They are all solid squads, except the last in my opinion... The strongest to me seems either the Rainbows or the Liberators. I’d prefer the Rainbows as I find the Wookiees to be a bit of an npe to face and I don’t fly what I don’t like to play against, but that’s just my personal bias

For VesseRyad: X7 Ryad is just so much stronger, and saves you a few points for your 3rd ship.

Rainbow Ds are bomb.

I LOVE that 4 Blues list. However, I myself built a list, similar in principle, with 2x Rookies w/ FAA and IA, and then 2x Blue Squadron Pilots w/ Adv. Sensors and Linked Batteries. They are very fun, very adaptable, very reliable actions, but are the epitome of a tool list. The list cannot win - you can win by flying well with the list. Which I love.

Triple Stress Auzis is very strong, without a shadow of a doubt.

Can you explain what you mean by a tool list?

I'm guessing he means the list itself isn't stunning but in experienced hands can produce good results

In your first list: if you really want to run PTL Ryad, I'd put the Mark IIs on her. Clearing her stress is more important than clearing the bomber's stress, and a stressed defender without Mk IIs is pretty easy to predict and block.

Also, you're spending lots of points to hand out free focus tokens to one pilot who has Expertise and another who has PTL. Not saying those tokens won't come in handy; on those turns where a barrel roll is critical, the points will feel well-invested. But when it isn't you'll wind up with two focus tokens stacked on an Expertise Vessery. Not necessarily the worst thing in the world, but the points might be used elsewhere to greater effect.

Hothie ran a similar list using VI Rexler and Maarek to get ahead of all the jerks sitting at PS8, as well as adding an Intel Agent to the bomber for blocking/planning shenanigans. If you're going to stay with Ryad/Vessery (I also prefer their utility to raw PS) an IA might be a great investment.

I used to run my Tie Bomber with Unguided Rockets and LWF would that be better?

4 hours ago, s1ickrick said:

Can you explain what you mean by a tool list?

Yeah, @MagmaSnott got it pretty much right. BBXX isn't janky, there's no tricks, but those Xs are fast, and with a focus action, useful enough, those Bs always have a reroll, and always have an action - being able to choose when to do it is shockingly useful. Together, 4 targets, 4 firing arcs - it's elegant.

Its a jackknife, not a swiss army knife. A typical person would want a swiss army knife, because it has wee little tools for everything. But its not as strong of an implement as a jackknife, which, in the hands of a skilled user, is beautifully effective and adaptable.

Only lists that will increase your skill level are meta dominant lists.
Don't be fooled by a myth that in order to play good you need to start with crap lists - quite the contrary; at the begining it is the best to take straightforward, powerful list and play with it a lot. After a while you will get results at the tournaments, but what is more important you will have a chance to play at the top tables against best players, and this experience is invaluable.

Defenders are the newb tube of xwing. Play difficult ships not ones that are currently at the top of the meta such as wookies.

To play meta lists or not seems to really be the question. Will concentrating on a janky meta list really raise my overall skill? Or will it just teach me a few tricks that won’t carry over to other lists? I looking for that list to concentrate on that will raise my overall knowledge of the game. One that will teach me how to fly, know when to block or fly away. Teach me to know when to focus and when to target lock etc.

41 minutes ago, s1ickrick said:

To play meta lists or not seems to really be the question. Will concentrating on a janky meta list really raise my overall skill? Or will it just teach me a few tricks that won’t carry over to other lists? I looking for that list to concentrate on that will raise my overall knowledge of the game. One that will teach me how to fly, know when to block or fly away. Teach me to know when to focus and when to target lock etc.

What will teach you the game is craft your own lists and see what work and doesn't. That's it

I've been doing something similar with TIE/D, though I use a QD/FCS to feed a Target Lock for Vessery.

Just can't decide on the two variations...

https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic Empire&d=v4!s!208:220,36,-1,187:42:31:;70:214,22,-1:34:-1:;270:-1,-1:56:16:U.109,U.-1&sn=IS THIS IT%3F!&obs=

vs

https://geordanr.github.io/xwing/?f=Galactic Empire&d=v4!s!208:220,36,-1,187:42:31:;70:220,22,-1:34:-1:;49:-1,-1,-1,-1,-1:35:-1:u.40,u.61&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=

Another piece of advice I got would be Sabacc in for the bomber or alpha, but I'd have to lose Expertise, and I'm not sure I want to do that.