Possible turn 1 explosion via Sabine/Speeder.  Other than that, resiliant, speedy, and whacked out mission objectives that favor my list with a token bid.

++  Maximum Mando! (Rebel Alliance) [796 Points] ++
+ Commander +
Rebel Officer [50 Points]
+ Operative +
•R2-D2 [55 Points]: Comms Relay, •C-3PO
•Sabine Wren [167 Points]: Electro Grappling Line, Personal Combat Shield, Situational Awareness, •The Darksaber
+ Corps +
Rebel Troopers [40 Points]
Rebel Troopers [40 Points]
Rebel Troopers [40 Points]
+ Special Forces +
Mandalorian Resistance† [120 Points]: Jetpack Rockets†, Situational Awareness, •Tristan Wren†, •Ursa Wren†
Mandalorian Resistance† [110 Points]: Beskad Duelist†, Jetpack Rockets†, Situational Awareness
+ Heavy +
X-34 Landspeeder [174 Points]: A-300 Rifle Gunner, HQ Uplink, Mark II Medium Blaster, Outer Rim Speeder Jockey, RPS-6 Rocket Gunner
+ Command Hand +
Command Hand: •Blast Off!, •Explosions, ••Impromptu Immolation, ••Symbol of Rebellion, •••Legacy of Mandalore, •••Smoke Screen, ••••Standing Orders
+ Battle Cards +
Condition Cards: Clear Conditions, Fortified Positions, Minefield, War Weary
Deployment Cards: Danger Close, Hemmed In, Major Offensive, Roll Out
Objective Cards: Bombing Run, Breakthrough, Intercept the Transmissions, Payload
++ Total: [796 Points] ++
Created with BattleScribe

So after reading these posts & thinking, I came to the conclusion of starting out as a Smuggler - Scoundrel & then adding points in the Explorer - Archaeologist tree. 
Thank you,
Barby

So after reading these posts & thinking, I came to the conclusion of starting out as a Smuggler - Scoundrel & then adding points in the Explorer - Archaeologist tree. 
Thank you,
Barby

Thanks a lot. This gave me a lot to think about. :)
Barby

So after reading these posts & thinking, I came to the conclusion of starting out as a Smuggler - Scoundrel & then adding points in the Explorer - Archaeologist tree. 
Thank you,
Barby

It depends what parts of Aphra do you want to specialize on. She is good at lying and cheating, resourceful when seeking for lost knowledge and adquiring intel and objects from others, and knows a lot about the underworld.
For the cheater/liar/ever smile on the face aspect, I would go Charmer.
For the the lost knowledge part, if you really want to specialize in intel, I would go Scholar, Archaeologist or Analyst (Age of Rebellion).
For the "tomb raider" part of her, I would go Scout.
For the underworld black market contacts, thief and action part of her, I would go Scoundrel.
 
As you see you have lots of options, and you can adapt a fictional character in a thousand ways. The problem with Aphra, as stated by @P-47 Thunderbolt, is that she is an advanced character and you start a new and fresh character that cannot start with all the options that Aphra displays, so the best way to start is to think whitch part of Aphra do you like the most and do you want to roleplay. 
So, the real question you have to make to yourself is what do you like about Aphra that you want to play by yourself. The cheater part? The knowledge part? The tomb raider part? The underworld part? The pilot part? From here, your choice will be much easier.
 

For a starting out Dr. Aphra type character, I'd say you could go with Smuggler/Thief, as that provides you with Deception, Computers, Perception, Skulduggery, Stealth, and Streetwise, all skills that she'd be proficient with, as well as talents like Bypass Security, Black Market Contacts, and Street Smarts as entry-level talents.  Use your two free skill ranks from being a Human for Ranged (Light) and a rank in Knowledge (Education).
Form there, you can hop into either Archaeologist to pick up more useful skills (Discipline, Know [Education] and Know [Lore]) as well as talents useful in the field, such as Well-Rounded to grab a couple skills that you might want to invest more than a couple of ranks in but otherwise aren't career skills, and Researcher to make your Knowledge checks a bit easier.  To say nothing of extra ranks of Grit (more strain to fuel Dodge from Thief) as well as a bit of Toughened, Durable, and Enduring to make you better able to avoid getting taken out early in a fight.  The spec itself does seem to lean quite a bit into the Lara Croft "tomb raider" aspect by itself, given that as action-orientated as Miss Croft is she's also not clueless about the intellectual side of her chosen profession (or at least that's the case in the video games).
Starting characteristics would probably be a 3 in Intellect, Cunning, and Agility, maybe also bumping up either Presence or Willpower, though I'd lean more towards Willpower (extra strain and boosts Discipline and Vigilance checks) as while she seems charming at first, she's got a nasty habit of eventually rubbing most everyone the wrong way).
I could see the appeal of Scholar, but there's not a lot there that really helps an active field explorer like Aphra.  Maybe taken as a third spec down the road after filling out most of Thief and Archaeologist, but that'd be about it.
Having Computers as a career skill will let her do most of what she needs to regarding computers and slicing; she won't be as good as a purely dedicated Slicer would be, but she's still very competent with her Intellect of 3 (higher if boosted with Dedication, which I'd suggest doing) and a few skill ranks.

