I had Captain Kenkirk, with Predator and Ysanne Isaard and the ship performed OK. I figured out Isaard is overkill as she is 4 points and will only stop 1 hit a turn, for which you are trading firepower.

That's 2-4 hit points over the course of a match, though, which could easily make the difference between being alive and not being alive at the end.

I am not at all sold on the Admiral, to make him effective in battle will just cost to much (probable minimum load out is Marksmanship and Gunner) and he will have no defense.

He's 46 points, just like Han. And just like Fat Han, he'll be fairly effective at anywhere from 0-15 points of upgrades--given good flying.

I think Chiraneau will be much better in Epic play.

Kenkirk+Determination+Isaard will be a tough nut to crack.

Oicunn (I pronounce it wee-koon) + Dauntless + Mara Jade + Saboteur will be a fun, agressive build. Ruthlessness works well here.

Honestly, I am a little more excited to use the unamed pilot. Add in Gunner+Weapons Engineer and you'll have a fun time.

Good morning,

I flew the Decimator now a couple of times.

Kenkirk

Expose

Darth Vader

Gunner

Ysanne Isard

Experimental Interface

2x Black Squad 1x with Wingman and Stealth the other with Predator

That is a 99pts build.

You can change the Gunner for a Rebel Captive which gives you another 2 points, so you got 97 total.

Which leave another 3 for another Stealth if you want on the Black Squad.

Yes it is expensive but at the end i can use an evade and may or may not have 1 agility.

Depending if i want to use expose.

Didnt have any problems with that build yet.

I dish out either damage via the turret or Darth.

E-Wing was down in the second round, last time i played it and the 2 X-Wings took another 4 rounds.

At the end i was down to 3 Hull but moslty cause of Darth useage.

My enemy went for the Wingman Black Squad but failed since it always evaded.

Flying is important with that setup.

If there is no Ions involved... always fl at the edge and have the wingman cramped in between you and the outline of the field.

That makes it impossible for the rebs to get in range 1 of the Wingaman.

I can say that this is a monster setup.

Against a swarm maybe not so much. But totally fun to play with... and it would be the first time i would not regret blowing up my own ship

The 2-4 hit points was my original thinking as well, but at 51 points in the set up I mention, he's half your squad and unlike Han, options for heavy fire support are limited with Imperials and Han brings a much higher natural hit ratio to the table.

I'm certainly not saying that the build is wrong after 1 game, but it didn't feel right to me.

On the Admiral, he suffers from the same lack of hitty support options for such an expensive ship and with zero defense, pretty much every ship in the enemy fleet will fire on him and reduce him to slag quickly.

(I'll expand on hitty: the Empire, can of course, field plenty of ships with 3 attack die, but they will have very little survivability, unlike B's or even X's)

Strangely, when my extra Deci arrives, I really fancy this set up.

Coming from someone without a Decimator:

The benefit of the Admiral is he has the highest action-free hit average in the game, according to MajorJuggler, even than Han Solo. Predator may be a good upgrade with him, and then something defensive like Ysanne. You mention she gives one evade per round, but that's no worse than Threepio, just a little pricier.

Your thoughts on Kenkirk are interesting to me. I would have thought that stacking him out defensively would be the best option. I am looking to playing him with Ysanne, Flight Instructor, and Determination for defense and Gunner for offense, but You are right, this is quite pricey. But, players have been playing 58 point Falcons since the beginning, and are not shy about paying for high cost upgrades to ensure their longevity, IE C-3PO, Chewbacca, along with PtL and the title. Have also seen Nien Nunb in place of Chewbacca, especially when Chewie is in the pilot seat. Now, as with any ship, we will experiment, and I very well might find what you found and start with a heavy defense kit and work it back as I develop a stronger list.

Oicunn really seems like he'll be fun, but I would be surprised if he becomes popular competitively. I feel he will end up like Lando. Han and Chewbacca are quite popular, while Lando is rarely seen.

You all raise great points and much more playing is needed. I was looking at the list as a whole as well as just the Deci itself though and I find that the Empire lacks the cheap, hitty, survivable options of the Rebels.

