TIE Fighter Squadron

Squadrons provide an important supplement to the capital ships of Star Wars: Armada. As of Wave 1, the Imperial Navy has four basic squadrons and five character squadrons to choose from. Today, let’s take a look at what the character TIE squadrons have to offer.
IN SHORT: Tougher and harder hitting than regular TIE squadrons, character squadrons open up an intriguing set of abilities for Imperial commanders.
“HOWLRUNNER” TIE FIGHTER SQUADRON: Howlrunner is a straight up force multiplier. She makes any friendly squadron with the Swarm rule at distance 1 better by granting 1 additional blue die for attacks against enemy squadrons. Also note that this includes the Counter rule TIE Interceptors have, increasing their already ridiculous attack power even more and making opponents think twice before shooting at them.
Because Howlrunner makes everything around her better, she can quickly tip the scales in larger engagements, but that power also her makes her a choice target. Even though TIE Advanced Squadrons do not benefit from her ability, it can often be advantageous to fly one with her TIE swarm to provide some insurance.
  
Brace and Scatter defense tokens are great, but accuracy results can negate them, and Howlrunner only has 3 hit points. Still, for 16 points, Howlrunner is an excellent investment in lists with large numbers of TIE Fighters and Interceptors.
“MAULER” MITHEL TIE FIGHTER SQUADRON: Mauler is kind of like Howlrunner in reverse. Whereas Howlrunner wants to hang out with a group of friendlies, Mauler wants to get stuck in with clusters of enemy squadrons. His ability grants automatic damage after he moves, inflicting 1 point of damage to any squadron he is engaged with.
Of course, moving into a big group of enemy fighters isn’t always the smartest idea, and Mauler can’t move while he’s engaged. Fortunately, Imperial players have the tools necessary to give Mauler the support he needs.
TIE Advanced really shine in the protection role, sopping up damage that would otherwise pound Mauler to dust. And Admiral Chiraneau on a nearby ship can permit Mauler to move even while engaged, allowing players to get the most out of his automatic damage ability.
  
Mauler is a high risk / high reward character squadron and needs adequate support to really shine, but there’s no denying he can inflict a lot of damage when used right. Not bad for 15 points.
SOONTIR FEL TIE INTERCEPTOR SQUADRON: It’s bad enough taking damage from TIE Interceptors just for attacking them. Well, Soontir Fel does this and inflicts damage for not attacking him. Seriously, opponents should just get used to taking damage around this guy no matter what they do. Add in the Brace and Scatter defense tokens, and Soontir Fel becomes very frustrating to take down.
TIE Advanced Squadrons can even be used to force the automatic damage. As long as Soontir Fel is engaging that enemy, they will suffer 1 automatic point of damage whenever they attack the TIE Advanced. The only downside here is the TIE Advanced doesn’t share Soontir Fel’s blistering top speed of 5, which could restrict players under some conditions.
TIE Interceptor or TIE Fighter Squadrons also provide a nice bonus to Soontir Fel by triggering his Swarm rule and benefiting from it themselves. This is even more effective for Soontir Fel because of the combination of Counter of defense tokens. Under normal conditions, Soontir Fel will be dishing out plenty of Counter attacks, and having an extra reroll in those attacks is definitely a nice bonus.
  
Soontir Fel will inflict damage in just about any combat situation, forcing your opponent to make uncomfortable decisions. That’s not a bad ability for 18 points.
DARTH VADER TIE ADVANCED SQUADRON: Vader is all about dishing out and soaking up damage. With the critical symbol counting as regular damage on his attacks and an additional black die in his anti-squadron attack, Vader can inflict a ton of pain. Note, however, that he does not cause critical effects to trigger.
When targeting enemy squadrons, he will easily out-damage even TIE Interceptors, and his anti-ship attack is on par with TIE Bombers, minus the critical effect.
With 5 hit points and 2 Brace tokens, Vader isn’t going down easily. However, his Escort ability, shared with all TIE Advanced, is something of a mixed blessing. While it does mean Vader can be an effective meat shield for someone else, it also means that regular TIE Advanced Squadrons can’t protect him.

At 21 points, Vader is a very hefty investment for a squadron that is designed to be shot at first. However, his resilience and damage output certainly make him a viable alternative to regular TIE Advanced Squadrons.
MAJOR RHYMER TIE BOMBER SQUADRON: Rhymer is an incredible force multiplier for bombers. Any friendly squadron at distance 1 may attack ships at close-medium range. This is a huge boost in range, and the fact that Rhymer dishes it out to anyone near him makes him a flexible addition for Imperial players.
Also note that Rhymer’s ability does not have any restrictions like Howlrunner’s does. His range increase is not restricted to craft like TIE Bombers, though undoubtedly squadrons with the Bomber rule receive the most benefit. After all, swarm of TIE Fighters can do a surprising amount of damage to an enemy capital ship as all those blue dice start to add up, and Rhymer helps get those hits in.
The range increase has other benefits, too. Bombers rely heavily on Squadron commands, particularly against the faster and more maneuverable capital ship types. However, with the wide strike envelope afforded by Rhymer, bombers have a much greater chance to target enemy ships without moving.
  