Yeah, that's pretty good, I would suggest going with Archaeologist, Fringer, Scoundrel, and Slicer though. She shows proficiency with Computers and hacking more, in my opinion, than she does in Mechanics/modding.
Aphra is a hard character to build from the ground up as a starting character (more on that later on), but if you do so, I would suggest starting with Fringer, then Archaeologist, then Slicer. Scoundrel should probably be last, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't train those skills. Even if they are out of career, training relevant skills shouldn't necessarily wait until you get the corresponding tree. And as a Human, you can pick a rank in 2 general skills for free. These should probably be Charm and Deception. Fringer and Archaeologist are relatively interchangeable in order, and if the party has a pilot, you could consider dropping Fringer entirely. Aphra largely worked alone-ish, so she was her own pilot. Archaeologist has Well Rounded, which could be used to obviate the need for scoundrel.
A good alternate build to what I originally suggested would be Archaeologist, Slicer, Fringer,* and Scoundrel.*
*These are optional.
For Characteristic builds, I would suggest starting with 2 2 3 3 2 3 and putting your first dedication into either Agility or Intelligence.
Aphra is a fun character for an RPG, but if your intention is to try to replicate the character through an RPG, I would warn you that there is a difficulty there in that the main characters are often so advanced and diversified that it would take a significant amount of XP to replicate them.
If you are just going for an Aphra style character, this sort of progression should work well.
Another piece of advice, talk to your GM about your plan and ask them about the rate of XP. If it is going to be a relatively XP light game, you may want to reconsider as acquiring 4 spec trees, especially when 2 of them are cross-career, will take a very long time. 15 XP per session is a pretty average XP rate, an average of 20+ would be high. For this build, it will probably work best with a 20+ average, though I would advise you not to push too hard for it, because if the other players are not diversifying as much, it can cause some issues.
I hope this helps!

What exactly do you need help with? Figuring out a specific character build, or figuring out how to use the sheet/make a character?

You're welcome! 

I completely understand. I just want to find a deck I have good synergy with. Nothing is ever perfect! Thank you!
Barby

Oh I totally agree that the break down of the deck on the system is awesome. I just really dislike that the SAS can fluctuate. I think looking at the cards & synergies is ultimately more important than just the SAS ratings. 
Barby

Well I would hardly say SAS is a bad system but yeah it’s never something you can trust 100% it just is a educated guess. What’s nice about it is it breaks down a lot of info about how your deck compares to other decks out there. Ie does it generate more or less aember than other decks, is it lacking in creature control or aember control? Etc. It gives you a glance at what the deck does good and bad and those metrics are what you should pay attention to more than just the overall SAS number (note the Aerc I find is often more important than the SAS) as the system is not always able to catch special nuances, combos and more importantly a players own decisions and thus play style all which impact the flow of any game. 

Every event I went to has had time warnings (including Vault Tour)

Another way that the end game could be changed is this:
time is called, active player is player A, completes their turn.  If the game does not end, player B gets to play out their turn.
If the game does not end at the conclusion of player B's turn, player A is allowed to forge a key if possible, if this is their 3rd key, the game ends, if not, player B then gets to forge a key if possible.
The simple change of having players forge their last keys in turn order prevents the player B situation you were describing where they no longer have any pressure to stop player A, just simply out generate them.  I agree, knowing that your last turn, if you are tied for keys, you don't have to stop the other player, you just have to have more aember to win.  Player B gets a completely different win opportunity than player A gets since if both players are tied for keys, player B ONLY has to have more aember.  Player A had to stop player B from forging, while still having the most aember.  (except for Shadows) most houses EITHER control aember, or generate aember.

