Battle for Endor: Chocolate League, Round 4 — The Final Scoop

Finally had time to wrap up my fourth and final game of the Chocolate League!

My opponent, Matt Stoebner (Danger_Panda), literally got up at six in the morning to squeeze in a game before heading to the airport. That’s dedication. Or madness. Possibly both.

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The Fleets

Matthew Stoebner – “By the Light of Lothal’s Moons – a Rebel’s Reunion” (400)

• CR90A (Jaina’s Light): Commander Sato [ARC], Ahsoka Tano

• Hammerhead Torpedo Corvette: Sabine Wren, Disposable Capacitors, APT

• Hammerhead Torpedo Corvette: Ezra Bridger, Disposable Capacitors, APT

• Nebulon-B Support Refit (Salvation): Toryn Farr, Auxiliary Shields Team

• GR-75 (Bright Hope): Adar Tallon, Munitions Resupply, Boosted Comms

• Squadrons (126): Hera, Kanan, Dutch, Gold, Mart Mattin, 2× A-Wings, Z-95

Bjørn Blom Sørgjerd (Green Knight) – Krushya “Liberty” Agate (400)

• MC80 Star Cruiser (Liberty): Agate, Intel Officer, Caitken & Shollan, Engine Techs, Ion Cannon Batteries, XI7s, XX-9s

• Assault Frigate Mk II B (Gallant Haven): Ahsoka Tano, Flight Controllers, ECM

• GR-75 (Bright Hope): Toryn Farr

• GR-75: Hondo Ohnaka, Comms Net

• Squadrons (98): Fenn Rau, Jan Ors, Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 2× A-Wings

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Pre-Battle Thoughts

If this had been old Sato, I’d have shrugged it off. But nuSato brings steady, reliable damage across multiple small ships — and Matt’s list had plenty of them. Four combat hulls and a mixed Rogue cast meant constant chip damage wherever I turned. The saving grace? No massed bombers, just a couple, so my ships could at least survive long enough to complain about it.

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The Battle

(I forgot to take screenshots, so the images are a recreation, very approximate, using VASSAL)

We were both at 400 points, so we rolled — I won, took first player, and picked Fighter Ambush to mitigate his deployment advantage.

Going first with Liberty or Gallant Haven can be huge, but I was out-activated 5-to-4, which stung a bit.

Setup

From the moment of deployment, things already felt awkward. I didn’t leverage my deployment advantage at all, and Matt’s Sabine mine forced me to slow Gallant Haven for a turn. 

Start of turn 3

That delay later left my fleet spread thin — Liberty charging ahead, AF lagging, squadrons stretched like taffy.

Start of turn 4

Turn 4 brought fireworks.

Liberty had jumped forward in turn 3, dodging everyone, and now deleted a Hammerhead before it could activate, then stripped the redirect off Matt’s flagship CR90 with Intel Officer and left it on two hull after a "ass-swing" ram.

I was taking damage and losing fighters, but things looked promising.

Gallant Haven also opened up nicely, landing hull damage on another Hammerhead. Spirits were high.
Then… reality.

Three things went wrong:

1. Liberty over-committed. I’d had my big hero moment, but now I was out of position and staring at empty space. Classic me. One day I’ll learn to fly Liberties properly.

2. The squadron ball fell apart. Out of Gallant Haven and Toryn range, the A-wings fought piecemeal. Miraculously, some even survived and killed some of Matt's squads, but it wasn’t pretty.

3. Dice went cold. I ended the game with his flagship on 1 hull, one Hammerhead on 1 hull, and the Nebulon at 2 hull. Couldn’t finish any of them. Four dice at medium from the AF vs the surviving HH — zero damage. Fenn Rau into the exposed butt of the CR90. Nothing. AF into the side of the CR90. Nothing. Sometimes the Force just says “no.”

End state

Gallant Haven eventually died. It was always going to, but the annoying part was that it took nothing down with it. Rut realistically, the crippled Hammerhead, and maybe the near-dead CR90, should have joined it.

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Result

7–4 to Matt.

He got 2 tokens, all my squads, and the potato. I killed 1 HH and 4 of his squads, no tokens.

Well-earned on his part — maybe not quite the margin the game state suggested, but absolutely deserved.

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Post-Battle Reflections

I did a few things right, a few things… spectacularly not.

Matt flew a tight, cohesive plan, while I split my fleet and paid for it. My dice were mid-range, but the real problem was me.

A few takeaways:

• NuSato is legit. Not overpowered, but interesting, consistent, and flexible. Sometimes the damage bump is subtle, but it adds up fast.

• Fleet cohesion matters. Don’t split the squad cover from the ships they’re meant to protect. I do this like half the time, so clearly I'm a very slow learner!

