Which Version of a Ship to you tend to fly and why?

By buckero0, in Star Wars: Armada

I was curious since there are 2 versions of each ship and multiple titles, are there versions (and or titles) that get used more than others? Are there versions that NEVER get used? Which version do you use? Which titles do you prefer for that version and is there a way or purpose to use the less used version? I know some of the ships are just plain more expensive, for example

Rebel Transport - Medium transport - both titles have uses, Bright Hope is probably more used if a commander is hitch-hiking

I've never seen the Combat refit used

Pelta Class Frigate ? what have you used?

Nebulon-B Frigate Escort vs. Support - I've seen good uses for both, I think all 3 titles have uses, I've probably seen Salvation and Yavaris used most frequently

MC30c Frigate

CR90 Corvette

Assault Frigate MkII

Liberty

Home One

what do you guys think?

Always the cheaper one.

Edited by ovinomanc3r

Rebel Transport - I have used the combat refit exactly once.

CR90 - I have used both the CR90A (with TRCs) and CR90B (with SW7s) about the same amount. Jaina's Light is the big winner here.

Nebulon B - I used to use a Support Salvation. Now all I see is Escort Yavaris.

Pelta - God I want to use the Attack Ship. But I think the Command Pelta is a much better squadron pusher / escort for the Liberty.

MC30c - I see Torpedoes far more often, and Admonition is pretty much an auto-include.

Assault Frigate - AFIIB is the big winner here. Back in Wave 1 / 2 I had some luck running Paragon on an AFIIA.

MC80 Home One Class - While I usually see the Command variant, I've had a lot of fun in the past with an Assault w/ Defiance.

MC80 Liberty Class - Mon Karren Star Cruiser all the way!

Gozanti - I've played around with a Assault Carrier Swarm, but the Germans did it better. Usually you don't see that though.

Raider - One Class

GSD - One Class / Demolisher

Arq - For some awful reason, I haven't seen this used much yet. What little I've seen have been running it as the cheap Light Cruiser.

VSD - No one uses a VSD2 these days it seems. I still like the VSD2.

Interdictor - People use this? Just kidding - I see Suppression Refit used most often.

ISD - Two Class!

Biggs I play against at least one arq every game.

Just now, Tirion said:

Biggs I play against at least one arq every game.

Pittsburgh meta is WEIRD.

3 minutes ago, buckero0 said:

Rebel Transport - Medium transport - both titles have uses, Bright Hope is probably more used if a commander is hitch-hiking

It's normally the regular unarmed GR75s around here. On occasion I see the Armed Transports used with Toryn Farr, where their flak can be quite helpful with the reroll. It's very rare, though.

Quantum Storm gets used with Slicer Tools. Very annoying. I don't see it much, though. Bright Hope is much more common.

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Pelta Class Frigate ? what have you used?

Normally the Command Pelta. I see the Assault Pelta rarely but I expect with External Racks it may get more use in the future. The Phoenix Home title gets used usually with an Entrapment Formation Pelta so Raymus and a buddy (usually Ahsoka) can provide a regular supply of tokens to keep using it turn after turn.

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Nebulon-B Frigate Escort vs. Support - I've seen good uses for both, I think all 3 titles have uses, I've probably seen Salvation and Yavaris used most frequently

Escort Frigate for Yavaris and if you have other Nebulons that want to help out with Fighter Coordination Teams. Support Refit for Salvation to keep it cheap, as it won't be commanding squadrons anyways. On the rare occasion I sight Redemption, it could really go either way. Non-titled Nebs are a rare sight, though.

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MC30c Frigate

The Torpedo MC30 is more common around here, and often paired with the H9 Turbolasers for ruining the lives of flotillas and other light ships. It's a beast. The Scout MC30 when it does show up is usually with Ackbar. Both titles for the MC30s are legit, but Admonition is the clear favorite, being more all-around useful. There's nothing wrong with using both titles on a pair of MC30s, though. Non-titled MC30s are fairly rare.

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CR90 Corvette

I see plenty of both. CR90As with Turbolaser Reroute Circuits and CR90Bs with SW7s. The only title I see with any regularity is the amazing Jaina's Light. Tantive IV stopped showing up once Comms Net flotillas became a thing and Dodonna's Pride was never really considered a great title to begin with and APT MC30s do the same job much better (at a higher cost, of course).

