In all seriousness, however, I've found that just going full Autoblaster cancer with Anakin really helps maintain the damage output. I probably should equip Autos to Obi, but given that I fly him as the blocker/Sense enabler for Anakin, I just use Ion Cannon for a full arc of 3 red dice base. I've never had the courage to field a 3rd ETA in a list, so I've jumping around with various pieces, eventually settling on an ARC. The medium base and roll (with force to mod dice!) makes blocking that much easier, which of course mean that the ETA's take even less heat. And if the ARC starts taking damage, Plo's purple reinforce allows it to die that much slower.
Anakin Skywalker (ETA-2) (56)    
    Sense (5)    
    Marksmanship (1)    
    Autoblasters (3)    
    R7-A7 (3)    
    Stealth Device (8)    
    
Ship total: 76  Half Points: 38  Threshold: 2    
    
Obi-Wan Kenobi (ETA-2) (49)    
    Sense (5)    
    Elusive (3)    
    Ion Cannon (6)    
    Stealth Device (8)    
    
Ship total: 71  Half Points: 36  Threshold: 2    
    
104th Battalion Pilot (42)    
    Plo Koon (10)    
    Synchronized Console (1)    
    
Ship total: 53  Half Points: 27  Threshold: 5    
    
    
Total: 200    
    
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0: https://raithos.github.io/?f=Galactic Republic&d=v8ZsZ200Z441X75W125W232W364W166Y440X75W119W11WW166Y341XW325WWW211&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=
In the games that I've lost with it, I did notice that one of the contributing factors was over-reliance on Anakin for damage and thus getting behind in the damage race, so there's that. But I have too much fun with the current Obi build to trade him out or load him properly.

Actis Aces vs Jango & Maul (or MUHHHH BRAIN!!!)
I played against Jango and Maul yesterday. I was pretty sure I’m gonna win this one because c’mon…my Jedi are unhittable.
As always I looked at my opponents list and saw this Jango build:
Jango Fett (79)
Autoblasters (3)
Count Dooku (10)
Proton Bombs (4)
Contraband Cybernetics (3)
Shield Upgrade (6)
Slave I (3)
Boba Fett (6)
Total: 114
 
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0
Had no more thoughts on this one. Just play like you always do.
Unfortunately I forgot taking pictures. If I did, you could actually see how bad I played. Before the first round of engagement I was in a pretty good position. But instead of blocking Jango, I turned Obi away from him and took an evade because MY JEDI ARE UNHITTABLE!!!! Jango approached and landed behind Obi-Wan at range 2. He used his Autoblaster, Dooku’d a crit and changed his hit into a crit with Slave One title. Obi took 2 unavoidable crits. What was I doing?
To make matters even worse, two rounds later I did the exact same thing again. This time with Anakin. Two crits went through…
Despite playing so badly I killed Maul and halved Jango. It was Aayla against Jango. I was even ahead on points and probably could have flown away to win this one but I found this unfair. So I engaged with Aayla and losing her in the end.
I really, really deserved this loss. Haven’t played so bad for a while. Even if it was „just“ a casual game, I have to play concentrated.
Winning games in X-Wing requires you to know what your opponents list is capable of. I am glad I learned this the hard way, again J
And btw., this Jango is really strong…especially against aces.
 
Actis Aces vs. Vader, Soontir, Turr Phennir (or MUHHHH DICE!!!!)
After playing so bad I wanted to play another game. I was glad that I found someone to play against...
 

Setup as usual. I want to stay near the obstacles. Aayla's in a good flanking position.
 

I forgot the picture so I used paint. Anakin landed at range 3 of Turr. Anakin took an evade. Turr rolled 3 hits. Anakin responded by rolling 4 blanks and one evade (I looked it up: It's a 3% chance for Anakin taking 1 dmg). I think you have to live with such results showing up again and again flying this list...
Then I tried to block Turr with a boost but failed by some pixels.
 

My ships ended up in decent positions. Anakin rolled 3 blanks and a hit, rerolled 1 dice into another blank. Aayla did the same against Soontir. Even if Obi get shot by 3 ships, he has a 75% chance of not taking any damage there which shows how strong the ETA's defense is. Unfortunately Vaders shot made me spent 1 force + the evade token. Soontir rolled a single hit and Obi blanked losing the SD. Turr rolled 2 hits and Obi produced one eyeball result. His last force point saved his life...
Ooooooh...starting the game like this was sooooo depressing. I really thought that I am over the MUHHHH DICE!!!! thing because I played Fenn Rau for such a long time. But I was so angry...
Choices: Obi is in a decent position to IC boost straight and 4k. This will block Turr and gives Obi a decent shot. Anakin and Aayla can start knife fighting by IC barrel rollin out and 1 turning back in.
 

