Hey, I've got an armada store championship tomarrow and am thinking of flying duel ISDs. How would you guys suggest tooling them? This is what I have so far

ISD2 - motti, ECM, XI7 turbo lasers

ISD2 - ECM, XI7

Fire spray X 5

Major rhymer

Objectives

Advanced gunnery

Contested outpost

Minefields

Any advice helps

Intel officers and gunnery teams. I won store champs with a 2 ISD list.

Yep I think you've pretty much got it with the list above!

What would you drop for those? I believe that list is 396

IMO, you've got squadron 4 on your ISD's- you don't need to use firesprays if you can help it. I'd switch to tie bombers (5-7 + rhymer) and with the points savings bring Instigator for the lockdown/activation or just more tie fighters for the deployment advantage- you'll need every bit you can get with only two ships.

I'd also recommend strongly considering the ISD-I. It's the hipster imp star that's not very popular

If you're set on running ISD2's, I'd seriously consider taking gunnery teams instead of ECM's. The fact that you can unload 16 dice for every pair of ships that tries to gang up on you (assuming good formation flying) means it has a defensive ability all it's own in terms of area denial.

With that, I'd also strongly recommend considering Ozzel as well- in a dual GT ISD2 configuration slow rolling at 1 in formation, it lets you speed up and pounce on the either spread out or flank attempting ships.

A couple thoughts/questions then

The way I had thought to fly this, was using the firesprays as basically another 10die attack ship that's harder to take down, obviously this in an be mitigated by a large fighter presence on the other side, but with that in mind I assumed it would be better to focus on defense for the ISDs, is that assumption wrong? What I've done in the test games with it are speed, engineering, focus fire (for a strong first strike), then engineering until end game.

Question, does ozzel work on tokens or just dials? Would it be better to just drop a firespray in favor of gunnery x2 or would you still recommend ECM

Sorry for the double post,

Also, if I take gunnery teams should I trade out the advanced gunnery objective?

Sorry for the double post,

Also, if I take gunnery teams should I trade out the advanced gunnery objective?

YES! Recent FAQ says you can't Advanced Gunnery on a GT ship (for some bizarre reason).

Ozzel works on tokens also.

I can see how FS's have some more utility with rogue given that you've only got two ships, but without dengar or a jump master, I think they could get tied up kind of easily. It's another 10 dice medium range ship, but it's one that can't fire every time your opponent puts an A-wing nearby. If someone alpha strikes you with dedicated interceptors (x-wings, flight controller anything) your fireball is going to get shredded pretty fast or seriously neutered since you don't have any escorts.

I never really got ECM's to work well for me... maybe that's just me though. I'd much rather hit hard enough that the other guy's down than be able to take hits.

In short, figure out how to get GT's on your 'deuces. It may save you in the squadron game too (4 blues with area of effect- that can help even up things real fast).

*doubled. Ironic.

I'd never give a Mc80 list the opportunity to pick Advanced Gunnery against me. I think I ran Precision Strike.

Here was my list I found successful:

ISD2

-Gunnery Team

-Electronic Countermeasures

-Admiral Motti

-Intel Officer

-XI-7 Turbolasers

ISD2

-Gunnery Team

-Electronic Countermeasures

-Intel Officer

-XI-7 Turbolasers

Firespray x2

Aggressor x2

Jumpmaster 5000

Precision Strike

Contested Outpost

Superior Positions (I think)

I don't think sending FS on a bee line for the enemy is ever smart. Keep them around or even behind the ISD. They're very dissuasive for CR90 and the stuff that wants to go last/first in a turn from up close.

