I keep wanting to use Overload Pulse or MS-1 Ion cannons en masse in a list, but have not seen anyone do so yet. I have very little time to play games and don't get many games in as well as being new, I feel like I'm still learning the positioning and even deployment aspects of the game.

Several opponents I have played have a big Imp class star destroyer as the centerpiece of their lists. I fee like could take this thing down (in my mind anyway if I could strip some of the defense and abilities away. I've had some success with maneuvering behind it with a faster ship like the cr90. I was wondering if anyone had any experience in using Overload Pulse on a CR90B for example (front and side arc shot), is there anyway the ImpSD can block me from using my crit to exhaust his defense tokens and then zapping him with really anything to make him either take straight up damage or discarding them altogether? Same with the MS-1 Ion cannons, can I use them to get rid of his xI7 or his Gunnery Team or ECMs or Avenger title ? I'm assuming you can't make them discard they're admiral. This would make my Mc30 or AFII broadside more potent and even my squadron attacks more potent. Or am I just smoking a pipe here.

Im thinking something along these lines

CR90B Overload Pulse, Jaina's Light 49

CR90B MS-1, maybe ECM x2 48

either a MC30 or MC80Lib for the big guns and maybe a flotilla to push whatever squadrons I have around for timely intervention. That's about 75pts of squadrons and 20 or so for the flotilla

MS-1 doesn't make you discard. It makes you Exhaust.

This has no effect on a Card if its not an "Exhaust to use" Card.]

(As per FAQ)

IE. You can hit and target the XI7 Turbolasers, and even Exhaust them.... But the ship still has, and can use, XI7 Turbolasers, because they are there.

If you hit and target the ECM, or Interdictor Title, for example, you exhaust it.... And then they cannot use it, because it needs to be exhausted to use, and you can't exhaust something already exhausted...

Also, There's no distinction between Fleet Commanders and other Upgrades. Fleet Commanders are Upgrades, and if there is ever a card that does let you discard an Upgrade Card, the Fleet commander would be acceptable, unless specifically disallowed.

I haven't used MS-1s yet but I haven't had overload pulse work yet it is very expensive and unless you use screed no way to guarantee the blue crits.

42 minutes ago, buckero0 said:

I keep wanting to use Overload Pulse or MS-1 Ion cannons en masse in a list, but have not seen anyone do so yet. I have very little time to play games and don't get many games in as well as being new, I feel like I'm still learning the positioning and even deployment aspects of the game.

Several opponents I have played have a big Imp class star destroyer as the centerpiece of their lists. I fee like could take this thing down (in my mind anyway if I could strip some of the defense and abilities away. I've had some success with maneuvering behind it with a faster ship like the cr90. I was wondering if anyone had any experience in using Overload Pulse on a CR90B for example (front and side arc shot), is there anyway the ImpSD can block me from using my crit to exhaust his defense tokens and then zapping him with really anything to make him either take straight up damage or discarding them altogether? Same with the MS-1 Ion cannons, can I use them to get rid of his xI7 or his Gunnery Team or ECMs or Avenger title ? I'm assuming you can't make them discard they're admiral. This would make my Mc30 or AFII broadside more potent and even my squadron attacks more potent. Or am I just smoking a pipe here.

Im thinking something along these lines

CR90B Overload Pulse, Jaina's Light 49

CR90B MS-1, maybe ECM x2 48

either a MC30 or MC80Lib for the big guns and maybe a flotilla to push whatever squadrons I have around for timely intervention. That's about 75pts of squadrons and 20 or so for the flotilla

You keep wanting to do this...but WHY?

Overload Pulse is a crap (ok, VERY niche) card. Just don't take it. Or if you take it, make it a Mon Karren Star Cruiser. It's the only value-for-money use I can see.

