Hey pilots what do you think about that? How this fits into the meta?

Thx for the feedback

ARC-170: · Braylen Stramm (25)
· R3-A2 (2)
Gunner (5)
Alliance Overhaul (0)
YT-2400: · Eaden Vrill (32)
Smuggling Compartment (0)
Intelligence Agent (1)
Anti Pursuit Laser (2)
Feedback Array (2)
U-Wing: · Heff Tobber (24)
Fire Control System (2)
· "Zeb" Orrelios (1)
Operations Specialist (3)
Pivot wing (0)
-- TOTAL ------- 99p. --

Let me make sure I'm following the workings of this list: Braylen attacks, takes a stress to give the defender a stress. He misses and gets a focus from Op Specialist on Heff and triggers Gunner (maybe gets a target lock if another friendly ship was fired on before his initial attack). Eaden then shoots at the same ship Braylen stressed. Heff just does blocker things and adds some dice to your attack.

Overall, I think you've lined up the dominos well. I'm just not sure how often you can rely on all of them falling over correctly. Have you had any success with it so far, or are you in the building phase?

*PS you double-posted this. Not sure if there's a way to delete the other.

I don't think feedback array is worth it, and I don't this Eaden needs Intel Agent either. I do like the other 2 builds, however.

2 minutes ago, Greebwahn said:

I don't think feedback array is worth it, and I don't this Eaden needs Intel Agent either. I do like the other 2 builds, however.

If you want to deal out some stress and give Eaden more options, I'd say change Intel Agent to Tactician, or put Tactician on the board somewhere. Would you agree @Greebwahn ?

Now this is right up my alley. I just took this list to a store champ(32 people, barely missed the top 8 cut, losing by 1 hull in the final Swiss game to the eventual tourney winner. I would definitely play it again.):

Eaden Vrill:

-Smuggling Compartment

-Anti-pursuit lasers

-Feedback array

-Operations specialist.

Nien Nunb:

-Snap Shot

-R3-A2

-Integrated Astromech

Jess Pava:

R2-D6

Snap Shot

Integrated Astromech

I cannot recommend that Nien enough. I've used 2/3rds of your exact list with an Attack Shuttle instead of a U-wing and while Braylen is good Nien does things he can't. You have the extra point to upgrade to Nien - you should give it a try. With your other two ships blocking, you can use Nien's stress/snapshot to deny actions to a ship that lands in front of him.

Why is this better than Braylen's double stress at range 2/3? Because you can put Nien in front of Miranda or Expertise Dengar or any imperial ace and stress them before they can take action. In that tourney, stress snap shot set up Miranda for a quick kill with 1 turn of fire from all 3 ships + feedback array ending her. She shot once and dropped no bombs. I also jousted an expertise Dengar and lost no ships in the joust while killing him. Those are two top of the meta ships that Nien punishes. Miranda in particular folds to stress snap shot as she has a very limited dial for her first maneuver and only 1 agility, making snap shot a damage threat.

I hate the U wing's maneuverability and I think it's a weak point for you once the game progresses past the initial joust.

Feedback array is fantastic for finishing off weakened ships after the joust. It really helps you deal with defenders which can be problematic - particularly Ryad who is resistant to stress and can reposition around you after the joust. It also helps lock down aces in endgame as getting a bump and feedback can put them at or below half health.

Finally, some piloting advice: Move Eaden in for blocks at a 45 degree angle rather than head on if possible. That way he can turn back in front of the enemy and barrel roll to stay relevant in the next rounds.

40 minutes ago, jwilliamson12 said:

If you want to deal out some stress and give Eaden more options, I'd say change Intel Agent to Tactician, or put Tactician on the board somewhere. Would you agree @Greebwahn ?

Yeah, tactician would be a very good choice.

I humbly suggest that you keep Braylen as is, have tactitian and Ion Projector on Eaden (to lock down that stress), and Heff possibly, but also perhaps add Ion Projector to him too.

While I see the appeal of Nien, Braylen's double stressing, more wide-ranging ability, second arc, and gunner make him far better in my mind

I think the key is i can cover a wide range of movement with two huge bases than brings me benefits if i bump. IA makes Eaden better blocking the short movements and Heff will cover the large ones. That's exactly the way the lists works. The focus from the Op Spec can go to the best firing positioned ship, braylen or eaden.

I understand the point @Ohnoeszz , but i found that nien very difficult to fly... Isn' it?

@jwilliamson12

3 hours ago, Ninotik said:

I think the key is i can cover a wide range of movement with two huge bases than brings me benefits if i bump. IA makes Eaden better blocking the short movements and Heff will cover the large ones. That's exactly the way the lists works. The focus from the Op Spec can go to the best firing positioned ship, braylen or eaden.

