Hi. I am a new player that wanted to try out Armada. I was hoping to get some critiques on my list that my friend and I put together for me. I'd like it to be somewhat competitive and am open to any changes. I'd just really like to have an ISD and a Interdictor in it. Here is my list:

Vader's Fleet
Author: Rojan

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 399/400

Commander: Darth Vader

Assault Objective: Advanced Gunnery
Defense Objective: Fleet Ambush
Navigation Objective: Intel Sweep

Interdictor-class Suppression Refit (90 points)
- Interdictor ( 3 points)
- Admiral Titus ( 2 points)
- MS-1 Ion Cannons ( 2 points)
- G7-X Grav Well Projector ( 2 points)
- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)
= 104 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Darth Vader ( 36 points)
- Devastator ( 10 points)
- Captain Needa ( 2 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- X17 Turbolasers ( 6 points)
- SW 7 Ion Batteries ( 5 points)
= 193 total ship cost

3 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 24 points)
1 Morna Kee ( 27 points)
1 Dengar ( 20 points)
1 "Howlrunner" ( 16 points)
1 "Mauler" Mithel ( 15 points)

I feel like without any bombers, Dengar isn't really doing much for you besides being an incredibly expensive upgrade for Mauler. Also, you're running a bunch of expensive Aces with nothing to screen them. I would go in for either Howlrunner or Mauler, and kit for that ace, but not necessarily both of them. If you want Mauler, I'd advise dropping Howlrunner and the TIE Fighters for a trio of TIE Advanced, if you want Howelrunnr, I'd swap Mauler and Dengar for a pair of advanced, and upgrade your TIES to Interceptors.

I've found (in my admittedly limited experience) that you really need a plan for your fighter loadout when you're running ship-heavy primarily.

It should probably also be pointed out that having two ships may be quite a disadvantage if you are aiming at competitive. You risk of quickly being out-activated by opposing fleets.

I feel like without any bombers, Dengar isn't really doing much for you besides being an incredibly expensive upgrade for Mauler. Also, you're running a bunch of expensive Aces with nothing to screen them. I would go in for either Howlrunner or Mauler, and kit for that ace, but not necessarily both of them. If you want Mauler, I'd advise dropping Howlrunner and the TIE Fighters for a trio of TIE Advanced, if you want Howelrunnr, I'd swap Mauler and Dengar for a pair of advanced, and upgrade your TIES to Interceptors.

I've found (in my admittedly limited experience) that you really need a plan for your fighter loadout when you're running ship-heavy primarily.

I'll definitely change up my fighter loadout!

It should probably also be pointed out that having two ships may be quite a disadvantage if you are aiming at competitive. You risk of quickly being out-activated by opposing fleets.

What should I add? Flotillas?

Adding flotillas is a cheap way to increase your activation counter. But yeah, that would at least give you the ability to postpone activating anything important before it can make an impact - and it can act as either a support (providing tokens) or disrupt the enemy (Slicer tools / suppressor).

There are also some other things you could consider:

Objectives:

Advance Gunnery is a bad one in this case, since the Interdictor is the only one that can benefit from it (since your ISD has Gunnery Team - The AG objective and GT cancel each other out).

Contested outpost would benefit you more, as it would force your opponent to either go for the station or let you take points. With the current choice of ships, you have an advantage in direct combat.

You have no fast ships that can help you win Intel Sweep. This requires small and fast ships. Consider either Dangerous Territory or Minefields. DT would allow you to go for enemy ships without the need to navigate around obstacles while MF lets you shape the board in your favour - hopefully giving the enemy fleet few options in terms of navigation.

In terms of admiral, you gain very little from Darth Vader. You can use 2 defense tokens per turn to reroll dice - for 36 dice to boot. Instead, you could give your ISD Leading Shots (for the price of 4 points). You do not need Captain Needa, since you are not going to count on long range encounters. You probably want to get into your opponents face straight away.

Your Interdictor needs a clear role: is it a tank or disruptor? Your title card "Interdictor" does nothing currently. If you use G8 Exp. Projector, then it would have made sense, as you would be able to manipulate the speed of 2 enemy ships. The MS-1 Cannon is arguably weak, as it does not give any real benefit as such. You have a powerhouse ISD and an Interdictor - you are probably not counting on wearing your opponent down little by little.

There are also some other things you could consider:

Objectives:

Advance Gunnery is a bad one in this case, since the Interdictor is the only one that can benefit from it (since your ISD has Gunnery Team - The AG objective and GT cancel each other out).

