Here’s an overview of the most common / successful lists in the meta, how much they cost to buy, how they play, and how to fly against them. (As of Wave 7.)

Prices are full MSRP and were calculated using Han Shopped First. If you order online expect prices about 40% cheaper than those listed below.

Rebel

T-70 (Poe Dameron) – Veteran Instincts + R2-D2 + Autothrusters

Y-Wing (Gold Squadron Pilot) – BTL-A4 Title + R3-A2 + Twin Laser Turret

Y-Wing (Gold Squadron Pilot) – Twin Laser Turret

Z-95 (Bandit Squadron Pilot)

1x Orig. Core Set – $39.95

1x TFA Core Set – $39.95

1x StarViper – $19.95

2x Y-Wing – $29.90

1x K-Wing – $19.95

1x Rebel Transport – $59.95

1x Most Wanted – $39.95

1x Z-95 Headhunter – $14.95

and,

1x Millennium Falcon – $29.95

OR

1x Slave I – $29.95

TOTAL: $294.50

Difficulty: Medium

Three-time World Champion Paul Heaver used this list to win 2015 Worlds. Poe can hunt aces at PS10 and is a great threat late-game with boost, shield regeneration, and 3 red dice. The BTL-A4 Y-Wing can stress and ruin aces and usually has to be targeted first, leaving Poe to run rampant in the end game. 2x TLT plus the 3 and 2 red dice puts out a surprising amount of damage. The Z-95 is great as a blocker, health fodder, and another attack roll.

Flown well, the list can have a good matchup against any other list. It is not dependent on green dice luck and is very consistent from its high HP ships, important for winning consistently in the large-tournament Worlds environment.

Playing Against: Poe should definitely be killed early, as he will win most matchups late-game. However, you must consider whether stress from the BTL Y-Wing will ruin your ships or not, and focus/avoid it accordingly. The 360 TLT is the most consistent damage threat. Watch out for blocking from the Z-95. Overall, a very difficult list to prioritize that requires great piloting and discipline to disrupt its strategy.

YT-1300 (Han Solo) – Predator + Millennium Falcon + Luke Skywalker + C-3PO + Engine Upgrade

A-Wing (Jake Farrel) – Push the Limit + A-Wing Test Pilot + Veteran Instincts + Autothrusters + Proton Rockets

1x Millennium Falcon – $29.95

1x Tantive IV – $89.95

1x Rebel Aces – $29.95

1x StarViper – $19.95

1x A-Wing – $14.95

and,

1x Kihraxz Fighter – $14.95

OR

1x TIE Defender – $14.95

TOTAL: $199.70

Difficulty: High

This list comes to 97 points. With two PS9 pilots and the massive initiative bid, you’re basically guaranteed to have initiative. Moving after every ship in the game except VI Poe and Vader, or being able to blow up Whisper before she can cloak is a great start.

Han puts out possibly the most consistent damage in the game. With the “Fat” build (Title + C3PO) he can mitigate 2 damage a turn, and is maneuverable/slippery with Engine Upgrade and his moving last. Jake is here for the late game. With Autothrusters he can kill multiple TLT carriers, which normally threaten Han. With moving last and his excellent mobility, he can come out on top against most aces in the late game. Proton Rockets helps his poor damage, bursting down TLT carriers and potentially breaking tokened aces and other high-priority targets.

Playing Against: Han is usually the first target, dealing the vast majority of the damage and becoming more and more resistant the more your DPS dies off. Jake will be challenging in the late game however, and if you get an opportunity to take him out cheaply, go for it. The main objective is to kill Han quickly enough that your remaining list can deal with arc-dodging Jake.

E-Wing (Corran Horn) – Veteran Instincts + R2-D2 + Fire Control System

YT-2400 (Dash Rendar) – Push the Limit + Outrider Title + Heavy Laser Cannon + Kyle Katarn + Engine Upgrade

1x E-Wing – $14.95

1x Orig. Core Set – $39.95

1x YT-2400 – $29.95

1x Rebel Aces – $29.95

1x Millennium Falcon – $29.95

1x A-Wing – $14.95

and,

1x B-Wing – $14.95

OR

1x TIE Phantom – $14.95

TOTAL: $174.65

Difficulty: High

Both ships are super-slippery, pump out great damage, and are potent late-game threats. Corran can dash in and out of combat attacking twice, then regenerate his shields in-between. Dash deals high, consistent damage throughout the battle and is one of the most maneuverable ships in the game.

Playing Against: Corran will usually be your focus target, as he can regenerate shields. However, if your list is particularly susceptible to kiting, Dash might be the favored target. Getting a bump on Dash severely limits his effectiveness this round and next, and is a great way to get a lot of damage on him since he can’t maneuver away. Don’t forget he can’t shoot at range 1. Ultimately it will come down to your piloting and ability to keep your arcs focused on a target long enough to remove it from play, otherwise the list will eventually whittle you down.

