Four Imperial Lists Post Points Change
As I write this, it is January 29th. One day after the release of the first major points adjustment of Second Edition. With the Empire being my mainstay faction, there is a lot to unpack! Major point increases to my staple pilot’s favorite upgrade – Supernatural Reflexes – has left me furiously listbuilding to explore the new options the Empire is afforded.
While the Empire received some truly nasty whacks with the nerf bat, there’s a lot of positive things that came out of the changes as well. Rather than spend (all) my time bemoaning what could have been, here are four Imperial lists that are now possible with the new points decreases that I am very excited to put on the table!
#1: 199 Pts
Darth Vader
Afterburners
Fire Control System
Colonel Vessery
Juke
Jamming Beam
“Double Edge”
Dorsal Turret
Vader, Afterburners, FCS, Vessery, and Dorsal Turret all came down in points here, making this possible even with a slight increase to Juke. A couple of my lists today will feature Defenders, because they are right on the edge of being exceptional – they just need to be costed appropriately to have the right wingmen. Yesterday’s points changes were a step in the right direction and it now becomes a question of, “What is the right pairing?”
Vader and Vessery pair well naturally and with a far, far cheaper Vader (who doesn’t have to spend his TL thanks to FCS) Vessery is unchained to wreak havoc on the opponents. But don’t ignore Vader either! Sometimes he is at his best when he flies like an un-subtle hammer, using every one of the many dice mods at his disposal to punch through the opposition. This is not a list that will fly circles around an opponent; no, it’s a list that will hit hard and be dirty about it.
Double Edge, with his cheap Dorsal Turret, is there to provide a little cleanup firepower along with some blocking potential, and crucially, a second option for Vessery’s locks if Vader bites the dust. This is the flexible slot, though – if you wish, Double Edge can be toned down to a base Aggressor, gaining three points for a bid or Hate on Vader, which is a very potent upgrade to keep his Force replenished.
#2: 196/200 Pts
Alpha Squadron Interceptor x4
Omicron Group Pilot (Or Lieutenant Sai: List is 196 w/OGP and 200 w/Sai)
Admiral Sloane
Freelance Slicer
ST-321
Jamming Beam
Sloane received a soft-nerf on January 28th with the removal of the Crew slot from everyone’s favorite TIE Phantom. However, she herself did not increase in points. She has always found a home on the Shuttle and there are so, so many things that you can do with that platform. Chiefly, ST-321 dropped by 2 points, making it suddenly a no-brainer on the Space Cow. The first variant of this list I will be flying will be with an Omicron Group Pilot to keep the Initiative of my list consistent at 1, and ensure that the Shuttle will always have a space to move. However, you can spend the points for an even 200 to get Sai in the list who naturally synergizes with ST-321 and the Coordinate action that you will be performing every single turn.
That’s not all though – ST-321’s free Target Lock can now pair with Freelance Slicer for a powerful jamming tool if the opponent decides to fire at the Sloane carrier. Free TL, spend it when defending to jam an opponent’s mods, sounds good to me! Your Shuttle might get jammed in the process, but if it saves an extra few hitpoints it is worth it – anything to keep Sloane alive. A free Jamming Beam adds to the fun, making for a cheeky option against Phantoms or the occasional low-Initiative ordnance carrier, or to set up a tokenless defender for your Interceptor swarm. Options are always good, and the Shuttle has them in spades. This is the first Sloane list I will be flying since the changes.
#3: 195 Points
Rexlar Brath
Juke
Jamming Beam
Soontir Fel
Predator
Lieutenant Sai
Freelance Slicer
ST-321
Jamming Beam
Notice a pattern here? Combining two of the things I talked about earlier: Cheaper ST-321 Shuttle and cheaper Defender. Pair this with the excellent Soontir Fel and you have an ace-heavy squadron with a passable bid and the best support Shuttle in the game in Lieutenant Sai.
There are a lot of small changes you could make with this list, too, to suit your playstyle. A lot of things that I want to try! You could put Fire-Control system on Vessery and Sai. You could drop to an Omicron Group Pilot and do the same to maintain the bid. You could run Krennic on the Shuttle too to Optimize Soontir, which would play well with an FCS-maintained Target Lock if you can’t get the coordinate off. ISB Slicers are a fine choice too with a couple leftover points – a Jamming Beam at the right time could be a game-changer. Dropping to an OGP too could get a Modification on to Soontir to make him a more durable ace. Dropping to OGP could get Darth Vader crew in there too in lieu of the rest of the upgrades – always a powerful option. Soontir can be replaced with Duchess if you like her playstyle, with Juke, a bomb and a modification if you desire.
There are a lot of possibilities here. I love the Shuttle and ST-321’s decrease makes it a real squad-benefitting powerhouse. OGP with 321 is a very viable option instead of Sai too: Yes, Sai’s utility makes him exceptional, but you sometimes have to be careful with “overdoing” your action economy. If you’re not using an ability every turn, or at least every couple turns, the list could be more efficient.
#4: 200/200 Hyperspace Ready!
Darth Vader
Fire-Control System
Afterburners
Duchess
Predator
Seismic Charges
Tempest Squadron Pilot x2
Fire-Control System
Tempests dropped two points. FCS dropped two points. This combination of the two comes to 40 points. That’s a very tidy little ship: With a Target Lock, it rolls 3 attack dice and rerolls one on every single attack. With a Focus, this is an extremely efficient ship. It takes a turn to set up, though, which is a pain – and in Hyperspace, the Empire’s options for dropping extra action economy is limited, with Vizier coming in at 45 points on an awkward platform. Two aces, then, serve to take a little heat off of the real core of the two Tempests.
I have a feeling that the Tempests will pull their weight while an opponent tries to chase Vader and Duchess. Vader could be equipped with Hate at the expense of Seismic Charges, but a little present to surprise my pursuers with from the Strikers is always a fun thing to do.
With Supernatural Reflexes neutered, the Empire has to look for other options in Hyperspace. Fortunately, some major competition has also been knocked down a peg too: Supernatural Luke, Boba and Han Gunner, to name a couple. Ordnance lists with Proton Torpedoes have also gotten more expensive. I believe that the reduction of the TIE Advanced has created a nice little “core” filler that filles a spot between the fragile and plentiful TIE/ln and the difficult and swingy Striker generics, somewhat neutered without Sloane support in Hyperspace. I am very excited to try this one out.
Original Article by Asa Graff on January 30th, 2019.