Never tried ISD-IIs with a fighter build. I tried it with ISD-Is and my rhymerball got flattened by some guy fielding 6x X-Wings, 2x B-Wings, Yavaris, A/Fs, and a HWK. Then I tried monster ISD-IIs, looking something like this (before the AdvGunnery "fix"):

Pizza Delivery (389)

Advanced Gunnery - Fleet Ambush - Minefields

ISD-II // Admiral Screed / Avenger / Intel Officer / Gunnery team / Tractor Beams / ECM / XI7 / Overload Pulse

ISD-II // Intel Officer / Devastator / Gunnery team / Tractor Beams / ECM / XI7 / Overload Pulse

Boba Fett

In practice I was losing at least one ISD every game in a 3-round tournament. Playing with two ships is kind of a dangerous thing IMO, it'll become easy to focus down one of your two ships and destroy it (these are ISD-IIs, the toughest ships without engineering support in the game). Then you're down to one activation against however many other ships remain. These ISDs were designed to try to punch out a ship with each blast and they didn't succeed as much as I would have liked, though they were dangerous.

3 ISDs at least charges your opponent with hull 33 and a dice pool yoked to each one. In the right hands, few ships can escape such a monsterous list (I've faced it...). Two ISDs rely on either upgrades or other things accompanying the ships to make them dangerous. It might work, might not.

I miss my Vader Duet. . . such a fun list. . .

Vader Duet
Author: Lyraeus

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 397/400

Commander: Darth Vader

Assault Objective: Precision Strike
Defense Objective: Fire Lanes
Navigation Objective: Intel Sweep

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Darth Vader ( 36 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- XI7 Turbolasers ( 6 points)

Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- XI7 Turbolasers ( 6 points)

1 "Mauler" Mithel ( 15 points)
1 TIE Advanced Squadron ( 12 points)
1 Major Rhymer ( 16 points)
1 Firespray-31 ( 18 points)
1 Dengar ( 20 points)

The Recent version of this dropped Rhymer and added Intel Officer to the ISD's.

I build 2 ISD lists with THREE ISD's

Alright, that's fair, instead of advanced gunnery Should it be precision strike? I used that once but the reason I took it out was I figured the only timevitvwoukd ever get picked is if it's actually more beneficial for my opponent lol here is the modified list

ISD2 - ozzel, Intel officer, GT, ECM, XI7

ISD2 - GT, ECM, XI7 (I might move the Intel officer to this ship instead)

Firespray x4

Major rhymer

Precision strike

Contested outpost

Minefields

Actually x3 ISDs sound hilarious to me, maybe if I get the wife to let me, I'll end up buying a 3rd for a future tourney lol

Alright, that's fair, instead of advanced gunnery Should it be precision strike? I used that once but the reason I took it out was I figured the only timevitvwoukd ever get picked is if it's actually more beneficial for my opponent lol here is the modified list

ISD2 - ozzel, Intel officer, GT, ECM, XI7

ISD2 - GT, ECM, XI7 (I might move the Intel officer to this ship instead)

Firespray x4

Major rhymer

Precision strike

Contested outpost

Minefields

I like Precision when I'm going FS crazy and have XI7. Yes.

Alright, that's fair, instead of advanced gunnery Should it be precision strike? I used that once but the reason I took it out was I figured the only timevitvwoukd ever get picked is if it's actually more beneficial for my opponent lol here is the modified list

ISD2 - ozzel, Intel officer, GT, ECM, XI7

ISD2 - GT, ECM, XI7 (I might move the Intel officer to this ship instead)

Firespray x4

Major rhymer

Precision strike

Contested outpost

Minefields

Actually x3 ISDs sound hilarious to me, maybe if I get the wife to let me, I'll end up buying a 3rd for a future tourney lol

Many people question Precision Strike but I have found it to be amazing. I average about 100ish points off it per game which helps make up for any losses.

If I was dueling with them? I mean, as much as people hate the design from TFA, a cross-guard (or at least bell guard) is a good idea, because otherwise you do run the risk of losing hands and fingers. Star Wars itself, in fact, would tell you that such a thing has happened repeatedly because people just can't wrap their head around not leaving their weapon hands exposed to reprisals.

