Fleet Dossier: Ki-Adi-Mundi "The Black Dice of Disappointment"

I need to remake this Fleet Dossier.

Turns out I hadn’t actually read the fine print—more like I glanced at the card, got excited, and then let my imagination do the rest. A very astute Reddit reader pointed out the mistake almost immediately, and I took the post down rather than let bad rules information sit out there.

Here’s the issue: Ki-Adi-Mundi’s timing is extremely specific. His effect happens immediately after you roll your attack dice—same timing window as something like Intel Officer. That matters, because it means you don’t get to do the “add dice first, then copy that die color with Ki-Adi” trick I was building around. You can’t use Thunder Wasp, Swivel-Mount Batteries, or similar “add a die” effects before Ki-Adi triggers. Those dice-adders happen later, and Ki-Adi is already done.

So my original dream of “multiple ships throwing three black dice at long range with rerolls” simply doesn’t work. At best, you’re still throwing the two blacks that a lot of builds can already reach at long range, and Ki-Adi gives you a bonus die of a color already in the pool—appropriate to what you actually rolled at that range. That’s… significantly less spicy than I thought, and honestly a bit disappointing. But it also neatly explains why I haven’t seen other people pushing the same gimmick: because it isn’t a gimmick. It’s a misunderstanding.

More broadly, this is a perfect example of how easy it is to let assumptions take the wheel in Armada. We’ve all done it—looked at a card once, mentally played it out, and only later noticed that one little timing word makes the whole thing behave differently. (Overload Pulse, anyone? Or said Intel Officer timing debates from back in the day?) If nothing else, this has permanently reinforced one lesson for me: read the card, and read the timing twice 😅

With that correction out of the way: the fleets below still work. They just don’t do the absurd KAM magic trick I originally described. Which, TBH, takes them from potentially interesting to rather meh IMO.

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400 Points: KAM All-Ship (Squadless)

Name: KAM All-Ship 400
Faction: Republic
Commander: Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy]

Assault: Opening Salvo
Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility
Navigation: Volatile Deposits

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy] (30)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
= 124 Points

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Implacable (4)
= 98 Points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser [ARC] (52)
• Clone Captain Zak (5)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Clone Gunners (4)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thunder Wasp [Legacy] (3)
= 70 Points

Pelta-class Transport Frigate (45)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Munitions Resupply (3)
= 54 Points

Pelta-class Transport Frigate (45)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Parts Resupply (3)
= 54 Points

Squadrons:
= 0 Points

Total Points: 400

What it’s trying to do

This list is a focus-fire engine. It wants one decisive turn where multiple ships line up, spend what they need to spend, and erase something important—ideally before your opponent can start trading effectively into your support.

If the opponent obliges you (slow bricks, low evades, predictable approach angles), it can feel absolutely miserable to face. You can stack long-range pressure and then cash in hard when the first ship drifts into the danger zone.

Why it might not be particularly competitive

The downside is equally obvious: it’s a bit of a one-trick pony. Not in the sense that it can’t win games—more in the sense that it’s built to do one particular thing extremely well, and some opponents can simply refuse to play that game. Highly mobile, evasive fleets can angle you and deny the clean focus-fire. Squadron-heavy fleets can punish you for going squadless.

That said… I could absolutely take this to a friendly basement game and have a good time.

Tweaks

There isn’t much room here without fundamentally turning it into “KAM MSU,” which is exactly what I’m trying to avoid.

• Implacable is technically optional, but with Projection Experts, it’s hard to cut.

• You can run double Parts Resupply instead of Munitions + Parts. But with the Veteran Captains already in the mix, I like having more reroll tech.

• Beyond that, you’re basically rewriting the concept.

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600 Points: More of the same

If the 400-point list is “one trick,” the 600-point version is “the same trick, but with more hands.”

Name: KAM All-Ship 600
Faction: Republic
Gamemode: Sector Fleet
Commander: Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy]

Assault: Opening Salvo
Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility
Navigation: Volatile Deposits

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy] (30)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
= 124 Points

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Implacable (4)
= 98 Points

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
= 94 Points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser [ARC] (52)
• Clone Captain Zak (5)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Clone Gunners (4)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thunder Wasp [Legacy] (3)
= 70 Points

Arquitens-class Assault Cruiser [Legacy] (48)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Boarding Troopers (3)
• External Racks (4)
• Stellar Rise [Legacy] (2)
= 59 Points

Pelta-class Transport Frigate (45)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Munitions Resupply (3)
= 56 Points

Pelta-class Transport Frigate (45)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Parts Resupply (3)
= 56 Points

Consular-class Armed Cruiser (37)
• Hondo Ohnaka (2)
• External Racks (4)
= 43 Points

Squadrons:
= 0 Points

Total Points: 600

This version adds more bodies, more pressure, and a couple of close-range “don’t come here” pieces (Boarding Troopers, External Racks). It’s still fundamentally the same archetype: build the focus-fire turn, then ride your hull count and repair tools to stay ahead in the trade.

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600 Alt: Defense token shredding (Imperator + Intel)

If you want to lean into the “delete the thing” plan even harder, here’s the Imperator + Intel Officer variant:

Name: KAM All-Ship 600 Alt
Faction: Republic
Gamemode: Sector Fleet
Commander: Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy]

Assault: Opening Salvo
Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility
Navigation: Volatile Deposits

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy] (30)
• Intel Officer (7)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
= 129 Points

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Intel Officer (7)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Implacable (4)
= 103 Points

Venator Star Destroyer Imperator Refit [ARC] (100)
• Intel Officer (7)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
• External Racks (4)
• Tranquility (7)
= 131 Points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser [ARC] (52)
• Clone Captain Zak (5)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Clone Gunners (4)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thunder Wasp [Legacy] (3)
= 70 Points

Arquitens-class Assault Cruiser [Legacy] (48)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Boarding Troopers (3)
• External Racks (4)
• Stellar Rise [Legacy] (2)
= 59 Points

Pelta-class Transport Frigate (45)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Munitions Resupply (3)
= 54 Points

Pelta-class Transport Frigate (45)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Parts Resupply (3)
= 54 Points

Squadrons:
= 0 Points

Total Points: 600

This one is very much the “no, really, you don’t get to spend tokens” direction. If the base list is focused, this is the sharpened knife.

