I've only played the MC30 once today, but I'm already thinking of how to kit it out. I like the idea of a Torpedo Frigate with Ordnance Experts and...maybe Admonition? I like that title a lot. Tried the Foresight with TRC's today and it was okay, but once it got in close didn't do so well. I figure the OE fit with a Home One nearby might do better.

The MC80...bleh, I don't know. I've fielded it four times and it's died and/or under performed every single time. It seems like a support ship that really badly WANTS to be a front line vessel but isn't quite up to the task. Maybe I'll have a Neb-B Support with Projectors follow it around next time.

I would like to try this

Rebels Fleet (359 of 400 pts)
Commander: Admiral Ackbar (38 pts)
Flagship: (79 pts)

• MC30c Scout Frigate(69 pts)
• Enhanced Armament (10 pts)
  

Fleet Ship 1: (79 pts)

• MC30c Scout Frigate(69 pts)
• Enhanced Armament (10 pts)
  

Fleet Ship 2: (79 pts)

• MC30c Scout Frigate(69 pts)
• Enhanced Armament (10 pts)
  

Fleet Ship 3: (79 pts)

• MC30c Scout Frigate(69 pts)
• Enhanced Armament (10 pts)
  

Squadrons (43 of 134 pts):

• 2x YT-2400 (32 pts)
• 1x A-Wing Squadron (11 pts)
  

Objectives: Opening Salvo , Fire Lanes , Superior Positions

For me, I like to go with the MC80 FATFISH with Ackbar:

MC80 Command

Home One

Intel Officer

XI7s

Engine Techs

Leading Shots

ECM

MC30c Scout

Foresight

TRC

Ordnance Experts

Assault Proton Torpedoes

You can find out more of why I chose these setups here and here, and maybe here.

I ran a MC80 today for the first time, it went, okay.

I think number one you shouldn't run the thing without engine techs. At all, even a little. It is just to risky at speed two.

Number two is, either Enhanced Armament or Ackbar. It just doesn't do enough damage as is. I mean, people have been dealing with VSD front arcs for months now. Six dice isn't news.

Number three, the Home One title is amazing. Just amazing.

Number four Electronic Counter Measures are your friend. ECM good, fire bad.

MC30 scout with Foresight is the default flagship for Mon Mothma.

I've seen a few comments talking about MC80 fragility. It makes me wonder how people are using them to have these results... they aren't Star Destroyers, are players using them as such and lamenting they're weak when they don't performing to their expectations?

MC30 scout with Foresight is the default flagship for Mon Mothma.

Add Lando, Electronic Countermeasures, Enhanced Armament & Assult Concussion Missiles, and she is deadly and **** near immortal.

Torpedo Variant with AP. Works pretty darn well as a flanker. Possibly a finisher if you've got a clean shot. Don't fear speed 4 in bursts.

To echo Norsehound, they really are support ships, of the best kind. They don't do that much damage and really rely on the rest of the fleet to step up.

I have been flying mine with Bwings, kitted out with Independence and engine techs. Add in either AP or ECM (your gamble), Maybe boosted comms, though my preference is to hand off fighter supervision duties to another ship after round one. Then navigate, navigate, navigate to keep the enemy in your side arc and out of their range. Ideally you won't enter blue range until you're ready to finish someone off.

Independence, ECMs, Adar, and Boosted Comms. I'll swear by that beauty any day of the week. Fear the bees. Unlike Maturin, I prefer to play it aggressive, pumping squadrons the whole way. It has a dual role of support and protection. I go in expecting to take heavy damage, because if it's getting hit, Yavaris usually isn't.

To echo Norsehound, they really are support ships, of the best kind. They don't do that much damage and really rely on the rest of the fleet to step up.

I have been flying mine with Bwings, kitted out with Independence and engine techs. Add in either AP or ECM (your gamble), Maybe boosted comms, though my preference is to hand off fighter supervision duties to another ship after round one. Then navigate, navigate, navigate to keep the enemy in your side arc and out of their range. Ideally you won't enter blue range until you're ready to finish someone off.

