I started playing this game last fall and attended my first tournament yesterday. 4 rounds of Swiss with a cut to top 4. I flew a "Heragator" variant:

Hera (40) w/ Accuracy Corrector (3), Twin Laser Turret (6), Navigator (3), "Chopper" (0), Engine Upgrade (4), Ghost (0) + Ahsoka Tano (17) w/ Veteran Instincts (1), Captured Tie (1), Sabine's Masterpiece (1), Black Market Slicer Tools (1), Rey (2) + Zeb (18) w/ Autoblaster Turret (2)

99pts.

https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Rebel Alliance&d=v4!s!155:107,135,-1,-1,48,167:25:3:;222:27:46:29:U.201,U.194;162:120,-1:-1:-1:&sn="Heragator"

I've flown this list for about a month now. Hera's dial shenanigans, while they last, can really mess with your opponent's piloting decisions especially when Ahsoka allows the Ghost a free Boost at the start of combat. I save "Chopper" for those decisions when the damage taken from the action (usually a Boost) will mitigate more damage coming in. Having a turret on Zeb is end game insurance. I've gone back and forth between Autoblaster and Dorsal. I decided on the former for the tournament so I could have a 1pt initiative bid.

Round 1: Mirror match with slight tweaks. My opponent had 3PO on his Hera instead of Chopper, Recon Spec on Ahsoka (PS8 w/ Adaptability), and no turret on Zeb. 99pts. He won the roll and gave me initiative which put me at a disadvantage since his Hera would be moving after mine. I made an early pilot error w/ the Ghost and took a range 1 broadside from his Ghost losing 5 shields and having no shot in return. I had to get Ahsoka involved in combat then but it was too much to overcome in the end and I lost that match 27 - 100.

Round 2: Brobots B and C both w/ HLC , FCS, Glitterstim, and Predator. 100pts. The IGs landed on quite a few rocks and couldn't keep Hera in arc the majority of the time. Ahsoka got behind them taking range 1 shots and the TLT double tap whittled them down. 100 - 0 win.

Round 3: I don't remember this exact list but it was Dash w/ HLC, Outrider, Recon Spec, Smuggling Compartment, GS, Counter Measures (I don't recall the EPT) and Miranda w/ LRS, HM, EM, Jan Ors, and either Connor Nets or Cluster Mines ( I think it was the former). Trading HLC shots from Dash for double TLT shots doesn't bother me. The Ghost will win that game of attrition. But regen Miranda chucking 5 dice HM shots is scary for my list so I ran long enough to stay away from Miranda while I killed off Dash. Then I turned in w/ the Ghost on Miranda and bumped her for several turns while Ahsoka traded range 1 shots back and forth. I lost Ahsoka but by that time I could let Miranda go and killed her the next round. Luckily, I was able to avoid the HMs the entire game. 100 - 50 win.

Round 4 (or as I like to call it , "How Dengar subjugated my entire list!"). Ok, I lost this match as you can tell but this was my favorite match of the tournament nonetheless. My opponent had Dengar w/ the title, Lone Wolf, Recon Spec, R5-P8, GS, and Countermeasures. He also had Assajj w/ Latts and Predator. I arc dodged Assajj and put her down quick. But then R5-P8 went on a rate of fire tear. He put 2 on Ahsoka and then Dengar's grudge shot killer her off. Dengar then ate what was left of the Ghost (w/ R5s help) in one round (7 hits I think). That caused Zeb to come out w/ one hull damage. But I had gotten Dengar down to 1 hull by that time so there was still a slight chance. And then my opponent puts Dengar on a rock within range 1 of the Shuttle which is running Autoblaster turret. I was elated. Two chances to win without taking shots myself. Oh joy of X-Wing joys. But my opponent makes his save on the asteroid damage and my Autoblaster shot comes up eye + blank. I had been taking an Evade action because of the fire order. I think it was the right call given the circumstances. It kept me alive for 3 more turns. Last round saw a one hull Dengar vs. a one hull shuttle but Dengar scored 4 hits and that was that. It was a tense and close fun game. 71 - 100 loss.

So I went 2 and 2 and came in sixth overall I think. Enough to score me a couple of acrylic Tractor Beam tokens as my first official tourney booty. Small potatoes I know but I'll take it because as Napoleon famously quoted: "You call these baubles, well, it is with baubles that men are led. Do you think that you would be able to make men fight by reasoning? Never. That is only good for the scholar in his study. The soldier needs glory, distinctions, and rewards."

Anyway, It was a good time. The TD was cool and did a good job and I enjoyed playing all my opponents. Nice people. We had a lot of fun.

I failed to talk about this tournament format which is kind of cool. This tournament was Round 4 of a "March Madness" series of qualifying tournaments hosted by different game stores around our area. One each Saturday this month at a different store. The winner of each qualifier goes to the "Final Four" tournament on April 15th. The overall winner gets the proceeds from the entry fees ($10 per player) of the four qualifying tournaments to go towards a possible trip to Nationals or Worlds. Fun idea.

Cool. I've yet to face or try the Heragator but I hear nasty things about it. How does it fair against quad TLT and Autothrusters aces like Soontir or Inquisitor?

One recomendation to your list, drop autoblaster turret and BMST for C-3PO but if you don't have them I understand, perhaps instead drop autoblaster for Cassian/Intel agent that way it doesn't matter if you loose initiative? Just a recomendation but you fly you.

3 hours ago, Sir13scott said:

Cool. I've yet to face or try the Heragator but I hear nasty things about it. How does it fair against quad TLT and Autothrusters aces like Soontir or Inquisitor?