• Liberty discipline. Once that ship commits, you’d better have a plan for the next few turns or you'll be staring at empty space. I do this every single time, or close to it. Maybe the Liberty isn't really the ship for me.

• The Potato remains absurdly tanky — until you forget to run away. It would have, if I hadn't forgotten to use my Eng token turn 5, lived until turn 6 — and finally killed SOMETHING lol. But that was more of a fluke, really, as it was Matt's turn to have some wonky dice that not even Sato could fix.

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ARC Impact

NuSato feels like one of ARC’s best reworks. He slots neatly into different fleet types — from small screens, Rogue mixes like this, to full bomber setups — without being oppressive. If this match was any indication, the card has real legs.

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Summary & Conclusion

The Chocolate League was great fun overall — a perfect reminder that Armada shines brightest when it’s not all about squeezing every last efficiency out of 400 points.

Take my own fleet: the Liberty title isn’t bad, it’s just overshadowed by Mon Karren. But pairing it with Gallant Haven and Fenn Rau led to some truly entertaining games. Even my budget Ion Cannon + XX-9 + XI7 combo wasn’t terrible — cheap, thematic, occasionally brilliant.

Maybe that’s what we need more of locally: games with intentional handicaps. Ban a few top-tier upgrades and see what chaos people invent. Either that, or keep playing campaigns and sector battles, which is a different kind of fun from 400 Standard games.

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Final Thoughts on Online Play

It was great being back online — seven games between TTS and VASSAL — but it also reminded me why I don’t do it constantly.

Games just take too long. Two hours, two-and-a-half, sometimes three plus. Everything’s digital, so it should be faster, yet somehow it isn’t. Players (myself included) spend forever on trivial moves they’d snap-decide on in person.

And then there are the time zones. Finding a match that fits both schedules can be like solving a HoloNet encryption key. Not impossible, just… tedious.

Still — totally worth it for this tournament. Thanks to all my opponents, the organizers, and everyone following along through this Chocolate adventure.

Next stop: the Euros in Poland in two weeks.

Stay tuned — and may your my red dice always double.

Battle for Endor: Chocolate League, Round 3 — Lessons in Slug Handling

 

After two solid games — a 10-1 and a 7-4 — I was sitting on 17 points and sharing the top bracket with Louis-André St-Laurent, a name that instantly commands respect in any online (and IRL) Armada event.

Could Krushya “Liberty” Agate keep the streak alive? Or was this the end of my short but glorious ascent toward Chocolate Heaven?

Spoiler: I survived, but barely.

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The Fleets

Bjørn Blom Sørgjerd (Green Knight) – Krushya “Liberty” Agate (400)

• MC80 Star Cruiser (Liberty): Kyrsta Agate, Intel Officer, Caitken & Shollan, Engine Techs, Ion Cannon Batteries, XI7s, XX-9s

• Assault Frigate Mk II B (Gallant Haven): Ahsoka Tano, Flight Controllers, ECM

• GR-75 (Bright Hope): Toryn Farr

• GR-75: Hondo Ohnaka, Comms Net

• Squadrons (98): Fenn Rau, Jan Ors, Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 2× A-Wings

Louis-André St-Laurent – “Chocolate Sato” (391)

• Assault Frigate Mk II B (flag): Commander Sato, Skilled First Officer, Reinforced Blast Doors, Enhanced Armament

• Assault Frigate Mk II B: Ezra Bridger, Gunnery Team, RBD, Enhanced Armament

• Nebulon-B Support Refit (Salvation): Spinal Armament

• GR-75: Ahsoka Tano, Munitions Resupply

• GR-75: Hondo Ohnaka, Comms Net

• Squadrons (69): Han Solo, Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, Green Squadron

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Pre-Battle Assessment

Sato + Enhanced Armament AFs = a lot of dice AND dice fixing.

Those broadsides throw serious weight once the commander starts swapping in black hit/crits (spoiler alert: that actually happened, like a LOT). The “Satovation” Neb was the designated sniper, ready to turn single lucky rolls into triple-damage events.

Two AFs form the main gun line, Salvation hangs back, and the GR-75s keep tokens flowing.

But to make it work, LA needs a proper kill box and must feed in squadrons to trigger Sato’s ability — not easy, but absolutely doable for a player of his calibre.

My plan?

Keep mobile, trade Gallant Haven if needed, and pounce if he overextends. Basically, a repeat of my Round 2 approach: hold formation, let the squadrons earn their pay, and maybe—just maybe—pick off an AF or Salvation.

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Setup

LA had the bid (391 to my 400). 

Why this large bid? Because he forgot to add a GT to his flagship is why...

Anyway. Somewhat surprisingly, he chose to be Second player.

That threw me off; I expected another round with my Intel Sweep.

