Since it's unlikely the Rebels will get a match against the SSD, I've been thinking about how the Rebels will counter the SSD. Sato fleets that fish for APTs come to mind, but one stood out to me. Dual Ackbar Assault Cruisers (or dual super pickles). Aside from looking like an epic battle, if flown with Engine Techs, the MC80s could potentially double side arc the SSD. Although a fleet like this is vulnerable to squadron swarms, with minimal squadron cover, hopefully the MC80s could approach relatively unhindered and proceed to smash the SSD, yes, smash. IF a double side arc can be achieved by both ships, I don't think even an SSD can withstand 40+ dice.

I'm likely not the first person to realize this, but I'm just putting it out there. What are your thoughts? Anyone come up with any fleets you think could successfully combat an SSD?

We already have a counter. XI-7

27 minutes ago, TallGiraffe said:

We already have a counter. XI-7

No one loves Heavy Turbolaser Turrets...

7 minutes ago, Piratical Moustache said:

No one loves Heavy Turbolaser Turrets...

XI-7 doesn't give an opponent a choice. HTT Does.

7 minutes ago, TallGiraffe said:

XI-7 doesn't give an opponent a choice. HTT Does.

So you're saying that you aren't pro-choice?

That was a bad pun... I'll be going now.

3 minutes ago, Piratical Moustache said:

So you're saying that you aren't pro-choice?

That was a bad pun... I'll be going now.

I really do wish HTT was more like XI-7s, a brace nullifier would be a very competitive upgrade.

1 hour ago, schmidty1701 said:

Sato fleets that fish for APTs come to mind

Until it uses one if its 15 corner offices with a window for Damage Control Officer...

50 minutes ago, TallGiraffe said:

We already have a counter. XI-7

XI-7 really needs some kind of counter-counter. At least for larger ships, where it's positively silly levels of OP.

I dunno, something like...

Quote

Defense Energizer
(Large and Huge only)
When spending a defense token that does not prevent shields in the defending hull zone from dropping to 0, ready the defense token after defending.

...although I'm not sure that's even enough. Maybe ready the token again if the total damage inflicted on the hull zone remains larger than 2 points?

13 minutes ago, xanderf said:

XI-7 really needs some kind of counter-counter.

Engineering tokens? EWS?

Don't know if this would really work, but it'd be fun to try.

Crazy Mothma

Faction: Rebel Alliance
Points: 397/400

Commander: Mon Mothma

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Planetary Ion Cannon
Navigation Objective: Navigational Hazards

[ flagship ] CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Mon Mothma ( 30 points)
- Jainas Light ( 2 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 91 total ship cost

CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 59 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Repair Crews ( 4 points)
= 22 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Repair Crews ( 4 points)
= 22 total ship cost

CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 59 total ship cost

CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 59 total ship cost

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63 points)
- Admonition ( 8 points)
- Lando Calrissian ( 4 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- XI7 Turbolasers ( 6 points)
= 85 total ship cost

= 0 total squadron cost

25 minutes ago, Bertie Wooster said:

Don't know if this would really work, but it'd be fun to try.

Crazy Mothma

Faction: Rebel Alliance
Points: 397/400

Commander: Mon Mothma

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Planetary Ion Cannon
Navigation Objective: Navigational Hazards

[ flagship ] CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Mon Mothma ( 30 points)
- Jainas Light ( 2 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 91 total ship cost

CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 59 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Repair Crews ( 4 points)
= 22 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)
- Repair Crews ( 4 points)
= 22 total ship cost

CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 59 total ship cost

CR90 Corvette A (44 points)
- Engine Techs ( 8 points)
- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits ( 7 points)
= 59 total ship cost

MC30c Torpedo Frigate (63 points)
- Admonition ( 8 points)
- Lando Calrissian ( 4 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- XI7 Turbolasers ( 6 points)
= 85 total ship cost

= 0 total squadron cost

I struggle to understand what the GR-75s will be repairing...

2 hours ago, xanderf said:

XI-7 really needs some kind of counter-counter. At least for larger ships, where it's positively silly levels of OP.

I dunno, something like...

...although I'm not sure that's even enough. Maybe ready the token again if the total damage inflicted on the hull zone remains larger than 2 points?

It is called Advanced Projectors if they rework that errata/nerf.

1 hour ago, Piratical Moustache said:

I struggle to understand what the GR-75s will be repairing...

Ram Damage on the Vettes, since they can't do it themselves without banking a token first.

2 hours ago, Drasnighta said:

Ram Damage on the Vettes, since they can't do it themselves without banking a token first.

This is also assuming they don't allow you to take hardened bulkheads on your SSD.

16 minutes ago, TallGiraffe said:

This is also assuming they don't allow you to take hardened bulkheads on your SSD.

Currently it is not allowed to use them on the SSD.

