Zeta Leader isn't as good as Omega Leader against 2-ship lists (although they're both lousy against Nym), but he rapidly pulls even if the meta ever favors 4 ship lists. With Wired and Comm Relay, he is a very tough and punchy ship for 24 points. He's this pocket ace that punches and tanks way harder than he should.

1. Omega Leader

48 minutes ago, FlyingAnchors said:

Only on the decimator!

Not even then.

I might start rolling with ZL over OL myself-- OL is obviously great, but I've had trouble keeping him alive long enough to be worth his point value. ZL is flexible and can really put out a lot of damage at high PS for the points.

37 minutes ago, HolySorcerer said:

Not even then.

Yes it is. Not in RAC+ ace but in double deci it pulls its weight. Expose is justified in double deci.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with @Celestial Lizards on this one. I personally don't think Zeta Leader is that close to Omega Leader, though I do love the guy. Wired Zeta Leader, as others have attested, is pretty fun and not too expensive. He's an excellent choice for the low 20s price range.

2 hours ago, HolySorcerer said:

Expose is never the correct choice.

This is a much better choice, though you don't need Targeting Synch nearly as much once you have Optics.

You don't *need* them, but they make the combo completely action-independent (i.e. there's no need to actually take a TL action), AND immune (ish) to Black One and Countermeasures which is important for a TL based combo.

6 minutes ago, thespaceinvader said:

You don't *need* them, but they make the combo completely action-independent (i.e. there's no need to actually take a TL action), AND immune (ish) to Black One and Countermeasures which is important for a TL based combo.

Quite true, but not needing someone to spot for him opens up the rest of the list, as you don't have to build around his ability. Those might be the best wingmates for him, but I'm not sure that building around a mid PS TIE is the best idea, I like him more as a bonus to a list, not as the centerpiece. I should really try him out with Kylo in the Upsilon, as there is a lot of potential synergy there.

10 hours ago, HolySorcerer said:

Not even then.

But... no green dice -1 green die, minimum zero green dice! And there’s a wag to get free actions by running into ships! And tons of crew slots to help out with mods. Boom!

i would rather take Ruthlesshess but then that’s just me.

In my very little own experience, not even on a Decimator, Expose is the answer. I didn't have Experimental Interface by then, so, 4 dice with no mods is NOT the answer.

Better to take Focus+Predator. And cheaper.

I've never heard of the other pilots. Only Omega, Zeta and that generic I used once in 6 TIE swarm.

15 hours ago, Celestial Lizards said:

Zeta Leader, TIE mkII and Wired is pretty nuts.

But I don't have any good wingmen for him except maybe Pure Sabacc.

• Plus Weapons Guidance.

It makes Zeta Leader able to do decent raw damage - roll extra attack dice, reroll focus result, spend focus token to turn blank to a hit - whilst Omega Leader's dice modification shennanigans are awesome but not much cop at killing something like a ghost or decimator which wasn't dodging your shot anyway.

I think they're all great (except the Zeta Squadron Pilot. That guy can go die in the same bin where all the non-elite but still more expensive than basic generics go).

