You can always start playing around with it on Vassal. I've only recently started playing on it and it's been a godsend, especially since my "live" X-wing attendance has been very low lately. Yeah, the SFs are not Strikers or Interceptors that's for sure They're a bit more "heavy-set" in that regard.

I think Whisper suffers a bit with PS8. That's why I don't fly Echo as much as I would like Haven't tried Intensity yet, but might be a good shout on Ryad.

Those could be good options as well. Both Vader and Inqui would fit the bill. You have the points for Predator Vader (Lone Wolf makes it even cheaper) and the standard Title+ATC+EU. For the Inquisitor Ptl+title+autothrusters and some kind of ordnance (prockets are cool, or concussions) fits nicely as well. All options will make for very little margin for error but should be fun to try regardless.

Mate of mine gave 5 Strikers a try and half-way through it, he was banging his head on the table...But yeah, that should be fun

Might give one of the SF's a go? "Quickdraw" — Adaptability; Fire-Control System; Concussion Missiles; Pattern Analyzer; Lightweight Frame; Special Ops Training Ship Total: 39 Could work...Or just go back to Vessery

Juke needs an evade token, which you'd be getting out of the x7 title. I'd still be tempted with Push the Limit, instead of Intensity. It just gives Ryad so many options, and with MkII Engines, there's plenty of greens to shed that stress. I'm a sucker for the TIE/D title, always have been. I am a partial to the tractor beam combo though, particularly as it's cheaper However as mentioned before, it is a risk for Vess to be left with the Striker, there won't be any more TLs to feed his ability. Finally, while Duchess (particularly VI Duchess) is a fine ace hunter, I have been increasingly leaning more towards Pure Sabacc when Strikers are concerned. He can be nasty and annoying, plus he can draw some of the heat off the Defenders, as people could be tempted to go after him first. This is my version of it: Dead Man's Hand (99) "Pure Sabacc" - Veteran Instincts; Lightweight Frame; Adaptive Ailerons0 Countess Ryad - Push the Limit; Twin Ion Engine Mk. II; TIE/x7 Colonel Vessery - Veteran Instincts; Tractor Beam; Twin Ion Engine Mk. II; TIE/D But hey, give that one a go and see what goes right and wrong and then do a post mortem and tweak it.

I had a similar idea recently, even did a post about it here . I tweaked it a little bit, from my original idea and it's currently like this: "Whisper" - Veteran Instincts, Fire-Control System, Gunner and Adv. Cloaking Device "Pure Sabacc" - Expertise, Lightweight Frame, Adaptive Ailerons "Duchess" - Veteran Instincts, Lightweight Frame, Adaptive Ailerons I only have one game yet and was a loss, against Poe/Rey. Some positioning mistakes on my part meant my endgame was Sabacc vs Poe and that didn't go so well. With a good deal of PS9s on my local meta, a PS10 Duchess comes in handy. Whisper's got a couple of nice crew choices. Between RebCaptive, Gunner or Kallus, they're good choice overall I think. With Sabacc, Expertise does draw attention and paints a target on his back, but on the other hand, he's already a priority (usually) as people want to shut down the ability asap. On the other hand, Predator (for the mods that are so badly needed on the strikers), VI (PS8 is a good place to be, although maybe not as good as it used to be...) or even Trick Shot.

Thanks for the comments everyone! Yeah, you raise some very good points @Magnus Grendel (see, this is why I'm usually crap at this :D) Re: Lone Wolf, I guess that's a point. They're flimsy as it is, so it'll be about maximizing that damage output. I can see how something towards dice modification (ie, Predator) might be better use of points. Or just buff her up with VI as well. RE: Expertise, yeah that was mainly because every time I seem to fly Sabacc his 4 dice are extremely fickle, to the point where I think he's actually mocking me I've used him with a mix of VI, Predator and Expertise popped up just because I had the points (something which I usually don't, when I'm pairing him with SFs or Defenders). At the moment, I might run with it and see how it goes. RE: Whisper Crew, yeah I remember from a tournament someone running it and it stuck as in "to try later". I usually follow the "conservative" route and have Kallus, but I hadn't really thought about the points you made there. I really like the idea of Gunner on it, actually. Again, those dice can sometimes be incredibly frustrating. Good to maximize them (and FCS) with Gunner, perhaps. As it is, I'll be giving this one a go: "Whisper" - VI, FCS, Gunner, Adv. Cloaking Device (44 pts) "Pure Sabacc" - Expertise, Adaptive Ailerons, Lightweight Frame (28 pts) "Duchess" - VI, Adaptive Ailerons, Lightweight Frame (26 pts) 98 pts total To quote Ian McShane in American Gods: "It'll be glorious, win or lose"