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600 Not-Quite-All-Ship: add a real ace screen

I’m including one “softer” variant as well, because I’m personally uneasy about going completely squadless—especially as points go up and the matchup spread gets wider.

Name: KAM Not-Quite-All-Ship 600
Faction: Republic
Gamemode: Sector Fleet
Commander: Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy]

Assault: Opening Salvo
Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility
Navigation: Volatile Deposits

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Ki-Adi-Mundi [Legacy] (30)
• Intel Officer (7)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
= 129 Points

Acclamator II-class Assault Ship (71)
• Intel Officer (7)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Swivel-Mount Batteries (8)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Implacable (4)
= 103 Points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser [ARC] (52)
• Clone Captain Zak (5)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Clone Gunners (4)
• Thunder Wasp [Legacy] (3)
= 70 Points

Arquitens-class Assault Cruiser [Legacy] (48)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Boarding Troopers (3)
• External Racks (4)
• Stellar Rise [Legacy] (2)
= 59 Points

Pelta-class Medical Frigate (49)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Munitions Resupply (3)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
• FB-88 (4)
= 69 Points

Pelta-class Transport Frigate (45)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Parts Resupply (3)
= 56 Points

Consular-class Armed Cruiser (37)
• Radiant VII (1)
• Comms Net (2)
= 40 Points

Squadrons:
• Anakin Skywalker - Delta-7 (24)
• Axe - V-19 (17)
• Kickback - V-19 (16)
• R2-D2 - Twilight [Legacy] (17)
= 74 Points

Total Points: 600

This keeps the core ship plan, but it stops you from auto-losing the “air war” in matchups where that matters. It’s also just… more thematic, at least to me.

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Closing thoughts (and questions)

So where does that leave Ki-Adi-Mundi?

On paper, adding dice is always good, and GAR in particular could use such a commander. But Ki-Adi sits in an awkward spot: he’s 30 points, he self-harms by handing out raid tokens, and those raids can be more than a minor annoyance—they can actively eat into your token economy. On top of that, he’s not just “soft countered” by certain enemy tech—he can be pretty hard countered by a couple of CIS admirals in particular, which is not where you want to be if you’re paying 30 points for your commander.

My current feeling is that he’s still decent, but a lot less flexible than I originally gave him credit for. He pushes you toward being an MSU-style commander, especially something like Arquitens with TRC, where you’re taking lots of attacks and converting small edges into real damage. And in that exact archetype, he’s competing directly with Anakin… and I’m not convinced he wins that contest.

But that’s my impression before I’ve put enough reps into him (and before I even play him correctly).

So I’ll throw it back to you:

• Is Ki-Adi-Mundi actually worth 30 points in practice?

• How often do the raid tokens feel like a manageable tax, and how often do they feel like the commander punching you in the face?

• Does he have a real home outside of MSU/TRC Arquitens, or is that basically where he belongs?

• And if you’re building that kind of fleet anyway… why choose Ki-Adi over Anakin?

Up next: The final part of the Ship Files.

Fleet Dossier: Leia Nautilian Hammerheads

  

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. 🙂

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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.

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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.

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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?

Fleet Dossier: Trench Insatiable Hyenas

 

The idea here is to revisit a fleet I played against at Scottish Not-A-Regional—but updated with the new Insatiable [Legacy] title. We talked about Insatiable in a recent post, and this is exactly the kind of shell where I think it shines.

The ceiling is straightforward and disgusting: between Trench and San Hill, you can push four Hyenas with Insatiable in a single window. That’s potentially all your shields stripped. But if that sequence lets you delete a key ship, you happily pay the price.

Running the list is both simple and not.

Simple, because the core plan is: concentrate Hyenas into one problem at a time, while Patriot Fist shapes the fight—finishing wounded ships, bullying small fry, and generally making sure the opponent can’t just ignore the ship part of your fleet.

Not simple, because CIS squad lists like this live and die on token management, aura ranges, and activation timing. Also: generic Hyenas and Vultures are absurdly efficient and absurdly fragile. They reward reps and punish sloppy positioning. But Fleet Dossier isn’t the place for a tactics clinic, so let’s get to the list.

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Trench Insatiable Hyenas (391)

Name: Trench Insatiable Hyenas
Faction: Separatist
Commander: Admiral Trench

Assault: Precision Strike
Defense: Fighter Ambush
Navigation: Superior Positions

Recusant-class Support Destroyer (90)
• Admiral Trench (32)
• Rune Haako (4)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
• Patriot Fist (6)
= 147 Points

Hardcell-class Transport (47)
• Tikkes (2)
• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)
• Bomber Command Center (8)
• Foreman’s Labor (5)
= 65 Points

C-ROC Gozanti-class Cruisers {CIS} (24)
• San Hill (3)
= 27 Points

C-ROC Gozanti-class Cruisers {CIS} (24)
• Insatiable [Legacy] (3)
= 27 Points

Squadrons (125)
• Jango Fett - Slave I (22)
• Wat Tambor - Belbullab-22 (18)
• DBS-404 - Hyena (17)
• 4 x Hyena (44)
• 3 x Vulture (24)
= 125 Points

Total Points: 391

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9 points is a lot — what to do with it?

A 9-point bid is… chunky. This list does benefit from some initiative control, but if you’re not playing the full “bid chess” game, you might as well go to 400 and buy more power.

Those 9 points can go in three directions:

1) More squadrons (up to 134).
You’re at 125, so you have room. You could push from 10 squads (5 drops) to 12 squads (6 drops) if you’re willing to go more generic. I’d keep Jango regardless—he’s doing real work against enemy aces. DBS-404 also feels “right” if you’re leaning into Insatiable.

