40 minutes ago, Ohnoeszz said:I really like the Jan Ors idea. It's a shame she can't fit a TLT without eating into one of the As but it may be something to consider.
Genn, I like the stressmule idea.
tried it. need to loose both jukes, or a juke and numb. offensively I think dorsal works much better... fitting in Ion Cannon though....
14 hours ago, gennataos said:It's a great question, and one I didn't ignore after re-reading the thread. I've considered the Stresshog, Stressmule lite (Tactician in place of Gunner), Nathan Eide's Ahsoka (with Thermals) and Rex/bandit.
I've kept Biggs (for now) because while Jess can be a defensive beast, she would still be focused, which would mean she'd probably die 2-3 turns earlier than if Biggs was in the list. Stressmule lite is probably my favorite second option and maybe should be my first option, just to see if Biggs truly is necessary.
I played this list with Rex + Operations Specialist. I had a slightly awkward eight points left over, so I gave Rex Stealth Device and the Greens Vectored Thrusters (because I am sick and tired of forgetting that A-Wings can't barrel roll). In hindsight, Hull Upgrades on the A-Wings + BMST or something on Rex might have been better.
Anyway, I played two games against Expertise Rey and PtL/R5 Poe (I assume he didn't have points for R2? Why would you not run R2 with PtL...) First game, he totally underestimated this list (which is a trend I've noticed whenever I play Swarm Leader Jess. Play it before everyone catches on, quick!). Rey went down in two rounds of shooting, I chased Poe, he called it when my list was basically untouched (I think an A-Wing was on 1 hull) and Poe was half dead.
Second game, he flanked with Rey, but I figured he would so I went for Poe and caught him in a block. Down in one round of shooting. Rey was a bit trickier, we went back and forth a while with her dodging arcs, but Jess is just so tanky, and Rey went down eventually.
Operations Specialist makes a huge, huge difference. I could use Jess's focus on defence knowing that she'd probably get a focus from a missed attack somewhere. If one A-Wing missed its primary attack, the other one would get a focus. Even better if I was getting Snap Shots off: either free damage, or a focus for the Combat Phase. I was pondering taking Ahsoka instead, but having Rex also messes with target priority. His ability is really annoying, plus he's handing out focuses, but Jess is the real heart of the list. Without her it all falls apart, so if my opponent is spending time shooting Rex, I'm pretty happy. Obviously that doesn't work with Ahsoka. Also, if an A-Wing goes down early, Rex can provide evades without it clashing with his ability.
Basically, I love this archetype. People who haven't played against it before underestimate it so badly. Jess is incredible.
I got to play a few games with Jess and the Jukes, one with Braylen, two with Biggs. I've landed back to where I was before...it's fun to fly and surprises people, but very high variance and pretty tricky to fly well. I'm not going to give up on it, but it's definitely not a plug and play type of list. It'll require practice to be successful.
I can't stay away from Jess and the Jukes. This is my latest iteration. I've thought about dropping Rex down to Zeb and putting Crackshot on Sabine, but I think Rex's ability is more valuable than that one hit getting through. I wish there was room for Juke on her, but it's just not there, not if I want to keep 4 evade-action ships. I'm open to suggestions!
I got to play it once last night and will probably play it once or twice today. It's nice to be able to jet everyone up quickly and press the attack early, that's not something I get to do often as a Rebel-only player.
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1)
Swarm Leader (3)
Integrated Astromech (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Sabine Wren (TIE Fighter) (15)
Captain Rex (14)
Total: 100
Or what about this? Tweak Nathan Eide's Ahsoka to use Ion Bombs. If set up well, I could Ionize the primary target so Jess and the Jukes can get a flanking attack with snap shots and no return fire.
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1)
Pattern Analyzer (2)
Swarm Leader (3)
Integrated Astromech (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Ahsoka Tano (17)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Sabine Wren (2)
Scavenger Crane (2)
Ion Bombs (2)
Captured TIE (1)
Sabine's Masterpiece (1)
Total: 99
View in Yet Another Squad Builder
Edited by gennataosI ran the Ahsoka variant a couple times last week and I think it has potential, but probably requires a lot of practice to pull off the Ahsoka shenanigans properly. You want her firing, but when she does, she goes down just as quickly as the other Rebel TIEs.
After the lackluster performance of the Ahsoka variant, I was going to go back to the Sabine/Rex version, but wondered if a Prototype A-wing would be a better use of 15 points over Sabine. That'd be 1 more HP and arguably the best blocker in the game to get in front of the Jukes to help them both get Snap Shots on the same target. I ran this twice against Thug Life and split 1-1. I'd never played against Thug Life before and was intimidated by the block of HP and consistent damage, so I tried to get cute with my approach and ended up with only Rex and one Juke in the initial fight and it was already over by then. We played it out a bit longer, but when Jess went down, I conceded and we started over. This time I played to the strength of my list and tabled my opponent, having only lost Rex, everyone else banged up to some degree and Jess sitting at 1 hull (IA not popped yet).