Of his objectives, Infested Fields looked the least painful. He’d get +15 points and control over rocks + space slugs, but I figured that wouldn’t matter much (spoiler alert: it didn't, so I was right on that count).

Setup/R1

We deployed for a circling match:

Liberty on the outer lane, lining up on Salvation, Gallant Haven cutting inside with Bright Hope nearby. My idea was to box his Neb or leading AF. His idea, apparently, was to punish my poor navigation. Guess which plan worked.

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Game On

Round 2

From Turn 2, the tone was set: my maneuvering was atrocious. 

Gallant Haven sped up too early and parked in front of Liberty — the naval equivalent of tripping over your own shoelaces. Meanwhile, Liberty was flown far too cautiously, creeping along and never quite finding the angle. Total 2nd player mentality there.

Round 3

Result: no kill box, no coordinated fire, just scattered potshots and self-rams.

What I should have done: shove the AF forward to command six squadrons, jam his line, and fork targets with Liberty.

What I did: protect Liberty like it was glass, then watched the AF get shredded for my trouble.

Round 4

LA, on the other hand, played it cool. He maintained formation, used Sato flawlessly, and rolled absurdly good dice — double after double after double. Sure, the math was on his side with Sato + CFs, but still… statistically illegal levels of spice.

Note to self: talk to whoever coded the Vassal dice roller (me). Clearly biased (at least I should make the dice favor ME).

My dice? Let’s call them “average with attitude.” The ships rarely had ideal shots, so that part I can't complain too much about, but my squadrons’ rolls were hot garbage. We're talking more blanks than hits on black dice (and the rare black hit being evaded successfully), no hits on 4 blues + Toryn, that sort of thing.

But the truth is, the dice didn’t decide this one — piloting did. LA flew a tight, efficient game. I flew like a man who’d forgotten he was the first player (or rather, forgotten everything about Amrada).

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The End

Eventually, the AF paid the price, dying to a wall of red dice and a couple of unfortunate self-rams.

Both flotillas went down soon after — they were supposed to be blockers, but with the rest of the fleet out of position, they were set up for sacrifice without any payoff.

I did get some return fire in:

• Salvation exploded spectacularly (Ion Cannon Batteries actually did something!),

• Both Han Solo and Green Squadron were downed by my fighters.

End of game

He collected three Infested Fields tokens; I grabbed two. As it should be.

When the dust settled: 189–133, a 6-5 win for LA.

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After-Action Thoughts

Honestly, this was a fair result. LA flew better and deserved the win.

I handed him positioning control on a silver platter by playing far too cautiously. The Liberty lived comfortably — proof that Kyrsta Agate is still a beast — but the rest of the fleet paid the price.

A few lessons from this humbling experience:

• Don’t fly first-player fleets like second-player fleets.

• Don’t park your AF in front of your flagship.

• When you've had a pretty long break from the game, read the damn cards beforehand, don't rely on your memory!

Despite the sloppy movement, my squadron play was solid (for once, I didn’t overlap a single friendly!), and Ion Cannon Batteries finally earned their keep.

If you’re wondering why LA didn’t score higher — well, he didn’t kill Liberty. You can’t start trying to crack an Agate MC80 on Turn 5 and expect results. If he wanted a big win, he needed to be more aggressive. 

Maybe he should have taken First player, maybe not. Hard to say. But his cool-headed play and relentless dice discipline made this a very enjoyable, if humbling, game.

So ends my streak. Still alive, still learning, and still reaching for that sweet, sweet Chocolate Heaven.

Good luck to LA in the final round!

Battle for Endor: Chocolate League, Round 2 — Droid Soup

 

After opening the Chocolate League with a roaring 10-1, I suddenly found myself at the top of the bracket, staring down the big bois.

Could Krushya “Liberty” Agate keep the streak going? Or would my Rebels get chewed apart by buzz droids and corporate bureaucracy?

Let’s find out.

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The Fleets

Bjørn Blom Sørgjerd (Green Knight) – Krushya “Liberty” Agate (400)

• MC80 Star Cruiser (Liberty): Kyrsta Agate, Intel Officer, Caitken & Shollan, Engine Techs, Ion Cannon Batteries, XI7s, XX-9s

• Assault Frigate Mk II B (Gallant Haven): Ahsoka Tano, Flight Controllers, ECM

• GR-75 (Bright Hope): Toryn Farr

• GR-75: Hondo Ohnaka, Comms Net

• Squadrons (98): Fenn Rau, Jan Ors, Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 2× A-Wings

Zac Cerwinske (Zacmanc) – “Two Ships is Plenty, Right?” (398)

• Providence-class Carrier (Invincible): Tikkes, Thermal Shields, EWS, Expanded Hangar Bay, External Racks, Leading Shots, DBY-827s

• Munificent Command Frigate (flag): General Grievous, San Hill, Flight Controllers, Boosted Comms, Thermal Shields, Linked Turbolaser Towers, Bomber Command Center

• Squadrons (133): 7 Vultures + 7 Hyena Bombers

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Pre-Battle Thoughts

This was not an easy matchup.

