Can you make 3 activations work?

By ImperialCaptain2017, in Star Wars: Armada Fleet Builds

So I just modified this older list:

Dual Triangles 2017
Author: ImperialCaptain2017

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 397/400
Commander: Moff Jerjerrod

Assault Objective: Opening Salvo
Defense Objective: Contested Outpost
Navigation Objective: Superior Positions


Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Disposable Capacitors ( 3 points)
- Quad Battery Turrets ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 97 total ship cost


Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 25 total ship cost


[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Moff Jerjerrod ( 23 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Reinforced Blast Doors ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 159 total ship cost


1 Colonel Jendon ( 20 points)
6 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 48 points)
1 Morna Kee ( 27 points)
1 Maarek Steele ( 21 points)

Thoughts? I would use Motti, but I don't have him... maybe use Sloane?

Wave 6 has shown that 3 ships lists can work just fine.

Jerjerrod is very good for majing sure your warships can engage, especially if they are locked into squad commands to activate your CAP.

I dont know if I like your squads. Imperial aces really are just so much better than the generics, i really think that if you subbed them for Dengar, Valen, and Zertic (also 48 pts) you get what is overall a much more threatening screen. (It also evens our your deployments)

From my limited experience if you are not using ships to push squadrons then interceptors are better than fighters so they can counter if they are attacked while they are sitting there.

Perhaps (combining your suggestions) this?

Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Disposable Capacitors ( 3 points)
- Quad Battery Turrets ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 97 total ship cost


Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 25 total ship cost


[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Moff Jerjerrod ( 23 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Quad Laser Turrets ( 5 points)
- Reinforced Blast Doors ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 164 total ship cost


1 Morna Kee ( 27 points)
1 Maarek Steele ( 21 points)
1 Colonel Jendon ( 20 points)
1 Dengar ( 20 points)
2 TIE Interceptor Squadrons ( 22 points)

14 hours ago, ImperialCaptain2017 said:

So I just modified this older list:

Dual Triangles 2017
Author: ImperialCaptain2017

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 397/400
Commander: Moff Jerjerrod

Assault Objective: Opening Salvo
Defense Objective: Contested Outpost
Navigation Objective: Superior Positions


Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Disposable Capacitors ( 3 points)
- Quad Battery Turrets ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 97 total ship cost


Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 25 total ship cost


[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer (120 points)
- Moff Jerjerrod ( 23 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Reinforced Blast Doors ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 159 total ship cost


1 Colonel Jendon ( 20 points)
6 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 48 points)
1 Morna Kee ( 27 points)
1 Maarek Steele ( 21 points)

Thoughts? I would use Motti, but I don't have him... maybe use Sloane?

No, this is definitely a Jerjerrod list, don't switch him out. If you're going Sloane you're going to want to rework your squadron component; Motti would fine but bringing your threats to bear meaningfully will be worth much more than +2-3 hull in most cases.

I'd change your red and blue objectives. Without a particularly vicious fighter component (it's fine, but not great) Superior Positions is likely to bite you in the butt more often than it's going to pay off. Solar Corona for the deployment advantage of SP without the liability, or I've actually been liking Dangerous Territory recently.

I get what you're going for with Opening Salvo, and it'll be cool when it really pays off for you and you pop something big at long range with that VSD, but the downside (1/2 of full points for any ship with hull damage) will seriously degrade your points--ISDs and VSDs are pretty much always going to end up with some hull damage, especially if your opponent can get 75 points just for bumping your ISD one time. Advanced Gunnery would make that VSD's front arc serious business. Most Wanted is a shoo-in just like it is for any fleet with a flotilla on it. Blockade Run is another contender in cutting off your flanks, but you'd have to play it smart with the VSD or just forego the victory points for it.

6 TIE fighters is right on the edge between whether you should drop one for Howlrunner; unless you're specifically trying for squadron-phase activation advantage with Morna (which isn't necessarily a bad idea), I'd swap 2 TIEs for Howlrunner. You don't have escort, but if they're bogged down killing Howlrunner and TIEs they're not shooting at your real threats.

Deploy the ISD first. A speed 3 Jerrod ISD can redeploy itself anywhere in the first two turns. A VSD cannot.

This probably sounds counterintuitive, but it mitigates a LOT.

9 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

Deploy the ISD first. A speed 3 Jerrod ISD can redeploy itself anywhere in the first two turns. A VSD cannot.

This probably sounds counterintuitive, but it mitigates a LOT.

So can a speed 3 Gozanti.

