, almost... Tabled my opponent with a clean sheet in my first game, then came up against a x3 Defender list in my second, which went terribly. Won on points in my final game to finish 4'th on the day.

The WINNER of the 12-man tournament was the x4 Delta Squadron Defenders with Tie/x7 upgrades (117pts) player - defenders didn't even cross my mind when making this list! They were so hard to hit it was unbelievable.

Thanks for your input everyone