I thought it would be useful to comprehensively rank all the ships and pilots of the rightful government. Each week I will post some pilots to rank, then average the community scores over the week. Please post your rankings in bold on a scale of 1-10. This week we will begin with the Striker and Defender, I'll get the ball rolling.

For the Empire!

Current Voting Ships

Soontir Fel

Saber Squadron Ace

Turr Phennir

Alpha Squadron Pilot

"Whisper"

Sigma Squadron Ace

"Echo"

Imdaar Test Pilot 

Ranking from best to worst:

Darth Vader- 9.42

Blowing the competition out of the water is the dark lord of the Sith himself. Three force, an incredible ability and a strong chasis all with pilot skill 6 earn him the undisputed top spot.

Seventh Sister- 7.875

Seventh Sister's ability to reliably push through damage makes her a bargain at 42 points, comfortably beating out the other TIE v1s.

Rexler Brath- 7.455

Rexy tops our Defender ranking like the mighty Imperial hero he is. Flipping over damage cards causes havoc among unshielded ships *cough strikers cough* and coupled with Juke and 3 red dice make this man a force to be reckoned with.

Duchess- 7.375

Sliding in gracefully is the elegant Duchess, aileroning in and out of arcs to line up those sweet sweet Predator bullseyes. Duchess is quintessentially Imperial, packing an excellent ability, good pilot skill and fragile chasis into an efficient and points-effective combination.

Maarek Steele- 7.2

Countdown- 7

Pure Sabaac- 6.273

Baron of the Empire- 6

Countess Ryad- 5.5

Delta Squadron Pilot- 5.41

Inquisitor- 5.33

Grand Inquisitor- 5.25

Ved Foslo- 4.5

Tempest Squadron Pilot- 4.5

Planetary Sentinel- 4.273

Zertik Strom- 4.25

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 4.1

Colonel Vessery- 4

Storm Squadron Ace- 3

Black Squadron Scout- 2.7

Well, if you like overpaying for poor pilot skill on a soft ship with poor damage mods and no way to arc dodge, this is for you. While your at it, you might want to consider some bombs to put yourself out of your misery before your opponent inevitably can.

My votes:

Rexler Brath- 7

Countess Ryad- 4

Colonel Vessery- 3

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 4

Delta Squadron Pilot- 5

Duchess- 8

Pure Sabaac- 7

Countdown-6

Black Squadron Scout- 4

Planetary Sentinel- 4

A difficult task, I think, fraught with opinion. I have decent Defender experience though, so I'm game for that one.

7 hours ago, McGarnacle said:

Rexler Brath- 8

A beast. Needs good leverage in order to avoid getting dumpstered as priority target no. 1, before he gets his points worth of damage in. Heavy burden of execution.

Countess Ryad- 7

Difficult to do well against aces. Damage ouput is a problem. Put Adv Sen on her though and she'll basically go anywhere and last forever, so you can chip away. Probably one of the funnest ships I've flown, with AS and Outmanoeuvre.

Colonel Vessery- 4

Not used. Ability just doesn't add up to cost.

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 5

Decent brawler with enough Init to be a problem for generic opposition. Too many points for a limited output and prone to getting mashed by higher Init with its predictability. You either find the points for Rex if you want what this offers, or you're just being adventurous.

Delta Squadron Pilot- 6

Same problem as the I4 without the benefit of being able to occasionally arc dodge something. Point in it's favour is that 70pts leaves enough room for other things that can utilise it's durability.

The problem with Vessery is that with the loss of the FO Fighter, there are no decent cheap target lockers left, except maybe Bombers, which tend to want to focus and barrage anyways. x1s, v1s and Gunboats work, but are on the expensive side. Maybe FCS/Crack Barons? For now though, Rexler is likely the better, and cheaper, choice.

I'd say Duchess, Sabacc and Countdown are all solid 8s. Very strong abilities, fairly costed.

I think the Planetary Sentinel is underrated. It's extremely maneuverable, very unpredictable, and do not underestimate that bomb slot. An I1 Striker can often take on an ace 1 on 1, especially if said ace lacks 1-turns and/or double repo.

Rexler Brath- 7 - great ability, great INI, reasonable costed. It hurts him a little bit that Advanced Sensors went up in price. If I play defender I usually settle for him.

Countess Ryad- 5 my No. 2. with lone wolf she is actually tough to kill.

