Redheaded nothing

Akbar + gunnery

Fling 4-5 red long range broadsides with the best of them; with the flexibility of close range black dice as a threat

Exactly, not to mention the huge threat it has with its anti squad.

1 blue die is not that much. Akbar only works on attacking ships.

Glass hammer?

If you are shooting at the MC30, you are not shooting at the objective ship with the Rebel commander on it.

If you are actually shooting at the flagship, this little guy is ripping at your guts at close range.

Tough choice.

Redheaded nothing

Akbar + gunnery

Fling 4-5 red long range broadsides with the best of them; with the flexibility of close range black dice as a threat

Exactly, not to mention the huge threat it has with its anti squad.

1 blue die is not that much. Akbar only works on attacking ships.

Sorry I was thinking of the MC80

This is the rebels Gladiator that people complained the Imperials had.

Redheaded nothing

Akbar + gunnery

Fling 4-5 red long range broadsides with the best of them; with the flexibility of close range black dice as a threat

Problem is, if I wanna sling out reds, I'm gonna field the guppy. The point difference between the MC30c Scout and the AFmkIIB is only 3 points (69 pts vs 72 pts). For getting 50% more hull, one more shield, an extra red die, and a Brace defense token, I'll go with the AFmkIIB for three extra points. Yes, you get the added bonus of +3 blacks if they get closes vs. the 1 blue on the AFmkIIB, but if you're going for range, then do it at its best level. Let the MC30c do what it's best at: getting up close with blacks and putting the hurt on 'em.

The Shrimp does 2 things really well.

It acts as a long range light gunship that does not shy away from things closing on it.

It acts like a capital ship hunter.

THIS SHIP IS NOT A GLADIATOR EQUIVALENT.

You slap Gunnery Teams or Slaved Turrets on this Bad Boy with Advanced Projectors and throw red dice while laughing due to Ackbar. If the Glads roll up, you throw 6 reds and 2 blacks into their face. No more Gladiator. Adv Projectors means you splash the damage out and you *do not care* because if they're shooting you they aren't shooting Ackbar on Defiance who's crapping out 7-8 red dice a turn and one shotting your smaller ships while ECM'ing Brace and hiding behind Adv Proj.

Ackbar WILL define the Rebel Wave 2 Meta and probably the Wave 2 meta in general. Having played several games against him with Wave 2 Imperials (yay multiple Sullest events because my city is bigger than Israel!) everything we have found so far is pointing this way.

Fel out.

THIS SHIP IS NOT A GLADIATOR EQUIVALENT.

You slap Gunnery Teams or Slaved Turrets on this Bad Boy with Advanced Projectors and throw red dice while laughing due to Ackbar. If the Glads roll up, you throw 6 reds and 2 blacks into their face. No more Gladiator. Adv Projectors means you splash the damage out and you *do not care* because if they're shooting you they aren't shooting Ackbar on Defiance who's crapping out 7-8 red dice a turn and one shotting your smaller ships while ECM'ing Brace and hiding behind Adv Proj.

I agree with Fel here. If you try and fly the MC30 like a gladiator it will crash and burn. If you have Ackbar and gunnery team you are nearly the same firepower as the assault frigate mk2 but now you have black dice to help out when close. Vs imperials this helps to shut down gladiators or any raider that gets too close, with Home one supporting you you should have 1-2 accuracies to make sure the damage goes through. Vs rebels you now have a ship to lead your conga-line as you can ten try and get close and pop a more expensive ship.

I really like the look of the MC30. It's the first Rebel ship that can deliver a decent broadside of black dice. I'm thinking of running a Torpedo Frigate with Rapid reload and Ordinance experts. Combine that with a well timed concentrate firepower order gives you a 4 black dice, 3 blue dice or a 5 black dice, 2 blue dice attack and you get to reroll any of those black dice which come up blank.

I agree with the "Not a Gladiator equivalent" group. This thing is its own beast. Even the Torpedo Frigate version with its blue dice is nothing like the GSD.

yup, it's no GSD

the GSD is a cheese-wedge-shaped battering ram

the counter shrimp is a whale on a diet that doesn't like it when you get too close

of course, the extra savy rebel commanders (more easily with initiative), will abuse the crap out of navigate commands + that beautiful chart to set up some horrid broadsides before swimming away out of retaliation range

I see it as the executioner of the Rebel fleet. You know that guy that swoops in with a shotgun and takes your kill in FPS games? That's the MC30c.

