Hi guys, I would like to play at least one, maybe more Interceptors. But I just cannot seem to figure out a good list. My first Idea was Soontir but then that leaves me with an awkwarad amount of points so I thought about some swarm leader fun with this list, what do you think?

Interceptors are very squishy, and in current meta there are MANY hard counters to them, so if you're planning to be competitive, it may not be a very good idea.

I love them, but even in my very casual games, they seem very fragile, too dependant on fickle green dice. I find my self more comfortable with Defenders.

Carnor Jax ability is still useful, and if you put by his side bigger threats he could last longer. TIE/sfs are the new imperial hotness. Defenders are still very viable. Pure Sabacc is also a good idea, as he attracts a lot of heat.

Also: Why Royal Guard with only one mod? If you pick the delightfully beauty red interceptor mini, you don't need the title to remark that he is a Royal Guard pilot

Title was just to give the opportunity for a second modification, since I have 2 pts. left.

I also know that Interceptors die way to fast , but I like the dials and I was wondering whether there was any option to maybe give them a chance. I played Soontir in an aces list of Vader / Inquisitor and Soontir and he was usually the first ship to die. Nevertheless I liked flying him most. I tried a TIE / sf, TIE Striker and TIE Defender list and that was just awesome but I have all those poor Interceptors sitting there wanting to be flown ;).

Love those squints....

I'm currently having the same hard times trying to get those interceptors back on the table and still have a competitive list up against all my buddies who play rebels.

I'll throw a personal preference out there and drop VI for adaptability on Pure Sabaac and then you have three points for a stealth device on Carnor... Or a targeting computer if you're looking to move first with him, still having the initiative bid.

To be honest, as much as I hate to admit it and to the demise of my previous post, I think the all interceptor list is very fragile and hard to play in the current meta but as Malasombra said a squint paired with some decent none squint threats that will take the heat away from your squints, as you've done, is the best way to do it. I've recently been pairing up Fel with two Tie SF's and it works ok. You just need to fly him right by not jousting and not rushing anything, timing your attacks, lining up one on one and hopefully outside that ships firing arc.

I want FFG to come out with the "starhunter"... The imperial remnant's new and improved interceptor.... Here's to hoping for that day...

Cheers!

Well, I think Interceptors are just fine, but as mentioned they ARE really squishy and flying them is not easy. That's why I like them so much. You really have to be good at predicting your opponent's moves and setting up counter moves that keep your interceptors in safe positions. For example, one of the biggest mistakes I see newer players make when flying interceptors is to forget about maintaining range 3 on the opening turn of shooting. If the enemy ships (even 1 or 2) fall within range 2 instead of range 3, that alone can result in a dead interceptor (assuming there are another one or two enemy ships shooting as well).

So basically, you either learn to 'get good' by flying them, or you continue to struggle and move on to other ships that are easier to fly. Personally, I think the struggle of getting through that learning curve is worth it, because ultimately, getting good at predicting your opponent is an essential skill in this game, and something that will benefit you no matter what ships you fly down the road. So flying fragile ships like interceptors can be helpful in that regard if you actually can see where you went wrong and improve on mistakes as you play.

Anyway, as to the list itself, I think its a bad idea. Swarm Leader means that the ship carrying it will attract enemy fire. Carnor Jax' ability already attracts A LOT of enemy attention. Putting the two together is just asking to have him dead first turn of shooting. There is NOTHING you can put into the list that will change that. He is just TOO dangerous with both of those abilities together.

If you want to use swarm leader, you really need a tough ship. I've used it to some success on Boba Fett and Oicunn. I could see maybe putting it on a TIE defender or perhaps a TIE/sf. But anything else Imperials have is pretty much too squishy to get good value out of the card.

If you want to use interceptors well, they need to be as mobile as possible and as tough as possible. For that reason, autothrusters are an 'auto-include'. Push the Limit is also pretty essential, although its possible to run them without it (but harder to do successfully!). For that reason, I strongly suggest starting with an interceptor that has Push the Limit and Autothrusters. It doesn't really matter which pilot (as long as it has an EPT of course!). Just practice with those two cards until you get comfortable with the added tactical flexibility these cards provide (double actions plus extra protection at range 3 and out of arc).

