I've been just getting into X-wing, I'm learning how to fly, how ships and builds can work together, but I'm really struggling with flying strategies and tactics.

I have a few builds I am consistently running to get used to the ships, how they can work together, etc. But I continually find myself feeling like I'm just flying around and whatever the match up between the builds is, along with what mistakes in flying are made, is what eventually decides the match. I dont feel like I have an actual Plan - or many plans - in order to get a win.

So many builds talk of how the upgrades can help a list win, but I have trouble finding lists that say "here is the list, and this is what you want to do, or make your oppponent do - to maximize the list build with your flying tactics"

I run a pretty standard Miranda w/ TLT and bombs + Biggs + Gold Squad Y-wing - the Biggs in formation part I can figure out, but I really have no idea what formation, what order, where and what speed to fly (perimeter or in asteroids) and what to do when formation no longer matters.

I feel like I'm generally getting lucky and Slam+bombing when my opponents make a mistake, utilizing Biggs and making it through based on that, not gaining a victory based on my awesome ability to fly circles around my opponent, or trapping them into a web of death.

I also JUST tried out basically the same Miranda with a Dash in a YT - once again, pretty good with the mechanics of the k-wing, but pretty much just flew around avoiding what I thought was going to be trouble and won. I got some rolls, missed a bomb drop that changed the dynamic of the play field and redirected the other ships in advantageous positions for me - NOT intentionally, and ended up winning.

Any input would be most appreciated.

tl;dr

Know lists well, have no idea how to actually fly with purpose or a strategy.

Based on your description, it seems you are having the same basic experience as every other player I've ever met. Experience is a key word here. Practice, learning from mistakes and triumphs alike, more practice. In a word: experience. There are some basic guides available, disclaimers to follow.

For some basic strategy, try this: http://www.notsuchabadpilot.com/

If you can tolerate the fact that the pictures don't work anymore, this is also a solid place to start:

Disclaimer: Resources like the links above, while helpful, cannot replace quality time at the table.

The best advice I can give for developing specific plans and strategies is to practice your list repeatedly against list archetypes. Foremost, you will become intimately familiar with your own list. Second, you will understand how other lists behave on the table. Use that experience to determine your strategies. That's the point when you become more proactive than reactive, but don't forget to be reactive.

Basically just what jmswood said but one addition, from my experience in learning to play this game over the last year (well a little over but not much) is that the more you can play against people better than you the more you will learn. If you are paying attention to everything your opponent does from rock placement to ship setup to how they fly what they have on the table. You can learn a lot about what works and what doesn't. I found that I would learn more in a 20 min loss than most other games. Keep flying and keep trying you will get better and also don't be afraid to ask the better players for where you may have made mistakes during your game. Unless they are rude they will probably be able to tell you one or two big places where you could have done something differently and possibly changed the game.

There are no simple basic answers to flying. It boils down to your list and your opponents list, and turn 0 aka rock and ship placement. This will determine your opening move and approach. Experience,skill, and dice do the rest. We cant just say flank with Dash. Because what if they are flanking with Inquisitor? You dont want Dash heading straight for Inquisitor, you now have to fly Dash the opposite way. Approaching a TIE Swarm and approaching triple aces is completely different. We cant just say slow roll with Miranda+Biggs and just do 1 straights until engagement, because what if you are playing against a Dash with Rey crew? The longer you slow roll, the more powerful he becomes stocking focus tokens. You probably want to close distance with some 3 and 4 straights, and get into combat quickly so he only has maybe 2 focus stocked up.

This is what makes Xwing so fun. Every game is completely different and one single upgrade card can change everything. Autoblaster Turret on Ghost instead of TLT. VI Rey vs Expertise Rey.

What you can do to improve, is learn all the different bombing paths for kwings and SLAM. If you are just outside range 3, what moves can you do to bomb the opponent? What if you are just outside range 2 and the opponent is on your right? Get familiar with different distances and what your ships can achieve. Dash wants nothing more than range 3 shots. Practice on getting these. You don't have to fly Dash/Miranda everytime at local game night either and make people hate you. One day just fly Dash/Poe or something. Another game, fly Miranda/Rey. This gets you experience with the ships you want to fly, and experience with ships you may come up against so you know their capabilities and build strategies when facing them.

And if you cant get to the tables, youtube, youtube, youtube. Watch the semifinals and finals of tournaments. These are the guys that have gone 4-1,5-1, 6-0 etc. They know how to fly their lists. Watch a Dash/Miranda list and see how they approach different situations. While watching, ask yourself what you would do before they reveal their dial. See if your prediction would have been right or wrong.

Sorry the answer is so vague. Only way to get specifics on flying is to post your list, post your opponents list. Then we can give turn 0 advice, and how to approach it. But since we all have different experience and skill sets, you will get a million different answers.

It ultimately boils down to "what does a win for you look like for the match-up".

e.g. with Twin Laser Turret Miranda Doni, and especially with Heavy Laser Cannon/Outrider Dash Rendar, the ideal is generally "your opponent chasing you at range 3" - you have the edge at long range with dice-heavy, 360' secondary weapons, the ability to use your bombs/mines effectively, and bonus defence dice against incoming fire.

The plan, therefore, is normally going to be " how do I get to a situation where the enemy is chasing me but can't catch up to me and get close ". Sometimes it might be something different, like " how do I get to and kill the support ship before the aces kill me extremely dead " (less of an issue now Palpatine and Manaroo have been toned down)

That's going to inform decisions like "do I want tight packed obstacles or a loose field" - tightly packed is great for messing up formations if you can force them to fly through, but creates a 'clear area' somewhere else. Loose creates big channels everywhere. Three TIE interceptors or equivalent will largely outfly you no matter how tight the rocks, but a TIE fighter or TIE striker swarm hates dense rocks.