In this brave new world of 7 and 8 damage Ackbar broadsides with XI7s locking down redirects, Brace has become more important than ever. Unfortunately, this world also includes Home One to guarantee an accuracy on that Brace, not to mention the natural accuracies that are going to come from rolling so many dice. The only way to protect our Brace is with ECM. For Rebels, this isn't much of a problem. After all, only the Nebulon-B is caught without a Defensive Retrofit slot. On the Imperial side, however, it's a different story. Only the ISD-II, the most expensive ship in the game, is capable of running ECMs. All of our other ships have to make do without.

So the question is, how do you construct an Imperial fleet to withstand so much un-braceable damage?

SDs and Motti. You don need no stinkin braces.

Motti and Engineering Captains?

if you can't withstand, outmanuever (or tractor beam) or outdamage (long range bombers, probably)

with the Raider being what it is, flying into fattie front-arcs is basically the only way it's going to live

that's the theory, anyway

Or, play against an opponent who's smart enough to bring Home One but dumb enough to forget to use it. (I have no idea what you're talking about)

Not sure if it's just my local meta but are XI7's that popular? I haven't seen much use of them, most of us go for the turbolasers that increase damage output. I will admit to having a CR90B + ICBs specifically for targeting braces.

I've resolved to try to use them more often against the Redirect-Oriented Imperials... Try to Intel up the Brace beforehand, and then start really punching through Shields...

Or, play against an opponent who's smart enough to bring Home One but dumb enough to forget to use it. (I have no idea what you're talking about)

Not sure if it's just my local meta but are XI7's that popular? I haven't seen much use of them, most of us go for the turbolasers that increase damage output. I will admit to having a CR90B + ICBs specifically for targeting braces.

Interesting our local meta is very XI7 heavy, if it can take it and it pumps out more than 3 dice it will have an xi7.

Or, play against an opponent who's smart enough to bring Home One but dumb enough to forget to use it. (I have no idea what you're talking about)

Not sure if it's just my local meta but are XI7's that popular? I haven't seen much use of them, most of us go for the turbolasers that increase damage output. I will admit to having a CR90B + ICBs specifically for targeting braces.

It's going to get really popular really quick once people find out that throwing out large dice pools equates to ridiculous damage levels and XI7s puts that straight onto hull.

I don't know how this hasn't been a thing honestly. I read the card and instantly bought +3 Nebulon packs for Intel/XI7s.

In this brave new world of 7 and 8 damage Ackbar broadsides with XI7s locking down redirects, Brace has become more important than ever. Unfortunately, this world also includes Home One to guarantee an accuracy on that Brace, not to mention the natural accuracies that are going to come from rolling so many dice. The only way to protect our Brace is with ECM. For Rebels, this isn't much of a problem. After all, only the Nebulon-B is caught without a Defensive Retrofit slot. On the Imperial side, however, it's a different story. Only the ISD-II, the most expensive ship in the game, is capable of running ECMs. All of our other ships have to make do without.

So the question is, how do you construct an Imperial fleet to withstand so much un-braceable damage?

The ISD-I is a cheaper, almost suicidal throw-away ship IMO. It has all the components of a ship that wants to charge in there, unleash absolute hell, and then die with the other side's ships limping and dying for the other ships to finish off. In that sense, I don't think it needs ECMs, nor Gunnery Teams. Just XI7s and an Intel Officer to mess with your opponents and Nav twice and CF once. If it dies, it dies. Motti helps a TON in this regard.

Hopefully you have the ISD-II there who is a little more well-rounded to finish things up.

I read the card and instantly bought +3 Nebulon packs for Intel/XI7s.

I could only afford one, so I only got one.

Simple Economics.

I read the card and instantly bought +3 Nebulon packs for Intel/XI7s.

I could only afford one, so I only got one.

Simple Economics.

Yeah... coming from Magic and GW.. the 3x Nebs I got on sale costed the same as one of my dual lands so..

Even with more than one ISD you really only need one xi7.

In this brave new world of 7 and 8 damage Ackbar broadsides with XI7s locking down redirects, Brace has become more important than ever. Unfortunately, this world also includes Home One to guarantee an accuracy on that Brace, not to mention the natural accuracies that are going to come from rolling so many dice. The only way to protect our Brace is with ECM. For Rebels, this isn't much of a problem. After all, only the Nebulon-B is caught without a Defensive Retrofit slot. On the Imperial side, however, it's a different story. Only the ISD-II, the most expensive ship in the game, is capable of running ECMs. All of our other ships have to make do without.

So the question is, how do you construct an Imperial fleet to withstand so much un-braceable damage?

Don't take a broadside of that magnitude?

