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Commonly Played Squads
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Author:  S1AL [ Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Commonly Played Squads

**Still Constructing, but looking for comments, criticism, suggestions, and requests :twisted: **

The SWM Metagame has expanded recently; beyond that, there are lots of squads that don't fit into the meta, yet see a fair amount of play. With this thread, I'm going to try to list and divide the common squads up by faction. I'll explain how to play each squad, or I'll find someone who knows how to play it. If you have suggestions for squads to include, or links to other squad threads (NBs come to mind), I'd really appreciate it. Each faction is addressed in alphabetical order.

Empire Squads

A Merc's Swiss Army Knife (150)
[spoiler]Boba Fett, Mercenary
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Mas Amedda
Grand Moff Tarkin
Storm Commando
2x Raxus Prime Trooper -or- 2x stormtrooper
3x Uggie Demo

This squad is based around the combination of Boba Merc's cunning attack with that of the SAK (Storm Commando). Thrawn effectively guarantees initiative, so you'll almost always get it, except against another Thrawn squad. You should use Merc's intuition to move him around, since you may want to save the Thrawn swap for later in the turn. However, you can also use it to get him into position and then swap him back out after he attacks. When playing Jedi, always remember the "force bubble" that Thrawn has so that you can keep Boba in there to prevent deflections. The SAK is pretty powerful all by himself. With Thrawn, he attacks at +13 after cunning for 30 damage, twice if he stands still.

This squad is not meant to go anywhere near an enemy. Thrawn should never be open to enemy fire, unless you require his force bubble. Remember that you only have 2 effective shooters, and that only one of them is tough. Also, the commando does have stealth, so you can put him in the line of fire under some circumstances.[/spoiler]

B&B (150)
[spoiler]LV B&B
>Grand Admiral Thrawn
>Mas Amedda
>Lord Vader
>3x Uggnaught Demolitionist
>5x Stormtrooper

JH B&B #1
>Grand Admiral Thrawn
>Mas Amedda
>Darth Vader, Jedi Hunter
>6x Stormtrooper

JH B&B #2
>Grand Admiral Thrawn
>Mas Amedda
>Darth Vader, Jedi Hunter
>3x Stormtrooper
>Probe Droid
>Gran Raider
>Uggie Demo

Arguably "the" Gatekeeper at 150, B&B still remains, despite a plethora of counters, one of the most potent squads in the game. And yet, it's no easy squad to play... or at least play well. While it's possible to defeat less skilled/experienced opponents without difficulty, against good players you can be absolutely demolished by a number of squads.

The key to B&B is positioning. You have a limited number of grunts, usually stormies, and while they are very tough, all it takes is one hit. Because you only have one beatstick (Vader), you have to protect him at all costs. It's not necessary to attack an opponent in the first round or two... wait if necessary. When the time comes, run a stormie into range of an enemy figure. Swap Vader in and attack. Thrawn will most likely allow you to win initiative, so you can attack again and use Thrawn's CE to swap back out. Remember when planning this out that you want to be able to swap Vader in after an opponent has activated all or most of his figs... again, keep Vader safe at all costs.

There are many, many mistakes to be made with B&B. Never forget that Stormies can shoot pretty decently. A +7 is not bad against grunts, and you can take advantage of LV's CE (grants advantageous) to give them 20 damage against unactivated opponents. You will almost always want uggies to blow open doors, in order to make sure that Thrawn's CE goes everywhere. Finally, never forget that you can Thrawn-swap two stormies to get into gambit on turn 1... this provokes an opponent to come fight you, which is always good.

One of the main things to remember, if you decide to customize a B&B squad, is that you want to have, at an absolute minimum, 9 activations. You don't have any powerful shooters, and you want to out-activate an opponent.

Good Match-ups: Generally any squad, with the exception of "Bad match-ups"

Questionable Match-ups: San squads; you will be out-activated. You will have to move first, then allow the San player to respond to you, when you would normally be doing the opposite. The strategy for these games is on a case-by-case basis.

