Hello.

As a Rebs supporter (at least for what concerns Armada) and, especially, a heavily squads-boosted lists supporter, I recently decided to play Imp for some time to better understand my enemy.

As advocated in my comments in another thread (that about the Italian National tournament), I think that metas (around the world) are probably going in the direction of discovering/assessing the might of squadrons; in thinking of that moment I am trying to figure out how Imperials can try to repel or at least to forestall enemy bombers and, at the same time, how a list that makes a heavy use of squadrons could be best used in case the opposing list had no fighters at all (I am thinking of how to use TIE fighters...Soontir Fel etc in the moment in which there are no fighters to attack).

I created two versions of the same list: I would firstly like to learn what you all think about them, about their differences and about how/when to make a wise, different use of them.

I would them ask what you all think of the combined use of:

- Adm. Chiraneau (squadrons can move even if they are engaged)

- Flight controllers (anti-squadrons armament of squads activated by command gains 1 blue die)

- Corrupter VSD (speed of each command-activated squad: +1)

- Major Rhymer (squads at distance 1 can attack at close-medium range)

-------->

---------->I thought that being able to scarmble TIE-bombers around the battlefield to provide the finishing blow on that turn's bleeding prey would be a huge plus but I also realised that:
1) TIE-bombers are pretty fast anyway.

2) hyperspacing bombers at speed 5 (say, for instance, to toss black dice in the fat arse of enemy capital ships) would then make it impossible to attack them again the following turn as a move+attack action would be needed and that would be impossible as TIE-bombers would always be beyond activation distance (for a Squads-activation command) after a speed-5 move.

I really liked the combo:
- Adm. Chiraneau

+

- Mauler Mithel

(you squad-command Mithel to move by 3mm when he is engaged --> all the squadrons he is engaged with suffer 1 damage)

BUT

if you have no squadrons against your cartload of fleeet-points goes binned.

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HERE COME THE TWO VERSIONS OF MY FLEET:

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VERS1: FIREPOWER-ORIENTED

VSD II

- Adm. Screed

- Gunnery team

- Overload pulse

- XX-9 Turbolasers

- Warlord

GSD I (supporting the VSD)

- Engine techs

- Expanded launchers

- Demolisher

GSD I (chasing enemy arses around the battlefield)

- Sensor team

- Engine techs

- Expanded launchers

- Insidious

SQUADRONS:

- Darth Vader (TIE-advanced)

- Soontir Fel (TIE-interceptor)

- Major Rhymer (TIE-bomber)

- Mauler Mithel (TIE-fighter)

- TIE-bomber

- TIE-bomber

- TIE-bomber

First off, these are 400 point lists, right? (sorry, been in Sullust mode, so the amount of units/upgrades available is mind-numbingly high).

Just as a general fleet-building note, while I understand the appeal of expanded launchers, I never leave my gladiators without ACMs (especially with Screed). Cheap + combos with Screed for a guaranteed crit for +2 damage. Not sure what the metas are like overseas, but here in the states, it's extremely rare to see any glad without them.

As far as the squadrons go, the second fleet will probably get slightly more damage against ships (Corruptor + Chiraneau to keep your bombers moving), and significantly more damage against squadrons if you get the first strike. Chiraneau + Mauler is unblockable damage (even by Gallant Haven, because it's not an attack). Flight controllers significantly boosts damage from Soontir (average 2.5 damage, peak 5 damage) and Vader (average 4 damage, peak damage 6), but Rhymer and the TIE bombers see a fairly significant bump in their overall damage, too (1.25 average to 1.75 for Rhymer (+50%), .75 to 1.25 for generic bombers (+66%)).

The most significant ship trade-off is the lack of gunnery teams on the Vic II, and no offensive upgrades on the Demolisher. I haven't run the numbers, but in a vacuum, I would be skeptical that your squadron-oriented upgrades will make up the damage lost.

Am I missing something? Sullust is only 400 points in the final, it's still 300 for the Swiss.