Saying it's a support ship makes the MC80 sound like it's not a worthy combat ship... I think it is, just not to the impressive levels of an Imperial Star Destroyer. It seems to me the MC80 is an artillery piece, and the combat power out of it comes from both firepower and fighter control. There's a reason both versions have high squadron ratings.

A support ship would probably be something like the Armada version of X-Wing's GR75. It is not a ship expected to fight in combat, but provide purely special abilities through non-combat equipment and titles. No ship in Armada is truly a support ship, the Yavaris, Redemption, and Tantive IV have amazing support abilities but they are all yoked to capable fighting ships.

I've seen a few comments talking about MC80 fragility. It makes me wonder how people are using them to have these results... they aren't Star Destroyers, are players using them as such and lamenting they're weak when they don't performing to their expectations?

Norse, There's a good point to that. If you can crack the shields, MC80s die quickly. But with that side arc and low maneuver, it's pretty clear that they have to expect to get in close eventually. Saying that they should be "held back" doesn't really work when faster, more powerful ships are going to engage them and their entire support fleet with fighter support on turn three.

I saw them do plenty of damage today at the usual place though. Looking forward to a rematch in two weeks.

I think we will see very soon enough that I believe that some players did not upgrade their ships enough. I wrote something today specifically to talk about this issue.

I second what Norsehound said. Saying the MC80 is a support ship is the wrong way of looking at it. The same wrong can be said be said about the MC80 being too slow because it has speed-2. Smart choices on upgrades is what will make the MC80 stand out above its peers. Sure, you can keep it cheap, but it will be ineffective unless you're using it for a specific purpose: Such as Independence to catapult B-Wings. For a capital ship like the MC80 to be effective, it needs a little extra oomph in the upgrade department for sure.

I usually play conservatively... most of my lists are slow-rolling Star Destroyers that crush everything in their path. So, the idea that a slow MC80 forces an opponent to come to it seems like it works with me. I also love B-Wings, and I feel a combination of the two with some decent escorts will punish ships that try to approach.

After all the MC80 has red/blue, not red/black or anything similar, so range is constant. MC80s can hit ships as they are trying to close before they can use their black dice.

I've seen a few comments talking about MC80 fragility. It makes me wonder how people are using them to have these results... they aren't Star Destroyers, are players using them as such and lamenting they're weak when they don't performing to their expectations?

Norse, There's a good point to that. If you can crack the shields, MC80s die quickly. But with that side arc and low maneuver, it's pretty clear that they have to expect to get in close eventually. Saying that they should be "held back" doesn't really work when faster, more powerful ships are going to engage them and their entire support fleet with fighter support on turn three.

I saw them do plenty of damage today at the usual place though. Looking forward to a rematch in two weeks.

It's an interesting split of strategy with Wave 2 Rebel ships focusing on more shields but fewer hull points (suppose that makes sense fluff-wise, MonCal love their shields but the MC80 originally was a luxury liner). My guess is we'll see more XI7's on the Imps this wave. My MC80 would have lasted much longer had I been able to redirect more damage.

The mc80 is a serious beast, people saying it is too fragile clearly are flying it right into the teeth of the enemy fleet and getting shot by three or four ships on the same turn. They need to be defended and supported and they will do wonders against the enemy.

I use my MC80 as support and finisher behind my real heavy hitters, the torpedo shrimp. Home One is a great amplifier for those things, and they hit hard enough that, by the time you're through the shrimp line, the MC80 can probably finish you off in one shot out that broadside.

I use my MC80 as support and finisher behind my real heavy hitters, the torpedo shrimp. Home One is a great amplifier for those things, and they hit hard enough that, by the time you're through the shrimp line, the MC80 can probably finish you off in one shot out that broadside.

