I was talking with a friend yesterday about how to make a Thrawn build that's not just a "lesser" version of Jerjerrod or Sloane or something. What's everyone's experiences been with Big Blue so far? (More an academic question for ME, but I AM interested in seeing the results). From what a few of us have been talking locally, he's a good Commander for a Bomber cloud (Hey, TIE Bombers can be back, guys!) but then what's the rest of the list? Chimaera/non-Chimaera? 7th Fleet? Pryce? What's been the best way people have found for leveraging his Admiral ability?

Sorry, but no.

I can think of many builds where Thrawn could be an OK fit, but I haven't really found anything where he really shines.

For for now he remains in the drawer.

He works well with ships that routinely want to do 2x things at once. Arquittens, raider 2s, Star destroyers, all like to navigate & concentrate fire... sometimes repair. I find queuing up all NAVs on Thrawn & letting each ship choose its other action to be quite effective.

No he doesn’t outdo JJ for putting ships perfectly where you want them, but allows those ships to A not take JJ damage and either repair or spit more damage.

I'm about to start trying him in a list with dual Kuat ISD's, a supressor comms net Gozanti, and a light fighter ball. I think the flexibility will be very beneficial to the list. Facing a sloane ball/bomber cloud? Spam three engineering dials, and have regen shields every turn while also navigating.

I'm not sure if it will be any good or not, but he's a different enough commander I think he's worth trying out.

I definitely agree with the above comment though. He's best in lists with ships who want to do multiple things at once. Star Destroyers, and Arquitens immediately jump to mind.

Name: Untitled Fleet
Faction: Imperial
Commander: Grand Admiral Thrawn

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Solar Corona

Imperial II (120)
• Grand Admiral Thrawn (32)
• Strategic Adviser (4)
• Gunnery Team (7)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Leading Shots (4)
• XI7 Turbolasers (6)
= 180 Points

Gladiator II (62)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• External Racks (3)
• Demolisher (10)
= 79 Points

Gladiator II (62)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• External Racks (3)
= 69 Points

Squadrons:
• Howlrunner (16)
• 5 x TIE Interceptor Squadron (55)
= 71 Points

Total Points: 399

13 minutes ago, Indomitable said:

He works well with ships that routinely want to do 2x things at once. Arquittens, raider 2s, Star destroyers, all like to navigate & concentrate fire... sometimes repair. I find queuing up all NAVs on Thrawn & letting each ship choose its other action to be quite effective.

No he doesn’t outdo JJ for putting ships perfectly where you want them, but allows those ships to A not take JJ damage and either repair or spit more damage.

5 minutes ago, Berosin said:

I'm about to start trying him in a list with dual Kuat ISD's, a supressor comms net Gozanti, and a light fighter ball. I think the flexibility will be very beneficial to the list. Facing a sloane ball/bomber cloud? Spam three engineering dials, and have regen shields every turn while also navigating.

I'm not sure if it will be any good or not, but he's a different enough commander I think he's worth trying out.

I definitely agree with the above comment though. He's best in lists with ships who want to do multiple things at once. Star Destroyers, and Arquitens immediately jump to mind.

Right, i can agree with this. But then what's the BUILD for those, haha?

Played Thrawn in a variation of my VWC fleet yesterday at Southern California regionals. I found the ability to completely repair shields every turn of combat made my Star Destroyer very tanky and less susceptible to unfortunate crit effects.

48 minutes ago, geek19 said:

Right, i can agree with this. But then what's the BUILD for those, haha?

Battle Of Batonn (398/400)
Empire - Author: Drasnighta

Commander: Grand Admiral Thrawn

Objectives: Close-Range Intel Scan, Contested Outpost, Solar Corona

[flagship] Imperial I-class Star Destroyer (110)
- Grand Admiral Thrawn (32)
- Chimaera (4)
- Entrapment Formation! (5)
- Veteran Captain (3)
- Heavy Turbolaser Turrets (6)
- Gunnery Team (7)
= 167 total points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54)
- Early Warning System (7)
= 61 total points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54)
- Early Warning System (7)
= 61 total points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54)
- Early Warning System (7)
= 61 total points

Squadrons (48/134):
6x Tie Fighter Squadron (48)

Mostly thematic Thrawn based list.

