Only about half a month until 2.0 is in everyones hands - what is the first thing you want to try, and why?

For me, it is this:

Lieutenant Kestal (36)
Ruthless (1)
Ion Cannon Turret (6)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Nu Squadron Pilot (35)
Xg-1 Assault Configuration (0)
Ion Cannon (5)

Captain Jonus (36)
Ruthless (1)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Scimitar Squadron Pilot (28)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Scimitar Squadron Pilot (28)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Total: 200

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

It features my favourite ship in all of Star Wars, the TIE Bomber, and some things I didn't get to use much in 1.0 that gained neat new tricks: The Gunboat being able to use ion cannon after SLAM makes it a fascinatingly mobile mini-threat, and FGD did his part to hype up Kestal - I always liked the look of the Agressor, but in 1.0 it was just too dull. Since it is rather likely that Bombers will get a bit of a price hike on release, I'll probably have to drop Jonus, which is fine since it frees me from having to fly in formation with the Bombers.

2.0 is so **** exciting!

something like that (200)
"Sigma Squadron Ace" — TIE Phantom 46
Juke 4
Ship Total: 50

Scimitar Squadron Pilot — TIE Bomber 28
Barrage Rockets 6
Ship Total: 34

Scimitar Squadron Pilot — TIE Bomber 28
Barrage Rockets 6
Ship Total: 34

Onyx Squadron Ace — TIE Defender 78
Juke 4
Ship Total: 82

Why?

Because I don't own more than 2 bomber.

Because both defender and phantom are very different from their V1 analogue, and I can't decide which one I am more curious about.

It's a little bit boring, but given that I love themed lists and that I'm hoping the initial 'wild west' of untested builds will allow for some less than optimum lists to do okay, I'm going for a new spin on an old 1e classic - XXX with Luke, Wedge and Biggs.

It also means I get to use that beautiful new Red 5 mini with the appropriate pilot, and whatever list I came up with for my first 2e game was always going to feature my favourite pilot, Wedge.

And it's got a few new or improved features that are going to be pretty core to 2e that I want to try out. Namely, well balanced, usable munitions and Force abilities.

Still working on the details (R2-D2 probably just isn't efficient anymore) but so far it's:

Luke Skywalker [62]

- R2-D2 [8]

- Proton Torpedoes [9]

- Heightened Perception [3]

- S-foils [0]

Total - 82

Wedge Antilles [52]

- R3 Astromech [3]

- Trick Shot [1]

- Proton Torpedoes [9]

- S-foils [0]

Total - 65

Biggs Darklighter [48]

- R4 Astromech [2]

- S-foils [0]

Total - 50

Total [197]

Heightened Perception probably isn't all that great on Luke, but I like the idea of him shooting before Wedge with all his mods, so that Wedge can put some hurt on a tokenless defender. Instinctive Aim would be fluffier, but it just feels like it's backwards on Luke. Much better to take a target lock action at I5 to fire the torps, have a full re-roll and keep two Force points to spend on any eye results than spend one of those points just to fire them and still need a focus to modify eyes or a target lock for re-rolls anyway.

IA gives you a little flexibility on target selection, of course, and it's super cheap. But for just 1 point more, I think HP is much more valuable on an I5 ship.

The big debate at the moment, for me, is whether it's worth dropping R2-D2 down to R4 on Luke to take Supernatural Reflexes instead, and maybe drop down to Adv Torpedoes on Wedge to keep the (small) bid. It's almost certainly much better, but I'd really like to run at least one game with Luke and R2-D2 together.

Also, I still have this compulsion from 1e to fill astro slots. It's much less important now that Integrated Astromech isn't a thing, but given how cheap R4 is, I find it hard to leave it out unless I absolutely have to. But is it even worth it on Biggs? Am I perhaps better off running Biggs naked and taking a bigger bid? Native barrel roll and access to boost means Wedge moving last could be massive.

I did get a game in with my new stuff. I wanted to trtry a little bit of everything. It was:

First Test

(33) "Double Edge"
(6) Barrage Rockets
(6) Ion Cannon Turret
(2) Debris Gambit
Points 47

(43) Storm Squadron Ace
(1) Marksmanship
(3) Fire-Control System
Points 47

(28) Scimitar Squadron Pilot
(3) Homing Missiles
(5) Cluster Missiles
Points 36

(40) Saber Squadron Ace
Points 40

(30) Del Meeko
Points 30

Total points: 200

I flew against Redline, 2 x Stealth Interceptors, and a named Tie Fighter. It went very badly. For one, my dice were so so, but his crazy good. I forgot Punisher had a stop and my block attempt with my Interceptor left me at R1. His main guns left me with 1 hull. I took off one shield. Things like that all game.

Had fun, though.

Since I can no longer fly Poe and Wedge together, Wedge needs a new X-Wing ace wing man, so I've decided to put him out there with Thane. I have given them Fenn as well for that excellent initiative 6 co-ordinate and just threw a Z-95 out there as a potential blocker but mainly because I had points left. I currently have a 6 point bid so that Wedge can move last. Would love to hear some suggestions!

