X-Wing - Getting Competitive

I have never been a big competitive player, in fact I have always avoided players who are, its just boring and to serious! When all I want to do is have a laugh gaming with some friends or a randomer at my local store or club.

However recently that's starting to change, competitiveness it slowly growing on me and the need to win to! I blame x-wing, I am really getting into the game my wallet hates me for it bit I am loving it and I am lucky to have a great place to game and plenty of friends who play it.

Im thinking its certain players who have bought this out in my specially my mate Harri who is the king of competitive gaming and has been awesome enough to impart his knowledge and really has got my flying better and builder better lists.

Recently we have had over a couple months a store tournie followed by an Epic doubles. The tournament is the one I want to look at. Roughly 16 players jumped in and we all played five. At the end of this I came fourth, 3pts off third and I had faced all three of the top players. So I had a hard match up!

My first attempt of a competitive scene.

I won 3/5 games. One of the losses was a terrible defeat I dropped one ship over all, my second was so so close and an utterly enjoyable game and two of my wins where flawless!

So over all I did pretty good for my first run I think my list was pretty solid and my flying was awful in the game I was ruined at and the rest I felt I kept getting better and better the more I played it.

I played the trust mini swarm with a phantom as a flanker and an interceptor squeezed in.

Howlrunner

2x Academy Pilots

1 x Sabre Squadron Pilot

Whisper - Veteran Instincts, Advanced Cloaking Device, Fire Control System 

99pts

Simply put. Everyone sits in the swarm and jousts while Whisper darts around acting as a second threat forcing the opposing player to choose between it and the swarm, either way I am happy. The Interceptor is in the swarm for extra punch and also another big target other than Howlrunner. Any thing to draw a bit of fire off poor Howlie!

So that was my list, It worked it was solid but for the next tournie on the way I looked at ways I could improve it. The big problem with my current list is that the Fire Control System on Whisper is a big waste. Whisper is moving about so much that there's usually a better target to be shot at rather than the target locked ship.

 To make more use out of it I have got to add Weapons Engineer which means losing the Interceptor and putting another Academy into the swarm. I am not a fan putting even more points into a costly ship! Even though it is a good one, its to fragile for when it goes wrong.

So with 2 points spare (well 3 but I am not giving up that initiative!) I thought what other problems I had during my games. Being a swarm I am usually getting shot first and a lot of the time that means I will be losing a ship.

So swam tactics for Howlrunner to be used on the Interceptor. Problem solved! Most of my ships should eb shooting first with Whisper at PS9 and Howlie and Sabre Squad at PS8. SO fingers crossed a ship goes down between the three or at least drop a decent amount of damage.

Howlrunner - Swarm Tactics

2x Academy Pilots

1 x Sabre Squadron Pilot

Whisper - Veteran Instincts, Advanced Cloaking Device

99pts


The min maxing has begun and I am loving it! Next play will be a rebel mini swarm Ethan and three B-Wings is the idea.

Thanks for reading my rambling essay.

- Pete