Bad Match-ups: JWM Swarms (much more against LV than JH); Yoda CS squads (more annoying than dangerous)

Against JWMs, try to use Thrawn offensively. While often overlooked, ysalamari (Thrawn's SA) can devastate opposing force-users. Once again, positioning is key. Try to get Thrawn to the point where he blocks force on JWMs or Yoda, but not when used by Vader. If facing Mon Mothma squads, see if you can get Vader into position to wipe out either Mothma or Mas. Against Yoda, try to wipe out his support. He's far less painful by himself. Also, never forget that Yoda has force defense, which can cancel your lightsaber assault... a bad place to be.

Mirror-match: Vader JH will almost always win this one. Jedi Hunter and massive attack/defense really hurt LV.

Good maps: Rancor Pit, Starship

Bad maps: Mustafar, Death Star

Much of the info for this came from billiv15. His original article can be found on here.[/spoiler]



Pure Fringe



Mandalorian

Mandalore's Basilisks (200)
[spoiler]>Mandalore the Indomitable
>2x Basilisk War Droid
>Lobot
>Uggnaught

This squad is not one commonly played, but I have seen it come up a few times, and I have enjoyed some success with it. Mandalore grants the Basilisks Momentum. Combined with Strafe and speed 10, this gives them massive range and damage. Lobot will usually bring in something equivalent to 4xUggie + Wicket, to help the Basilisks against super-high defense targets and to grant you much-needed activations. Mandalore is a nasty shooter by himself. Lobot and uggies will give you massive door control, so no worries there.

There are many easy mistakes to make with this squad. Many people assume that you *MUST* use strafe to make the Basilisks effective. This is not true. If you have the ability, simply shoot for a couple of turns, until you get into a good spot. Always try to strafe with two goals in mind: hit as many targets as possible & get as far away from danger as possible. Keep Mandalore back and shooting, unless it becomes obvious that moving him up would be a good idea.

Good Match-ups:
JWM Swarms; you eat this alive with Strafe

Bad Match-ups:
Nom Bombs; these guys really mess up the Strafe tactic

Questionable Match-ups:
B&B; You can hide from Vader, hopefully, but Stormies are decently hard to kill, even with Strafe

Maps: Use any legal at 200 except Rancor Pit.[/spoiler]



New Republic

CRuBLS (150)
[spoiler]Variant 1

>Mara Jade, Jedi
>Jaina Solo
>Han Solo in Stormtrooper Armor (Jaina's affinity)
>Talon Karrde
>Lobot
>Uggie Demo

Variant 2

>Mara Jade, Jedi
>Jaina Solo
>Han Solo in Stormtrooper Armor
>Bith Black Sun Vigo
>Lobot
>Wicket

Han Solo allows Jedi to move a long distance and still attack enemies with his Charging Fire CE. Mara cannot use Lightsaber Assault at this range, but she can still twin. Jaina has cunning/double and can hit for her own share of damage. Some squads like the Bith to help Mara's defense at range, while others prefer Talon for disruptive, Recon, and the reserves chance.

Mara is the key to this squad. With the ability to hit for 120 damage in a turn, she's deadly. Because of this squad's synergy, your best bet is to charge into the enemy. If you're not attacking in melee by the beginning of the third round, something's wrong.

Once you're in melee, just rush Han in. He's effectively useless at this point for the simple reason that his CE serves only to get your pieces close to the enemy. After that he can still be decent fire support with furious assault, and it's pretty hard to kill him.

Good Match-ups:

Bad Match-ups:

Good Maps: Something with good cover but a decent amount of open space.

Bad Maps: Mustafar[/spoiler]



Old republic



Rebel

Han Cannon (150)
[spoiler]Variant 1
>Han Solo, Scoundrel
>Princess Leia
>3x Wookiee Freedom Fighter
>Twi'lek Bodyguard
>Obiwan Kenobi, Jedi Spirit
>R2D2
>Wicket
>Gran Raider
>2x Uggie Demo

Han Cannon has become quite a popular squad. It's powerful and versatile in the hands of a skilled player. However, it's not exactly easy to use. It requires less skill than B&B, but it's still more complicated than, say, playing a JWM swarm.

Han Cannon represents the sheer weight of firepower available from the combination of Han Sc, Princess Leia, and OB1 JS. Han has twin attack, so Leia's CE grants him two additional attacks, the first at +4 attack +10 damage. In one round, Han can conceivably do 130 damage without criticals.