I understand the point @Ohnoeszz , but i found that nien very difficult to fly... Isn' it?

@jwilliamson12

Not necessarily. You have two ships moving at PS 3 with large bases and Intelligence Agent. You can use these ships to flank Nien and control space so that the only way for them to joust your list forces them to bump or be snap-stressed. Nien's stress snap is very similar to playing with a third large base denying them space but if he catches them he gets to throw 6 dice at a mod-less target and leave them double stressed next turn. Snap shot can still trigger Operations Specialist.

Nien can still single stress at range 2-3 whereas you would have to depend on Braylen to proc gunner to get that double stress and take away their action next round. Say Braylen hits on his first shot, that ship can do a green and have an action next turn. If Nien hits them with stress from range, they need to do a green to lose that stress. You can position Nien to be able to snap shot their green maneuver and force that ship into missing its action or turning into a bad position. More than that, you can present one joust and then turn your list towards the enemy flanker if you see it moving aggressively into a snap shot spot.

It may be a bit more difficult to pilot without all PS 3 but I think it is well worth it and no issue with a bit of experience. He is a more durable ship with extra focus being passed around and IMO offers a lot more post joust with his ability allowing you to reposition with red moves and still get an action.

Just try it for a few games. If you don't like it, Braylen is still a very solid fall-back.

@Ohnoeszz How do you keep pava in range (to be able to trigger her ability) on your list? Do you fly it close to eaden or nien?

Thx for your tips

I tend to fly the t-70s within range 1 of each other. Exactly where and how depends on asteroids, my opponent's ships, and their setup. Vrill also tends to start range one from Jess but his ability to turn and barrel roll gives a lot of flexibility to do things like hard turn the x-wings turn 1 to change where or at what angle the joust will occur. Vrill to the outside of the map and Jess stacked in front of Nien is one common start.

I view this kind of list as one that strives to break jousts - not one that necessarily out guns the enemy but one that out trades. Your list tends to have more space control than the enemy so you use it to manage which ships shoot what. I tend to lag one t-70 behind the other if I need to prevent a fly-by or K-turn but against a kiting opponent I will fan out and corrale them toward Nien to slow them down.

Also debris is great for this list since Nien can make maneuvers through and lose stress. Operations specialist can provide focus after turning through debris and it helps up Eaden's firepower if they hit it for stress.

Yesterday i tested the list for the first time against Expertise Dengar + PTL Asaj. Finally I played nien instead of braylen... and yes, it's so sweet @Ohnoeszz

I attempted the first store tournament with the Heff, Eaden, Nien list. I lost in the top 8 cut so i finished 3w 2l. The list works so well in the current meta plenty of kanan biggs and attani squads. Thx to @Ohnoeszz for the tips. The Nien + Eden combo works incredible well, but I'm not fully satisfied with heff.

So i'm trying to fit a 30 or 32 points ship (removing feedback array or antipursuit lasers from eaden).

I've came up with these builds:

1)

ARC-170: · Shara Bey (28)
Adaptability (Increase) (0)
· BB-8 (2)
Tactician (2)
Alliance Overhaul (0)
-- TOTAL ------- 32p. -- to improve damage output and stress control

2)

ARC-170: · Shara Bey (28)
· A score to settle (0)
Targeting Astromech (2)
Tail Gunner (2)
Alliance Overhaul (0)
-- TOTAL ------- 32p. -- big ship eater + more damage output

3)

ARC-170: · Thane Kyrell (26)
· R2-D6 (1)
Tactician (2)
Alliance Overhaul (0)
Adaptability (Decrease) (0)
-- TOTAL ------- 29p. -- a nien's shield + stress

What do you think? Thx

Nice to hear you did well.

Of the Arcs, I like your first one most because I like the utility of both bb-8 and tactician.

I should be going to a store champ this Saturday so I'll try to report after.

How was the store @Ohnoeszz ?

It was the Endgame Store Champs in Oakland that Jeff Wilder ended up winning (check the store champs thread on the main page). I think we had 21 people.....