Like most character squadrons, Rhymer can take advantage of a TIE Advanced wingman, but in this case, Rhymer helps out the TIE Advanced as well, extending the range of its black die for anti-ship attacks. He also comes stock with 5 hit points and two Brace tokens, making him a tough proposition to take down. Honestly, his only downside is his lackluster anti-squadron attack.
All this for only 16 points? Yes, he really is just that awesome.
POWER DENSITY: Okay, so regular TIEs are great bargains when you look at their stats in a point for point comparison to the stats of character squadrons. Standard TIEs are potent little troublemakers, especially stock TIE Fighters and Bombers. However, there’s a second side to this discussion, and that is Squadron commands.
The big disadvantage for forces that rely heavily on standard squadrons is the need for higher Squadron values and/or more Squadron commands to get the same mileage from his or her TIEs. I like to call this attribute “power density,” and it’s definitely an advantage that swings in favor of characters squadrons.
2 TIE Fighter Squadrons put out more damage than Howlrunner, but then, they also require twice the Squadron value to get the jump on the enemy. That’s the hidden cost at work. Sure, stock TIEs are cheap, but they also require plenty of love from their capital ships to be the best they can be.
LISTS FOR FUN: How about a look at a list heavy with characters squadrons? Let’s take a look at the Admiral Motti’s Flying Aces.
Victory I-class Star Destroyer (73)
– Admiral Motti (24)
– Admiral Chiraneau (10)
– Flight Controllers (6)
Gladiator II-class Star Destroyer (62)
Gladiator II-class Star Destroyer (62)
Soontir Fel TIE Interceptor Squadron (18)
Darth Vader TIE Advanced Squadron (21)
“Mauler” Mithel TIE Fighter Squadron (15)
TOTAL: 291 points
First, the Victory will be dishing out a generous quantity of squadron commands to support the three character squadrons. Let’s take a look at how that plays out.
Things start off with enemy squadrons taking damage when Mauler shows up (and he can always get that move if needed because Admiral Chiraneau is on board the Victory). Then the enemy takes some more damage when Mauler, Soontir, and Vader unload, and since both Mauler and Soontir have Swarm, they enable each other’s rerolls. Plus Flight Controllers are along for the ride because who doesn’t like TIEs with an extra blue die per attack?
Also, two Gladiators are included, upgraded to Gladiator II’s, for fire support against enemy squadrons as well as general anti-ship destruction. Because while these three aces are awesome, a little help is in order from the capital ships. Then once your opponent finally gets around to attacking your squadrons, Darth soaks up the damage while Soontir inflicts automatic damage on anyone who attacks.
Is it ideal? Probably not, but should be fun, and isn’t that the point? 🙂
SUMMARY: Some bring pure and simply destruction, while other grant huge benefits to nearby friendly squadrons. Either way, there’s no denying that TIE character squadrons are a diverse and powerful group with plenty to offer any Imperial commander.
Check out the complete list of Star Wars: Armada articles here.

Squadrons provide an important supplement to the capital ships of Star Wars: Armada. As of Wave 1, the Imperial Navy has four basic squadrons and five character squadrons to choose from. Today, let’s take a look at what the standard TIE squadrons have to offer.
IN SHORT: Cheap, fast, and more specialized than Rebel squadrons, TIEs provide a versatile set of cannon fodder to throw at your opponents.
TIE FIGHTERS: At 8 points each, TIE Fighter Squadrons are incredibly affordable and can form effective screening forces with minimal investment. With speed 4, TIE Fighters can easily get the drop on the often slower enemy squadrons. They also pack impressive anti-squadron punch for their points.
3 blue dice allow them to tear through enemy squadrons rapidly, and the Swarm rule only makes this better. With nearby friendly squadrons engaging the enemy, they can reroll a single die. This potent anti-squadron ability can be further supplemented with Howlrunner and/or Flight Controllers for up to 5 blue dice (with a single reroll) per squadron.
  