If you want one neat upgrade: swapping a Vulture into DIS-T81 gives you a long-range control piece. Just don’t pretend it magically solves the anti-squad problem by itself.

2) Upgrade polish.
Patriot Fist can absolutely roll cold; it doesn’t have built-in dice fixing. Dual Turbolaser Turrets are a cheap consistency nudge. TRC is stronger but starts asking uncomfortable questions about points density on a ship that is still, at heart, a carrier Recusant.

3) Move Trench.
Putting Trench on the Hardcell spreads your points and reduces the “shoot the Recusant and the fleet falls apart” pressure. If you do that, Expert Shield Tech is a clean add—Trench likes being able to leverage that extra bit of shield discipline.

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My casual 400-point version

If I were running this at 400 into friends / casual online games, I’d do this:

Name: Trench Insatiable Hyenas 400
Faction: Separatist
Commander: Admiral Trench

Assault: Precision Strike
Defense: Fighter Ambush
Navigation: Superior Positions

Hardcell-class Transport (47)
• Admiral Trench (32)
• Tikkes (2)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)
• Bomber Command Center (8)
• Foreman’s Labor (5)
= 102 Points

Recusant-class Support Destroyer (90)
• Rune Haako (4)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
• Dual Turbolaser Turrets (4)
• Patriot Fist (6)
= 119 Points

C-ROC Gozanti-class Cruisers {CIS} (24)
• San Hill (3)
= 27 Points

C-ROC Gozanti-class Cruisers {CIS} (24)
• Insatiable [Legacy] (3)
= 27 Points

Squadrons (125)
• Jango Fett - Slave I (22)
• Wat Tambor - Belbullab-22 (18)
• DBS-404 - Hyena (17)
• 4 x Hyena (44)
• 3 x Vulture (24)
= 125 Points

Total Points: 400

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600-point version

This is a Sector Fleet build, so it’s 25% squadrons max (150). Locally, you might also enforce something like 1 ace per 150 to keep it grounded—feel free to ignore that if your group doesn’t care.

We’re also not chasing “competitive” at 600. That format isn’t really where bid/initiative theory lives. But we can still build efficiently and keep the archetype intact.

Name: Trench Insatiable Hyenas 600
Faction: Separatist
Gamemode: Sector Fleet
Commander: Admiral Trench

Assault: Precision Strike
Defense: Fighter Ambush
Navigation: Superior Positions

Hardcell-class Transport (47)
• Admiral Trench (32)
• Tikkes (2)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)
• Bomber Command Center (8)
• Foreman’s Labor (5)
= 102 Points

Recusant-class Support Destroyer (90)
• Rune Haako (4)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)
• Patriot Fist (6)
= 122 Points

Munificent-class Star Frigate (73)
• Veteran Captain (2)
• Projection Experts (6)
• Thermal Shields (5)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
• Point Defense Ion Cannons (6)
• Sa Nalaor (5)
= 104 Points

Pinnace-class Corvette [Legacy] (43)
• Shu Mai (4)
• Heavy Ion Emplacements (9)
• Heavy Fire Zone (2)
• Koklivex [Legacy] (3)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
= 64 Points

C-ROC Gozanti-class Cruisers {CIS} (24)
• TI-99 (4)
= 28 Points

C-ROC Gozanti-class Cruisers {CIS} (24)
• San Hill (3)
• Insatiable [Legacy] (3)
= 30 Points

Squadrons (150)
• Jango Fett - Slave I (22)
• Wat Tambor - Belbullab-22 (18)
• DIS-T81 - Droid Tri-Fighter (17)
• DBS-404 - Hyena (17)
• 4 x Hyena (44)
• 4 x Vulture (32)
= 150 Points

Total Points: 600

Added: a Star Frigate, a Pinnace, plus the Tri-fighter ace and another generic Vulture.
Patriot Fist gets TRC. You could go LTT if you think flak matters more, but between red flak coverage and the LTT nerf, I’m not excited about paying for it here.

The Star Frigate is slow but reasonably tanky with Thermals + PDIC + Sa Nalaor. And honestly, any shot into that ship is a shot not going into something more important, so I’ll take it. Projection Experts helps the whole fleet, but I was specifically thinking about how this list wants to “buy time” for Insatiable turns.

Koklivex doing Heavy Ions + Heavy Fire Zone (two blue dice on a 43-point ship!) is probably too many eggs in one tiny basket… but come on. That combo is just cool.

San Hill moving onto Insatiable also frees room for TI-99, and we land at 600 on the dot. Works for me.

---

My take: Is the 391/400 competitively viable?

Yes, with caveats. The core engine is real: Trench + San Hill + big Hyena package + BCC is absolutely capable of deleting ships, and Insatiable adds a nasty “burst” lever.

The caveats:

• You’re very squad-centric and your squads are fragile, so you’re punished hard by strong opposing anti-squad plans and by mistakes.

• Your ship plan is basically “support the squad plan,” and if you lose the carrier posture too early, the list can feel like it collapses.

• Your objectives are aggressive and can pay off big, but also invite counterplay if the opponent knows how to deny your scoring while still trading efficiently.

So: viable, but it’s a list that rewards reps more than it rewards clever listbuilding.

And the 600 version? Looks extremely fun, and it does what a good sector-fleet “scaled archetype” should do: keep the core identity, add staying power, add side threats, and not pretend it’s a totally different list.

And that’s Trench Insatiable Hyenas—a list that’s brutally simple in concept, but rewards you hard for getting the timing and positioning right.

What would you do with the flex points at 400: tighten the ships, add more bodies, or keep a smaller bid? And if you’ve put Insatiable [Legacy] on the table already, I’d love to hear what you paired it with—and whether it overperformed, underperformed, or landed exactly where you expected.