I'm playing around with my current stock of Imperial lists. Been flying around with the /sf a lot but was hoping to have fun with the Strikers again. Currently have a local league match coming up and am tempted to give the following a go: Whispering Strikers (97) "Whisper" (42) - TIE Phantom Veteran Instincts (1), Fire Control System (2), Operations Specialist (3), Advanced Cloaking Device (4) "Pure Sabacc" (28) - TIE Striker Expertise (4), Adaptive Ailerons (0), Lightweight Frame (2) "Duchess" (27) - TIE Striker Lone Wolf (2), Adaptive Ailerons (0), Lightweight Frame (2) Aside from the weird movement shenanigans and it's "fun" potential, I fear it'll blow up spectacularly fast... Would appreciate any feedback on it.

Have been eating it up. It's been out for a while now here (UK). Ep 6 just popped in today. Loved the book and they seem to be doing a good job of moving it over to the small screen. Get the feeling it might not be to everyone's taste, though (my wife doesn't get it at all). It's a bit "out there" to say the least.

After reading @SOTL's post on the Double-SF, I was interested to give it a go. I had (and still am) having fun with a Backdraft/TIE/D Vess and Omega Leader, and so wanted to see how it looks like with two SFs. I did some minor tweaks, originally having VI on Backdraft for the two PS9s. I have, in the meantime, settled on this Col. Vessery - Adaptability (+1), TIE/x7 and Twin Ion Engine Mk II "Backdraft" - Adaptability (+1), Fire Control System, Special Ops Training, Lightweight Frame "Quickdraw" - A Score to Settle, Fire Control System, Pattern Analyzer, Special Ops Training and Lightweight Frame

Yep, that about sums it up.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2017/5/30/fearless-and-inventive/

I went a bit nuts and got four of them, but I usually only fly one, as a third ace. I've alternated between Pure Sabacc (can be incredibly frustrating to roll 4/5 dice and end up with one hit or blank out but hey...) usually with Predator or Lone Wolf. I'm also partial to Duchess with VI or Lone Wolf. Always had them with both title and LWF. As most have said, incredibly fun to fly, but not really forgiving. They explode tremendously well.

These are my current "Triple Aces" lists that I am alternating. I'm a bit stubborn with these, as I know they might not be highly competitive in terms of what the current meta builds, but think they are still solid (and I enjoy flying them anyway): "Backdoor SpecOps" Omega Leader - Juke, Comm Relay and Stealth Device Backdraft - Adaptability (+1), Pattern Analyzer, Fire-Control System, Lightweight Frame, SpecOps Training Col. Vessery - Veteran Instincts, TIE/D, Tractor Beam, Twin Ion Engine Mk II "Trifecta" Darth Vader - Lone Wolf, Advanced targeting computer, TIE/x1, Engine Upgrade "Pure Sabacc" - Predator, Adaptive Ailerons, Lightweight Frame Inquistor - Push the Limit, Autothrusters, TIE/v1, Concussion Missiles The latter was just an excuse to fly Vader again, tbh. The former is the one I've been tweaking and fiddling with when the /sf came out.

I actually don't mind the lull (if I got the OP's point correctly). It allows for a breather before everyone begins scrambling the next big thing.

As a sort of inside joke with a friend of mine, who has been having some good results with a Quickdraw/Sabacc/Whisper list, I had come up with a sort of mirror match of sorts, as I prefer these pilots to the ones he flies on each ship (he calls these "The Second Bests"): "Backdraft" - TIE/sf Fighter (27) Veteran Instincts (1) Fire-Control System (2) Pattern Analyzer (2) Lightweight Frame (2) Special Ops Training (0) Ship Total: 34 "Echo" — TIE Phantom (30) Veteran Instincts (1) Fire-Control System (2) Agent Kallus (2) Advanced Cloaking Device (4) Ship Total: 39 "Duchess" — TIE Striker (23) Lone Wolf (2) Lightweight Frame (2) Adaptive Ailerons (0) Ship Total: 27 Great to read up on Imperial Triple Aces by some of the great minds of the game

Really neat update. Vassal has been a great way to step up the number of matches I've been playing, seeing as my "real" X-wing has been limited.