Likewise, the ISD itself is pretty flimsy. You can't slash with it (blunt), and stabbing would probably just break the model? So, really, you'd be looking at having to reinforce them with either a steel point on the front, or maybe a bar going through the entire model so that you could use them like a dirk/dagger.

Even so, I'd recommend just going with a sword.

Or did you mean dual?

Or did you mean dual?

I thought he meant like the stand-ten-spaces-apart-at-dawn type duel. In which case, you'd want the ISD-II for the range.

Or did you mean dual?

I thought he meant like the stand-ten-spaces-apart-at-dawn type duel. In which case, you'd want the ISD-II for the range.

Or did you mean dual?

I thought he meant like the stand-ten-spaces-apart-at-dawn type duel. In which case, you'd want the ISD-II for the range.

I still like to break out 3 ISD-I's, raider I, and screed. It's hull-licious! Putting Motti in there can make you extra annoying

ISDII w/ motti

ISDI

VSDI

VSDI

technically a double ISD list

This is my current dual ISD fleet:

[ EMPIRE FLEET (397 points)
1 • Imperial II-class Star Destroyer - Admiral Motti - Intel Officer - Gunnery Team - Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams - Electronic Countermeasures - XI7 Turbolasers - Relentless (180)
2 • Imperial II-class Star Destroyer - Intel Officer - Gunnery Team - Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams - Electronic Countermeasures - XI7 Turbolasers (153)
3 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
4 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
5 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
6 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
7 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
8 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
9 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
10 • TIE Fighter Squadron (8)
http://armada.fabpsb.net/permalink.php?sq=e14c3o5w1g4d1t4f16e14o5w1g4d1t4e4e4e4e4e4e4e4e4 ]
e14c3o5w1g4d1t4f16e14o5w1g4d1t4e4e4e4e4e4e4e4e4

Some might say the ISDs are overloaded with upgrades but I have been using them all every game so I'm okay with it

The list I run (and won a store championship with) is:

ISD1 - Boosted Comms, XI-7s, Support Officer

ISD2 - Motti, Boosted Comms, XI-7s, Support Officer, SW-7s, Flight Controllers Motti

5x TIE Interceptors

Howlrunner

Dengar

Rhymer

ISD2 Squadron gives TIEs 6 blues on the attack with Howlrunner. Howlrunner and Dengar give them Counter 4 They destroy enemy squadrons and then I have a ton of blue dice to go and plink shields down for the ISDs. ISD2 deploys in the middle on the table edge, then drop squadrons, dropping the ISD1 to counter the majority of the enemy ships. ISD ideally want to get to a ram fest with the biggest enemy ship while the ISD1 flanks it and you get both front hullz on the enemies front and just hammer it to oblivion.

I will be posting some battle reports on my blog about my Store Champ victory with this list in a few days and then repost them here.

ISD II

Motti

X-17

Leading Shot

Gunnery Team

ECM

Tractor Beam

ISDI

X-17

Tractor Beam

Expanded Hanger Bay

Ruthless Strategist

Wing Commander

Rhymer

Dengar

Soontir

2xAdvanced

1xInterceptor

Tractor beams really help slow down those flankers and allow the ISD to use its gunnery teams more often.

Fighter Wing has Rhymer for flexibility ...enough to slow down max fighter builds. Beats average sized squadrons number with the ISD having Expanded Hanger, Wing Commander, and Ruthless strategist. This also allows the fighter wing to become a minor bomber wing if needed by ignoring being engaged and finish off a ship on the flank in medium range that was injuried even if it is engaged by throwing 3 black & 3 blue one at a time into a shield less zone.

I have tried this build as part of a 500 point game just adding a loaded 98 point glad II: Demolisher, Intel off, acm, OE, engine techs. The two blue dice glad helps.

If it's a duel at ten paces take a Neb with slaved turrets, salvation, concentrate fire and Raymus for the reroll. Cheaper than an ISD2, plus double brace and built in pistol grip.