Thanks for explaining, Dras.
It's hard to get play technique from raw fleet lists. Being still new to the game, I don't have the eye to see what kind of play is implied by a given list.
Interdictor... is it really as bad as I think?
Interdictor is not really a combat ship, right now anway. Best ways and actual winning ways to use it.
* Support your Demo with Targeting Scrambler/Projection Experts
* Combat Retrofit for tanky AA platform
* Overload Pulse/Avenger. One of our people placed second in a Regional last week with a two ship list with ISD II/Avenger/Motti, Interdictor/Scrambler/Grav shift and Imp Squadron A Team.
Then we have a bucket load of new things over the next few weeks:
* Tau/ECM/Targeting Scrambler/Interdictor Title is going to be an amazing defensive combo. You can ready up ECM twice! Or ready up Scambler twice if they have a low chance of acc, say Demolisher, use ECM if they hit the acc.
* There will be objectives in Blue/Red/Yellow that have a direct interaction with Grav Shift, specificlly objectives/debris fields for erg: blockade Run is god tier with G7 because everyone deploys on the 3' side of the board, not the 6, various Stations to move around, dust clouds (?)
Edited by Trizzo2The main issue with the Interdictor is it largely works better alongside the heavier Imperial ships which haven't been meta-favored since flotilla madness became a thing.
Another part of this main issue is that the interdictor is already a pricey gimmick in its own right, and the heavier imperial ships all clock in very high as well. Once you plan around a kitted out interdictor with some upgrades added to taste, there is not much budget left for other heavy ships. That somehow forces you to press it into a "flagship" role where it should really be a side-kick as per lore.
Another part of this main issue is that the interdictor is already a pricey gimmick in its own right, and the heavier imperial ships all clock in very high as well. Once you plan around a kitted out interdictor with some upgrades added to taste, there is not much budget left for other heavy ships. That somehow forces you to press it into a "flagship" role where it should really be a side-kick as per lore.
And which lore is that? 
Because the one time I saw it in the canon, it was a Flagship, all by itself...
... Of course, it got rammed by its escorts, but anyway..
The main issue with the Interdictor is it largely works better alongside the heavier Imperial ships which haven't been meta-favored since flotilla madness became a thing.
Another part of this main issue is that the interdictor is already a pricey gimmick in its own right, and the heavier imperial ships all clock in very high as well. Once you plan around a kitted out interdictor with some upgrades added to taste, there is not much budget left for other heavy ships. That somehow forces you to press it into a "flagship" role where it should really be a side-kick as per lore.
I actually would like to amend my earlier statement. I think it largely works better alongside the slower Imperial ships. The issue as of wave 4 is the slower Imperial ships are the heavier Imperial ships and so there's no real distinction. Raiders and Gladiators are interested in getting the Targeting Scramblers help but they have a tendency (especially Gladiators) to get away from the distance 1-3 that the Interdictor wants them in, making the Interdictor less useful to them AND making them less useful to the Interdictor (leaving it unsupported and vulnerable). You can ameliorate this to some extent with Engine Techs to keep the Interdictor racing alongside the speedier slower ships but this gives up the Projection Experts the full Interdoctor would like to have so it's definitely a compromise measure.
The Arquitens seems like it would prefer to be speed 1 or 2 most of the time and so may work all right alongside the Interdictor. Time will tell on that one, though.
So many Naysayers.
Neigh.
The Interdictor, would it pair well with Konstantine, Phylon Q7s, and a pair of VSDs?
The Interdictor, would it pair well with Konstantine, Phylon Q7s, and a pair of VSDs?
It's a fun fleet so long as you don't encounter any hard counters - like navigation-spamming Madine Liberties. 
The Interdictor, would it pair well with Konstantine, Phylon Q7s, and a pair of VSDs?
It's a fun fleet so long as you don't encounter any hard counters - like navigation-spamming Madine Liberties.
