Armada Wave 3 Gozanti Preview!!

FFG posted a preview of the Gozanti expansions. There are some great new cards in the expansion and not just for the Gozanti, but also for the ships we already have.  I'm really looking forward to trying out both the flotillas and the new upgrades.

Here's a quick breakdown of the new stuff:


The Gozanti comes in 2 flavors and I imagine that we will see the cheaper Cruiser version the most often.  At 23 points it will be a great way to add some activations to the Imperial fleet.

There aren't many ships that can't one shot this thing, so it will be important for it to take advantage of that Scatter token.  Likewise consistent sources of Accuracy like H9 Turbolasers, Home One, and Sensor Teams will be a must for killing them quickly.

• Combos! - Probably the most obvious combo for this thing will be to add Expanded Hangars or Long Range Comms to that Offensive Refit slot and use these to get the most out of your squadrons.  That will be just a fantastic option.

The Assault Carrier costs you 5 more points for a significant range boost.  You get the increased anti-squadron range from Blue dice and the front arc gains a Red die.  I expect to see this one on occasion as long-range fire support for the Imperials.  One red die isn't much, but given the ability to Concentrate Fire every turn and it is a cheap way to throw 2 Red dice all game long.

• Combos! - I think the Assault Carrier will be most at home in a fleet with Vader as the Admiral.  The re-rolls from Vader will let you get the most out of those long-range shots with the Red dice.

We also get a new Admiral in General Tagge.  He has a reasonable cost and provides a really interesting ability.  I am often really aggressive about using up my defense tokens and General Tagge would play well with that strategy.  Knowing that you are going to get them back would allow you to be really aggressive about their use.  Who cares about Intel Officers when this guy is in charge.

• Combos! - If Tagge is going to be your Admiral, you should plan on using him.  Adding Needa and TRCs seems like a natural fit as does Devastator.   

Agent Kallus comes to us from the Rebels show on Disney XD.  If you haven't been watching this I highly recommend it.  It's really a lot of fun.  Kallus's ability allows him to be murder on your opponent's unique squadrons.  It's a niche ability that might not come into play often, but when it does it will be really effective and a bargain for only 3 points.  I think he probably plays better on ships with more anti-squadron firepower than the Gozanti.  I also would favor him on ships that have at least 1 Blue anti-squadron die.  It will give his ability more opportunities to work.

• Combos! - Kallus loves the Impetuous!  Why attack a unique squadron once when you can do it twice instead.  An H9 Turbolaser equipped Warlord would also be a fun ship for him to ride on.  In either case give that ship some Quad Turbolasers too to really punish your opponent.

The Vector title allows your slower, but non-Heavy squadrons to get a cheap speed boost.  Imperial squadrons are already comparatively faster than the Rebels, so this title is less useful than it would be for them.  It is however really cheap at only 2 points.  The boost isn't huge, but the cost is so good that it is worthwhile.

• Combos! - I like this title the best with Expanded Hangars and some  Firesprays to push around.  They will get the most from the extra speed provided by the title.

 

I think that we will see a lot more of Suppressor than we will of Vector.  This is just an amazing title overall.  It doesn't exhaust, so it can potentially impact every ship in your opponent's fleet each turn.  The fact that you get to choose which token is exhausted makes this brutally effective.  Your opponent will just have to forget about using a brace token near this thing.  I suspect that when Suppressor is on the table it will be the primary target.  Gozantis aren't especially durable, but the fact that you can lay in ambush and let your opponent come to you for this to work makes it much more effective.

• Combos! - A Gozanti with this title will quickly become standard in any fleet with Avenger.

Slicer Tools are all about shenanigans.  What a great way to mess with your opponents battle plans.  You can take away Nav commands from Engine Techs equipped ships or Squadron command away from carriers.  This is a great offensive tool.  It is expensive, but the impact is strong enough that I think we will see this played a fair amount.

• Combos! - You can combine Suppressor, Slicer Tools, and some Tractor Beams into a fleet that messes with your opponent without ever firing a shot.  This card will also see upgrades like Wing Commander more often for ships that really need a specific command.

 
I wasn't initially excited about Jamming Field, but after some thought I think it is a very powerful upgrade.  It essentially works as a direct counter to cards like Flight Controllers or Howlrunner that add dice to the attacks of squadrons.  This could help with the durability of some of the flimsier squadrons like TIE Fighters.   The timing of this upgrade is important.  You can keep your squadrons in the field until the are attacked, then move your ship away and allow your squadrons to counter-attack without the hindrance of the field.

• Combos! - This card is similar to Gallant Haven and would make for some sturdy squadrons when stacked together.  I will have to try a Jan Ors/Jamming Field/ Gallant Haven fleet at some point.

Comms Net is very similar to the CR-90's Tantive IV title.  It allows you to get command tokens where they are needed the most.  One thing that is different from the Tantive title is that you can't pass a token before you have to discard one that you are holding.  Still, this will be a really useful ability to have and the cost is reasonable.

• Combos! - I like this upgrade when combined with other upgrades that need command tokens like the Liaisons or Engine Techs.  It really improves your flexibility.

 

Bomber Command Center is probably the most anticipated upgrade in the set.  If I had won World and had the chance to design a card, I would have gone for something like this.  This will go a long way to making Bomber attacks much more reliable.  Nothing likes this card more than the X-Wing and it's Red bomber die.

• Combos! - This card is also a dream card for any fleet built around Major Rhymer.  We will see those together all the time.

So, what do you think of this new upgrade pack?  Any new combos that you are looking forward to trying out?