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Assault Frigate MkII

I don't see them as much as I used to, but when they do show up they're nearly always the cheaper MkIIBs. On the super-rare occasion I see MkIIAs it's either for extra flak dice with an Ackbar+Rogues fleet or with Spinals for a Sato double-arc plan. Neither title gets much use, but I do see Paragon used with Sato with some regularity.

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Liberty

Both get play. The Star Cruiser is usually used when the player wants to keep it cheap and the Battle Cruiser when it's time to pile on the upgrades. The Endeavor title is the most frequently-seen with the occasional Mon Karren (usually on the cheapo Battle Cruisers to act as a kind of weird XI7s). Liberty is nearly never seen.

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Home One

Both get play. For a while (waves 3/4) I didn't see these much, but lately they are making a comeback, with the Assault Cruiser going from "has anyone seen one of these?" to "holy crap here comes the doom pickle again!" in wave 5 due to meta situations and Reinforced Blast Doors. The Defiance title is the default title for these and I don't see the other two much at all in 400 point games. In 500 point games when it can have more of a fleet to support, the Home One title seems to show up more regularly.

MC30T because it's the best ship in the game. :)

Beyond that...

AF2 - I use both about equally, depending on what I want to use it for. The double blue AS on the A can be really nice, but it's a big price jump.

CR90 - I run the CR90B more often just because I like that play playstyle more than the kiting CR90A, but both are good in their respective roles.

Nebulon - Yavaris is always an escort; Salvation is almost always a support. Other than those two, I don't really use either much.

MC80 - Pretty much always the command variant to save on points, though on occasion I'll pull out the assault cruiser. The problem with the assault is that the dual defensive upgrades prepare it for close-in combat, but its larger red battery wants distance shots, putting it at odds with itself.

MC80 Liberty - Literally still in the box, I bought it for SFO and the ship is hot trash. (It's not, I just don't like it)

MC30 - I can't figure out a way to build the scout that I wouldn't rather do with the torpedo for cheaper, so I don't really take the scout ever. It's got a niche in Sato fleets, but not much else imo.

Pelta - I haven't quite figured this ship out yet, though I've got an assault variant with Entrapment Formation! in my CC fleet that I'm loving.

What other rebel ship is there? I feel like I'm missing one, but I can't quite put my finger on it...

With the exception of the VSD I, ISD I, MC30 Torpedo frigate, and the more expensive version of both floatillas, I have used both versions of every ship.

I think I often prefer the more expensive versions, but everything depends on the overall fleet design.

Man, it's times like this I miss @Lyraeus to come in here and rep the MC30 Scout.

CR90 B with Engine Techs

CR90 A with TRC

Jaina's light is a very useful title, and Tantive IV with Raymus is a great combination.

The CR90 with either of these loadouts offers the most efficient activation in the game, the damage per points is just unreal. I've checked against Bomber Command Centre and the TRC90 is far above it.

MC30 - Generally Torpedo version to get in close and wreck havoc with Ordnance Experts and APT's. That said the Scout version offers a very tough gun ship especially with TRC's. All MC30s benefit in toughness from the two titles. Lando a token third title in some respects.

Nebulon Support is a great snipe. Add Spinal Armanents and just keep hitting with awesome damage. Run a whole line of these.....

Pelta Command for the 3 squadron that can be combined with Fighter Coordination Teams to shunt a wall of squads around the map. Sure its slow, but nobody can get through your wall of squads anyway.

Assault Frigate MkII - Have you looked at this ship? Why would you want one?

Arquittens cruiser variant for engine techs because speed kills.

Edited by Warlord Zepnick

Oh and for Imperials...

Gozantis

I see both types get used but it's normally the cheaper Gozanti Cruisers. I see the Suppressor title on Minister Tua + ECMs + Slicer Tools Gozantis but that's about it. Vector is a very rare sight.

Raiders

Always Raider-Is. Never Raider-IIs except for the odd doomed Overload Pulse Screed jank fleet. Both titles get used on occasion but it's much more common to see Raiders without titles.

Gladiators

Nearly always Gladiator-Is. Sometimes Gladiator-IIs if Jonus is present, which is a new development. Always Demolisher on the first Gladiator. Sometimes (rarely) Insidious if there's a second Gladiator, but not always even then.

Arquitens

Nearly always the cheaper Light Cruiser. Rarely the Command Cruiser, and that's usually for a kind of Arquitens+squadrons mixed bomber/gunline fleet and I haven't really been impressed with that archetype just yet. I've seen both titles get use but Hand of Justice seems to get a bit more play than Centicore, although Hand of Justice is frequently forgotten about or doesn't get used because the Arquitens gets too far away...

