Ok, in the end I decided that I really need more than just 2 ships for my force. So I will scrap the idea of just falcon and luke. I have the starter set and most of the time borrow my friends gear, but now I want my own, but I am in the game less for the "I must win" but more for the fact that I love the ships. So I have a budget that means either 3 small ships, or 1 small and one large ship. I have the starter set but what else would be a great list with those limitations that include at least one of the following:

Rebels:

B-Wing (I love those ships)

Y-Wing (love them more)

Falcon

Imperials:

Slave 1

Thanks guys

Do you have any desire for an ion build?

its not "fun" in the typical sense but can be effective.

3xGold Squadron Pilot(18) +Ion Cannon Turret(5)

Ibtisam(28) + Ion Cannon(3)

100 pts on the dot

99pts- more pewpew

Chewbacca(42)+Draw Their Fire(1)+Millennium Falcon (1)+Engine Upgrade (4)(season to taste)+Assault missile (5) (season to taste)

2xGold Squadron Pilot(18)+Blaster Turret(4)

This list would utilize those three ships well.

The list has action synergies, good firepower, high survivability, two turret weapons. If flown in close formation, the B will fire with a TL and focus every turn (either using it's innate TL and focus or getting an action from Lando when it doesn't auto lock)and in many turns, so will the Y-Wing (action from Lando) and Falcon (using PtL, which is viable every turn just about with Nein in the crew seat). The falcon also has boosted defense capability with PtL, Falcon title and Flight Instructor enabling a very good chance of 2 evades a turn when needed.

You can move them all in loose formation with relative ease

Sadly neither of you read my limitation. Frazio, your list contains 4 ships, I am limited to 3 small or 1 big and one small, and i only have starter set. Thanks for trying but none are applicable sadly.

I love how both the currently posted lists completely ignore the OP's list aid request. He said he has 1 core, and wants advice on lists containing up to 3 other small ships, or 1 other small ship and a big ship. Lando/GSP/BSP requires 2 small and a big, 3x Gold/Ibit requires 4 small ships.

As for the OP, there's next to nothing you can put together for the Imperials with such a small restriction, though 2 starter TIEs, 1 Interceptor, and 1 Slave 1 can see you fairly well off. For the Imp's it's most often more about quantity over quality, though some builds emphasize upgrades and elite pilots. Soontir Fel (interceptor), Krassis Trelix (Slave 1), and two of the starter set unique TIEs can be a potent team with the right upgrades.

As for the Rebellion, your restrictions basically open up most of the squads that exist. With the current market restrictions making Y's hard to find, I'll focus instead on your other options.

1 small 1 large:

Han Shoots First (one of the best squads for beginners, a VERY strong squad) (100 points)

YT-1300: Han Solo (46) (57 total)

-Chewbacca (4)

-Luke Skywalker (7)

X-Wing (starter set): Rookie Pilot (21)

B-Wing: Blue Squadron Pilot (22)

There is a better variant that requires some other boosters, but this particular squad can be built using only the starter, the B-Wing booster, and the YT booster. Han's ability lets him re-roll all his attack dice if you don't like the roll, Luke lets him attack again if he misses, Chewie keeps Han in the air, and the combo of an X and a B flying support can be extremely painful.

3 Small:

Really any combination of 4 Rebel ships is extremely potent, so long as more than half of them are NOT A-wings. You could get a B-wing and a pair of A-s, run Luke, Tycho, a prototype and a blue squadron and have some good success. One of the better squads flying around right now, however, uses only 3 B-wings:

Killer B's (99 points, for initiative over other PS-4 heavy builds)

B-Wing x3: Dagger Squadron Pilot (24)

-Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

-Fire Control System (2)

Each time the B's attack, they throw 4 dice, the opponent never gets his range 3 extra defense dice, and if they don't kill their target, then they get a free target lock to virtually ensure that they do so next turn.

I would give you a couple teams with Y-wings or Wedge (he comes in the X-wing booster) but since they are still awaiting restock, it isn't easy to get any of those right now. However, if you can manage it, one of my favorite builds is 2Y2B, using the ion cannons of the Y-wings to set up shots for the B-wings. Regardless, good luck, and I'm glad you're enjoying the game thus far!

