Some games my opponents just flat out refuse to take shots at it. Can't imagine this is good for their scores in the long run. Though I can't really blame them. Leads me to wonder is the card just the best defensive retro out there?

Its 12 point cost makes it pretty meh. Isd's in general are either focus or avoid models so dev having that treatment isnt terribly unusual.

16 minutes ago, dominosfleet said:

Its 12 point cost makes it pretty meh. Isd's in general are either focus or avoid models so dev having that treatment isnt terribly unusual.

Dev is ten but I know what you mean...definitely a hefty price tag...

The times they focus though, you get quite a big perk. And if Devastator tipped their decision toward leave it alone then isn't that a win? Consider when Devastator is an objective ship... They might be leaving their major source of points untapped.

It's also the best OFFENSIVE upgrade

I have never run Devastator, but after seeing this I might consider giving it a go and seeing what the opponent does.

Devastator is amazing fun - it either gets targeted massively, gets powered up and goes down in a ball of fire or avoided; either is good! Keeping it alive is the trick, Motti plus RBD help as it's even harder to kill and gets ignored. The trick then is to try and power it up...for this Vader is better as you can use IO to discard your own tokens (which means it powers up anyway whether your opponent shoots it or not) but then you haven't got Motti and it dies quicker.

In my experience: Motti - it gets ignored, Vader - it dies too easily. I fly Vader/IO now as it's more fun

48 minutes ago, Kendraam said:

The trick then is to try and power it up...for this Vader is better as you can use IO to discard your own tokens

I have never understood this. Taking a 7pt upgrade for a 1 time single blue dice boost? And the effect is replicatable anyway. Take a side arc pot shot at a flotilla to exhaust a defence token before you take your main shot....

IO on a ship which naturally generates a lot of accuracies just seems crazy to me.

4 minutes ago, Ginkapo said:

I have never understood this. Taking a 7pt upgrade for a 1 time single blue dice boost? And the effect is replicatable anyway. Take a side arc pot shot at a flotilla to exhaust a defence token before you take your main shot....

IO on a ship which naturally generates a lot of accuracies just seems crazy to me.

It's great - on an ISD 2..... Turn 1 is likely a blank. Turn 2, first front arc shot 4 Reds, discard Contain, second front arc shot 4R plus 1B - they move into blue range. Turn 3, first shot 4R, 4B discard a redirect, second front arc 4R, 6B. Turn 4....up to you now, you're chucking 6 dice at long range or 10 at medium. If you wish you can dump another token or keep for defense and rerolls. Even use the extra blue on anti-squad if needed.

I used the added blue to try and proc Heavy Ions at long range which is 'devastating' if it comes off - (my rolls are dreadful though and it never procs, even with Vader rerolls!)

At the risk of blowing my own trumpet, have a read of my regionals effort - https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/270023-cardiff-regionals-2018-vaders-story-or-how-i-won-with-double-isds/ (I'm now thinking a Cymoon with Spinals & H9s and without HIE is better but not tried it out yet)

Devastator belongs on a Vader Cymoon.

I recommend bringing an Intel Officer, but not primarily for discarding your own tokens... that's just a corner case.

11 minutes ago, Green Knight said:

Devastator belongs on a Vader Cymoon.

I recommend bringing an Intel Officer, but not primarily for discarding your own tokens... that's just a corner case.

Yep, gives you options - use on their defense tokens or yours as situation dictates. Only problem with a Cymoon is no defensive slot unless you take Tua but then no IO... decisions, decisions!

After running a Motti Devastator all last year. I loved the look on opponents faces when they would shoot with a sqn...miss and I would spend a token....JJ is my man now though.

Yeah, I’ve found JJ to be invaluable for staying on target with the Devastator, but then again, I haven’t tried the Cymoon variant yet. Perhaps at long range instead of the preferred medium, maneuver isn’t as important.

Been running a new Dev fleet in recent months. Here is one of the many versions.

Ignoring the Devistator can be bad.

Motti's Triple D, Full Frontal Shootity
Author: Cynanbloodbane

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 399/400

Commander: Admiral Motti

Assault Objective: Opening Salvo
Defense Objective: Contested Outpost
Navigation Objective: Dangerous Territory

Victory I-Class Star Destroyer (73 points)
- Dominator ( 12 points)
- Minister Tua ( 2 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
- External Racks ( 3 points)
= 109 total ship cost

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)
- Demolisher ( 10 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Assault Concussion Missiles ( 7 points)
= 77 total ship cost

[ flagship ] Imperial II-Class Star Destroyer(120 points)
- Admiral Motti ( 24 points)
- Devastator ( 10 points)
- Captain Needa ( 2 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 181 total ship cost

4 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 32 points)
= 32 total squadron cost

1 hour ago, cynanbloodbane said:

Been running a new Dev fleet in recent months. Here is one of the many versions.

Ignoring the Devistator can be bad.

Motti's Triple D, Full Frontal Shootity
Author: Cynanbloodbane

(...)

A local player has been running something similar (Vader commander) for the last few months and I can definitely vouch for it. It has trouble with squadron relay shenanigans but it just projects so much firepower at range that approaching it with anything elseis an absolute nightmare.

I have used Boarding Troopers as an effective deterrent to close range incursions. Sometimes scary upgrades have other bonuses.

13 hours ago, SkyCake said:

And if Devastator tipped their decision toward leave it alone then isn't that a win? Consider when Devastator is an objective ship... They might be leaving their major source of points untapped.

Depends, I think what @dominosfleet is getting at is that since Armada is only a 6 Round game and that you don't score any points from an ISD with 10 damage cards on it, as a pregame strategy opponents will usually decide if they're going to try to kill the ISD or if they're going to ignore the ISD; it'll depend on what they see as their most reliable route to scoring more points than their opponent.

Devastator might be an extra push toward them opting for the "pursue non-ISD points strategy," and that might present a strategic advantage to the Devastator 's player by coercing the opponent's strategy a bit, so you are right about that . But just because someone doesn't take shots at it doesn't mean the Devastator title was necessarily the 'scare factor' that kept them away. I routinely play games where I don't put attacks into an ISD--even without the Devastator title--because I know that unless I have the requisite number of rounds, firepower, and position to sustain a fatal attack against it, my attack dice and attention are best spent anywhere else.

3 hours ago, Green Knight said:

I recommend bringing an Intel Officer, but not primarily for discarding your own tokens... that's just a corner case.

Out of curiosity, how does this work? I saw in the FAQ something about your own tokens, but I can't figure it out. Intel Officer only works when attacking. So is the idea that you attack, use Intel on your own token, and then spend one of your own defense tokens to modify your attack dice, such as through Vader (Commander) or Turbolaser Reroute (not really relevant to an IO ISD)? Are there any other routes for an ISD to pull this off other than Vader (Commander)?

Vader, yes.

Typically you nominate your own contain, use it for a reroll, discard, add a blue.

I did it in the Vassal World Cup final actually. Had no use for the contain, and wanted to max out damage on the hypothetical chance I might 1-shot Admonition.

5 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

I have never understood this. Taking a 7pt upgrade for a 1 time single blue dice boost? And the effect is replicatable anyway. Take a side arc pot shot at a flotilla to exhaust a defence token before you take your main shot....

IO on a ship which naturally generates a lot of accuracies just seems crazy to me.

It's all about risk management and positioning. IO lets you discard the token when, for example, there's only one target or if you aren't being shot at.

Also, at long range you're only rolling red dice so IO may be your only choice for shooting a fleeing flotilla or just generating a blue die for a better chance at an accuracy.