Except Push The Limit is still better because its the double action that keeps them alive (boost AND barrel roll OR focus AND evade are critical). With Intensity, you have one token after one reposition, but that is not going to be enough. You'll end up with a dead interceptor more times than your list can afford...

Besides, 4 sabers is not the best way to go, anyway.

You'd be better off dropping one to an Alpha or an Imperial Trainee for blocking.

List A:

Alpha w/ hull upgrade = 21

3 Sabres w/ PTL & AT = 26 x 3

99

List B:

Alpha = 18

2 Sabres w/ PTL & AT = 26 x 2

Turr Phennir w/ PTL & AT = 30

100

Either of these lists would prove superior to 4 Intensity Sabers, and of course, you could drop the Alpha to an Imperial Trainee.

Agree PTL is way better than Intensity and a blocker would be nice in the list
List suggestion 1:
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Imperial Trainee, Adaptive Alierons, Light weight Frame (19)

List suggestion 2:
Soontir Fel, PTL, AT, Targeting Computer (34)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Academy Pilot (12)

Intensity doesn't stress you - non stressed interceptors are pretty rad - I'd certainly give it a try, the key will be to use intensity on the engagement round or round after engagement - so that you can break off and recharge it... maybe fast passes... 4 of the same ship though - i'd run 2 and 2 of something else. - though i would test out 4

I definitely will try it out and see how I like it. Yeah that's the general idea I was thinking of and what I meant by hit and run tactics. I suppose though interceptors don't have the hull pts to be effective hit and run ships. I see what you mean and I'm a push the limit fan.

1 hour ago, blade_mercurial said:

Except Push The Limit is still better because its the double action that keeps them alive (boost AND barrel roll OR focus AND evade are critical). With Intensity, you have one token after one reposition, but that is not going to be enough. You'll end up with a dead interceptor more times than your list can afford...

Besides, 4 sabers is not the best way to go, anyway.

You'd be better off dropping one to an Alpha or an Imperial Trainee for blocking.

List A:

Alpha w/ hull upgrade = 21

3 Sabres w/ PTL & AT = 26 x 3

99

List B:

Alpha = 18

2 Sabres w/ PTL & AT = 26 x 2

Turr Phennir w/ PTL & AT = 30

100

Either of these lists would prove superior to 4 Intensity Sabers, and of course, you could drop the Alpha to an Imperial Trainee.

Love list B with the blocker that's also an interceptor and can keep up with the boys. So you're saying you'd need to reposition when you're in someone's arc, needing both boost AND barrel roll to get the heck out of there rather than risk getting hit at times? Then when the timing is right using both tokens to focus fire? I can see how that would make PTL rather than Intensity more appealing....

I'm asking this as the times I've flown squints I've been wiped off the battle mat in no time and have a hard time in general as they're so weak. I'm mostly up against Poe and his cronies who give me a rough time what with how much damage they dish out and how maneuverable they are...

1 hour ago, Everyday Ace said:

Agree PTL is way better than Intensity and a blocker would be nice in the list
List suggestion 1:
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Imperial Trainee, Adaptive Alierons, Light weight Frame (19)

List suggestion 2:
Soontir Fel, PTL, AT, Targeting Computer (34)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Royal Guard Pilot, PTL, AT (27)
Academy Pilot (12)

Really dig list two as it's got the one and only Fel in there.

Thanks very much to all three of you!!! Cheers, fellow Imperials!

Worth a try!

Intensity is a very nice talent - but its 'recharge time' is an issue for the TIE interceptor; hit and run is fine, but you don't just have to break off, you have to stay 'broken off' for a turn whilst you refresh intensity (because if you plan on spending your focus to refresh the elite upgrade, you can't spend it - it's why Poe loves Intensity or R5-P9 so much, because he doesn't have to).

Being able to boost/barrel roll and gain a focus token doesn't give you good action economy (because you could have just focused anyway) but rather improved manoeuvring (because, looked at from a different perspective, what you're getting for free is the reposition).

