X-Wing Meta and Balance

What is the current meta of X-Wing (not the YT-2400... but it could be)?

In my opinion there are six things that make a good list right now:

Durability
Multiple Arc Platforms
Red dice
Green tokens
Action Economy
Synergy

Now the above list seems very obvious... but you need to consider what's not on there:

Speed
Arc Dodging
High unit count
Green dice
Self reliant ships
Stress management

The Scum and Rebel factions are very good at the first list and while not inept at the second, have very few ships that need the second list to work. Imperials, on the other hand can basically flip the lists. The Imperial bread and butter qualities just aren't a path to an easy victory right now, and the things that are top qualities, they can find in very few places,

To me, the meta is and will be builds that can maximize their access to the first list.  Certainly the second list is all good stuff too... its just when you sit there looking at points and trying to see what those points get you... points stored in a unit ticking the first set of boxes will do better.

Let's look at 3 Imperial ships: TIE Fighter, TIE Interceptor, Special Forces TIE

Fighter: of all the good things, it's kinda got one: green tokens and a few uniques can pick up another off the list here and there... but its not enough.  Lauded continually by everyone who doesn't play Imperials as an example of why Imperial ships are good... yes, great, its points efficient... so kinda like putting points in nice little wrappers for the enemy. I like the TIE Fighter... I really like the TIE Fighter... but its just not competitive and at best is used to handle awkward left over points 

Interceptor: of all the needed things its a bit better with red dice, a few named ones do better with greens, and for a king's ransom in points you can pull off action economy... ships with items from the "good" list just tear into the little guys.  Which is a shame.  Interceptors are so fun to fly too... but you get no reward for Arc Dodging (turrets) and then you put hits on the target (who cares?! durability... target shrugs it off) then it fires at you... with ridiculous amounts of red dice backed up with tokens and probably free rerolls and other bonuses grafted off its squad mates... and your Interceptor dies... and all the other Imperial ships in your list run in terror.

Special Forces: This one's different... it durable, has a rear arc, can throw a bit more red dice than normal TIEs (plus Quickdraw might fire twice and Backdraft gets a free crit), can easily be built to do a bit better with the greens but is a pro at target locks, sold action economy (with careful upgrades) and is better than most Imperials at synergy... guess which one of these three you see on tourney tables more than the other two combined and then some?  You know why?  Because the thing basically acts like a Rebel or Scum ship with a very similar stat line too.

Let's look at 3 Rebel ships: A-Wing, K-Wing, VCX-100

A-Wing: Requires a ton of work and points to get at best two of the top list... and since it lacks the durability and red dice (unless you PRocket), its neither killing nor living very much at all. I do like the A-Wing.  I have flown it a bunch and spamming Greens is fun... but the damage at best bursts at range 1 and then... meh... everything dies since arc dodging is pointless.

K-Wing: Durability, yep... Arcs everywhere, Red Dice... which flavor? has them all... Green tokens... Action Economy? Yes, healing and lock cheating... Synergy, Double K, Triple K with Sabine, and more... no wonder this is a winning ship

VCX-100: Yes please, Kanan/Biggs... Synergy... you heard about Biggs/M9 and shuttles, right?  King of Durability, Arcs everywhere (due to TLT spam... a trick Imperials lack), Red dice everywhere, extra greens if Rey's along, Action Economy, galore too... Big ships also get to ignore some elements of combat (see this post)

The sad thing is... right now FFG's just tossed in the towel with letting the Imperials be good at being Imperial. Currently the best Empire ships all act like Rebels or Scum and the newest TIE, the Aggressor is a pure rift from the other two factions... I'd like to think they've got a plan... maybe a Scarif or Death Star expansion that makes the classics good again.  And it'd be nice to see that.  But as the state of the game is now... Imperials are only good when they're not being Imperial anymore.