Vader used Adv. Sensors so he locked Anakin before he tallon rolled. After Anakin executed his maneuver he used his ability to get rid off Vaders lock. It was the second time I used the ablity and it feels really great. Deleting a lock for a single force point is so strong. The fact that Obi can use it as well makes it even better.
Now my opponents dice failed. Soontir blanked against Anakin who rolled 2 hits+1 crit and Vader lost his two shields vs Aayla. Turr had no intention to roll evades as well and dropped down to 1hp.
Soontirs story is really sad: He has only 1hp remaining and suffered a loose stabilizer. This means that he has to execute a straight maneuver next round. This maneuver will definetely clip the debris in front of him giving him another stress so he can't repair the loose stabilizer. So he has to go straight again which means that he will fly off the board for sure. WTF?!
Now Aayla can block Vader while Anakin is able to line up the bullseye.
 

Obi sensed Vader and Aayla blocked. Anakin rolled 3 blanks and a hit again for no damage.
Choices: Thought about blocking Vaders 4k but with Adv. Sensors it's pretty much impossible so I dialed in a maneuver for Aayla that she didn't get shot. Anakin will 1 turn to threaten Vader.
 

I really did not think Turr will 4k. Luckily he missed his shot. The ETA defense finally showed up. Vader used Afterburners trying to block Anakin. Ani's move fit and he was even able to barrel roll. His shot though...did nothing.
Goodbye Soontir. F
 

Because Vader will run away. I tried attacking Turr here dialing in purple tallon rolls. I did a mistake with Obi going after Vader. Obi should have used IC followed by a 1 turn left to get a shot into Turr. On the other hand the IC barrel roll left to get range 1 for sense was a pretty nice combo. Turr bumped into Obi and his shot at him was obstructed. Obi rolled 2 hits vs Vader who blanked again...
Because Vader will 4k or tallon roll Obi's pretty save executing a 4k because he get cloud protection. Aayla will IC barrel roll right and 1 turn to get into a good position for a shot at Turr. Anaking could follow Vader but I was afraid of Turr setting up a block. Therefore I dialed in a 5 straight to get into Vaders flank.
 

Aayla rolled 4 hits and killed Turr. With Vader being at 1hp this game is pretty much over. Obi sensed Vader again and setup a block.
 

Vader goes BOOOM! 200-32
 
Conclusion:
- Anakins ability is really powerful (especially against Vader)
- Brilliant Evasion triggered twice this game. I think it's the right upgrade for this ship if you have points left.
- I can't stress enough how strong and important Sense is. I setup many blocks and was able to get my ships into the right positions.
- Even if you have a rough start, don't give up. My ships took 3 damage early on but survived until the end without taking any more damage.
- I don't know what I can do about the fact that I'm so pissed about having bad dice sometimes...
 

(never saw such a bad luck score)

When I flew 3 ship Super Kylo, I'd refer to Rivas as the "28 point shield upgrade" for that reason. It's also why I love Plo crew on an ARC.

When I flew 3 ship Super Kylo, I'd refer to Rivas as the "28 point shield upgrade" for that reason. It's also why I love Plo crew on an ARC.

I also like:
That it’s friendly for new opponents... they may never shoot at your Kylo the whole game but boy they can hammer away at your TIEs. 
Avoids NPEs for new players that have no idea how to treat outright swarms/2 ship/ aces lists.
Helps to teach target priorities. 

One of the most successful variants of this archetype is Vader + Scimitars, dating back to the launch of 2nd edition. Not as many bodies as Vader + TIE/ln's, but significantly more sturdy and higher dps. It lost favor once bombers and barrage rockets were increased, but now that Thread Tracers exist and Ion Missiles are super cheap, you can still have the whole squad focus. And since Thermal Detonators are very inexpensive, you can fly something like this:
An Elder Entity Awakens
Darth Vader (66)    
    Fire-Control System (2)    
    
Ship total: 68  Half Points: 34  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    XX-23 S-Thread Tracers (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 34  Half Points: 17  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    XX-23 S-Thread Tracers (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 34  Half Points: 17  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 32  Half Points: 16  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 32  Half Points: 16  Threshold: 3    
    
    
Total: 200    
    
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0: https://raithos.github.io/?f=Galactic Empire&d=v8ZsZ200Z173XW113WWY208XW101W332WWW339WY208XW101W332WWW339WY208XW101WWWW339WY208XW101WWWW339W&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=
It'll probably be better if you dropped some bomber fat and FCS for Afterburners on Vader, but I like symmetry in listbuilding.

One of the most successful variants of this archetype is Vader + Scimitars, dating back to the launch of 2nd edition. Not as many bodies as Vader + TIE/ln's, but significantly more sturdy and higher dps. It lost favor once bombers and barrage rockets were increased, but now that Thread Tracers exist and Ion Missiles are super cheap, you can still have the whole squad focus. And since Thermal Detonators are very inexpensive, you can fly something like this:
An Elder Entity Awakens
Darth Vader (66)    
    Fire-Control System (2)    
    
Ship total: 68  Half Points: 34  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    XX-23 S-Thread Tracers (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 34  Half Points: 17  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    XX-23 S-Thread Tracers (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 34  Half Points: 17  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 32  Half Points: 16  Threshold: 3    
    
Scimitar Squadron Pilot (27)    
    Ion Missiles (2)    
    Thermal Detonators (3)    
    
Ship total: 32  Half Points: 16  Threshold: 3    
    
    
Total: 200    
    
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0: https://raithos.github.io/?f=Galactic Empire&d=v8ZsZ200Z173XW113WWY208XW101W332WWW339WY208XW101W332WWW339WY208XW101WWWW339WY208XW101WWWW339W&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=
It'll probably be better if you dropped some bomber fat and FCS for Afterburners on Vader, but I like symmetry in listbuilding.

