Help me decide whether to buy an SSD...

[DarthRulesLawyer 5]

I like the SSD and would love to purchase one to be able to take to a tournament one day but I heard a rumor they might be changing Gunnery Team not to work with huge ships.  If that's the case, I would definitely pass because I don't think the SSD can manage without having at least two shots out the front to deal with enemy ships and a third to stave off enemy fighters.  Can someone please give me a little hint or nudge in the right direction?  Thanks.

[Alzer 1,119]

If you like a ship, have the funds for the ship, and have the opportunity to buy the ship. Buy the ship.

Unfortunately anybody who is in the know enough to tell you one way or the other has documentation limiting them from informing you as such.

[ninclouse2000 1,061]

I would absolutely buy the ship and I wouldn’t let gunnery teams weigh in on the decision.

[DarthRulesLawyer 5]

Appreciate the feedback.  Gunnery team does weigh in on the decision though because it determines whether it's a 200 dollar paper weight or not.

[Mad Cat 2,254]

I haven't seen the rumor about Gunnery Teams.  If true hopefully it isn't too drastic.

Currently an SSD could fire at three targets from the front arc using GTs. If the GT card was limited to attacking twice out of the same arc (at different targets) it wouldn't harm ISDs at all, SSDs would still be fine and would still take GTs most of the time.

[Ginkapo 9,381]

Do you need us to write you a business case for your other half?

[Alzer 1,119]

Opponents can generally only get so many ships in a given arc anyhow, even if gunnery teams were to be somehow limited I think it would be fine.  The Starhawk and Onager are more problematic for the SSD in competitive play anyhow.

[bkcammack 471]

2 hours ago, Mad Cat said:

I haven't seen the rumor about Gunnery Teams.  If true hopefully it isn't too drastic.

Currently an SSD could fire at three targets from the front arc using GTs. If the GT card was limited to attacking twice out of the same arc (at different targets) it wouldn't harm ISDs at all, SSDs would still be fine and would still take GTs most of the time.

I suspect GT will be an exhaust with cost to refresh. So it may require a token of some sort to use it in a future round. 

[Bertie Wooster 1,898]

If an unknown is definitely going to affect such a big purchase, it's probably best to just wait until official information comes out from FFG. You shouldn't have to wait longer than December to have an answer, I think. Maybe even November.

Rumors from forums posts, etc. are not guaranteed information so I personally wouldn't let them affect my purchasing decisions much.

[ScummyRebel 5,354]

If you’re asking “do I buy this expansion from ffg?” and its a game you play, the correct answer is yes.

[Rmcarrier1 629]

My SSD is mostly a paper weight and I *still* don’t regret buying it.

[bkcammack 471]

It is a VERY fun ship to play. But it’s also fairly hard to play well in a competition and relatively easy to counter. 
 

The model is gorgeous, and it’s worth buying just for that. 

Edited November 1, 2020 by bkcammack

[EagleScoutof007 238]

I don't think a single card should be a deciding factor. I've thought of trying local fire control instead of GT to get that salvo token

[Triangular 1,138]

5 hours ago, bkcammack said:

I suspect GT will be an exhaust with cost to refresh. So it may require a token of some sort to use it in a future round. 

Yeah, that‘s very likely. And I suppose, they limit the number of attacks you can perform from the same arc to two. The third attack from the same arc was a kind of accident with a new rule together with an old upgrade card, I would think..

[MerryVulture 70]

Buy it. Bring it to tournaments. Whether you use it at said tournaments is moot. I bought 3 just for one 800 point tourney, and am pondering a 4th, merely because it is there. Life is too short to sweat $200 now and again.

 

[Darth Veggie 1,006]

The SSD is currently quite dependent on Gunnery Team. However, I recommend not to make this decision dependent on one upgrade card.

Armada is an ever changing game. Will there be future changes that make the SSD shift out of the meta? For sure. That happened with every single ship. But also for sure there will be changes that bring it back. That is the nature of the game.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Darth Veggie

[XR8rGREAT 239]

You could just buy the ship for fun games as well. Its isnt just a Tournament ship.

[Alzer 1,119]

7 hours ago, XR8rGREAT said:

You could just buy the ship for fun games as well. Its isnt just a Tournament ship.

Heresy! Every ship is just a tournament ship.

[Formynder4 811]

I've seen no credible rumors about any changes to GT. Not in any of the dev interviews or leaks at all. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Ginkapo 9,381]

15 hours ago, Bertie Wooster said:

If an unknown is definitely going to affect such a big purchase, it's probably best to just wait until official information comes out from FFG. You shouldn't have to wait longer than December to have an answer, I think. Maybe even November.

There is a hierarchy in decision making:

The best is making the right choice

The ok is making the wromg choice

The worst is not making a choice

I hope you arent advocating the latter

[geek19 6,588]

1 hour ago, Alzer said:

Heresy! Every ship is just a tournament ship.

combat interdictor

[Green Knight 9,798]

20 hours ago, DarthRulesLawyer said:

I like the SSD and would love to purchase one to be able to take to a tournament one day but I heard a rumor they might be changing Gunnery Team not to work with huge ships.  If that's the case, I would definitely pass because I don't think the SSD can manage without having at least two shots out the front to deal with enemy ships and a third to stave off enemy fighters.  Can someone please give me a little hint or nudge in the right direction?  Thanks.

You could just wait, then buy.

But really, even with GT it's not far from being a paper weight  

Looks nice on the shelf though.

[Battlefleet 01 Studios 597]

I traded away almost all my Armada stuff in the winter of 2018. Didn't regret it. I still bought the SSD when it released that following August in 2019. Still don't have any other Armada things other than that. It is worth it for its display value alone. 

[flatpackhamster 700]

It's wonderful as the the flagship of an 800pt game so don't just think of it as a tool for tournaments.

[Revan Reborn 193]

The SSD is definitely worth purchasing. An Imperial player's collection will never be complete unless they own the SSD. And I think most Armada players, regardless of faction, want the SSD. Even Rebel players can get it and homebrew Rebel versions, like the Lusankya and Guardian, for casual play.

The SSD can be challenging to use, mostly because only the Star Dreadnought versions are permitted in standard 400-point battles, and the choices of Commanders who synergize effectively with the SSD are limited. Regardless, the SSD can be hellafun to play, especially if you manage to catch Rebel ships in its front arc and one-shot them!

 

It's too bad that the OP started this thread now to decide whether to buy the SSD because I recently bought a second SSD on Amazon that was $50 off on Prime Day. Since then, the price has increased by $50 over the normal price on Amazon, so I wouldn't recommend buying it now. Perhaps the price will drop again on Black Friday, and other retailers might put the SSD on sale too.