Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm sitting on some store credit from tourney wins and have been contemplating either the Sf or the striker

Neither seems to have any "must have" cards, but I'm looking to change up my double Defender playstyle after the upcoming regionals in a couple of weeks.

The striker, honestly, seems like it could be the more "fun to fly" option, but I've started seeing Quickdraw and Back draft in some relatively competitive lists.

So which way would you jump?

The TIE/sf is actually a bit better in light of the striker - lightweight frame is probably best suited to the special forces TIE - it's agile enough to actually do something with an extra green die, expensive enough to justify 2 points on a slight toughness boost, and doesn't have an auto-choice modification like guidance chips. Ive seen wired, primed thrusters, collision detector, lightweight frame backdraft do really well over the last couple of weeks. In a dense debris field, he's a decent alternative to a defender.

The striker is just okay - VI duchess is essentially a budget version of a PTL interceptor ace for maneuverability - but lacks the dice modifiers to cope with highly accurate turrets. If you see mostly fighters, ghosts and YV666s, it should do okay, but that may be wishful thinking.

Her main thing is putting another 20-26 point "pocket ace" in theimperial arsenal (alongside omega and zeta leaders), which might be uuseful if needing to save points (taking a decimator or upsilon as a support ship, for example.

I think the main issue with the Striker is it's generics. They all seem one point too expensive. It won't stop me from running five of them, but I don't expect them to perform as well as my other lists, I just like the way they look.

I actually had a game against two of them, countdown and pure sabbac, they preformed very well, the boost before movement made then slippery, they aren't the best ships or anything, but it was a really fun game.

I'm kinda thinking about a striker or two in support of a Phantom (whisper or Echo) with intel agent.

Lots of ability to adjust to enemy maneuvers there...

Well, I used a list of five of them twice today. The first game was against Bossk and two Protectorate Starfighters. I didn't lose a ship this game, and didn't feel that is was a disadvantage having all of my ships PS3 and shooting last. Using an evade action at the end of their movement unless a focus action was clearly better let them survive quite well.

The second game was Fenn Rau, Kavil and two M3-A's. Lost two of the Strikers, killed all the opponents ships. I haven't tried the Unique pilots yet because they really don't interest me too much. The PS3 generics did well for me both games, I look forward to more testing of them. Not as lackluster as I originally thought.

A mate of mine has been running a 5 ship build of them with some success

Am I missing something about them? 5 ships in a list puts them at 20 a pop at PS3. If they are shooting last anyways, why not run 5 Chihuahuas with crackshot, a better dial, and shields? Or even 5 ps1 alpha squadron interceptors with autothrusters. Better dial, always havevthay 3rd die, autothrusters for added defense, all at the cost of 1 hull.

New hawtness. Pre-move moves. Players who are die-hard Imperial fans...

Do all choices have to make logical sense?

I haven't felt handicapped in the PS department. Yeah, they are new, and there are better ships, but that pre move has made them very unpredictable to my opponents. It has made people wonder where they are going to end up, and has allowed me to enjoy a fantastic blocking game. Since they generally move first, they almost always get their action.

And not all choices need to be logical while gaming haha, I like the Striker since it bring something to Imperials that I don't get to experience with other Imperial ships. I only use Imperials, no First Order, just some of the upgrades from those ships since I like the uniformity of the Imperial paint scheme that can be achieved. Which is why I went out of my way to get all of my TIE Fighters to be the Gozanti Assault Carrier ones. All of my Interceptors are ever flown with ace pilots, and the ships have the red stripe from the Imperial Aces pack. All my TIE Advanceds are from the Raider. And all of the stuff from multiple Imperial Veterans boxes has been traded off because I didn't want to run ships that wouldn't be the same color as the others, just wanted the titles and pilots. I play X-Wing just for fun, and I like to have fun collecting it as well.

Mr ghoti wrote:
Am I missing something about them? 5 ships in a list puts them at 20 a pop at PS3. If they are shooting last anyways, why not run 5 Chihuahuas with crackshot, a better dial, and shields? Or even 5 ps1 alpha squadron interceptors with autothrusters. Better dial, always havevthay 3rd die, autothrusters for added defense, all at the cost of 1 hull.