Veteran Captain = Cmdr Faro

Cruisers Shyrak, Flensor and Tumnor.

I haven’t played Thrawn yet, but plan to do so next weekend. But I am really struggling to find a fleet I am happy with.

My list building process is usually to start with the Admiral. But Thrawn is so good with anything it doesn’t really drive you toward a particular style. Agree on the Arquitens point.

Maybe 2 VSD2 with Disp Caps and 2 Arqs? Might give that a try...

I haven’t built it yet, but my theory is Thrawn + Rapid Launch Bays. You’ll always have the Squadron Command for the drop when you need it.

Thrawn is really good, but doesn't have a focused ability for singular themed fleets like a motti/vader/sloan. He shines in a cc/casual type environment but I think gets outperformed for the points value in serious tournament play often. In a generalist fleet his flexibility is strong.. and being able to pick your dials after you know your opponent's build and the objective makes him never a bad pick, just not as strong if your fleet is always going to focus on one aspect of combat.

My Sato75 list almost lost to a Thrawn Cymoon dual Arq list with IF. Too much dice coming in from the free CF dials.

This was the Thrawn fleet I made and tested once. It's quite powerful and 6 Tie/B is really fun. Stack 2 squads and 1 CF from Thrawn.

Name: Thrawn 2+3
Faction: Imperial
Commander: Grand Admiral Thrawn

Assault: Precision Strike
Defense: Fighter Ambush
Navigation: Superior Positions

Gladiator I (56)
• The Grand Inquisitor (4)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (5)
• Demolisher (10)
= 79 Points

Quasar Fire I (54)
• Grand Admiral Thrawn (32)
• Admiral Chiraneau (10)
• Flight Controllers (6)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Expanded Hangar Bay (5)
= 111 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Bomber Command Center (8)
= 31 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
= 25 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Jamming Field (2)
= 25 Points

Squadrons:
• Ciena Ree (17)
• Maarek Stele (21)
• Gamma Squadron (10)
• Tempest Squadron (13)
• Gar Saxon (23)
• 5 x TIE Bomber Squadron (45)
= 129 Points

Total Points: 400

A lot say that Pruce is flawed because you have to telegraph your intentions. This is no such restriction on Thrawn.

A burst of fire? Not great use but could turn a battle. Requires Arqs, Vics, Isds etc to get multiple fire at once.

A burst of nav? A carrier list needing to shift itself out of a bad position? Probably the weakest use of thrawn.

A burst of engineering? Suddenly replenish a lot of shields. A great option but you want to have taken fire on multiple targets. So slower ships that get caught on approach, such as facing down Ackbar whilst navving hard.

A burst of squad? Just as Shmitty suggests, RLB lets you avoid being alpha'd. Likely to be for an anti squad wing more than bombers, otherwise it would be a carrier list rather than thrawn.

I just used him 5 times... And 5 wins!!!

ISD loved him.

All because of is use? Maybe not, but he is giving what I want from him. Extra order. That's what you are paying for

My builds with him have all had an ISD and I figured it would be triple eng commands on thrawn. That way I can focus on nav and CF with my cymoon for example and just heal on request.

++ Standard (Imperial Navy) [397pts] ++

+ Arquitens-class Cruiser +

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser [63pts]: Turbolaser Reroute Circuits, •Captain Needa

+ Gozanti-class Flotilla +

Gozanti-class Cruisers [25pts]: Comms Net

Gozanti-class Cruisers [25pts]: Comms Net

+ Imperial Star Destroyer +

Imperial II-class Star Destroyer [188pts]: Electronic Countermeasures, Gunnery Team, Leading Shots, Spinal Armament, •Avenger, •Grand Admiral Thrawn†, •Strategic Advisor†

+ Raider Corvette +

Raider II-class Corvette [64pts]: Disposable Capacitors, Overload Pulse, Veteran Gunners

+ Squadrons +

TIE Fighter [32pts]: 4x TIE Fighter Squadron

+ Objectives +

Assault Objective: Most Wanted

Defense Objective: Planetary Ion Cannon

Navigation Objective: Solar Corona

++ Total: [397pts] ++

Token up the first couple of turns or nav to right position. Then 2-4 or 3-5, CF & Nav. Avenger enjoys going first and w/ ISD2 & OP Raider2 doesn’t mind second.

