Seems kind of meh to me, I've tried S Ref Luke and Vader and Luke just seemed so much better. Vader not having access to boost or evade meant his ability was really not that great, you run out of actions and you're paying like 93 pts for a 3 dice gun

Little help here - how should I build him and what am I missing??

Supernatural, firing control, afterburners. Now you have limited boost (after move), and barrel roll whenever.

31 minutes ago, FriendofYoda said:

Seems kind of meh to me, I've tried S Ref Luke and Vader and Luke just seemed so much better. Vader not having access to boost or evade meant his ability was really not that great, you run out of actions and you're paying like 93 pts for a 3 dice gun

Little help here - how should I build him and what am I missing??

What you are missing, is a ship that is not tailor made to provide the least possible synergy with Vader. I guess that was too much to ask.

What you can do, is slap Afterburners on him, and hope that game ends rather quickly. Other than that... hope that future System and Dark Side upgrades make him better, but somehow, I have serious doubts about that, given how conservative they were with him to begin with.

Also, you should probably not advertise your position about this, lest you get shouted at.

I guess he is just a little underwhelming, to clarify I do say that as a complete 2.0 convert who flies almost exclusively Rebels - wanted to give Imps a try and I'm feeling Whisper/Ryad over him which is a little bit of a shame

Appreciate the confirmation though!

he is meh. Imo, the Force mechanic in general is resoundingly meh...which I guess is a heck of a lot better of it being ridiculously undercosted and then dominating the game

Luke pilot may be worth running because he doesn't have astronomical costs and Vader/Inq would be close seconds, but dear lord the poor large ship force users...the poor rebel force crew/gunner upgrades (except gunner Luke, he should be happy be even exists)

Best use I've seen of Vader is bare bones (just fcs) with a mini-swarm.


for me personally, the only Vader I'd use is the crew (which is incredible btw). He and Fifth Brother (on Redline, exclusively) are the only Force cards I've ever felt like including in my lists.

Vader with FCS and you are good. Force Powers are meh right now, and not really worth the points, IMO.

Vader doesnt need to solo a list, he just needs to be effective. Dont get into point traps with these force users. Remember, half points on all ships now. 90pt vader surviving with 2 hull left gives up 45pts. No more point fortresses.

Having seen him in play, the potential for disappointment is real. Mini swarms just don't draw enough attention and get picked apart without him having to get involved and being focus fired. Was talking with a buddy about him earlier after playing some 2.0 games with him. 1 on 1, he's truly unbeatable. So the challenge is getting there and preserving MOV along the way.

Which is why Supernatural FCS Afterburners Vaders best friends now are crack shot Echo and Whisper, and nothing else.

All three are terrors to pin down in the endgame. But we know Vader is always going to draw aggro. So you play keep away with him and put those Phantom aces to work, dissecting the opponent's less mobile ships while avoiding swarms. Properly flown, they won't miss that 1.0 four die primary because of what they gained in 2.0.

The better news if either Phantom gets half pointed it's only about 14% of your list as well. They are going to punch above their weight with the Dark Lord of the Sith being so prominent.

Just my two cents.