MS-1 is like OP, only even more niche. What are you going to be exhausting? And the timing problem is much the same as OP. Can't think of a single build where I'd not rather have Comms Net or 2 extra bid,

MS-1 Ion Cannons has some small utility against the Ramstrocity list, where it can tap Engine Techs before they get to do another double ram.

for me the idea, is yes ISD has lots of dice but it also has lots of nasty upgrades put on it to make it more effective. MS-1 makes you discard those upgrades. CR90 moves quick enough to jump in the side or rear arc without dying and then can neuter upgrades making the ISD or whatever ship less scary and less effective, all, while nicking off shields in time for the big boy to get his shot off.

Overload pulse is the same idea, except with defense tokens. Shock the tokens to exhaust, hit the ISD with another cR90 and some bombers, then hit it with the big boy when there are no defense tokens left or let my bombers other ships get damage through because he's afraid to use the tokens saving them for the big ship's attack.

4 minutes ago, Democratus said:

MS-1 Ion Cannons has some small utility against the Ramstrocity list, where it can tap Engine Techs before they get to do another double ram.

Really?

CR90 activates outside red range. Double rams. Next turn, RBD maybe. Shoot. Repeats ram.

MS-1 when?

2 minutes ago, buckero0 said:

for me the idea, is yes ISD has lots of dice but it also has lots of nasty upgrades put on it to make it more effective. MS-1 makes you discard those upgrades. CR90 moves quick enough to jump in the side or rear arc without dying and then can neuter upgrades making the ISD or whatever ship less scary and less effective, all, while nicking off shields in time for the big boy to get his shot off.

Overload pulse is the same idea, except with defense tokens. Shock the tokens to exhaust, hit the ISD with another cR90 and some bombers, then hit it with the big boy when there are no defense tokens left or let my bombers other ships get damage through because he's afraid to use the tokens saving them for the big ship's attack.

EXHAUSTS!

Cards get "tapped", not discarded.

Just now, Green Knight said:

Really?

CR90 activates outside red range. Double rams. Next turn, RBD maybe. Shoot. Repeats ram.

MS-1 when?

After the first ram, they will be within medium range. Shoot them then and exhaust Engine Techs before they get to move again.

Thus they will only get a single-tap ram rather than a double. I've done this with an interdictor/VSD list.

2 minutes ago, buckero0 said:

yes ISD has lots of dice but it also has lots of nasty upgrades put on it to make it more effective. MS-1 makes you discard those upgrades.

90% of the upgrades put on an ISD aren't effected by MS-1 Ion Cannons.

Electronic Counter Measures
Wulff Yularen
Intel Officer


And... I think that's about it. On an ISD, anyway.

Just now, Democratus said:

After the first ram, they will be within medium range. Shoot them then and exhaust Engine Techs before they get to move again.

Thus they will only get a single-tap ram rather than a double. I've done this with an interdictor/VSD list.

Huh?

How can you interrupt movement with a shot???

1 minute ago, Green Knight said:

Huh?

How can you interrupt movement with a shot???

1) CR90B comes in and does a double ram.

2) Next turn, ship shoots the CR90B with N-1 and taps the Engine Techs.

2) Now the CR90B can't use Engine techs and so can only single ram.

Combine with Experimental Projector for even more double-ram prevention.

MS-1s do not make the defender discard upgrades. This is really important. All they do is exhaust them. It's iffy overall.

Overload Pulse is also really janky and usually part of a fragile combo machine. You see it more with the Avenger ISD in Imperial fleets and even then it's mostly useful at stomping less experienced players who don't see it coming or don't know how to avoid it. It's not good in general. If you must use it, I'd go with a Mon Karren LMC80 but even then your points could be better spent.

There are some committed Overload Pulse jankmasters out there who will be showing up shortly to tell me I'm wrong, though.

I prefer Leading Shots for consistency in my lists.

Dras has lobbied enough for Ion Cannon Batteries that I want to try it now.

