Trying to pick Squadrons right now is driving me insane please help!

I've seen the Tycho/Shara, Biggs/Jan,

But is there any more variety out there? and what really works at lower points?

Can you run just plains, or need some aces? All squadron balls welcome

Shara/Tycho plus 2 A-wings is pretty versatile for the cost with decent Anti-Squadron along with black non-bomber dice for ships. X-wings kinda need Bomber Command Center to be really effective against ships.

Toryn Far of course helps out a ton for the Rebels.

I have also ran 4 Z-95s and 2 YT-1300s to some fun results as well.

This can work if you want to focus more on keeping your strategic alive rather than killing your opponents fighters or ships.

Squadrons:
• 2 x VCX-100 Freighter (30)
• 2 x X-wing Squadron (26)
• Jan Ors (19)
= 75 Points

In one of my lists, I have been running the following:

Biggs/Jan/2-Xwings with Blount/3-Z95

8 squads for 99pts. and they hold up surprisingly well. Just put the Z-95's right behind the X-wings and they won't be shot at until the X-wings finally die. Make sure to keep Blount within distance 1 of the other 3 Z-95's to maximize the swarm reroll effects. The only counter to it has been when Mauler/Ten Numb drops in. They can burn through 3 hull fighters pretty easily...

9 hours ago, TallGiraffe said:

Shara/Tycho plus 2 A-wings is pretty versatile for the cost with decent Anti-Squadron along with black non-bomber dice for ships. X-wings kinda need Bomber Command Center to be really effective against ships.

Toryn Far of course helps out a ton for the Rebels.

I have also ran 4 Z-95s and 2 YT-1300s to some fun results as well.

With the ships I'm running, despite being a lover of squadrons I'm finding myself using the A-wing aces more and more for points

9 hours ago, Yosh6314 said:

This can work if you want to focus more on keeping your strategic alive rather than killing your opponents fighters or ships.

Squadrons:
• 2 x VCX-100 Freighter (30)
• 2 x X-wing Squadron (26)
• Jan Ors (19)
= 75 Points

This is nice, like the VCXs for staying flexible with the tokens

6 hours ago, itzSteve said:

In one of my lists, I have been running the following:

Biggs/Jan/2-Xwings with Blount/3-Z95

8 squads for 99pts. and they hold up surprisingly well. Just put the Z-95's right behind the X-wings and they won't be shot at until the X-wings finally die. Make sure to keep Blount within distance 1 of the other 3 Z-95's to maximize the swarm reroll effects. The only counter to it has been when Mauler/Ten Numb drops in. They can burn through 3 hull fighters pretty easily...

I like the idea of the Z95s but not a fan of their red dice in my list

running MC-75/MC-30 both with ACM, CR90b with HIE, GR-toryn, and all blue dice squads, and the Z95s really lose out from losing toryn

Jan ors, 2 YT1300, 3 Z95s is my favourite

I run a pair of YT2400s and Rogue Squadeon cuz I only own 2 YTs. It works pretty well.

I've also used Dash and Corran or Dash and Han.

2 hours ago, EbonHawk said:

I like the idea of the Z95s but not a fan of their red dice in my list

running MC-75/MC-30 both with ACM, CR90b with HIE, GR-toryn, and all blue dice squads, and the Z95s really lose out from losing toryn

That's the thing though, what you lose in a TF reroll, you can reroll 2 reds or 1 red twice with swarm and Blounts ability. The reds become more consistent.

Here are some of my favorite squadron compliments around those points levels:

55 Points: Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 2 x A-Wings.

63 Points: Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 2x VCX-100s.

77 Points: Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 4x A-Wings.

80 Points: 8x Y-Wings.

88 Points: Jan Ors, 2x VCX-100s, 3x X-Wings (or YT-1300s).

90 Points: Han Solo, Hera Syndulla, Wedge Antilles, Shara Bey.

94 Points: Jan Ors, Biggs Darklighter, 2x VCX-100s, 2x YT-1300s.

I'd reccomend using Wedge (X-Wing) and Dutch (Y-Wing) as a combo together, as that was used on me the other night by one of my rebel scum friends. He appropiately calls it the "Dutch Wedgie"...

