Overview spoiled Upgrade Cards

[Triangular 1,138]

Here an overview about the changes I know. Green text is boost. Red is nerf. Yellow in neutral.

Maybe there have been some changes. I got the intel this summer. Or I missed something.

Admiral Konstantine

At the start of each Status Phase, you may choose any number of enemy ships at dist 1-5 of at least 2 friendly non-flotilla ships, 1 of which must be of medium or larger size class. For each chosen ship you may discard 1 NAV token from it or increase or decrease that enemy ship's
speed by 1 to a minimum of speed 1.

Admiral Ozzel

During each friendly ship's Determine Course step, it may change its speed by 1.

Garm Bel Iblis

After deplyoing fleets, place 2 non-consecutive round tokens on this card.
At the start of the Ship Phase during each round matching 1 of those tokens each friendly ship may gain a number of command tokens equal to its command value.

General Tagge

After deplyoing fleets, place 2 non-consecutive round tokens on this card.
At the start of the Ship Phase during each round matching 1 of those tokens each friendly ship may recover 1 of its discarded defense tokens.

Grand Moff Tarkin

28 pts

General Rieekan

34 pts.

Leia Organa (Commander)

28 pts.

Mon Mothma

When a friendly ship resolves the "evade" token effect, it can cancel 1 die at medium range or reroll 1 additional die at close range or dist. 1.

27 pts

Demolisher

During your Attack step, you can perform only 1 attack. You can perform 1 of your attacks after you execute your first maneuver during your activation.

Avenger

While attacking, you may exhaust this card. If you do the defender cannot spend more then 1 exhausted defense tokens during this attack.

Admonition

While defending, during the Spend Defense Tokens Step, you may discard a readied defense token to cancel 1 attack die.

6 pts

Mon Karren

CF: While attacking a ship, the defender cannot spend more than 1 defense token during this attack.

6 pts

Yavaris

SQ: Each squadron you activate may choose to only attack during your activation. If it does, while attacking, it may add 1 die to its attack pool of a color already in its attack pool.

Slicer Tools

This card begins the game exhausted.
After you execute a maneuver, you may exhaust this card to choose an enemy ship at dist. 1-3. You may choose a new command on its top command dial.
[Pay 1 REP token to ready the card.]

Assault Concussion Missiles

Black Crit: Exhaust this card. Each hull zone adjacent to the defending hull zone suffers 1 damage.

5 pts

Assault Proton Torpedoes

Black Crit: Exhaust this card to deal 1 faceup damage card to the defender.

4 pts

External Racks

4 pts

Electronic countermeasures

[Pay 1 REP token to ready the card.]

Dual Turbolaser Turrets

Modification.

While attacking, you may exhaust this card to add 1 red die to your attack pool. If you do, choose and cancel 1 attack die.

H9 Turbolasers

Modification.

Quad Turbolaser Cannons

Modification.

XI7 Turbolasers

While attacking, if the defender spends a redirect token, it cannot suffer more than 1 damage on each hull zone other than the defending hull zone when it resolves the redirect defense effect.

Leading Shots

6 pts.

Engine Techs

NAV: After you execute a maneuver, you may exhaust this card to execute a speed-1 maneuver.

After you execute a maneuver, if you overlapped a ship, exhaust this card.

Captain Brunson

9 pts

Taskmaster Grint

Choose the command token for this card after deploying fleets. When you reveal a command matching the token on this card, you may gain 1 matching command token without spending the command dial.

Gunnery Team

CF: The next attack you perform this activation can be performed from this hull zone.
Each of your hull zones, cannot target the same ship or squadron more than once during that activation.

Ordnance Experts

While attacking, you may reroll up to 2 black dice.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Triangular
added CF for Mon Karren / added Avenger / added Leia, Reeikan and Leading Shots

[TheWampa 189]

I salute you and your anonymous source! That must have been quite some work putting all this together! (also: Servus nach München!)