3 hours ago, DOMSWAT911 said:

Wow... thats some seriously cool artwork!

I won the AZ regional with a Thrawn list.

Commander: Grand Admiral Thrawn

Assault: Advanced Gunnery
Defense: Contested Outpost
Navigation: Solar Corona

Gladiator I (56)
• Skilled First Officer (1)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Assault Proton Torpedoes (5)
• Demolisher (10)
= 76 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
= 25 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Comms Net (2)
= 25 Points

ISD Kuat Refit (112)
• Grand Admiral Thrawn (32)
• Strategic Adviser (4)
• Boarding Troopers (3)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Leading Shots (4)
• External Racks (3)
• Avenger (5)
= 170 Points

Raider I (44)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• External Racks (3)
• Impetuous (4)
= 55 Points

Squadrons:
• 4 x TIE Fighter Squadron (32)
= 32 Points

Total Points: 383

I picked Thrawn for a few reasons, I found I use JJ maybe once or twice a game, I also wanted flexibility because I had no idea what the meta was going to be like down there. also I wanted my Gozantis to be able to command squadrons and still get value out of comms net. also having a con fire command for the Kuat and Demo was nice. when I compared him to other commanders this was my analyzes.

JJ- I only use JJ like I said once or twice a game so if I have a nav dialed in with Thrawn I have a lesser effect, but more flexible effect I can put the yaw wherever I need it not just on the first yaw and change my speed, and I don't lose a shield ether, so its not as powerful on the first yaw as JJ (unless your 1 yaw already as one click.), but it is flexible and you will get your one or two uses like JJ and still have something elites up your sleeve.

Motti- most imperial small ships have engineering 3 with the raider and gonzanti being the exception. So an engineering with Thrawn accomplishes the same thing as motti in that instance, albeit you have to survive to use that command, but Thrawn can boost the survivability of your ships, just not quite as much as motti.

Ozzel- This is along the same lines as JJ with a nav I wont get the double drop in speed, unless I have a token but I still get to drop my speed, with a Thrawn nav.

Screed- not to much to compare, but having a Thrawn con fire can help you get the crit you need or at the very least increase possible damage output, in screeds case it is guaranteed though.

Sloan- no real comparison Sloan fleets are very tailored to her Thrawn has pretty much no business being in a Sloan list.

Tagge and Konstintine- no real comparison, but they kinda stink anyway.

I could talk about Darth Vader and the Grand Moff, but most of the Thrawn discussion is around cost efficiency.

For me Thrawn is a bit of a combination of Ozzel, JJ, Motti, and arguably Screed. He is a Jack of all trades good at everything but not extraordinary at anything, and that's fine I can't tell you how many times I have played a game in armada and afterword said "man if only I had such and such a commander I would have won."

In regards to the AZ regional in my first game I would have lost my ISD if it was not for a Thrawn engineering that let me repair shields and with the nav dodge the front arch of a VSD-II with D-caps. the ISD survived with one hull left and that gave me an MOV of 400. I could have probably survived with motti, but I didn't have motti, and even if I picked JJ it would not have lived as I would have had to lose a shield, and i needed the extra yaw on the 3rd yaw not the first and I also needed to go to speed 3, so in this instance Thrawn provided the flexibility of both commanders, and the ISD lived leading to a larger MOV. in the second game it was much the same Thrawn provided the con fire and my Kuat ISD killed my opponents ISD with exact damage again if it had not it probably would have let to my ISD exploding and a smaller MOV. In my third game Thrawn gave a con fire to demo to help it get the APT trigger to blow up @Daht demo that would have given me the 6-4 I needed to guarantee myself the top place but after re-rolls it was still a whiff and I was saying to myself "If only I had taken Screed..." I still ended up winning because of my MOV and my MOV would not have been high if I did not take Thrawn so I contribute my regional win to Thrawn.

