So I'm still pretty green at this. I'm gonna list what I've got and see if anyone can scramble together a manageable list for my next game.
Last played at the suggestion of a mentor
TIE Advanced - Vader
TIE Advanced- Maarek
1 TIE Fighter - Wampa
2x TIE Academy Pilot
What I've got is:
2x TIE Advanced
3x TIE Fighter
2x TIE Interceptor
1x TIE Defender
1x TIE Phantom
Edited by ArcHammer
Darth Vader (65)
Afterburners (6)
“Whisper” (54)
Juke (5)
Delta Squadron Pilot (70)
Total: 200
or
Darth Vader (65)
Fire-Control System (2)
Afterburners (6)
Maarek Stele (46)
Marksmanship (1)
Fire-Control System (2)
Afterburners (6)
“Whisper” (54)
Juke (5)
Fifth Brother (9)
Total: 196
4 hours ago, wurms said:Snip
Like both of those very much.
As an alternative, I fancy this.
(46) Maarek Stele [TIE Advanced x1] (2) Fire-Control System. Points: 48
(82) Rexler Brath [TIE/D Defender] (5) Juke. Points: 87
(50) "Echo" [TIE/ph Phantom] (9) Fifth Brother (5) Juke. Points: 64
Total points: 199
Echo is not necessarily the best recommendation for a new player though
Hasn't taken me too long to get used to him really. Just stay on the fringes sniping, till you're comfortable throwing him into weird, unpredictable spots. And watch out for rocks on 3 speed moves.
But Whisper will fit without 5th Bro, giving you 3 I5s, which is neat when it comes to shooting the same target with these 3.
If it's Hyperspace format, can't run Defenders or Phantoms, unfortunately. Extended format, go crazy.
I've enjoyed
(Tie Advaned) Vader with Fire Control System & Afterburners
(Tie Interceptor) Soontir Fel with Predator
(Tie/ln) Howlrunner
(Tie/ln) Mauler Mithel or Scourge Skutu (or Iden if you can fit her in the list)
Make your opponent choose between either the two Tie fighters, Vader or Soontir as a target priority.
Any tips on running the newer ships? Have never flown Def, Phantom or Interceptor before.
16 minutes ago, ArcHammer said:Any tips on running the newer ships? Have never flown Def, Phantom or Interceptor before.
Phantoms -> decloak away, turn in. Dont push for range 1 engagements, as trading shots with just your 2 greens is bad business.
Defenders -> 3+ speeds hit and run. Zoom in blast em, then run away and 4k back in or just 4k back in. Everyone will see your 4k coming, so do it when it cant get blocked.
Interceptor -> Hit and run. When in doubt, always run before the hit though. It only takes one wrong move.
6 minutes ago, wurms said:Phantoms -> decloak away, turn in. Dont push for range 1 engagements, as trading shots with just your 2 greens is bad business.
Defenders -> 3+ speeds hit and run. Zoom in blast em, then run away and 4k back in or just 4k back in. Everyone will see your 4k coming, so do it when it cant get blocked.
Interceptor -> Hit and run. When in doubt, always run before the hit though. It only takes one wrong move.
How does the cloaking/decloaking mechanic work?
1 minute ago, ArcHammer said:How does the cloaking/decloaking mechanic work?
Phantoms, however, have the stygium array ship ability:
Stygium Array: After you decloak, you may perform an evade action. At the start of the End Phase, you may spend 1 evade token to gain 1 cloak token.
Vader- FCS, afterburners (73)
Soontir- predator (54)
Whisper- juke, fifth brother (68)
Total 195
If you want a bigger bid to guarantee moving last against aces, you can drop afterburners or fifth brother.
Sounds like you're getting your feet wet.
Having said that, I'd suggest as a beginner you should shy away from the Phantom for at least a dozen games. Right now you're probably going to want to learn how to judge turns and distances, learning which action to choose.
We all want to kick A right away and be hailed a piloting God but X-wing gods are molded and shaped by experience and time on the battlefield so be patient; you can get there in time.