Got a fleet concept you want to see in a future Fleet Dossier? Drop it in the comments.

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.

---

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: Listbuilding pt. 8 - POD lists Carolingian Empire (Western Europe)

Lists have been locked in and revealed. 

I hereby present my POD:

I must admit I don't know all of these players. I've been out of online Armada circulation for some time, and I was never that active on TTS to begin with. 

Faction breakdown:

• Empire: 4 (Vader, Sloane, Jerry, Screed)
• Rebel: 7 (Ackbar x2, Draven, Sato, Leia, Dodonna, Madine)
• CIS: 1 (Kraken)
• GAR: 0

That's right, no Republic fleets. So I guess the GARquitens and the Imperator don't really help the GAR make up for their perceived weaknesses. Can't say I blame people. While I love playing GAR in a campaign framework, I dislike how their ships lack maneuverability and have limited variety in the ship department, so it's not for me.

Good spread of commanders tho - only a single duplicate!

Anyway. Let's review the lists, discussing them briefly and considering how I think a potential matchup would work out for me.

James McCartney 

Ackbar AF with XI7 instead of Slaved with a single CR90 in support. Semi-rogue ball looks solid, with Slicers QS and  Adar BH, Toryn for extra AS. Extra annoyance points for a single VCX/Strategic. Ten-point bid, so betting heavily on playing own objectives, with the occasional first player, maybe?

While I don't feel you get enough from Ackbar here, that AF can deal significant damage to single targets. Still only 5 dice without a CF, which isn't that good. The list looks like it can give my list a run for its money, but how does it tackle Thermal Shields (this is a joke, btw, he's an add and there are NO Thermal in this POD) and Empire/CIS 134?

Name: Frustrated Gungan v2

Faction: Rebel

Commander: Admiral Ackbar

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)

• Admiral Ackbar (38)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Caitken and Shollan (6)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

= 136 Points

CR90 Corvette A (44)

• Ahsoka Tano (2)

• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

• Jaina's Light (5)

= 58 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Toryn Farr (7)

• Slicer Tools (7)

• Quantum Storm (1)

= 33 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Adar Tallon (10)

• Parts Resupply (3)

• Boosted Comms (4)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 37 Points

Squadrons:

• Lando Calrissian (24)

• Ketsu Onyo (22)

• Luke Skywalker (20)

• YT-2400 (16)

• Gold Squadron (12)

• Shara Bey (17)

• VCX-100 Freighter (15)

= 126 Points

Total Points: 390

Tora Samurai

Another Ackbar potato, but this one is built differently: the usual Slaved but with Gallant Haven. That's pretty interesting! With DCaps this one can output seven dice with CF on that key shot, which is much more impressive. With two TRC90 it has more sources of ship damage as well.

Semi-rogue ball with a slightly different composition. Pretty solid, but no supporting tech like Adar, Toryn, etc. The CR90s really don't like my Cymoon, and the potato likes neither the Onager nor the Cymoon (its nav chart makes it kind of predictable). Still, 3 Ackbar ships AND rogues --> potential trouble for me!

Name: Potat 100

Faction: Rebels

Commander: Admiral Ackbar

Version: ARC01

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)

• Admiral Ackbar (38)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Caitken and Shollan (6)

• Disposable Capacitors (3)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• Slaved Turrets (6)

• Gallant Haven (8)

= 147 Points

CR90 Corvette A (44)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

• Jaina's Light (5)

= 58 Points

CR90 Corvette A (44)

• Ezra Bridger (3)

• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

= 54 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Ahsoka Tano (2)

• Parts Resupply (3)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 25 Points

Squadrons:

• Lando Calrissian (24)

• Wedge Antilles (19)

• Jan Ors (19)

• Ketsu Onyo (22)

• 2 x YT-2400 (32)

= 116 Points

Total Points: 400

Daniel (Smizzy) 

Dodonna on a potato, with a single CR90B and a HH in support. That looks deceptively harmless! But when you look at that ball of bombers, you realize it's the squadrons, not the ships, that are the danger. Ouchy!

My only defense here is to kill all the ships... but to get there, I would have to brave the squadrons, and the 3rd ship makes tabling much harder. So, not that easy after all 😆

Name: Endor Fleet

Faction: Rebel

Commander: General Dodonna (20)

Assault Frigate Mark II B (72)

• General Dodonna (20)

• Raymus Antilles (7)

• Flight Controllers (6)

• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• XX-9 Turbolasers (2)

= 119 Points

CR90 Corvette B (39)

• SW-7 Ion Batteries (5)

• Dodonna's Pride (4)

= 48 Points

Hammerhead Torpedo Corvette (36)

• External Racks (4)

• Garel's Honor (4)

= 44 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Ahsoka Tano (2)

• Comms Net (2)

= 22 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Bomber Command Center (8)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 28 Points

Squadrons:

• Gold Squadron - Y-Wing Squadron (12)

• Green Squadron - A-wing Squadron (12)

• Lando Calrissian - Millennium Falcon (24)

• Luke Skywalker - X-wing Squadron (20)

• Shara Bey - A-wing Squadron (17)

• Tycho Celchu - A-wing Squadron (16)

• 2 x Scurrg H-6 Bomber (32)

= 133 Points

Total Points: 394

Nicolas Durand (Elred) 

This is a novel list, spamming Hardcells with Kraken and a Quarren Gunship to soften up the enemy. It has 7 activations, which is a plus. It can do a lot of damage to a single large target if the flying is good, but how does it deal with MSU or rogue balls? Not sure what to make of it.

Against my list, I would have to try to delete some of the small ones quickly to avoid getting swamped. Easier said than done.