I've been getting good success with adding a VCX to the Shara, Tycho, 2xA-wings squad compliment (supported by Bright Hope Toryn). It goes against the conventional wisdom slightly, with an odd number of squads, but that extra VCX is super helpful to have a dog in the Strategic pie (you heard me!).

It means that I can safely put VIP in my list and run laterally with it first turn, or know that I'll be able to get out of my deployment past a minefield blockade. Plus Relay is always useful (even in its more limited state). The VCX does good work with 3 blues plus Toryn and if you don't need it for Strategic or Relay then 8 hull is still a grind for your opponent to chew through.

70 points well spent, IMO.

16 hours ago, itzSteve said:

Biggs/Jan/2-Xwings with Blount/3-Z95

8 squads for 99pts.

How're you pushing them?

Here’s one that requires no squad commands to be useful. It plays VERY different from how you typically place squadrons, so it takes practice to be effective.

Hera

Biggs

Wedge

Lancer x2

Total: 96 points

Hera and the Lancers have grit so you need to keep them far apart so that your opponent’s squad ball can’t tie you up easily. This also forces your opponent to choose where to send their fighters since your rogue Lancers throw black bomber dice. Since they only have four life and no counter, I prefer to play conservatively with them until my opponent is going to prefer shooting ship to to ship rather than anti squad.

Hera’s special also takes practice. You want to keep her as far back as you can as long as you can. Distance 2 of Biggs and Wedge means they get rogue and can tag team to put a lot of damage on opposing forces. Hera goes last ideally so you can judge whether she will do the final damage for a target or needs to hold back. Yes, Hera only has a single brace, but Biggs and Wedge are there to try to ensure she doesn’t need it before they are dead.

13 hours ago, comatose said:

Here’s one that requires no squad commands to be useful. It plays VERY different from how you typically place squadrons, so it takes practice to be effective.

Hera

Biggs

Wedge

Lancer x2

Total: 96 points

Hera and the Lancers have grit so you need to keep them far apart so that your opponent’s squad ball can’t tie you up easily. This also forces your opponent to choose where to send their fighters since your rogue Lancers throw black bomber dice. Since they only have four life and no counter, I prefer to play conservatively with them until my opponent is going to prefer shooting ship to to ship rather than anti squad.

Hera’s special also takes practice. You want to keep her as far back as you can as long as you can. Distance 2 of Biggs and Wedge means they get rogue and can tag team to put a lot of damage on opposing forces. Hera goes last ideally so you can judge whether she will do the final damage for a target or needs to hold back. Yes, Hera only has a single brace, but Biggs and Wedge are there to try to ensure she doesn’t need it before they are dead.

in a meta where rogues are less seen, isn't Dutch counter-intuitive for hera?

4 hours ago, Muelmuel said:

in a meta where rogues are less seen, isn't Dutch counter-intuitive for hera?

His ability procs for an extra point of damage if they've already activated. Three blue dice, plus one extra automatic damage bypassing braces, is a lot better than four blue dice.

Plus, even non-Rogue squadrons will often go unactivated, especially after a carrier or two are dead.

I've been running Hera/Dutch/Wedge (plus Dash/Rogue Squadron/1x YT-2400), and Dutch definitely pulls his weight.

On 4/14/2018 at 7:42 PM, DrakonLord said:

Jan ors, 2 YT1300, 3 Z95s is my favourite

I run this or something very similar. It’s an amazing speed bump that holds up well. Add on Blount for even more fun.

On 4/14/2018 at 7:20 PM, EbonHawk said:

With the ships I'm running, despite being a lover of squadrons I'm finding myself using the A-wing aces more and more for points

This is nice, like the VCXs for staying flexible with the tokens

I like the idea of the Z95s but not a fan of their red dice in my list

running MC-75/MC-30 both with ACM, CR90b with HIE, GR-toryn, and all blue dice squads, and the Z95s really lose out from losing toryn

Z’s With Blount is 2 rerolls. It’s pretty funny when you get that random 6 damage through. And they stay alive long enough when escorted by yt2300/Jan braces.