The Providence (Invincible) with Thermals + EWS isn’t truly unkillable—but it’s the kind of ship that eats entire fleets’ attention for breakfast. It would take my entire fleet two or three rounds to kill it, while Hyenas and Vultures pick the rest of my fleet apart. Not a great option.

The Munificent was the carrier and flagship, hiding behind Invincible and flinging commands through Boosted Comms.

Between San Hill and Flight Controllers, Zac could push twelve of fourteen droids per round if he wanted. Yikes.

The bombers throw double reds with Bomber Command Center rerolls.

The fighters bring AI + Swarm. With Flight Controllers that's 3 blue + 1 black or 2 blue + 2 black, with a reroll... TIE Defenders wish they could do this. Love it.

So, the plan:

• Play defensively,

• Survive the alpha,

• Grind down the droids, starting with the fragile Vultures,

• Keep the Hyenas tied up,

• Don’t get baited into chasing ships I can’t realistically kill.

• Trade the Potato for squadrons and objective points.

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Deployment and Opening Moves

Zac had the bid and went first (no surprise), choosing my Intel Sweep—the least bad of three evils, I suppose, but IMO it's quite an underrated objective.

Once again, my Assault Frigate took objective duty, though in this game, maybe Hondo would be the better choice. But I felt he would be too vulnerable to Hyena attack, so I went with the Potato.

Liberty lurked in the back, covering my flank.

Start r2

By Round 2, I faced a decision: keep slow-rolling Liberty into the Separatist guns or pull away.

I chose to disengage, and though it complicated positioning, it may have saved the ship. If Liberty had pressed forward, it would have faced double-arcs from both enemy ships and a full Hyena wave—certain death. Then it would be my flagship dead at the end of the game, not Gallant Haven, and that would have given a lot more points to Zac. I honestly can't tell if it was a huge misplay or a good choice. 

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The Swarm Descends

The squadron battle erupted in Round 3.

Zac led with a vicious strike—two Vulture activations, both perfect, deleting Tycho before he could do anything worthwhile.

He wisely avoided Shara, not wanting to feed her counter dice, and turned instead on Fenn Rau, but between Jan Ors and Gallant Haven, the stoic Mandalorian shrugged it off.

It was a brutal start, but once my flak, Flight Controllers, Toryn Farr, and counter synergy spun up, the tide began to turn.

Fenn and Jan held the line, while my A-wings darted around and tied down the remaining Hyenas.

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The Potato that Wouldn’t Die

While the squadrons fought, my Gallant Haven gathered Intel Sweep tokens, commanding squadrons and flakking all the while.

Zac’s bombers finally broke through after Fenn was overlapped by Gallant Haven herself—creating a small but costly gap in my fighter screen.

That allowed a handful of Hyenas to dive in and bomb. But he could only put 3 of 7 Hyenas on target for various reasons, range, engagement, etc., so the ship weathered the storm.

Then came the moment of terror: Invincible opened fire at close range.

All the doubles. Then he rerolled a double evade discard into another pair of doubles. The dice were on absolute fire.

But ECM kept me alive on one hull. Even with a Structural Damage.

Potato in trouble

Somehow, Gallant Haven hung around, surviving another impressive volley from the Munificent by discarding its last defense tokens. I died the turn after, but not before collecting all three Intel tokens, in addition to pushing squad commands and shooting droids out of the sky. Definite MVP.

There was even a comic moment when Bright Hope had no choice but to block the Providence, eating a front arc but—thanks to no accuracy—surviving with a shrug. Classic flotilla nonsense.

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Endgame

By Turn 6, every single Vulture and Hyena was scrap metal.

End state

My losses: Gallant Haven, Tycho, and one A-wing.

I never fired a meaningful shot at his ships, but that wasn’t the mission this time.

Final tally:

• 133 pts for destroyed squadrons

• + 75 pts for Intel Sweep

• Lost Gallant Haven + Tycho + A-wing (93 pts)

Result: 7-4 Win

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Post-Battle Reflections

This one felt earned.

I played cautiously—maybe too cautiously at times—but the fleet did exactly what it was designed to: weather the alpha, counter-punch, and keep the rest of the fleet intact.

A few notes:

• The squadron group finally shone. Fenn Rau + Jan Ors + Gallant Haven is a tough trio to crack, and speed 5 A-wings with FC and Counter feels really nice, especially with Toryn nearby.

• Losing Tycho early hurt, but the rest of the A-wings made up for it.

