I was thinking the same thing. Wedge will be a target so killed within a 2 turn spread (likely turns 2-3) - so it the grand scheme of things you will be firing far less dice with wedge then Luke. Yes, you give up your nine skill - so your going after a few ships of the imperials, most likely, but being harder to kill they might spread their shots around rather then focus on a single model, such as Wedge. I think Luke has the ability to keep the swarm tactics in play longer (when I lost Wedge early I was shooting after the big boys anyways). My strategy, collaspe the swarm tactics chain of command, then its easy pickings.

Earlier I was trying to play the 100 pt vs 99 pt vs 98 pt game for initiative. My game against Ziggy2000 kind of drove home the fact that games last 75 minutes this weekend. And whoever has the most amount of points still alive at the end is the winner. And due to the "same skill level gets to attack before they die" rule, I'm thinking initiative only matters when maneuvering. Now, some of you may claim that to be a big deal due to the collisions and actions and such, and I can hear that argument. But ya know, I think I'm going with 100 pt squads anyway. So, how about this for a 4-ship rebel build?

Luke with R2F2, Gold w Ion, 2X Rookie Pilot, one with Proton torps.

Luke is much harder to kill in 75 minutes, you got Ion cannon, torps, and 0 synergy, so there's no restrictions on how I fly them.

My 3 ship fun build:

Wedge with R2F2 and Torps, Horton with Ion, Proton Torps, and R2 Astromech, and Dutch with Ion and R2 Astromech

Yeah, I like that better with the Astromechs on there.

My Imperial build:

Vader with Concussion Missiles and Marksmanship, Backstabber, APX4

Still flying in 2 waves, I think. Still get to see how my opponent sets up before I set up Backstabber and Vader. Those 2 make a nice 1-2 punch.

That Imperial build would certainly make me pay more attention to Vader than I did in our match last night.

The Rebel build looks pretty solid too, I'm sorry we didn't have time to get to it after our slugfest. I'm probably going to tweak the Biggs/Dutch build in much the same direction.

Your "fun build" is very similar to one I was thinking about - I'm glad you've "green lighted" the R2 unit on the Y-wings!

What about adding in my build the R5K6 droid.

Luke - swarm, R2F2

Rookie

Rookie

Gold Sq. - Ion, R5K6

or

Luke - R2F2, Protons

Rookie

Rookie

Gold Sq. - Ion

or

Luke - swarm, R2F2

Rookie - R5

Rookie - R5

Gold Sq. - Ion

Here's the Rebel list I'm considering taking:

Wedge w/R2F2

Garven

2x Rookies

R2F2 gives Wedge some extra durability to last longer.

Garven can give a focus to whomever needs some extra defense (including Wedge) or firepower (except Wedge since he shoots first).

Also, Garven acts as an additional target besides Wedge.

Theterrainstudio said:

I like R5-K6, especially with Dutch, as the droid also triggers his ability. On a generic Y-Wing, consider the R2 Astromech. Look what it does to the maneuver dial. Plus it would give you one more point to put R2-D2 on Luke, if you wish. Or give you a 99 point squadron to try for initiative.

The generic R5 is too situational for me.

Good luck!

I put proton torps on one of the rookies because Luke will need his action for R2F2, so he won't be able to target lock. In my fun build, torps work on Wedge because of Dutch giving him a free target lock.

Finally just something people might hate…but what the heck I think there is something here (yes I know it has no ion cannon)

Luke Skywalker + R2-F2

Red Pilot (23)

Red Pilot (23)

"Dutch" Vander + R5-K6 (25)

or

Luke Skywalker + R2-F2

Red Pilot (23)

Red Pilot (23)

Gold + R5-K6 + ion cannon

or

Wedge + R2-F2

Rookie Pilot (21)

Rookie Pilot (21)

"Dutch" Vander + R5-K6 (25)

or

Wedge Antilles + R5-K6 (31)

Biggs Darklighter (25)

Rookie Pilot (21)

Gold Squadron Pilot + Ion Cannon Turret (23)

or

Luke Skywalker + R2-F2 + Swarm Tactics (33)

Rookie Pilot (21)

Rookie Pilot (21)

"Dutch" Vander + R5-K6 (25)

Two attack dice vs three defense just isn't good odds. While still using only 2 attack dice, the ion cannon brings enough benefit with 360 degree targeting and the ion effect to even things out. While I think a Y-wing without an ion cannon could work, I personally would use it as a proton torpedo carrier in that case.

I think 3 ship Rebel lists can work. You just have to make sure that the three pilots you have are really worth the cost of having one less ship. I think The Wedge, Dutch, Horton List could be it.

I have never used Horton yet. But I like him. I just like Wedge too much to not take him and then I have used up a lot of points.

dvang said:

I'm willing to go as far as saying that, if you're playing to win, you shouldn't ever send a Y-wing out without an ion cannon. It's an approach that combines the offensive power of a generic TIE fighter with the agility and maneuverability of an elderly Hutt. Your opponents are fairly safe just ignoring it, or they can focus fire on it to pick up an easy kill.

The only thing that rescues the Y-wing is the 3-die turret. Now you don't have to maneuver, you just have to approach, which the Y-wing can manage much more easily. While you won't do much more damage than you would with your primary, you're substantially more likely to actually hit, and you have the additional benefit of locking down the target's movement.

Plus they're only 23 points, which is a bargain in a Rebel list. The only thing cheaper is a Rookie Pilot with no upgrades--which isn't to degrade the Rookie's usefulness, but including one Y-wing does a lot for the available tactical options in your list.

@Hrathen: I'm not at all convinced that 3-ship Rebel lists can work. I don't have good notes on all of our matches, but I think 3-ship Rebels are 1-10 at the moment in my local group. That probably qualifies them to give coaching advice to the Detroit Lions or the NY Mets, but I'm not interested in playing them in a competitive setting.

Hrathen said:

I'll try it out this weekend and see how I do. Who knows? I'll post tourney updates in the battle Reports section if i get a chance.