FIVE.

Already proxying games so getting a good idea of what is working. Current strongest list is Scum Han/Palob/Slaver, I know a few people who are trying it out and it's not dropped a game yet. The Falcon and Crow are both undercosted.

Probably this. Kyle is nowadays my favourite character (playing Dark Forces for my first time) and being the Resistence player, these are the only rebel ships I got :-)

I did play a game with Scum that wanted to use the Firespray (and medium base). It was:

Kath Scarlet with Proton Bomb and the new recon specialist (forget it's name).

3 Z-95's and an Ion Scyk

I played against a Admiral Sloan list and was getting my butt kicked. Managed to land on a rock. It was looking bad....until I dropped a bomb and killed 3 Tie Fighters that round. A bit more fighting saw Kath with 3 hull and the Ion Scyk with 1 hull vs the Lambda with no shields. My friend called it, but I think he had a chance. He swapped out his list for some Bombers and Punisher and I was too scared to go toe to toe with them. I kept trying these clever ways to just get out of arc....and failed every time. It was pretty miserable. I lost hard, but had fun.

14 minutes ago, Rogue3 said:

Since I can no longer fly Poe and Wedge together, Wedge needs a new X-Wing ace wing man, so I've decided to put him out there with Thane. I have given them Fenn as well for that excellent initiative 6 co-ordinate and just threw a Z-95 out there as a potential blocker but mainly because I had points left. I currently have a 6 point bid so that Wedge can move last. Would love to hear some suggestions!

Wedge Antilles — X-Wing	52
Elusive	3
R5 Astromech	5
Afterburners	8
Servomotor S-Foils	0
Ship Total: 68
Thane Kyrell — X-Wing	48
Crack Shot	1
Servomotor S-Foils	0
Ship Total: 49
Fenn Rau (Sheathipede) — Sheathipede-Class Shuttle	52
R4 Astromech	2
Ship Total: 54
Bandit Squadron Pilot — Z-95 Headhunter	23
Ship Total: 23

Yeah, when I'm looking more seriously at a Wedge list that might be vaguely competitive, I'm looking at Thane for his wingman.

One thing I would say, though, is that I think one and preferably both of them need torps if they're the only two ships in your list capable of doing damage.

Dropping the Bandit easily lets you take R3 and Protons on both Wedge and Thane, and I think you'd get way more value out of it. Wedge gets additional attack dice overlap, Thane can still trigger his ability on torp shots and now gets an extra result you can spend without sacrificing the total attack as much. High burst damage in the opening rounds also heavily favours Thane, as you want to get as much damage out as soon as you can so you can start messing them about with crits.

I've not actually played them yet, and I'm still unsure about astro selection in general, but my prediction is that R5 will suck on X-Wings. You have to wait until you're down to hull (at which point, even maxed out, you're a good torp or range 1 shot away from being wiped out), and then it's action dependent on a ship that needs its actions. R2 fits much better on them for only 1 point more, and I think if you fly well a round not shooting is a far easier penalty to pay than shooting with no other actions. Also, you can now R2 before a k-turn. If you're coming out of a joust, and a mutual k-turn would keep you both out of rage, R2 feels invaluable where R5 would be no help. That said, I'm very interested to see if co-ordinate makes it viable over using co-ordinate to max out on dice mods.

2 hours ago, Admiral Deathrain said:

Only about half a month until 2.0 is in everyones hands - what is the first thing you want to try, and why?

For me, it is this:

Lieutenant Kestal (36)
Ruthless (1)
Ion Cannon Turret (6)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Nu Squadron Pilot (35)
Xg-1 Assault Configuration (0)
Ion Cannon (5)

Captain Jonus (36)
Ruthless (1)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Scimitar Squadron Pilot (28)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Scimitar Squadron Pilot (28)
Barrage Rockets (6)

Total: 200

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

It features my favourite ship in all of Star Wars, the TIE Bomber, and some things I didn't get to use much in 1.0 that gained neat new tricks: The Gunboat being able to use ion cannon after SLAM makes it a fascinatingly mobile mini-threat, and FGD did his part to hype up Kestal - I always liked the look of the Agressor, but in 1.0 it was just too dull. Since it is rather likely that Bombers will get a bit of a price hike on release, I'll probably have to drop Jonus, which is fine since it frees me from having to fly in formation with the Bombers.

2.0 is so **** exciting!

I played against this list last week except they had a Punisher instead of the Gunboat. Kestal one shot Soontir at range 3 through a rock!!! I rolled blanks and focuses and he rolled hits and crits. The barrage rockets backed up by the Jonus retool then quickly chewed through my shuttle and decimator! This is going to be a good list.

29 minutes ago, GuacCousteau said:

Yeah, when I'm looking more seriously at a Wedge list that might be vaguely competitive, I'm looking at Thane for his wingman.

One thing I would say, though, is that I think one and preferably both of them need torps if they're the only two ships in your list capable of doing damage.

