Building a Fleet Around Objectives

After writing about the different objectives and how they can help you score more points, I wanted to see if I could build a viable fleet around my conclusions.  Precision Strike, Superior Positions, and Fire Lanes all have the highest point scoring potential for their color of objective.  Is there a fleet that can maximize the bonus points from those objectives, while still being able to compete with other tournament level fleets?  Let's find out.

 Basic Plan & Formation

So the basic plan is to go for maximum bonus points on the objectives that are brought with the fleet.  It should also work fine if the fleet is forced to go first, if it can choose one of these objectives from the opposing fleets choices.  What can we put in each fleet to maximize point scoring for our fleet and potentially minimize it for the opposing fleet?

• Precision Strike - Precision Strike is all about dealing face-up damage cards.  Each time you do this while attacking, you score an additional 15 points.  XX-9 Turbolasers can let you double your points haul from this objective, while TRCs can turn dice to crit results.  Assault Proton Torpedoes, Luke Skywalker, and Dodonna's Pride all allow you to deal face-up cards straight through your opponent's shields.  The ability to cancel a hit to flip a card face-up for 15 points, makes strategies around using lots of small attacks a strong choice.  Only Bombers can score points with this objective, so a strong contingent of those seems good as well.  Ryhmer could really help you get the most out of those Bombers.  Screed can get you the crit facings on the dice when you need them and Vader's re-rolls could work too.  Ramming could be effective as the dealt card can then be flipped regardless of shields, but that strategy cuts both ways.  On the defensive side Evades can cancel or re-roll crit results, which favors Mon Mothma.  ISDs and MC-80s come with Contain, which can save you some points.  Advanced Projectors can keep damage off of your hull for the longest possible time and both of the MC-30 titles can help too.  All of these should work whether you are the 1st or 2nd player.
• Superior Positions - How many rear arc shots can you get in a game?  This objective is all about mobility.  Whether from your ships getting around flanks or squadrons sneaking through to attack, getting those rear arc shots is the name of the game.  CR-90s, Raiders, and other small ships have the maneuverability to get around the flanks.  Engine Techs can help this as well.  I tend to score the most with squadrons while playing this objective.  Slower squadrons like B-wings can't get rear shots as easily as the faster squadrons.  Boosted Comms could really be helpful as your squadrons may not always be in close proximity when going for rear shots.  Intel would be key here so that your squadrons are free to go after the rear shots when they can.  Rogues would be able to go after rear-arc shots without needing a squadron command.  Yavaris could be amazing, but setting up a rear-arc, double-tap would be pretty rare.  Defensively, some ships have more exposed rear-arcs than others and could be a liability.  You would also want to have plenty of squadrons escorting your ships and the ability to kill opposing squadrons quickly.
• Fire Lanes - The point of Fire Lanes is to be able to put as many dice as possible on a certain point.  Generally speaking, this objective favors long range ships with plenty of red dice.  It just makes it easier to work with.  Upgrades that add dice, like Enhanced Armament, are helpful, but those that add later, like Ackbar, don't help at all.  This objective is generally favored by Rebels as they can orbit the objective markers and keep their broadsides on them.  I think it can work fine for Imperials as well with the right formation, although they tend to favor Contested Outpost.  This objective favors ships that can stay in an area and trade blows, rather than relying on sneaking around flanks.  Bombers don't contribute to the objective, but can benefit from it as you generally know where your opponent will need to be.

So, there isn't a lot that overlaps between these 2 objectives.  Squadrons can play a part in the first 2 and be useful in the third, but that's about it.  On the other hand, there isn't much that's contradictory either.  You need some mobility for Superior Positions and staying power for Fire Lanes, but nothing that can't be worked with.  No one admiral, ship, or upgrade stands out between the three objectives, but there are some that should work together:

• The MC-30 can field APTs for Precision Strike, is maneuverable enough to threaten flanks in Superior Positions, and the Scout version has some long range firepower to help with Fire Lanes.  The Gladiator II can do some of this as well.
• Large ships benefit from Contain in Precision Strike, can give squadron commands for Superior Positions, and have the firepower to dominate Fire Lanes.
• Non-Heavy Bombers seem like a winner when it comes to squadrons.  They can help in Precision Strike, tie up or kill enemy squadrons, and attack rear-arcs as well.  X-Wings and Firesprays stand out the most to me.

I could see this working for either Imperials or Rebels, although the objectives do seem to favor the Rebels overall.  I think I could probably make my current Imperial list based on herding work for these objectives with a little tweaking, so I am going to try a new Rebel build for this fleet.

Core Ships

I think an MC-80 and 2 MC-30 Scouts would make a nice core to this fleet.  It gives me a good combination of staying power, maneuverability, and firepower.  The MC-80 might need some Engine Techs to keep up, but we will have to see if the points are available for it.  I also think it will look cool to have a fleet made up primarily of Mon Cal designs.

Admiral

I don't know if there is an admiral that really stands out.  Garm doesn't play well with the extra tokens from Precision Strike and Mon Mothma doesn't do much for the MC-80.  Rieekian is interesting, but this fleet won't be really built to take advantage of his ability.  Dodonna could benefit from all of the crits being generated.  While the extra dice from Ackbar don't count for Fire Lanes, they would help generate more crits and in winning any slugfests.  Ackbar also fits with the ships all being Mon Cals, so I think I'll go with him.

Support Ships

I'd really like to fit in a 4th ship.  Something like a TRCR-90.  I've already spent 282 points without upgrades or squadrons though, so I think I am limited to just 3 ships.  Which I am not a fan of, but oh well.  When the GR-75 shows up, that would be a potential fit too.

Squadrons 

X-Wings seem like the right choice with their mix of Bomber and 4 anti-squadron dice.  Jan give Intel and makes the X-Wings live much longer, so we will bring her too.  3 X-Wings and Jan is 58 points.  Add in a couple of Y-Wings for 20 points and we have a Bomber heavy squadron force.

Upgrades

After ships, admiral and squadron I've spent 360 points, leaving me 40 points for various upgrades.  I've never actually used them, but I am going to give the MC-80 some XX-9 Turbolasers.  Both of the MC-30s will get Assault Proton Torpedoes.  I'd like to go with Engine Techs, but I think the MC-80 will be using lots of squadron commands which would be a conflict.  Home One would really help the 2 MC-30s and be a cheaper way of dealing with their red dice than TRCs.  Boosted Comms seems like it could be useful for the MC-80.  I'd like to bring both MC-30 titles, but don't have the points.  Some Ordnance Experts for the MC-30s and Leading shots for the MC-80 would make the shooting more consistent.

So, here's what I end up with:

MC-80

• Admiral Ackbar
• Home One
• XX-9 Turbolasers
• Leading Shots
• Boosted Comms

MC-30

• Ordnance Experts
• Assault Proton Torpedoes

MC-30

• Ordnance Experts
• Assault Proton Torpedoes

Jan Ors
3x X-Wing
2x Y-Wing

I like it and don't at the same time.  I'd really like the MC-30s to have the titles for survivability.  I'd like another pair of squadrons.  I'd love a 4th ship.  I'd love Engine Techs and a defensive upgrade for Home One.  The only way I can see to make any of that happen would be to downgrade the MC-80 to an Assault Frigate and Ackbar to Dodonna, but then I still couldn't do everything I would want.  That said, I do think it has a lot of potential.  This fleet should be able to really take advantage of the objectives that it brings and actually hit hard enough to win when it goes first as well.  It's a compromise fleet, but I think it would be competitive and capable of some really big wins.

What do you think?  Will it work?  I will play it and get some battle reports up on here in the near future.