1. Omega Leader
   • No real argument is possible here. Omega Leader's just amazing - and whilst Juke/Comms Relay is the 'industry standard', A Score To Settle gives you a 21 point 'budget' version which is still darn good .
2. Zeta Leader
   • As the only 'throw an extra attack die' TIE/fo (compared to several 'normal' TIE fighters with it) Zeta Leader is the obvious no.2
   • As noted, Weapons Guidance/Wired is awesome for using the stress and focus action as much as possible. If you have the point, Wired or even Predator and Comm Relay are good, but you're up to and past Omega Leader's cost, so only really justifiable in a TIE/fo All-Stars list.
3. Epsilon Leader
   • Really good ability. Compare him to an Omega Squadron with Wingman for the exact same price and further options . The fact that it doesn't specifcy 'other pilot' is enough to make him a sort of 19 point pocket TIE defender, but his 'super-wingman' ability makes him awesome supporting a swarm. I had a game with him a week and a bit ago and he must have sucked off about ten stress tokens over the course of the game, and his ability to allow the swarm to sengnor twice in a row was amazing.
   • For preference, throw on Primed Thrusters; segnor or koiogran, then barrel roll to line up your stress-removal bubble with whoever else needs help.
4. Epsilon Ace
   • My vote for 'most underestimated TIE/fo pilot'. I've never yet had a game fielding him where at some point in the game my opponent didn't swear and mutter 'he moves after me, doesn't he?' (Crash) or 'he shoots first, doesn't he?' after parking at range 1.
   • A PS12 TIE fighter is....nice but not devastating for 17 points.
   • Targeting Synchroniser turns him into a PS12 Target Lock buddy for whoever wants a target lock - Omegas Ace and Leader are prime examples of this, making him a priceless support unit and automatic choice #3 in TIE/fo All-Stars lists.
5. Omega Ace
   • Automatic criticals are.....not really that big a deal. Two automatic criticals are still only two hits. If your opponent dodges one and tanks another with a shield token....was it worth it?
   • Omega Ace is probably 'most improved' since the original release.
   • Targeting Synchroniser lets him get his target lock 'off-board', whilst the silencer is coming with Advanced Optics, letting him bank away a focus. Combine the two and he can get an action-free trigger of his ability - meaning either evading for defence or barrel rolling to line up a range 1 shot.
   • Not having to Push The Limit to get both tokens means he can use his elite upgrade for Opportunist or Swarm Leader (not Expose!) - when you know every die you throw is ending up as a [critical], extra dice are worth investing in.
   • With the First Order having Kylo Ren to draw on, the ability to generate criticals on spec went from nice to incredibly powerful.
6. Epsilon Squadron Pilot
   • I love my Epsilons. A 6-ship TIE/fo swarm is numerous enough to feel swarmy, tough enough to take the odd hit and with segnors loops, green turns and target locks, so much more capable than original TIE fighters.
7. Omega Squadron Pilot
   • Never used them much because I've lacked the elite talent cards needed to really make them zing. I now have access to 2 copies of Snap Shot and 5 copies of crack shot, so might try the Weapons Guidance Crack Shot Band.
   • The problem is that whilst they're awesome, you lose a ship relative to the same build of Black squadron pilots.
8. Zeta Ace
   • It's not a bad ability, and unlike Blue Ace it's attached to a TIE fighter who has a decent dial to start with and an elite upgrade (intensity/primed thrusters or intimidation/primed thrusters both sound good) but a TIE fighter generally has to do something spectacular to justify spending more points than just fielding a generic TIE.
9. Zeta Squadron Pilot
   • Because +1 point, PS-useless, non-elite generics can go die in a bin.
     

I don't know if I like that the First Order unified callsigns compared to the empire, or if I don't. At least it fits the militaristic theme, but at the Price of basically no one knowing any pilots they don't regularly use. Avenger Squadron Pilots laugh at how unrecognisable some of them are. But, still fluffy, I guess...

( But: Come on, why on earth does an army led by Kylo "Temper Tantrum" Ren give out less edgy callsigns? Karmatic Balance?)

33 minutes ago, DampfGecko said:

( But: Come on, why on earth does an army led by Kylo "Temper Tantrum" Ren give out less edgy callsigns? Karmatic Balance?)

Because the actual organising of the armed forces was done by OCD-Space-Neo-Nazi-Ron-Weasley General Hux.

55 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Because the actual organising of the armed forces was done by OCD-Space-Neo-Nazi-Ron-Weasley General Hux.

That, or they collectively decided that Captain "Shield Switch" Phasma was to be the only helmeted person in their outfit to receive a Name. Luckily for them, TR8R died before he too had to be sent to "reconditioning", so they filed him under FN-2199.

