X-Wing: Imperial List

Fel's on the left.  Look at that sex machine.

I'm not gonna lie, but I'm pretty excited about this game in a big way.  Over the last couple of days, I've been doing some serious research into the game system, strategy, lists and watching tournament videos.  It's safe to say that as a hardcore gamer, I always do my research before jumping into anything.  With that said, I think it's time to explore some list building of my own.

The list I plan on running is pretty straight forward.  In fact, it's only 3 ships.  As a Dark Eldar player, I'm used to playing with paper airplanes so it was only natural that I gravitate towards Tie Interceptors.  Being a die-hard fighter junkie, I absolutely love the thought of aerial duels in space.  As for the fluff and background, I just can't go out of my way to say that I'm a huge fan of Star Wars in general.

Regardless, I only really care about the game mechanics.  I love customization, I love miniatures, and I love dogfighting.  Time to show my list off and why I think it'll be pretty decent.

100 points

Soontir Fel — TIE Interceptor 27
Push the Limit 3
Targeting Computer 2
Stealth Device 3
Royal Guard TIE 0
 
Carnor Jax — TIE Interceptor 26
Push the Limit 3
Targeting Computer 2
Stealth Device 3
Royal Guard TIE 0
 
Turr Phennir — TIE Interceptor 25
Veteran Instincts 1
Targeting Computer 2
Stealth Device 3
Royal Guard TIE 0

First, let's go over the pilots and why I've chosen them for my fist list.

Soontir Fel will be my captain in this list because the guy's just so damn sexy.  The main damage dealers here is Fel and Jax because they're the ones that have incredibly strong synergy with Push the Limit and Targeting Computer.  Being elite pilots, they are all capable of taking the Royal Guard Tie upgrade.  This allows them to equip two Modifications to their aircraft as opposed to the usual one.  On top of the mandatory Stealth Device that should belong on any hotshot Tie Interceptor, you now get the ability to take Targeting Computer.  This unlocks the Target Lock ability for your pilots and gives you remarkable killing potential with Push the Limit.

Alright, so how does this work with someone like Soontir Fel.  Well, if you look at his unique ability, he gets a free focus whenever receives a stress token.  This means if he pulls a K-Turn or something intense, he'll get a focus where he otherwise wouldn't be able to issue an action.  To make things really interesting, he can chain with Push the Limit and get some crazy mileage out of it.  On his Action phase, he can choose to Evade, trigger Push the Limit for a Focus, and once he receives the stress token, he gets another Focus.  This gives him 2x Focus and 1x Evade on the turn he wants to be defensive, all for the price of a single stress token.  Now try shooting this guy with 4x Aglity rolls (Stealth) with this combination.  Due to the superior maneuverability of the Tie Interceptor, you will be able to keep pace with Rebel vessels while still find ways to shake off stress.

Now comes the fun part:  On the offensive, Soontir Fel can really tear it up thanks to the Royal Guard Tie + Targeting Computer upgrade.  He can do crazy stuff like Barrel Roll out of LoS of his opponent after they've moved thanks to his Pilot Skill of 9, Push the Limit to Target Lock on him, and then gain a Focus to utilize in his Combat step.  Once combat starts, he can re-roll his misses and then turn all his focus into hits, all while going first due to his high PS while remaining safe from retaliatory action.  At RB1 (range band), he's absolutely godlike thanks to Carnor Jax's special rule.

Jax is basically the same as Fel, but he's not as lethal with all things considered.  It's his fantastic ability that keeps all three of these pilots as crazy threat.  PTL in combination with RGT + Targeting Computer allows you to light up the combat phase.  You're essentially looking at a guaranteed 4 hits for the price of a single stress token, all of which ignores enemy evade and focus tokens as long as you ride their ass.  That's a ton of damage right there.

Lastly, we have Turr Phennir.  I wouldn't say he's the black sheep of the ace and wingman, but he's equally deadly with some movement shenanigans.  Since he's probably the only guy who can move during his combat phase, he can do some crazy stuff.  Right now, I have him with Veteran Instincts for PS9 and Targeting Computer.  This allows him to Target Lock for his Action and make his shots before his opponent.  Once that's done, he'll simply Barrel Roll or Drive out of the way and there you go.  The added free movement is pretty gigantic while maintaining his ability to do damage.

Well, there you have it folks.  My stuff comes in today and I'm more than excited to get these guys on the table.  I can't wait for Imperial Aces to come out later this year so I can field this list with the actual cards.  For now, I'm just going to have to print them out and play with it.  For now, I'm probably going to have to sub either Turr or Jax for 2x named Ties such as Backstabber and Night Beast.  How do you think the list will perform with Fel, Jax, Backstabber and Night Beast?