I have no delusions about this being a great list. I think it's good, but has some glaring weaknesses. That said, it's fun to fly and can surprise opponents. It's always fun to throw 5-6 die attacks, which Jess can do almost at will.
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1)
Swarm Leader (3)
Integrated Astromech (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Prototype Pilot (17)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Captain Rex (14)
Total: 100
I've been playing around with snap/swarm leader builds a lot, and I got to say my original Jess/GSP/GSP/Jan is still the best one. I'm now 15-4 with this list. Lost to bombing K's, Kanan Biggs, Ketsu Dengar, and rebel junkyard (on time). I have yet to face Dengar/Tel tho. The losses, aside from Ketsu/Dengar have been real close too (shuttle got me on Kanan Biggs, Bombs Miranda had one health, junkyard was @ Time and 20 point differential). The wins for the most part have been one ship lost with an average of tabling my opponent. It's so good, but I'm worried about the wave11 meta of bombs and TLT everywhere shredding it apart. I'm not to worried about the super biggs.
The key to a proper snap/swarm setup is the low pilot skill. I've tried high pilot skill Swarm Leader and low pilot skill evade providers but it just doesn't work. Or high swarm leader and high evade providers. Loosing that evade too early can really mean the difference between loosing a ship too early. While you want to keep the evade for offense, you almost always want Jess to fire last if at all possible, that way the A-Wings can use the evades to survive, because it's way more important they survive than give the red die to Jess. Jess is pretty tanky, but the trick is to know when to disengage and start setting up the next phase. I also find hiding in the rocks is very beneficial, so I will often attempt to get the asteroids setup so I can move up the side 4 forward, then bank 3 in into the field of roids to engage the enemy on my turf! aside from Jan, the fleet is very maneuverable and can get through an asteroid field better than most of todays enemies. The catch is bombers and tractor beams of course. The rocks also give you better options to setup snap shots or blocks, as well as get the defense modifiers. I find I do best when I'm playing in the rocks because my opponents, even experienced veterans, will land on rocks, get shot by the snaps, or blocked by one of the four pilots. I don't care if the A-Wings bump, as long as they get the evades, because they can still hand off the evades to Jess.
I don't know if there is anyway to improve on this list in the 100 point format. If I had 6 points I'd give thrusters to the A-s and Jess...at that point I think bombs would be my only problem. It is quite literally... the only list I can consistently win with or do well with.
Another point, there is no real weak spot to the Jan/Jess/GSP/GSP list when it comes down to who do you kill first. You kill Jan first, Jess and the A-wings are still going to throw a lot of damage. Kill Jess first? A-wings with juke and Jan providing an extra die will still lay down some hurt. Kill an A-Wing? well Jess and Jan will make sure you still get a lot of red thrown your way for revenge of killing their nameless friend. I've lost Jess in opening salvo before, still won (Oldfenaroo). Lost Jan in opening salvo (fentasticbeasts) and still came out on top.
Edited by Wiredin9 minutes ago, Wiredin said:I've been playing around with snap/swarm leader builds a lot, and I got to say my original Jess/GSP/GSP/Jan is still the best one. I'm now 15-19 with this list.
15-19?...so a losing record with it? 
1 minute ago, gennataos said:15-19?...so a losing record with it?
15 out of 19 games are wins. sorry 
15-4 
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1)
Swarm Leader (3)
Autothrusters (2)
Jan Ors (25)
Trick Shot (0)
Twin Laser Turret (6)
Nien Nunb (1)
Pulsed Ray Shield (2)
Prototype Pilot (17)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Autothrusters (2)
Prototype Pilot (17)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Autothrusters (2)
Total: 99
View in Yet Another Squad Builder
I may try this... I don't think it will be as effective.
LOL...okay, yeah, that's an impressive record! I do like this idea.
My problem when I only have the two Jukes, there just aren't consistently enough evade tokens for Jess to pull off for Swarm Leader by the time she fires, which is why I've gone down the path I have. Do you find Jan adds much damage? What about moving down to Kyle with Jan? This is my thought process on that:
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1)
Swarm Leader (3)
Integrated Astromech (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Snap Shot (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Juke (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Kyle Katarn (21)
Trick Shot (0)
Dorsal Turret (3)
Jan Ors (2)
Moldy Crow (3)
Total: 100
View in Yet Another Squad Builder
Edited by gennataosJuke doesn't discard the evade token hey? I only use it if I have too! I will sacrifice the shield token or two to get a 7 dice shot through if I know that A-Wing will not get shot again this round and if that 7 die shot will actually deal damage (ie: naked Defender, focus only Dengar...etc).