Thanks Eruletho, I must confess the Slave 1 seems very interesting, I don't know why I rarely see him being used though... the falcon one also seems really intriguing I must confess. And why don't imperials do small elite builds then?

Oh, I read your limitation as being a Falcon, a B and a Y. That is to say 3 ships total.

This will set you up with a three ship build.

I though push the limit was only in the A wing box set, and dutch is a y wing pilot and ibtisam is a b wing pilot... so that also means buying 4 ships and therefore wont work?

Hmmm... well... ummm...

HSF+Ten Ten Numb 100 pts

Han Solo (46)+ Chewbacca (4)+ Luke Skywalker (7) +Millennium Falcon (1)+ Engine Upgrade (4)+ Marksmanship (3)

Ten Numb (31) +Proton Torpedo(4)

right now wave 1 is hard to find so don't count on finding y-wings unless you already have that lined up.

:Edit. Gunner is in slave 1

I though push the limit was only in the A wing box set, and dutch is a y wing pilot and ibtisam is a b wing pilot... so that also means buying 4 ships and therefore wont work?

Correct, still requires 4 boosters total

As for why imperials don't go for elite pilots builds, their fighters simply do not have the staying power that 3 agility would seem to grant them. A single flubbed roll for your defense means you are down your ship. For a 12-point academy tie, that's not a huge hit, but when one shot takes out your 30+ point tricked out Soontir Fel, or your 32+ point awesome Vader, then you start to have a problem. The rebels don't have that issue, as the only ship of theirs that can die in a single hit (without +die modifiers like APT's or Jan Ors, but using a range 1 modifier) is the A-wing.

As for the Slave 1, he gives the imperials a double-hull, double-shield, double-firing arc X-wing, but the larger base makes it really hard to fly well. Additionally, the pilot abilities are, in all honestly, not the best ones out there. Boba's ability is rarely used, Kath's is like a consolation prize, and Krassis, despite having one of the better abilities in the game, has a low pilot skill and no elite pilot talent slot to make him amazing. However, Bounty Hunters (the 33-point generic) with heavy laser cannons (or even just naked) are pretty potent

Gunner is in slave 1....

Seriously what is up guys? All of you say: "The game is equal and balanced and lists aren't that important" and then none of you can make a list that doesn't involve buying a lot of ships? It's like everyone is obsessed with trying to create a meta when there shouldn't be one and taking fun out of the game... what happened to those people who cried out: "you can still win on todays games with a wave 1 release army". What is happening with people...

OK, I am obviously being a bit thick :-)

Do you have budget for 3 more small ships beyond the starter set or 2 more small ships beyond the starter set?

I guess I'm not reading your original post correctly.

Right. I currently own the starter set.

I have the budget for either: 3 MORE small ships OR 1 small ship and one large ship.

And dw, I wasn't being clear so my bad Thanks for trying to help though man!

Gunner is in slave 1....

Seriously what is up guys? All of you say: "The game is equal and balanced and lists aren't that important" and then none of you can make a list that doesn't involve buying a lot of ships? It's like everyone is obsessed with trying to create a meta when there shouldn't be one and taking fun out of the game... what happened to those people who cried out: "you can still win on todays games with a wave 1 release army". What is happening with people...

What's happening is there are certain list-building conventions that everyone tends to agree with. For example, Gunner on a YT is a great, if not required, investment. I disagree with that as a rule, though it certainly helps. The issue is that these conventions tend to require multiple pack purchases. Interceptors love, love, LOVE Push the Limit, which sucks because it comes in an A-wing, a REBEL ship. Likewise, YT's LOVE gunner, but it's only in Slave 1. The Imperial Aces pack is working to fix some of this, since it comes with better interceptor generics and a pair of push the limit cards for the Empire, but the issue still stands.

However, the squads I gave you, and if desired I can give you a few more, are all built with just the stuff from their boosters and the core set, and are still competitive.

If going for a 4 ship build, flexibility goes to a second X-wing.

If going for 1 large ship and 2 small ships, I'd get a Falcon and B-Wing.

So your total collection would be either

2 x X-Wing

1 x Y-Wing

1 x B-Wing

or

1 x YT-1300

1 x X-Wing

1 x B-Wing.

This gives you several good squad build options in either set up.