RELEASE THE QUARREN

Hardcell Battle Refit (50 + 37: 87)

· Kraken (30)

· Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

Quarren Prototype Gunship (63 + 19: 82)

· Skilled First Officer (1)

· Disposable Capacitors (3)

· Advanced Projectors (6)

· Heavy Ion Emplacements (9)

Hardcell Battle Refit (50 + 7: 57)

· Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

Hardcell Battle Refit (50 + 7: 57)

· Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

Hardcell Battle Refit (50 + 7: 57)

· Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

Gozanti Cruisers (24 + 6: 30)

· High-Capacity Ion Turbines (6)

Gozanti Cruisers (24 + 6: 30)

· High-Capacity Ion Turbines (6) 

DaSWA 

Leia double potato (and flotillas) with the ubiquitous Boarding Troopers. Those guys are EVERYWHERE. The potatoes are solid enough, but not amazingly powerful. The squadron ball is decent, too; it has some good rogues and supporting tech. I think the key to this list is the interplay between ships and quads, because neither component is strong enough on its own.

This list could give me a run for my money unless I'm able to delete some ships early to cripple said ship-squad interplay.

Faction: Rebels

Commander: Leia Organa

Version: ARC01

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)

• Leia Organa (28)

• Defense Liason (3)

• Boarding Troopers (3)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• Dual Turbolaser Turrets (4)

= 117 Points

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)

• Defense Liason (3)

• Boarding Troopers (3)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• Dual Turbolaser Turrets (4)

• Gallant Haven (8)

= 97 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Toryn Farr (7)

• Munitions Resupply (3)

• Quantum Storm (1)

= 29 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Adar Tallon (10)

• Parts Resupply (3)

• Boosted Comms (4)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 37 Points

Squadrons:

• Corran Horn (22)

• Han Solo (24)

• Mart Mattin (22)

• YT-2400 (16)

• Ketsu Onyo (22)

• Gold Squadron (12)

= 118 Points

Total Points: 398

Mr Frisky 

Slippery Pigs... what an apt name. Catching twin CR90s and MC30s under Madine is HARD! Ships are decently hard-hitting, but they will need to maneuver very well, not only to stay alive but to deal concentrated fire upon enemy ships to bring them down. Squads are mostly for screening, but the A-wings do have speed 5 and black dice, so they cannot be discounted in the AS role.

This is a challenging list to catch for anyone, including my own fleet. If, and that's a big if, I can catch a ship, I can kill it, but yeah, that's the trick, isn't it?

Name: The Slippery Pigs

Faction: Rebel

Commander: General Madine (30)

CR90 Corvette A (44)

• General Madine (30)

• General Draven (3)

• Heavy Fire Zone (2)

• Jaina's Light (5)

= 84 Points

CR90 Corvette A (44)

• Ezra Bridger (3)

• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

= 54 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)

• Walex Blissex (5)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Rapid Reload (4)

• Heavy Turbolaser Turrets (4)

• Admonition (10)

= 90 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)

• Expert Shield Tech (5)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Rapid Reload (4)

• Heavy Turbolaser Turrets (4)

• Foresight (10)

= 90 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Ahsoka Tano (2)

• Parts Resupply (3)

• Quantum Storm (1)

= 24 Points

Squadrons:

• Rogue Squadron - X-wing Squadron (14)

• Shara Bey - A-wing Squadron (17)

• Tycho Celchu - A-wing Squadron (16)

• A-wing Squadron (11)

= 58 Points

Total Points: 400

SkyRraahh Guitariste Figuriniste 

Pew pew. Possibly the best fleet name in the POD. Truly creative and evocative 😅

The list starts out pretty conventional, with an Onager under JJ (fairly rare in my experience, but JJ is never wrong) and ECM Demo. Then it gets more creative, with a Flechette Raider and a DCaps Raider-I (never saw that before). A Gozanti rounds out the list. 

The list has some potential if flown well. The Onager and Demo both hit hard, but that Flechette boat would have liked some squads to help pin down the opposition. In my experience, Instogator truly shines with squads; alone, it is only OK.

The list can surely put the hurt on me if I give it the opportunity. But at least I don't have to worry abotu squadrons or his anti-squad tech 💪

Name: Pew pew

Faction: Empire

Commander: Moff Jerjerrod

Version: ARC01

Onager Star Destroyer (120)

• Governor Pryce (6)

• Veteran Gunners (5)

• Weapons Battery Techs (4)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannons (5)

= 146 Points

Gladiator I (56)

• Minister Tua (2)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Expanded Launchers (8)

• Demolisher (10)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

= 87 Points

Raider I (44)

• Iden Versio (6)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Flechette Torpedoes (3)

• Instigator (4)

= 61 Points

Raider I (44)

• Moff Jerjerrod (23)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

• Disposable Capacitors (3)

• External Racks (4)

• Corvus (2)

= 78 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Comms Net (2)

= 25 Points

Squadrons:

= 0 Points

Total Points: 397

Chris Spencer (Dr Chaitin)  

NuSato arrives with 2 MC30, flotillas, and squadrons. I'm not sure if I approve of only two combat ships that need to close to be truly effective (but they can certainly perform Sato tricks on the way in). ECM on MC30s is rarely seen, but can be effective. 
 
While I can see this struggling against some builds, it is strong vs. my fleet, I think. I can't do anything about the squadrons, so max Sato. And a pair of well-flown MC30s can certainly hurt my ships very badly indeed!

Akuma Ma'Sato (102/399/400)

MC30c Scout Frigate (69 + 60: 129)

· Commander Sato [ARC] (25)

· Sabine Wren (4)

· Ordnance Experts (4)

· Electronic Countermeasures (7)

· Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)

· XI7 Turbolasers (6)

· Foresight (10)

MC30c Scout Frigate (69 + 34: 103)

· Ezra Bridger (3)

· Ordnance Experts (4)

· Electronic Countermeasures (7)

· Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)

· XI7 Turbolasers (6)

· Admonition (10)

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 + 16: 34)

· Adar Tallon (10)

· Comms Net (2)

· Boosted Comms (4)

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 + 13: 31)

· Toryn Farr (7)

· Comms Net (2)

· Boosted Comms (4)

Lando Calrissian (24)

Luke Skywalker [ARC] (20)

Shara Bey (17)

Tycho Celchu (16)

X-wing Squadron (13)

Gold Squadron (12)

Lewis (Lark)  

ANOTHER list called Pew Pew. This is AMAZING 😆

Jokes aside, I like this list. Pryce + Varnillian is pretty good (but I love Vet Gunners with Varnillian), it's got Cata and Annoying Engine Techs (TM). Twin Dcaps raiders to soften things up (including Corvus for annoying setup). And a Gozanti to push a squadron screen. The only downside here is the Onager being such a centerpiece. It'll draw a lot of attention. Which makes the Annoying Engine Techs (TM) make even more sense.