Jan is huge! HUGE! On average she is my MVP without a doubt. Remember, you can add that die to the snap shot if she is not stressed during activation. this is awesome in the initial joust, and late game when you are regrouping. It also gives versatility to help the A-Wings punch harder. She also makes a good blocker for Dengar and other PS9. I think her ability really ups the offense of this list to the point where it is as effective as it is.
first round of fire:
A Wing - 3 dice snap shot w/juke
A Wing - 2 dice snap shot w/juke
Jan - 3 dice (Average because R2 usually + trick shot as I hide her behind rocks all the time) dorsal turret w/target lock
A-Wing - 3 dice primary with juke
A-Wing - 3 dice primary with juke
Jess - 7 dice primary with ability (focus already spent on defense..usually)
21 red dice in the opening joust. That is one heck of an alpha strike!
The best part is...it is way more versatile than your average munitions based alpha. and has good modifiers. Average is 15-18 hits I think. and I love one shotting Fen Rauu in the opening joust while Jess escapes with no shields (usually)
Edited by WiredinI ran this a few times a while back:
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1), Swarm Leader (3), Integrated Astromech (0)
Prototype Pilot (17)
Chardaan Refit (-2), Autothrusters (2)
Prototype Pilot (17)
Chardaan Refit (-2), Autothrusters (2)
Lothal Rebel (35)
Fire-Control System (2)
Total: 100
I went 3-1 with it but not against the best of competition. The Lothal has interesting possibilities since it can take evade giving you 3 tokens to choose from for swarm leader and you can use it with opponents in your rear arc giving you 180 coverage. Oh, and a 4-dice primary never hurts either 
I like the autothrusters on the prototypes but it's 4 points to play with. I mostly block with the proto's giving Jess and Lothal a deadly 1-2 punch on tokenless ships that bump.
2 hours ago, Wiredin said:Juke doesn't discard the evade token hey? I only use it if I have too! I will sacrifice the shield token or two to get a 7 dice shot through if I know that A-Wing will not get shot again this round and if that 7 die shot will actually deal damage (ie: naked Defender, focus only Dengar...etc).
Jan is huge! HUGE! On average she is my MVP without a doubt. Remember, you can add that die to the snap shot if she is not stressed during activation. this is awesome in the initial joust, and late game when you are regrouping. It also gives versatility to help the A-Wings punch harder. She also makes a good blocker for Dengar and other PS9. I think her ability really ups the offense of this list to the point where it is as effective as it is.
first round of fire:
A Wing - 3 dice snap shot w/juke
A Wing - 2 dice snap shot w/juke
Jan - 3 dice (Average because R2 usually + trick shot as I hide her behind rocks all the time) dorsal turret w/target lock
A-Wing - 3 dice primary with juke
A-Wing - 3 dice primary with juke
Jess - 7 dice primary with ability (focus already spent on defense..usually)
21 red dice in the opening joust. That is one heck of an alpha strike!
The best part is...it is way more versatile than your average munitions based alpha. and has good modifiers. Average is 15-18 hits I think. and I love one shotting Fen Rauu in the opening joust while Jess escapes with no shields (usually)
I see it, I just wonder if the action economy of Kyle might work out the same or better in the end. More survivable ships plus better action economy and more mods available for attacks.
I'm going to have to try them both out. I really like both ideas.
I'm so proud, you guys!
Keep the dream alive. Jess and the Jukes will win the day. I'm especially thrilled to see so many interesting options for a fourth ship.
I've used variants of this list several times. I love Jess and the A-wings. I've been trying out different ships for the fourth ship. I want a ship that can draw fire and take a beating. So Jess and the A-wings can get a few extra turns to deal damage.
1. Stress hog is a good fire magnet and can disturb aces before he goes down. But he's PS2.
2. Heff (PS3) with Jyn Erso and Jan Ors that can block, and deal out focus and evade to a friend.
3. Now I'm running Braylan with stressbot and tactician. He's also PS3.
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1)
Primed Thrusters (1)
Swarm Leader (3)
Integrated Astromech (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Juke (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Snap Shot (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Juke (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Snap Shot (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Dagger Squadron Pilot (24)
Tractor Beam (1)
Tactician (2)
B-Wing/E2 (1)
Total: 100
View in Yet Another Squad Builder
new version I'm going to be trying very soon. I don't expect it to perform as well, but it adds a control element that could be very good.
Reducing agility and handing out a stress with the Dagger Squadron could be very hazardous to Nym and other small bases, but would also helps against some of the other big players. PS4 Dagger to allow it to shoot earlier than the other three to trigger control elements first. The problem? The Dagger will not be able to keep up with the A-Wings, and the A-wings loose the additional damage output late game from Jan Ors. This gives the list a bigger hole in giving obvious target priority for your opponent (Jess). At least Jan draws fire and arguably can live longer than a B-Wing in todays meta.