No, then the Hard-Counter becomes the Gunnery Team ISDwho is quite happy to slow-roll right back at you at Speed 1 in the first place
With two Q7 VSDs and Konstantine, I don't think even that would be an issue.The Interdictor, would it pair well with Konstantine, Phylon Q7s, and a pair of VSDs?
It's a fun fleet so long as you don't encounter any hard counters - like navigation-spamming Madine Liberties.
The Liberty, being a large based ship, would be immune to the medium based Q7 platforms in the proffered imperial list.
With two Q7 VSDs and Konstantine, I don't think even that would be an issue.
The Interdictor, would it pair well with Konstantine, Phylon Q7s, and a pair of VSDs?
It's a fun fleet so long as you don't encounter any hard counters - like navigation-spamming Madine Liberties.
Vics can't hit a Liberty with Tractor beams since they are not the same size. Liberty is large. VSD is medium.
Eh, true. Forgot that part.
But is something like this even viable?
+++ Shadow Squadron (v1.07) (Star Wars Armada v17) (398pts) +++
++ Standard (Imperial Navy v29) (398pts) ++
+ Victory Star Destroyer (204pts) +
········Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (102pts) [Gunnery Team (7pts), Leading Shots (4pts), Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams (6pts)]
········Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (102pts) [Gunnery Team (7pts), Leading Shots (4pts), Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams (6pts)]
+ Squadrons (48pts) +
········TIE Fighter Squadron (8pts)
········Rules: Swarm
········TIE Fighter Squadron (8pts)
········Rules: Swarm
········TIE Fighter Squadron (8pts)
········Rules: Swarm
········TIE Fighter Squadron (8pts)
········Rules: Swarm
········TIE Fighter Squadron (8pts)
········Rules: Swarm
········TIE Fighter Squadron (8pts)
········Rules: Swarm
+ Objectives +
········Assault Objective [Opening Salvo]
········Defense Objective [Fire Lanes]
········Navigation Objective [Dangerous Territory]
+ Interdictor Refit (146pts) +
········Interdictor Suppression Refit (146pts) [G-8 Experimental Projector (8pts), Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams (6pts), Projection Experts (6pts), SW-7 Ion Batteries (5pts), Targeting Scrambler (5pts), •Admiral Konstantine (23pts), •Interdictor (3pts)]
I've tried Konstantine with all the speed shenanigans (2 VSDs + 1 Interdictor, tractor beams everywhere). It's jank. Some fleets don't mind being slowed down and some fleets are just Nav commanding all the time. Ozzel is also a hard counter. It's got too many bad match-ups and the fleet itself is very slow. Not recommended.
Konstantine needs another medium Imperial ship that's got a bit more speed to really do his thing, methinks.
Konstantine needs another medium Imperial ship that's got a bit more speed to really do his thing, methinks.
Maybe it'll also have a Defensive Retrofit Slot
Konstantine needs another medium Imperial ship that's got a bit more speed to really do his thing, methinks.
Maybe it'll also have a Defensive Retrofit Slot
I've had success with the Interdictor as a blue-crit platform.
Targeting Scramblers and Grav Shifts are both game winners.
I have had no luck at all with Tractor Beam/G8s/Konstantine. It is so matchup dependent. And often it doesn't really hurt your opponent that much to slow them down as Imperials naturally want to close anyways.
I do wonder if an Interdictor supporting some Arkittens would work. Keep the enemy fleet slow and win the long-range fight. Might have to give the Interdictor Engine Techs to help it stay at range.
I do wonder if an Interdictor supporting some Arkittens would work. Keep the enemy fleet slow and win the long-range fight. Might have to give the Interdictor Engine Techs to help it stay at range.
I'm working on an idea with this, although using projection experts instead to keep the Arqs fresh for when the enemy does close.
The interdictor can do work when you double arc a ship. And the arcs a decently friendly for doing that. This past weekend I caught a corvette that was trying to catch me from behind with it and sent it off to the scrap heap with the rear and side arc pouring on the damage.
Love the interdictor.
