Countering Soontir Fel

Soontir Fel. I have played with him and against him. He can be a very dangerous model to face especially in the late game as his opposition decreases. As his appearance seems to be increasing in the meta I think it might be a good time to talk counters.

Rebel

Turrets are the obvious answer. If he can't stay out of range of opposing fire arcs much of what makes him strong is lost. Anyone taking the Millennium Falcon is already is already countering him thanks to the large ships ample base size and 360 degree fire arc. In the same vein an Ion Cannon can also ruin his day. Robbing him of the flexibility of his maneuverability is critical. If you manage to get an ion token while stressed, which is common thanks to people using Push the Limit to take synergize with his Pilot Ability, then he is pretty much neutered at that point. Lastly you could consider taking Tycho Celchu with Veteran Instincts and Push the Limit or Daredevil in order to try and counter him in a dogfighting sense. In that configuration the A-Wing can almost keep up with the TIE Interceptors maneuvers and has a higher pilot skill. Lastly Tycho, like Soontir, is not dissuaded from being Stressed.

Playtest Addendum

After play testing the most cost efficient way to shut him down is the following at 23 points.

Gold Squadron with Ion Cannon Turret

Combined with a target lock you should with a little planning be able to ruin his day. The threat of the ion turret either keeps him from being stressed, thus neutralizing his pilot ability, or forces him to stay at range 3 of the Y-Wing who can fly in the center of your formation and wait patiently. It is a cheap addition to any list and has uses outside of countering Soontir.

Empire

Due to the Empire's lack of turrets they must approach it from a different perspective. Going with the big ship option; a pair of Bounty Hunters can cover a lot of area with their twin fire arcs. Soontir might still be able to find a gap but you can greatly diminish his chances with staggered formations and careful maneuvering. Also taking Carnor Jax with Veteran Instincts might work as you can move to stay near Soontir and keep him from using Focus or Evade as well as potentially getting the drop on him thanks to having a higher Pilot Skill. Lastly the obvious dogfighting option is to take your own Soontir Fel. You will have to outplay your opponent and hope the dice stay with you but at least you know you will shoot at the same time and you both have the same tricks. A game might very well devolve into a mirror match with a pair of Soontirs dancing around waiting for a opening in that case.

In the event of the mirror match it might be prudent to design your list to conserve points as much as possible. Tying up some points in a tanky shuttle build might make be the difference that denies those points to your opponent and possibly forces him to compromise his position so that your Soontir Fel can get the drop on his doppleganger. Here is an example of a list that might take advantage of that.

Soontir Denial 100 points

Academy Pilot
Dark Curse
Night Beast
Omicron Group Pilot with Darth Vader and Recon Specialist
Soontir Fel with Push the Limit

The purpose of this list is to try and deny points and so you take the two most survivable TIE pilots to try and eat volleys that do nothing. Evade tokens are going to be a popular action in this list. The shuttle has the Recon Specialist to increase dice odds when defending and Vader to insure damage on unshielded models if they ever stumble into your fire arc. Lastly the list is rounded out with an extra Academy TIE because the points were available but this could easily become more upgrades for the shuttle or a Stealth Device or Hull Upgrade on Soontir and the TIEs which might tip you over the edge in a mirror match.

75x75 - Imperial Tank 75 points

Omicron Group Pilot with Advanced Sensors and Recon Specialist
x3 Scimitar Squadron Pilot

If you are willing to give up maneuverability then you too can have a points denial list which brings 28 hit points to the table. Everyone is at Pilot Skill 2 which helps for maneuvering (in straight lines) and shooting before Pilot Skill 1. The shuttle will be taking a Focus action every turn and benefitting from it offensively and defensively. The bombers are simply less maneuverable TIE fighters for the purposes of this list. It is effectively a micro-swarm based around the shuttle instead of the Firespray-31. Short of three shuttles it is the most hit points you can bring to the table at this points level.

See you all again on Tuesday!