Prepping for the SC 2018 season, part 2 (Sloane again)

This is part 2 of my Prepping for SC season.

Last time I talked about brushing dust of something old. 

So I did. With Sloane, using my winning list from Nordics 2017 as a basis. There has only been 1 more wave since then (wave 7) and a teeny tiny FAQ. 

I mean, how different can the meta be?

Turns out it's quite a lot. 

Relay was hit hard by the FAQ. So I can no longer relay on my flotillas to stay safe while commanding squadrons on the other side of the board. I had 4 Gozanti, remember, as they could then push around all 4 squads, freeing the ISD to maneuver and repair. The ISD would only act as a carrier for alpha strikes and such, or if the Gozanti for some reason were destroyed (I think I lost a total of 2 during the course of 4 matches).

And it's the flotilla nerf as well. Max 2. I used to have 4 (there were lists that took FIVE), which gave me both deployments and activations. Very important for good ISD positioning and activation control. But if I swap in Strategic Adviser and a Quasar, I still have 5 activations, and the same squads.

Which leads to this:

It's not a bad list as such, but the Quasar is just as predictable as the ISD was and far less tanky. The Gozanti have to fly close to the action. And the ISD is downgraded to a I, which is exactly the type I moved away from during playtesting last year. No Defensive retro means the ISD can die really fast, and with the relay limitation I may have to plot in squad commands when I'd rather Nav or Repair.

Name: Sloane w7 (8 squads)
Faction: Imperial
Commander: Admiral Sloane

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Fire Lanes
Navigation: Superior Positions

Imperial I (110)
• Admiral Sloane (24)
• Strategic Adviser (4)
• Boarding Troopers (3)
• Leading Shots (4)
• Avenger (5)
= 150 Points

Quasar Fire I (54)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Pursuant (2)
= 66 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
= 25 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Hondo Ohnaka (2)
= 25 Points

Squadrons:
• Colonel Jendon (20)
• Maarek Stele (21)
• Dengar (20)
• Mauler Mithel (15)
• Ciena Ree (17)
• Howlrunner (16)
• Valen Rudor (13)
• Saber Squadron (12)
= 134 Points

Total Points: 400

I had to drop some squads if I want to keep the ISD-II. Howl and Saber are the ones to go. With only 6 squads I'm still confident in the squad battle. But the problem is I don't kill fast enough. I need to wipe squads ASAP, then start "bombing" for accs. It takes too long to clear squads, and after I don't have enough squads to do enough damage/strip enough tokens. I have GT + XI7 on the ISD, so that does compensate somewhat. It also has 1 less deployment, down to 7 total, so now I'm the one being outdeployed, which is pretty bad actually.

Name: Sloane w7 (6 squads)
Faction: Imperial
Commander: Admiral Sloane

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Superior Positions

Imperial II (120)
• Admiral Sloane (24)
• Strategic Adviser (4)
• Gunnery Team (7)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Leading Shots (4)
• XI7 Turbolasers (6)
• Avenger (5)
= 177 Points

Quasar Fire I (54)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Pursuant (2)
= 67 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
= 25 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Hondo Ohnaka (2)
= 25 Points

Squadrons:
• Maarek Stele (21)
• Colonel Jendon (20)
• Dengar (20)
• Mauler Mithel (15)
• Ciena Ree (17)
• Valen Rudor (13)
= 106 Points

Total Points: 400

So that leaves me with one other option: ditch a Gozanti and go back to 8 squads. But at 3 activations SAdv is pointless, so might as well drop it and put Brunson on the Quasar. No rooms for any XI7, but less need for it. 

Name: Sloane w7 (8 squads, 3 activations)
Faction: Imperial
Commander: Admiral Sloane

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Superior Positions

Imperial II (120)
• Admiral Sloane (24)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Gunnery Team (7)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Leading Shots (4)
• Avenger (5)
= 168 Points

Quasar Fire I (54)
• Captain Brunson (5)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Pursuant (2)
= 71 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Hondo Ohnaka (2)
• Comms Net (2)
= 27 Points

Squadrons:
• Maarek Stele (21)
• Colonel Jendon (20)
• Dengar (20)
• Mauler Mithel (15)
• Ciena Ree (17)
• Valen Rudor (13)
• Howlrunner (16)
• Saber Squadron (12)
= 134 Points

Total Points: 400

I could win games with this, but I'd get plastered by a squad-heavy Pryce list. And Raddus would probably do a number on me. Generally speaking I'm in real danger of being tabled, or at least be forced to run with the ISD and/or abandon the squad game. Furthermore, the squads can no longer reliably go to work on the enemy before I engage with the ISD.

