My First X-wing Miniatures Tournament!

It's almost time for my first X-wing tournament, and I have NO IDEA what my list should be. I only got two games in with my first version on Saturday, and I'm not terribly pleased with the results. It performed decently well in the first round, but due mostly to amazing dice rolls, since the second round with both fleets exactly the same I had my arse handed to me. So, not completely back to the drawing board...

For those interested, the tournament is at GMI on Saturday 17th at 2pm. Registration opens before then, so be early. Prize support is some promo cards from one of the event boxes, and potentially more depending on how many show up. We weren't planning on this one being huge, it's more just to dip our toes in the water and gauge interest in more and larger events.

Speaking of events, we're trying REALLY hard to get into the Assault on Imdaar Alpha: Wave IV Launch Event. We probably won't make it, but our store liaison is giving them a call on Monday to see if we can still get in.



Tourney Variant #1

• Ibtisam + Veteren Instincts + Heavy Laser Cannon + Advanced Sensors
• "Dutch Vander + R5-K6 + Shield Upgrade + Ion Cannon Turret
• Green Squadron Pilot + Push the Limit + Assault Missiles

I had amazing success in my Epic battle this past Saturday with Dutch and Ibtisam working as a pair that a slightly modified version to allow the A-wing (another thing with large success, though I recognize that a lot of it was luck) with Assault Missiles to combat any TIE swarms that show up. If I can get my hands on an A-wing early enough to get some practice with it, this will most likely be my list (I should be able to borrow an Advanced Sensors card from a friend too). I would have liked to get an A-wing with a higher pilot skill, but until Rebel Aces (and the Prototype A-wing title card it brings) comes out I'll only be able to do that by taking a named pilot, which would force me to drop what makes Dutch + Ibtisam so good, if not drop one of them down to a common pilot altogether.

Tourney Variant #2

• Biggs Darklighter + R2-F2 + Hull Upgrade OR Stealth Device
• Ibtisam + Opportunist + Heavy Laser Cannon
• "Dutch" Vander + R5-K6 + Ion Cannon Turret

The combination of Dutch and Ibtisam again, could be very powerful, especially with Biggs soaking fire. I'd have to playtest the differences between his two modifications; I like Stealth Device, but it's an expensive thing to lose potentially on the first shot, and while more hit points is nice I would much rather have more shields than more hull.  Pretty basic otherwise.

Tourney Variant #3

• Wes Janson + Swarm Tactics
• Ibtisam + Opportunist + Heavy Laser Cannon
• "Dutch" Vander + R5-K6 + Ion Cannon Turret

Seen as a variant cross between #2 and #4, this is yet another heavy hitter that all but ensures a massive amount of damage from Ibtisam's Heavy Laser Cannon. Her pilot ability and Opportunist interact such that, should she be stress-free when beginning her attack, she can gain opportunist, giving her a stress token and +1 attack die while immediately activating her pilot ability. Dutch all but ensures that Ibtisam will always have rerolls available when she lacks a stress token, and if R5-K6 succeeds Wes will have a free set of rerolls as well. I don't like not having a fire magnet like Biggs to protect everyone else, but the pure damage potential of Ibtisam's combat activation, almost always at Skill 8, might make up for it. The only issue is making sure Ibtisam becomes unstressed in the subsequent round, or she loses a bit of her potency. Being forced to make 1-2↑ or 1↖/↗ to stay viable is tough, especially on movement-critical turns.

Tourney Variant #4

• Wes Janson + Veteran Instincts
• Wedge Antilles + Opportunist
• Biggs Darklighter + R2-F2 + Shield Upgrade
• Up to 5 extra points to play with

Wes forces the removal of any extra defensive measure from the intended target of the round, allowing Wedge to use Opportunist for a 4-base attack roll vs. -1 defense. I like those odds. Biggs rounds out the squadron by keeping the other two alive. This list would also be very powerful once the Z-95s release, as sticking Wingman on someone would almost always ensure that Wedge could use Opportunist. The points don't allow for it, so it'll most likely only see use in games larger than 100 points. I'd hesitate to drop Biggs for for someone to stick Wingman on, since it leaves Wes and Wedge vulnerable, but I could also just drop R2-D6 + Wingman on Wes in the case that I don't find much else to spend the extra five points on in the meantime.

Ok, so I like the potential of all the lists. They each have the potential for massive alphas, which I like. I DON'T like the fact that only #1 has the potential of effectively hurting swarms (with the assault missile). What I've noticed, in playing one myself as well as seeing them at theGenCon and FFG Worlds finals and semi-finals, is that to be really effective at fighting it, you've got to employ some MSU [Multiple Small Units] strategies; you'll just get out-maneuvered otherwise. With list #2 and #3 relying heavily on the slow and un-maneuverable B-wings and Y-wings, they may not always have a good line of fire to bring their heavy weapons to bear, and they'll lose the attrition war really fast. Sure, I could snipe out a Howlrunner or Backstabber with the HCLs easily enough, but after the hairball starts, I'll be hard-pressed to keep up with TIE Fighters or Interceptors. #1 solves this list with Assault Missiles; assuming at least one die of damage gets through, any standard swarm will be wrecked. #4 somewhat resolves this by making each individual action fairly balanced, with the option of spiking Wedge for extra damage against elite pilots.

If I had to make a decision right this minute, I'd probably pick #3. Sure, it relies too heavily on damage absorption in a game that favors damage mitigation, but the heavy alpha and decent scrumming ability, if applied correctly, help make up for it. Only some playtesting will tell for sure.