The point of my reply was that beef is a wider concept than the Braylen-Ten-Cassian-Wedge list. It's generally how Republic lists in my area are built (including when I fly republic, sadly), it's a big reason why double-tap y-wings and scurrgs work (as well as veteran turret gunner being so cheap and good), and many rebel ships are built bulky and that's kinda how the faction is built to run. (And that's a shame because Rebels have way more interesting features to build fleets around. IMO beef is boring!)

So I'm saying FFG can and likely will nerf Braylen-Ten-Cassian-Wedge, but once it's dead and gone, beef will still be a very frequent playstyle. Double-tap Y-Wings will still be an option, Republic ARC and Torrent bulk is a mainstay of the faction, the right crew options could propel 4x Auzitucks back into relevance someday (hah!), and if jumpmasters are fixed then 3x or 4x jumps could be a thing again, etc. The way the game is built, there will always be the drudgery of lots of fatties on the table.

So relying on a nerf isn't the best option. It'll take the edge off by removing the Braylen Boys, but boring-to-fight beef lists will still be around -- if not in known forms, then in new ones. So I think I still need to start constructing lists that rip them apart faster so it's less boring, and maybe be more discerning with my opponents when flying my favorite jank. ;)

IMHO the problem with 'Rebel Beef' is that it's an overly expansive term. Literally any amount of rebel ships in any configuration I've heard referred to as 'Rebel Beef', including lists that don't even have the one agreed upon central unit (U Wing carrying Leia).

What ships are you actually fighting? If it is a 4 ship group, you can just out-joust it and take away their entire central advantage by fielding a bunch of humble TIE Fighters. It is is more like 6 ships, including a block of Z-95s, then you fight that like you fight any other swarm list (deny them the opportunity to joust against you, pull them apart by attacking from multiple angles, don't get greedy gunning for the expensive ships when you can reliably take a cheap ship off of the table instead, etc).

I've always defined a beef list as something whose game plan is to have tons of health and possibly bonus defense effects, taking forever to kill a ship and reduce the fleet's effectiveness. Until now I've never heard anyone narrow beef down to U-Wing + Leia lists, and nothing in the term "beef" seems to imply that in my mind.

I do remember a game dev describing the rebels in this aproximate terms: tough, slightly elite-like, synergistic, highly configurable ships.

You can bet that won't be changing anytime soon.

5 hours ago, LUZ_TAK said:

I do remember a game dev describing the rebels in this aproximate terms: tough, slightly elite-like, synergistic, highly configurable ships.

You can bet that won't be changing anytime soon.

Yup. Though tough doesn't have to be the main focus; all the other terms there are frick'n fantastic and I'd love to see more emphasis on that!

Blocking them works great.
Make sure your list has at least one i1 and you have the bid. Then sprinkle in your choice of flare.

Find an advantage and exploit it. Rebel beef players tend to fly in tight formation, even when not required.

This is a weakness, you can use this to your advantage.

To give an example, here is a personal favorite list:

Pure Sabaac

Major Vermiel

Echo w/ Juke

Sigma w/ Juke

Spread 4 wide evenly across your edge, Phantoms on opposite corners. If you have bid or choice, shoot first. Force them to spend mods before you shoot, and their threat drops. Use the Reaper to run up hard and block/ jam. Flank with both Phantoms. If they run up the middle with their list (as they tend to) the both Phantoms are given a free flank. If they turn towards one, the cloak and run while flanking the rest of your list. If the split up? Perfect, 1:1 is a win condition for you, as you will be better able to focus fire and remove ships that way. Force the Rebel beef player to make choices other than 1 straight to victory. You’d be surprised how often they simply can’t perform once challenged in that way.

Now this doesn’t work as well in higher level play, but let’s be honest it would still work. You’re more mobile than them, use that and for the love of the Emperor kill Wedge first.

Obviously this is an example built on a specific list, but the premise holds. Find some advantage. If you have a TIE swarm, joust them and take off one of their lower I ships before it shoots. If you’re faster/ more maneuverable use that. And remember most Rebel players won’t adjust well once forced to split formation. Exploit that.

I can’t tell you how many times I caught people off guard with my Wedge, Jan, Cassian, AP-5 list simply because I flew it in a loose cloud, often at range 3+ across. People are so used to lists like that flying in a block that flying them at range 2-3 across and doing different moves with each ship causes them to make mistakes assuming you’re going to do the obvious.

People are so conditioned, on both sides, to Rebel Beef flying a specific way that they adjust poorly to anything but. So my approach is ‘heads I win, tails you lose’ for me. Embrace the chaos, become one with the darkness.