Hi all!

After a brief hiatus which included a handful of games of X-Wing, I’m back to talk about TIE Fighters, and how to build an effective list around them!

The Basics

TIE Fighters were X-Wing’s first swarm units, and are still arguably the best in that role. Landing at 12 points minimum (The lowest points any ship will ever be, according to FF), and 18 points maximum, you can field up to Eight TIEs in a 100-point match. Although not as durable as it’s rebel swarm cousin, the Z-95, TIEs benefit from increased mobility, an additional defense die, and the Evade and Barrel Roll actions, and a wealth of pilots, both named and unnamed, to choose from. Non-named TIEs can be Pilot Skill 1, 3, or 4, the latter also benefiting from an Elite Talent slot. The true strength of the TIE/ln, however, lies in its Named Pilots. Let’s start with the most important TIE Pilot of all:

Howlrunner

Obtained via the TIE Expansion pack, Howlrunner is a must-have not only for any TIE list, but for many other Imperial lists as well. The biggest disadvantage of the TIE Fighter platform is it’s low attack dice, and Howlrunner makes up for that by providing re-roll power to ANY friendly ship in range 1. While sticking this close to allies can be difficult, Howlrunner turns any TIE into a threat that can reliably push out damage, rather than a possible source of a single hit now and then. Learning to fly in formation is the key to using Howlrunner effectively, and seeing her guide a swarm of TIEs to fire a withering barrage at your enemies will make you giddier than a Jedi building his or her first lightsaber. If running a TIE swarm list, ALWAYS take Howlrunner. If running a list that takes a mini-TIE-swarm, ALWAYS take Howlrunner. If running any other Imperial list, be sure to consider what this 18-point little marvel could do to enhance it. You’d be surprised the places Howlrunner can go.

Dark Curse

Curse is my second-favorite TIE pilot, and I love fielding him and watching my opponents rage as they try to hit him. His ability is not only more powerful than some may give it credit at first glance, but many people don’t expect it. In friendly games, I find myself constantly reminding people that Target Locking Dark Curse won’t do them any good (unless they’re firing a Torpedo or Missile of course), and having to point out they can’t spend their Focus Token on him either. I can only imagine the impact he might have at low-level competetive tournaments. Heck, even once you hit the high-level tourneys where people know not to plan on these actions against Curse, it’s still a disruption of the field as people are loathe to deal with Curse. The biggest advantage of this tricky pilot is his low cost, enabling him to be inserted into an incredible number of lists as a cheap, survivable harass unit.

The rest of the gang

Beyond Howlrunner and Curse, the remaining TIE Pilots are all excellent choices as well, although they don’t stand out quite as well as the first two.

Mauler Mithel’s one of the most deadly solo TIE Pilots, and his Elite Talent slot allows him to be upgraded to Skill 9 with Veteran Instincts, turning him into a powerhouse who shoots before almost any other pilot (even including Han, depending on the situation…), slamming four attack dice down enemies’ throats before they know what happened, or he can spend a bit more and pick up Predator, and gain a reroll without having to hang close to Howlrunner.

Backstabber is a great backup for Mauler Mithel, picking up his extra attack die outside of range 1 as long as you can position him right (which is pretty easy with TIE maneuverability), meaning he can reliably be throwing three to four attack dice. Unfortunately, Backstabber’s ability benefits from keeping him separate from a main group of TIEs, so getting him any re-rolls off of Howlrunner can be difficult, and his lack of Elite Pilot Talent makes overcoming this issue even more difficult. At 16 points though, Backstabber is a steal when you consider that no other ship can reliably get that kind of attack power at that price. Backstabber come in the TIE Expansion, so getting your hands on him may be difficult still for a while.

Night Beast has his place, and being able to take both a focus and evade makes him an incredibly survivable TIE. Giving him a Stealth Device turns Night Beast into a near-unhittable monster akin to Dark Curse. Both pilots together become incredibly obnoxious harass elements that are likely to be left alone, if only because of the sheer difficulty to deal any damage to them.

The third named pilot from the TIE expansion, Gundark is an interesting creature. Not all that great on his own, Gundark comes into his prime when used alongside Howlrunner, especially against low-agility ships like the Lambda, YT-1300, B-Wing, and especially Decimator. Reliably dealing a Critical every turn will do a great job of slowing down your opponent’s ships, giving you the chance to finish them off unharassed.

How do I build TIEs?

While TIE Fighters don’t have much in the way of upgrade capacity, Modification Cards can highly improve their abilities, and Howlrunner and Mauler Mithel also have access to Elite Pilot Talents.

When it comes to Modifications, while it’s tempting to put a Targeting Computer on TIEs, it’s not worth it. Howlrunner is a light Target Lock to begin with, and doesn’t take an action. Instead, IF you are taking any Modifications (certainly not a good idea on non-named pilots), go with Stealth Device or Shield Upgrade. Both make your flimsy TIEs much more survivable, and when used with obstacles, distance, and pilot abilities (Dark Curse loves a Stealth Device), TIEs become incredibly frustrating to deal with (though a bad die roll will still hurt you just as badly). Stealth Device is particularly a good choice for Howlrunner, as losing her from the table will drastically reduce the power of your list as a whole.

When picking Elite Talents for Howlrunner or Mauler Mithel, there’s a decent variety of options, but what you want most is either something to improve defense (keeping the TIEs around longer), or something to improve attack (since Mithel’s dice numbers are large enough that Howlrunner’s ability isn’t as effective, and Howlrunner can’t buff herself). Veteran Instincts, Predator, Lone Wolf (for a solo Mauler Mithel only), or Outmaneuver are all excellent choices, and don’t require you to use your precious Focus action. Swarm Tactics is also powerful in a TIE swarm list, giving one (or two, if you have both Mithel and Howlrunner equipped with it) of your Academy TIEs the chance to shoot before getting gunned down.

What to watch out for/How to beat TIEs

The biggest enemies of the TIE swarm are unblockable hits and area damage. Vader and the upcoming Accuracy Corrector are things to be careful of, as well as Ten Numb, Autblaster, and the upcoming Autoblaster Turret. Most damaging to the TIE swarm are Bombs and Assault Missiles (especially on the Z-95 pilot Lt. Blount). Bombs can completely disrupt a TIE formation, and/or deal damage to most of the squad. When your entire TIE swarm has a third less hull than it did before movement (and possibly ate various crits), you’ll be wishing you had another chance. Assault Missiles have a similar effect and can be slammed in from a distance, but unless Lt Blount is the one firing (guaranteeing a “hit” regardless of actual damage), you have a chance of avoiding the damage. Assault Missiles also won’t disrupt your formation in the way a bomb (especially a Proximity Mine) would.

Well that’s it for today! Keep an eye out for an article on the Trench Run scenario (I played it on New Year’s day and had an excellent time, took plenty of pictures), and further installations in our Leaving Drydock “Rookie Guide”!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Capital Ship is still a small, growing news and tactics source for X-Wing and related games, and we need more contributors! If you’re interested in getting in at the ground floor of something big and exciting, submit an article to us at the email address phasertech42@gmail.com. Become a contributor today!