Colonel Vessery- 4 - no spotter anymore that gives him the TL, expensive, INI sucks. Sorry Vess. You were my favorite Pilot in 1.0 but now you just suck.

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 3 - rather meeeeh

Delta Squadron Pilot- 5 - still a little bit to expensive. Maybe drop them by 3 more points and I consider fielding them.

Duchess- 7 - great if you are fly last and there are no INI6 pilots. Its only a shame that the other factions have so many cheap 6 aces (Wedge, Scum Han). Pops too fast. But fun to fly.

Pure Sabaac- 6 - same problem. Pops too fast. They should have given him a higher INI too that he can at least get 1 good shot before he horribly dies.

Countdown-6 - only striker that does not just suddenly die horrible. Would love to see here a few point drops.

Black Squadron Scout- 4 -mehh.

Planetary Sentinel- 4 - meee. at least good for a "heavy" swarm (with 3 reds). hopefully gets 1 point cheaper in the future so that we can field 6. Come on FFG. You know you want to sell them!!!!! If 5 Y-Wings can be a thing, a 6 Planetary Sentinel List SHOULD be a thing too!

Rexler Brath- 7 I agree that he is above average and a solid choice to build around.

Countess Ryad- 6 Ryad is a lot better than people are giving her credit for and if I had the chance to play her more I might equate her to Rexler, or maybe even higher if we see Rebel Beef owning a big chunk of the meta.

Colonel Vessery- 3 Yeah, the high point cost and low number of cheap ships with target lock makes Vessery a tough sell right now.

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 4 Sure? Never considered it.

Delta Squadron Pilot- 5 Also a fine spot, I was never a huge fan of them but moving at I1 and unlikely to get blocked on the token stack is probably good.

Duchess- 7 Despite being one of my favorite ships to play, I don't think shes better than the other named strikers.

Pure Sabaac- 7 Love me some Sabaac

Countdown-7 All three named Strikers are equally good in that they all serve a different role and are quite good at it.

Black Squadron Scout- 2 What list wants these?

Planetary Sentinel- 5 Solid ships for the points.

OK, I have jumped in, but I'm assuming your scale is these ships vs. ones in the overall field, so it might be a bit harsh.

Rexler Brath- 6

Countess Ryad- 3

Colonel Vessery- 2

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 1

Delta Squadron Pilot- 2

Duchess- 7

Pure Sabaac- 4

Countdown-6

Black Squadron Scout- 1

Planetary Sentinel- 3

You should not take Advense Sensors on a Defender since you would not get the Evade from doing the maneuver.

Advanse Sensors states that you cannot take another action that turn. The Evade from the Defenders is an action.

29 minutes ago, Atredes said:

You should not take Advense Sensors on a Defender since you would not get the Evade from doing the maneuver.

Advanse Sensors states that you cannot take another action that turn. The Evade from the Defenders is an action.

Advanced Sensors on Defenders is about having options open. While it locks out the free evade if used it does allow a bit more unpredictability in the ship's final position than a Defender has normally. It also allows you to evade before going through a Debris Cloud if you see the need.

51 minutes ago, Atredes said:

You should not take Advense Sensors on a Defender since you would not get the Evade from doing the maneuver.

Advanse Sensors states that you cannot take another action that turn. The Evade from the Defenders is an action.

As Hiemfire says.

It's kind of a shame they went up in price. At 8pts, they were a fine addition to the ship. You only need use them 2 or 3 times in the game, but those occasions can massively swing things your way. Any more than that and you really are decreasing the value of what you have.

At 10pts, it does verge on excessive. The total value remains the same, but leaving them out makes room for other things that can can give you more.

Rexler Brath- 8

Countess Ryad- 7.5

Colonel Vessery- 3
needs better enablers, he was great in the 1.0 Vader/Vessery/Omega Leader combo but now there isn't much that can really help him in that respect. maybe Sai/Redline/Vessery but it's a real squeeze at those points. vessery might need to drop down a bit to acknowledge that even though his ability is the "strongest" mathematically you have to pay points and make sacrifices in the rest of the list to make it functional.