Contested outpost would benefit you more, as it would force your opponent to either go for the station or let you take points. With the current choice of ships, you have an advantage in direct combat.

You have no fast ships that can help you win Intel Sweep. This requires small and fast ships. Consider either Dangerous Territory or Minefields. DT would allow you to go for enemy ships without the need to navigate around obstacles while MF lets you shape the board in your favour - hopefully giving the enemy fleet few options in terms of navigation.

In terms of admiral, you gain very little from Darth Vader. You can use 2 defense tokens per turn to reroll dice - for 36 dice to boot. Instead, you could give your ISD Leading Shots (for the price of 4 points). You do not need Captain Needa, since you are not going to count on long range encounters. You probably want to get into your opponents face straight away.

Your Interdictor needs a clear role: is it a tank or disruptor? Your title card "Interdictor" does nothing currently. If you use G8 Exp. Projector, then it would have made sense, as you would be able to manipulate the speed of 2 enemy ships. The MS-1 Cannon is arguably weak, as it does not give any real benefit as such. You have a powerhouse ISD and an Interdictor - you are probably not counting on wearing your opponent down little by little.

I appreciate the pointing out as far as what's wrong but as a new player I don't really know what to change those things out with. I made the Interdictor have G8 and Targeting disruptor and I took admiral motti and leading shots. What else could I do to enhance my fleet?

I just built a new list with this in mind:

Rojan's Fleet

Author: Rojan

Faction: Galactic Empire

Points: 400/400

Commander: Admiral Motti

Assault Objective: Opening Salvo

Defense Objective: Fleet Ambush

Navigation Objective: Dangerous Territory

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)

- Admiral Motti ( 24 points)

- Avenger ( 5 points)

- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)

- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)

- X17 Turbolasers ( 6 points)

- Leading Shots ( 4 points)

= 173 total ship cost

Interdictor-class Suppression Refit (90 points)

- Interdictor ( 3 points)

- G7-X Grav Well Projector ( 2 points)

- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)

= 100 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

- Suppressor ( 4 points)

- Comms Net ( 2 points)

= 29 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

- Comms Net ( 2 points)

= 25 total ship cost

1 "Howlrunner" ( 16 points)

2 TIE Advanced Squadrons ( 24 points)

3 TIE Interceptor Squadrons ( 33 points)

There are also some other things you could consider:

Objectives:

Advance Gunnery is a bad one in this case, since the Interdictor is the only one that can benefit from it (since your ISD has Gunnery Team - The AG objective and GT cancel each other out).

Contested outpost would benefit you more, as it would force your opponent to either go for the station or let you take points. With the current choice of ships, you have an advantage in direct combat.

You have no fast ships that can help you win Intel Sweep. This requires small and fast ships. Consider either Dangerous Territory or Minefields. DT would allow you to go for enemy ships without the need to navigate around obstacles while MF lets you shape the board in your favour - hopefully giving the enemy fleet few options in terms of navigation.

In terms of admiral, you gain very little from Darth Vader. You can use 2 defense tokens per turn to reroll dice - for 36 dice to boot. Instead, you could give your ISD Leading Shots (for the price of 4 points). You do not need Captain Needa, since you are not going to count on long range encounters. You probably want to get into your opponents face straight away.

Your Interdictor needs a clear role: is it a tank or disruptor? Your title card "Interdictor" does nothing currently. If you use G8 Exp. Projector, then it would have made sense, as you would be able to manipulate the speed of 2 enemy ships. The MS-1 Cannon is arguably weak, as it does not give any real benefit as such. You have a powerhouse ISD and an Interdictor - you are probably not counting on wearing your opponent down little by little.

I appreciate the pointing out as far as what's wrong but as a new player I don't really know what to change those things out with. I made the Interdictor have G8 and Targeting disruptor and I took admiral motti and leading shots. What else could I do to enhance my fleet?

I just built a new list with this in mind:

Rojan's Fleet

Author: Rojan

Faction: Galactic Empire

Points: 400/400

Commander: Admiral Motti

Assault Objective: Opening Salvo

Defense Objective: Fleet Ambush

Navigation Objective: Dangerous Territory

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)

- Admiral Motti ( 24 points)

- Avenger ( 5 points)

- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)

- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)

- X17 Turbolasers ( 6 points)

- Leading Shots ( 4 points)

= 173 total ship cost

Interdictor-class Suppression Refit (90 points)

- Interdictor ( 3 points)

- G7-X Grav Well Projector ( 2 points)

- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)

= 100 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

- Suppressor ( 4 points)

- Comms Net ( 2 points)

= 29 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

- Comms Net ( 2 points)

= 25 total ship cost

1 "Howlrunner" ( 16 points)

2 TIE Advanced Squadrons ( 24 points)

3 TIE Interceptor Squadrons ( 33 points)

There are also some other things you could consider:

Objectives:

Advance Gunnery is a bad one in this case, since the Interdictor is the only one that can benefit from it (since your ISD has Gunnery Team - The AG objective and GT cancel each other out).