• The Liberty never fired in anger (other than a round of flak and ineffectually commanding SHare a couple of times), and in hindsight my round 2 course change feels like a misplay, yet I cannot shake the feeling that if it had NOT disengaged, Liberty, not Gallent Haven, would have died, and the score would be very different at the end of the game.

Props to Zac for fielding such a creative, thematic CIS list. The Grievous + San Hill combo is spicy, and the new ARC Munificent is a fantastic carrier option with the BCC.

Two rounds to go, and Liberty remains flying.

Onward!

Battle for Endor: Chocolate League, Round 1 — Sweet Victory

First game of the Chocolate League — and what a way to kick things off!

After a week of feeling under the weather, it was nice to get back on the virtual table again. Huge thanks to Zog (Andrew Preyer) for staying up late to play; our nine-hour time difference made scheduling a bit of a puzzle, but we made it work.

And yes, the result: 10-1 win, 475–98 (MoV 377).

But don’t let the numbers fool you — this wasn’t an easy stroll through the park.

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The Setup

Zog had the bid (399 to my 400) and took first player, choosing my Intel Sweep. 

Probably the right choice on both counts. Though I must say, I feel Intel Sweep is somewhat underrated these days.

Anyway. That told me what kind of game we were going to have: fast, direct, and bloody.

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Zog’s Fleet — “Romodi Drone Strike” (399 pts)

• Gladiator II (Insidious): Romodi, Minister Tua, Ordnance Experts, Engine Techs, Rapid Reload, ECM

• Gladiator II (Demolisher): Kallus, Ordnance Experts, Engine Techs, Flechette Torpedoes

• Gozanti Assault Carriers: Munitions Resupply

• Gozanti Assault Carriers: Munitions Resupply

• Squadrons (133): Darth Vader (TIE/D), Morna Kee, Boba Fett, Tel Trevura, VT-49 Decimator, Firespray-31

A potent mix of flak-happy Gladiator IIs backing up a brutal 133-point rogue ball: let the rogues bomb everything into dust while the GSDs keep the skies clear and pick off anything that dares to come close.

General Romodi commanded from an Insidious loaded to the gills, with Demolisher prowling nearby like a predator. Add in Vader, Morna, Boba, a Decimator, a Firespray, and Tel Trevura, and you’ve got a squad ball that can eat most ships alive.

Zog said the list was “crowd-funded” — a community effort of sorts — but don't let that fool you: that rogue ball can eat anything, and fast.

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My Fleet — “Krushya Liberty” (400 pts)

• MC80 Star Cruiser (Liberty): Kyrsta Agate, Intel Officer, Caitken & Shollan, Engine Techs, Ion Cannon Batteries, XI7, XX-9

• Assault Frigate Mk II B (Gallant Haven): Ahsoka Tano, Flight Controllers, ECM

• GR-75 (Bright Hope): Toryn Farr

• GR-75: Hondo Ohnaka, Comms Net

• Squadrons (98): Fenn Rau, Jan Ors, Shara Bey, Tycho Celchu, 2× A-Wing Squadrons

Between Gallant Haven, Jan Ors, and Fenn Rau, I’d hoped to keep my A-wings alive long enough to make a difference. But against that rogue death ball? Yeah, no — this was never going to be a “sit back and escort” kind of game.

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Deployment & Plan

Setup/R1

The Assault Frigate (the “potato”) went out as my Intel Sweep ship, circling the field to collect tokens while staying out of immediate danger.

Meanwhile, Liberty took the flank, ready to sweep up and around to put pressure on the enemy fleet, with the GR-75s offering token support and backup flak.

My general idea was simple:

1. Engage the rogues early, before they could pick targets freely.

2. Focus fire on whichever GSD presented itself first.

3. Pray that Liberty’s Agate defense stack could tank through the counterpunch.

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The Battle

Start R2

I made the first aggressive move in Round 2, throwing in my squadrons late in the round to tie some of Zog’s rogues and kill Morna Kee outright.

From there, the battlefield fractured.

He sent part of his squad ball after Liberty, while the rest hung back to protect his Gladiators.

Good news: fewer rogues to deal with at once.

Bad news: they were already bombing my flagship.

The key moment came in round 3 when Liberty lined up a medium-range shot on Demolisher — a beautiful salvo that almost finished the job.

Mid R3, Demo remains in place after ramming the Goz

If I’d had one more CF die or Spinal Armament instead of XX-9s, it would’ve been a clean kill. Instead, Demo limped away on one hull… only to die the following turn.

Mid R4, Demo is gone

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Endgame

Zog wasn’t done yet.

His Insidious, supported by a VT-49 Decimator and Vader, made a fierce push on Liberty (even getting an Insidious butt-shot at medium range), hoping to finish her off before she could escape.

