At first, I thought the 5x Alpha Sq. Pilot w/ Autothrusters squad was stupid. It's too many eggs in one basket, and it didn't seem to perform very well. Then I played 5x TIE strikers, and I realized how awesome it could be. And then somebody won a pretty big tournament with the PS 1 TIE interceptors! However, even then, I find my style is to have 4 small ships and a shuttle. I just love that shuttle. With the release of the TIE Silencer, I'll finally have 4 copies of Autothrusters that I can run on my 4 Alpha Sq. Pilots.

But there is a problem: that comes to 80 points, which isn't enough to fit a Lambda -class shuttle. So now I'm left wondering, "What is a good 20 point ship to fly alongside four Autothrusters-equipped Alpha Sq. Pilots?" I'll list some of my thoughts, but I would appreciate your feedback, or any additional suggestions I haven't thought of.

• "Howlrunner" (18)
  - Juke (2)
• "Howlrunner" (18)
  - Swarm Tactics (2)
  
• Scimitar Sq. Pilot (16)
  - TIE Shuttle (0)
  - Fleet Officer (3)
  - TIE Mk. II (1)
• Scimitar Sq. Pilot (16)
  - TIE Shuttle (0)
  - Operations Specialist (3)
  - Intelligence Agent (1)
  
• "Countdown" (20)
  - Adaptive Ailerons (0)
  
• Zeta Leader (20)
  - Trick Shot (0)
• Epsilon Leader (19)
  - Hyperwave Comm Scanner (1)

Okay, so the list can probably go on and on. Just wanted to see what the consensus was on some good ideas of Imperial ships at 20 points that would complement generic TIE interceptors. I am very comfortable with the Fleet Officer shuttle, so that version of a TIE Shuttle appeals to me. I'm also a huge fan of TIE strikers, so "Countdown" sounds pretty good, too. I look forward to your input.

Of those listed, I think I like Intel/Ops the best. Intel lets you use anybody including itself as a decent blocker, and Ops helps stack tokens (especially nice when the Shuttle's own pea-shooter hands out a token before the Interceptors attack).

Honestly I think you've covered the main options. I'd prefer a TIE Shuttle myself either one should be great I'd think.

I like Countdown. his ability can be utterly frustrating for your opponent. Caught at range one by a focused Fearlessness Fenn? Yeah, that'll be one damage. See you next turn.

I think Strikers and Alphas mix quite well in general if you're looking for a 5 ship list.

+1 intel ops specialist. Will drastically increase the surviability of the list

7 hours ago, AngryAlbatross said:

+1 intel ops specialist. Will drastically increase the surviability of the list

The reason I like Fleet Officer over Ops Specialist is that my Alphas can boost or barrel roll, and still have a focus token at the start of combat. Ops Specialist allows them to spend on both defense and offense (if the attacks miss and a defensive spender gets a free token), but it doesn't enhance their maneuverability. This is especially noticeable when Intelligence Agent informs you where the opposing target will move, and you can do post-maneuver adjustments to line up your shots. It's a tough call. Guess I'll have to give both options several reps.

P.S. Thanks for the replies. Nice to know you agree that I'm on the right track.

A Scimitar bomber with LWF and Unguided Rockets might not be a bad companion, it's not a support shuttle but it'll probably draw fire because people will want to force you to spend your focus so you can't use the rockets.

3 hours ago, DanteStorm said:

A Scimitar bomber with LWF and Unguided Rockets might not be a bad companion, it's not a support shuttle but it'll probably draw fire because people will want to force you to spend your focus so you can't use the rockets.

Interesting. I had thought of the Unguided Rockets, but I dismissed it because I could take a 3 attack value Imperial Trainee with Lightweight Frame for a point cheaper. The idea of drawing fire to my bulkiest ship is a neat idea.

I also thought that Mara Jade + Intelligence Agent could be an interesting combination. Probably not as helpful as the crew ideas listed above.

Personally, I have found Ops Spec to work best if you have at least one ship at really high PS. Generating a focus early in the combat phase helps immensely. While its true that a PS 2 bomber generates the focus (if it misses, but that's likely!) before your PS 1 ships shoot, it doesn't really help if you have a damaged interceptor and want to protect it. Fleet officer allows you to protect your damaged interceptors much better because you get the evade and focus (or as you already mentioned, can barrel roll/boost and still get a focus).

So I would recommend Fleet Officer shuttle over Ops Spec shuttle in this particular case.

I also think Countdown is a good idea for this particular list. Most of your games will see him as your last ship standing, and despite being PS 5, he makes a pretty decent endgame ship (compared to a PS1 interceptor!)

Now, in addition to all that, I would like to suggest the following idea, if you are open to trying somewhat different things:

2 Alphas w/ autothrusters = 40

2 Trainees w/ Ailerons = 34

74 total.

I think this works better as a 'base'. Not only do you open up a lot more powerful options for your 5th ship (such as Omicron w/ Fleet Officer & Adv. Sensors or 'standard' Omega Leader to name the most obvious), but you protect your list from bad matchups. The autothruster Alpha is best against turret lists, but gets wiped easier against bombing lists. The 2 trainees give you a slightly better chance of winning against the bombing lists at the expense of some vulnerability against turret lists (but not by much, really).

Countdown is my favorite too with so much 2 ships build he can be a nice bait for your opponent and with his ability he can survive against a deadly shot.

But they are so much possibilty :

18 hours ago, Arkanta974 said:

Sienar Test Pilot (20)
TIE Advanced Prototype (16), XX-23 S-thread Tracers (1), TIE/v1 (1), Autothrusters (2)

That is an excellent idea... target locks for your Interceptors and bonus trigger of v1

12 minutes ago, Sasajak said:

That is an excellent idea... target locks for your Interceptors and bonus trigger of v1

Would need a 5th copy of autothrusters, though.

I think the TIE shuttle is probably the best plan. You're used to a single support ship, and the TIE shuttle is a cut-price version; essentially trading down from a Lambda to a TIE shuttle to free up the points for your Interceptors to have autothrusters.

27 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

think the TIE shuttle is probably the best plan.

So do I. I just think this is a neat idea and alternative option for a support ship.

21 minutes ago, Sasajak said:

So do I. I just think this is a neat idea and alternative option for a support ship.

Not just that; it's as close as you're going to get to a MkII version of @Parakitor 's Alpha Fleet Officer squad, which he's already used a fair amount, just trading a less capable shuttle for more capable interceptors.

Alpha Fleet Officer Store Championship Games

That said, an XX-23 S-thread Carrier is an interesting idea for a heavy swarmer support ship. If you're so inclined, a Scimitar Squadron with Cruise Missiles, XX-23 S-Thread Tracers and either Long Range Scanners or Guidance Chips is an interesting thought.

8 hours ago, Sasajak said:

That is an excellent idea... target locks for your Interceptors and bonus trigger of v1

That the point sergeant !

How of you amazing goofballs brought 5 alphas+autothrusters to the UK Nationals? It's on stream right now!

https://www.twitch.tv/firstearth

Edit: wow that's such bs... Dengar whitesloops, Nym bumps+bombs+ac autoblasters another one...
It's even impressive that he took down Dengar

Holy crap I'm getting salty here. Nym gets to range 1 (of course...) and can just take an interceptor off the board. The pseudo roll by both was disheartening.