Overall I'm OK with all 3 lists, but none feel like top tier. Not bad exactly, but not what I'm looking for in listbuilding.

Prepping for the SC 2018 season, part 1

Just to make it clear: by SC "season" I mean the one SC I'm going to. That'll be the one in Østersund, Sweden. Locally we don't have a SC this year, because those who play Armada around here can't be bothered to actually make time to come out and play.

But I still need to prep. After I could not go to Worlds or Euros bc of having like zero money to waste on that, I put all my Armada stuff into a closet and logged off Vassal. It's only for the last week I've actually begun thinking about Armada for real. If it wasn't for the SSD announcement, I don't think I would have bothered breaking out my stuff again.

So after 4 Vassal games, 1 with Vader Arq swarm, 2 with Sloane ISD + Quasars and 1 with Raddus (essentially my Regionals-winning list, but with a TRC90 instead for a flotilla and VCXs), I can verify that I am indeed VERY rusty. When last I played I was at the height of my skill, now I do stupid little things and forget to take into account this and that. My fav blunder thus far is constantly fixing shields, then moving the ship to expose stripped arcs... really should know better!

Anyway. I think I'll be OK if only I practice a little bit more. Maybe not 110%, but good enough not to make a fool out of myself. 

Then there is listbuilding. Stuff has happened in the months since I took a break. Worlds oc. Euros. Many other tournaments. Mata has been evolving. People have worked on their lists. I have not. So what do I do?

Should I take something tried and ture and just tweak it a little? It's not as if there have been many new waves, so there is really nothing new to take into account. 

Should I try for something brand new and inventive? I want to, because I don't really like to play the same fleets over and over. But I'm not sure I'm quite there. I look at my screen, and its the same fleets that get built over and over, with a few variations. 

Maybe I can copy someone? Then adjust it after playtesting? I've had success with that before. I just don't think there is time: the SC in late September, so I better settle on a list and start practicing ASAP.

I think I'll be forced to settle for something I've at least some experience with. Stay tuned as I try to narrow down the search for the perfect SC list!

Wave 8: Executor Arrives

“If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed.”

   –Emperor Palpatine, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

"Something huge is coming to Star Wars™: Armada. Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the Super Star Destroyer Expansion Pack!

This expansion pack arrives to swell the forces of the Galactic Empire with the first ship of an entirely new class—huge ships. The pre-painted, beautifully sculpted Super Star Destroyer miniature within this expansion is the largest miniature yet created by Fantasy Flight Games, measuring over 24 inches from tip to tip.

Of course, such a huge miniature serves as a stunning reminder of Imperial might on the battlefield—and it’s also a fully functional warship that you can add to your Imperial fleets. With four unique ship sheets, an assortment of tokens, and twenty-four upgrade cards, including iconic commanders like Admiral Piett and Emperor Palpatine, any rival fleet will tremble to face the might of your onslaught."

The Executor SSD was FINALLY announced at Gencon 2018, which was promptly shared on the forum, and an article was released the day after! The article is full of the usual errors, inconsistencies and weirdness, such as toting that the SSD sports six SHIP TOKENS, when it's clear they mean DEFENSE tokens. Monkeys and typewriters and all that.

Some of us have been waiting for this for a LONG time. Others, the oh so faithless, never expected this day to come at all. Well, what can I say? I was right, and you were wrong. I told you so. And so forth.

It's a big ship, both in size and in upgrade content: There is the actual model of course, which really is huge, two large bases and two double sided ship tokens to go with the 4 ship cards included. There is also 24 upgrades in the pack, plus the usual assortment of dials and tokens (including a SCATTER token) and whatnot. 

As a Huge ship (it's a new size, separate from Small, Medium, and Large), the SSD comes on TWO large bases. The cardboard ship tokens fill both bases, plus a space between then. The actual model is much bigger than that, as shown in the image below. Even on Armada's sliding scale it's going to look... HUGE!