[Green Knight 9,798]

@Triangular@Triangular@Triangular@Triangular

LOL never mind this. I try to edit the post on my mobile but the tagged user thing keeps duplicating. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Green Knight

[Green Knight 9,798]

Overall a lot of very good changes. 

But as a whole, utterly underwhelming. What a wasted opportunity. 

[Triangular 1,138]

9 minutes ago, Green Knight said:

@Triangular I see from MK that it requires a cf command now. 

Mon Karren's effect only triggers when spending a CF command?

That's bad! 😔

Edit: You're right. I just overlooked it. (Freudian slip?)

Edited November 28, 2020 by Triangular

[Grumbleduke 810]

Thanks for this.

That new Engine Techs wording seems a little clunky. I get what they're trying to do (prevent double-ramming with Engine Techs), but for that shouldn't the second line be simply "While executing a maneuver, if you overlapped a ship..."? As it is, both parts have the same timing ("after you executive a maneuver") so you could choose to resolve the first part before the second part, and ETs anyway. Unless I am missing something.

Afterthought: is it too much to hope that we are getting some new timing rules on maneuvers? Something like "fully resolve anything to do with overlapping a ship or squadron first, then anything to do with overlapping an obstacle, then any other effects"?

Also, it seems Avenger also got nerfed: "While attacking, you may exhaust this card. if you do, the defender cannot spend more than 1 exhausted defense token during this attack."

Edited November 28, 2020 by Grumbleduke

[cadetvw 143]

Triangular already has lots of the goodies listed up above but as I was reading the Reddit post I was getting confused trying to keep track of them all.  I wrote most of them down (missed a couple that I'll go back in and edit later) but they are at the below link as well as some quick thoughts on each change.  Looking forward to seeing how they play out and if there are any more changes coming over the next year with another points balance/rework of the dead cards.

https://swasector47.blogspot.com/2020/11/armada-card-tweaks-from-early-pre-orders.html

[ninclouse2000 1,061]

I think ffg really struck out with what they were attempting to do here.  I don’t know if many of the else changes make the game better. Demolisher and admonition don’t even sound playable to me anymore. I will wait and see once I actually play with the new cards.

[Triangular 1,138]

7 minutes ago, Grumbleduke said:

Thanks for this.

That new Engine Techs wording seems a little clunky. I get what they're trying to do (prevent double-ramming with Engine Techs), but for that shouldn't the second line be simply "When you overlap a ship..."? As it is, both parts have the same timing ("after you executive a maneuver") so you could choose to resolve the first part before the second part, and ETs anyway. Unless I am missing something.

Afterthought: is it too much to hope that we are getting some new timing rules on maneuvers? Something like "fully resolve anything to do with overlapping a ship or squadron first, then anything to do with overlapping an obstacle, then any other effects"?

Also, it seems Avenger also got nerfed: "While attacking, you may exhaust this card. if you do, the defender cannot spend more than 1 exhausted defense token during this attack."

For ET: Very good catch! I just saw the intention but didn't think about the details!

For Avenger: That's so. Just another slip ... I will add the card!

[Thrindal 1,295]

9 minutes ago, Grumbleduke said:

Thanks for this.

That new Engine Techs wording seems a little clunky. I get what they're trying to do (prevent double-ramming with Engine Techs), but for that shouldn't the second line be simply "When you overlap a ship..."? As it is, both parts have the same timing ("after you executive a maneuver") so you could choose to resolve the first part before the second part, and ETs anyway. Unless I am missing something.

Afterthought: is it too much to hope that we are getting some new timing rules on maneuvers? Something like "fully resolve anything to do with overlapping a ship or squadron first, then anything to do with overlapping an obstacle, then any other effects"?

Also, it seems Avenger also got nerfed: "While attacking, you may exhaust this card. if you do, the defender cannot spend more than 1 exhausted defense token during this attack."

So I am taking this as an order of operations thing.  If at the end of your first move you overlap exhaust the card.  This is part of the first maneuver.  Now you get to the Second maneuver, card is exhausted can't do it.  I guess I see the point of confusion though.  I do think the intent is pretty clear, no double ramming.

