As the new year approaches I am looking to get some more X-Wing matches in. Late last year I really started to get into the Star Wars miniatures gaming scene but I didn't manage to get in as many games as I personally would have liked, I want to change that this year. I know that there are a lot of "Meta" lists out there but since I am just starting out I would rather avoid these and try out a number of different ships and upgrade cards just to see how they work and what sort of play style I want to try out.
One of the first ships that I picked up, outside of the starter sets, was the TIE Phantom due to my childhood memories of the Rebel Assault 2 PC game where I was first introduced to it. Nothing seemed to be more fun that hitting my opponents with a lot of red dice before disappearing back into the shadows. I guess I was quite fortunate in terms of the "Phantom Nerf" which affected a number of other X-Wing players because I never used them in the previous ruleset and therefore did not have to adjust to a new play style. While they may no longer be everyone's favourite Imperial ship any more I still think that they have something to offer and I will hopefully be able to unlock something with them.
The Phantom Menace
Whisper (37 Points)
Echo (35 Points)
Wampa (14 Points)
Black Squadron Pilot (14 Points)
So this probably isn't the most points efficient list available on the internet, and personally I want to try and fit outmaneuver on the TIEs somewhere, but it is designed to play to the my style when I previously used my TIE Phantom. Namely, jump in and shoot before disappearing. While Fire Control System could prove useful for Target Locks as the game progresses I felt that 4 extra shots from the "regular" TIEs could prove more useful as my opponent will have to at least pay attention to the two other fighters rather than solely focusing on the Phantoms, although they probably still will.
Veteran Instincts is key for the Phantoms still as they need to cloak ASAP once in the combat phase and with all of the "Aces" now becoming available even PS 8 and 9 aren't exactly fast, so I have to hope that they can hold out against the early shots and that Wampa and Black Squadron can tidy up any mess that the Phantoms leave behind.
Next up is a list that will fit in a big Imperial ship that I picked up a number of months ago which I haven't managed to use in a battle yet. It's 12 hull points should give it some staying power and the turret makes it the Imperial's only 360 degree threat. To make the most of it you have to maximise it's damage output before it is blown out of the skies.
Imperial Power "6"
Rear Admiral Chiraneau (56 Points)
2x Omega Squadron Pilot (2x 22 points)
The key thing for the Rear Admiral here is Expose. On most ships this wouldn't prove too valuable but the Decimator has no agility to lose so you are basically paying 3 points for an extra attack dice every turn. Experimental Interface allows me to kick this in as soon as I activate focus or target lock and Rebel Captive may force opponents to think twice about hitting the Decimator as no one wants to stress their "Aces" for no tangible benefit, and you won't be taking down the Decimator in a single turn, maybe not even two if I am careful. The bonus to this build is that if I sit at range 3 with RAC he can still take the 1 bonus evade dice when someone fires at him. The Decimator can bcome a really expensive ship to run, even here at more than half my points it may be too much but it has the opportunity to be effective.
Alongside the Decimator are two of the new Force Awakens TIE Fighters with two upgrades that seem to be increasingly popular online. Juke and Comm Relay combine early on to allow you to, potentially, negate one of your opponents evade results. Just keep hold of the evade dice as long as possible!
Next time I will take a look at a few of my other "Imperial Power" lists and maybe take a look at some early test results...
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