I did think the shuttle, with EU, Adv. Sensors and Gunner worked wonderfully with the Deci and with a Wingman Black taking away the stress it was very potent.

I think, "ramming speed" Oicunn would be great with "super shuttle" and that is the list I am going to try next.

I just had an epiphany:

Oicunn + ramming bennie upgrades + Tactical Jammer

Turr Phenir

Turr shoots, then BRs behind Oicunn. +1-2 defense dice if you can line it up right.

Oh and i forgot,

I saw that happening a lot of times when others played the Decimator.

Itis a ship with 0 Agility , your action should not be Focus.

Since you can only use an offensive action a Target Lock is always better then a Focus.

Yes i know that is also depends on if the enmey will be in range or not "after" we moved, but anyhoo, i feel it is a waste of action to go for a focus when you actually have no other use for it then with red dice (until you used vader 3 times)

(Could have edited in my original post.. well sue me)

Focus becomes more relevant if you equip Predator.

Engine... The answer is engine. If you can get down to taking 1-2 shots per round you live a loong time! This isn't a bad closer ship.

Although it is a cursed two ship squadron I might like to try some variation on this once I get a Decimator:

Admiral Chiraneau + Ruthless + Gunner + Merc Co-pilot* + Rebel Captive* + Engine Upgrade (63)

Echo + VI + ACD + FCS* (37)

* denotes wiggle room: Rebel or Mara?

Ideally the Admiral could get in a little arc dodging moving at PS 8 with the Engine Upgrade. Adding the Merc should give a good chance at scoring a [crit] result at any range which should help against Imperial squadrons. Ruthless is there for its mini splash that can help deal with swarms or escorts. The Rebel Captive would help deal with the PS 9 types by giving them stress. Backing the Admiral I'd try Echo operating at the same PS and with the maneuverability to avoid Ruthless but bring its guns to bear.

Of course there would be other options but Admiral + Gunner + EU may not be the worse thing.

Good morning,

I flew the Decimator now a couple of times.

Kenkirk

Expose

Darth Vader

Gunner

Ysanne Isard

Experimental Interface

2x Black Squad 1x with Wingman and Stealth the other with Predator

That is a 99pts build.

You can change the Gunner for a Rebel Captive which gives you another 2 points, so you got 97 total.

Which leave another 3 for another Stealth if you want on the Black Squad.

Yes it is expensive but at the end i can use an evade and may or may not have 1 agility.

Depending if i want to use expose.

Didnt have any problems with that build yet.

I dish out either damage via the turret or Darth.

E-Wing was down in the second round, last time i played it and the 2 X-Wings took another 4 rounds.

At the end i was down to 3 Hull but moslty cause of Darth useage.

My enemy went for the Wingman Black Squad but failed since it always evaded.

Flying is important with that setup.

If there is no Ions involved... always fl at the edge and have the wingman cramped in between you and the outline of the field.

That makes it impossible for the rebs to get in range 1 of the Wingaman.

I can say that this is a monster setup.

Against a swarm maybe not so much. But totally fun to play with... and it would be the first time i would not regret blowing up my own ship

Vader is crazy on a ship that costs 63 points.

Good morning,

.......................................................

Vader is crazy on a ship that costs 63 points.

Hehe,

my friend.. that is the whole point.

Vader delivers direct dmg to the hull and not to the shields.... (sorry he deals Critical Damage Cards)

As said with gunner it is deadly...

Lets say you go against lately popular XXE or any other build this way..

I just need 1 missed shot on the E wing which allows me to use Gunner and that ship is gone.

Yes it will cost me my shields... but im Kenkirk... I WANT to lose my shields...

After that i can go at least one more time with Vader and not think about it so im down to 2 DMG cards 1 Agility and 1 Evade each round (if i dont use Expose)

And with that Dial... ya dude... it is just pure fun.

As stated earlier... i think that would be the first time ever i would not regret blowing myself up by useing Vader!

Is it a competitive build!?

OMG no.... but fun...

If you want to see one of the most memorable events that ever happened to me with the Decimator..

Here you go...

EDIT: the A-Wing "Intimidated" the Decimator!!!!

