Competitive Star Wars: Legion has been in a steady state since the 2.6 launch, and one theme dominates the winning tables: activation advantage. Armies that reliably hit twelve or more activations control the flow of every turn. Here are the strongest factions and example tournament lists to build around in 2026.
The meta in one line: more activations win
Lists that field higher activation counts post the best win rates, which is why Rebels and CIS — both able to reach 12+ activations affordably — sit at the top of the standings.
Strongest faction: CIS (Separatists)
CIS has been the most dominant faction, racking up the most 5-0 (or better) tournament results since the November update. A representative winning list pairs General Grievous (on his bike) with Kalani and Sun Fac, a Super Tactical Droid operative, three B1 squads, a Geonosian warrior squad, three STAPs, and Aqua Droids — fast, numerous, and command-efficient.
Empire: elite-aggro
Top Empire lists lean on Imperial Dark Troopers, Moff Gideon, Director Krennic, and Death Troopers. A winning aggro build ran two squads of Imperial Special Forces plus a Z-6 Baton operative for brutal melee pressure.
Rebels: flexible activation spam
A 5-0 Rebel list featured Lando, the Bad Batch, a Cassian-led fleet trooper squad, a custom officer, and armour including AT-RTs — the classic Rebel mix of bodies, tricks, and mobility.
Listbuilding takeaways
- Prioritise activation count — aim for 12+ unless your list has a strong reason not to.
- Commanders that hand out free actions or aim tokens (Grievous, Krennic) multiply your efficiency.
- Check a current stats tracker before an event; the meta shifts with each points update.