So I've been pondering a question that affects a lot of us, are CR90B's with SW7 ion cannons better than Vanilla CR90A. At face value the CR90A has the range, but the CR90B can guarentee 3 damage, which is quite a sensational volley output. Pesters the enemies defence tokens and is completely predictable.

However at 44 points which one is better?

CR90B SW7 front arc: (assumes you dont want those accuracies)

3 damage - 56%

3 damage including crit - 44%

CR90A front arc: (all values in percent)

Damage------------- 5 ----- 4 ----- 3 ------ 2 ------ 1 ----- 0

Crit with Acc-------- 0.00 - 0.00 - 2.54 -- 10.78- 6.65 - 0.00

Crit Without Acc--- 0.34 - 6.16 - 16.98-12.94- 1.50 - 0.00

Just Acc -------------- 0.00 - 0.41 - 3.00 -- 7.14 -- 8.38 - 3.23

No crit or Acc. ----- 0.70 - 3.22 - 6.50 -- 6.33 -- 3.22 - 0.00

Chances of getting 3 or more damage = 39.85%

Chances of getting 2 damage with accuracy = 17.92%

Chances of other rolls = 42.23%

So you end up with a 42.23% chance of rolling worse than the SW7, and a 10.83% chance of rolling better than SW7.

The problem I have is this still doesnt take into account range. How many more shots will you get to take across a game with a CR90A over a CR90B? Is that even quantifiable? If your just looking at damage output, I think this favours the CR90B SW7.

Thoughts?

I think the core thing to consider is also how long they last, and I say that as someone who has played a ton of CR90s.

If you are at Medium Range, unless you are running MM, your opponents can hit you much harder because now evades do not cancel dice, they merely force re-rolls. It also puts you closer to being in close range. In short, there is a lot less durability and a lot more room for error with the CR90B.

I would also suggest that, while I know you are trying to standardize points, the best CR90 setup right now is CR90A + TRC, and you should really be comparing other options to that.

I thought it went without saying that CR90A plus TRC should be the default choice if you have the 7pts.

And that if you are running Ackbar you shouldnt even be considering CR90B's

Also ship activate counts to. 2 ISD vs 2 mc30 and 3 cr90s plays out different. As the cr90s could move in and double arc the ISD hopefully. Which can mean on a cr90b woth sw7 up two 6 dmg per ship or 18 overall againsy the ISD (3 front 2 side plus cf times 3 ships)

Then next round you can tap the cr90 again for another 6 dmg and this doesnt count if the mc30 fired.

They're just very different play styles. I've had great success with CR90B's, albeit pretty much only with Rieekan (I have a hate grudge against MM so I haven't tried them with her).

First of all, you should be double-arcing with the CR90B basically every shot you take, and you should have CF for virtually every non-incidental shot you take, so you're looking at 2 3-damage shots out of each whenever it counts. It's super easy to get that double arc at close range with a 45* arc line that's very easy to predict.

The value of the SW-7 B is the absolute reliability. You can calculate exactly how much damage you're going to do so you know exactly what resources to commit, which improves your efficiency overall.

Also, the difference in cost is huge. Yes, CR90A with TRC is only 7 points more, but that's 16% more expensive. That's an entire ship's difference if you're swarming.

The CR90B is also extremely difficult to defend against. Evades are completely useless against them--with the single narrow exception of MM at medium range. Brace drops a single point of damage. Redirect is good, but you only have so many shields to be redirecting to.

Which is not to say the TRC A is not good. The range is obviously a huge advantage. I think it's a flexibility vs absolute power question: the CR90B/SW-7 has more punch per point, but the TRC/A has quite a bit better flexibility for a small trade-off in absolute damage dealt (again, per point).

Slap on Engine Techs on the CR90B SW7, and you have a ship that can zoom around the flank as last Activation, and fire of a volley at medium range as first activation in the following round and then make a "clean get away". obviously you need to have first and last activation, in order for this to work

Slap on Engine Techs on the CR90B SW7, and you have a ship that can zoom around the flank as last Activation, and fire of a volley at medium range as first activation in the following round and then make a "clean get away". obviously you need to have first and last activation, in order for this to work

If you have built a list which allows a corvette to last/first activate, I really have to question your sanity.

A naked CR90A is like a Nebulon B without a title...cute.

BUT, at least a CR90A can present a 'potential of threat' at a safer range. CR90B requires more attention to maneuver at unsafe ranges.

In the end, which is better is determined by the Fleet commander and his deployment intent.

Slap on Engine Techs on the CR90B SW7, and you have a ship that can zoom around the flank as last Activation, and fire of a volley at medium range as first activation in the following round and then make a "clean get away". obviously you need to have first and last activation, in order for this to work

If you have built a list which allows a corvette to last/first activate, I really have to question your sanity.

Wait... What? This is the best way to use the B, why would you "question his sanity"? Like, legitimately confused here.

The 8x CR90B/SW-7 list is all about this. I have a MC80 + 4x CR90B/SW-7 list that does it. I did it in Wave 1 with my 2 AF2/2 CR90B list.

What better way would you suggest using the CR90B?

Buy an MC30 and last/first activate that.... If you are planning to exploit the last/first activation then dont use the cheapest ship in the game to do so....

I had some good success with corvettes and a MC30 lately, won three games in a tourney (you just dont win big with such a list, many times, or at least I dont). 3 normal CR90As with trc, one of them Jainas Light, one CR90B as Dodonnas Pride and with leading shots (wouldnt use leading anylonger) and a fully kitted out torpedo frigate, plus Jan and YT2400s (an escort might help). First player oc. Admiral Rieekan.

No elaborate flanking manouvers for Dodonnas Pride, always drove her to the main target directly, accepting an early demise if it so happens (using it as Zombie when destroyed before her activation....though sometimes you have to activate her first to get off her shots before the target flies away). She died in 2 of my three games, I think, but I at least delivered crits before she did. The killer oc is the MC30 (note to self, with 5 ships, even with supposed flankers, it can get busy in the center, so in case of doubt move MC30 before a potential blocker to a MC30 double arc position....if save for the MC30), she managed to take out an AF, among others, with a little help from friends.

I would keep the B, also for point reasons, but for a 5 ship list I dont think I would add a second. Not having to worry about too many ships being in more dangerous positions helps keeing up the flexibility. I should replace leading shots, though, think I used it once, maybe twice, and really is an option only when you have a cf command. Not sure with what to replace, though.

And Rieekan for such a list, well, he doesnt help you when opponent destroys something after you activated that already (other than being a blocker). Replace with Dodonna, free 10 pts, go OP? Reinstate Mon Mothma (was so careful this time that my CRAs didnt receive many shots from mid range at all)?

Oh dear, hope didnt derail the thread. Going to say that trc is the way to go, as has already been mentioned. But I use it only against the softer targets, not ISDs or MC80s, would take me too long to concentrate on those while their support ships are free to hunt me down. Probably the reason I dont win big (when I win), and thats the reason for not winning tourneys even with three wins. Maybe it would be better to go after the big ones, not evade them, and let the MC30 do its thing there, hm. At least it would be easier to get them in double arc