So, alone among my local group, I’m a huge Interdictor fan. I have had good success with using one in a variety of contexts; repair ship, deployment/obstacle spoiler, Targeting Scrambler bodyguard.

When I started hearing that Two Interdictor lists were a thing, I was intrigued... but I haven’t been able to find one to see what people are doing with it. Are they squadless? Is it two stripped-down Interdictors and a big beefy ISD-KR? Which admirals are people using with these? Did I really just hear someone say they won a tournament with THREE Interdictors? So many questions.

I’m not looking to copy a list. I’m more looking for a jumping-off point to construct my own list. Who’s got somethin’ for me?

I used to run this:

Name: Untitled Fleet
Faction: Imperial
Commander: Admiral Screed

Assault: Most Wanted
Defense: Hyperspace Assault
Navigation: Salvage Run

Interdictor Suppression Refit (90)
• Admiral Screed (26)
• Captain Brunson (5)
• Engine Techs (8)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
• Grav Shift Reroute (2)
• Targeting Scrambler (5)
• Heavy Ion Emplacements (9)
• Interdictor (3)
= 151 Points

Interdictor Suppression Refit (90)
• Taskmaster Grint (5)
• Engine Techs (8)
• Disposable Capacitors (3)
• G7-X Grav Well Projector (2)
• Targeting Scrambler (5)
• Heavy Ion Emplacements (9)
= 122 Points

Gladiator I (56)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Assault Concussion Missiles (7)
• Demolisher (10)
= 77 Points

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

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

Squadrons:
= 0 Points

Total Points: 400

It's not incredible, and needs to be modernized. An SSD in particular would probably just laugh unless you really managed to overheat the contains quick. An Onager is scary too, but ETs would help the Dictors close in. At least better objectives are out now.

I've tried the Kuat + 2 as well briefly, but it was a disaster against Raddus Yavaris.

Or if you want to try Nose Punch that's here, though I don't know how that's aged either:

Nice, thanks! Do these lists tend to not run squads? Or is it variable?

I should probably have looked at the Nose Punch list before asking that. I dunno what Nose Punch is, but it sounds like a squadron thing.

This is the sort of info I’m looking for! Anyone else?

Just now, Cpt ObVus said:

Nice, thanks! Do these lists tend to not run squads? Or is it variable?

I should probably have looked at the Nose Punch list before asking that. I dunno what Nose Punch is, but it sounds like a squadron thing.

Mission Statement:

"Most people spend the first round of the game banking Nav tokens and kinda setting up their moves for the battle to go ahead. Instead, you're going to lean over the table and Punch them in the Nose."

Squads Typically (as it delivers Raid to *keep* them there). But there's a version coming forth with the Cataclysm Onager, of course.

5 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

Mission Statement:

"Most people spend the first round of the game banking Nav tokens and kinda setting up their moves for the battle to go ahead. Instead, you're going to lean over the table and Punch them in the Nose."

Squads Typically (as it delivers Raid to *keep* them there). But there's a version coming forth with the Cataclysm Onager, of course.

Heh, then we are on exactly the same page. I was busy working up a double-Interdictor/Cataclysm list in between these posts!

I like the idea of limiting deployment options, then covering the “safe” area with Cataclysm.

A big part of Nose-Punch, as I understand it, is that interdictors make the enemy deploy in the grav wells at speed 0... so if you hit them on turn 1, they cannot spend defense tokens.

Clearly, Agate is an attempt to counter it.

On 2/19/2020 at 5:45 PM, Tayloraj100 said:

A big part of Nose-Punch, as I understand it, is that interdictors make the enemy deploy in the grav wells at speed 0... so if you hit them on turn 1, they cannot spend defense tokens.

Clearly, Agate is an attempt to counter it.

That nearly happened to me last week when I faced an Onager Testbed and an Interdictor with G7-X. Fortunately, I squeezed my own Onager Star Destroyer in the back corner of my DZ so it was just out of range 3 of the grav well token.

However, even if I had deployed my ship inside the grav well token's range and started at speed 0, I would've set my top dial to Navigate during the Command Phase, activated the ship first, increased to speed 1, and moved, then my defense tokens would've been enabled.

I suppose if I had been 2nd player and the enemy's Onager had activated first, the only scenario that I can think of is if the Onager Testbed was equipped with Orbital Bombardment Particles Cannons, the Cataclysm title, and the Onager was deployed exactly opposite of the ship caught in the grav well token's effect. If the Onager converted the Concentrate Fire dial into a token, Cataclysm could spent that CF token and place the Ignition token at long range with OBPC. The target ship should be in long range of the Ignition token and the OTB can fire its Special Battery and roll 4 red dice.

The only other possible scenario is if the Super Star Destroyer was deployed as far forward as it was allowed, but even then, I don't think the range tool reaches the opposite DZ from the SSD's front base. Although, if the SSD was deployed in the Ambush Zone of the Fleet Ambush Objective card, then it would be in range of enemy ships in the DZ that were deployed near the grav well token.

Regardless, these are rare scenarios and the player would still have to choose to place their ship in the grav well token's effect, rather than another part of the Deployment Zone.

G7-X is intended to deter the opposing player from deploying in a certain area of their DZ, or deploying there and having to issue Nav commands to speed up. G7-X certainly has some tactical value, but most players prefer to avoid the grav well token, so it's mostly used for area denial.

