Vessery is the best. No question. Most Defenders are only good with other Defenders. Vessery has synergy with many other pilots (OL, QD, Vader, etc...). Compared to Ryad, he can get effectively 3 actions (Focus, TL, Evade) with no stress, can do it at a cheaper cost, and puts out more damage since his EPT slot is open for things like Juke/Crack/Swarm Leader.
TIE Defender Pilots Ranked
11 minutes ago, FTS Gecko said:Oh, it's still part of the game alright. It's just that so many people are playing 2 high PS ships that it shocks them when you whip the tactic out of the bag.
PS1 Deltas also make very fine blockers themselves; I played a couple of games recently where I was running TIE/D Vessery with Expertise and Tractor Beam and two TIE/x7 Deltas. The Deltas would set up a block on a high PS pilot, taking target lock as their action. The high PS ship lost it's shot as a result, then Vessery tractor beamed it backwards, allowing the Deltas to shoot it as well. Hilarious when it comes off!
I love two x7 Deltas as a base for building a list with a high-cost ace. I was playing around with Whisper in that role for a while, when x7 was new. As could be expected, the Deltas did most of the work...
2 hours ago, Jadotch said:*cough*
*cough* *cough*
2 hours ago, Jadotch said:*cough*
*cough* *cough*
3 hours ago, Stay On The Leader said:
- Vessery
*big gap*- Ryad
*big gap*- Glaive
- Delta
- Rexler
- Maarek
*big gap*- Onyx
perfect
Rexler, TiE/D, Tractor, Expertise, TiE Mk2 is a still a fun way to fly a cannon Defender, though that list is probably very accurate. If you can pressure the enemy off of him.
I'm honestly not quite sure why Onys's actually exist- I get the Obsidian Pilot Logic, but does the Defender even work like that? I just don't see it.
Edited by DampfGecko6 minutes ago, DampfGecko said:Rexler, TiE/D, Tractor, Expertise, TiE Mk2 is a still a fun way to fly a cannon Defender, though that list is probably very accurate. If you can pressure the enemy off of him.
I'm honestly not quite sure why Onys's actually exist- I get the Obsidian Pilot Logic, but does the Defender even work like that? I just don't see it.
There's not a single higher-than-baseline-without-EPT generic that's remotely worth taking, and absent some very rare times when winning PS against 1 or 2 matters, I don't see there ever being any that are.
I keep desperately hoping it's a model FFG have abandoned, except that there was a PS5 generic without an EPT in the TIE Aggressor and lol.
46 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:There's not a single higher-than-baseline-without-EPT generic that's remotely worth taking, and absent some very rare times when winning PS against 1 or 2 matters, I don't see there ever being any that are.
I keep desperately hoping it's a model FFG have abandoned, except that there was a PS5 generic without an EPT in the TIE Aggressor and lol.
Exactly. At least with the extremely cheap /ln, one could argue that having the ability to shoot first against, say, Gold Squadron pilots- one could possibly make the Point. But who would realistically consider this line of thought upwards of 20 pts?
But prior to Wave 7 the meta was actually all about the second level generics.
Blue Squadron Pilot set the bar, Obsidian Squadron TIE trumped it, Grey Squadron Y-Wing and Dagger B-Wings trumped the Obsidian TIEs. There's was a whole ecosystem at PS2-4. Then the extinction-level event of TLT and Palpatine wiped it out.
Edited by Stay On The LeaderThere are two kinds of ships: those with a Sabine pilot and those who don't have one YET.
I love me some 40 point Rexpertise. Nice and tough with the tokens, but the opportunity to grab a TL or use a Focus to flip cards if the situation is right. Mostly the PS8 has historically been solid. He was tough enough to outmuscle the PS9s, while having just enough tools to outmaneuver the lower PS pilots. Now PS8 might as well be 5.
Edited by BiophysicalHeres my personal list
1) defenders flown by biophysical
2) defenders not flown by biophysical
3) defenders that shoot dengar in arc
It amuses me that before the Raider was released (TIE/X1) the Empire hardly used target locks for anything but a couple of corner cases. Now the Empire uses target locks far more than the other two factions.