VSD

I see both VSD variants get used, although the VSD-I gets more table time than the VSD-II. Nowadays you'll usually find them with Motti or Jerjerrod (Jerry seems to be where I see VSD-IIs the most). None of the titles get used beyond the rare Warlord or Dominator sighting. The VSD titles are stupid expensive, so it's not too surprising I guess.

Interdictor

Generally I see the Suppressor a lot more frequently than the Combat Interdictor, but Interdictors overall rarely hit the table at 400 points. When they do, they nearly always have the Interdictor title unless they're using no upgrades that exhaust to use.

ISD

Both variants show up, although the ISD-II is the more popular of the two. Both Relentless and (less frequently) Avenger make appearances but Devastator is largely a no-show. ISDs rarely show up in pairs, but if they do the second may not have a title. When they're singletons it's nearly always with a title.

58 minutes ago, BiggsIRL said:

MC80 Home One Class - While I usually see the Command variant, I've had a lot of fun in the past with an Assault w/ Defiance.

True dat! ;):D

43 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

MC80 - Pretty much always the command variant to save on points, though on occasion I'll pull out the assault cruiser. The problem with the assault is that the dual defensive upgrades prepare it for close-in combat, but its larger red battery wants distance shots, putting it at odds with itself.

Those red dice also work at shorter ranges Ardaedhel! I find that the Assualt variant gives you the option to 'get in there and brawl' or to hang back and let your opponent come to you... Something they seem hesitant to do for some reason :lol::lol: I also find that the increased defensive capability means the slow speed (even with Engine Techs) becomes less of an issue.

1 hour ago, WuFame said:

Man, it's times like this I miss @Lyraeus to come in here and rep the MC30 Scout.

I was just thinking about how much we miss his unique voice in the forum.

1 hour ago, Snipafist said:

Oh and for Imperials...

Gozantis

I see both types get used but it's normally the cheaper Gozanti Cruisers. I see the Suppressor title on Minister Tua + ECMs + Slicer Tools Gozantis but that's about it. Vector is a very rare sight.

Raiders

Always Raider-Is. Never Raider-IIs except for the odd doomed Overload Pulse Screed jank fleet. Both titles get used on occasion but it's much more common to see Raiders without titles.

Gladiators

Nearly always Gladiator-Is. Sometimes Gladiator-IIs if Jonus is present, which is a new development. Always Demolisher on the first Gladiator. Sometimes (rarely) Insidious if there's a second Gladiator, but not always even then.

Arquitens

Nearly always the cheaper Light Cruiser. Rarely the Command Cruiser, and that's usually for a kind of Arquitens+squadrons mixed bomber/gunline fleet and I haven't really been impressed with that archetype just yet. I've seen both titles get use but Hand of Justice seems to get a bit more play than Centicore, although Hand of Justice is frequently forgotten about or doesn't get used because the Arquitens gets too far away...

VSD

I see both VSD variants get used, although the VSD-I gets more table time than the VSD-II. Nowadays you'll usually find them with Motti or Jerjerrod (Jerry seems to be where I see VSD-IIs the most). None of the titles get used beyond the rare Warlord or Dominator sighting. The VSD titles are stupid expensive, so it's not too surprising I guess.

Interdictor

Generally I see the Suppressor a lot more frequently than the Combat Interdictor, but Interdictors overall rarely hit the table at 400 points. When they do, they nearly always have the Interdictor title unless they're using no upgrades that exhaust to use.

ISD

Both variants show up, although the ISD-II is the more popular of the two. Both Relentless and (less frequently) Avenger make appearances but Devastator is largely a no-show. ISDs rarely show up in pairs, but if they do the second may not have a title. When they're singletons it's nearly always with a title.

Agree with this except the VSD II has become almost a Unicorn lately to me (And man do I love the VSD). This is an interesting thread really. With all the talk lately about auto-includes and game issues, is the fact that one ship card is usually (not always of course) used over another a problem?

I think (in my cloudy brain data) the only ship that I see equally represented by Ship Card is the ISD I and ISD II.

4 minutes ago, CaribbeanNinja said:

With all the talk lately about auto-includes and game issues, is the fact that one ship card is usually (not always of course) used over another a problem?

