So, we don't have a ton of spoilers for this ship yet, but I've been tinkering around with squad builds for this thing and it's actually pretty interesting. I have a few different thoughts on it based on some assumptions and guesses on cost for the unspoiled pilots but I've mostly been sticking with what we do have, which is pretty much Rear Admiral Chiraneau.

I have been using the Han + marksmanship/predator + gunner + rookies combo as the basis for my builds, as it is proven to be reasonably successful and makes a good baseline since Chiraneau and Han have the same base cost and similar basic functions and upgrade options

The base idea is this: Chiraneau + predator + gunner, 54 points. You can add more stuff if you like, probably crew or bombs, but without any really standout crew like Chewbacca or C-3P0 I don't feel like there are any must-haves for this build. At this price point you get PS8, predator's mini-target lock rerolls, and Chiraneau's ability which is basically a mini marksmanship at range 1-2, both of which can vbe used on both gunner attacks. I'm pretty satisfied here, so it's time to look at the escorts, which is where I feel like the Imperial variants for this archetype can be pretty interesting.

Some possible 46 point combos (some of these don't quite reach 100. I guess you could spend any spare points on an intelligence agent or seismic charge if you like, or just shoot for initiative):

The obvious: fill it with academy pilots. however, you can only get 3 academy pilots and have a whopping 10 points leftover so this actually encourages more creative options. Neat.

Delta squadron pilot - 30
backstabber - 16

I like this one a lot. Beefy defender stats and you still get Backstabber's PS6 and 3 attack out of arc, for just 16 points. A steal as always, or I suppose you could take those 4 points and buff the defender somehow but I like this setup.

2x Royal Guard with veteran instincts (23 each)

not quite the HP of 2x rookies but PS8 isn't terrible and at least you are free to fly around without stress from push the limit. Who knows, could be okay

backstabber 16
dark curse 16
academy 12
seismic charges 2

2x academy 24
omicron 21
99pts (naked omicron worth it? maybe not)

omicron/advanced sensors/engine upgrade 28
Alpha squadron pilot 18

Royal Guard/PTL/shield 28
backstabber 16
99pts

Royal Guard/PTL/shield/hull 32

Academy pilot 12

seismic charges 2

Firespray 33
Academy 12
99 pts

Han wishes he could get a firespray as a wingman

Soontir/PTL/shield 34
Academy 12
or
Soontir/PTL 30
backstabber 16

omicron group pilot x 2 (okay probably not good but kind of amusing to think about)
96 points (fire control system on both? lol)

Royal Guard/PTL 25
Tempest 21

Avenger/shield 24
Alpha/shield 22

Thoughts? Ideas? I wasn't too excited about the VT-49 at first but now I think I am really interested in it. And this is all just considering one pilot (the most expensive) plus upgrades. The generic pilot could be 6-9 points cheaper based on pricing trends for existing ships.

There is going to be tons of options to run with but I'm already thinking of one:

Lowest generic pilot VT-49 (which should be about 40 points) w/ two OGP. That leaves you with 18-20 points for upgrades. Thats 36 hitpoints of kick ass.

I think Rebel Captive could find a really welcoming home on this thing. Your opponent will want to kill the Decimator first and foremost, so I can see advantages in making that as painful a prospect as possible. Not to mention it flat-out hard counters elite Phantoms. If they shoot it they take stress, which means no ACD, which means no decloak, which means we have a dead Phantom on our hands.

DeciVader FTW! Drop Vader and a Gunner, gives you the ability to finish off any ships that have 1-2 hull remaining. AND, since there is a third crew slot, and at least a few unrevealed crew cards, I am really hoping for a crewmember that can repair your ship. 16 THP is a lot but most lists will eat it alive. Even that one evade die on the Falcon can go a long way, and rebels have several crew, released and unreleased, that can repair ships (Chewbacca, R2-D2) or grant evades (C-3PO, Lando, Jan Ors).

I'm thinking intimidate could grant an evade vs. lower ps pilots. Or dauntless could just grant the evade action. Both would be great. The falcon can now kit out to require what? Four hits to even take a damage before evade dice? 2 and no chance at evade doesn't sound so bad suddenly.

I still think Vader will be borderline awful on this thing. I think the best bet is to hope the enemy gets worn down before they get through the things HP. Or at the very least that they spend enough fire on it that they lose too many ships to deal with the escorts. Giving them a free two hits a turn seems... really not worth it, considering the points cost of this monstrosity.

I'm hoping if it does have some mechanism of generating evade its something different. It'd be neat to see a mechanic like "Gain an evade token after a ship attacks you." Makes focusing it down less effective.

I'd say throw a Tactician and Rebel Captive onboard. Stress any pilot that attacks you and any pilot that you attack.

Expert Handling + Anti-pursuit lasers + Mara Jade

Barrel Roll into some one's path, and stress them out.

If they are higher pilot skill, they probably didn't plan on needing to move far enough to clear a large ship, and you can stop them from getting a lock on you.

If they are lower Pilot Skill, you just shed their target lock before shooting, and limit how they can move next turn.

I'd say throw a Tactician and Rebel Captive onboard. Stress any pilot that attacks you and any pilot that you attack.

In order to maximize tactician, you would have to keep the enemy in just your forward firing arc, which would keep you from taking advantage of shooting 360