C30c scout is 69 points, and you have to either add in Enhanced Armament to give it the same side-arc as the VSD-I, which is 73 points. Unless you're running Ackbar, in which case you have to consider his high point cost. MC30c + Enhanced Armament is 79 points. So, not cheaper.

Okay, quick question: How is it not like the Gladiator? Yes, the Gladiator destroys things with the double-arc, where this ship won't dish out as much hurt, but more often than not, you're not getting the double-arc anyway. It's a hard thing to line up. I usually aim for getting my side-arc broadside, and leaving it at that, unless I've got the Demo title and moving at a slow enough speed so I can maneuver like crazy with Engine Techs.

The Gladiator and MC30c are comparable on cost, with the MC30c Torpedo Frigate sitting at 7 points more than the Glad. For that, you get +1 speed, better shielding, but you lose a hull point. However, that wide side arc makes getting your hefty shots very easy. And honestly 2-Blue + 3-Black excites me far more than 4-Blacks do. Why? Because those Aim results, that's why. Imagine how much more damage your Glad would be doing without enemy braces? Sure, you can have someone else overload pulse it beforehand, but that requires another ship's help. Here you have a decent chance to just ignore their brace yourself. Plus, blues never miss. Unlucky charms me likes that. That +1 speed also makes the MC30c even better at flanking than the Gladiator, which is what I find the Glad does best.

Evades in close range are usually meh, but if you add in Mon Mothma and the Foresight title, this little ship becomes beastly hard to kill. Especially if you flank in and are only taking side/rear shots from a VSD or even ISD.

Yes, this ship may be different from the GSD in some ways. But to say they're "nothing like" each other is sorta silly. They're probably more like each other than any other comparison between a Rebel and Imperial ship.

MC30c Torpedo + Foresight + ACM (or Rapid Reload to bump it to 4 black sides) + Ordnance Experts = 82 points.

That build sits around the same points as the Demolisher build. While it's not nearly as awesome (but hey, Demolisher is probably the best single ship in the game, so w/e), that ship with Mon Mothma leading your fleet is going to be very hard to kill, even up close. If you had some points to toss on it extra, you could even put Redundant shields on it.

I think this thing will be fantastic up close. Zip across the board at speed 4, slow to speed 3 to get a I-II-II turn that puts you right in that Star Destroyer's blind spot, and hammer away.

lack of brace, higher cost (7 point difference is huge, that's ACM!), and lack of similar faction options (no skreed, for one, nor any other ship that loves close range such as every other imperial ship) makes the shrimp unlike the GSD

the superficial similarity of them both having black dice aside, they're different ships that should be used differently. Expecting a Shrimp to go roaring in is going to get it spectacularly exploded

we're going to need a defter hand to wield this thing; it's a scalpel rather than a battering ram

unless you have Akbar, then it's just dandy at long range or close

Then it is a long range scalpel.

I think the thing to remember with the GSD is that it isn't so much double shooting that makes it truly dangerous, but what is effectively triple shooting (once after movement at the end of one turn, then twice at the beginning of the previous turn). Not even the shrimp can pull that off!

Okay, quick question: How is it not like the Gladiator? Yes, the Gladiator destroys things with the double-arc, where this ship won't dish out as much hurt, but more often than not, you're not getting the double-arc anyway. It's a hard thing to line up. I usually aim for getting my side-arc broadside, and leaving it at that, unless I've got the Demo title and moving at a slow enough speed so I can maneuver like crazy with Engine Techs.

The Gladiator and MC30c are comparable on cost, with the MC30c Torpedo Frigate sitting at 7 points more than the Glad. For that, you get +1 speed, better shielding, but you lose a hull point. However, that wide side arc makes getting your hefty shots very easy. And honestly 2-Blue + 3-Black excites me far more than 4-Blacks do. Why? Because those Aim results, that's why. Imagine how much more damage your Glad would be doing without enemy braces? Sure, you can have someone else overload pulse it beforehand, but that requires another ship's help. Here you have a decent chance to just ignore their brace yourself. Plus, blues never miss. Unlucky charms me likes that. That +1 speed also makes the MC30c even better at flanking than the Gladiator, which is what I find the Glad does best.