There are several key things to remember with this squad. First, keep OB1 within 4 of Han so that Han has Mettle and FPt regen. Let me repeat that: Han has mettle. This is important for rerolling attacks and evade saves. Also, you have a bodyguard for Han. If you rework the squad, you should STILL have a bodyguard for Han. And finally, Wookies are beasts; 'nuff said.

There is a very specific way to use Han in order to maximize his damage. On one round, wait until you (hopefully) out-activate the other squad. Then run Han out and take his twin. The next round, pray for initiative. If you win it, use Leia's CE to give Han the bonus attacks. Then use Han and move him back to safety. This keeps Han safe by getting him out of the line of fire. On the other hand, if you get stuck after losing initiative, just suck it up and try again.

Don't forget about the rest of your squad. You have R2 for door control. You also have 2 Uggie Demos to take out doors, if need be; this can be very useful, since you don't want to get up next to anyone. Again, don't forget that you have a bodyguard for Han. WFFs are deadly under the right circumstances. Use their massive hitting power to chip away at enemies, not to mention running interference for Han. With 50 hp, they make great meat shields.

There are some easy things to mess up in this squad. Always remember that Leia goes before Han. Also, never forget that you want the Twi'lek BG next to Han under most circumstances. Finally, there is Wicket. There really isn't much more to say. He's Wicket.

Good Match-ups:

Bad Match-ups:

Good Maps:

Bad Maps:[/spoiler]

Two-Door Hooptie
[spoiler][/spoiler]

In development: Loda squads, FPush squads



Republic

G&G (200)
[spoiler]Variant 1

>Yoda CS
>Boba BH
>R2 Astro
>Bacara
>Fixer
>2x Sev
>Uggie Demo

Variant 2

> Yoda CS
> Boba BH
> Bacara
> R2 Astro
> Fixer
> Sev
> Elite Clone Trooper
> 3x Uggie Demo[/spoiler]

JWM Swarm (150)
[spoiler]Variant 1

4x JWM
Queen Amidala
R2 Astro
3x uggie
Wicket
Clone Trooper -or- 2x Gran

Variant 2

3x JWM
Boba Enforcer
Queen Amidala
R2 Astro
4x Uggie Demo

Variant 3 (GenCon 2007)

Aurra Sing CS
4x Jedi Weapons Master
3x Uggie Demo

The large variety of options for this squad is an indication of just how powerful it is. They have been my personal winningest squad and a general favorite in the SWM community.

The key to these squads is, of course, Jedi Weapons Masters. For 26 points you get a 19 defense, +12 attack, 90 hp Jedi with a large variety of force powers, not to mention lightsaber duelist. No other non-unique force-user in the game can even begin to compare.

JWMs have lightsaber block, lightsaber assault, lightsaber sweep, lightsaber riposte, and lightsaber deflect. Assault give them 6-square double-attacking power. Deflect and Block give them enhanced defensive power. Sweep gives them the option to attack 3+ enemies under the right circumstances. Riposte helps against other melee enemies, especially force-users.

Any good JWM swarm will have some sort of back-up, be it a commander, a solid shooter, or most especially, R2-D2, Astromech Droid. R2 gives these guys a massive amount of mobility, with the ability to tow for 12. Popular choices for commanders include Yoda CS and Tarrful. Yoda allows them to reroll saves... very useful for block and deflect, changing it from a 50% chance to a 25% chance to block/deflect. Tarfful gives them a +4 attack.

You can also back up JWMs with good shooters. Broken Boba is based on a similar idea. Good back-up shooters include Aurra Sing and Boba Enf. Boba gives you a solid accurate shooter with missiles, evade, and mobile. Aurra gives you a high-attack accurate shooter with solid defense and HP, not to mention a bonus against force-users. When using this strategy, use the JWMs to run interference... force the other player to focus on them, then leave your shooter a good distance back.

There are several mistakes that can be made with JWMs. Never use lightsaber sweep against 2 enemies... instead, use lightsaber assault, as it gives you more options. Don't forget any of their force powers... they have quite a few. Don't think that they are invincible! They can still go down, and quickly, especially to an enemy with Jedi Hunter. Also, don't forget that while JWMs excel against enemies who rely on attacking, they do not have a defense against force powers.