Whereas IF G7-X could be used at the end of the Deployment Phase, after all ships (and possibly squadrons) had been deployed, then it would be very effective because the player could choose which of their opponent's ships to force to start at speed 0. IMO that's how it should work, because the G7-X would be used for the Interdictor's primary purpose: To interdict unsuspecting ships from hyperspace and pull them into realspace. The interdicted ship wouldn't get to choose whether they were halted by the gravity well or exited hyperspace travelling at normal speed. It's an unnatural game mechanic -- but Armada is a game .

The plan (or at least a plan) with nose punch (as I understand it) is to trap the opponent into deploying multiple ships into the speed 0 zone.

(Shouldn't be too hard - if they've put one in there & they want to keep a cohesive deployment then there'll most likely be more)

Then what you'd do (in the original nose punch build) is use the quasar to push squads up on turn 1 and raid their navigation command - preventing them from getting up to speed.

(At least that's the theory as I understand it)

Of course the main function of area denial in the nose punch lists is not really so that you can murder their capital ships at speed zero; it's so the opponent cannot stop you from farming the objectives for the win (which is why nose punch plays a fairly minimal bid & doesn't care about being 2and player)

2 hours ago, namdoolb said:

The plan (or at least a plan) with nose punch (as I understand it) is to trap the opponent into deploying multiple ships into the speed 0 zone.

(Shouldn't be too hard - if they've put one in there & they want to keep a cohesive deployment then there'll most likely be more)

Then what you'd do (in the original nose punch build) is use the quasar to push squads up on turn 1 and raid their navigation command - preventing them from getting up to speed.

(At least that's the theory as I understand it)...

But the G7-X Projectors put their tokens down “before deploying fleets,” which means that the opponent would literally need to intentionally drop a ship (or more than one) into the speed zero area, knowing full well that, thanks to Squall and the Gauntlet fighters, you have the ability to Raid them on turn one... who would walk into that trap? And I mean, anyone might, once, but twice seems very unlikely. So I don’t think that’s “the point of the list,” so much as, given that that scenario *could* happen, the value of G7-X Projectors as area-denial tools goes up. Right?

Does make me think there might be a new niche for just one Gar Saxon in an Onager/Interdictor list, in any event. Interesting...

Two grav well tokens, spaced right, can cover most of the deployment area. Squeezing into the back corners avoids it but that’s where scoring points on the objectives comes in.

3 hours ago, Tayloraj100 said:

Two grav well tokens, spaced right, can cover most of the deployment area. Squeezing into the back corners avoids it but that’s where scoring points on the objectives comes in.

Hmmm. I feel like I measured this out once, and it was a lot of space... a bit more than half of the deployment area... but perhaps it was bigger than that. I’ll have to get the rulers out and actually check the distances!

43 minutes ago, Cpt ObVus said:

Hmmm. I feel like I measured this out once, and it was a lot of space... a bit more than half of the deployment area... but perhaps it was bigger than that. I’ll have to get the rulers out and actually check the distances!

It covers the good parts, anyway 😛

Once you shift the terrain around, they just get to pick the particular way they get hosed. Especially if they’re playing your objectives.

36 minutes ago, Tayloraj100 said:

It covers the good parts, anyway 😛

Once you shift the terrain around, they just get to pick the particular way they get hosed. Especially if they’re playing your objectives.

Exactly;

Nose punch objectives these days are usually Surprise attack, contested outpost, & doomed station.

Given that they are NEVER going to give you surprise attack, the choice is then between two fairly similar objectives which both involve taking & holding a specific point.

Between the *two* speed 0 zones you set up and your ability to shift obstacles around, you can quite easily create a situation where they either/and/or:

1)- Deploy so far out of the way that they waste half the game on the approach
2)- Deploy in the speed 0 zone & have to fight through your raid shenanigans to get any traction
3)- Deploy in a position where you can shaft them with obstacles
4)- Break their fleet up at deployment instead of fighting as a cohesive unit

All remembering that you're probably going to be farming the objective from turn 1 onwards - so they're already starting with a 120 point deficit that they have to overcome.
Also remembering that the interdictor is a pretty tanky ship that they're not going to kill easily, so scoring points off you (especially after they've negotiated the deployment) is not going to be that easy.

On the raid topic and people intentionally dropping ships into the speed 0 zone: I'd say that that the quasar & the squadron pushing shenanigans are likely there to reinforce the speed zero zones as "do not deploy here".
If you didn't have the ability to raid their navigation and keep them at speed zero, then the speed zero area wouldn't really discourage anyone: They'd just deploy in it & stack up a bunch of nav commands. You almost need the threat of raiding them to make them respect those areas.

These days, an Assault Prototype picking Surprise Attack is a problem. It shakes off raid tokens and accelerates to speed 1 right away, without being too scared of the actual components of the list.

15 minutes ago, The Jabbawookie said:

These days, an Assault Prototype picking Surprise Attack is a problem. It shakes off raid tokens and accelerates to speed 1 right away, without being too scared of the actual components of the list.

Be a shame if someone grav shifted some asteroids in its path.

2 minutes ago, Bertie Wooster said:

Be a shame if someone grav shifted some asteroids in its path.

I mean, it can be done and it helps.

But repair crews and Jerry are pretty standard for a reason. The crews will be at 0 and unable to help after a round of healing, but there still needs to be a good source of damage beyond a crit or two, especially when a repair command still removes one through raid.