As for flying tips, the best way to fly an Interceptor is out of arc! Therefore, the best way to approach with an interceptor is by flanking. So the easiest way to get good with an interceptor is to take one in a flanking role for a list that otherwise wants to joust the enemy.

The most 'competitive' Interceptor choices are Jax and Fel. Personally, I would build them like so, but feel free to experiment with other mods:

Soontir Fel: PTL, title, AT & target computer

Carnor Jax: PTL, title, AT & hull upgrade

Both are 34 points, so in a way, are interchangeable in lists with 64 - 66 points of ships. Some key differences: durability is more important for Jax, since he has less protection from his pilot ability (generally speaking). An initiative bid is more important for Soontir Fel, because there are some other PS 9 ships that can be super dangerous for him if they get to move last (like procket VI Jake, Han, Quickdraw, Whisper, Dengar, Fenn, Talonbane, etc).

For the rest of your list, a strong jousting element that is easy to fly would be best. Here are some suggestions:

Pair of Glaives w/ crackshot & X-7 title (66 points). These work best with Carnor because there won't be an initiative bid. Easiest list to learn, because very few cards to remember, although positioning defenders well is something that some players struggle with (fortunately X-7 and their durability can protect you from some mistakes).

Pair of Omega Specialists w/ crackshot, title, FCS, sensor cluster & LWF ( 64 points). Either Soontir or Carnor works here, but in a way, there is a bit more learning curve, because there are more card interactions to remember. On the other hand, TIE/sf is actually easier to fly well than TIE Defender, so you should master it quicker than the above.

1 Imperial Trainee w/ AA & LWF + 2 Black Squad Scouts w/ crackshot, AA & LWF (65 points). This is the hardest list to fly, but you get more firepower (albeit at lower Pilot Skill). The Trainee is your blocker (when that is useful---generally not so much against Mindlink lists or against Expertise Dengar/Rey or Ketsu w/ title, etc). Strikers with adaptive ailerons are tricky to fly well AND to coordinate with a flanking ship. This list requires A LOT of pre-planning and some comfort with predicting enemy moves, especially in the opening stages. So, I suggest moving to this one AFTER you've given one of the above two some table time to get used to the whole process.

Now, you can fly Interceptors in other roles besides as a flanker, but you have to be extremely careful. I think mastering the flanking role is the best place to start and then experiment with other list ideas once you reach the point where you feel confident that you can control shooting ranges and you aren't doing silly things like getting blocked or landing on rocks, etc.

Good luck and hope my blathering is at least a tiny bit useful...

I have had succes with flying the below list against Fenn Rau and Dengar scum lists

Soontir Fel, PTL, title, AT, SD (35)
Quickdraw, Expertise, FCS, Pattern Analyzer, title, LWF (39)
Scourge, VI, SD

All are PS 9 and with a 5 point iniative bid and reposition on all ships it does pretty well and its fun to fly

Interceptors arent worth the points right now. For one, this is a bombers world, especially after the recent wave. Three hull is gone in an instant. And stress mechanics like asajj, or rigged cargo to stop those bombers is the same counter to interceptor aces. Carnor Jax gets weaker and weaker as upgrades like expertise,score to settle, and lowrick come out giving ships other ways to convert eyes to hits or to add evade results.

They can still win an occasionally game here and there. But to consistently win, as in a tournament setting, i just dont see it. Its a disadvantage to bring them along. Arc dodging isnt necessary when lowering ps ships are dropping mines before you move and ps10s are bombing and have ABTs, etc. after you move.

Thank you everyone. I will try to fit in at least one Interceptor Ace for flanking in some casual games. But I am afraid that usually there is a better pick for the same points. But I love the dial so much, trying won't harm.

Also I think @blade_mercurial is right, playing an Interceptor is teaching one to fly well, and I do need a lot of flying practice so this might be a good motivation.

I took apart a pain in the *** 2 ARC-Roark swarm tactics list with Turr Fennir-Carnor Jax-Deathrain, 100-0 last week.

Haven't flown interceptors in ages, but dang it was fun! My opponent never getting to concentrate on the same ship was key.

And yeah, I know, not exactly meta or anti meta builds....

How did you spec them?

15 minutes ago, c3lb said:

How did you spec them?