If I meet this, I'll point my ships at his ships, roll really well (this is my core concept for all games), and go home victorious!

Name: Its Screed Indeed pew pew

Faction: Empire

Commander: Admiral Screed [ARC] (26)

Onager-class Testbed (116)

• Admiral Screed [ARC] (26)

• Governor Pryce (6)

• Gunnery Chief Varnillian (6)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Engine Techs (8)

• Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannons (5)

• Cataclysm (5)

= 176 Points

Raider II-class Corvette (48)

• Disposable Capacitors (3)

• Heavy Ion Emplacements (9)

• Corvus (2)

= 62 Points

Raider II-class Corvette (48)

• Disposable Capacitors (3)

• Heavy Ion Emplacements (9)

= 60 Points

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

• Comms Net (2)

• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)

= 32 Points

Squadrons:

• Darth Vader - TIE Advanced Squadron [ARC] (20)

• Mauler Mithel - TIE Fighter Squadron (15)

• Valen Rudor - TIE Fighter Squadron (13)

• Vult Skerris - TIE Interceptor Squadron (18)

= 66 Points

Total Points: 396

Spike

Spike, who is my R1 opponent, is running ARC Draven, aka. Draven 3.0 with TONS of Headhunters with Flight Controllers. He also has Luke and Kanan, combined with Adar, so either can go twice. He also has Toryn, for altogether too many rerolls. 

I wonder if my 2 TIEs are up to the task of screening... 

The Z-95s only get the Blount reroll vs squadrons, so only the Draven reroll applies vs ships, which is something. I hope Sike's red dice SUCK, including rerolls. Only ACC, CRIT, and BLANKS as far as the eye can see...

Kanan + Luke are going to be super annoying, too. So let's hope for more blanks!

My only real advantage here is that Spike needs to be close with his Potato to run those squads, and a Potato running squadron commands is predictable and even with ECM it is not tough enough to deal with either of my two capital ships. The MC30 is also his flagship, so he has to balance threat vs survivability. I suggest we pray for him to make a maneuvering mistake!

Anyway. This could end up being a "who tables whom first" type of game. Unless SPike lifeboats with the MC30, but then I'll eat the potato and try to run away. Would be very boring.

Edit: Spike does not, in fact, have Toryn. But he still gets up to 3 rerolls on those Z-95s, so fine.

Name: Draven Endor

Faction: Rebels

Commander: General Draven

Version: ARC01

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

• Flight Controllers (6)

• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• Dual Turbolaser Turrets (4)

= 96 Points

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63)

• General Draven (22)

• Expert Shield Tech (5)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Electronic Countermeasures (7)

• External Racks (4)

• H9 Turbolasers (8)

• Foresight (10)

= 123 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Adar Tallon (10)

• Boosted Comms (4)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 34 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Slicer Tools (7)

• Quantum Storm (1)

= 26 Points

Squadrons:

• Luke Skywalker (20)

• Kanan Jarrus (19)

• Jan Ors (19)

• Lieutenant Blount (14)

• 6 x Z-95 Headhunter Squadron (42)

= 114 Points

Total Points: 393

Bjørn Blom Sørgjerd (Green Knight, UTC+2) 

This is me. I've already gone through my list in a previous post so I won't repeat it here.

Name: Somehow, Vader Returned with an Onager

Faction: Empire

Commander: Darth Vader

Version: ARC01

Onager Star Destroyer (120)

• Darth Vader (28)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Gunnery Chief Varnillian (6)

• Veteran Gunners (5)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannons (5)

= 177 Points

ISD Cymoon 1 Refit (112)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Gunnery Team (7)

• Intensify Firepower! (6)

• Spinal Armament (9)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• Devastator (10)

= 157 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

= 25 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Comms Net (2)

= 25 Points

Squadrons:

• 2 x TIE Fighter Squadron (16)

= 16 Points

Total Points: 400

Goerrit (UTC+2)  

Goerrit brings a good-looking ISD+Quasar Sloane build. I played entirely too much Sloane back in the day, with all the aces and the unlimited relay... why did you ruin my playstyle FFG!???

Anyway. This will certainly strip away my tokens and go to town on my ships. I guess I would have to go straight for the threat and kill him first. Can't see any other way to win this one. Gods, I'm going to get tabled in every matchup...

Endor - Slow Anne (134/399/400)

Imperial II Star Destroyer (120 + 20: 140)

· Captain Needa (2)

· Reserve Hangar Deck (4)

· Electronic Countermeasures (7)

· SW-7 Ion Batteries (5)

· Heavy Fire Zone (2)

Quasar I Cruiser-Carrier (54 + 42: 96)

· Admiral Sloane (24)

· Skilled First Officer (1)

· Flight Controllers (6)

· Boosted Comms (4)

· Expanded Hangar Bay (5)

· Pursuant (2)

Gozanti Cruisers (23 + 6: 29)

· Comms Net (2)

· Reserve Hangar Deck (4)

Colonel Jendon (23)

Maarek Stele (21)

Howlrunner (16)

Valen Rudor (13)

Saber Squadron (12)

3 x Tie Interceptor Squadron (3 x 11)

2 x Tie Fighter Squadron (2 x 8)

Battle for Endor: Listbuilding pt. 7 - List revealed

 

In the end, I went for a variant of my 5th list, the one with a Cymoon + Onager with the Dark Lord commanding!