One recomendation to your list, drop autoblaster turret and BMST for C-3PO but if you don't have them I understand, perhaps instead drop autoblaster for Cassian/Intel agent that way it doesn't matter if you loose initiative? Just a recomendation but you fly you.

Against quad TLTs? I don't know. I'm 7-2 with this list and have only faced 2 TLTs on the map at once and that was 2 x Golds paired w/ OG Chewbacca. In that game, I ran from the Ys until I killed Chewie and then turned in on them for range 1 passes with the primary (plus an unleased Ahsoka). My first round opponent (he's probably a better person to ask) won this tournament on Saturday with his Heragator. He was 3-1 going into the top 4 (I think he lost to a 5 ship rebel swarm in Swiss) and his semi round was against a 4-0 player who was running 3 x TLTs Golds and a B-Wing. I didn't stay and watch that game but he beat it to move on to the final and win. My guess is that the Y-Wing player couldn't keep the Ghost in range of all his small based ships in any given round. If you can isolate a Y with the Ghost and not have your TLT shot obstructed, that Y is taking 4 damage every round thanks to AC.

No one flys Soontir right now in our local meta but I did face off against a PTL Inquistor with ATs and the title a few weeks ago. Even with AC on the Ghost, ATs are still a good defense against TLTs so you have to adjust your strategy. In that game, I ran from The Inquisitor with the Ghost and had Ahsoka go BMST hunting him. We danced around and then Ahsoka eventually sliced one on to the paint. That shut The Inqs multi action economy down because he got spooked to be stressed. I then turned in on him with the Ghost and pulled Ahsoka/Chopper shenanigans to boost out of arc of the Inqs range 1 shot while putting him in the Ghost's rear arc where his ATs also do him no good. I killed him that round with the 5 dice primary shot. It's situations like that why I like Chopper on this build. I always use him at least once a game. I like the IA suggestion though and I know it's popular on this build. 3PO too but I don't own him. I'm not sure I'd take him anyway. If I fly this anymore I might try IA on the Tie. My thought process behind having a turret on the Shuttle is that if the Shuttle is out (especially in a timed event), the Ghost is most likely dead and I'm probably behind on points and need to kill stuff. The Shuttle doesn't have a great dial for jousting so I wanted to increase it's weapon capabilities and give me more options. The turret in turn helps keep The Phantom from getting dogged out of arc.

33 minutes ago, RevJJ said:

Against quad TLTs? I don't know. I'm 7-2 with this list and have only faced 2 TLTs on the map at once and that was 2 x Golds paired w/ OG Chewbacca. In that game, I ran from the Ys until I killed Chewie and then turned in on them for range 1 passes with the primary (plus an unleased Ahsoka). My first round opponent (he's probably a better person to ask) won this tournament on Saturday with his Heragator. He was 3-1 going into the top 4 (I think he lost to a 5 ship rebel swarm in Swiss) and his semi round was against a 4-0 player who was running 3 x TLTs Golds and a B-Wing. I didn't stay and watch that game but he beat it to move on to the final and win. My guess is that the Y-Wing player couldn't keep the Ghost in range of all his small based ships in any given round. If you can isolate a Y with the Ghost and not have your TLT shot obstructed, that Y is taking 4 damage every round thanks to AC.

No one flys Soontir right now in our local meta but I did face off against a PTL Inquistor with ATs and the title a few weeks ago. Even with AC on the Ghost, ATs are still a good defense against TLTs so you have to adjust your strategy. In that game, I ran from The Inquisitor with the Ghost and had Ahsoka go BMST hunting him. We danced around and then Ahsoka eventually sliced one on to the paint. That shut The Inqs multi action economy down because he got spooked to be stressed. I then turned in on him with the Ghost and pulled Ahsoka/Chopper shenanigans to boost out of arc of the Inqs range 1 shot while putting him in the Ghost's rear arc where his ATs also do him no good. I killed him that round with the 5 dice primary shot. It's situations like that why I like Chopper on this build. I always use him at least once a game. I like the IA suggestion though and I know it's popular on this build. 3PO too but I don't own him. I'm not sure I'd take him anyway. If I fly this anymore I might try IA on the Tie. My thought process behind having a turret on the Shuttle is that if the Shuttle is out (especially in a timed event), the Ghost is most likely dead and I'm probably behind on points and need to kill stuff. The Shuttle doesn't have a great dial for jousting so I wanted to increase it's weapon capabilities and give me more options. The turret in turn helps keep The Phantom from getting dogged out of arc.

Cool that's a lot of good information. I see why chopper could be useful, but I think there are better options but again, you fly you. I like BMST and Rey on Asoka as a counter to PS8 push aces but watch out for fenn and Soontir or VI Jake.

i figure if Zeb is out the game is already turned for the worse am I wrong? Can he really clean up a win with autoblaster?

1 minute ago, Sir13scott said:

Cool that's a lot of good information. I see why chopper could be useful, but I think there are better options but again, you fly you. I like BMST and Rey on Asoka as a counter to PS8 push aces but watch out for fenn and Soontir or VI Jake.

i figure if Zeb is out the game is already turned for the worse am I wrong? Can he really clean up a win with autoblaster?

Don't count Zeb out! He mopped up a 4 hp "Leebo" last week for me which won me that game. And Autoblaster on the Phantom almost won me my last tournament round this past Sat. It's definitely situational but so is 3PO imo. He doesn't help much against HLCs which our local meta sees a lot of. As you said, preferences.

If zeb can survive a range one from phantom, coodos