Chihuahuas?

Green Squadron A-Wings with Autothrusters, the title, Adaptability, Crack Shot and Chardaan Refit.

So i may of mentioned a 5 ship build the other day and do you want to know something?

We had our monthly tournament yesterday and the bugger came in 3rd... he ran Sabac and 4 ps3 pilots, all with the ailerons and no light frames. The thing that i think people are starting to forget is they put out the same firepower as an interceptor, agreed not as manueorvable, and have a slightly better hull at the expense of an agi. But also think of this you have a minimum of 15 shots coming at you each turn. I played him in the third round with my Palp, Jax, Stele list and i only managed to take down three and the game was done in 6 turns. Just the sheer number of shots is staggering.

So i would suggest giving it a crack before discounting as a viable list.

 captain bloody fists wrote:
The thing that i think people are starting to forget is they put out the same firepower as an interceptor, agreed not as manueorvable, and have a slightly better hull at the expense of an agi.

And this is why they suck in a swarm. A five-interceptor swarm is at least as good, if not better, and has zero presence in the competitive meta. If they had been a point cheaper so that you could take six the swarm would be interesting, but as it is it's just a bad list.

Or perhaps if lightweight frame wasn't so expensive. I honestly expected it to be free or a negative cost, forcing a critical damage like with the new m3a title. That way you could feasibly run a wall of them with howlrunner for an even more effective swarm. Come to think of it, 4 interceptors and howlrunner is still more power than my standard swarm. Albeit without the ever important crack shots.

 Peregrine wrote:

 captain bloody fists wrote:
The thing that i think people are starting to forget is they put out the same firepower as an interceptor, agreed not as manueorvable, and have a slightly better hull at the expense of an agi.

And this is why they suck in a swarm. A five-interceptor swarm is at least as good, if not better, and has zero presence in the competitive meta. If they had been a point cheaper so that you could take six the swarm would be interesting, but as it is it's just a bad list.

So even though it can beat the commonwealth defenders list it's not worth running? That to me just sounds stupid...

I thought Commonwealth Defenders was Palp-Ryad-Vessery?

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
I thought Commonwealth Defenders was Palp-Ryad-Vessery?

You would be correct

 captain bloody fists wrote:
So even though it can beat the commonwealth defenders list it's not worth running? That to me just sounds stupid...

I'll concede this point when it beats the list consistently, in a match between equally-skilled players. Even bad lists can win occasionally with a good player and/or fluke dice luck. But I seriously doubt that a list which is nothing more than a subtle tweak on a garbage-tier list with zero presence in the competitive meta is going to get those consistent wins.

 Peregrine wrote:

 captain bloody fists wrote:
So even though it can beat the commonwealth defenders list it's not worth running? That to me just sounds stupid...

I'll concede this point when it beats the list consistently, in a match between equally-skilled players. Even bad lists can win occasionally with a good player and/or fluke dice luck. But I seriously doubt that a list which is nothing more than a subtle tweak on a garbage-tier list with zero presence in the competitive meta is going to get those consistent wins.

alright so if he takes Regionals would you then reconsider?

 captain bloody fists wrote:
alright so if he takes Regionals would you then reconsider?

Yes, but he isn't going to.

We shall see...

Anyone care to place wagers/makes sure the match is recorded?

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Anyone care to place wagers/makes sure the match is recorded?

50 Republic Credits on the Bird.

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Anyone care to place wagers/makes sure the match is recorded?

i shall happily post the results from the regionals when they happen

Which regionals?

Apostasus wrote:
Which regionals?

Brisbane Queenlsand AUS held next month

 Crazy_Carnifex wrote:

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:
Anyone care to place wagers/makes sure the match is recorded?

50 Republic Credits on the Bird.

Republic credits' a-no good here.

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:

Republic credits' a-no good here.

Republic credits will do fine

Hahaha, well played DanielBeaver.