I think it's a problem but not necessarily a drastic one. Some currently-unpopular ship types can become popular later when new upgrades or commanders or the like can make them suddenly-good again (see: the Assault MC80 nowadays versus back in wave 2). I think it's a bit of an uphill struggle for some of the earlier ships, though. I don't know exactly what FFG was thinking with the cost differences between the VSD-I and VSD-II or the Assault Frigate MkIIA and B or the expensive titles for those ships either, but it seems like overall their points cost formula has since been adjusted to something more sane.

This is some good reading for me - thanks for everyone's imput.

Imperial-2 Star Destroyer

  • All the things an ISD should be. Powerful guns at range, maneuverable, defensive options, etc. SW7 Ion Batteries mean taht you never roll less than 4 damage on one of the beefiest ships in the game. Unlike the 1 variant, the ISD2 can play the range game to put itself into a better position for the following round. Getting less than half your guns on target at range is just not fun when you've invested 150 fleet points in a ship.

Gozanti Cruisers:

  • Yes, it's the basic flotilla. Yes, it's a lifeboat. However, it's also a stable anti-squadron platform in a pinch, can put the last and a lifeboat can bait unweary players into dangerous positions. ever hear the story of the Chinese general who caused an army to flee by presenting himself in full view playing the mandolin in his open fortress gates? You have to ask every time: is that a stupid mistake, or a brilliant trap?

Raider-1

  • I've toyed with the idea of the Raider 2 in the past, but the addition of Flechette Torpedoes has completely changed the calculus. Now, two of the best weapon upgrades in the game can go on the Raider-1 for minimal cost, and that really makes it stand out. Just like the big brother ISD2, the versatility of the Raider-1 is its primary strength.

Gladiator

  • I've been playing around with both variants of this ship, and they each have interesting strengths and synergies. Intel Officer makes it a solid threat to just about anything without numerous redundant tokens. The possibility of a red accuracy on the GSD2 doubles down on that issue. Also on the GSD2, there are options to use Ruthless Strategists to really put the hurt on enemy fighter screens. With some lucky rolls and Agent Kallus, you can put as much as 8 damage on a squadron in a turn of shooting - especially if they don't have any defense tokens.

With Large base ships I almost always use the more expensive longer range variant. Could be because I have a bad habit of not getting them in close, so unless you are coming to me I am staying at mid range at best. It has nothing to do with the other alternatives being bad, in fact, numbers wise they could be better than the more expensive versions. I just have identified a particular trend in my own piloting habits that influences my decisions.

With mid base ships I simply don't use them very often. I am terrible terrible terrible at flying AF's, I simply cannot make them do what I want to when I want to, and I have never been a fan of slow Victories. Even if I run a MC80 Home One it has to have engine techs for me to make use of it.

Small base ships I generally prefer the Torpedo and Glad mk-I, a departure from my large base habits mean these will often ram (or double ram as an ET Demo) as part of the damage dealing strategy.

CR90's I ran a LOT of B's in early waves so I can sing their praises, but they struggle against bombers and big batteries so have not weathered the advancing waves as well as the TRC A's.

Rest of my opinions line up with general consensus, which you pretty much have by now: Raider I's with Flachettes/title/kallus for squadron doom, Nebulon Escort for Yavaris, Support for Salvation, cheap flotillas unless you have a specific plan for the attack dice (IE some sort of janky Opening salvo/black dice at red range flottila spam with combat gozantis.... didn't say it had to be a GOOD plan)

23 hours ago, WuFame said:

Man, it's times like this I miss @Lyraeus to come in here and rep the MC30 Scout.

Don't dis my Scout Frigate. It mangled ships so well and has such versatility

23 hours ago, Ardaedhel said:

MC30 - I can't figure out a way to build the scout that I wouldn't rather do with the torpedo for cheaper, so I don't really take the scout ever. It's got a niche in Sato fleets, but not much else imo.

Let me tell you about a time when the Scout ruled the board. Where it made Demolisher rethink it's attack and where a hot stop to Speed 0 flipped the bird at MC30T's.

HE'S BACK!

Maybe it's a force ghost?

1 hour ago, Lyraeus said:

Let me tell you about a time when the Scout ruled the board. Where it made Demolisher rethink it's attack and where a hot stop to Speed 0 flipped the bird at MC30T's.

Let me tell you about the time when I was able to afford 4 MC30s because I didn't overspend on unnecessary red dice.

:)

6 hours ago, Ardaedhel said:

Let me tell you about the time when I was able to afford 4 MC30s because I didn't overspend on unnecessary red dice.

:)

Lol ;)

Just now, Matt Antilles said:

Lol ;)

A real shrimp driver would've forced me into close. ;)