Here's a list that I'm now considering for tournaments. It has a lot of "hit points", and because of the nature of the ships, it gets "free points" back, thanks to Reload and Tomax Bren's Pilot ability. Here's the list:

Tie Bomber "Tomax Bren", Unguided Rockets, Crack Shot

Lambda Class Shuttle "Omicron Group Pilot", Emperor Palpatine, Collision Detector

Alpha Class Star Wing "Nu Squadron Pilot", Harpoon Missiles, Long-Range Scanners

Alpha Class Star Wing "Nu Squadron Pilot", Harpoon Missiles, Long-Range Scanners

100 points

I know it's not flashy, but I think it gets the job done. I get 4 "free points" every time I reload Harpoon Missiles, and 1 "free point" every time I use Crack Shot. 30 "hit points" is a LOT, and there really isn't a great target to prioritize in this list. If the opponent targets Palp, the rest of the list decimates their ships from range 3. If the opponent targets anything but the Lambda, Palp will have a huge influence throughout the game.

What do you think? Thanks in advance.

I'm also thinking about swapping Tomax for Omega Leader, which would give me a 1 point bid. I'll have to try them both out. I just think Tomax works better in a list with multiple support weapons, and I think his damage is more reliable. He just can't survive as well as Omega Leader.

I like it a lot better with Omega Leader. If there's an issue with Gunboats and Lambda shuttles, it's that they both kinda get beaten by Aces. Omega Leader is a bit of insurance against that. The basic structure of the list seems really nifty to me.

Do you find the Palpmobile much use? If you ditched it, you could get LWF on Tomax AND fit in Omega Leader. I still have mixed feelings about LRS Harpoon Nus, but their popularity must stand for something. But Tomax and Omega are strong ships in their own right.

Palp is fantastic in all phases of the game, and helps guarantee crits to trigger Harpoon Missile's condition. He helps on defense if I need a ship to survive just a little longer. He is a lot better than people realize, even in his nerfed condition.

There is another ship that I am considering now. If I can't beat the high PS ships, I have always gone for as much bang for my buck as possible. Since PS0-10 is the exact same thing against PS11 aces (which are everywhere now), a Cutlass Squadron Pilot with Unguided Rockets, Bomblet Generator, and Trajectory Simulator could fit in that slot. TLT's are everywhere too, and having 33 "hit points" would cause problems for lists that rely on them.

I love unlimited Punishment! UR, BG, LWF, TS on a Punisher (particularly Deathrain) is among my favorite builds.

I love Tomax personally. Between him and OL, I would usually take Tomax, especially if you have the 29 points for LWF.

OL is also great, but when push comes to shove I prefer the extra hit power and hull points. Right now unless you have WAY bigger priorities, OL tends to get targeted first and against one or two missiles dies within the first three rounds (unless you play super defensively)

Tomax potentially dies in the same time, but if you can keep him alive he provides a great threat across all phases of the game, and has more of a chance to finish someone off if he ends up in a late game 2v1. The UGR nixes the range three bonus, and crackshot just adds to the pain.

Its really more of a personal choice. Tomax is less defensive but packs more punch with a tad more health. OL is just strong across most of the game. Do you risk it for the biscuit?

Best,

Cow

I think Tomax, will do more overall damage, but people are more afraid of Omega and focus on him first. there is reason for it, he is a beast in the end game. That will give your starwings are better chance of them using their payload before exploding.

Keep in mind that there will be a Palp Shuttle too. I am torn between all of these options. Im going to try everything, and see which one I like. It's such a tough decision. I see the benefits of each, and am leaning towards the Punisher, but, in the end, I may take out the Palp Shuttle, run tomax, the Punisher, and 2 nu's.

So, I tried the list with Tomax tonight. I found out two things. Firstly, Tomax is good, but not good enough to withstand a barrage of fire from multiple ships at PS8+. He dealt only 2 damage from his initial attack before he was nearly 1-shotted. He was dealt so much damage that any further attempts to attack after his first attack would have him destroyed before he would fire. I don't think Tomax will be the 4th ship. Secondly, Palpatine is still amazing. I was able to guarantee 3 crits on Rey, and managed to deal 3 extra damage to her, as well as 1 damage on a Poe that was hovering nearby. Palpatine is probably going to stay in the list. He also prevented 2 damage on one of my Star Wings, which prevented it from being destroyed before its second volley.

The Nu's were decent, but I can see why some people may not like them. The verdict is still out, because they did a TON of damage on their first volley, and survived long enough (thanks to Palp) to provide a 2nd full volley, which took down Rey. Had the game continued much further tho, I think that Poe would have been able to take down Tomax, and Probably the Palp Shuttle. At that point it would have been nearly tied. I think I will try Omega Leader next, and see how it goes. I'm just thinking that unless I have a PS 11 ship, I won't be able to do much against a Poe. Black One is troublesome, even for Omega Leader.

Thats the problem isn't it?

Good for you figuring out your own combinations! Tomax didn't work as well for you as it did for me, and thats totally awesome!

Unfortunately most everything is getting destroyed by alpha strikes and Poe at the moment because they are just so good at high pilot skill (yet more proof as to why it should nerfed to only allow up to PS 9 IMO)

Best,

Cow

I'm anxious to try out the Punisher. It adds more beef, and can cause problems with its ordinance. If alpha strikes are a thing, let's make sure they still have to work for it.