Also, if you would like some of the elite pilot cards you do not have, including unique droids, PM me and I would happily send you 1 each of my copies for the X-Wing and Tie Fighter.

How many points do you plan on playing. Since this isn't meant to be a tournament list (my bad) just get one falcon (great synergy with included cards and get mods too!) and a b-wing. I feel their pilots are better than y-wings. With the base x-wing you have options to splash what you like where, experiment with what you like and dislike, and plan out your next purchase when you can.

"you can still win on todays games with a wave 1 release army". What is happening with people...

Also, I still swear by Wedge with Swarm Tactics, Biggs, Red Squadron Pilot, Rookie Pilot at 100 points as my fallback, 4-Xwing, kills it all squad, which is wave 1 exclusive. Convieniently enough, it almost fills your "3 small ships" criteria, though swarm tactics comes in the TIE-fighter/Advanced boosters, and X-wings are virtually impossible to find right now... you could go Luke/Garvin/Red/Red at 100, all you'd need there are 4 starters, which you can find virtually anywhere... my local target has like 13 of them

If you went imp for slave1 + TIE

100pts

Bounty Hunter (33) Heavy Laser Cannon (7)

Howlrunner (18) +Stealth Device (3)

Dark Curse/Backstabber (16) +Stealth Device (3)

Mauler Mithel(17) + Stealth Device(3)

I am quite soft for the slave 1... is there any other competitive builds with 2 ties, slave 1 and one more small ship?

Thanks guys for the help big time! And pete, I do hope your english as I am in UK and dont want to cost you a fortune but you would be a lifesaver! As you can tell **** skint right now!

Remember that if you get the pilot cards from someone else, you'll still need the required bases to fly the ship.

As for a good Firespray list, try this one out:

Firespray: Bounty Hunter (33)

Tie Interceptor: Turr Phennir

-Stealth Device (3)

-Veteran Instincts (1)

Tie Fighters (starter set): Dark Curse (16)

-Stealth Device (3)

Mauler Mithel (17)

-Veteran Instincts (1)

Dark Curse is a royal pain to kill, especially with 4-5 evade dice, when you can't spend focus or TL's to get at him. Turr and Mauler will shoot at the same time as Wedge, making Turr's ability super useful and giving Mauler the advantage in face-to-face shootouts. The BH will fly around being aggravating, and if it is left for last it is really difficult to kill off with what Mauler and Turr leave alive.

Also, the above firespray/3 ties list needs 2 firespray boosters, as each firespray comes with only 2 stealth devices

Im only seeing 2 stealth devices there, and you said there are 2 in the slave 1 set?

Ok, scrap the slave 1. I can now change what I have:

1 core set

1x x-wing expansion pack

I can get:

3x small

or

1 small and 1 large ship.

What do people recommend now? rebels

I have to say, I would be going with 3 more small ships.

I would get an A-Wing and then either 2 Y-Wings or 2 B-wings. The A-Wing isn't that bad a ship as most people would have you believe and the cards it comes with will help your squad builds.

The 2 Y's or B's is a personal preference thing.

If you can find the Y-Wing I believe it, the Falcon, and an X-Wing can certainly make a decent little squad. There are a lot of rebel variations that have a Falcon core supported by a pair of fighters although in many configurations the B-Wing starts to get too expensive for other upgrades. Of course if you are looking at adding three small ships then four rebel fighters certainly can be the basis for a number of groups.

Starting with only the two core T/F I'm not sure the Imperials can really get to a "good" squadron by adding only three small ships. If I were to try I'd want a T/F Expansion for access to all that ship's pilots but then it would be a toss up what to do with your remaining funds. Interceptors are fast and hit hard but can also go down fast. Bombers can bring some firepower until they run out of ordinance or get shot down. In some ways the Advanced are between the Interceptor and Bomber but not really. Slave 1 certainly has some potential and honestly if you were going to try making an Imperial squad within your limits I think the Firespray plus three names TIE Fighters.

I'll note that when it comes to upgrades it seems that most people around here will ignore the requirements to get them. They may still give you something asking for four Stealth Devices and casually ignore that it takes TWO Firespray to get that many upgrade cards. The attitude seems that for "casual" play you can easily use proxies for any cards you don't have and that if you actually NEED the cards for tournament play then you can borrow them from somewhere.