1 hour ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Because the actual organising of the armed forces was done by OCD-Space-Neo-Nazi-Ron-Weasley General Hux.

Watched The Force Awakens for only the 2nd time last night. Not going to lie, all of the First Order officers wre just so over the top they were ridiculous, reminded me of the officers in Spaceballs.

"I knew it! I'm surrounded by [censored]!"

I like the Poe Dameron comics for this reason - Terex is an 'old empire' veteran (albeit an ex-stormtrooper) and has been around long enough to develop both manners and common sense. And - dangerously for a 'movie bad guy' - an self-awareness of sci-fi movie tropes.

I had a lot of success post 2015 worlds with Zeta Squadron Pilots. The 1 point for a 2PS bump on a reasonably competent ship was great against all the PS2 TLT Y-wings in the meta. It's very situation dependent, but it's not a trash ship overall.

3 hours ago, Biophysical said:

I had a lot of success post 2015 worlds with Zeta Squadron Pilots. The 1 point for a 2PS bump on a reasonably competent ship was great against all the PS2 TLT Y-wings in the meta. It's very situation dependent, but it's not a trash ship overall.

Higher-PS generics in general are underrated. They're somewhat useless in the current meta where 2-3 ship high PS lists run not-Predator, but if triple jumps were more dominant, or if we were seeing more low-PS efficiency lists, they have a really solid niche.

11 hours ago, RampancyTW said:

Higher-PS generics in general are underrated. They're somewhat useless in the current meta where 2-3 ship high PS lists run not-Predator, but if triple jumps were more dominant, or if we were seeing more low-PS efficiency lists, they have a really solid niche.

Agreed.

But - Zeta Squadron specifically still fails even in that specific comparison; because whilst their pilot skill improves over an Epsilon Squadron Pilot, it only improves from PS1 to PS3, putting them merely on par with the Contracted Scout, and hence dependent on initiative to outfly them and unable to kill them before they get their torpedoes off.

Also - there is a second, elite 'improved generic'. Omega Squadron, for a point more, offers at the very least a 2 PS increase (if you just take Adaptability), jumping from the Epsilons PS1 to PS5, leapfrogging every generic save Black Sun Aces, Black Sun Assassins, Royal Guard and Glaives, as well as matching up or beating to most of the components of 4-ship rebel lists, Countess Ryad, Inaldra, Manaroo (if you still see her), Countdown, Wampa, and quite a few others who poke their noses over the parapet every so often. Alternatively, a single-ship 'filler' can have A Score To Settle and actually be surprisingly dangerous against the low agility/high hull targets people seem obssessed with these days.

Essentially; even if you can justify not taking an Epsilon Squadron Pilot (and at times there are, as you note), you then have to justify not taking an Omega Squadron Pilot.

5 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Agreed.

But - Zeta Squadron specifically still fails even in that specific comparison; because whilst their pilot skill improves over an Epsilon Squadron Pilot, it only improves from PS1 to PS3, putting them merely on par with the Contracted Scout, and hence dependent on initiative to outfly them and unable to kill them before they get their torpedoes off.

Also - there is a second, elite 'improved generic'. Omega Squadron, for a point more, offers at the very least a 2 PS increase (if you just take Adaptability), jumping from the Epsilons PS1 to PS5, leapfrogging every generic save Black Sun Aces, Black Sun Assassins, Royal Guard and Glaives, as well as matching up or beating to most of the components of 4-ship rebel lists, Countess Ryad, Inaldra, Manaroo (if you still see her), Countdown, Wampa, and quite a few others who poke their noses over the parapet every so often. Alternatively, a single-ship 'filler' can have A Score To Settle and actually be surprisingly dangerous against the low agility/high hull targets people seem obssessed with these days.

Essentially; even if you can justify not taking an Epsilon Squadron Pilot (and at times there are, as you note), you then have to justify not taking an Omega Squadron Pilot.

Being on par with Jumps is fine. Prevents getting PS killed and still leaves open the possibility of blocking them depending on init.