Good Match-ups: LV B&B, Han cannnon

Bad Match-ups: JH B&B (he hurts a LOT)

Good maps: Most anything will work; it depends on your style

Bad maps: Avoid Mustafar and Death Star... these maps are FAR too open for JWM swarms.[/spoiler]



Separatist

Droid Swarms (150)
[spoiler]Variant 1 (Grievous has crabs) *sorry, had to*
General Grievous, Supreme Commander
Battle Droid Officer (BDO)
2x Crab Droid
Wat Tambor
2x Battle Droid (BD) -or- Wicket
3x Uggnaught Demolitionist
(Usually bring in a Bodyguard Droid(BGD))

Variant 2 (Grievous has more crabs)
General Grievous, Supreme Commander
Battle Droid Officer
3x Crab Droid
Bodyguard Droid
3x Uggnaught Demolitionist

Variant 3 (Droid Strike Force)
Grievous SC
BDO
4x Bodyguard Droid
6x Uggie demo

Separatists were the first faction I played, and I can't seem to escape their lure. Even while they were sitting at bottom tier for several consecutive sets (excepting San), I loved to break them out for tournies.

The key to droid squads is, oddly enough, General Grievous, Supreme Commander. While, in all honesty, he's a terrible piece, there is simply no way to play a swarm without him. Granting double attack is a very powerful ability, and with the tougher droids it's absolutely insane in a firefight. With the 2 droids that currently have twin attack, he's even more deadly. However, he is a lackluster fighter at best; it's actually closer to pathetic for his cost. The unnecessary 1 Force Point just makes it worse (Courtesy of Jedi Hunters). I recommend always taking a bodyguard for him, and BGDs are simply too good with him to take any other.

The strength of droid swarms is the high-attack, high-damage pieces they can use. Crab droids, at 23 points, can double (with Grievous) for 20 damage, hitting up to a +16 attack (or +20 with the right commander), not to mention a solid 18 defense. When it comes down to a straight fight, that makes them some of the best shooters in the game. Unfortunately, there is no accurate shot (excepting E522s) availabe to them. This means that you'll be killing cannon fodder quite a bit. On the plus side, droids are VERY good at killing cannon fodder.

In 150 point squads, you can usually count on facing squads built around 1-2 main figures and support. This gives droids an advantage of sorts. You will have 2 or 3 moderately powerful shooters and Grievous as back-up. Most of your main pieces are not unique, which annoys BH squads. Your strategy centers around point-and-shoot. You don't have mobile attack, but you'll have enough hp and defense to just sit there and get hit. Against melee-based squads, try to hit them as many times as possible before they get to you. Against squads like Han Cannon that rely on mobile-attackers, just charge up. If you're using Crab Droids, they have momentum. If not, you still have the ability to hide and take some hits as you run up.

Good Match-ups: I consider Droids to be very solid against B&B, and I believe that they will be very tough agaisnt non-NB Vong, as well.

Bad Match-ups: Super Stealth squads were the single thing that killed Droid swarms (that, and the general suckiness of droids).

Questionable Match-ups: JWM swarms can really hurt, but you have enough firepower to give them a hard time. Broken Boba is interesting. You can burn though Boba's support pretty quickly with your overwhelming firepower, but Boba himself is a lot harder with his evade.[/spoiler]

Droid Swarms (200)
[spoiler]The key to droid squads is, oddly enough, General Grievous, Supreme Commander. While, in all honesty, he's a terrible piece, there is simply no way to play a swarm without him. Granting double attack is a very powerful ability, and with the tougher droids it's absolutely insane in a firefight. With the 2 droids that currently have twin attack, he's even more deadly. However, he is a lackluster fighter at best; it's actually closer to pathetic for his cost. The unnecessary 1 Force Point just makes it worse.

The strength of droid swarms is the high-attack, high-damage pieces they can use. Crab droids, at 23 points, can double (with Grievous) for 20 damage, hitting up to a +16 attack (or +20 with the right commander). When it comes down to a straight fight, that makes them some of the best shooters in the game. Unfortunately, there is no accurate shot (excepting E522s) availabe to them. This means that you'll be killing cannon fodder quite a bit. On the plus side, droids are VERY good at killing cannon fodder.[/spoiler]

San squads (150)
[spoiler]Variant 1

Boba Fett, Bounty Hunter
Aurra Sing, Jedi Hunter
Lobot
San Hill
3x Uggie Demo[/spoiler]