A TIE interceptor with a free reposition actually feels a lot like a TIE striker. You have an awesome effective dial, are pretty tough for your cost at range 3, but are **** fragile by comparison at range 1-2 (because you have 1 less hull than a TIE/sk).

Saber Squadron/Intensity/Autothrusters compared to Royal Guard Pilot/Push The Limit:

• The sabers have a better dial on Intensity turns - they can do any white or green move, and boost/barrel roll and still get a focus token
• The royal guard is largely nailed to the green moves
• The Saber is tougher at range 3/out of arc - because focus+autothrusters is better than focus+evade token, because autothrusters can be used against multiple incoming shots. As long as you're using intensity to boost or barrel roll out of arc (or, given PS4, where you think the arcs are going to be), you'll get your money's worth.
• The royal guard is tougher at range 1-2 in arc, but then that is exactly where a TIE interceptor shouldn't be .

I think it's worth a try.

Ultimately, it boils down to how many Interceptors you want to fly, if you want a pure interceptor squad:

• 5 x Alpha Squadron Pilot, Autothrusters

Individual ships are fragile as. At long range, they're actually pretty tough for their points, and at close range whilst it's easy to kill one, it's often a shock to people used to playing 1-big-ship-and-a-wingmen just how much freaking damage 4 3-dice primary ships can wreak at range 1-2. If you can mob a large ship, it's not impossible to blow even a decimator to scrap metal in a single range 1 firing pass. Plus, at PS1 with boost/barrel roll you've got good blocking ability.

No, this won't be an easy squad to use, but the empire's atmospheric equivalent, 5 TIE strikers, can work and I've been using it myself for quite a few months.

• 4 x Saber Squadron Pilot, Intensity, Autothrusters

I agree that your new version is probably better than Push The Limit Royal Guard. There are too many weapons in the game now that can toss stress around (R3-A2) or even turn it against you (Latts Razzi, Black Market Slicer Tools), and provided you can outfly your opponent, autothrusters will do you better than the evade token. Jumping from PS1 to PS4......probably doesn't really matter against 90% of squads out there. Against a TIE Striker swarm, or Contracted Scouts, or massed Twin Laser Turrets, it will, but it ultimately boils down to 'can you get enough mileage out of boosting-and-then-still-getting-modified-shots every so often to justify losing a ship'.

• Soontir Fel, Royal Guard TIE, Push The Limit, Targeting Computer, Autothrusters
• Carnor Jax, Royal Guard TIE, Push The Limit, Shield Upgrade, Autothrusters
• Turr Phennir, Royal Guard TIE, Intensity, Targeting Computer, Autothrusters

Might be worth a try, might not be.

Fel is Fel; Targeting Computer vs Stealth Device is a perennial argument, but without additional modifiers from Palpatine, or Officers on shuttles, I think that you probably could do with it. Manoeuvrability and stacks of defensive tokens are all well and good but sooner or later you need to kill something. His ability stacks too well with Push The Limit to ever consider replacing it.

Jax; shield upgrade is an odd one but he is going to be lurking in close proximity to the enemy and therefore is far more likely to have to contend with bombs, feedback arrays, and so on. Push The Limit is retained because he can then boost/barrel roll if needed; his ability is so nasty that I would, at times, consider using all his actions to reposition such that he doesn't even have a shot himself if it put a key target in range 1.

Phennir; his ability seems tailor-made for either Veteran instincts or (now) intensity. I've put in intensity because you were looking at it yourself, but personally suspect Veteran Instincts/Stealth Device would be a better pairing for the same price.

The resulting squad is classic autoceptors - awesomely high PS, manoeuvrable....and catastrophically vulnerable to bombs, mines, and green-dice avoiding tricks like Zuckuss and Lieutenant Kestal; losing an alpha squadron pilot is annoying. Losing Fel loses you the game.

I'd give them all a try and see which one you enjoy most.