Hello!

Couple weeks lurking, typical first post looking for insight on my squad. I've had the game for a few weeks, mainly playing casual multiplayer games at home. Finally worked out noob mistake rules errors (we've been k-turning backwards lol) and looking to start upping the level by trying local games nights and tournaments. As I prefer playing a variety pack squad this is what I've decided to run:

Rhymer's With Vader

Darth acts as Rhymers wingman, giving extra actions rounds 1 to 3 to ensure TL + Focus APT. Rhymer dumps both APTs ASAP. Academy Pilot I've been throwing into Rhymers primary targets path as a blocker, and hopefully to draw fire.

Any insight or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Still not skilled enough to have any success with Interceptors, so still avoiding using them for now.

tyia!

i think you have too many points on rhymer, 40pts is a lot in one ship. I'd probably drop one apt for a cluster missle, giving you a few extra points. you could swap out mauler for backstabber and move around points a bit to take howlrunner. Those two might take some heat off vader and rhymer. I'm not the best with imp builds, though im working on it! )

i like ur build. its a bit outside the norm.

im looking at a squad something like this...

Typically, the percentage of the survivability of the fleet should be the percentage of your points in that ship. That prevents your opponent from crippling your fleet by taking down one ship.

Consider, if you will, how this fleet runs if Rhymer gets shot down on the first round of combat, which is very possible. Ouch, right? How about if it happens to Vader?

If your opponent can focus fire to take out the lynchpin of your fleet, they will do so as quickly as possible, and clean up the mess afterwards.

Give Vader a Stealth Device to protect your combo, at the very least. 3 more points that buys you enough time to double-action those APTs off is definitely worth it.

I will also say that, as attractive as those APTs are, the best piece of ordnance that came from the expansion is that Proton Bomb. That, or its lesser cousin the Seismic Charge, is humongous value: You don't need a specific action to use it. You can even do it when stressed. You don't need to declare that you intend to use it when you want to. You just poop it out when it's the best thing to do, and you've dealt crits that hit their ships UNDERNEATH their shields! That does major game-changing effects to your victims early enough in the game to cripple their fleet, and allowing you to do the clean up!

Also, why did you give Expert Handling to Rhymer? If he's got his missiles, he doesn't want to do the action. If he doesn't have missiles, he's no longer that key to victory. He's done his job, and no longer has a relevant passive. If you gave him Push the Limit instead, he'd have late-game relevancy, and you would no longer need Vader to get your missiles off!

I'd echo the concerns you've already heard.

Too much on Rhymer. APT are great IF you can get them off with a focus but that may be unlikely here. Even with Rhymer pushing them out to range 2 you've still got a gaping hole in firepower at range 3 and if those APT aren't landing you don't have a lot of damage potential there. You may want Expert Handling to shake off an opponent's TL but that is costing you an action you want/need to fire the APT. As a "one of" Rhymer can make a dangerous bomber but you don't want him too one dimensional.

I also favor changing Mauler to Backstabber or maybe Dark Curse depending on what you fear seeing. Backstabber can force an opponent to pay attention earlier than Mauler does if they want to avoid the bonus attack die. Dark Curse of course would be to avoid certain types of squadrons which rely heavily on target locks and/or focus tokens.

I agree. I ran this and am 3 and 2.

Rhymer: 2 x apt, ptl (41 pts)

Howlrunner: swarm and stealth (23)

3 x Academy Ties (36)

This list does great if you can get the apt off. I was on a great roll in a tournament until people started to focus fire on Rhymer and 4 TIEs can only do so much. Did great work on a HSF list though.

PTL instead of expert means you can downgrade Vader to an alpha and another academy tie. Might be a good alternative and work pretty similar. Another build utilizing rhymer found that 2 torpeados lacked range so the move to a concussion will shave some more points and provide a longer range alpha.

Another option:

Rhymer + APT + Concussion + PTL = 39

Scimitar + concussion= 20

Mauler Mithal = 17

Academy Tie= 12

Academy Tie = 12

100pts, same trick as you had earlier with an even bigger alpha strike and an extra body. Or drop scimitar down to just a seismic charge and turn mauler into howlrunner and have a lot of relevance in the late game too while providing another ship for your opponent to focus on and initiative.

Backstabber still gets the die against the Yt-1300 and the A-wing. Simply because they ignore their own firing arc doesn't mean they don't have one, you see.

In some ways Backstabber could be even MORE effective against the Y's over Mauler. For one thing the Y-Wing's turret wouldn't count anyway as it is a secondary weapon. And while I may disagree with it the YT-1300 only has a forward firing arc to negate the Backstabber bonus despite being able to fire at targets outside the designated firing arc. With turrets in play your opponent may not feel the need to keep you "in their sights" thus giving you more opportunity to use Backstabber. Even better, Backstabber's bonus comes in at any range so a Y-Wing turret may not be able to respond.

If you're facing low agility ships then the Cluster missile may not be the worst thing you could use but you'd only get to Focus one of those attacks. Against a maneuverable foe it becomes a bit less reliable.

I do think this latest version is an improvement on the original.

I've had some success with;

Shuttle (grppilot some crew)

2 Obs

DC

Bomber with AdvPro

The shuttle is your bowling ball, the Bomber is there to kill wedge, and the ties mop up. Love the mix and nicely defined roles.

Getting a handful of rounds in tonight to test further. Good to know about Backstabbers ability, and I see how those ships firing arcs are to be followed as per what is printed on the ships base. Also will try:

Adds a slew of updates based on most of the suggestions given. Thinking Homing to add the possibility to keep TL to next round for APT, allowing flexibility ie Barrel Roll with TL+Focus APT, going to play at least once trying out Proton Bomb in exchange of Homing Missile. Again, very much appreciated the interest and discourse. Right on!

I ran this yesterday and had some great success with it, I won one game easily, and would have won the second if not for some bad positioning and terribad rolls for me (and killer ones from my opponent... Garvin with no shields vs BS 1 hp left, both sabers full... 3 turns in a row I whiff with everyone, he 3-4 hits and i evade nothing...)

Saber Squadron Pilot (21)

-Push the Limit (3)

Saber Squadron Pilot (21)

-Push the Limit (3)

100 points, the Sabers charge down one flank while the trio charge down the other, the goal is to meet in the middle with everyone within 1 of HR and really lay in the damage. Mithel shoots with Wedge/Han/Vader/Soontir, Stabber is there cuz he's awesome, and the sabers really confound your opponents with their random firing arcs