Start R6

But the math caught up with him — every point of hull he risked brought him closer to a tabling.

And in the end, that’s exactly what happened.

Insidious went down, securing the table, and I claimed three Intel tokens to his none.

End state

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Final Score

475–98 (MoV 377) — 10-1 Win

• 400 from the table

• 75 from Intel Sweep

• Lost all my squadrons (98 points), as expected

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After-Action Thoughts

This was one of those games that looks lopsided in the results but was much closer in feel.

My Liberty barely held together; if she’d gone down, it could easily have been a 6-5 the other way.

• Gallant Haven and Toryn Farr didn’t pull their weight this time — not their fault, just not the kind of battle where they shine.

• Ion Cannon Batteries + XX-9 turned out to be redundant (and the one time Ion Cannon could have mattered, I forgot to trigger it…).

• XX-9 alone was solid, but with no Dodonna, I’d much rather have TRCs or Spinals next time.

My squadrons performed decently. I knew they were on borrowed time against that many rogues, and they bought me what I needed: time and breathing room. Tycho should have lived longer (user error), but the rest did their jobs.

Zog’s squad play was very good — losing Morna early hurt, but she absorbed my entire alpha strike, so arguably a fair trade. 

And his use of the Gladiators was clever; Romodi + GSDs isn’t a combo you see often, but it definitely has legs.

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Closing Thoughts

A great opening round. The fleet felt fun — not flawless, but fun — and that’s what the Chocolate League is all about.

Next up: Round 2.

Let’s see if Liberty can stay sweet, or if she’s about to melt under pressure.

Battle for Endor: Chocolate League, The Sweetest Bracket

 

Welcome to the Chocolate League!

After a short break — brought to you by illness, fatigue, and the occasional life event — we’re back.
Sorry for the radio silence! But honestly, the timing wasn’t too bad: I’d just wrapped up The Squadron Files and, having been decisively yeeted out of my Battle for Endor POD, there wasn’t much more to say until the next phase began anyway.

For the uninitiated: when the Endor POD phase wraps up, the top three from each POD go to Gold, the next three to Silver, and everyone else — plus any new arrivals — gets to play in the gloriously informal Chocolate League. 

Think of it as the afterparty. The vibes are good, the stakes are low, and the fleets get weird. Exactly my kind of bracket.

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Fleet Time: Krushya “Liberty” Agate

I could have gone wild and used some Legacy Wave 0 content (the Chocolate League allows it), but none of the Legacy options quite clicked for what I wanted. Another time.

So I went back to an old favorite: the Liberty + Potato + medium squads combo.

I’ve been trying to make this concept work for… I don’t even know how long. Years, plural. I’ve even taken variants of it to live tournaments. It’s never bad — but it’s never quite there, either. Maybe this will be the time it finally sings. Or crashes. Either way, blog content!

I downgraded the BC to an SC to bring Gallant Haven and took the actual Liberty title with Fenn Rau, for some hypothetical synergy between Fenn, Jan, and GH. But the real goal here is oc to activate Fenn with a squad token from Liberty. If that happens even once, the list is the moral winner of this show.

I then kind of ran out of points, so the Linberty has this weird Ion Battery + XI7 + XX-9 combo that looks kind of fun on paper but probably won't be. However, I've never tried it before, so this is the perfect opportunity to prove that this combo should not be on the table.

Name: Krushya "Liberty" Agate

Faction: Rebels

Commander: Kyrsta Agate

Version: ARC01

Assault: [REDACTED]

Defense: [REDACTED]

Navigation: [REDACTED]

MC80 Star Cruiser (96)

• Kyrsta Agate (25)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Caitken and Shollan (6)

• Engine Techs (8)

• Ion Cannon Batteries (5)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• XX-9 Turbolasers (2)

• Liberty (3)

= 158 Points

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)

• Ahsoka Tano (2)

• Flight Controllers (6)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• Gallant Haven (8)

= 95 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Toryn Farr (7)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 27 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

• Comms Net (2)

= 22 Points

Squadrons:

• Fenn Rau (24)

• Jan Ors (19)

• Shara Bey (17)

• Tycho Celchu (16)

• 2 x A-Wing Squadron (11)

= 98 Points

Total Points: 400

Next Up

The first Chocolate League match is coming soon. I’ll post a full after-action report once it’s done (expect the usual screenshots and battle summary).

For now, I’m just happy to be back at the keyboard — and back in the game.

Battle for Endor 2025 – POD Round 3

Yesterday I sat down for my third POD game in the Battle for Endor 2025 online tournament, squaring off against Daniel (Smizzy). We logged into TTS and, as always, I was looking forward to seeing how my fleet would hold up. A fun surprise: turns out Daniel will also be at Stirling on October 25th for the Scottish Championship. Small galaxy!