3 hours ago, svelok said:

His ability procs for an extra point of damage if they've already activated. Three blue dice, plus one extra automatic damage bypassing braces, is a lot better than four blue dice.

Plus, even non-Rogue squadrons will often go unactivated, especially after a carrier or two are dead.

I've been running Hera/Dutch/Wedge (plus Dash/Rogue Squadron/1x YT-2400), and Dutch definitely pulls his weight.

I like Biggs over Dutch because I think his special is more useful to be sure Wedge doesn't get alpha'd down or suffer to too many Counters from opposing Tycho/Shara or Ciena. Having two Escorts also means Hera is less likely to get nuked against a dedicated squadron opponent.

7 hours ago, themightyhedgehog said:

I run this or something very similar. It’s an amazing speed bump that holds up well. Add on Blount for even more fun.

Ive got a more expensive version which changes one of the Zs to blount (i only have 3 Zs atm) and adds 2 A wings for fast interception.

I just love jan plus yt1300s, 7 hull counter 1 and any high burst damage done is braced and unaccuracy-able

The Shara/Tycho/2x A-Wings combination is definitely my favorite SFC. They also help as a better Raddus counter compared to Jan, Biggs, 2x X-Wings. But whenever someone shows up completely squadronless (say, 2x ISD + minimal support), I find that the A-wings just don't pull their weight.

An MFC must pull its weight when the other guy shows up squadronless. It also needs to be fast enough to get to combat without too much extra support, or you may as well go max squadrons. So lets look at some things that aren't dedicated bombers, which I will classify as anything that has Bomber but is not Heavy. I'll also include the blue+black dudes for good measure. Being non-heavy means that it can assist the fighter (or interceptor) core when facing a max squadrons fleet. You can simply accept that you won't win the squadron fight, and can instead focus on slowing them down enough to attack the carriers.

• Norra Wexley: Complements X-Wings very nicely, acting as a force multiplier for them in a squadronless fight. Against max Sloane or max bombers, she can break out of the biggsball, bringing her 2x braces and 6 hull to the fight.
• Dutch Vander: Also complements X-Wings. His crit effect helps immensely in the squadron game, especially paired with Wedge. But without the Norra crit effect, a biggsball just isn't punchy enough against modern large ships. Save him for an LFC.
• Gold Squadron: Also complements X-Wings. Consider subbing out one of the X-Wings for Gold Squadron.
• Lancers: Complements A-Wings. As Rogues, they also reduce the support requirements. Two flotillas is enough to activate Shara, Tycho, 2x A-Wings, and have a pair of Lancers show up to the party on their own. One well-timed squadron command (on the next turn) may be all they need to get their job done.
• Green Squadron: Also complements A-Wings, but needs an activation to get into the fight.
• B-WIngs, of any form: leave at home. Their speed handicap keeps them from properly assisting an MFC for me, even Ten Nub.
• Hera. Very expensive by herself. But, she can make two buddies Rogue, reducing the support requirements dramatically. Her anti-ship dice aren't outstanding, but they do perform about as good as a BCC-assisted Y-Wing on their own.
• Han. Also very expensive. Doesn't grant Rogue to anyone else, but is himself a Rogue. Shoots first, which make it easier for him to get work done as a finisher. I'm not sure what he complements though, so I don't typically field him.
• Dash. Complements YT-2400, and is his own personal BCC. But I don't own that many YT-2400, so I don't have any experience with this kind of MFC. Supposedly they work as finishers, though, complementing hard-hitting fast-movers like MC30 and Engine Tech MC80 Liberties.

So with all that in mind, here are my favorite MFC's. You'll note that the ability to get in an extra attack with Rogue followed by a Yavaris attack is quite a bit more powerful than just the Yavaris attack by itself. Which seems obvious when presented this way, but many folks decry the "Rogue tax" anyway. Total squadron investment to play with all of them is Rogues and Villains, 2x Rebel Squadrons I, 1x Rebel Squadrons II, and Corellian Conflict, so nothing too spammy.

