I have not used the NK-7's before and I was throwing around an idea for a fleet using this

ISD2 - Skreed

Needa

Fire Control Teams

ECM

SW7's

XX9's

4 x Raider2

NK7's

The basic Idea would be to run the ISD at speed 1 or 2. Let the raiders out of the gate at 4 and run around the enemy fleet popping ION shots off into them with concentrated fire and use screed to get the crits needed for the NK-7's. If I focus on one ship at a time I should be able to eliminate all the defense tokens on one ship per round, depending on the fleet spread.

I was curious if anyone has tried a similar build and what the result was. On paper is seems like a sound theory. I realize if my opponent is running a lot of small ships I will be chasing my tail most of the game but if I run across some big guys I think this might work if I maneuver my ISD appropriately.

Thoughts?

I'd drop Fire Control Teams and XX9s, and replace them with Turbolaser Reroute Circuits. Combined with Screed, it should help with any bad rolls you come across.

And this is a list that will take a lot of practice, I think. The logistics of getting your Raiders into position where they won't be killed are tricky. If you're looking to take out a big target with three or four defense tokens, that means you're going to leave your Raiders vulnerable to return fire before they all get to shoot and scoot. Against something big enough, that's one dead Raider (or two if they have Gunnery Teams). Now your ability to strip another ship of tokens is significantly reduced.

I don't have much experience with Raider swarms personally, but I tend to see them fielded with naked Raiders or the classic Ordnance Experts/Assault Proton Torpedo combination. Four Raiders unloading with Screed all but guarantees eight face up damage cards, and that's only with the APTs triggering and not whatever you roll. They can kill anything short of an ISD pretty handily, and would even have a chance at taking down one of those, too. I can tell you, though, that the reason I've stayed away is their fragility. It takes practice to fly them right, and I don't have the time necessary to get it down. Definitely give it a shot, but be prepared to get stomped around a few times.

So you have three things that are going against you in this list.

1.) Only 5 deployments: how are you going to line up your ISD to be the finisher when you have been competely out deployed simply because your opponent had more deployments than you.

2.) No squadron defense (raider anti-squadron does not count): it only takes 6 black die bombers to neutralize a raider before it can strike. With an assault frigate really just 4. The first 4 remove shields and reduce you to two hp the assfrig then broadsides and finishes you off if it rolls at least 3 damage. With the Rhymer ball it is much worse.

3.) No initiative bid: it will be much easier to set up that defense token removal critical shot with initiative. If you are going to rely on it as your bread and butter tactic, you might as well make sure it happens.

I suggest dropping a raider and get 6 tie fighters. You will then have some sort of squadron defense, and would end up with an 11 point initiave bid. You also have 7 deployments which will allow you to Better place that ISD in a much more advantageous position.

So you have three things that are going against you in this list.

1.) Only 5 deployments: how are you going to line up your ISD to be the finisher when you have been competely out deployed simply because your opponent had more deployments than you.

2.) No squadron defense (raider anti-squadron does not count): it only takes 6 black die bombers to neutralize a raider before it can strike. With an assault frigate really just 4. The first 4 remove shields and reduce you to two hp the assfrig then broadsides and finishes you off if it rolls at least 3 damage. With the Rhymer ball it is much worse.

3.) No initiative bid: it will be much easier to set up that defense token removal critical shot with initiative. If you are going to rely on it as your bread and butter tactic, you might as well make sure it happens.

I suggest dropping a raider and get 6 tie fighters. You will then have some sort of squadron defense, and would end up with an 11 point initiave bid. You also have 7 deployments which will allow you to Better place that ISD in a much more advantageous position.

2: Congratulations, you've just expended nearly 200 points of ship and squadron activations to kill a Raider. Good job!

3: You may have a point here, but not with the squadron and ship combos listed above.

Out deployment is an issue when you put down your prized ISD and your opponent has yet to put any of his ships down.

Yes I spent more like a 160 points to kill a 58 point raider and the next turn I'll do it again or focus on their ISD if it is out of position because I outdeployed my opponent. Either way I guarantee that I will come out ahead in the next three turns while my opponent struggles to sink one ship.

Well anyone who has played me can tell you a "prized" ISD in one of my fleets usually ends up as a smoking wreck surrounded by the smoking death clouds my vanquished enemies. At least that is how I see it. This could also be why I lose so often....but it is a lot of fun. Who needs finesse when you have a big hammer.

I have one problem with trying this list out..... Only 2 raiders:p

Other than that looks fun

Out deployment is an issue when you put down your prized ISD and your opponent has yet to put any of his ships down.

Yes I spent more like a 160 points to kill a 58 point raider and the next turn I'll do it again or focus on their ISD if it is out of position because I outdeployed my opponent. Either way I guarantee that I will come out ahead in the next three turns while my opponent struggles to sink one ship.