Everything seems pretty well covered here. Only thing I would add (and this is very much a biased perspective so take it with a grain of salt if you want) is don’t put too much stock in the rating systems. It’s all about learning each deck and what it wants to do - in addition to what each house is and isn’t good at. Much like a wizard’s wand you didn’t choose your decks, your decks chose you. Play them and honor them.
Forgive me if this is a flex but I won a chainbound tourney against mid-high SAS 80’s and even a low 90 with a 70. One of my favorite decks is my very first one, and while it has an SAS of 63 and is my second lowest rated deck it took down a 75 last night with ease. Ratings are a barely-ok start for evaluation, but toss them out the window when you start playing. They don’t account for player decisions, combos, and heart of the cards luck of the draw swings.
I have secret theories about how the game is much more matchup-dependent and luck of the draw than we all suspect, but that’s neither here nor there. I think that is stuff you will pick up along the way as you learn your decks.
Play the ones you like, have fun, and put damage counters on top of your deck when it has chains or you will forget them. Also if you or your opponent plays the card Evasion Sigil, put it right in the center of the play area or it will also be constantly forgotten about.

I just wanted to stop in for a super fast review of the Vault Tour.
My experience at Adepticon and with the Vault Tour was amazing.  Cascade games did a fantastic job, even with a couple hiccups with the software.    Everyone I interacted with had a great attitude, was having fun and laid back. I heard stories of a couple guys on tilt, but luckily I didn't have any poor experiences.  I won a game 3 keys to 0 and had a blast, I lost a game 3 keys to 1 and had just as much fun.   I finished 3-3 and every game was fun.  I really think this game has lended itself to a better player experience than constructed decks I have played in the past.  Were there a couple "hokey" decks?  Sure, that happens and one might say the winning deck was even a little 'hokey', but it seemed like most everyone there was just there to play and enjoy the camaraderie.  
Big thanks to Josh at FFG/Asmodee for playing games with everyone so we could see a new deck.  He also spent about an hour teaching my daughter how to play in what may have been the longest game of Keyforge ever!
I really had a great time in the Vault tour as well as playing in side events, like the sealed survival and sealed double.
Great job to everyone involved and it was a true pleasure playing all weekend.

I guess my thought process was if you were looking to unload and sell out I was hoping to get first dibs and cherry pick for a deck I might like. Or from a tilted perspective you get $10 you didn't have and you don't even have to buy a new deck if you don't want. Was just thinking out loud in a way that could work for both of us.
The only other thing I can think to ask - I haven't had to deal with Asmodee in this regard yet - is what happens when you click "check status" and type in your reference number? My instinct is to suggest further patience and that they might take longer because they are a bigger company. I'm not saying I agree with that, you'd think they would have said something by now, but that's my guess. Dpuck has already asked the only other question I can think of.
I mean not as a big a deal but I've been waiting for at least a month on a rules question so I kind of relate, but the stakes aren't as high for me so I'm not as invested. Hang in there.

Did you E-Mail the right people? Perusing the website a bit seems to indicate that Asmodee handles this aspect of the company. Here's the link I found when I clicked "Component Defects" and it redirected me to Asmodee's site:
https://parts.asmodeena.com/partsrequests/
I'll tell you what - You send me the names of all your keyforge decks, I'll pay you $10 to buy one (my choice) and you can use that money to buy yourself a new keyforge deck. Then the cost of the defective one is covered and if they do answer and send you a new deck it's a bonus. Unless you're dead set on offloading hundreds of dollars of product over one sour $10 transaction. Seems a bit drastic to me but you do you.

It really can depend on the selection. The first horseman deck I got had amazing synergy with the brobnar house it was paired with because both of them had a ton of "use creatures" effects (anger, inspiration, etc). Conversely what made the deck so bad is that the Mars house in it just did not sync at all. Another deck I have has Carlo Phantom (play an artifact - steal an aember) which makes it synergize well with the other houses who at least brought 2 artifacts along as well. 
Can't really tell you what cards you should look for until you know which ones you like. Bad Penny is nice if you have pawn sacrifice or seeker needle in your deck. Cards that bounce creatures to your hand (like wardrummer) are great with creatures that have "Play:" effects. Silvertooth is fun with upgrades that give you reap effects like Silent Dagger or Duskrunner.  And don't forget that traits can go across houses. "Round Table" also buffs & affects 1 brobnar and 1 dis creature. Niffle Queen can pump some Mars creatures.
But if none of that gets in your deck, then you're out of luck.
Of course Library Access + Phase Shift is always gold.
Anyway, if you want to know like... common cards that are almost always useful...
Dis - Fear, Lash of Broken Dreams, Ember Imp, Succubus
Logos - Library Access, Phase Shift, Wild Wormhole, Mother
Shadows - Bait & Switch, Miasma, Shadow Self, Urchin
Untamed - Regrowth, Dust Pixie, Hunting Witch
With those cards in the deck you can usually build combos from or at least slow down your opponent to set up a combo.