I really like the /D title and I try to use it as much as possible. Have a few lists (mainly with /D Vessery) that I fall back on from time to time. I've actually just gave a go at "NickDraw" (Nick Yun's list tha he took to the recent Yavin Open, here in the UK) which is great fun, but rather unforgiving, as per the norm with Imp Aces. Vessery packs punch in this, w/ TIE/D Tractor Beam, Expertise and Twin Eng MkII, but comes at 41 pts. Wonder how much the new FAQ will have an impact on the x7 monopoly, but I warrant that in competitive play, it might still be the preferred option...

Having a good deal of fun with Dormitz/Echo/Duchess. The original setup is bonkers, and you can have a tokened up Duchess or Echo in Round 1, at range 3 of something which is pretty neat. On the other hand, I have struggled a bit with maximizing the effect of that first two rounds, particularly if I can't create some neat lanes with the obstacles, to make it easier. Or if I'm out PS-ed. I'm looking forward to taking these three to an upcoming store tournament next month.

I have been toying with a similar list, but with Dormitz (for some setup shenanigans). A very naked Dormitz at that, just Fire Control System and Hyperwave Comm Scanner. I'm interested at the possibility of Stridan, though. That Stridan/Hux/SysOfficer is indeed quite nice.

The Echo/Duchess version really caught my eye! Must admit that will be shamelessly stealing it to try it out the next chance I get

It's very interesting and quite similar to what I've been trying out, to get used to the Striker (loved that ship). Also, great to see some TIE/D love. I'm also a D enthusiast, even if I know the x7 might have been a "better" option.

The love affair with the Striker continues, even if I'm not handling it very well Last week, I managed to squeeze in a game at the local store. Faced up against the new "thing" (apparently), ie Parattani. It was pretty brutal. I was flying: Dead Man's Hand (98 pts) - Rexler Brath - Expertise, TIE/D, Ion Cannon and MkII Engine - "Duchess" - Predator, Adaptive Ailerons and Lightweight Frame - "Pure Sabacc" - Veteran Instincts, Adaptive Ailerons and Lightweight Frame I had tweaked this recently, as I wanted to squeeze in Duchess and went for the PS8 all around, which didn't help at all. In hindsight, Duchess pretty much relies on VI for that PS10. Even swapping around Predator and VI between the strikers would've been better, I think. On the other hand, I botched the pre-boost way too often and against a very well flown Paratanni, I just crumpled. Also, reading here in the forums and also on a few of the FB groups, the Striker really needs those dice modifications. With dice being what they are, a support ship is what I'll be adding on next. At the moment looking at the following: Bomber Support (98 pts) Gamma Sqd Veteran - Crackshot, TIE Shuttle, Twin Ion Engine MKII, Systems Officer, Fleet Officer "Duchess" - Veteran Instincts, Adaptive Ailerons, Lightweight Frame "Countdown" - Adaptive Ailerons, Lightweight Frame Black Squadron Scout - Snapshot, Adaptive Ailerons, Lightweight Frame Alternatively, this could also be fun: Bomber Support V2 (99 pts): Tomax Bren - Cool Hand, TIE Shuttle, Twin Ion Engine Mk II, Fleet Officer and Systems Officer Black Squadron Scout - Snapshot, Adaptive Ailerons, Lightweight Frame (x2) Scarif Defender - Adaptive Ailerons and Lightweight Frame Hopefully I can put these to the test this week.

I really like Squints. Really, really like them. I brought that exact same list to my first ever tournament last year, but didn't do so well. As you probably know, Interceptors are quite a challenge to fly effectively. Personnally, if you are particularly keen on sticking to Interceptors, you could perhaps keep Soontir and Jax and maybe bring along the Inquistor with his standard build (PTL, V1 title and Thrusters) or, alternatively, Omega Leader. He fits nicely with Juke, Comm Relay and Stealth Device (98pts total). Might also think about bringing a Striker? Duchess possibly? Might leave you with too wide of an init bid, but that might be useful as well. I kept to this third list, as I don't play Rebels that often (or not at all...)