At this time you cannot use any cards that require a ship size, because the SSD is not a large, medium or small ship. And i hope it stay this way. Would be a bit anoying when you can use some of the cards.
- Pryce for the last/first with only one ship...
- Motti, when 22 hull are just not enough
- Hardened Bulkheads just to make the SSD really hard to take down

It is already nasty enough that the SSD can use Brunson and Tua

Just now, Tokra said:

Currently it is not allowed to use them on the SSD.

At this time you cannot use any cards that require a ship size, because the SSD is not a large, medium or small ship. And i hope it stay this way. Would be a bit anoying when you can use some of the cards.
 - Pryce for the last/first with only one ship...
- Motti, when 22 hull are just not enough
- Hardened Bulkheads just to make the SSD really hard to take down

It is already nasty enough that the SSD can use Brunson and Tua

Which is why Large isn't the same as Huge, so we've perfectly safe.

5 hours ago, svelok said:

Until it uses one if its 15 corner offices with a window for Damage Control Officer...

Right.... forgot about THAT. Sorry Sato, you're out of luck.

A single well aimed A-wing is the best counter.

The current SSD doesnt hit harder than an ISD. So a good bomber fleet (Yavaris, maybe Sloane, but I don't have much experience with or against her) or possibly a Ackbar swarm could do the trick.

I'd send a swarm of Y-Wings, Norra, and Jan to park somewhere in front of it and just open fire. For all that bluster it only has two redirects, let's see how long it'll hold out against what, Nine squadrons of Y-Wings?

If I were serious about this I'd roll out the entire fighter aces support bregade surrounding those 3 B-Wings for Yavaris to tripple tap, rip shields off, and shove the SSD's spine down it throat.

Rebels don't need any specific anti-huge ship counter. They have all they need by the best and most self-suffiicent fighter bombers in the game to kill large ships with attrition. It'll be a contest against any SSD running TIE Interceptors specifically to counter this list type, at least. But as long as rebel crap is cheaper than the Empire it's just a matter of shooting the SSD so many times to either make damage stick or blow through the ship's defense tokens rapidly.

1 hour ago, Coranhann said:

A single well aimed A-wing is the best counter.

The current SSD doesnt hit harder than an ISD. So a good bomber fleet (Yavaris, maybe Sloane, but I don't have much experience with or against her) or possibly a Ackbar swarm could do the trick.

Well, and SSD with Gunnery team can be really dangerous, if it has enough targets in the front. First turn, 3 attacks each with 5-10 dice?
3 attacks with the 8 dice can hurt
And Advanced Gunnery is no option anymore, when playing against a SSD. 2 attacks did already hurt, but 3?

I guess the first i will try is a SSD with rapid launch bays and 5 Decimators or Firesprays . Even 5 Gauntlets can be really fun this way.

But i guess the best counter against an SSD is (as you said already) Ackbar. You can place all your nice ships in possition to the SSD in turn 1. And just give one broadside after another.
It is only the question if this fleet is a one shot counter, or if it can work against other fleets as well.

1 hour ago, Norsehound said:

I'd send a swarm of Y-Wings, Norra, and Jan to park somewhere in front of it and just open fire. For all that bluster it only has two redirects, let's see how long it'll hold out against what, Nine squadrons of Y-Wings?

If I were serious about this I'd roll out the entire fighter aces support bregade surrounding those 3 B-Wings for Yavaris to tripple tap, rip shields off, and shove the SSD's spine down it throat.

Rebels don't need any specific anti-huge ship counter. They have all they need by the best and most self-suffiicent fighter bombers in the game to kill large ships with attrition. It'll be a contest against any SSD running TIE Interceptors specifically to counter this list type, at least. But as long as rebel crap is cheaper than the Empire it's just a matter of shooting the SSD so many times to either make damage stick or blow through the ship's defense tokens rapidly.

But I have oc Kallus and QLT on my SSD. And who knows what else might be in that box.

Plus my own squads. I don't think u will last long.

"Common" SSD versions have good front arc of 8 dice. Pretty big one too, and can take GT. Side arcs are 5 dice, but that's actually pretty mean to lighter ships.

But Ackbar cruisers should have no problem getting into the side or aux arc and staying there, doing double broadsides.

Just the possibility of this should keep SSD spam in check.

I would like that the side arcs would overlap a bit easier (just a bit). They don't look so dangerous for a big ship to hide within and they CAN hide within them.

4 minutes ago, Tokra said:

Well, and SSD with Gunnery team can be really dangerous, if it has enough targets in the front. First turn, 3 attacks each with 5-10 dice?
3 attacks with the 8 dice can hurt
 And Advanced Gunnery is no option anymore, when playing against a SSD. 2 attacks did already hurt, but 3?

Ouch. Right. It doesn't hit harder, but it can hit way more targets. (Yeah, no sane player will give it Advanced Gunnery)

For the Ackbar list, I play a lot of time using Corvette Spam with him. If you navigate to stay at red range, it's a deadly list. It has its counter (Sloane is harder to handle, Raddus is pretty tough too)