I think that Thrawn is a commander that really needs to be played with in order to understand why he is good, as just reading the card I had a hard time putting him into a fleet, but as soon as he was released I put him in every list I flew and soon saw the potential he had, I decided to put him in my regional list and was not disappointed, Thrawn gives your fleet both Strategic and Tactical flexibility biased on the situations that arise in game play.

3 hours ago, DOMSWAT911 said:

also this needs to be the alt art version of Thrawn Please FFG please!!

3 hours ago, Drasnighta said:

Battle Of Batonn (398/400)
Empire - Author: Drasnighta

Commander: Grand Admiral Thrawn

Objectives: Close-Range Intel Scan, Contested Outpost, Solar Corona

[flagship] Imperial I-class Star Destroyer (110)
- Grand Admiral Thrawn (32)
- Chimaera (4)
- Entrapment Formation! (5)
- Veteran Captain (3)
- Heavy Turbolaser Turrets (6)
- Gunnery Team (7)
= 167 total points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54)
- Early Warning System (7)
= 61 total points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54)
- Early Warning System (7)
= 61 total points

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54)
- Early Warning System (7)
= 61 total points

Squadrons (48/134):
6x Tie Fighter Squadron (48)

Mostly thematic Thrawn based list.

Veteran Captain = Cmdr Faro

Cruisers Shyrak, Flensor and Tumnor.

I like that you are using Heavy Turbolaser Turrets on the ISD-I, its probably the best ship to put them on. Might also be worth it on a Scout MC30. Also, i really dig the idea of Early Warning System on Arquitens, also wanted to try it out on CR90. Its just gonna be hard to face only the obstructed arc towards the enemy.

I can say from using Thrawn in Monster Trucks that with heavier ships you can get some crazy strong activations with Thrawn covering your squadron commands (either himself or by giving you another command [usually nav] so the ships can command squadrons themselves) to get an awful lot accomplished in just one activation.

I've been trying to build fleets for him at 400 points that get to the same general end point, but so far I haven't been impressed with the result just yet.

14 hours ago, shmitty said:

I haven’t built it yet, but my theory is Thrawn + Rapid Launch Bays. You’ll always have the Squadron Command for the drop when you need it.

Is there a build where the officer slot is worth the opportunity cost of another Admiral instead of just taking a Veteran Captain?

5 minutes ago, TheCallum said:

Is there a build where the officer slot is worth the opportunity cost of another Admiral instead of just taking a Veteran Captain?

Every one.

Laynch bays are only good without Flight Commander if you have a last/first with that ship in particular...

otherwise, Flight Commander is how you get into position and critseek with those squadrons after pounding the shields.

7 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

Every one.

Laynch bays are only good without Flight Commander if you have a last/first with that ship in particular...

otherwise, Flight Commander is how you get into position and critseek with those squadrons after pounding the shields.

(assuming you mean wing commander)

Ah I didn’t read the card. I was treating it like Boarding Troopers.

5 minutes ago, TheCallum said:

(assuming you mean wing commander)

Ah I didn’t read the card. I was treating it like Boarding Troopers.

No. I mean Flight Commander.

The ability to resolve and launch Squadrons AFTER completing your move.

becayse those squadrons themselves cannot move immediately, its pertinent to place them in a position where they can fire.

If you are last/first, you probably have your ship in position... but if not, or if you ate last/firsting a Demolisher, BTVenger or Sato75 instead, Flight Commander is the easiest way to ensure a secondary payload of clisevrange bombers will STRIKE their target.

taking flight Commander fills the officer slot, thus requiring some other way than a mere veteran captain...

... the other side is the faq has stated if you have 5 squads to launch but only a squad token you can only launch one...

2 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

No. I mean Flight Commander.

The ability to resolve and launch Squadrons AFTER completing your move.

becayse those squadrons themselves cannot move immediately, its pertinent to place them in a position where they can fire.

If you are last/first, you probably have your ship in position... but if not, or if you ate last/firsting a Demolisher, BTVenger or Sato75 instead, Flight Commander is the easiest way to ensure a secondary payload of clisevrange bombers will STRIKE their target.

taking flight Commander fills the officer slot, thus requiring some other way than a mere veteran captain...

... the other side is the faq has stated if you have 5 squads to launch but only a squad token you can only launch one...

Ohhh right! I read Flight Controller!

Thanks again.