Shara, Tycho, Green Squadron, 1x A-Wing, 2x Lancers (86), 2x comm net flotillas = 126 points, 24 hull, two scatter aces. Can scale up to include Toryn and a BCC for 139, but it doesn't have to. Can also upgrade one Lancer to Ketsu for +7, gaining a third scatter ace, better bombing, and some extra anti-Intel shenanigans. Complements: anything that would much rather be navigating than yelling at squadrons (HH, CR90, MC30, MC75, MC80 Liberty). With their speed and volume, this wing makes Superior Positions a solid alternative to Solar Corona. Their speed can be a liability if they get too far out of range of their support ships. Versus max squadrons, they have to spread out around the periphery.

In total, 5.25 anti-ship damage without a BCC, 6.0 with one.

Best case attack run of both Lancers followed by a Yavaris double with all three bombers is 10 dmg with a BCC.

Jan, Biggs, Norra, 3x X-Wings (94), 2x Flotillas, Comm net, Toryn and a BCC comes to 147 points, 20 Biggs-shared escort hull, two brace aces (or 26 hull + three brace aces if you're willing to separately engage Norra). Swapping out one X-Wing for Gold Squadron cuts it down to 146 (27 hull, three brace aces). IMO, it needs the BCC too much to drop it, but maybe Toryn is optional. It will require a squadron command from at least one more combat ship to aid it... but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Complements: Big ships that aren't too desperate for navigation commands (MC80, AFII). Hates: EWS, since they may not be fast enough to reach around the obstruction field. Doesn't mind going second quite as badly, since it can muscle through much more than the interceptor group above. Versus max squadrons, they have to stay close together.

In total, 7.8 damage versus shielded opponents, 6.0 versus unshielded.

Yavaris attack run without a preamble (Norra, 2 X-wings double-tapping) brings 9.25 versus a shielded opponent, and only 6.62 versus an unshielded target. That's fine, we were shooting first anyway.

Hera, 2x X-Wings, Gold Squadron, 1x Scurrg, 1x Z-95 (89), 1x flotilla w/BCC, Yavaris with flight commander (180), and a deep bid. Technically it has 33 hull, but it relies so strongly on the X-Wings for anti-squadron that it sure doesn't feel like it. The Z-95 pads the wing up to three deployments and does add a bit of unpredictable anti-squadron damage. While the other wings are nicely complemented with Yavaris, she is mandatory with this wing. Hera acts as a less-predictable Pryce, allowing you to boost Yavaris from 6 squadron attacks to 9 in a row. Facing max squadrons? Triple-tap her with the X-Wings. Facing squadronless? Bring in the bombers, baby. This is very much a bid-dependent one-hit wonder. If you choose your target well, it can turn the battle, but if you choose poorly it feels like a total waste.

7.3 anti-ship damage total (4.94 anti-ship damage from Hera and the main bombers).

Yavaris attack run (Hera, Scurrg, Gold, all triple tapping) brings 14.8 dmg.

What I as a relative mediocre player would always appreciate in threads like this is one or two sentences about how to actually fly a specific combo. If I read "4 Z95 and 2 YT1300" I don't have the slightest clue what to do with them ^^

There are maybe three basic ways to fly an MFC.

Escort-based wings need to stick together. It acts like a shield wall, with the escorted buddies stabbing the enemy out from inside the ball, and the escorts act as the shields.

Interceptor-based wings hang out on the periphery, engaging only one or two of the enemy per squadron, spread around. It keeps the enemy from concentrating their firepower or their Intel on any one place.

If either of the above are accompanied by a sufficiently nasty bomber buddy (say, Gold Squadron, Nym, or Norra), then the bomber buddy can make a separate attack run. This forces the enemy to deteach two or more fighters to separately engage the bomber buddy, spreading around their damage to more of your own forces.

In all cases, flak can make or break the squadron game. Try to control the engagement to be in range of your own supporting flak, and away from the enemy's. A slow wing needs to hug the source of its own flak. A fast wing can engage before its own flak support shows up, but only for one turn or so. I almost always prefer an MC80 Battle Cruiser over the Star Cruiser for the simple reason that it has better flak.