And don’t discount TIE Fighters when it comes to engaging enemy ships. True, they only have a single blue die to attack with, but that’s 1 blue die … per 8 points! Attacks like that can add up quickly.
So what’s the downside?
Well, TIE Fighters may put out a ton of anti-squadron damage, but they go down fast. With only 3 hit points, they’re easily focused down during a single round of combat. It also doesn’t help that the Swarm rule and Howlrunner both encourages them to bunch up. Enemy ships with strong anti-squadron batteries should be rightly feared, as they will quickly whittle TIE clusters to dust.
Easy come, easy go.
TIE INTERCEPTORS: At 11 points, TIE Interceptors act like TIE Fighters on steroids. They boast a blistering top speed of 5 and come with anti-squadron armaments of 4 blue dice. Like TIE Fighters, they benefit greatly from Swarm, but also come with Counter.
Thanks to the Counter rule, TIE Interceptors get to fire 2 blue dice at enemy squadrons attacking them, and these counter attacks benefit from both Howlrunner’s ability and Swarm, giving them a potential Counter 3 with a single reroll. Ouch!
 
TIE Interceptors are a powerful, dedicated anti-squadron force, and their Counter ability can make them highly challenging for bombers like Y-Wings and TIE Bombers to handle. Like TIE Fighters, they also combine extremely well with Flight Controllers. But they are also incredibly frail. In fact, point for point, they are the frailest squadron type in the game as of Wave 1. Swarms of interceptors do not like taking fire from a capital ship’s arc, and it should also be noted that, by the very nature of them having Counter, opponents are more likely to engage TIE Interceptors with capital ships instead of squadrons, when possible.
TIE ADVANCED: Weighing in at a cost of 12 and coming with a hefty 5 hit points, TIE Advanced squadrons are a welcomed bit of durability in the TIE lineup. And a good thing too, because they also come with Escort, forcing opponents to target them first. This combination makes them superb wingmen for named squadrons like Howlrunner or Rhymer.
 
Their single black anti-ship die and 3 blue anti-squadron dice are respectable, as is their speed value of 4, but TIE Advanced Squadrons are quickly outclassed in damage output by other Imperial offerings. TIE Fighters and Interceptors will shred enemy squadrons, and TIE Bombers can quickly pack on the hurt against enemy ships.
In the end, they’re meat shields. Their best uses are defensive, not offensive, either protecting a critical named squadron or slugging it out with bombers trying to get to a capital ship.
TIE BOMBERS: Featuring a black anti-ship die and the Bomber rule (allowing them to inflict critical hits against enemy ships), the role of TIE Bombers Squadrons is clear. With a cost of only 9 points and speed 4, they’re cheap and surprisingly swift for bombers, a trait that can be exaggerated even more with the Corruptor title on a Victory-class Star Destroyer for even more speed. Throw Rhymer into the mix to allow TIE Bombers to attack at medium range instead of range 1, and suddenly these squadrons can strike targets at considerable distances.
  
On average, a single TIE Bomber will inflict 1 point of damage against an enemy ship per attack with a 25% chance of a critical effect. This is made even nastier because it’s difficult to use defense tokens against them. Brace can only trigger if the TIE Bombers get a double hit, Evade isn’t going to do anything at range 1 unless Mon Mothma is commanding the Rebel forces, and Redirect can only shift a point or two of damage at a time.
TIE Bombers are utterly devastating when they get into range of enemy capital ships. But there is, of course, a downside. They also come with the Heavy rule, which means they cannot engage enemy squadrons. TIE Bombers may come with a plenty of hit points to absorb attacks, but their effectiveness as a screening force is zero. Secondly, they have the weakest anti-squadron attack in the game: a single black die.
(Capital ships with a single blue die shouldn’t be counted as the weakest because they can strike multiple targets at once.)
LISTS FOR FUN: Want to give a squadron-heavy list a whirl? Try Grand Moff Tarkin’s Flying Circus.
Victory I-class Star Destroyer (73)
– Grand Moff Tarkin (38)
– Flight Controllers (6)
– Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
Victory I-class Star Destroyer (73)
– Corruptor Title (5)
– Admiral Chiraneau (10)
– Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
TIE Fighter Squadrons x 5 (40)
TIE Bomber Squadrons x 5 (45)
TOTAL: 300 points
Okay, it may be 300 points, but it’s easy enough to trim an upgrade or squadron (or even substitute out Tarkin) to price it for an effective initiative bid. The basic idea is that each Victory can activate up to 5 squadrons per round (base 3 + Expanded Hangar Bay + Squadron tokens from Tarkin). And by doing this, they maximize the use of their squadron friendly upgrades.
Flight Controllers can turn those 5 TIE Fighters into squadron mulching machines, spitting out a combined total of 20 blue dice (with up to 5 rerolls). And with the Corruptor title and Admiral Chiraneau, those TIE Bombers are going to be speed 5 normally and can easily escape at speed 3 if they get engaged.
SUMMARY: TIEs, ladies and gentlemen. Fast, hard-hitting, and dirt cheap. Just don’t get too attached to them, because they tend not to last long. 🙂
Check out the complete list of Star Wars: Armada articles here.