As much as I don't think all is lost for the Rebels, I appreciate your sentiment.

I was exclusively a Rebel player in 1.0 and loved the faction. I stayed away from a lot of the super broken 1.0 Rebel stuff simply because I didn't find them fun.

My experience in 2.0 has shown that I need to fly the big tanky damage sponge rebel lists to even stand a chance. Jousting and face-tanking with a mob of ships has never been my preferred playstyle and I've had to play Imperials in order to scratch the arc dodging itch.

I can see myself becoming a 'Resistance Main' as on paper they seem to suit my preferred play style a little better, and nothing in the Rebel roster really gels with me right now. Time will tell on that front though. That is not to say Rebels don't have a few decent options competitively either. In my eyes, generics are the greatest strength for the Rebels right now, and there are a few solid options if you like the Phalanx play style.

A single support based unique pilot helping generics is what has worked best for me in the last 2 months of playing Rebels in 2.0. X-wings and Y-wings are solid chassis' and are cheap enough to get a decent sized squad. Even B-wings have been ok as long as you keep them dirt cheap. Biggs is very strong for Rebels again as many are finding out. The U-wing pilots (even Bodhi) are all worth a try. Esege Tuketu has worked well, and so has Dutch.

Rebels have a few lone wolves that work, a la Wedge, Luke, Norra and Sabine, which will become even better once the rest of the faction is re-balanced. Options for pairings with these ships is where I personally fail to see anything of note right now, but that's not to say they don't exist. I just haven't found a combo I like yet.

I'd say if you have another faction to play maybe step away from the Rebels for a little while and reset yourself. If not, try and play some battering ram squads with some generics and see how you fair. My only other advice is keep it simple, and try a U-wing, they're actually quite good now.

New to 2.0 so no experience of 1.0. In this short period, fielding rebels has been quite successful in defeating Imperials & Scum Villainy. So I can't see the validity of the claims of inferior rebel ships. Ywings are awesome.

9 minutes ago, Bucknife said:

Selfless is the secret sauce of Rebels.

...Which means we're back to Biggs.

I've been trying every angle since the start, and that's where I've landed.

I have to say, squad-building around Selfless and Biggs is actually super fun, since it actually works.

I too have been flying Biggs since 2e dropped. Never bought into the new Thane hotness, original Trenchrunners or nothing! Haha

Anyway, Biggs is not getting a lot of attention/credit, but I agree that he is very viable.

I couldn’t disagree more about FFG not reducing the ridiculousness. A few cards need price changes, that’s it. Rebels need more adjustments but they aren’t hard broken.

ARC Norra. Fat, skinny, either way is very good. U-Wings are very good. Lando is great, Han is good, and Chewie is the best. Jake is fun. Braylen and Ten are interesting. Esege can be stupid. AP-5. The HWKs. Corran. And of course, Biggs.

I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with Rebels (well, every faction). Right now, I'm just trying to get as many different ships and ship counts on the table as possible to find a good feel for them, so whichever way the points go in January, I'm ready.

2 hours ago, Bucknife said:

Selfless is the secret sauce of Rebels.

...Which means we're back to Biggs.

Rebels will probably land back here. That's not a game I want to play.

6 hours ago, Firebird TMK said:

I've been playing Rebels since the early days of 1.0. Never been the best player, but I've had fun. Even in later 1.0 with all the abusive builds around.

FFG sold 2.0 as the solution for the problems of 1.0. More balance, they said. Fewer abusive combos, they said. Less token stacking, dice modifications and other shenanigans, they said. So I bought into it. And I've tried to play in that spirit. Minimum upgrades. Emphasis on maneuvering. Etc.

I believe FFG has not delivered what it promised. Abusive combos, token stacking and excessive dice modification are still prevalent. And factions are WAY out of balance. Result: almost every game I've played has been a negative play experience. Even when I've ended up winning.

I've considered looking for, or trying to come up with, the most abusive, WAAC Rebel list I could find. One highly likely to produce NPEs. But I don't want to play that way. Didn't play that way in 1.0 either.

So, Rebel players, is it worth continuing to play before the upcoming "rebalance"?

Troll post for sure...

In 2.0 the game have NEVER been this open and balanced/diverse - the meta is WIDE open.

Curious fact: I used to be an almost exclusive Scum player, who once in a while tried a rebel list or imperial list for diversion and jank. When I got my 3 conversions I started with scum and loved it, but ofc I wanted to try the other factions, so second I played a rebel list, which was so fun and powerful that I played it for a long time, and I now play rebels for tournaments.

4 hours ago, Marinealver said:

Likely, the Rebels have so many different options there isn't that many playstyles that can't be incorporated in a rebel list.

But this wasn't about how similar the Resistance and Rebel factions are but if the Resistance faction can make a list that tops the Scum and Imperial lists we see in tournaments now. If some one finds a list that destroys Redline and can eat HWKs and Quadjumpers then you will see a lot of Rebel players going to Resistance because they already have many of the models and will grab a conversion kit and a couple of A-wing-2s. Sure you may have a couple of diehard Rebel devotes, but those won't be the ones interested in winning the tournaments.

