pegolego just posted on the Character Comments



So where do you start when making a squad?

I usually think of a playstyle that I want to field (Melee, Shooty, Mixed, Aggressive, Defensive, Gimmick army, etc...) and pick the faction that I think would work the best for that. Then I tend to pick 1-3 core characters that fit the chosen playstyle and build the squad around them.

This is my method:

i) Starting point
Normally I'm browsing through my card box, and I'll look at a piece and decide that it looks fun, and I want to try it. Often, a combination of 2-3 pieces will come to mind.

For example, I decide I want to make a squad with the New Republic piece Zekk. He's a Pilot, and his attack is only +9, so I figure that pairing him with Jagged Fel for an attack boost makes sense.

ii) Consider the faction's power pieces
Every faction has some faction defining power pieces, that greatly influence how a faction runs. It's generally agreed that the two key New Republic pieces that you'll find in most competitive builds are Ganner Rhysode (movement breaker with Levitation) and General Dodonna (for tempo control). No reason not to take them, so they're both going into this squad.

So far I have:
31 Zekk
29 Ganner Rhysode
10 Jagged Fel
9 General Dodonna
(79pts. 4 activations)

iii) Some more main pieces
Since I already have Jagged Fel in this squad for Pilot synergies, I figure some more pilots are good. In this squad I go with Han Solo, Galactic Hero and Chewbacca, Galactic Hero, who both benefit from Jagged's CE as well. Han Solo also has Disruptive, which is another very powerful ability for New Republic, which I like to work into New Republic squads where possible. I also want to use Momaw Nadon, to trigger Chewie's protective, and because I think he's a really good piece with Ganner's levitation.

So now I have:
50 Han Solo, Galactic Hero
32 Chewbacca, Galactic Hero
31 Zekk
29 Ganner Rhysode
15 Momaw Nadon
10 Jagged Fel
9 General Dodonna
(176 points, 7 activations)

iv) Filling out the squad
I need some door control, so I grab an R7 and 3 Ugnaughts. I also have room for a couple of Mouse Droids, who are good blockers. This gets me up to 13 activations, which is a few less than I'd normally like in a New Republic squad, but since I have Momaw, and noone with Opportunist, I'm comfortable with 13 activations.

So I end up with:
50 Han Solo, Galactic Hero
32 Chewbacca, Galactic Hero
31 Zekk
29 Ganner Rhysode
15 Momaw Nadon
10 Jagged Fel
9 General Dodonna
8 R7 Astromech Droid
6 Mouse Droid x2
9 Ugnaught Demolitionist x3
(199pts. 13 activations)

As a disclaimer, I don't think this squad is actually particularly strong - I used it an an example, because I remember my thought process. But both games I've tried it, it's started beautifully - Momaw has got a great war throat in, then Zekk does a pile of damage - but after that it's really struggled to close out games - it's not especially beefy once the squads engage properly. It's a fun muck-around squad, but not something I'd bring to a tournament.

Just play Zannah ;) im sure Pegolego, Darth O and Spryguy can agree on that ;D

I generally tend to pick out a really weak character (usually a non-Unique) and try to boost it as much as I can. Bonus if it's Fringe.


Alternatively, I just find an theme that looks like fun and go from there.

That sounds awesome, I'll have to try it some time.

I think, with competitive squads, although the v-sets have provided lots of good pieces, if you're going for Tier 1, there are still a relatively finite number of archetypes. There were only a handful of competitive squad types before the v-sets, and my take is that each v-set has added a handful of new squad types that are top tier to the mix. So to get a powerful squad, it's often good to start from one of those squad types as a template.

Although, since there are lots of new pieces and combinations out there, it's probably possible to invent something top tier that noone's seen before. Unlike the original WOTC pieces, which have been well and truly picked over for tier 1 squads, with the v-sets there have been both a lot of strong pieces being released and a smaller player base, so there are probably some powerful squads out there that haven't been discovered.

Agreed. I think one that is hiding out there is an uber-versatile build, probably in either Rebels (with Versatility) or Imperials (with Pellaeon). I'm just not sure what it is... and it would require a TON of homework. It wouldn't look all that great on paper, but it could work if you know the counters to every other squad in the meta and you have 50+pts of reinforcements, plus Bribery, plus either Versatility or Pellaeon. So not just the Lobot pieces to bring in, but how to build a whole squad - one for each opponent while being restricted to your reinforcement/versatility options. I don't know how to build it... but get the feeling it could work.

The NR squad that won the championship this year is heading in that direction - lots of customization with 30 points of reinforcements and lots of movement and different damage options, but lacking in the big scary damage damage dealer that you normally see in NR.

--Professor Luke's Art Class--
48 Luke Skywalker, Galactic Hero
29 Ganner Rhysode
27 Lobot
23 Anakin Solo
23 Jarael
21 Marn Hierogryph
9 General Dodonna
8 R7 Astromech Droid
6 Mouse Droid x2
6 Ugnaught Demolitionist x2
(200pts. 12 activations)