FFG’s newest format has the potential to shake up the meta. While some well-used objectives become mediocre, previously odd choices can really start to shine, particularly force multipliers or easy-to-dodge effects. And of course some specific fleet design choices complement that. For example:

The already established combination of Close Range Intel Scan and Captain Jonus. Jonus has never been bad, per se, but he had a pretty specific kind of fleet he liked. Now, the criteria can be “did you bring enough squadrons to park him on an obstacle and keep him alive?” Guaranteed accuracies on 5 or 6 ranged attacks is nothing to sneeze at, but throw in CRIS and that’s 50-60 points a turn - more than Fire Lanes!

Speaking of red objectives, Targeting Beacons. While objectives like Most Wanted (fixed points, but still a lot) and Blockade Run (good luck getting through such a crowded area while giving your opponent 20 points upon death ) got a bit of a downgrade, Targeting Beacons is more likely to trigger and affects more ships. Though it can’t be relied on for dice control , it might still be worth looking at for a sufficient number of reds (or black crit fishing in a pinch.) Throw in IF (give one good reason not to take Chimaera) and you can really look for the die face you want. Advanced Gunnery is something of a trade off in that your ship is likelier to be targeted down, but less game-losing upon death. Their pick has the same pro and con, and will likely have little trouble finding suitable shots to take. Even more so than before, Precision Strike will offer a metric ton of points, possibly for both of you. Prepare to be sick of counting out tokens. Station Assault is, I suspect, terrible. 20 damage is far more likely to wind up on those stations, making the benefit riskier than ever in a format where it’s less impressive to boot.

As before, Opening Salvo is still nice with an MSU or possibly an Ackbar/Sato/Dodonna APT list that emphasizes ships and wants to hurt you before getting in close. There’s likely to be a lot more ramming opportunities, and Hardened Bulkheads could make a fair bit of sense. Consider the ramifications, if you will.

If you didn’t bring ranged firepower, Jamming Barrier could get work done. Two dust clouds and a Line of Cymoon Sadness (tm) can utterly change a game on this scale against some fleets. Of course, not all fleets use black dice, and not all of your opponent’s use red ones. Fighter Ambush is pretty much where it was before, though the deployment sacrifice hurts more and points are more likely to be scored with more damage being thrown around. Fleet Ambush could be worth consideration, especially with Interdictors. Taking the first hit is less of a big deal, and hitting half their fleet at a time could be a bigger deal, especially as maneuvering the rear half of a fleet around 300-600 points of ships in front is trickier than getting past 100-200. However, 30 points for strategics and Fire Lanes is a lot less of a serious investment than before, and it’s probably the best pick out there. Yes, Planetary Ion Cannon probably triggers three times. It’s still not up to 270 points. Contested Outpost caps at 120, even if you’re better able to control it. Who cares about Capture the VIP or Hyperspace Assault anymore? (Well, Raddus might like HA... but he’s likely not quite as good in this format either.)

Although not a force multipier, Minefields is now far more likely to trigger, and keeps the obstacles out of your path if you place them all near enough to your opponent’s deployment zone. Combined with the mines, a fleet will have a hard time dodging some early damage. Add in the G7-X Grav Well Projector or Dodonna to really make a mess. If you’re confident in your speed control, it might even prove to be reasonable to place the mine line a little further out and prevent your opponent from eventually jumping the mines by making a wall with your fleet. Solar Corona and Superior Positions make an even bigger impact than before. Sensor Net is easier to trigger, especially if you brought Strategic and Fire Lanes (30 points! Just 30!) but an additional investment in Intel and a screen is nice as things can get pretty dynamic. The good news is you have a lot of flak to camp your shuttles/VCXs behind. As both a fixed point total objective and a token one, Intel Sweep is a harder sell. Dangerous Territory’s obstacle rule is nice, but... 45-60 points realistically? Salvage run is similar in that it caps at 80 points, but the inclusion of dust clouds has merit, as does creating obstacle-free side lanes. Navigational Hazards is way more likely to trigger consistently on both of you. Take that how you will, and remember... Dodonna loves asteroids, regardless of which side of the table he’s on.

Current Verdicts:

The Good:

Close Range Intel Scan

Opening Salvo

Precision Strike

Jamming Barrier

Fire Lanes

Fighter Ambush

Solar Corona

Minefields

Superior Positions

Sensor Net

Targeting Beacons?

Fleet Ambush?

The Meh:

Contested Outpost

Most Wanted

Advanced Gunnery

Planetary Ion Cannon

Salvage Run

Navigational Hazards

The Ugly:

Blockade Run

Station Assault

Hyperspace Assault

Capture the VIP

Intel Sweep

Dangerous Territory?

Edited February 9, 2019 by The Jabbawookie

I actually think Blockade Run would work very well... for Imperials. A majority of imperial ships are forward firing ships, so depending on how many VSDs, ISDs, GSDs, ect. you have, you can just slow roll a gunline toward the defense line.

I also think that Station Assault would work well for 6 or 8 player games, because it gives you incentive to spread your forces a little more out than say, Contested Outpost. This would help prevent a ton of ramming.