These puny Destroyers do not concern me.

If you try it out, this baby won't fit into the deployment zone without going radically sideways. Since that would be a 100% crippling and lame restriction, my guess is the SSD gets a special deployment rule. The simplest would be to just require it to touch the edge, but I guess we won't know for sure for a while.

Since the SSD is Huge, not Large or Medium or Small, don't expect to be running stuff like Pryce or Strat Adviser on it. Complain/fantasize all you want, but if you search your feelings, you know this to be true.

The SSD also has many other special rules (there may be more, unspoiled):

The SSD can pass like a SAdv each round. 

It can shoot THREE times (instead of the usual TWO).

It moves from the REAR base (supposedly said in the FFG presentation, see form thread above). This makes a LOT of sense, as otherwise the ass would swing so insanely wide.

When it resolves a command dial, it resolves it as a dial+token.

It has SIX arcs, with two new aux right/left (the rear ones) arcs. These arcs have separate batteries and shields. And no, they are NOT side arcs, but aux arcs. So Enhanced Armament and that Ion thing only Aresius uses will only work on the regular side arcs, not the aux arcs.

It has SIX defense tokens too. Two each of Brace, Redir and Contain. Not a special rule as such, but special enough to warrant mention. There is no Defensive Retro, but it CAN take Tua in one of THREE officer slots. Wow. Tua + AP or EWS, Brunson and DCO anyone? Goes well with 22(!) hull and 20 shields total.

It's speed 2, but can't turn without a Nav command. And of course Moff Jerry will make it turn on a dime.

Command 4 is just massive. Thrawn will be really useful, same with the new Admiral Piett. Liaisons with or without Tarkin. Skilled First Officer. Even Support Officer (but a huge "maybe" there).

Squadron 5 is huge, with the option of squad 6. Which will actually always be 6/7 because of the SSD dial+token rule. Sloane alpha with SEVEN squads anyone!?

Engineering 4 is good, but not exceptional.

There are 4 ship cards, two of which can be used in normal 400 pt games (1 has been revealed). The other two are presumably for "epic" place, worth points values greater than 381, so that you can't legally field them. How many points I don't know, but I think I see 5 red/5 blue on the front arc of the ship token and maybe 4 red/3 blue/1 black on the side there.That's just massive. I assume other values like hull, shields, etc. will also be increased. Are we looking at 500 points or more?

The upgrade card lineup is huge, 24 cards, but many of them are not new. The only new ones seem to be commanders (2), officers (6), and titles (4). Of these, only Palpatine (commander) has been fully revealed. Much squinting has also revealed (most) of the text of Piett (commander), but we'll look at that in another article. The rest of the cards you can make out the title of or guess based on the image.

That SCATTER token... it's for me dumb-ass!

Commanders:

• Emperor Palpatine
• Admiral Piett

Officers:

• Admiral Someone (I think it's Piett in the pic, but can't tell for sure)
• Commander Someone (referencing my SWCCG cards I think it might be Brandei or Gherant)
• Darth Vader (says Darth and has him choking someone, so has to be the 4th Vader!)
• Director Krennic (director and White uniform, has to be)
• Emperor Palpatine (says Emperor, so has to be)
• Lira Wessex (says Lira, so has to be)

Misc:

• Boarding Engineers (meh)
• Flight Controllers (so you can by SSD instead of VSD lol!)
• HIE (good)
• Point-Defense Reroute (oh great!)
• Quad Turbos (so so)
• RLB (ok)
• Vet Gunners (sure)
• XI7 (a little too late lol)

Fleet Commands:

• All 4 (ok, I guess)

Titles:

• Ann-something (probably Annihilator)
• E-something (possibly Eclipse)
• Executor (a given really, plus I think it's the rightmost of the 4 in the pic)
• R-something (possibly Ravager)

Thanks to Ironlord for help with those titles. 

What not to like (unless your a pure Rebel player that is) about the Executor? I can't for the life of me find any reason to hate on it. This is 100% pure joy.

And the bad news? This baby isn't being unleashed upon the galaxy before Q1 2019. And knowing FFG that's just an estimate. I just hope there isn't a long delay this time, because it's been a while since wave 7 hit the shelves, and this rate of expansions is just horrendously slow.