What are peoples best configurations for a VSD?

My current thinking:

Victory II

- gunnery team - I didn't see the point of this until recently, now I don't think I will ever drop it. Seems better on a VII as yu are more likely to get multiple targets - cant see many people being silly enough to leave two ships in black range of a VSD1...

- XI7 - works well with the blue dice which should get an accuracy or two anyway, and negates the redirect (mostly!)

- Ion Cannon Batteries - cheap but found quite useful. the crit effect is basically either an extra point of damage or will take out that engineering token he was relying on next turn....

Victory I

- Not sure about this guy. Currently I just keep him cheap and use as a carrier (flight controllers and hangers, sometimes also chirenau).

- enhanced armament?

- H9s only?

- H9s and Expanded launchers to guarantee shutting down the brace? Or this too expensive and slow? I think if used as a dedicated combat sip with heavy use of NAV commands this config might work?

Questions - Warlord - seems to be better on a VSDII as its more likely to get accuracys with the blue dice?

What about the Warlord/H9 combo - to me at best this results in one extra damage while maintaining an accuracy. Can't see the value for 16 points... or am I missing something?

-Dominator? I like having titles on ships, but is this a good one or too much of an expensive liability?

Dominator I found is awesome, just don't expose it or you'll never get to use its ability. If you find the points, Wulf is pretty fun. I find that after about round 3, his dial becomes little more than a stack of repairs to constantly regen 2 shields, and Wulf adding another from an infinite repair token could be quite handy

Gunnery team I've found very meh. It doesn't help against people getting around to your weaker arcs.

Warlord's main gimmick, in addition to awesome die fixing which is just always welcome, is guaranteed damage against squadrons. this is not something any other ship has (coupled with gunnery team, 23 points total to ensure you can anti-squadron and then anti-ship out of your strong arc, you make for a ship neither squadrons nor capitals want to approach). With h9s, it doesn't really matter if it's a vsd 1 or 2. **** thing's expensive though; don't think I'll run it regularly until 400. IMO, of all the vsds this one benefits most from tarkin farting out cf tokens. The better the roll, the more damage h9 + warlord will force through.

mainly, though, every VSD is terribly slow (and not maneuverable) and terribly unimpressive unless all of their front arc is enabled. Dominator gets around it (5 dice out the side) and can just be quite awesome (8 dice out the front), but the most reliably effective version is the humble VSD-1 carrier (hangars + flight controllers) which turns imperial squadrons into monsters. Rhymer in particular is about the only way you'll secure ranged superiority over rebel ships, and with Squadron 3 VSDs are quite apt at flinging him around. But unlike the Neb, this humble carrier will **** you up if you get close to it, so it doubles very convincingly as an area-denial tool.

Hell, even with Dominator I end up issuing at least one squadron command to help move the 8+ squadrons I bring around with two VSDs.

Personally not a huge fan of EA on vsds (teeny thin sides).

EA and Dominator basically turns your sides into your front, though, with 3 red and 3 blue. I don't consider it teeny tiny sides, I consider it "now it doesn't matter where you are". It makes it have just ONE MASSIVE front arc and a piddly rear.

I really want to run Dominator with EA, Warlord with H9, and some squadrons with dominator - will have to wait until 400 to do that, and then the ISD will be around...oh game, why oh why do you tease me...

I usually don't leave home without Intel officer on my Vic's. It's pretty brutal, and costs the same as gunnery team. I like the added red of EA, but I tend to take H9's for that accuracy to 2 hits on red dice, since rolling red/blue offers better chances at accuracy results. Ion Batteries is also a MUST for Vic 2's, denying Rebs tokens goes a long way to seeing their ships burning in the end. If I am playing a 1v1 then I'll take Screed as my commander and give the Vic Warlord title, but if in a team game, and not running the fleet admiral in my build which most of the time ends up being Tarkin due to all the capital ships present. I'll usually run 2 Vic 2's with Intel Officer, Ion Batteries, and Enhanced Armaments, just to provide that extra long/medium ranged support fire section of the fleet.

That's my typical Capital build.. Fighters are another story all together.

I generally skimp on fighters. I can see their relevance, but I'd rather take a bare bones of Tie Fighters and Interceptors. I have no problems playing a stock VSD1. I think that they are cheap for the board control and versatility. I actually feel much worse when I don't have upgrades on the Victory II. They're both a little clunky, but what can you do?

If I'm tricking them out...

Victory I-Class
-Warlord

-Enhanced Armament

-Sensor Team
-Intel Officer?

Surprisingly good at picking off shots at long range. I'm mostly paying to buff their long range shots, it needs nothing to benefit to it's close range capabilities.

Victory II-Class

-Overload Pulse
-Gunnery Team?

Screed and an Overload pulse. 2-3 Victory I red shots still hurt hard when you don't have defense tokens, great for making a corvette break off for the rest of the game.

I've been considering the supposed slowness and lack of manieverablity on Vic's...not sure if I'm convinced. Perhaps it would benefit the ship to have liberal use of manuever commands...it already is deadly and sturdy, so forgo the repairs and ConcFire in order to get in close and unload those black dice. 3 manuvers to start the game with can really **** with your opponent and put you right in their face for a turn 3/4 black dice assault, and the story of them being useless bricks will work in your

Favor.

I have found that the efficacy of the Vic One's front arc increases dramatically when;

1) Your opponent runs a large fleet.

2) You keep your fleet together, cutting down on possible safe approaches

3) Point totals go up, as point 1 generally occurs as a result.

Also, the posters above have provided some excellent suggestions regarding VSD loadouts.

I have found that the efficacy of the Vic One's front arc increases dramatically when;

1) Your opponent runs a large fleet.

2) You keep your fleet together, cutting down on possible safe approaches

3) Point totals go up, as point 1 generally occurs as a result.

Also, the posters above have provided some excellent suggestions regarding VSD loadouts.

Indeed.

Overload pulse is one I have continually written off, but I had the same opinion of Gunnery Team which I have now learned to really appreciate.

I still say that Intel Officer is the go to choice for that gunnery team slot. Having your opponent choose to discard one of their tokens if they use it, especially rebels.. Because we all know how much they love their evade tokens is just to good to pas up for gunnery team.

I still say that Intel Officer is the go to choice for that gunnery team slot. Having your opponent choose to discard one of their tokens if they use it, especially rebels.. Because we all know how much they love their evade tokens is just to good to pas up for gunnery team.

Perhaps I'll try that next...been debating gunnery team and flight controllers. Perhaps Intel would work wonders on a Vic-1. Eat tokens with my long range shots while I close to close range. I'll def have to try this...

Don't you exhaust Intel officer ?

Don't you exhaust Intel officer ?

Exhaust means "tap", and you get it back when you ready tokens. So you get it for 1 or your 2 attacks a turn essentially.

Yes, and it's amazing... watching reb players decide if they want to use or not use that token and risk losing it.

Isn't it only for one attack then? Not both attacks? I understand it refreshes later. Not in between attacks.

Isn't it only for one attack then? Not both attacks? I understand it refreshes later. Not in between attacks.

You can use him once a turn, essentially...if you shoot.