I ran this last night and loved it. It was brutal against RAC. Death by a thousand A wing cuts and a few brutal Jess 5 dice attacks made quick work. Whisper got Snap shotted to death which was very satisfying.
Another Jess and the Jukes (100)
Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing
Juke (2), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Snap Shot (2)
Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing
Juke (2), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Snap Shot (2)
Green Squadron Pilot (23) - A-Wing
Juke (2), Chardaan Refit (-2), A-Wing Test Pilot (0), Autothrusters (2), Snap Shot (2)
Jess Pava (31) - T-70 X-Wing
R2-D6 (1), Sensor Cluster (2), Integrated Astromech (0), Swarm Leader (3)
Sensor Cluster never came into play. I thought it might be slightly useful but I think it is a terrible upgrade unless you are Poe, but if you are Poe there are better upgrades. Jess' rerolls and a focus token are good for defense.
What to use those last 2 points on then? Maybe good old pattern analyzer.
Edited by BlodVargarnaAnother win. Second round, Nym got vaporized by 13 red dice; opponent conceded. I'm thinking this list likes to face 2 ship lists, esp 2 ship lists with 1 agi.
Looks good, BlodVargarna. Maybe use the 2 points on a Seismic Torp for Jess?
I like the idea of Jess with a focus token for better mods to defense (At PS 3 she's most likely using it for defense) or attack.
Has anyone taken a Jess & Jukes list and faced dirty scum meta ships?
I imagine Scum Nym & Dirty Dengar could be problematic.
51 minutes ago, BlodVargarna said:I like the idea of Jess with a focus token for better mods to defense (At PS 3 she's most likely using it for defense) or attack.
Has anyone taken a Jess & Jukes list and faced dirty scum meta ships?
I imagine Scum Nym & Dirty Dengar could be problematic.
Honestly, I don't think a good Denger/Nym player would lose to Snap/Juke A-Wings. I love them, but they're fairly easy to dance around and/or kite. You can't avoid all of the Snap Shots, but you can avoid them in groups. Any Nym player should be kiting them, which would basically remove their Snap Shots and put them in great bombing peril. If Dengar/Nym isn't popping at least one A-Wing per combat round, more like 1.5, then they're doing something wrong.
41 minutes ago, gennataos said:Honestly, I don't think a good Denger/Nym player would lose to Snap/Juke A-Wings. I love them, but they're fairly easy to dance around and/or kite. You can't avoid all of the Snap Shots, but you can avoid them in groups. Any Nym player should be kiting them, which would basically remove their Snap Shots and put them in great bombing peril. If Dengar/Nym isn't popping at least one A-Wing per combat round, more like 1.5, then they're doing something wrong.
Yeah, it's as I feared. I imagine Scum Nym with Genius would make a mockery of the A wings. It's too bad. I found the Jess & Jukes really rewards good flying. A well timed block in both games won me the game.
Another win. I am beginning to think I'm doing something right. Faced an old fashioned R5-P9 Poe with PTL and PA and. Miranda loaded for bear.
Autothrusters on the A wings probably won me the game. Miranda's TLT was ineffective.
Then my opponent split up his ships, I pounced on Poe setting up a glorious kill box.
Landed a couple of hits between snapshots and the A wings, then Jess fired up her wave motion cannon and vaporized Poe with 6 dice !
After that some nasty SLAM cluster mines killed 2 A wings, but I had gotten Miranda to 2 hull remaining. Jess has 2 S still and the remaining GSP was full, so my opponent conceded.
Snap shot itself this game was very lackluster. I wish there were better mods for the A wings in this list. I'm really looking forward to TLJ A wings with tech slots.
I'm ready to take this list to a tournament though. I'm feeling very confident about how to fly it.
Ha! I derped and won! I just ran the list below and won our weekly store tournament (3 - 0):
Jess Pava (25)
R2-D6 (1)
Swarm Leader (3)
Integrated Astromech (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Snap Shot (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Juke (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Snap Shot (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Juke (2)
Chardaan Refit (-2)
Snap Shot (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Notice anything missing? How about 10 points! Yep, I miss-added my list, left off 10-points worth of upgrades, and still pulled off three wins with a 90-point list.
Fun list. I'd tried the three Snap-Juke A-wings before with a Swarm Leader / Ops Specialist Wookiee Gunship, which is pretty nasty, too, due to the 180 arc, but got Bombed & AC/ABT'd out of existence. This time I focused on ganking Nym first.
I've had good luck with Swarm Leader Rey and two Snap/Juke A-wings as well.
12 hours ago, Hawkstrike said:still pulled off three wins with a 90-point list.
That's a real baller initiative bid!