San squads (200)
[spoiler][/spoiler]



Sith

Bane (100)
[spoiler]Variant 1 (The Bane of All Jedi)

Variant 2
>Darth Bane
>6x Uggie Demo

This one is pretty simple. You use the Uggnaughts to out-activate an opponent and wait until Bane is in position. Once he's there, try to use Lightsaber Assault. If you can catch multiple enemies, Sith Sorcery is also a good option if you win initiative. Don't forget Lightsaber Sweep; it can come in handy.[/spoiler]

In development: Revan squads



Yuuzhan Vong


Nom Bombs (100)
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Nom Bombs (150)
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Nom Bombs (200)
[spoiler][/spoiler]





**Special Thanks**
Billiv15: B&B article (Holocron), suggestions on several other squads

Author:  S1AL [ Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:15 pm ]
Post subject: 

Alright, looking for some feedback on this... How did I do? I could also use some help on "A Merc's Swiss Army Knife." I don't have Merc, so I haven't exactly tested this one out.

Author:  Case [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:09 am ]
Post subject: 

I can't access (unhide) any of the squads. The list looks good though! Can anyone else view these?

Author:  S1AL [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 10:59 am ]
Post subject: 

Case wrote:
I can't access (unhide) any of the squads. The list looks good though! Can anyone else view these?


Oh, yeah. I can't get spoilers to work unless I change my background preferences to the 3rd option... I'm not exactly sure what's going on. If it persists, I'll probably see if Dean has any ideas.

Author:  billiv15 [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:45 am ]
Post subject: 

Umm, what are we supposed to see? I click on it and nothing happens?

Author:  LoboStele [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:44 pm ]
Post subject: 

The 'spoilers' tags are not working for the whole board. They apparently only work if you have the board set to particular style. Not a bad idea though. I'm definitely interested to see this develop. Though it slightly mirrors a thread we already have going.

Author:  billiv15 [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:02 pm ]
Post subject: 

ok I can see it now that I changed my format.

Author:  kangoor [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:00 pm ]
Post subject: 

i still cannot see anything..

Author:  thejumpingflea [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Playing Common Squads

I will make a write up on how to use the Merc's Swiss Army Knife for you if you'd like. (I made it and have been using this strategy for a while)

Cool thread idea, I hope I can help some.

Author:  S1AL [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Playing Common Squads

thejumpingflea wrote:
I will make a write up on how to use the Merc's Swiss Army Knife for you if you'd like. (I made it and have been using this strategy for a while)

Cool thread idea, I hope I can help some.


OK, sweet. Yeah, I'd definitely like some help with it. If you have any revisions/additions to what I've already said, I'd definitely like those, too. But any help is always welcome.

Author:  S1AL [ Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:40 pm ]
Post subject: 

kangoor wrote:
i still cannot see anything..


Choose the script that doesn't have "Jedi" in it... I think.

Author:  S1AL [ Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Playing Common Squads

Well, hopefully I'll have some more time for this, now. Still looking for suggestions/ideas.

Author:  Fox [ Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Playing Common Squads

This is a great idea, and one i'm glad to see finaly done.


And i think i've fixed the spoiler issue across ALL the templates. If you can't see em, clear your browsers cache, and make sure javascript is turned on. Otherwise post in the troubleshooting forum please.

Author:  homer_sapien [ Sun Mar 16, 2008 12:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Playing Common Squads

You might want to edit the title to something like Commonly Played Squads. When I ran across this originally I skipped it because I thought it was about playing squads made up of only common minis.

Author:  jedispyder [ Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Commonly Played Squads

Weird, I can only see half the squads :? And I'm on the 3rd option for background preferences. Either way, the ones I saw were good choices. I actually try not to run the "cliche" squads, as I call them. I've dabbled with Han Cannon but thats really it. I end up just randomly throwing things together in the end, lol...

Author:  S1AL [ Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Commonly Played Squads

jedispyder wrote:
Weird, I can only see half the squads :? And I'm on the 3rd option for background preferences. Either way, the ones I saw were good choices. I actually try not to run the "cliche" squads, as I call them. I've dabbled with Han Cannon but thats really it. I end up just randomly throwing things together in the end, lol...


That's because I've only actually written up some of the squads. My focus tends to wane pretty quickly writing these things up, especially when I'm not entirely sure how to play a squad.

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