Contested outpost would benefit you more, as it would force your opponent to either go for the station or let you take points. With the current choice of ships, you have an advantage in direct combat.

You have no fast ships that can help you win Intel Sweep. This requires small and fast ships. Consider either Dangerous Territory or Minefields. DT would allow you to go for enemy ships without the need to navigate around obstacles while MF lets you shape the board in your favour - hopefully giving the enemy fleet few options in terms of navigation.

In terms of admiral, you gain very little from Darth Vader. You can use 2 defense tokens per turn to reroll dice - for 36 dice to boot. Instead, you could give your ISD Leading Shots (for the price of 4 points). You do not need Captain Needa, since you are not going to count on long range encounters. You probably want to get into your opponents face straight away.

Your Interdictor needs a clear role: is it a tank or disruptor? Your title card "Interdictor" does nothing currently. If you use G8 Exp. Projector, then it would have made sense, as you would be able to manipulate the speed of 2 enemy ships. The MS-1 Cannon is arguably weak, as it does not give any real benefit as such. You have a powerhouse ISD and an Interdictor - you are probably not counting on wearing your opponent down little by little.

I appreciate the pointing out as far as what's wrong but as a new player I don't really know what to change those things out with. I made the Interdictor have G8 and Targeting disruptor and I took admiral motti and leading shots. What else could I do to enhance my fleet?

I just built a new list with this in mind:

Rojan's Fleet

Author: Rojan

Faction: Galactic Empire

Points: 400/400

Commander: Admiral Motti

Assault Objective: Opening Salvo

Defense Objective: Fleet Ambush

Navigation Objective: Dangerous Territory

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)

- Admiral Motti ( 24 points)

- Avenger ( 5 points)

- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)

- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)

- X17 Turbolasers ( 6 points)

- Leading Shots ( 4 points)

= 173 total ship cost

Interdictor-class Suppression Refit (90 points)

- Interdictor ( 3 points)

- G7-X Grav Well Projector ( 2 points)

- Targeting Scrambler ( 5 points)

= 100 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

- Suppressor ( 4 points)

- Comms Net ( 2 points)

= 29 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

- Comms Net ( 2 points)

= 25 total ship cost

1 "Howlrunner" ( 16 points)

2 TIE Advanced Squadrons ( 24 points)

3 TIE Interceptor Squadrons ( 33 points)

Nice. Screen won't last long, but should buy you some time. Wish there was room for a little Intel.

Would you consider dropping a Gozanti to add more to my fighters?

Well, as I'm a Rebel player, I don't know if I'm the best to ask. I'm not sure where else to carve, if at all.

You can try, just remember that being able to activate squadrons in the ship phase is generally more advantageous than in the squadron phase, so if you want a larger fighter screen, make sure that you can activate some of them.

I'd say try the build, see how it goes and get some experience. Then you'll also know more about how to balance your fleet after you've tried it a couple of times

Thanks Hawk. I'll try it out and see what comes of it. Is there any tips for actually flying my list? Like positioning or activating wise.

I can imagine flying your fleet from one corner of the map straight into the flight path of your opponent though I have to admit it also depends on your enemy's positioning. In terms of activation, I suppose it wil also depend on the specific fleet you are up against and how you engage each other in combat.

So it seems like my fleet is doing fairly well in my group of friends. One thing that I noticed that could probably improve my fleet is the addition of a projection expert instead of the Grav well. I need some advice on how to use the Grav well properly as it seems like it has minimal impact on the area denial front. Also, would it be beneficial to swap out my fighters with just a bunch of TIE Defenders? It seems like theyre pretty good.

It's good to hear that you are content, at least to some degree, with the performance of your fleet!

Alas, I am unable to provide good information on the Grav Well since I rarely use it at all.

If you swap out your fighters with TIE Defenders, then you can consider including Flight Controllers or Ruthless Strategist. Flight Controllers would give them a bit more firepower while Ruthless Strategist takes advantage of their high HP to deal with enemy fighters. I don't know if it's viable with your current setup, but it's at least something to consider