TheDarkPilot - Vader(crew) causes the target ship to suffer 1 critical damage, so it does NOT bypass shields. The Proton Bomb deals a faceup damage card, which DOES bypass shields. Not the same.

Or am I playing it wrong?

Vader delivers direct dmg to the hull and not to the shields.... (sorry he deals Critical Damage Cards)

No, he deals critical damage. Damage is damage and goes on shields like every other kind of damage. If he bypassed shields the card would say "deal one face up damage card". Because it says he is inflicting damage it is treated like any other damage.

Thanks Forgottenlore!

I like Oicunn, Dauntless, ruthlessness, gunner, Mara Jade. Run em over, get free action, shoot nearby enemy, shoot again with gunner if necessary, throw an extra point of damage on the ship you ran over, then hand out stress to everyone within 1 range.

Throw Anti-Pursuit Lasers on there too and hit em some more.

Oicunn+Ruthlessness+Gunner+Mara Jade+APL= The Bull.

The Decimator looks to be a really fun and versatile ship. I cant wait for mine to arrive!

i wanna try out:

I actually never calculated Han's expected damage output. But the Admiral's should probably be slightly higher anyway.

Last couple weeks I have been playing the Decimator alongside Echo and it has been a total blast. So far I have played 4 games with it, 2 vs an BBEZ (with Etahn), once vs an Interceptor list and once vs a 6 TIE swarm. Every game was a lot of fun and except for the game where a Proton Bomb took out Etahn early on with a Direct Hit, they have all been very close.

Echo has had a pretty constant loadout, but I have been experimenting with the Decimator. So far I am really liking the Rear Admiral with Isard, Gunner, Predator and a bomb of some sort. Thinking of adding Mara too.

Last couple weeks I have been playing the Decimator alongside Echo and it has been a total blast. So far I have played 4 games with it, 2 vs an BBEZ (with Etahn), once vs an Interceptor list and once vs a 6 TIE swarm. Every game was a lot of fun and except for the game where a Proton Bomb took out Etahn early on with a Direct Hit, they have all been very close.

Echo has had a pretty constant loadout, but I have been experimenting with the Decimator. So far I am really liking the Rear Admiral with Isard, Gunner, Predator and a bomb of some sort. Thinking of adding Mara too.

How well did the pair of ships work against the Swarm? After all, Swarms are supposed to be the bane to HSF type lists and if you're using Decimator/Phantom logic might say the same thing should apply.

How well did the pair of ships work against the Swarm? After all, Swarms are supposed to be the bane to HSF type lists and if you're using Decimator/Phantom logic might say the same thing should apply.

Fairly well actually. Although I was using Tactician and have since realized I was using it wrong. The pivotal decision of the game was whether I used echo's focus token to ensure I kill his 2nd to last TIE or keep it for defense. The TIEs did manage to kill the decimator, but it took a while, and it was inflicting some fairly horrific punishment the whole time. The proton bomb did a good job of softening up several of them and while the Decimator was soaking up insane amounts of damage, Echo was free to savage the swarm. By the time he killed the Decimator he had only 2 TIEs left, a damaged Howlrunner with swarm tactics and Dark Curse and my Echo only had 1 hull left. I figured I had to kill one of his TIEs because once it was echo vs a single ship I would be able to arc dodge and stay on his 6 with ease. So I used the focus token to ensure 5 hits on HR, and his Dark Curse rolled 2 hits against me and Echo rolled 2 blanks and 2 eyes. If I had saved the focus HR would still have died and Echo would have survived to get out of DCs arc. Sigh.

Having Isard did wonders for the survivability of the Decimator. -1 hit a round when you can expect to be around for 5-6 rounds is amazing. When I tried Kenkirk, the agility die didn't seem that useful, but a free evade action is great. Would love to have another good defensive buff to put on the thing.

Not sure if I am even going to try Oicunn, I liked the Admiral so much.

Big O death Roll

Big O + daredevil + dauntless + gunner

Black Squad + wingman

OGP+ eu + FCS + gunner

29Hp on 3 ships!?!?

Vader, sabatour, experimental interface, tactitian(s), Isard, MJ, are all optional with a drop to academy