So he can dodge bombs well, but not the 1 bank + 3 bank combo of a Bombardier TIE/sa using Thermals. I'd also imagine that the Dooku charge is best used for purple and then the occasional ability on Jango.

Hate Bomblet Maul? 😉 The rewording that allowed Quickdraw Dampeners to work would also let you recover bombs and a force by eating a Maul shield, lol.

The adoption of a new form enables a return to form:
https://hoarderofgarlicbread.wordpress.com/2020/12/01/las-locuras-del-lider-supremo/

The adoption of a new form enables a return to form:
https://hoarderofgarlicbread.wordpress.com/2020/12/01/las-locuras-del-lider-supremo/

Great write up! 

The adoption of a new form enables a return to form:
https://hoarderofgarlicbread.wordpress.com/2020/12/01/las-locuras-del-lider-supremo/

Phil GC is running Precog Etakin and Supernat Obi-2. Panic.

Phil GC is running Precog Etakin and Supernat Obi-2. Panic.

BuT pEoPlE lIkE gEnErIcS

I literally cannot fathom running Etakin without Autoblasters and R7A7. Almost as important as Sense in the list (preferably twice).
Here's a hot take that I've built from my very few games with the Eta: the bid war for this chassis is a trap. Count to 200 and fully utilize Sense. 

I literally cannot fathom running Etakin without Autoblasters and R7A7. Almost as important as Sense in the list (preferably twice).
Here's a hot take that I've built from my very few games with the Eta: the bid war for this chassis is a trap. Count to 200 and fully utilize Sense. 

It's that cannon slot. 

In the defence of the designers, how in the force do you make a fair and balanced in-game representation of space wizards that can see the future?  It's tough.
Unrelated and unspoilery I think.  Have we now discovered that plot armor has been made from Beskar all along?

Phil GC is running Precog Etakin and Supernat Obi-2. Panic.

Real talk though. Begun, the bid wars has. I just played 2 casual games of dicking around with the ETA and even with Sense the amount of first player choice prerequisite is silly. It feels good to get a Marksmanship R7A7 going to delete stuff, but from an objective standpoint it is just wrong and going to see R7A7 costed according to initiative or Anakin losing the cannon slot. Not a big fan of Stealth Device as you want to always be dodging or just absolutely vaporize even with favorable odds, so for consistent results you need a bid that puts you consistently at full board control.
I do want this to be good. It seems fun:
Anakin Skywalker (ETA-2) (56)    
    Marksmanship (1)    
    Autoblasters (3)    
    R7-A7 (3)    
    
Ship total: 63  Half Points: 32  Threshold: 2    
    
Shaak Ti (44)    
Ship total: 44  Half Points: 22  Threshold: 2    
    
Jedi General (41)    
    Sense (5)    
    
Ship total: 46  Half Points: 23  Threshold: 2    
    
Jedi General (41)    
    Sense (5)    
    
Ship total: 46  Half Points: 23  Threshold: 2    
    
    
Total: 199    
    
View in Yet Another Squad Builder 2.0: https://raithos.github.io/?f=Galactic Republic&d=v8ZsZ200Z441XW125W232W364WY438XWWWWY436X75WWWY436X75WWW&sn=Unnamed Squadron&obs=
That having been said, I do appreciate the unforgiving nature of the craft and what it can do. Low skill floor but high skill ceiling kind of stuff is really interesting in game design and the mind games of what maneuvers could have been dialed based on an Intuitive Controls boost are delightful. It might suck to see an ETA vanish by someone looking at it funny, but it feels deserved based on the tools and board states available to avoid such a catstrophe. Not many ships offer that.

https://tabletop.to/lima-open-2020-xwing-tournament/lists
Anakin Skywalker Eta-2 Actis (92)
Precognitive Reflexes + Outmaneuver + Autoblasters + R2-A6 + Stealth Device
Obi-Wan Kenobi Eta-2 Actis (92)
Supernatural Reflexes + Lone Wolf + Autoblasters + R7-A7 + Stealth Device
He dropped after Round 5. Which means by sticking it for another round, my SuperKylo Vonreg becomes the best performing Supernat list of the day! Even if I was 19th and thus just out of the cut, largely in part because I punched in the wrong ships in YASB midgame in Round 5 in calculating score and subsequently went to Final Salvo and lost like a knucklehead who could have just CTRL C + CTRL V!

Phil GC is running Precog Etakin and Supernat Obi-2. Panic.

Phil GC is running Precog Etakin and Supernat Obi-2. Panic.