Oh I completely agree. Brobnar is no joke. I definitely saw how good they can be since I played several decks with & against Brobnar. I just don't think its for me.  I'm just wondering which houses have better synergy with each other according to you guys based on the houses I like. What cards should I be looking for? I'm also willing to trade for decks. I think I just haven't found "my" deck. Although knowing the game & having good cards is important, I also feel that feeling comfortable with the deck is important to. I'm looking for any tips & advice.  Thanks a lot for your response!
Barby

What I tend to look for are:

1. # of aember symbols on cards in your deck - My favorite deck currently scores a 30 in aember, it has 2 Virtuous Work and 2 Ghostly Hand among other things. Essentially everything I am doing in that deck is generating aember. It also allows my creatures to focus on Action/Fight abilities since I am gaining most of my aember from my hand.

2. Board control cards like Tremor, Blinding Light, Lost in the Woods, etc. - Stunning a whole house, or being able shut down a couple cards from different houses, is going to give your opponent a bad time as they now have to take a turn off to get back on track or try to go with plan B with whatever is in there hand. Stunning a key creature can also lead your opponent to do what is known in other games as "over-extend", where they play more stuff to the board to try and make up for the tempo loss in a future turn. Then if you have a card like Coward's End or Gateway to Dis, you destroy all their plans, take your chains and then move on with the rest of your turn.

3. Cards that are not in other decks I have already - When I first started playing, I wanted to find and trade for decks with a maverick, the horseman, a Kelifi Dragon, etc. It gave me something to look forward to achieving (which I finally did last week by getting a deck with Kelifi Dragon!) I knew that some of these things were rare, but there is no real secondary market yet so it has been easy trading people deck for deck. This will change when power levels on decks start to matter as there will be an actual metric to go off of. You can grind to Power Level 4 in chainbound events and one of the decks that won a Vault Tour is Power level 8.

4. Decks with lots of a particular card - Having three or more of a card is going to be an easy indicator of what you can do in the deck. I think currently the most you can have of any one card is five. I have some with four. Having access to multiple copies can make it easier to mulligan/discard depending on what they are. Also, if your opponent has something that forces you to discard there are less feel bads if you are just going to draw more.

As for the houses, every house is good at something, but it is the combinations you find that are going to determine how well the deck actually plays. Sure Brobnar are not the best at generating aember, but they can be used to keep your opponent's creatures off the field so they are reaping slower than you. Thanks to the rule about "do as much as you can", some cards like Anger, Gauntlet of Command, and Relentless Assault can be used to ready your creature even if there is nothing to fight, and then you can reap after the action is done resolving since they are ready again. Even getting something simple as Wardrummer can turn 1 scary Brobnar bro into two. Ganger Chieftan and Smaash! are great to play, bounce with Wardrummer and then play again.

Mars is really hit or miss. You'll either get a deck where they kill, or a deck where they flop, almost never seen one where it's even.
Don't discount Brobnar right away either (like I did). Remember that the fundamental rule of the game is "do as much as you can on the card."  If brobnar clears the other side of the table (or can't fight because of foggify) then all their "ready and fight" cards just became "ready and reap" cards meaning a few brobnar creatures could suddenly flood your aember pool. Some of my biggest aember turns have been with Brobnar.

Horsemen decks are bad and only valuable because they are rare and have a cool theme.
Shadows is currently the best house since it has such strong Æmber control cards which are relatively common, so the average shadow deck will be strong. The other houses are relatively similar in strength and mostly differ in what they offer. Board control in some form is important, but whether you use 'ready and fight/use' effects in creature heavy Brobnar/Sanctum/Mars decks or 'easy' boardwipes like cowards end and gateway to dis in several factions. Finally Æmber generation from cards is something that can make a deck rather strong, Untamed and Logos excell at that.
Your favourite factions are on average pretty good, but don't dismiss others outright. Just because they may not be stronger in the average deck, doesn't mean they can't murder in above average decks. My favourite decks are Mars decks with good synery (Squawker + John Smyth + Ullyq Megamouth is so lovely).

Welcome to the game! I know you mentioned you didn't find a combination of houses that you liked in your first few decks, but I'd definitely recommend checking those decks out on a ratings site like decksofkeyforge.com. If any of them have a SAS rating above 80, they're probably at least decent to play, and that can really help you get a feel for how good decks work.
And if you get a deck with an above 85 rating, you might be able to turn into some decent cash to fund your new hobby
You can also browse the decks for sale while you're on there, but I'd definitely recommend playing some more with your better decks to see if your view changes.
Good luck!