I personally would consider it a TIE (pardon the pun) between Vess and the Countess.
Vess works best in squad that can support him. Usually with pilots like Bacdraft, Omega Leader, Ryad, etc. He is very much an early game ship.
Ryad on the other hand can work independently. She is a very versatile ship that can play effectively at any stage.
So Vess has more punch and Ryad is more versatile. It depends what you need in your list.
On 9/26/2017 at 8:58 AM, thespaceinvader said:Glaive >>>> Delta though.
Glaive is one point overcosted. There is no reason to ever run a glaive over Ryad.
On 9/26/2017 at 9:38 AM, Jadotch said:*cough*
*cough* *cough*
The un-cropped image is terrible. That huge ship you see it firing on? Turns out its a B-Wing, a B-Wing about 1000 times larger than the Defender. It's terrible art.
Unique :
1) Colonel Vessery : His ability work much easily now !
2) Countess Ryad : Green k-turn ? Of course !
3) Maarek Stele : Same cost like Vessery, a ok ability and really fluff.
4) Rexler Brath : My favorite defender back to wave 4, but his much more his price and his abilty who put him down. Work good on epic game, less on 100/6 game.
Generic :
1) Glaive : Ps6, ept icon, a nice support for any ace
2) Delta : A really expensive blocker but much more durable !
3) Onyx : Bad art 
On 9/26/2017 at 10:05 AM, Sciencius said:Expertise Rexler Brath+/X7+Tie MrkII (paired with a Rac with Kylo-crew) is a beast. Took him to day 2 in a major tournament (300+ players), most fun I have had in a long time. And my personal favorite of the Defender pilots.
Hear hear! Rebels ain't the only ones with cool pilots named Rex!
13 hours ago, HolySorcerer said:The un-cropped image is terrible. That huge ship you see it firing on? Turns out its a B-Wing, a B-Wing about 1000 times larger than the Defender. It's terrible art.
You’re all wrong. 
13 hours ago, HolySorcerer said:Glaive is one point overcosted. There is no reason to ever run a glaive over Ryad.
He didn't say glaive over Ryad, he said glaive over delta. And the extra ps is nice in some cases, like say when you already have Ryad in your list. ( not in this ps war meta where it doesn't matter atm, though)
Smh Maarek Steele isn't ranked #1
On 26/09/2017 at 2:51 PM, Hannes Solo said:I like Steeles ability but I do not see a good way to push it on the defender so I prefer him on the tie-advanced.
I think he's really there for Pilot Skill - there's a reason he costs the same as Vessery for a higher PS; if I was taking him I'd probably do it if I was further bumping him up with Veteran Instincts. I'm not convinced there's a real call for a PS9 TIE defender, though.
On 26/09/2017 at 3:48 PM, FTS Gecko said:Onyx comes in dead last, as will most 2nd-level generics without EPT.
Yup. Especially with the option of an elite generic too.
On 26/09/2017 at 3:48 PM, FTS Gecko said:the x7 Delta is great entry level
Indeed. I've had a bit of fun with it recently by throwing it into a 7-ship TIE swarm. My opponent's reaction is usually priceless.
"What's that?"
"A 7-ship TIE swarm."
"Then what the [censored] is that thing doing in it? We are playing 100 points, right?"
People who fixate on 2-ship lists gunned up to the nines don't seem to be able to mentally process the idea of fielding six TIE fighters and still being able to throw in an all-up TIE defender in support...
The Glaive Squadron is good, but not in 'conventional' 100 point games. It's brutal as heck in other formats:
-
In 'generics only' games, especially 'generic small ships only', it ties with the Royal Guard interceptor as the king of the format.
- This goes double for some of the cinematic play scenarios. If you ever play 'Cutting The Cord', the VI Glaive is the pilot you pick for the prototype (which can't be a unique pilot) if you have the option, as the idea of a PS8, hull 6, agility 4, primary attack 5 TIE/x7 that can't be attacked with cannon, turret or missile upgrades is just.......yeah.
- In epic games, the amount of carnage Ruthlessness,TIE/D, Glaives can wreak on an enemy formation is insane, because with 300-400 points you can field an impressive flying wedge of them.