I agree that you deploy the ISD before the VSD--and possibly before Morna and maybe even Jendon--but not first. You're still committing more strongly when you drop the ISD than the Gozanti.

The Gozanti has the same speed as the ISD and comparable Jerry maneuverability (1 less tick), but can meaningfully contribute to the fight from around 1.5 range rulers away, whereas the ISD wants to be at medium range. The Gozanti is also, of course, way lower points value for a brawler list to center its threat on.

43 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

So can a speed 3 Gozanti.

I agree that you deploy the ISD before the VSD--and possibly before Morna and maybe even Jendon--but not first. You're still committing more strongly when you drop the ISD than the Gozanti.

The Gozanti has the same speed as the ISD and comparable Jerry maneuverability (1 less tick), but can meaningfully contribute to the fight from around 1.5 range rulers away, whereas the ISD wants to be at medium range. The Gozanti is also, of course, way lower points value for a brawler list to center its threat on.

Its not just about what a deployment costs to you. Its about how it affects your opponent.

Put an ISD down and your opponent will adjust their deployments accordingly. Control them.

I totally agree with you mostly Gink :)

I played a 3 gozanti 1 ISD + bomber list a lot. It was relatively low activation but high deployment from the bombers. Against an MSU like a ttc vette swarm you better believe the ISD was the last thing to hit the table so it couldn't get swarmed. However, against a fleet with another large ship fleets placing the ISD first often made it the target, forcing the oppone to counter deploy it and allowing me to catch them in a pincer with the bombers.

I feel like the end result was about 25/75 whether my ISD/squads would drop first. But dropping the ISD first is definitely a play that can work very well and lead to big wins if you can keep it alive.

Interesting suggestions. I'll try this list out this week and see what happens!

10 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

Its not just about what a deployment costs to you. Its about how it affects your opponent.

Put an ISD down and your opponent will adjust their deployments accordingly. Control them.

I agree. The opponent is much more easily controlled by a threat that he knows exists but cannot define than one that is already committed.

You're describing a gambit: gambling on your opponent responding less optimally to a threat he can see than to one he can't because he's so shaken at the sight of your terrifying ISD or your departure from convention is so staggering. There is a place for that kind of tactic as there is for every Exception To The Rule, but it is not sound basic strategy.

I'm gonna be that Sun Tzu guy for a second here:

"By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy's must be divided."

"What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is FOREKNOWLEDGE."

Edited by Ardaedhel
7 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

"By discovering the enemy's dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy's must be divided."

"What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is FOREKNOWLEDGE."

A Jerry ISD can traverse half the board sideways in two turns.

My very point is that the deployment provides minimal foreknowledge, whilst giving all the appearance of providing foreknowledge.

Same as deploying a speed 3 mc30 in each corner. A couple of nav commands and they can end up up anywhere.

8 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

A Jerry ISD can traverse half the board sideways in two turns.

My very point is that the deployment provides minimal foreknowledge, whilst giving all the appearance of providing foreknowledge.

Same as deploying a speed 3 mc30 in each corner. A couple of nav commands and they can end up up anywhere.

This is why it's a gambit: its strength is dependent on your opponent not recognizing and accounting for the repositioning flexibility.

If your opponent does not realize you can reposition so dramatically (and you don't need that ISD in play fast), then yes, this is a good trick, and that's the scenario where you can profit from this.

Against an opponent that's familiar with Jerry, you're just tipping your hand before you have to, which is why I say it's not a good basic strategy. It requires you to successfully assess whether your opponent's likelihood to respond poorly to the move scaled by the amount of advantage you gain from that misstep is worth more than the advantage you gain by simply holding off on the deployment. That is a function of your opponent's list and experience as much as a function of your own list, so the decision is more nuanced than "deploy the ISD first." Worth highlighting that it's an option, but I wouldn't say it's even usually a good one.

Ard makes a good point.

If you were playing the objectives, deploying an ISD first is a good strategy, but the effectiveness of that strategy is directly linked to the objectives. Playing Station Assault and splitting the stations, then dropping the ISD between them is excellent because you can pivot to either station, or your opponent comes at the ISD. You will also have the knowledge of where your opponent focuses and can drop the Vic last to compensate. Same logic for CO. ISD deploys first to go at the station, with the Vic deploying last because it is harder to re-position.

In regards to the OP, change SP to Solar Corona. As Ard said, you get deployment advantage, in which case how your deployment order doesn't matter, but it also provides much needed defense for the Vic by removing Acc.