To me, there are 2 main differences between the MC30 and the Gladiator, which are big enough so you will see them used very differently.

The Glad is most maneuverable at speeds 1 and 2, and so once you get up close and in someone's flank, you can sit there and pound away. The Shrimp, on the other hand, does best at speed 3. At speed 3, you're virtually guaranteed a double arc, especially if you dial in a Nav command. It's easy - try it! Now, having set up your double arc shot, you can accelerate to speed 4 next turn to get the heck out of dodge. You did remember to face across the board so you won't fly off the table, right?

The second difference is the ability to take advanced projectors, and the defense-oriented titles. These should allow the MC30 to survive anything for a turn. So go ahead, waltz right up to the front arc of an ISD. I'd like to see Demolisher do that and survive!

Really, the shrimp is a true hit-and-run specialist, or hit-and-hit again-and-die (Rieekan). Wielding a sledgehammer. Blacks and blues....mmmm.

So, you're saying that the MC30c's going to work best at coming from across the board, hitting an enemy's rear or side with a double-arc, and then zipping off behind them where it's safe?

That's exactly what I do with my Gladiators right now.

What is being said is that the Gladiator is very offensive while the MC30 is a defensive based ship.

Add onto that the MC30 is more of a long game ship that deals in taking out very big slow targets while the GSD (Demolisher mainly) is best at taking out small to medium targets that can't outrun it.

So, you're saying that the MC30c's going to work best at coming from across the board, hitting an enemy's rear or side with a double-arc, and then zipping off behind them where it's safe?

That's exactly what I do with my Gladiators right now.

No, what I'm saying is the MC30 doesn't have to flank. It can go straight in for the double arc and withstand a round of anything. It can tenderize an ISD for the rest of the fleet. You can choose to flank of you want, but you don't have to. The speed 3 maneuverability really gets you into optimal firing position by turn 2. Then head for the hills.

I wouldn't think that you want to expose this any more than you'd want to with a GSD. But like a GSD, you won't be as effective if you keep it bottled up forever.

I would assume, eventually you'll want to send this thing in, even if it's a sacrifice.

I wouldn't think that you want to expose this any more than you'd want to with a GSD. But like a GSD, you won't be as effective if you keep it bottled up forever.

I would assume, eventually you'll want to send this thing in, even if it's a sacrifice.

The GSD has the distinct advantage of being able to use all of its defense tokens in a single attack. That includes the Brace which is the best one for a ship.

I don't see the MC30 as a ship of the Akbar line. It's wasted points. Just get another MK2b for 3 more points.

I see two primary roles.

1) escort. The MC30 is made to jump in front of the incoming ships, jam them up and maybe escape while dealing considerable damage. This keeps the rest of your ships at long range for another turn and hopefully the enemy is then out of position.

2) pack hunter. They jump in as a group to tear apart some ships. One may die, but the rest eat the prey.

Both roles require upgrades to be most effective. BUT, you want to limit the points you pile into these creatures meant to die. Therefore, the best upgrades are on other ships. So this includes:

Mon Motha

Redemption

Akbar

Home one

Projection experts

Tantive IV

Lea

And so forth, I'm sure I missed a few. These will either prolong life or increase lethality of the shrimp without handing points over to the enemy. I would at most put one upgrade on the shrimp itself. I most like the APTs for offense or the titles for defense. Too bad one title works best with Mon Motha and the other works best without.

My rebel opponent today would have benefit from the shrimp in his fleet. The ISD closes so fast I was in short range turn 2.

I run my MC30 with an Akbar fleet and he works really well. It's somethig you have to watch out for and despite it being "Fragile" It takes a hell of a lot to kill one.

If you can hold off activating it for a while and then jump it in at speed 3 into a Imp line you force 4 red 3 black to two ships if you manuver right. With Home One within distance 5 you you change that 1 blank dice(statisticly you will have a 1 blank red dice) and tell that Vic to eat all the damage because you lock down his brace. This thing is a hunter through and through but you can't just let him fly off alone either.

Running this things is weird by Rebel standards but it pays for itself. Title cards are a must for it though.

Best record of dice thrown at the MC30 before dying: 11 red 10 black and 1 ram (milage may varie. Also the ram was what killed it.)