[Green Knight 9,798]

Overlapping is resolved before any "after moving" effects, so not a problem. This is nothing new.

[Triangular 1,138]

36 minutes ago, ninclouse2000 said:

I think ffg really struck out with what they were attempting to do here.  I don’t know if many of the else changes make the game better. Demolisher and admonition don’t even sound playable to me anymore. I will wait and see once I actually play with the new cards.

Demolisher is a card that tweaks the core rules just too hard. It needed a hard nerf in my eyes. (Another thing would have been to allow all ships a second attack after moving, when this attack would target the rear hull zone. One of my favorite rules changes that never will come.) I think, the card is still playable and worth 10 points. But now you need to think a little bit harder for positioning.

Admonition is another card that could be very frustrating to play against. The possibility to spend and then discard the same card during one attack was overdone. Together with the point reduction, I think it's fair.

48 minutes ago, Green Knight said:

Overall a lot of very good changes. 

But as a whole, utterly underwhelming. What a wasted opportunity. 

That's what I thought too. I like almost every change they did. Only Tagge is still bad. I don't get why there had to be MORE modification-cards. Mon Karren was a weired choice to change. There are still so many cards just not good enough for their points. Why Mon Karren? And then even make it CF-only?

Yavaris nerf seems unfair to me, if Col. Jendon stays as he is. Just my opinion.

Edited November 28, 2020 by Triangular
wrong card name

[Grumbleduke 810]

13 minutes ago, Green Knight said:

Overlapping is resolved before any "after moving" effects, so not a problem. This is nothing new.

Yep, but the new wording on Engine Techs (if correct) is also an "after moving" thing, not a "while moving" thing. It is phrased not as something to do when you actually overlap (which obviously comes first) but something to do when you've finished your maneuver if you overlapped.

The Demolisher change doesn't feel too bad. It is a little bit of a nerf, but it also helps with in-game decision-making; you no longer have to worry about whether you'll get your post-maneuver shot and so whether to take a second attack first. The big nerf is to last-firsting with a Demolisher, getting 3 solid attacks in and then running. Instead you'll have to get 2 attacks and either run, hoping to get a shot on the other side, or ram and stay.

Admonition also doesn't feel like too much of a nerf given the changes to Evades - letting you discard them for extra effects.

Mostly it does feel that black dice ships took a big hit (See, how do you like it, black-dice ships?!); APTs, ACMs, External Racks, Ordnance Experts, Demolisher, Admonition, even Avenger all getting nerfed, plus the boost to close-range defence via evades (although I guess that also helps MC30s and non-Iden GSDs a bit).

[Sybreed 1,110]

Redundant shields is the same as before... why!?! Modification and 8 points for 5 shields over 6 rounds at most? So bad. At least let us move 1 shield as well. Jesus. Did they decide not to change cards no one ever used?

Did they buff Heavy turbolaser turret? Such a staple upgrade, but so underwhelming in armada.

Edited November 28, 2020 by Sybreed

[Flyinpenguin117 105]

>Konstantine

The much-anticipated rework seems pretty good, but good lord is that messy to read. Considering you can't zero-speed (understandably), you'll still need to find a way to leverage speed changes into winning.

>Ozzel

Pretty good buff, IMO the only thing he was really good with was Raiders and sometimes Arquitens and Gozantis since most ships want to stay at speed 2 and cap out at 3. And with nav commands you basically still get his old effect.

>Iblis/Tagge

Getting to pick your rounds instead of two arbitrary rounds makes them more flexible. Garm will be helpful with all the token-refresh commands, though I still feel like Tagge is too situational.

>Tarkin

Much needed points reduction, I still wouldn't really run him without Sovereign

>Mothma

Points reduction, straight buff, and improvement to base Evades. My Mothma MC30 fleet is really happy with this, even with Admonition getting nerfed

>Demolisher

I don't think the nerf on its own is too bad, now you're just forced to actually use the ability it comes with. Coupled with the Engine Techs nerf, its much less cheesy.

