I recently had loads of fun with a double Defender list and I now want to try out a Defender with a couple of my favorite Star Wars fighter, the TIE Interceptor. I've found myself thinking in 100 pt blocks (maybe a carry-over from 1E?) and I put together a nice pair of Squints:

Soontir Fel with Swarm Tactics

Turr Phennir with Trick Shot

That's an even 100 pts. The next part is trickier as I have two Defenders that each have their own merits:

Rexler Brath with Advanced Sensors and Outmaneuver (98 pts)

OR

Countess Ryad with Advanced Sensors and Outmaneuver (100 pts)

Brath provides his damaging ability, init 5 and a 2 pt bid, while Ryad brings her SICK K-turn ability but at the cost of a lower init 4, which is still respectable. before anyone tells me to put Juke on Brath, I tried it and it simply doesn't pay off like Outmaneuver, especially with the nonsense a Defender can pull off with Adv Sensors.

So, thoughts?

I really like the bones of this list. I especially like Turr - aim at a rock, post shot Broll, "PTL" into a boost out of arc.

I feel like Swarm Tactics won't pay ofg enough here. I can't think of an EPT I'd want on Fel more than Predator, what with the brilliant synergy there.

Now the defender. Rex is unquestionably cool for shenanigans. But I like Ryad's sheer positioning versatility. I also like non-Vessery defenders with FCS for the huge boon to action economy. Plus, using it won't deny you your free evade.

Outmaneuver seems fine...but Juke seems better lol

For Juke vs Outmaneuver, that's not too easy a question. Juke works from any position, but isn't always effective. Enemies might have a focus token (so Juke means they won't have a focus for attacking you...), or you might have to spend your evade before attacking. Outmaneuver only works from out of arc. Considering that ships have rotating arcs now, that might actually be a bit harder to pull off than in 1e (and impossible against Luke-Gunner!), where Outmaneuver was OK on defenders, but perhaps not the best choice. But Defenders can Advanced Sensors into nifty moves if you want to invest those 8 points. And not just K-Turns. Particularly with Countess for a follow-up K-Turn, taking advantage of the red 1-hard is probably something that'll be a great trick. So perhaps an AdvS Defender can pull off Outmaneuver reliably enough. I feel like I might not necessarily want Outmaneuver without Advanced Sensors. It's also worth considering that Advanced Sensors turns off your Full Throttle, so you'll be missing the Evade tokens which are necessary to a Defender's long-term survival and ability to make back their high point cost.

So Juke/FCS, or Outmaneuver/AdvS. Which is also a difference of 7 points vs 14 points.

Or do something really wild like Daredevil/Advanced Sensors on Ryad. Red-Hard Boost into a green 5-K. That's just hilarious to me. I don't know if it's actually good, but it's highly amusing.

8 hours ago, theBitterFig said:

And not just K-Turns. Particularly with Countess for a follow-up K-Turn, taking advantage of the red 1-hard is probably something that'll be a great trick.

Or do something really wild like Daredevil/Advanced Sensors on Ryad. Red-Hard Boost into a green 5-K. That's just hilarious to me. I don't know if it's actually good, but it's highly amusing.

Ryad's K-turns are no longer green (blue?) come 2nd ed. She can still do any K from 2 to 5, but they'll be white.

So the experience I've had so far with Adv Sensor Defenders proves that Outmaneuver is superior to Juke. Far superior. In a two Defender list, each one was typically going after their own target, so they needed every advantage possible. I had Juke on Brath and it never paid off - not once - simply because my opponent was always focused. Ryad with Outmaneuver, on the other hand, was pulling Boost into K-turn shenanigans, rolling unmodified dice and still scoring consistent hits because my targets were rolling fewer green dice. I used an evade token once in the entire game, mostly because I was able to maneuver in such a way that I was rarely in anyone's arc, which is the point of that particular build.

The Squints are built to work together. The Defender chases one target and the Squints another. They could gang up on a larger target, but I feel they may get in each other's way (the Defender needs room for its maneuver options). So, Swarm Tactics means that Phennir gets to attack at Init 6 - he can hang back against a higher init target and then boost/roll away after firing, while Fel is just a monster. So, yes, Predator would be better for Fel, but Swarm Tactics is better for the squad. I'd rather think about the 6 red dice I get to throw at init 6 than the one reroll I could get. Trick shot offers some fun options with Phennir and is a nice way to increase firepower at range, though I feel most of the fight will take place in close quarters.

So back to the big question: Brath or Ryad? Brath has a greater chance of winning an initiative battle, but Ryad has SO many maneuver options that when she moves may not matter - you never really have any idea where she's going to be so it becomes a matter of how well I can read the opponent. Brath still requires reading the opponent, but that's balanced with his higher initiative. They're both so good!!!

I appreciate all the input! Keep it coming.

1 hour ago, MalusCalibur said:

Ryad's K-turns are no longer green (blue?) come 2nd ed. She can still do any K from 2 to 5, but they'll be white.

Yeah, I keep making mistakes like this. I forget to review new versions of old familiars. I bet it's a pretty common feeling.

24 minutes ago, theBitterFig said:

Yeah, I keep making mistakes like this. I forget to review new versions of old familiars. I bet it's a pretty common feeling.

I told my opponent three times that my Defenders had Advanced Sensors and he flew into them anyway because his brain just couldn't register Defenders with a Systems (Sensor) slot. Yeah, it's gonna happen a lot.