Why this list, specifically, you cunning and insidious list-builder, I hear you ask... well, the reasons are many and weighty. 

Let's bream 'em down:

1. Always take the last list you made; the old ones are irrelevant.
2. I like Darth Vader, and now he's on the cheap!
3. The ARC alt art looks hot AF.
4. Used my old Cymoon+Demo+flotilla spam as inspiration, then asked myself how to modernize it.
5. Make a fleet that can go both first and second, then aim for an even 400 points.
6. Et voila: Somehow, Vader returned with an Onager!!!

Is the list perfect? Hell no. It's max offense, no consideration for defense, like a good Vader list should be! 

The squad screen couldn't be weaker, but it's something... plus it gives an additional drop during deployment. I did consider making the Onager a testbed and running it near naked to get Ciena + Valen, but no, I didn't want to dilute the concept.

I put Vader on the Onager so Devastator can do Devastator things: max aggro with no thought for survival except through the destruction of my enemies. IO + GT should give me options to strip my own tokens even if the enemy doesn't cooperate. I could have gone LFC instead, but Salvo is a crutch. Git gud. 

Onager gets IO to mirror the ISD, plus the fun Varnillian/Vet Gunners combo that I haven't used in quite a while.

I suppose Thermals can be an issue, but they always are, so whatever. Either blow up something else or just pile it on. With Vader rerolls and other damage tech, we can still do good damage. So, the problem will be "solved" by ignoring it.

IF! probably only needs to trigger 3 times per game, so CF tokens should be fine. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have MORE token tech in the fleet, but I kind of ran out of points and had to prioritize!

Squads we deal with by tabling the enemy fleet. Gonna be tricky if they have an MM rogue fleet that scatters to the four corners of hyperspace, but let's not overthink it.

Objectives are solid for the fleet. I had several other options as well, but then I decided to go retro: every objective is from the Core Set. Anyway. I'm more than comfortable going first or second.

My goal for POD play (I'm in Western Europe/Carolingian Empire) is to end up in La Ligue du Chocolat. That way I'll get to play with the new Legacy w0 stuff too!

So, wish me luck... but not too much luck!

### 400 points ###

Name: Somehow, Vader Returned with an Onager

Faction: Empire

Commander: Darth Vader

Version: ARC01

Assault: Most Wanted

Defense: Contested Outpost

Navigation: Intel Sweep

Onager Star Destroyer (120)

• Darth Vader (28)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Gunnery Chief Varnillian (6)

• Veteran Gunners (5)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannons (5)

= 177 Points

ISD Cymoon 1 Refit (112)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Gunnery Team (7)

• Intensify Firepower! (6)

• Spinal Armament (9)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• Devastator (10)

= 157 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

= 25 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Comms Net (2)

= 25 Points

Squadrons:

• 2 x TIE Fighter Squadron (16)

= 16 Points

Total Points: 400

Battle for Endor: Listbuilding pt. 6 - List finalized

 

I have finally settled on a list and uploaded it to https://t4.tools/

Which list?

That will soon be revealed, alongside who is with me in the Western Europe POD.

For no, it's enough to say that it's one of the five lists I've presented on the blog - with just a few minor tweaks.

If you read how I usually create my lists, you know that fretting over the last few, ultimately insignificant, tweaks is part of the process 😅

Anyway. Next time we'll look at the actual LIST and what I'm up against, then overthink some potential match-ups!

Battle for Endor: Listbuilding pt. 5 - Empire Vader Dark Lord variant

Final fleet idea for Endor: take my old Vader Cymoon, but instead of Demo, use an Onager. Even managed to get a squadron "screen" in there, somehow. Probably not amazing, but I have an unnatural fasciantion for Vader and the Devastator, so...

Anyway. Now I have to make a choice, upload it to T4, and pretrend I've playtested the fleet...

### 400 points ###

Name: Somehow, Vader Returned

Faction: Empire

Commander: Darth Vader

Version: ARC01

Assault: Advanced Gunnery

Defense: Contested Outpost

Navigation: Volatile Deposits

ISD Cymoon 1 Refit (112)

• Darth Vader (28)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Gunnery Team (7)

• Intensify Firepower! (6)

• Spinal Armament (9)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• Devastator (10)

= 185 Points

Onager Star Destroyer (120)

• Intel Officer (7)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Sensor Team (5)

• XI7 Turbolasers (6)

• Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannons (5)

= 147 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Hondo Ohnaka (2)

• Comms Net (2)

= 27 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)

• Comms Net (2)

= 25 Points

Squadrons:

• 2 x TIE Fighter Squadron (16)

= 16 Points

Total Points: 400

Battle for Endor: Listbuilding pt. 4 - Rebel Leia QuadNebs

 

I know, I know. I should not make MORE lists, I should decide upon a list, play it, iterate upon it, test more... blah, blah, bleh.

I reject this mainstream approach, and instead give you another semi-competitive list, featuring everybody's favorite princess: Leia Organa.

Nothing particularily fancy about this list: fly in formation, use Leia command to good effect to gain 5 dice + reroll + IF! Times 4 nebs that's pretty potent.

Minor squad screen/MW objective ship combo, decent objective scoring on the other two. I also got to use the "new" Assault Pelta, so that's a plus for me.

What I don't like: I fee that the new Mon Mothma would work even better by giving the Nebs more survivability. Meh.