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The Fleets

It’s a lean 400 points, built around an Onager Testbed with Vader, Intel Officer, Varnillian, Veteran Gunners, XI7s and OBPCs. The Cymoon is its running mate, packing Intensify Firepower, Spinals, XI7s and Devastator. Two Gozantis and a pair of TIE Fighters round things out.

Bjørn Blom Sørgjerd (Green Knight)

Somehow, Vader Returned with an Onager – Empire, Darth Vader

• Onager Testbed w/ Vader, Intel Officer, Varnillian, Vet Gunners, XI7s, OBPCs

• ISD Cymoon I w/ Intel Officer, Gunnery Team, IF!, Spinals, XI7s, Devastator

• 2x Gozantis (Hondo + Comms Net)

• 2x TIE Fighters
  = 400 pts

At first glance, it looks harmless: an Assault Frigate, a CR90B, and a Hammerhead. But then you clock the squadron ball – Luke, Lando, Shara, Tycho, Gold, Green, and a couple of Scurrgs – and realize where the real teeth are. Add in Dodonna for extra spice, and it’s a nasty, bomber-centric toolbox.

Daniel (Smizzy)
Endor Fleet – Rebels, General Dodonna

• AFII-B w/ Dodonna, Raymus, Flight Controllers, Expanded Hangar, ECM, XX-9s

• CR90B w/ SW-7s, Dodonna’s Pride

• HH Torp w/ ExRacks, Garel’s Honor

• 2x GR-75s (Ahsoka + Comms Net / BCC + Bright Hope)

• Gold, Green, Luke, Lando, Shara, Tycho, 2x Scurrgs
  = 394 pts

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The Matchup

Daniel had the bid and wisely chose first player. He went with Most Wanted. I marked my Hondo Gozanti and his flagship Assault Frigate. Pretty standard. Last round this exact objective had handed me a comfortable win, so I was quietly optimistic.

That optimism didn’t last long.

This was the third game in a row where I ended up second player. My list can live with that role, but in truth it wants to be first. Two long-range bruisers work best when they can punch something off the board before it answers back. But I’d already accepted that risk by going in at 400 points clean. No bid is part of my Armada philosophy: I’d rather build the exact list I want than play the cut-throat bid game. That choice has consequences, and this game underlined them.

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The Early Game

Setup, stupid Onager pointing straight up lol

Setup, Rebel perspective

The real trouble started in deployment. I had a plan in mind, something like what I’d done in POD round 2, but when I put my ships down, it ended up looking more like round 1 – the game where I’d learned some hard lessons. Instead of angling the Onager to cover the edge of the board, I told myself it would be “fine” pointing it straight. It wasn’t fine. Just like in my game vs Spike, this left a wide path for Daniel to creep around and force me into awkward pivots.

Start r2, fine - for now, but note the angle of the Onager and the rock

By round 2, I’d already spent my pass token. Unlike my previous opponent, Daniel had kept his ships tight to one side while spreading them out enough that I couldn’t meaningfully threaten multiple targets at once. It was really well done – a subtle but very effective deployment. Meanwhile, my Cymoon had nothing to shoot at. That was survivable for now, but it foreshadowed the problems to come.

I felt I had no choice but to push the Onager forward. Hanging back would have ceded too much space, and I needed to force some pressure onto his ships. For a moment it looked like it might pay off: I forked his flagship Assault Frigate and Dodonna’s Pride. The threat was real.

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The Decisive Moment

Start r3, pressure is on by Cymoon is on the back foot

Round 3 was the hinge. The Onager had a shot at the Assault Frigate – extreme range, obstructed behind a rock, but still a solid swing with Vader and all the toys. I landed a structural, but crucially the AF held onto its defense tokens. That single fact changed the whole flow of the game. If the AF had lost its tokens, it would have been doomed. With tokens intact, it could shrug and live to fight another turn.

Start r4, I could keep the Cymoon on target, but it is pointless since AF has all tokens

From that point the script flipped. My plan depended on the Onager punching through and escaping – possible, since Daniel didn’t have long-range squadron control. But “possible” was always a stretch. Once Dodonna’s bombers closed, it became impossible. The crits rolled in, including the brutal “you can’t ready defense tokens.” That was a death sentence.

R5, side is obstructed and AF has all tokens, so it's safe

The follow-up plan had been for the Cymoon to finish off the crippled AF. But of course, it wasn’t crippled. And with the Onager dying and terrain (damn you, space rocks!) complicating the angle, the Cymoon’s shots never lined up. I chose to disengage rather than feed more points into the grinder.

By the time it ended, Daniel had claimed the Onager and my Most Wanted flotilla. 243 plus 23, nothing in return.