Game 1: I was matched against Jossle Sison (Trinity squad gaming on YouTube). He was playing: 1. RAC with VI, Kylo, Vader, Gunner, Dauntless, and Engine Boost 2. Quickdraw with VI(?), FCS, Spec Ops, Lightweight Frame

I set up first in the middle with Eaden center and Jess to his right and Nien to her back and right. He set up in his right corner with both ships, Quickdraw about range 2 towards the inside. I turned my ships left to start and opened with a small blunder not having enough room to barrel roll back towards the board edge after a 1 turn on Eaden. This left him further into center on turn 2 and reduced my ability to block the outside corner if RAC went wide. His first and second turn are straights with both ships, RAC pushing the pace on the outside). Turn two Eaden is the only one at range 3 of his ships (the x wings are turned left and don't have quickdraw in arc. I lose some shield on Eaden for very little in return. Next turn I make my big mistake, out thinking myself. I see two options: both have me using Vrill to block quickdraws left turns but one option pulls the t-70s short with a 2 straight to punish an overaggressive quickdraw with double snap shots and the other option is to bank 3 left and double snap the RAC that needs to turn around the final corner asteroid at this point. I decide that he'd see the quickdraw trap coming and turn so moving on to damage the RAC seemed best. I did double snap RAC giving a two crits (blinded and no actions except damage cards) and bringing him down to around 6 health with just the x wing over the course of the turn but he put quickdraw right behind my T-70s getting a double shot on Nien and Vrill. Nien's shields disappear and Vrill goes down to gunner before he can shoot on RAC.

Had I done the x wing two forwards, I'd have caught a focusless quickdraw with 4-5 attacks at range 1. As it was my x wings had Quickdraw behind them and RAC or the board edge blocking the Ks and talons. Quickdraw proceeded to mop up and RAC ran.

32-100 loss

Game two: I don't remember the name of the player but he was playing RAC with Kylo, boost, Gunner and some other things as well as a Whisper with VI, Kallus and the works. I set up similar to my first game with similar asteroids creating outside lanes. He places Whisper to the outside of RAC making me expect an aggressively decloaking forward whisper. That is exactly what plays out so I turn right and k-turn in the opening turns. I swing Eaden out towards the center as he takes the corner. We begin engagement and I catch his decimator with my x-wings at range 3 while Whisper ticks shoots range 3 on Jess for no effect. The Deci knocks a shield off Nien but gets stressed back and must turn. Next turn Eaden blocks whisper from turning in and my x wings snap shot RAC. All three of my ships primaries at range 1 on the decimator brings it to 1 hull, 4 stress, and can't go straight next turn.

He forgets the critical dialing in a 2 straight. This lets me set his dial to fly off the board at 1 health, preventing Eaden needing to chase. From there it became a short positioning game of blocking whispers options with Eaden and Nien until he was forced into a k-turn he couldn't cloak after. This let me catch him with snap shots and death soon after.

100-0 win

Game 3: was against a scum list using genesis red, Quinn Jast and Xizor. The scyks had pulse Ray shields to soak up extra damage from xizor, who had PTL and FCS. Nast had missiles and Red had a mangler.

Asteroid placement created a ring with space in the center. I deployed to take the center and from his deployment - a tight pinwheel aimed for a gap between the rocks - so did he. We both moved forward towards the center -I moved my YT-2400 out in front, just next to an asteroid, as it was to the left of my x wings who were head on with his 3. His squad would have to move into the space between asteroids next turn. Turn 2 I 3 right turned Eaden and barrel rolled to block his path into the asteroids as the t-70s caught up. The Scycks bump and lose action. Xizor gets a shot on Eaden as Genesis Red tanks with green dice to survive with light damage. Next turn Eaden 1 turns right blocking a path to funnel his ships into the x wing snap shots. That is exactly what happens and Xizor goes down. The rest of the game is mop up as his scyks end up out of position with X wings behind them. Xizor did pull half health off Eaden though.

100-19 win

Game 4 I face the other member of trinity squad gaming ( sorry can't remember name). He is running Biggs Kanan with m9-g8, tactical jammer, twin laser, Finn, Rey... This was one list I haven't gotten to play before and I was concerned about going in. How do I get to Biggs through the Ghost when my typical action denial is more difficult to execute?

We place asteroids leaving a diagonal line across the board and the rest focused to my left. He placed in his right corner pointing horizontally as I set up in the center. I turned left to start making sure his path put him clear of the rocks eventually. Slowly I turned back right, with Vrill center field and the two x wing banking 3 this turn to catch up. He was headed towards his left corner with the decision of k-turning while there is still room or turning in. From here I advance my ships out of the asteroids, 2 bank with a barrel roll up from Eaden to prepare for next turn. Jess went 3 forward to keep direction while maintaining arc if the Ghost turned in. The Ghost turned in with a 2 turn and Biggs followed suit. Nien pulls up right behind Jess and shoots first stressing and knocking two shields from Biggs. Next Biggs misses Nien from range 3. Then Kanan rolls a perfect 4 dice for 2 hits 2 crits. Finn + m9-g8 give the 5th hit. I blank my dice and I'm forced to integrated a blinded pilot. Jess and Eaden reduce Biggs but at the end of round TLT hits for 2 and then 3 to finish Nien.