K-Wing (Miranda Doni) – Tactician + Twin Laser Turret

K-Wing (Warden Squadron Pilot) – Tactician + Twin Laser Turret

K-Wing (Warden Squadron Pilot) – Tactician + Twin Laser Turret

3x K-Wing – $59.85

3x TIE Phantom – $44.85

TOTAL: 104.70

Difficulty: High

With three Tacticians and staggered positioning, three K-Wings can cover huge areas of the board with range 2, double-stress-inducing arcs, crippling enemy aces and high-value targets. The K-Wings are resilient and very mobile with SLAM, able to get out of tough situations and reposition quickly. Miranda is great in the late-game with her regeneration ability. The K-Wing’s turret primary eliminates the TLT donut hole.

The list provides dependable, consistent damage with its three TLTs that will eventually whittle down most enemy lists, but requires good piloting and positioning to make the most of Tactician and avoid damage while pouring out its own damage consistently.

Playing Against: Focus and destroy Miranda first, then the Wardens one at a time. Make sure you can keep damage on her as she will regenerate if your offensive falters. It’s vital to keep pouring consistent damage on a single K-Wing at all times, and watch out for repositioning with SLAM. Mid-game 2 Wardens are a super-weak list, but late-game 2 K-Wings both with a few HP are amazing.

B-Wing (Blue Squadron Pilot)

B-Wing (Blue Squadron Pilot)

B-Wing (Blue Squadron Pilot)

B-Wing (Blue Squadron Pilot)

Z-95 (Bandit Squadron Pilot)

1x Z-95 Headhunter – $14.95

4x B-Wing – $59.80

TOTAL: $74.75

Difficulty: Easy

With 5 attacks (mostly at 3 red dice) and 36 health, pure efficiency is hard to beat. The list can out-joust virtually everything under the sun. After the first pass, the B-Wing’s reds let it reengage quickly and keep its damage pouring out. Weak to arc dodgers in general, however, and doesn’t have the bodies or maneuverability the TIE Swarm does to block them as effectively.

Playing Against: Never fly head-on to this list. You must always arc dodge all of it, or at least come at it from multiple angles simultaneously (it kills one ship, but then has to split-up/red maneuver/turn around to keep firing). Like all lists, focusing your fire is important, but in this case it’s usually more important to deny 4BZ shots than it is to get your damage on target, since pound for pound it likely outshoots you.

Imperial

Lambda-Class Shuttle (Omicron Group Pilot) – Emperor Palpatine

TIE Advanced (Darth Vader) – Veteran Instincts + TIE/x1 + Advanced Targeting Computer + Engine Upgrade

TIE Interceptor (Soontir Fel) – Push the Limit + Royal Guard TIE + Autothrusters + Stealth Device

1x TIE Interceptor – $14.95

1x StarViper – $19.95

1x Imperial Aces – $29.95

1x Lambda Shuttle – $29.95

1x Imperial Raider – $99.95

1x TIE Advanced – $14.95

1x M3-A Interceptor – $14.95

1x Millennium Falcon – $29.95

TOTAL: $254.60

Difficulty: High

Variant: +Sensor Jammer, -Engine Upgrade, Carnor Jax – $225

Variant: +Sensor Jammer, -Engine Upgrade, Lone Wolf – $255

Darth Vader & Soontir Fel are some of the best aces in the game, both able to boost & barrel roll to arc-dodge pretty much everything. Either ship can defeat entire lists on their own. The Lambda provides a lot of extra firepower and Palpatine keeps damage off the aces and helps ensure Soontir’s Stealth Device stays intact.

Perfectly flown, the list can crush pretty much any other list, but one wrong move can get Fel or Vader killed quickly.

Playing Against: Ideally, focus one of the aces early and kill it. The Interceptor can go down almost instantly if you bump or stress it, otherwise Vader is the softest target and deals the most damage. When shooting at tokened-up aces, focus fire to strip the tokens/emperor off and get your damage through. One roll each round against each ace is a surefire loss.

The shuttle is bait. Killing Palpatine only reduces one token a round, compared to a full Ace with multiple HP throwing 3+ red dice. The shuttle’s DPS is usually gone once it flies past the battle, too.

TIE Phantom (Whisper) – Veteran Instincts + Sensor Jammer + Intelligence Agent + Advanced Cloaking Device

TIE Fighter (Howlrunner) – Veteran Instincts + Hull Upgrade

TIE Fighter (Academy Pilot)

TIE Fighter (Academy Pilot)

TIE Fighter (Academy Pilot)

1x TIE Phantom – $14.95

1x Lambda Shuttle – $29.95

4x TIE Fighter – $59.80

1x StarViper – $19.95

2x of:

Slave I – $59.90

or

Millennium Falcon – $59.90

TOTAL: $184.55

Difficulty: High

The basic TIE Swarm lacks an end-game threat, so replacing a few TIEs with an ace can be great. Whisper deals great damage and can kill entire lists herself if she’s never caught out.

Playing Against: Kill Howlrunner first, and then Whisper, ideally. The list is very low HP so burn down what you can. Killing individual TIE Fighters is very worthwhile, but make sure you don’t enter the late-game against Whisper.

