Quick little background: I've been playing X-Wing since early 2014 to the point of playing competitively all throughout 2015, though I haven't played X-Wing much (if at all) since Summer 2016 and haven't played competitively since SC/Regionals Season 2015. However, one thing I do know is that I love A-Wings. I flew Tycho-Jake-GSP at the last Regional event I played at ( video here ) and I had a blast, but this was still the in the prime of the RAC-Fel/Emperor-Fel-Whisper/Fat Han meta and I was running on zero hours of sleep which ended with me in a X-3 drop before snoozing the rest of the tournament away.
One question I have is how is the meta right now? I may sound ignorant for not being able to find what I'm looking for, but I don't know where to go for updated lists and event performances. Is RAC, Soontir, Emperor, Fat Han, TLTs still a thing? I don't want to walk into a local Store Championship with a 3 year old list and get obliterated...
But I also want to fly A-Wings again! Here's what I've come up with so far:
Jake Farrell (24)
Push the Limit (3)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Veteran Instincts (1)
Autothrusters (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Tycho Celchu (26)
Adaptability (0)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Push the Limit (3)
Vectored Thrusters (2)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Green Squadron Pilot (19)
Deadeye (1)
Harpoon Missiles (4)
Push the Limit (3)
Guidance Chips (0)
A-Wing Test Pilot (0)
Total: 96
View in Yet Another Squad Builder
Rather than running Proton Rockets, Harpoon Missiles seem like an obviously better choice, especially with the potential damage they could cause later in the game and for not having to play like a surgeon getting into range 1 of things. I was told turrets aren't too big of a deal anymore, so maybe gambling with Vectored Thrusters on Tycho would be better for dodging arcs. Lack of turrets was also my reasoning for putting Guidance Chips on the GSP as well, to maximize damage potential from the lowest-cost ship on the table. I also kept Jake and Tycho at the same Pilot Skill to free up my sequencing during the activation phase, while maintaining a 4 point bid against other PS9 pilots.
One change I'm considering is turning Deadeye to Crackshot or even Trick Shot on the GSP. Deadeye is the primary choice so I'd be free to fire on anything that lands in my arc, but negating an evade result or rolling an extra die through obstacles (on my primary weapon as well) seems slightly more profitable.
What do you guys think? Are A-Wings still good? Are Harpoons gonna get nerf'd? Will REbels ever have another 3-agility + green hard-2 pilot?
Cheers,
Nick