Edited by Magnus Grendel
2 hours ago, FlyingAnchors said:He didn't say glaive over Ryad, he said glaive over delta. And the extra ps is nice in some cases, like say when you already have Ryad in your list. ( not in this ps war meta where it doesn't matter atm, though)
I've played a lot of Defenders over the years (TIE/D and HLC before the titles came out), and I've found the Glaive is almost (but not quite) binder fodder. There's one or two lists where he's OK simply because you already have Ryad and can't spare the points for Vessery and/or Maarek, but other than those lists they're pretty inferior to the Big 3.
Also Delta vs Glaive is a pointless comparison. You're taking the Delta because he's a cheap, tough, Attack 3, PS1 blocker; or because you want a cheap Ion Cannon that doesn't sacrifice damage for control. The only reason to pay the 4pts(!?) to upgrade to the Glaive is because you're going to put something really nasty in the EPT slot (or you desperately need PS 6 to tie with Asajj and/or beat Scouts). As I said before, Ryad, Vessery, and Maarek are all in the same point/PS range, have the EPT slot, and in addition also have great abilities (Maarek's +1pt, +1PS, and ability is arguably the weakest of the three).
Ranking the Defender pilots is fairly simple. Vessery or Ryad (dependant on synergy of Vessery vs the independence of Ryad) make up most of my defender usage putting them in the Tier 1 bracket.
The Delta is filling a cheap blocker role (replacing 2x AP), or adding control and Damage via IonC + TIE/D (I love me some 3x IonC Deltas). Maarek doesn't slot into lists as well as the Tier 1s, but he's PS 7 which is OK in the current Meta (tying Dash, isn't bad) and his ability will typically trigger 1-2 times a game and occasionally be great. The Deltas and Maarek are solid, but aren't really slotted into lots of lists like the Tier 1 stuff, as you tend to build around them.
The Glaive is very niche given it's inferiority to the big 3, and Rexler is over-costed for his PS8, which is admittedly solid currently (beats Dash and Ties Miranda). Rex's ability is similar to Maraaks (it's kinda meh and occasionally brilliant).
The Onyx is just bad, and I actually prefer the PS1 of the Delta to get in the way and know when you can and cannot K-turn.
TL;DR:
Tier 1: Vessery, Ryad.
Tier 2: Delta, Maarek.
Tier 3: Rexler, Glaive.
Binder Fodder: Onyx.
Vessery top for me, but then I normally team him up with quickdraw and OL so the target lock synergy is almost always working there.
On 26.09.2017 at 4:05 PM, Sciencius said:Expertise Rexler Brath+/X7+Tie MrkII (paired with a Rac with Kylo-crew) is a beast. Took him to day 2 in a major tournament (300+ players), most fun I have had in a long time. And my personal favorite of the Defender pilots.
The problem with Rexler (even with expertise) is that taking a focus and spending it on his ability is almost always the worst use of his action. Basically you've got the following options:
1. Take target lock - this will almost never be wasted, unless the target dies first. Will directly increase your damage output.
2. Barrel roll - to get a better position defensively or offensively or to give you better options for next turn. If you need it, doing it is almost always better than his ability would give you.
3. Take focus and save it for defense - if ANYTHING is going to shoot you after you attack with Rexler, it's almost always better to save focus for defense rather than use Rexler's ability. Unless you just managed to put 3 or 4 facedown cards on an otherwise healthy Decimator - then... maybe?
Last but not least - in most cases there is a very limited window of opportunity when using Rexler's ability makes sense. The target must be: 1) shieldless and 2) get hit by your attack but 3) not dead yet, 4) cards assigned to him must be face down (if they're face up it's great but you don't need Rexler for that) and 5) they must have effects that will have a significant impact on the situation. That's a lot of conditions - too many for it to be practical. Many of these issues are the reason why Maarek doesn't see much play either, but with Rexler it comes with an additional cost of having to spend a token for an uncertain benefit.
IMO there's only one vaild reason for wanting to field Rexler over the other defender pilots - to put VI on him and fly him at PS10. And even that is a questionable choice considering that PS10's advantages are significantly reduced by TIE Defender's inherent predictability.