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 5
the cost to upgrade to onyx + a good enough EPT to make it worthwhile (outmaneuver, juke) is just too high at the already massive Defender price point. Not sure anything can really be done about it without further expansion (configurations for defenders, probably)

Delta Squadron Pilot- 7.5
I've always liked the basic delta, white 4K challenges even high PS aces to keep up. Still, held back a bit by high cost and lack of configurations or other upgrades to really extract maximum value for the cost. 2x deltas + Sai is pretty fun and now has some more room for customization

Duchess- 8
I love this ship, easily my favorite filler ship for the Empire at that price bracket. Can't be built around as a centerpiece but easy to fill in when you don't know what else to take

Pure Sabaac- ?

Countdown-?

Black Squadron Scout- ?

Planetary Sentinel- 6
I don't play strikers other than Duchess very often, as I prefer interceptors, but they can do the job. Probably a little underpowered in the same way as interceptors, not sure what to do about it other than dropping price but they are already pretty cheap.

To everyone rating Vessery so low: have you tried playing him with Lt. Sai/Krennic/ST-321? Sai coordiinates Vessery to focus, gets a focus herself, and then locks at R1-3 from Vessery, setting up his ability. And of course, he takes the Optimized Prototype from Krennic, so he's essentially got Rexler's ability as well. And there's still 58 points (naked Vess, Sai/Krennic/ST-321) left (I like Seyn Marana/Marksmanship and a few extra upgrades on Vess/Sai as well).

Yes, it's comboriffic, but Vessery has always been that way. If you go for the shuttle first, Vessery is free to do as he pleases, and Seyn is wandering around throwing damage through shields (that Vessery can then flip up with Optimized). If you go for Vessery first, he can be tough to kill even with concentrated fire. He'll have focus+evade, and given Sai has a TL to trigger his ability, his action is completely free for a reposition. Not to mention that if he's really in a tight spot, Sai can coordinate a reposition before he activates (forgoing the focus for both of them, but don't underestimate a pre-move boost or roll followed by a white 4k). If they go for Seyn first, more power to them?

Anyways, to keep the post relevant to the thread, I suppose I'll add rankings:

Rexler Brath- 7: The base cost of Defenders really prevents me from rating him higher.

Countess Ryad- 4: I think she lost just a little too much, plus base cost of Defenders.

Colonel Vessery- 6: Only loses a step to Rexler because of the needed support. Even though the support is really good.

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 3: At least Ryad HAS an ability.

Delta Squadron Pilot- 1: WAY too expensive.

Duchess- 5: I've never been a huge fan of Strikers, and now they don't have Lightweight Frame. Choosing to aileron or not is cute, but I find Strikers are generally just too weak on offense (no TL) and defense (only 2 dice).

Pure Sabaac- 3: I don't think I've EVER gotten to use his ability. He takes damage before getting to shoot, and thus no longer has an ability.

Countdown-6: Ability is really good. Still a little pillow-fisted, though.

Black Squadron Scout- 3: I mean, essentially Pure Sabacc with 2 more hull in my experience, at lower INI?

Planetary Sentinel- 2: Could be a decent blocker with Ailerons, but a bit expensive for that.

Every time Darth Vader spends a force point

Thanks to everyone so far for their rankings. My goal is to get about 20 individual rankings per ship.

Rexler - 7 solid and self sufficient. Pricey, but with just Juke still worth it

Ryad - 5 ability still very fun, but the I4 and fact K’s are no longer green hurt. Basically suffers the pricing inflation I4 in general has

Vessery - 5 great ability, but I4 and wingman issues are real. But with the right friends can shine. V1, Bomber, or Gunboat. Pick two and go.

Onyx - 3 initiative and pricing.

Delta - 4 keep it lean and it can be ok I guess. Again if you’re paying Defender prices you may as well go ahead and pay the extra for a named in most cases.

Duchess - 9 great piece at a great price. One of the most fun ships in the game. But keep her lean, Striker go poof if you goof

Pure Sabaac & Countdown - 7 I4 with great abilities. But difficult to get the most out of. If you can, however, they are fantastic.

Black Squad - 1 way overpay for the initive bump. Obscene. It’d be about a 3 at 35-36 points. Malaise of generics in general, especially squishy ones that rely on unpredictability to live.

Planetary Sentinel - 3 really only worth it in multiples. Maybe a 5 if you’re fielding 3+. Can do work, but with the ease of one shoting them they struggle. Low I generics really need to be able to take a few shots to be worth their points, see: wings, Y-

Defender:

Delta: 7

Onyx Ace: 6

Rexlar Brath: 8

Countess Ryad: 6

Colonel Vessery: 6

Striker:

Sentinel: 6

Scout: 4

Duchess: 6

Countdown: 7

Sabaac: 5

Yeah I guess Vessery might be better than I thought. I'll have to try him out.