This game needs more medium base variation.
So I have a few games now with the interdictor under my belt and start to feel like it is seriously overprized. Even though I really like it's design and it sure can make some interesting plays I never felt like it is worth the prize of admission. What do you thunk, is the interdictor competitive?
The Raider, tho? That's as bad as you think.
My deal with the Interdictor is that it is trying to be a large base ship soooooo hard and just falling short.
It's got a hull value in line with an ISD and with some autoupgrades it can easily cost as much as a naked ISD-I
And yet for that price it can't be a carrier, can't camp Victory Points, can't get close enough to make heavy use of its abilities without slapping on Engine Techs and spamming Navigation (which mitigates its ability to tank damage early through its great Engineering).
So while it fields some nifty doodads to support your fleet, you're pretty much negating 1-2 combat ships or a huge blob of fighters for these abilities and not much else.
I guess in the end the biggest flaw with the Interdictor is that it isn't an ISD and it isn't a TIE Swarm.
Another part of this main issue is that the interdictor is already a pricey gimmick in its own right, and the heavier imperial ships all clock in very high as well. Once you plan around a kitted out interdictor with some upgrades added to taste, there is not much budget left for other heavy ships. That somehow forces you to press it into a "flagship" role where it should really be a side-kick as per lore.
And which lore is that?
Because the one time I saw it in the canon, it was a Flagship, all by itself...
... Of course, it got rammed by its escorts, but anyway..
It is described on all sources as a support vessel that cannot hold its weight against similar sized battleships. Therefore it is safe to assume that a battlegroup incorporating an Interdictor would include some pure-bred battleships to carry the bulk of face-smashing, while the wizard-ish interdictor is sitting a tad behind, molesting wounded prey with its grav projectors. However if you start building your true battlegroup with a discount budget of 400 points the interdictor is likely to take already 1/3rd of it, means you can probably only afford another battleship plus an outkitted fighter wing ..
Not sure if that happened in any book that is still considered canon after all, maybe the word lore was used to lighthearted..
Another part of this main issue is that the interdictor is already a pricey gimmick in its own right, and the heavier imperial ships all clock in very high as well. Once you plan around a kitted out interdictor with some upgrades added to taste, there is not much budget left for other heavy ships. That somehow forces you to press it into a "flagship" role where it should really be a side-kick as per lore.
And which lore is that?
Because the one time I saw it in the canon, it was a Flagship, all by itself...
... Of course, it got rammed by its escorts, but anyway..
It is described on all sources as a support vessel that cannot hold its weight against similar sized battleships.[...]
Not sure if that happened in any book that is still considered canon after all, maybe the word lore was used to lighthearted..
The thing is, the Interdictor in Armada has not (to my knowledge) been described previous to its appearance in SW: Rebels. The one that we find elsewhere in the most of the EU lore is the Immobilizer 418.That is a much smaller vessel whose purpose is not at all as a combat vessel, and it always needs protection.
The thing is, the Interdictor in Armada has not (to my knowledge) been described previous to its appearance in SW: Rebels. The one that we find elsewhere in the most of the EU lore is the Immobilizer 418.That is a much smaller vessel whose purpose is not at all as a combat vessel, and it always needs protection.
The closest approximation to the Armada ship in the Legendsverse was the Interdictor-class Star Destroyer:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Interdictor-class_Star_Destroyer
Both are Star Destroyers with interdiction field generators. This one's a little shorter (closer to 1200m than 1600m going by Rebels screenshots) -- but it's still basically a Star Destroyer - and Ezra refers to it as one in the Season 3 premiere when facing Commander (formerly Admiral) Brom Titus.
Lookswise, it's based on some of the Immobilizer art - if you look at the cover of the original Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Essential_Guide_to_Vehicles_and_Vessels
the layout matches up better to the Armada Interdictor, than most Immobilizer art does:
http://starwarsrebels.wikia.com/wiki/File:Imperial_Interdictor_Concept.jpg
