This is a report of my personal experience. An overview and analysis of the lists played can be found here:
http://www.xwingminiaturesgame.com/squad-list-rebels/nationals-review-the-netherlands/
Each tournament starts long before the first round with designing a list. I wanted a Rebel list that could deal with Falcons. That meant at least four ships. I also tried to build a survivable list that would offer some protection against mistakes and poor rolls. I ended up with
Luke Skywalker
Tarn Mison + R7
Blue Squadron Pilot + Fire Control System
Gold Squadron Pilot + Ion Cannon Turret
The idea being that there’s no real high-value target (like Wedge or a tricked-out Luke would be), so no need for Biggs. I tested it against Paul Heaver’s “Fat Han” GenCon list, and it seemed to work if I could focus the fire on Han. Nevertheless, I took both lists to the tournament, but decided to go with my list when I saw several Falcons. The Dutch Nationals tournament consisted of six 75 minute rounds of Swiss.
Round 1 was against Michiel with
Krassis + Ion Cannon
Echo + Veteran Instincts + Fire Control System + Advanced Cloaking Device
2 Academy Pilots
He moved Krassis out in front. I quickly took him out with concentrated fire. I took a shot at Echo when the opportunity arose. He made some movement mistakes, and finally killed Echo when having only one direction available for decloaking and then having to move over an asteroid. I lost Luke and the B-Wing.
1-0
Round 2 was against Wouter with
Kath + Engine Upgrade + Veteran Instincts + Rebel Captive
Bounty Hunter + Recon Specialist
Backstabber
He split up his Firesprays. My two X-Wings went after Kath, the B-Wing and Y-Wing after the Bounty Hunter. Tarn was repeatedly stressed due to the Rebel Captive, but could do green maneuvers and stay behind Kath. I only lost Luke after having him double-stressed once.
2-0
Round 3 was against Wieger with
3x Saber Interceptors + Push The Limit
Captain Yorr + Intelligence Agent + Darth Vader
Asteroid setup resulted in an open lane diagonally across the board. We moved towards each other, but while I kept everything together, my opponent staggered his ships. I took out an Interceptor in the first round of fire, the Shuttle in the second, and the two other Interceptors quickly followed. I think I only lost the Y-Wing.
3-0
Round 4 was against Jens with
Boba Fett + Veteran Instincts + Engine Upgrade
Howlrunner + Swarm Tactics
3 Academy Pilots
I decided to take out Howlrunner first, but managed to put an Ion token on Boba, too. I then started to chase him across the board. Afraid of having Boba ioned off the board, my opponent boosted after his movement, realizing the moment he put the Firespray down that he was in a corner he couldn’t get out off. Boba had only lost two shields by the time he flew off the board. Jens conceded when he was down to one TIE. I think I lost the B-Wing in this one.
4-0
For round 5, I sat at the top table against Stephan with
Whisper + Veteran Instincts + Advanced Cloaking Device + Rebel Captive
5 Academy Pilots
My list isn’t very strong against Phantoms, so I wasn’t very happy about this match-up. It was a tense game. My opponent checked and re-checked his maneuver dials several times, which got a little on my nerves. I was tired after six hours of gaming and made several mistakes, resulting in lots of bumping and lost actions. My opponent flew well and effectively blocked me with the Academies, while never taking chances or making mistakes with Whisper. I took out three TIEs, but never even managed a shot at Whisper. Time was up with only the Y-Wing remaining on my side. This was the only time I lost Tarn. A very exciting and, as I wrote, tense game. Stephan would win his sixth game as well and become champion.
4-1
The final game, after a short dinner break, saw me paired against the list I had practised against, Onno with
Han Solo + Veteran Instincts + C-3PO + Luke Skywalker + Falcon Title + Engine Upgrade
Biggs Darklighter
Tala Squadron Pilot
Onno split his forces, using Biggs and the Z-95 as decoys while trying to get behind me with Han. I didn’t fall for it and focused on Han, stripping his shields and doing some damage. He then managed to escape, so I had to chase him while trying to kill the others, too. I had some lucky evade rolls with the B-Wing with only one hull left, and finally managed to take out both the Tala and Han while losing the B-Wing and Luke in the process. Biggs, already damaged, stood no chance against the (severely damaged) Y-Wing and a full-strength Tarn.
5-1
I took third place, the loot consisting of a Chewbacca alternate art card, target lock tokens, a “Dutch Nationals” range ruler, and a “Dutch Nationals” maneuver template set. This was certainly much better that I expected before the tournament. A great (if long) day with great players in a nice atmosphere.
Some list critique:
Luke works just fine without upgrades, his ability really helps with defense. R2-D2 is nice, but expensive, and I would be inclined to take green maneuvers where others make more sense. Veteran Instincts could help against Phantoms.
Tarn Mison and R7 is a tough combination to kill. The re-roll plus two agility dice make it really difficult to land damage on him, and I had opponents not take shots upon him because of not wanting to give him the target lock. Definitely a keeper.
I didn’t get much use out of the Fire Control System. The B-Wing was often the primary target and died first, or the target lock wasn’t used due to the locked ship flying out of arc or being killed. The two points could be spent otherwise.
I’m really glad I brought the Y-Wing. A turret is really nice to have, and as I wrote above, the Ion Cannon actually scared an opponent into flying Boba off the table. Plus, the dial is better than the B-Wing’s. I’m hoping for more Y-Wing love in Wave 5.
Thanks to Andrei for the in-game pictures!