This is all under assumption that Resistance can even put together a tournament winning list. If the Resistance has the same luck as the Rebels have now (which is none) then you will see Resistance less than a 1st edition Galactic Republic list.

Honest to god, I believe the Resistance will have some serious winners. I'm watching L'ulo, Kare, and Poe for the top spots- hands down. Kare especially. You can strap a HLC to her and position her however you **** well please with that boost. Close her S-Foils, and she's still rocking a 4 attack at range 2-3. She's going to see a lot of play.

We had a tournament today won by a we'll flown Rebel list consisting of Lando in the falcon with Luke Gunner/Nien/Title and Wuffalo (or whatever the heck that wookie gunship chief's name is) and R2-D2 crew/hull Upgrade. Lando flew wide and always had a shot thanks to Luke, Wuffalo hit like a freaking brick house at range one with 5 dice when he was damaged. And took forever to kill due to reinforce + R2 regen. Conversely though his list turned my HeraGhost/Wedge/Jan squadron into Swiss cheese so depends on what you fly, don't be like me and don't fly Ghost!

So it's possible to win but it does take some skill.

2 hours ago, PorgLeader said:

ARC Norra. Fat, skinny, either way is very good. U-Wings are very good. Lando is great, Han is good, and Chewie is the best. Jake is fun. Braylen and Ten are interesting. Esege can be stupid. AP-5. The HWKs. Corran. And of course, Biggs.

I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with Rebels (well, every faction). Right now, I'm just trying to get as many different ships and ship counts on the table as possible to find a good feel for them, so whichever way the points go in January, I'm ready.

Don’t forget Jek! Or flappy-bird Kulbee! Jek with Hull Upgrade, S-Foils, an R5, and your pick of EPT, is hilariously awesome now that every action matters. And Kulbee with S-Foils and an R4 is always able to a Focus > Boost at no attack die penalties. Give him a Cloaking Device for maximum shenanigans.

8 hours ago, rhetor said:

What's WAAC and NPE?

Terms used by players who don't play a B&PG.

6 hours ago, FlyingAnchors said:

I have no idea what Op is prattling on about. Rebels aren’t easy mode anymore, you have to actually fly your ships right, as opposed to spin Miranda or the ghosts dial and roll a bunch of dice.

I thought Scum was Easy Mode

2 hours ago, Captain Lackwit said:

Honest to god, I believe the Resistance will have some serious winners. I'm watching L'ulo, Kare, and Poe for the top spots- hands down. Kare especially. You can strap a HLC to her and position her however you **** well please with that boost. Close her S-Foils, and she's still rocking a 4 attack at range 2-3. She's going to see a lot of play.

No doubt the Resistance will have good ships/pilots. Rebels has one too. But it is the lists that will determine if Resistance will get played in tournaments or not. There still is the search for lists that will fit with Luke but I think it is going to be a while as the ships get rereleased and new upgrades and such start to trickle in for the original three two factions (Scum seems to be getting something every wave for some reason ). If Resistance gets a strong list, you will see a lot of them (same for the 1stOrder). If there is not a strong list, people will default to the original 3 factions simply because there is more options (and two of those already have strong lists).

However the issue with the Rebels (if the Wave 3 expansions are to be the example of re released ships) then it will take longer for Rebel meta to change. If it does it would more likely be in reaction to something that is very powerful in the meta (like Whisper after Wave 4), maybe 1st Order, Republic, Separatists, or even the Resistance will come up with a super powered list that will demand an answer that only Luke and his band of rebels can reply to.

7 hours ago, Bucknife said:

Selfless is the secret sauce of Rebels.

...Which means we're back to Biggs.

I've been trying every angle since the start, and that's where I've landed.

I have to say, squad-building around Selfless and Biggs is actually super fun, since it actually works.

Let’s say it that way. If Rebels are a puzzle, you failed to solve it. Selfless is an awful card now, since Rebels lack in so many regards. Especially in other sources of mitigation.

In 1.0 the Rebel 3 or 4-ships with Biggs and later selfless worked decently because you just could outlast the opposition amd deal devastating damage, while having Miranda or another ace for lategame.

Oh, and there was Lowhrick and Strezra...

Now, the damage gets through in larger quantities, and you lack a lategame threat of her caliber. So it simply doesn’t work at all.

4 hours ago, It’s One Of Ours said:

Don’t forget Jek! Or flappy-bird Kulbee! Jek with Hull Upgrade, S-Foils, an R5, and your pick of EPT, is hilariously awesome now that every action matters. And Kulbee with S-Foils and an R4 is always able to a Focus > Boost at no attack die penalties. Give him a Cloaking Device for maximum shenanigans.

Two pilots I haven't even put on the table yet (though I want to). Just goes to show there are a wealth of pilots in Rebels (and every faction, for that matter) that I don't see why anyone would want to stop playing an entire faction just to wait for a points drop.