Dropping the Bandit easily lets you take R3 and Protons on both Wedge and Thane, and I think you'd get way more value out of it. Wedge gets additional attack dice overlap, Thane can still trigger his ability on torp shots and now gets an extra result you can spend without sacrificing the total attack as much. High burst damage in the opening rounds also heavily favours Thane, as you want to get as much damage out as soon as you can so you can start messing them about with crits.

I've not actually played them yet, and I'm still unsure about astro selection in general, but my prediction is that R5 will suck on X-Wings. You have to wait until you're down to hull (at which point, even maxed out, you're a good torp or range 1 shot away from being wiped out), and then it's action dependent on a ship that needs its actions. R2 fits much better on them for only 1 point more, and I think if you fly well a round not shooting is a far easier penalty to pay than shooting with no other actions. Also, you can now R2 before a k-turn. If you're coming out of a joust, and a mutual k-turn would keep you both out of rage, R2 feels invaluable where R5 would be no help. That said, I'm very interested to see if co-ordinate makes it viable over using co-ordinate to max out on dice mods.

Those are some good ideas, thanks!! Some people in my local meta who had played some 2.0 games warned against putting too many upgrades on a ship and it was better to have more ships on the table. This is why I tried to make it so I could fit a 4th ship, but I really like your suggestions!

Call me old fashioned but I want to fly an A-Wing, B-Wing, Y-Wing and X-Wing, and I want to fly them all at once. There'll be plenty of time to try to break the game later.

I've also been curious about selfless B-Wings, seems like their best use now. They seem pretty useful next to Biggs!

Yeah the 4 shields seem a nice place to put those crits. Combining that with Biggs to protect a double tap Y wing seemed a good place to start. And Jake looks like a fun, cheap flanker to top it off.

I'm excited to fly the following. Feel like the manoeuvrability of the Advanced + Phantoms plus the threat of a few bombs gives a good area-control feel. Ved Foslo has some good potential (advanced sensor focus/TL 2-speed talon rolls, or tuck in behind a rock to trigger trick shot then advanced sensor barrel roll out, 3 speed talon rolls with afterburners boost...).Phantoms look great fun. Bombers are cheap.

Ved Foslo — TIE Advanced 47
Trick Shot 1
Advanced Sensors 8
Afterburners 8
Ship Total: 64

"Sigma Squadron Ace" — TIE Phantom 46
Juke 4
Ship Total: 50

"Sigma Squadron Ace" — TIE Phantom 46
Juke 4
Ship Total: 50

Scimitar Squadron Pilot — TIE Bomber 28
Homing Missiles 3
Skilled Bombardier 2
Seismic Charges 3
Ship Total: 36

25 minutes ago, Admiral Deathrain said:

I've also been curious about selfless B-Wings, seems like their best use now. They seem pretty useful next to Biggs!

Sort of, but you can get a Selfless Red Vet X-Wing for 1 less point and have a better ship under your EPT. You're only fiddling crits around so it's not like you're making it a bullet magnet.

2 hours ago, FTS Gecko said:

FIVE.

Sabre Squadron Aces? Init 4 heavy swarm!

Or Soontir and one Ace plus 3 Alphas?

I'll be eliciting lols with this trashfire:

Legion of the Unloved (200)

Using only what I'll have

Skull Squadron Pilot (50)
Fearless (3)

Skull Squadron Pilot (50)
Fearless (3)

Boba Fett (80)
Fearless (3)
L3-37 (4)
Marauder (3)
Veteran Tail Gunner (4)

Total: 200

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

19 minutes ago, Gilarius said:

Sabre Squadron Aces? Init 4 heavy swarm!

Or Soontir and one Ace plus 3 Alphas?

CARTEL.

8 minutes ago, Vector Strike said:

Using only what I'll have

Skull Squadron Pilot (50)
Fearless (3)

Skull Squadron Pilot (50)
Fearless (3)

Boba Fett (80)
Fearless (3)
L3-37 (4)
Marauder (3)
Veteran Tail Gunner (4)

Total: 200

View in Yet Another Squad Builder

I've played against something a bit similar to that, with Fenn & a Zealot instead of two Skulls. It was pretty good. Slave I loadout was very different though.

14 minutes ago, FTS Gecko said:

CARTEL.

Oil Cartels? Ok... I know the answer, but somebody needs to set you up.

Genesis Red w/tractor beam and Intimidation

3 Skulls with Fearless

I took something similar to our last store champ and loved it.

Mine was Support Droid Rights

(70) IG-88A
(2) IG-2000
(4) Heavy Laser Cannon
(5) Proton Bombs
(3) Fire-Control System
Points 84

(70) IG-88C
(2) IG-2000
(4) Heavy Laser Cannon
(5) Proton Bombs
(3) Fire-Control System
Points 84

(26) Lando Calrissian
(4) IG-88D
(1) Trick Shot
Points 31

Total points: 199

Lando can either coordinate or choose a calculate a give one to either IG and keep the other for defence