Ha ha ha.

No.

Deployment man's nothing if you can't maintain it, and a ship that can out maneuver a well deployed fleet had an inherant advantage. Deployment is advantageous, not critical, unless you have both the deployment and activation advantage.

Well to each his own I guess. It is just in my experience I have never seen an imperial player win against me without having a good amount of deployments to match my squadron placement. I find they get easily out positioned and then subsequently outmanuevered.

The issue with a NK-7 build, is primarily, who is dishing the damage??

Raiders are going to struggle to get into blue dice range, and stay there, they are not designed for extended brawling sessions.

Usually in a game with Raiders, each one might get 1 round per game where it can double arc with all its dice, here you alleviate that issue by only needing to get 1 arc into blue dice range, but unless you can get multiple ships on the same enemy vessel in a round, you're going to make it lose a Defense Token and not much else.

Its almost an identical issue as a OLP / Avenger build, except slightly worse because you can double arc OLP to affect 2 ships, NK-7 is exhaust.

Getting 3-4 raiders to activate first and strip the defence tokens off a target before the ISD comes in on the same target and finishes it off is going to be complicated.

Might not Avenger on the ISD and OLP on some raider-IIs be a similar effect and much easier to achieve. Now only one raider needs to shoot first and then the ISD can go to work unworried by defence tokens. With gunnery teams on the ISD it could even do this to 2 targets a turn and 2 raiders with OLP is a much needed backup anyway.

Finally a Gozanti with the Supressor title can do a similar effect at least as far as the enemy Brace goes and it would leave you points for several Tie squadrons.

So you have three things that are going against you in this list.

1.) Only 5 deployments: how are you going to line up your ISD to be the finisher when you have been competely out deployed simply because your opponent had more deployments than you.

2.) No squadron defense (raider anti-squadron does not count): it only takes 6 black die bombers to neutralize a raider before it can strike. With an assault frigate really just 4. The first 4 remove shields and reduce you to two hp the assfrig then broadsides and finishes you off if it rolls at least 3 damage. With the Rhymer ball it is much worse.

3.) No initiative bid: it will be much easier to set up that defense token removal critical shot with initiative. If you are going to rely on it as your bread and butter tactic, you might as well make sure it happens.

I suggest dropping a raider and get 6 tie fighters. You will then have some sort of squadron defense, and would end up with an 11 point initiave bid. You also have 7 deployments which will allow you to Better place that ISD in a much more advantageous position.

1: Out deployment is almost never an issue, despite popular belief. The need to mass several squadrons together around a ship basically guarantees the opposing fleet will be relatively close by as a matter of necessity. Instead, smart deployment fixes most issues.

I'm surprised at this opinion, and wonder if you've had somebody lean hard into a stalled-deployment strategy against you before. It's true if you're up against B-wings, I guess, but most other squadrons are quick and flexible enough that they don't commit you too hard if you place them noncommittally. The MC30/X-wing MSU list I'm working with right now has 10 deployments (2 MC30s, 4 GR75s, and 8 squadrons). Of those, 5-7 deployments (depending on matchup) can go anywhere on the board without committing the bulk of my fleet to any particular location. Against a fleet like yours, I can take first player and still not tip my hand even a little before you've put down your ISD.

This is even more true against Imperial squadron lists, whose squadrons are cheaper and faster, which means they're less committed to the location their fighters deploy to, while having more of them.

I agree with you on the other two points.

I did something similar for my entry for the recent contest, but it was CR90's followed by a Liberty, with a flotilla pushing a couple of XWings plus Nym. Obviously didn't win the contest lol, but still want to try the list.

I have tried lists similar to this and it does surprisingly well. You probably only need to raiders with NK-7s. You will find out that you will only get one or two reasonable shots off before they get in range of your ISD, based on range and activation. Some things to keep in mind.

1.) You want to try to win initiative bid, the main reason especially against big ships is you want to go first, strip the defense token and run. if you go second, I have had a lot of raiders die before they get to fire based on range and your evade tokens become useless.

2.) activations are important because you want to be able to move that raider last into position to get your shot off. The other part of this if you lay a nice trap with three raiders next to each other, they will move the big ship into the trap last reducing the amount of shots you have on it.

3.) screed is awesome with Nk-7s

4.) you might want to think about taking some flotillas and maybe some cheap squadrons as other people mentioned. increase activations and help in disguising your deployment.

That is my four cents.

Several suggestions:

1. I might replace two raiders with Interdictor with Projection experts and NK7. That should help other Raiders survival.

2. I might to with Motti instead of Screed and give remaining Raiders Veteran gunners.

3. Intel officer on ISD2 may be a better play