So as one of the few ships on the Rebels side I like I’m struggling with the ship a bit and really getting a feel for how they want to fly in 2.0. I kinda feel like I tear though them with my Imperial list, but I have seen some success here and there with others.

Classic Pilots:

Wedge: I6 solid ability which can tear through opposing ships. Slightly over 1/4 of a list at 52 points. Load out, and the proper talent are key.

Luke: Tanky I5, but can cost up to 2 full ships. Against 2 dice attacks is stout, otherwise still can have issues with longevity.

Thane Kyrell: another I5 that is not quite 1/4th a list. His ability looks on paper like you want him I3 so there are crits to convert after other ships have fired. Also his ability looks wasted on smaller ships without a lot of hull.

Garvin: same ability he had and I4 now. Better than he was and a Talent but picking something that benefits him still makes him not feel locked into wanting to take a focus action over other actions when looking at things.

Porkins: I4 here as well. His Ability to manage some stress is cool, it can also make him fragile. At 46 points not sure if he’s with a gamble or not.

Biggs: his improved selflessness ability is nice for an I3. A lot has to go into ensuring he can though. Not sure it’s as easy as it sounds to do. Additionally with Regen/Repairs being so limited and limiting is he still worth taking just to sacrifice for the rest of the squad?

Red Squadron Vet: the higher Initiative generic. 43 points, so room for some load outs still deciphering if I3is worth it or not though. A lot of I4 at least here locally so far and that means having Arcs dodged a good bit....

Blue Squadron Escort: Base bare bones model. 41 points so a bit more flexible and I2. Other than no Talent slot it’s basically at the same point as the RSV, so probably a better option?

Cavern Angels:

Kulbee Spedaro: I4 and with his Ability makes him look very solid on paper. Might be able to do some actual flanking here. Biggest issue for me is what would I put on him or with him to make him the most effective?

Leevan Tenza: A cool ability at i3 that can make him Tanky while also being another flanker. Paired with Debris gambit gets him some action economy though his ability to really push damage through comes into question.

Edrio Two-Tubes: He really wants to be with his Brother for a “Synergy “. That or someone who can coordinate before him and at I2 good luck. Seems better to just take a BSE instead for the cost.

Zelots: I1 which again not a super huge deal. They do get the advantage of illicit slot but is there anything there at this point to make that worth while?

The other issues besides what’s listed are the Mechs. R2’s seem pricey especially for both your action and a possible shot. R4’s can give you green 2 turns but look much better on Say a Y-Wing. R3’s E-wings they should be stapled to, X-wings not so sure. Multiple target locks are nice so perhaps worth looking at? R5’s again a bit costly but they can do some work, perhaps the best of the lot in terms of abilities?

17 minutes ago, Ronu said:

R2’s seem pricey especially for both your action and a possible shot

R2's only cost is taking a Disarm token to get a shield back, so works decently if retreating or if you don't think you will get a shot. R5s require the cost, though at least you can still use them to flip ship crits even after running out of charges.

36 minutes ago, Ronu said:

Garvin: same ability he had and I4 now. Better than he was and a Talent but picking something that benefits him still makes him not feel locked into wanting to take a focus action over other actions when looking at things.

Sadly he's way less interesting, since he can't now spend a focus when there's no focus results on his rolls.

50 minutes ago, Ronu said:

Thane Kyrell  : another I5 that is not quite 1/4th a list. His ability looks on paper like you want him I3 so there are crits to convert after other ships have fired. Also his ability looks wasted on smaller ships without a lot of hull. 

I partially disagree on your second point here. While there are a lot of crit effects that a low-hull ship will shrug at and play around, if they have a Direct Hit face-down, that kills TIEs and squints. Some ships are also very tanky (like Fangs) in the right situation. If you managed to get one damage on them, turning it up could be substantial. And since it only spends one of these results, there could still be incoming damage for the defender to cancel, they might not.

The thing with X-wings that I've seen many people fail at is Servomotors. Servomotors define the goddang ship

If you try to straight on joust things that are better at jousting, then no **** they're gonna get steamrolled. You have to set up approaches with the Sevromotor boost and also keep in mind that they're REALLY good at gtfoing away from poor positioning scenarios. You also have to consider when dropping to 2-dice isn't that big a deal . For example, Wedge's ability (+potential predator) makes those two dice hit a lot harder than they should. For guys like Thane, they just don't care on way or another. Finally, Servomotors don't affect secondary weapons.

Servomotors do have the unfortunate side affect of making higher I X-wings generally far more effective, but hey at least they're got good abilities

Anyway,

Wedge is, I'm fairly certain, the cheapest I 6. Even scum Han is 2 points more expensive. Plus, he comes coupled with an excellent, always relevant ability that also compensates for the drawback of Servomotors. You really can't ask for much more.

Thane's ability isn't actually that great at first (because you need damage to already be on the target). But he's really cheap for I 5 on a ship that can boost, AND his ability greater lessens the drawback of Servomotors. Plus, it's generally just grand when you're k-turned/trolled or otherwise don't have mods.

Without his ability (ie, prior damage) he's just an I 5 blue squaddie. But, given Servomotors, that's quite alright.

These two and Kullbee are your big Servomotor ships, and therefore probably the so-called "best" X-wings ito just splashing them into any list. Give em predator because bullseye is a LOT easier to lineup with boost (though really Thane doesn't need any upgrades) or Elusive maybe for a joust-heavy Wedge, and that's it. You're set. Don't overload them with extra stuff because everything is squish in second edition.

Thane can spend a focus to flip up a direct hit that you already saw to instantly kill a tie. It’s a bonkers good ability.

2 hours ago, Giledhil said:

Sadly he's way less interesting, since he can't now spend a focus when there's no focus results on his rolls.

Discovered this Saturday. I haven't been testing or theory crafting 2.0 stuff for the last few months like some people, but went into my first games of 2.0, and of X-wing period in over a year, this last weekend with the idea that anything providing action economy in this new environment is probably pretty good. List was Wedge with Swarm Tactics(to bump up Garvin's initiative) and torpedos, Supernatural Luke, and Garvin. I think Garvin's ability triggered all of twice, and only once when it was relevant, across 3 games. Pretty lackluster, not being able to spend for 0 changes is a lot more limiting than you might imagine at first. Ten Numb, with Farlander's old ability, is likely going to have the same problem.

Servomotors are definitely neat, and have a bigger impact than I'd expected them to at first. It's extra fun how they combo with Supernatural Reflexes on Luke, letting him pre-maneuver boost > open s-foils > move > BR or whatever else into 3 dice attacks, and close s-foils > pre-maneuver boost/BR > move > whichever boost/BR you didn't already do, to run away. Does anyone know if, with S-foils closed, you can do the linked red Focus off of a Supernatural Reflexes Boost? I could probably figure it out for myself with a more thorough read of the new rules reference, but being able to, starting from Closed S-foils, do: SR Boost > linked red focus > Open S-foils > execute blue manuever to clear stress > BR or target lock, for a stress free triple action turn, seems too good to be true.

Anyway, as to the question at hand, Wedge and Luke are definitely up there, Thane probably is too, thinking about his ability some more. The X-wing is pretty solid, and has a lot of really good pilot abilities, you just have to put some thought into flying them and use everything they have available.