Today’s Fleet Dossier is a Rebel list.
It’s inspired by an exchange with Peter Saber on Facebook. He really likes Nautilian. I wasn’t entirely convinced… so here’s my attempt at becoming convinced.
The core concept is ARC Leia + Nautilian + Hammerhead swarm—if you can call three Hammerheads a swarm. Normally, three isn’t quite enough to really get the title value flowing, but Nautilian effectively gives you another “copy” of the effect, and that might be just enough.
And yes: this is very much an ARC Leia list. It doesn’t work if your flagship can’t spend tokens and still repair. It also highlights how much less flexible old Leia was.
For this build, I’ve chosen Task Force Antilles for a bit of durability. A Leia Hammerhead that pivots into Repair can regenerate/move shields (and even hull) surprisingly well—in Hammerhead terms, anyway. Don’t expect miracles. If you want to go fully on offense, you can swap to Task Force Organa instead and save six points. (Also: TFO at 1 and TFA at 3 has always felt a little… lopsided. But that’s neither here nor there.)
The squad screen is small but nasty. This exact four-A-wing package has done work for me even into squad-heavy lists. They will die, but used correctly, they can derail your opponent’s carefully laid squadron plan. Into light-to-medium squads, they can delay and disrupt for ages. Into squadless fleets, they chip in meaningful damage over the game.
This also shouldn’t be a particularly difficult fleet to run. Your flagship needs to draw fire so the Hammerheads don’t evaporate immediately—but obviously, “getting your flagship shot” is not exactly a free win condition, so you’re juggling how much aggro it takes. Between PDIC, ET, and Leia-fueled Repairs, you should be fine… as long as you coordinate that with the Hammerhead strike and manage the squad screen. Bread-and-butter Armada, really. 🙂
400 points
I see no reason to bid with this list. I’m not much of a bidder to begin with, and this fleet doesn’t meaningfully benefit from it.
Name: Leia Nautilian TFA 400
Faction: Rebel
Commander: Leia Organa [ARC]
Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Asteroid Tactics
Navigation: Infested Fields
MC80 Command Cruiser (102)
• Leia Organa [ARC] (28)
• Raymus Antilles (7)
• Engine Techs (8)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Point Defense Ion Cannons (6)
• Quad Battery Turrets (5)
• Nautilian [Legacy] (4)
• Intensify Firepower! (6)
= 173 Points
Hammerhead Scout Corvette (41)
• Slaved Turrets (6)
• Task Force Antilles (3)
= 50 Points
Hammerhead Scout Corvette (41)
• Slaved Turrets (6)
• Task Force Antilles (3)
= 50 Points
Hammerhead Scout Corvette (41)
• Slaved Turrets (6)
• Task Force Antilles (3)
= 50 Points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Ahsoka Tano (2)
• Comms Net (2)
= 22 Points
Squadrons:
• Shara Bey (17)
• Tycho Celchu (16)
• 2 x A-wing Squadron (22)
= 55 Points
Total Points: 400
Variations and flex
There isn’t much I’d change here.
PDIC → Leading Shots is the obvious “more damage” swap, and QBT + LS plays nicely. But you already have IF!, and the Hammerheads are the real spike damage anyway. PDIC also matters because… you’re flying an MC80 that must stay alive.
TFA → TFO is the other big lever. You gain offense and free up 6 points, but your entire fleet becomes noticeably more brittle. You can spend the points on things like Chart Officer on Hammerheads (if you’re worried about formation), Bright Hope on the GR-75, Hardened Bulkheads on the MC80, or just keep a small bid if that’s your thing. Personally, for this concept, I want the durability, so I’m staying with TFA.
Objectives
These are debatable, and that’s fine.
Most Wanted is here to maximize the payoff: three Slaved Hammerheads doing Leia-enabled CF into a Most Wanted target can be absolutely horrific.
Opening Salvo is tempting but I think it’s a trap. Hammerheads don’t love return fire for “+1 die once,” and any serious damage on the MC80 can cost you a lot of points.
Abandoned Mining Facility and Volatile Deposits are both solid alternatives for Yellow/Blue, but I’m deliberately using the “slug” objectives to discourage squad-centric fleets. Ideally they pick MW… or they get to struggle through the A-wing screen plan.
600 points
At 600, you need another “center of gravity.” The MC80 can’t take all the aggro, and the Hammerheads still won’t survive being the only thing in range.
So I add:
one more Hammerhead, and DCaps on all four for a stronger opening punch,
an Assault Frigate as a second serious ship (tankier profile, credible at all ranges with the addition of Boarding Troopers) threat.
a second GR-75 and more token support so the MC80 stays fed. Leia + ET + IF! makes the flagship… thirsty.
two more A-wings (it's Sector Fleet, so max 150 squadron points for my opponent, so I HOPE this is enough).
Name: Leia Nautilian TFA 600
Faction: Rebel
Gamemode: Sector Fleet
Commander: Leia Organa [ARC]
Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Asteroid Tactics
Navigation: Infested Fields
MC80 Command Cruiser (102)
• Leia Organa [ARC] (28)
• Raymus Antilles (7)
• Engine Techs (8)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Point Defense Ion Cannons (6)
• Quad Battery Turrets (5)
• Nautilian [Legacy] (4)
• Intensify Firepower! (6)
= 173 Points
Assault Frigate Mark II B (72)
• Boarding Troopers (3)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Dual Turbolaser Turrets (4)
• Paragon (5)
= 91 Points
Hammerhead Scout Corvette (41)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
• Slaved Turrets (6)
• Task Force Antilles (3)
= 53 Points
Hammerhead Scout Corvette (41)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
• Slaved Turrets (6)
• Task Force Antilles (3)
= 53 Points
Hammerhead Scout Corvette (41)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
• Slaved Turrets (6)
• Task Force Antilles (3)
= 53 Points
Hammerhead Scout Corvette (41)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
• Slaved Turrets (6)
• Task Force Antilles (3)
= 53 Points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Ahsoka Tano (2)
• Comms Net (2)
• Bright Hope (2)
= 24 Points
GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Hondo Ohnaka (2)
• Comms Net (2)
• Quantum Storm (1)
= 23 Points
Squadrons:
• Shara Bey (17)
• Tycho Celchu (16)
• 4 x A-wing Squadron (44)
= 77 Points
Total Points: 600
600-point tweaks
Same levers as at 400, plus a couple more:
Paragon → Hardened Bulkheads if you want less “fun” and more “this ship must live.”
Swap transport titles if you want Ahsoka moving faster, but speed 3 is usually fine.
If you love Slicers, you can do it by trimming Paragon and retooling the GR-75… but again: the MC80 wants tokens all game, so it might not be worth the effort.
I think both versions come together nicely, and I think both TFA and TFO are viable—I just chose TFA here because this archetype really wants to keep the Hammerheads on the table for as long as possible.
And it’s genuinely cool to see how one ARC card (Leia) and one Legacy card (Nautilian) can enable a fleet type that wouldn’t really exist otherwise—without pushing into OP or NPE territory.
But what do you think? Is Nautilian a good title in general—and is it specifically a good title for ARC Leia? And if you’ve flown Hammerhead packages lately, are you team TFA or team TFO?
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