I've had trouble keeping my MC30's alive long enough to really do damage. What's your secret?

I use my MC80 as support and finisher behind my real heavy hitters, the torpedo shrimp. Home One is a great amplifier for those things, and they hit hard enough that, by the time you're through the shrimp line, the MC80 can probably finish you off in one shot out that broadside.

I've had trouble keeping my MC30's alive long enough to really do damage. What's your secret?

Drive-bys. You charge in at speed 4, drop your steaming load all over your target, then gtfo. If you get one close-range double arc for each shrimp you brought, they've probably earned their points back, assuming you built them well. Admonition or MM/Foresight mitigate the flimsiness up close.

Even so, though, they're not built to take hits--they're built to deliver hits and woop woop woop out. It just takes practice and timing, on which I think I have a bit of a leg up because I've been doing this with CR90B's for months.

I use my MC80 as support and finisher behind my real heavy hitters, the torpedo shrimp. Home One is a great amplifier for those things, and they hit hard enough that, by the time you're through the shrimp line, the MC80 can probably finish you off in one shot out that broadside.

I've had trouble keeping my MC30's alive long enough to really do damage. What's your secret?

Drive-bys. You charge in at speed 4, drop your steaming load all over your target, then gtfo. If you get one close-range double arc for each shrimp you brought, they've probably earned their points back, assuming you built them well. Admonition or MM/Foresight mitigate the flimsiness up close.

Even so, though, they're not built to take hits--they're built to deliver hits and woop woop woop out. It just takes practice and timing, on which I think I have a bit of a leg up because I've been doing this with CR90B's for months.

Pretty much this. Just dance in in red range until you're ready to connect.

I use my MC80 as support and finisher behind my real heavy hitters, the torpedo shrimp. Home One is a great amplifier for those things, and they hit hard enough that, by the time you're through the shrimp line, the MC80 can probably finish you off in one shot out that broadside.

I've had trouble keeping my MC30's alive long enough to really do damage. What's your secret?

Drive-bys. You charge in at speed 4, drop your steaming load all over your target, then gtfo. If you get one close-range double arc for each shrimp you brought, they've probably earned their points back, assuming you built them well. Admonition or MM/Foresight mitigate the flimsiness up close.

Even so, though, they're not built to take hits--they're built to deliver hits and woop woop woop out. It just takes practice and timing, on which I think I have a bit of a leg up because I've been doing this with CR90B's for months.

I LOVE CR90s (though I usually run As, can't wait to field a few with TRCs). I give up initiative though and the opposing player blows me out of the water before I can fire. Some practice is needed (and a proper list, I've just been running "Play with New Toys" so far).

Even so, though, they're not built to take hits--they're built to deliver hits and woop woop woop out.

It feels like everyone is forgetting everything is on equal speed footing now. You can't just pick and choose where you go anymore

It feels like everyone is forgetting everything is on equal speed footing now. You can't just pick and choose where you go anymore

This specifically excites me. The Victory is so limited in terms of navigation that you can literally plot every possible course it can take from deployment with limited deviation. It has parts of the board it simply will never reach at speed 2.

EDIT:

Put differently, you could buy a bunch of range rulers and do this with any ship although the Victory is an extreme example. At full speed it will not go more than 12 segments a game. 3 full rulers/Raider turns.

It feels like everyone is forgetting everything is on equal speed footing now.

Not at all. Everything is not on equal speed footing; and maneuverability and response time both play a significant role when you're trying to defend against this tactic. We're not talking about targeting Raiders and CR90's here, I'm targeting ISDs and MC80s with drive-bys, both of which are definitely slower and significantly more cumbersome than the shrimp.

It's about predicting where your drive-by target is going to be when you want to get your shot off, and then being there waiting for him. This is obviously a lot easier when there is exactly one place your target could be, or when you have player 1 and activation advantage, but it's also pretty easy to predict where a space stogie is going to be next turn.