Here's a list that has a variety of ships with strong pilot abilities. Running these should help you learn to use different ships for different roles.
“Wampa” (30)
Stealth Device (8)
Ved Foslo (45)
Fire-Control System (2)
Afterburners (6)
Maarek Stele (46)
Marksmanship (1)
Fire-Control System (2)
Afterburners (6)
Soontir Fel (52)
Predator (2)
Total: 200
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0
Wampa can be used as a blocker and deny your opponent actions since he moves first. If he's ignored, he gets to use an extra attack die!
Soontir Fel is the ace of aces. He will pop very quickly if you put him in a bad spot so use him to flank, and hit and run.
Maarek Stele is a very good pilot in a good ship that can take a hit or two. People hate him because of his ability to select specific Critical Hits so he will draw a lot of heat.
Ved Foslo is an underrated pilot in my opinion. The other ships will draw most of the attention so take advantage of that.
Imperial ships in general aren't going to absorb many hits. It's best to hit and run if you can. Defenders are arguably the best chassis and quite easy to fly, but are very expensive.
If you want to jump in head first, here's another list to consider:
“Whisper” (54)
Juke (5)
Fire-Control System (2)
Maarek Stele (46)
Marksmanship (1)
Fire-Control System (2)
Rexler Brath (82)
Juke (5)
Fire-Control System (2)
Total: 199
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0
Edited by Force MajeureOn 5/1/2019 at 1:13 AM, ArcHammer said:I'm gonna list what I've got and see if anyone can scramble together a manageable list for my next game.
Whilst I'd advocate learning to use a phantom - they're great - if you want 'manageable' I'd go for something nice and simple.
On 5/1/2019 at 1:13 AM, ArcHammer said:2x TIE Advanced
3x TIE Fighter
2x TIE Interceptor
1x TIE Defender
1x TIE Phantom
If you want a nice, simple-ish squad, maybe load out on all the Initiative 4 ships:
You have two pilots who are suprisingly squirrelly despite not being top-tier initiative, and three TIE fighters who are annoyingly tough thanks to Iden's ability. As a side bonus, Del's ability works on any friendly ship, not just TIE fighters, so if you can wound a target, Turr and Ved get defensive rerolls - great on an agility 3 ship - and since everyone is initiative 4, you can chop and change activation and engagement order as you need to avoid blocking yourself and to allow the TIE/ln and TIE/in to take down a target's shields before Ved lands a critical on the hull thanks to advanced targeting computer.
15 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:Whilst I'd advocate learning to use a phantom - they're great - if you want 'manageable' I'd go for something nice and simple.
Yeah, the Phantom and Defender buys were motivated less by "I can probably use this in the game" and "Hey, this is something I remember from 90's LucasArts releases."
Same reason I have a HWK, too.
I intend to learn to use the Phantom but will probably work slowly into it.
Edited by ArcHammer4 minutes ago, ArcHammer said:Yeah, the Phantom and Defender buys were motivated less by "I can probably use this in the game" and "Hey, this is something I remember from 90's LucasArts releases."
Same reason I have a HWK, too.
I intend to learn to use the Phantom but will probably work into it.
If you want to dip your toe in the water with more complex ships, I'd probably try the TIE Defender before the phantom. It's a more simple ship - faster, tougher, and better armed than other imperial ships, but not really 'different' in the grand scheme of things; keep it moving at speed 3+ and don't worry about K-turning, otherwise it plays just like a bigger, beefier, better armed version of its lesser brethren.
A TIE phantom requires a whole different mindset to use effectively, and is as much 'attack submarine' as 'interceptor'.
If you want a slightly ace-ier force, Rexler Brath and Vader probably eat most of your points right there, especially if you consider giving vader the 'dear holy god how many points?!?!?!?" Supernatural Reflexes, which is a great pairing for his pilot ability and fat stack of force charge but is also eyewateringly expensive.
(seriously, that upgrade costs so much that just two points more would let you field another TIE/x1 advanced instead)
Plenty of excellent advice in this thread.