In a handful of games w/ISDI+2x Glad + screed+ Squads I haven't lost to the ackbar lists yet (I have Piett to get an evade on the ISD...). They're not easy games, but positioning is everything.

Even with more than one ISD you really only need one xi7.

I disagree The more dice you throw, the higher the need for XI7s.

I agree, however redundancy in this particular instance is unnecessary

I agree, however redundancy in this particular instance is unnecessary

I think that depends on how many ships you have throwing the same amount of dice on what hull zone. Impossible to be sure.

I still disagree that it's redundant and unnecessary though, but I think that will depend on your list as well.

I think two is a lovely number for xi7s after all that's how many high damage turbo laser ships most people will run with and you get that from 2 Neb packs which also gives you three nebs ( one with core) which is the perfect number as well......

I agree, however redundancy in this particular instance is unnecessary

On the contrary, I see XI7 as an all-or-nothing upgrade. If you don't put them on every ship that's firing at the target, you may as well not have had them at all.

Illustration: Say you have three ships putting 3 damage each into the side of my assault frigate. Two have XI7, one does not. I'm going to brace the first (4 Front/1 Right/3 Left/2 Rear/6 Hull), take the second (4/0/3/2/4), and then redirect all of the one without XI7 (1/0/3/2/4). This is almost exactly what I would do if none of them at all had had XI7, the only difference being that I could choose which shot I wanted to redirect.

If they all have XI7, though, I'm in a much worse spot. I'm going to brace and redirect the first (3/2/3/2/6) and take the second (3/0/3/2/5); then I'm forced to either take the third (3/0/3/2/2) or start burning tokens to survive.

This does, of course, assume you've flown your fleet such that you're able to concentrate your fire on the same facing. While that doesn't always happen, I generally like to build my fleet so that it will be very effective if I fly it well, as opposed to building it to be somewhat effective if I don't. This is why I don't often use upgrades like veteran captain or Wing Commander. Others have different philosophies, so YMMV.

Having XI-7 means I can acc the brace without guilt and let SDs burn redirects for little return...

I agree, however redundancy in this particular instance is unnecessary

On the contrary, I see XI7 as an all-or-nothing upgrade. If you don't put them on every ship that's firing at the target, you may as well not have had them at all.

Illustration: Say you have three ships putting 3 damage each into the side of my assault frigate. Two have XI7, one does not. I'm going to brace the first (4 Front/1 Right/3 Left/2 Rear/6 Hull), take the second (4/0/3/2/4), and then redirect all of the one without XI7 (1/0/3/2/4). This is almost exactly what I would do if none of them at all had had XI7, the only difference being that I could choose which shot I wanted to redirect.

If they all have XI7, though, I'm in a much worse spot. I'm going to brace and redirect the first (3/2/3/2/6) and take the second (3/0/3/2/5); then I'm forced to either take the third (3/0/3/2/2) or start burning tokens to su sure in your example(which has nothing to do with my statement) xi7s are indeed all or nothing.

Well sure, in your example (which has nothing to do with my statement) xi7s are indeed all or nothing.

Well, as an Empire player who refuses to use an ISD, I simply don't have access to any real defensive upgrades: especially ECMs.

I fully agree that ECMs are amazing. In fact, with the errata ruling on XI-7's vs Advanced Projectors I see ECMs as being simply the best defensive upgrade.

So...since I know lots of people will be taking XI-7s, ECMs, Intel Officers, and Large ships; I will have to learn how to make my list work against that stuff. I'm glad that my choice of Turbo neatly fits right in there and allows me bypass the meta-war that is sure to ensue: Heavy Turbolaser Turrets.

As people have said, since I don't have the option to bypass enemy turbolasers I will just have to outfly them. Don't engage them on their terms, and do what you can to keep their best foot back as you step into their punch and, hopefully, bloody their nose before they get a good lick or two in

that's all there is to it

ECMs by themselves also aren't going to save you on their own. They're a once per round deal, and if the enemy can concentrate Home One modded shots on your ship then it's going down regardless. Either way, you're relying on your positioning to save you (though, the ISD's ass being as fat as it is, you better cover up with ECM)

that's all there is to it

ECMs by themselves also aren't going to save you on their own. They're a once per round deal, and if the enemy can concentrate Home One modded shots on your ship then it's going down regardless. Either way, you're relying on your positioning to save you (though, the ISD's ass being as fat as it is, you better cover up with ECM)

Once per round brace is better than dying.. there's really nothing nothing else to say besides that..

Well, as an Empire player who refuses to use an ISD, I simply don't have access to any real defensive upgrades: especially ECMs.

Your telling me you decided to play Armada, a game basically built so fanboys can make pew pew noises with Star Destroyers, and your a IMPERIAL PLAYER but you REFUSE TO PLAY THE ISD!?!?

I am confused :/