We called it here

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Reflections

On paper it looks terrible: I killed nothing, lost big, 9–2, MOV 266. But in practice it didn’t feel that way. This wasn’t a rout, nor a dice-driven disaster. Dice were average to decent both ways. It was about small mistakes compounding into bigger ones, while Daniel played a very clean, disciplined game.

His deployment was excellent. His ships stayed spread but cohesive, avoiding overcommitment. His squadron game was efficient, striking where it hurt but never overextending (extra points for efficiently commanding squads without a single Boosted Comms). And when the moment came to disengage, he did it, pocketing the win without chasing for greedy points. That’s good Armada.

For my part, splitting the Onager and Cymoon was fatal. Those two ships need to act in concert, or else one ends up stranded. That happened here. It’s the sort of game you lose, but walk away thinking “yes, that was earned.” And in its own way, that’s satisfying.

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The Standings

With the win, Daniel climbs to 21 TP and is very much in the hunt for Gold League. I wish him luck – show the galaxy Dodonna still has bite!

I sit at 14 TP after three rounds. That locks me into the bottom half and likely into Chocolate League, which, if I’m honest, is exactly what I predicted (and maybe even wanted). I had a moment’s dream of Silver or even Gold, but reality has a way of reasserting itself.

The next question is what I bring to the table in Chocolate. Do I keep running Somehow, Vader Returned? Do I tweak it, reflecting the lessons learned here? Or do I take advantage of the Chocolate perk and try something wild with Legacy Wave 0?

Stay tuned. We’ll find out together.

Battle for Endor 2025 – Round 3 Pre-battle analysis

Opponent Overview

Daniel (“Smizzy”) brings his unique take on a classic Dodonna bomber fleet — an Assault Frigate carrier, light ship support, and a mean squadron wing. At first glance, the ships don’t look scary: one AFII-B “potato,” a CR90B, a Hammerhead, and two flotillas. But once you look past the hulls, it’s clear the squadrons are the real hammer.

Squadrons: Luke, Lando, Shara, Tycho, Green, Gold, plus two Scurrgs. That’s a mix of durable aces, nasty anti-ship punch, and enough cover to tie down enemy fighters. Flight Controllers + Expanded Hangar + BCC makes the ball hit hard and accurately.

Ships:

• AFII-B (Dodonna flagship): Carrier build with ECMs and XX-9s. It’s the anchor, and if it survives, his fleet still functions.

• CR90B Dodonna’s Pride: Crit delivery platform, synergizing perfectly with Dodonna.

• HH Garel’s Honor: Suicide ram threat.

• 2x GR-75: Classic support — Comms/Ahsoka for token shenanigans and BCC/Bright Hope for bomber reliability.

Threat Assessment

• Primary Threat: The squadron wing. Left unchecked, it will chew through medium ships by turn 3–4.

• Secondary Threats:

  • Dodonna’s Pride can punish with crits if it sneaks into range. It has SW7s if pure damage is preferable. Cunning.

  • Garel’s Honor is a credible ram that forces positional respect.

  • The potato itself doesn’t kill quickly, but it’s a solid carrier with defensive tech, and if it strips your shields, those XX-9 are nasty af with Dodonna.

Match Context

We both need a big win (9-2 or better) to have a long shot at Gold. Playing safe for a 6-5 or 7-4 almost guarantees Silver/Chocolate. That means both players must gamble, but in different ways:

• Daniel has to press his squadron advantage and get damage rolling early. If his bombers don’t land, he probably won’t table me fast enough.

• I need to crack ships quickly before the bomber ball reaches full efficiency.

Win Conditions

• For him: Use squadrons efficiently, avoid my ships, and let bombers grind me down.

• For me: Push through the squadrons, and either kill the small ships, then collapse on the AFII, or take out the AF directly. Unfortunately, he has three combat ships (again quite cunning), so tabling is quite difficult for me to achieve.

Strategic Dilemma

This game is about risk calibration:

• Too much aggression → I get eaten by squads by turn 3.

• Too much caution → I don’t score enough points for advancement.

• Somewhere in the middle lies the path to an 8-3 or better.

My Takeaway

I stand by my initial impression: the squads are the greater threat. The ships synergize with Dodonna, sure, but if they shoot me, I’m shooting them back. Squadrons don’t play by that rule — they bomb, and they keep scoring while the ships hide.

But — and this is the key — if Daniel relies only on squadrons, he can’t realistically hit the 9-2/10-1 win he needs. This is basically what Spike did in the first match. He expertly disengaged his ships to avoid losses, but in doing so, he let me farm the station AND never threatened more than one of my capital ships. For a very modest 7-4 win.

So this will likely come down to how aggressively each of us pushes ships forward, and whether the squadrons arrive in time to swing it.

Whatever happens, it should be a fun, pew-pew filled game.