On 5/2/2019 at 8:40 AM, Des Darklighter said:Vader- FCS, afterburners (73)
Soontir- predator (54)
Whisper- juke, fifth brother (68)
Total 195
If you want a bigger bid to guarantee moving last against aces, you can drop afterburners or fifth brother.
This list that Des posted is top-tier and is probably one of the best things you can build. That said, it's a very tricky list to fly - you have to know your ships well and be patient, you can't just point at your opponent and hope to crush them.
On 5/2/2019 at 8:51 AM, Force Majeure said:Having said that, I'd suggest as a beginner you should shy away from the Phantom for at least a dozen games. Right now you're probably going to want to learn how to judge turns and distances, learning which action to choose.
Force Majeure speaks true. The phantom is bizarre and will take some practice before you work out how best to fly it (the phantom also requires you to remember a lot of abilities all at once). I like the list that Force M suggested, but I think there's a more competitive list that's equally simple (or perhaps even simpler) to fly:
Vader Miniswarm
This 199-point list is very strong and is popular with good players. However, it's not very complicated and you should have no trouble flying it. Even better, as your skills improve, this is a list that will work even better with your improved skills.
Darth Vader: Fire Control System, Afterburners (73pts)
Howlrunner (40pts)
Iden Versio (40pts)
Academy Pilot (23pts)
Academy Pilot (23pts)
Howlrunner is very simple. Every time she, or any friendly pilot at range 0-1 of her, attacks, that pilot can reroll 1 attack die. This makes up for the lack of target lock on tie fighters, and means they pack a punch above their weight. Remember to use the reroll before spending a focus token on attack.
Iden Versio is also straightforward. She's there as a bodyguard for your TIEs. If a TIE fighter in range 0-1 of Iden is in danger of taking damage that would kill it, spend the charge on Iden to prevent all that damage. You can only use this ability once per game, but it is well worth it. You shouldn't hesitate to spend the charge if a TIE is about to lose its last hull point, or if they are taking a crit and will have only one hull point left afterwards (because that crit could be a direct hit, which doues 2 damage). Be aware that Iden can't protect Vader. Keep Iden close to Howlrunner so that Iden can protect Howl, and Howl can give Iden attack rerolls.
The Academy Pilots are cheap, with no abilities. Fly them near Howlrunner and Iden so they can benefit from the rerolls and bodyguard effect.
Set your TIE fighters up in a 2x2 box with half a base-width in between them so they won't bump as they turn.
Darth Vader is the head honcho. He's in the list because he's good, because he's cool and because of course you want to fly Darth Vader. When Vader performs an action, he can spend a force to perform another action (and he can repeat this ability if you want to). He has a total of 3 force, and regains one force at the end of each round. Vader can also spend a force token to change an eyeball to a hit or a focus result. Using his advanced targeting computer, vader rolls an extra attack die and can change one hit to a crit when shooting at an enemy he has locked. FInally, Vader has a linked focus->roll action, so he can take a stress after focussing to perform a barrel roll. We've given him a fire control system, so he can reroll one die against locked targets without having to spend his lock, and afterburners, which let him do a boost after performing a speed 3 or faster move (but only twice per game).
Set Vader up to the side of your TIE fighters, maybe about 1.5 range away. When Vader gets into range of your enemy, take a target lock for your first action and spend a single force to take a focus for your second action. If necessary, spend another force to barrel roll (useful for getting out of enemy arcs, or getting arc on an enemy). You could use the linked focus->roll, but only do that if you are sure you can safely do a blue next turn. When Vader attacks, use the fire control system to reroll one blank result. After that, spend force or focus to convert eyeball results, and then change one hit to a crit with advanced targeting computer. If it was a really bad roll, you might consider spending your lock to reroll more dice, but just remember that the die you rerolled with fire control system cannot be rerolled again. You also can't change a hit to a crit after you've spent your lock.
Get out there and have fun! If you like the list and want to improve your flying, read this for how to fly your TIEs: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2018/9/11/flight-academy-flying-in-formation/