5 minutes ago, Snipafist said:

Overload Pulse is also really janky and usually part of a fragile combo machine. You see it more with the Avenger ISD in Imperial fleets and even then it's mostly useful at stomping less experienced players who don't see it coming or don't know how to avoid it. It's not good in general. If you must use it, I'd go with a Mon Karren LMC80 but even then your points could be better spent.

Agreed, however it may be worth revisiting and reevaluating overload pulse with Sloane.

3 minutes ago, Undeadguy said:

I prefer Leading Shots for consistency in my lists.

Dras has lobbied enough for Ion Cannon Batteries that I want to try it now.

You should, it is really great on the right ship.

2 minutes ago, pt106 said:

Agreed, however it may be worth revisiting and reevaluating overload pulse with Sloane.

Agreed. It may improve with her specifically but I'm still a bit skeptical. Not as much so as with any other build using it, though. She also combines with Avenger in less janky ways so the OLP could find a home there where if it works, great. If not, you didn't have a whole fleet built around just that combo anyways.

7 minutes ago, Snipafist said:

MS-1s do not make the defender discard upgrades. This is really important. All they do is exhaust them. It's iffy overall.

Overload Pulse is also really janky and usually part of a fragile combo machine. You see it more with the Avenger ISD in Imperial fleets and even then it's mostly useful at stomping less experienced players who don't see it coming or don't know how to avoid it. It's not good in general. If you must use it, I'd go with a Mon Karren LMC80 but even then your points could be better spent.

There are some committed Overload Pulse jankmasters out there who will be showing up shortly to tell me I'm wrong, though.

Committed Overload Pulse jankmaster reporting in. I run pulse taps almost exclusively.

lol

I don't disagree on any particular point though.

It's not easy to use on folks who know what it is and how to prevent it from working.

On a good day I can scrape out a 6/5 using the objectives to my advantage when the PT fails.

OKAY

I think I got it now, I'm looking at these cards and mixing them up. What I'm really looking for is a cheaper NK-7 Ion Cannon for the CR90

that would get the effect I want of discarding something.

Thanks guys.

Most Ion upgrades are a bit weak/situational. Would love to see a proper ion upgrade that makes all blue dice hits & crits into double hits vs shields but turns hits into misses and crits into accuracies vs hull. That would be effective and thematic.

24 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

90% of the upgrades put on an ISD aren't effected by MS-1 Ion Cannons.

Electronic Counter Measures
Wulff Yularen
Intel Officer


And... I think that's about it. On an ISD, anyway.

so you can only effect cards that are exhaustible, right?

NK7s come with their own issues, I feel.

The biggest of which is they're best used enmasse, as the defender is the one who chooses which token to discard... (My Arquitens will discard the Contain, thankyou.)... And if you're using them enmasse to strip tokens, you're usually missing out on the Big-Hitter you need to follow up once the tokens are out of the way...

Which is why I don't see them often, anyway... Or Nym for that matter. Its certainly something that has the potential to go off, but most of the time, by the time they do, its far too late anyway...

Just now, buckero0 said:

so you can only effect cards that are exhaustible, right?

You can target, and exhaust any card.

But if the card isn't an exhaustible card, exhausting it does nothing.

FAQ, Page 12:

MS-1 Ion Cannons

Upgrade card effects that do not have an “exhaust” requirement can still be resolved while that card is exhausted.

Revisit Overload Pulse with Sato too. Long range Pulse. Followed by Long range pure damage black dice

32 minutes ago, Ginkapo said:

Revisit Overload Pulse with Sato too. Long range Pulse. Followed by Long range pure damage black dice

Yeah but then you gotta take Sato...another "good on paper" commander. If anything Long range OP, or a chance at it at least, improves Sato, not the other way around...

But so you get 2 blue dice at long range on your OP ship, still not a high %'age chance to proc = niche Problem

Problem with OP is that it is a janky, niche upgrade but it's priced like a game changer. At 5 points it would be almost palatable, at 4 it would be a solid contender in many a build.