VT-49 Decimator (Rear Admiral Chiraneau) – Veteran Instincts + Darth Vader + Gunner + Engine Upgrade

TIE Phantom (Whisper) – Veteran Insticts + Fire Control System + Advanced Cloaking Device

1x VT-49 Decimator – $39.95

1x Lambda Shuttle – $29.95

1x TIE Phantom – $14.95

1x Millennium Falcon – $29.95

1x Slave I – $29.95

TOTAL: $144.75

Difficulty: Medium

At PS10 with Engine Upgrade, the Decimator is very hard to pin down. Chiraneau + Gunner and Vader is high, consistent damage, and can cut through tokens and Soontir Fel quickly. Whisper is still an incredible, high-damage threat especially once enemy aces are off the board.

Playing Against: Whisper is very vulnerable to PS10-11 pilots, but otherwise pick one target each round and get as many arcs on it as possible. Bumping Whisper with no targets for her can set up a quick kill. Bumping RAC so he can’t boost out of your kill box can get a ton of damage on him. Getting even weak range 2-3 shots on RAC is fine because of his low green dice; going for a range 1 shot then having him boost out of arc is far worse. Just keep piling on the shots – against Whisper you’ll get lucky eventually and RAC will go down to sustained fire.

TIE Fighter (“Howlrunner”) – Crack Shot + Hull Upgrade

6x TIE Fighter (Obsidian Squadron)

7x TIE Fighter – $104.65

1x StarViper – $19.95

1x Kihraxz – $14.95

TOTAL: $139.55

Difficulty: Extreme

Variant: 5x Black Squad w/ Crackshot, Obsidian, Academy – $180

The basic TIE Fighter is one of the more efficient ships in the game. While a formation of 7 can put a beating on any list, with Howlrunner their damage goes through the roof.

Piloting a swarm is one of the greatest challenges in X-Wing. Good opponents will force you to engage through asteroids, and you absolutely must fire with all of your TIEs on the first round of combat. After the first pass, you must worry about keeping shots on target and predicting your opponent to block effectively, all while keeping as many within range 1 of Howlrunner as possible.

Arc-dodgers are the natural enemy of swarms, but great prediction/blocking can let you win against any list.

Playing Against: Set up asteroids correctly and force the TIE Swarm to fly through them before engaging. Try to get shots on some of the swarm separately, before the entire swarm can fire on you in one round. Focus Howlrunner first. Make sure your aces or late-game ships survive to the end, so they can pick off the remaining low-PS TIEs one by one.

Scum

Aggressor (IG-88A) – Crack Shot + IG-2000 Title + Heavy Laser Cannon + Fire Control System + Glitterstim + Autothrusters

Aggressor (IG-88B) – Crack Shot + IG-2000 Title + Heavy Laser Cannon + Fire Control System + Glitterstim + Autothrusters

2x IG-2000 – $59.90

1x StarViper – $19.95

2x Hound’s Tooth – $79.90

2x of:

B-Wing – $29.90

or

TIE Phantom – $29.90

TOTAL: $189.65

Difficulty: High

Variant: Too many to list.

Aggressors have possibly the best statline & dial in the game. With IG-88B and HLC they both have a free “Gunner” and roll 4 red dice at all ranges. Double Aggressors have been a staple list since they were released.

Flying the list requires excellent piloting to keep your guns on target, and out of as many arcs as possible. Aggressors have excellent defense but since you only have 2 of them, you’re usually at an HP disadvantage. They are also very vulnerable to blocking since they are large ships and S-Loop frequently. Against enemy aces, you’ll also have to predict the higher PS pilots to get your shots off.

Playing Against: Prediction is key. Blocking an S-Loop is huge and will buy you two rounds at least. Prediction is needed generally to get your shots on target anyway. Focus one Aggressor and remove it as quickly as possible to reduce the incoming damage. Once one goes down the list becomes very manageable. IG-88B is usually the priority, unless you’re flying a swarm then it might be IG-88A.

Y-Wing (Syndicate Thug) – Twin Laser Turret + Unhinged Astromech

Y-Wing (Syndicate Thug) – Twin Laser Turret + Unhinged Astromech

Y-Wing (Syndicate Thug) – Twin Laser Turret + Unhinged Astromech

Y-Wing (Syndicate Thug) – Twin Laser Turret + Unhinged Astromech

2x Most Wanted – $79.90

2x K-Wing – $39.90

2x Y-Wing – $29.90

TOTAL: $149.70

Difficulty: Easy

TLTs provide good, reliable, damage in a huge area, and four Y-Wings at a massive 32 hit points are incredibly challenging for most lists to chew through.

Good piloting is still required to keep enemies outside of your range 1 hole, but the list is definitely more forgiving than most. Knowing when to split up (or not) and being able to focus as much fire on a single enemy mean the difference between top 16

Playing Against: 4x TLTs is easy to fly and very consistent. Having a list that is efficient is mandatory; TLT is a First Order Optimal strategy and will absolutely destroy gimmicks, bad ships, or bad piloting.

Strategy-wise, destroying a TLT early is paramount to reducing the incoming damage. The second goal is to force the TLTs to split their fire, by having your priority targets out of range or at range 1 of some of them. Autothrusters wreck turret lists and most lists should have at least one or know exactly how they will get by against mass TLT.