With Wave 2 firepower in the background, the community seems to underestimate the VSD and its 6 dice front arc. Unmodified, this is the same standard output of a MC80 side arc. VSDs are good ships, but slow and vulnerable from the back.

With Wave 2 firepower in the background, the community seems to underestimate the VSD and its 6 dice front arc. Unmodified, this is the same standard output of a MC80 side arc. VSDs are good ships, but slow and vulnerable from the back.

Their movement pattern combined with such a large front make it difficult to utilize as effectively as the side arcs.

Also, i find that VSD1s basically might as well have 3 front dice, as no one is usually stupid enough to get into close range to a VSD front arc.

So. VSD2 for me. And Gunnery Team is an okay option too.

With Wave 2 firepower in the background, the community seems to underestimate the VSD and its 6 dice front arc. Unmodified, this is the same standard output of a MC80 side arc. VSDs are good ships, but slow and vulnerable from the back.

Their movement pattern combined with such a large front make it difficult to utilize as effectively as the side arcs.

Also, i find that VSD1s basically might as well have 3 front dice, as no one is usually stupid enough to get into close range to a VSD front arc.

So. VSD2 for me. And Gunnery Team is an okay option too.

The Serious Liability I see in the VSD is this: With accuracy and XI7s, you just shut down the VSD's entire defensive potential. It becomes a sitting duck to almost everything shooting at it.

The ISD suffers the same problem but unlike the VSD, the ISD can ramp up to speed 3 and has a bigger base to have a little more reach with its firepower. It is also much tankier than the VSD and can survive more hits when the situation is against them. ISDs also have a greater chance at punching out the ACC+XI7 builds that are hurting them.

VSDs plod along and try to chase more nimble craft that just dance out of range. It's almost embarrassing.

What this does is push the VSDs, as I see it, out of the gun-line. I'm afraid to set VSD-IIs next to my ISD and arm them with NK-7s or Overload pulses because they are literally the weakest link in such a list. With both VSDs popped I'm at a severe activation disadvantage with one ship left. The only hope you have in this build is to force the enemy to come to you... and concentrate fire to kill it before it kills you because you'll never get to use proper defense in this setup.

So outside of the gunline, the VSD becomes a cheap carrier. As it's been said it can take boosted coms, so that's three fighters at long range to do their thing. With flight controllers onboard now fighters can protect themselves just a little bit better.

The only other reason I can think of to take them is to use them as roadblocks. Equip a VSD-I with Expanded launchers and slow-roll it in the direction you don't want your enemy to travel. Give it H9s, XI7s, Sensor Teams, or Ordinance Experts (or a combination of them) and now you have a brutal eight-dice attack primarily made of black die with some kind of damage-direction aimed at the face of whatever you're punching. Thing is, Rebels are a lot more maneuverable and can side-step this if you time it badly if you didn't spare the points for tractor beams. It comes out to 102 points... just hope someone runs into it while it plods along at speed 2, waving it's front arc around in search of targets. While it still can't defend against anything using XI7s and access to Accuracy (like Home One).

All the while Gladiators are laughing at them while being cheaper, faster, and flashier with upgrade suites.

So yeah, Id like to see something that can give some punch back to gunship VSD-IIs. Even if we had Blissex defect back to the Empire somehow that can at least give us some protection against Intel Officers, or let Vader fire recklessly. But without a defensive structure slot, speed 2 plodding (that hardly can turn), the VSD is slotted in the carrier role for competitive lists.

VSDs are very efficient ships. However, they suffer from meta problems.

Everyone and their brother is running Ackbar conga gunlines right now. This means the VSD is likely to face ships that are faster than it (Speed 3), more maneuverable than it (More than 1 yaw tick), outrange it (Ackbar ships tend to shoot a minimum 5 reds at long range), and are more survivable than it (ECMs on MC80s, Assault Frigates, etc).

Before Ackbar, when more Nebulons and CR90s were seen, the VSD was really in its element. People also played Imperials more, whose ships the VSD is much more reliable against.

The existence of Home One, made all the more common by Ackbar's popularity, is also a huge deterrent to running VSDs. VSDs are tough because high damage rolls are usually low accuracy rolls, allowing that Brace token to neuter the attack. This soaks loads of damage over the course of a normal game. But the moment Home One hits the field, every attack gets a free Accuracy and, since the VSD only has one Brace token, it'll be about as tough as a piece of paper. That is then exacerbated by the fact that, in this Ackbar meta, most ships are throwing huge amounts of dice. And unlike the ISD, VSDs cannot take ECMs.

The thing that VSDs can do really like no other right now is command squadrons. A VSD-I is a sturdy carrier that will fight back viciously if you want to close in to take it out. Corrupter is such a powerful effect for the already-fast TIE Bombers, combined with Chiraneau will allow you to assault pretty much any ship on the battlefield with impunity.

But another meta problem with the VSD now is that most Imperial builds involve a Rhymer + Firespray formation of some sort, meaning that an efficient carrier is often not needed (and indeed a somewhat waste of points). So of course VSDs are seeming weak now - the function they excel at (Carriers) isn't really used much in the current meta, and the meta lists tend to exactly counter them.

Give it another wave or two and I'm sure some upgrade will have people chomping at the bits to get VSDs on the field.

I haven't had a lot of seat time, but I'm still failing to...

-Make an MC80 worth the points if not running Ackbar.

-Not justifying VSD's on the table.

Right now the Empire IMO is on easy mode. So many efficient choices that are pretty hard to screw up unless you do some really dumb things. I'm refusing to run Ackbar... and my Rebels are paying for it badly.

Its funny but the lack of the defensive upgrade slot (ecm) and crew member (engineering team) that limit the flexibility of the VSD are whats keeping it the cost effective carrier it is. Even my sample loadout with acm and tractors are probably loading to many points in them.

Best way in my opinion to use VSDs right now is probably naked, perhaps with expanded hangers or comms.

If you are really good (or lucky) you can squeeze out 5 red dice long range attack with front and side arc. That is comparable to acbar assault frigates for 73 points. Not to mention its 3 base squadron command can potentially get three more dice vs an enemy ship. Gunnery teams are tempting but meh. I'd rather just go for double arc on same target and use those 7 points elsewhere. Gunnery teams seem better on assault frigates and ISDs right now.

Also keep in mind objectives play a huge part in the game. Yes VSDs stink against hunting fast rebel ships down, so don't use them for that (unless you take tractor beams to compensate).

Do you use your VSDs with expanded hangars or enhanced comms?

Expanded Hangars, to give Rhymer a 3rd bomber or (with flight controllers) Howl a 3rd Interceptor.

VSD plus admiral chiraneau and mauler - winning. Move mauler last into enemy fighters during squadron phase. Activate VSD first and move mauler a centimeter. Two auto damage en masse. More awesomeness ensues every round you opponent neglects mauler. Slightly expensive combo for 25 points, though chiraneau helps bombers from getting hung up or even just for repositioning interceptors.