I knew that was the end of it right then. Nien was the 3rd ship boxing in his movement next turn as Jess would k-turn to one side of them, vrill would turn and barrel roll to block the other, and Nien would move last blocking their forward move before k-turning behind to shoot first.

This was a game where I felt I had the exact approach I wanted to kill Biggs and get position on the Ghost but variance betrayed me. From that point on I made some risky piloting gambits (block Biggs to shoot the Ghost) to try and make up for lost ground but it was to little avail. I ended up getting Biggs with a snapshot from Jess Pava after a k-turn, just before I went down.

28-100 loss

Through some sort of MOV miracle I ended up 8th getting the range ruler. I felt game one was lost to my errors but game 4 was swung on variance, so I felt pretty good about how I played. The two wins were extremely convincing. The Kaman-Biggs loss is a little concerning if the list continues to be a problem but I want more testing. I suspect I just came out on the bad end of luck against a list which forces me to rely on dice luck in some form of joust. I've noticed I tend to start these tournament's sloppy before dialing in so I'm thinking of running a practice game when I arrive at the next.

I may be going to another SC this weekend and I still like this list for it.

Uoooo that's a super report @Ohnoeszz .

This is my build right now. I like how the build covers the space and force the movements of the opponent I'm studing how to save two points, one for the black one tittle on nien and the other for the initiative bid.

Antipursuit laser, Ion projector or Op. Spec. are have the odds... What would you change?

YT-2400: · Eaden Vrill (32)
Anti Pursuit Laser (2)
Intelligence Agent (1)
T-70 X-Wing: · Nien Nunb (29)
Snap Shot (2)
· R3-A2 (2)
Integrated Astromech (0)
U-Wing: · Heff Tobber (24)
Fire Control System (2)
Ion Projector (2)
· "Zeb" Orrelios (1)
Operations Specialist (3)
Pivot wing (0)
-- TOTAL ------- 100p. --

I think I'd cut OpSpec since you only have 1 snap shot to trigger it and no more gunner. Tobber has FCS and is unlikely to miss. Vrill could feed him a focus by missing but while that is situationally helpful, that's not ideal. Your two big ships are likely to be blocking a lot of the time and may not be offering shots for Op Spec to trigger.

@Ninotik

So I got to a 3rd store champs with my list.

I went 6-1 losing in the finals (24 people) to an Attani list (Dengar, Fenn, Inaldra) that I had tabled in round 2 of Swiss. I played against: Dash/Miranda, the above attani list twice, howlrunner swarm, Kanan/Ahsoka, Kanan/Garven Dreiss, and a Ryad/PS 1 Tie-D/Backdraft.

Some games felt like the table was slanted in my favor. I only lost 1 ship (Eaden Vrill in rd 1 vs dash/Miranda) all night before the finals. Snapshot truly overperformed - killing more than one tie fighter pre-action against the swarm, 3-5 additional damage against the Ghost lists... and countless small interactions aside. Operations specialist also pulled a lot of weight, frequently getting focus on k-turned t-70s.

I really think this list has something to it. Also Stress Nien might be the most underrated/underplayed ship in this meta.

@Ohnoeszz Actually i'm testing this:

YT-2400: · Eaden Vrill (32)
Operations Specialist (3)
T-70 X-Wing: · Nien Nunb (29)
Snap Shot (2)
· R3-A2 (2)
Integrated Astromech (0)
· Black One (1)
ARC-170: · Thane Kyrell (26)
· R2-D6 (1)
Tactician (2)
Alliance Overhaul (0)
Snap Shot (2)
-- TOTAL ------- 100p. --

Black one helps a little countering alpha strike squads.

Thane has a semi-biggs role and always takes the first shoots. I like the chance of a rear arc snap shop. Tactician can bring a second stress (or third) token in the first melee.

What doy you think?

@Ninotik

Sorry for the late reply... been taking a short break since most of my x-wing stuff was stolen.

That looks really good actually. I've been thinking of dropping Anti-pursuit and/or feedback in favor of some help against alpha strike lists and other things. One thing I was considering was a Flechette torpedo on Nien to get more flexibility with stress on my approach. I often find Nien wanting to k-turn or talon after the 1st round so the ability to get a stress on a target without stressing him is nice. Thane is good value. I don't know if snap shot is as good without boost available, but he should damage and tank about as well as Jess and he is dealing stress. How do you tend to fly Thane and Nien?

I liked black one against contracted scouts but it won't help much with high PS lists which seem to be returning now.