### 400 points ###

Name: Leia QuadNebs

Faction: Rebels

Commander: Leia Organa

Version: ARC01

Assault: Most Wanted

Defense: Abandoned Mining Facility

Navigation: Volatile Deposits

Pelta Assault Ship (52)

• Leia Organa (28)

• Ahsoka Tano (2)

• Engine Techs (8)

• Intensify Firepower! (6)

• Phoenix Home (3)

• Raymus Antilles (7)

= 106 Points

Nebulon-B Support Refit (51)

• Skilled First Officer (1)

• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)

• Quad Battery Turrets (5)

= 60 Points

Nebulon-B Support Refit (51)

• Skilled First Officer (1)

• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)

• Quad Battery Turrets (5)

= 60 Points

Nebulon-B Support Refit (51)

• Skilled First Officer (1)

• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)

• Quad Battery Turrets (5)

= 60 Points

Nebulon-B Support Refit (51)

• Skilled First Officer (1)

• Auxiliary Shields Team (3)

• Quad Battery Turrets (5)

= 60 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Parts Resupply (3)

= 21 Points

Squadrons:

• Shara Bey (17)

• Tycho Celchu (16)

= 33 Points

Total Points: 400

Battle for Endor: Listbuilding pt. 3 - Rebel Mothma Squids

 

Mon Mothma... that's a name I haven't heard since Ard put the fear of the MC30 into me. IMO, the 2.0 version of MM is pretty irrelevant. Craken offers a more consistent damage reduction across the fleet, while Agate is better when you run a decked-out MC30.

The Mommy Mothma 3.0 (the ARC01 one) does have a redeeming feature, however: she can ECM your evade tokens, which makes her interesting on both double and single evade ships. You're still limited by your evade tokens; they are not limitless, but as long as they last, she'll get to actually use her ability to enhance your evades.

While she isn't overpowered in any sense of the word, she looks like she can be a bit annoying. A properly built MSU/rogue ball featuring Mommy M can be hard to get at, let alone score many points off. She's somewhat of a soft counter to nuScreed - though not at Close - and would make the overpriced Onagers even sadder than they already are.

Note: MC30s are squids, not shrimps. Anyone can see that. And the QUARREN GUNSHIP settles this once and for all - they are literally SQUIDS THEMSELVES!!!

How I Approach Listbuilding

Before diving into more fleets for the Battle for Endor event, here’s a quick look at how I personally approach listbuilding. I’m not claiming to be the most creative or the guy who breaks the meta every month—but after ten years of flying little plastic spaceships, I have a pretty solid feel for what works and what usually doesn’t.

1. Concept is key.
   Decide what you want your fleet to do—and how it’s going to do it. Everything else flows from that core idea.

2. Lean into synergies.
   Commanders, objectives, upgrades—if they make your list’s strong points stronger, you’re probably on the right track.

3. Don’t try to do everything.
   This is a 400-point game, not a “cover every base” simulator. Pick your strengths and focus there.

4. Know your weaknesses.
   Decide how you’re going to handle them: tweak the list, develop specific tactics, or just accept some bad matchups as part of the plan. But don’t overcomplicate this step—you can’t future-proof against everything.

5. Don’t sweat the last few points.
   Whether Bright Hope takes Jamming Field, Slicers, or Comms Net, all of them are the “correct” choice depending on how a game actually plays out. Make a call and move on (I will, of course, still fret).

6. Bidding is optional.
   I rarely bid unless I have a very specific reason. If I can get to 400 without sacrificing the concept, I do. It's just a personal preference.

7. Playtest.
   Armada has good and bad lists, but many “off-meta” builds can work with enough practice. Test against a wide variety of fleets—especially the ones you think will give you trouble.

8. Embrace the last-minute panic.
   Right before the event, second-guess everything, throw the list out, and take something that “feels right” despite minimal playtesting. This is the way.

Applying the concepts

For this list, I'm doing MM + double evades (and a scatter/evade Bright Hope, almost as annoying), and some rogues to screen me and provide some bombing support against squadless or squad light. The list does have some weaknesses, and I can already see both some 134-squad and all-ship lists that could give me trouble, or fleets with bigger rogue balls, but I'm confident that even the hard matchup will be hard-pressed to milk me for very many points.

I'd like a fifth ship, but then I must either sacrifice squads (nope) or drop a MC30 to another TRC90 (fine, but that's not a double squid list anymore, so no). EST + AP on Admo is semi-redundant, but they serve complementary functions, so I like this. Admo could easily be a torpedo frigate but this makes it a lot more obvious which ship will do what.

Things I could fret over: Whether to bring Slicers or not on BH. If the flagship should have Blast Doors. Is Toryn Farr worth it here, or is Hondo more useful? Why is there no Comms Net in this list? And so forth. But those are the minor changes that won't really make or break my list, so I should start playtesting instead.

Same with the objective selection. Infested or Volatile, for example. Volatile ties me down a bit, but fits well with Ion Storm. But again, better get playtesting and tweak the little stuff later.

Final words: While I think this is a promising MM list... It's not really the kind of list I enjoy playing the most. I prefer lists with a centerpiece ship + supporting ships & squadrons. So maybe if I could jam Amity into this 😅

### 400 points ###

Name: Yo Mothma

Faction: Rebels

Commander: Mon Mothma

Version: ARC01

Assault: Ion Storm

Defense: Asteroid Tactics

Navigation: Infested Fields

MC30c Scout Frigate (69)

• Mon Mothma (27)

• Expert Shield Tech (5)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Reinforced Blast Doors (5) (optional)

• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)

• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

• Foresight (10)

= 131 Points

MC30c Scout Frigate (69)

• Expert Shield Tech (5)

• Ordnance Experts (4)

• Advanced Projectors (6)

• Assault Proton Torpedoes (4)

• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

• Admonition (10)

= 105 Points

CR90 Corvette A (44)

• Turbolaser Reroute Circuits (7)

• Jaina's Light (5)

= 56 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)

• Toryn Farr (7) (or Hondo)

• Jamming Field (2) (or Comms Net or Slicer Tools)

• Bright Hope (2)

= 29 Points

Squadrons:

• Shara Bey (17)

• Tycho Celchu (16)

• Lando Calrissian (24)

• Ketsu Onyo (22) (or Corran Horn for more AS)

= 79 Points

Total Points: 400