I mean, sure don't try to lock into a single squad, but experimenting with pilots and finding functional synergies is part of the fun of X-Wing, and given how the developers can adjust the point costs, versatility is going to become a much bigger facet of X-Wing.

Whatever 2.0's faults may be, it doesn't even come close to the flaming wreckage that was the latter days of Nym/Miranda/Ghost/Fenn et al. I was as cynical and grumpy as one can be by that point, and had my fair share of reservations/concerns about 2.0 - but so far every 2.0 game I've played has been won or lost on gameplay decisions, not listbuilding ones or faction choice, and no game has ever felt hopeless or a waste of time by the first engagement, as so many were at the end of 1.0.

If you are seriously asking if you should even bother to play the game when your faction is perhaps slightly under the power curve overall, then the answer is no, you shouldn't - because if you're going to have that kind of reaction to a negligible difference in 'competitiveness', perhaps X-Wing isn't a game you're suited to playing in the first place.

17 hours ago, Firebird TMK said:

So, Rebel players, is it worth continuing to play before the upcoming "rebalance"?

Yes. There's so much more to this game than tournaments, and I'm having a heck of a lot of fun with my X- and Y-Wings and the rest of 'em, too.

I hate to say Just get good, but you've got to figure out what works for rebels and then *gasp* practice it. I know its harder than picking up boba and palob, but it can be done. People dont talk about Biggs enough: he is the backbone of the faction IMO.

It depends what you are trying to achieve in play. You said you aren't super serious, and that you enjoyed the broken Rebel faction in v1 ... could it be that you don't like the fact that it is hard to win games now? Youve got two choices... buy into a different faction, one that gives you what you want from the game (For broken combos and minimal decisions you can choose imperials, or scum) ... or just play for fun, be open with your opponents that you want fun games, and not to mash yourself into a wall of 4 Scum/Punisher lists...

Or resistance ... cos that's going to be amazing!

Rebels have many great options for 4 ships list now, just some people are stuck in 1.0 thinking and overlook them. B-wings are god mode now, especially named ones, 2 great different sources of coordinate in U-wing and Sheatipede, X-wings are proper ace platforms. Once people start thinking 2.0 rebels will rise. Also Biggs and spreading damage is not so good anymore, as everything is half points, so you are loosing points anyway.

This is how I like it, if my opponent starts game thinking he will win only because I fly "inferior" rebels, I'm already half way to victory

That's funny, because on the basis of my past games I'm almost 100% of the way to victory when I line up against Rebels.

2 minutes ago, SOTL said:

That's funny, because on the basis of my past games I'm almost 100% of the way to victory when I line up against Rebels.

I agree everything rebels have scum can do better

wedge vs fenn

dutch vs Kavil

20 hours ago, Firebird TMK said:

I've been playing Rebels since the early days of 1.0. Never been the best player, but I've had fun. Even in later 1.0 with all the abusive builds around.

FFG sold 2.0 as the solution for the problems of 1.0. More balance, they said. Fewer abusive combos, they said. Less token stacking, dice modifications and other shenanigans, they said. So I bought into it. And I've tried to play in that spirit. Minimum upgrades. Emphasis on maneuvering. Etc.

I believe FFG has not delivered what it promised. Abusive combos, token stacking and excessive dice modification are still prevalent. And factions are WAY out of balance. Result: almost every game I've played has been a negative play experience. Even when I've ended up winning.

I've considered looking for, or trying to come up with, the most abusive, WAAC Rebel list I could find. One highly likely to produce NPEs. But I don't want to play that way. Didn't play that way in 1.0 either.

So, Rebel players, is it worth continuing to play before the upcoming "rebalance"?

Reading your post leaves me with lots of questions.

1. What did you enjoy flying in 1.0 and what were you often flying against?

2. What are you playing in 2.0 and coming up against?

3. What leads you to have an NPE in games that you win?

1 hour ago, freakyg3 said:

I agree everything rebels have scum can do better

wedge vs fenn

dutch vs Kavil

I mean, I would not disagree that scum are stronger, but these examples don't serve any purpose

Wedge v Fenn is a ridiculous points difference. Rau HAS to be better, he's 16(!) points more!

As for Dutch and Kavil...they're not even remotely similar. That's a support pilot v a combat pilot. You're better off comparing Norra to kavil

Kavil probably wins but FAR moreso due to gunner Han than anything

Scum is strong imo far more so because of guys like palob or boba and upgrades like gunner Han, things they uniquely possess

Good grief. Rebels are NOT BAD by any stretch of the imagination. All these Rebel ships are buth fun AND good.

Supernatural Luke (really stands out with a proton torp)

ARC Norra

Lt. Blount

Hera with Saw crew

Han Solo: starting with crew R2 and Lone Wolf. Flavor to you like.

Lando Calrissian: start with Nien Numb crew.

Miranda with Barrage rockets and proton bomb

Shethepedes! AP-5! Fenn Rau!

Sabine

I'm sure there is more. 2e is only 3 months old.