In case anyone is curious, so far Rexler is barely inching out Duchess for the top spot 7.375 to 7.25. The poor Black Squadron Scout is languishing at the bottom with an average of 3.

Glad to see some love for Duchess. One of the best Imperial pilots along with Seyn IMO. Duchess basically has SNR if she is higher init.

37 minutes ago, McGarnacle said:

Glad to see some love for Duchess. One of the best Imperial pilots along with Seyn IMO. Duchess basically has SNR if she is higher init.

All of the Strikers "basically" have SNR minus the barrel roll... Duchess ignores stress which is even better.

People keep saying strikers pop, and one person said they get "one shot." Does that happen?! I've had it happen twice: once with a Proton Torpedoes shot, and once suffering a range 1 attack from Vader - 2 crits got through, Fuel Leak -> Direct Hit. My strikers COMMONLY survive a Proton Torpedoes shot, so I find them much safer than TIE fighters or TIE interceptors. (When I say it "only happened twice" that's saying something because I play TIE strikers a LOT - almost exclusively.)

"Duchess" - 8 Her ability isn't all that much better than the others, but it's maneuver-based ability which is a blast! Even if you're moving first, you can be so unpredictable. Bonus points for Afterburners, but I have yet to be able to afford that.

"Pure Sabacc" - 7 Great ability, fairly priced, needs to flank. Predator or some outside mods really help. Every time I use him I roll 2 hits, 2 blanks on the first attack which is underwhelming. He'd really like a buddy with Tarkin on board.

"Countdown" - 7 strong ability, and there is counter-play by focusing on him with many shots, which helps him not to be oppressive.

A word on generics: they are best in numbers. As one-offs I'm not sure they pull their weight because they are easy pickings.

Black Squadron Scout - 5 If you are going to run 5 strikers, bringing 5 of these guys with Predator is very strong. Those rerolls are so nice.

Planetary Sentinel - 6 Very good choice in a Sloane squad. I personally like 4 of them with a Reaper, but I recently tried 3 with Duchess and Feroph. I loved it!

49 minutes ago, Parakitor said:

People  keep saying  strikers pop, and one person said they get "one sh  ot." Does that ha  ppen?!

I mean they hold up better than Interceptors, but that’s a very low bar.

Amd the answer is yes. I’ve been on both sides of the one shot Striker multiple times. They are super allergic to crits.

And let’s be honest, taking 3 damage and getting a Panicked Pilot or something is pretty much a death sentence for them.

I may also have some trauma from flying strikers frequently against a local meta heavy with Rebel Protorp Alpha And Redline Deathrain Jonus Rhymer lists before the points adjustment.

Rexler specifically eats Strikers alive. Basically a guaranteed crit per attack.

1 hour ago, McGarnacle said:

Rexler specifically eats Strikers alive. Basically a guaranteed crit per attack.

Is there a 34 point ship he doesn't eat alive though?

Somebody with shields or a turret.

5 minutes ago, william1134 said:

Somebody with shields or a turret.

He'll still be very much alive when that ships shields are gone though. The turret won't overly trouble him...

Unless there's 4 or 5 of them

Rexler Brath- 8
Best TIE Defender pilot, much improved over 1.0

Countess Ryad- 6
Solid choice if she wasn't more than Brath, her higher cost and lower Initiative make her less attractive.

Colonel Vessery- 3
As mentioned above, the lack of cheap TL sources hurts him outside of very specific builds.

Onyx Squadron Pilot- 3
Not worth taking; either find the points for Brath or grab a Delta. Juke makes him ok but imho not worth the points.

Delta Squadron Pilot- 7
You can take 2 with Palpatine for a low I Palp Aces.

Duchess- 7
A problem with the Striker chassis in general holds her back. Anywhere with a munitions meta will murder her.

Pure Sabaac- 6
Great offensive output but he's a huge target and needs good wingmates. Best used to draw agro.

Countdown-8
Won't die from a bad roll and thus is a good way to get a 3 die primary in HS.

Black Squadron Scout- 1
Even less worthwhile than an Onyx Defender (at least Juke can make the former pull it's weight)

Planetary Sentinel- 2
No reason to take this over one of the conditional 3-die TIE/LN's. Only advantage over the Scout is the lower cost.