>Avenger

This makes me feel... eh. Boarding Troopers/Sloane/Overload Pulse is basically mandatory to get any use out of this now.

>Admonition

RIP. I guess with the Evade buffs, Foresight's gonna be the new default MC30 title.

>Mon Karren

While I don't think the change itself is too bad, I really, really don't like them messing with the one actually-good LMC80 title.

>Yavaris

Can't say I'm too surprised about this one. No more instagibbing Star Destroyers with B-Wings. I think this might push Rebel Bomber lists more towards Y-Wings since they still effectively double their damage (no second BCC reroll though), but its probably not an auto-include anymore.

>Slicer Tools

Did Slicer Tools really need a nerf? I guess a Minister Tua ECM Gozanti with them can be annoying, but I doubt they get used that much otherwise.

>ACM/APT

The black crits are far and away the best crit effects in the game, so no surprise they got reined in. Coupled with the nerfs to Ordnance Experts, ExRax, and Demo/Admo, small shotgun brawlers really got hit hard. 

>ExRax

And given those nerfs, also not surprising External Racks got its cost doubled, otherwise it'd probably be the new 'default ordnance.' I think this'll be a lot more rare though- it was most best on the likes of Hammerheads or Raiders that really only get one good close-range shot per game so you didn't want the 5-7 points for the crits, but now that its the same cost as APTs you're probably better off aiming for the face-up card.

>ECM

Again, no surprise, hopefully this'll make taking other Defensive Retrofits feel like less of a handicap.

>Dual Turbolaser Turrets

Just a wording change, but seriously, there is literally no reason to use these over LTTs unless you haven't spent your Modification slot and don't have the 2 points. 

>H9 Turbolasers

Are a modification now. I can't think of too many other modifications you'd take with this one, maybe HCIT, or Quad Battery Turrets for long-range HIEs. A bit sad to see my favorite Turbolaser upgrade nerfed a bit though.

>Quad Turbolaser Cannons

Also a modification, but it almost feels like this was done specifically to nerf H9/QTCs granting 2 accuracies (or an accuracy after a Weapons Battery Tech crit). Given these were already 10 points for an effect that has a 1/8 chance per die of proccing, I think these will start seeing even less play.

>XI7s

Probably the most fair nerf of the bunch. On its own its pretty much the same, but it no longer completely hoses Foresight and Advanced Projectors, which in turn still aren't a hard counter to XI7s.

>Engine Techs

No more double ramming, RIP.

>Brunson

She was pretty strong already, so no surprise she was priced up. I feel like 9 points is a lot though.

>Grint

Wording change

>Gunnery Team

No more triple attacks from an SSD. It'll still be a large/huge staple, but maybe a bit less of a default weapons team if you don't have the token economy to constantly use it.

>Ordnance Experts

2 free rerolls (no exhaust or command required!) for 4 points is still good, it just no longer guarantees to fix your whiffed shots or lets you fish for crits haphazardly. I've only played with these a couple times, but I rarely even need to reroll more than 2 dice at a time.

 

Overall, I'm honestly a bit disappointed in the changes. The absolute top-tier upgrades were reined in as expected, and a few underwhelming commanders got a buff, but other than them they didn't do anything to bring up any underwhelming upgrades. Yavaris got the nerf bat, and Independence remains one of the worst titles in the game. DTTs are still worthless next to LTTs. Most slot-defining upgrades are still slot-defining, they're just somewhat less effective and usually need a way to be fed tokens, but its not like Flotillas are expensive (plus they now have the resupply upgrades so they don't need to burn their own commands for Comms Net)

Edited November 28, 2020 by Flyinpenguin117

[Wolf_58 47]

4 minutes ago, Sybreed said:

Redundant shields is the same as before... why!?! Modification and 8 points for 5 shields over 6 rounds at most? So bad. At least let us move 1 shield as well. Jesus. Did they decide not to change cards no one ever used?

Did they buff Heavy turbolaser turret? Such a staple upgrade, but so underwhelming in armada.

Well most of the changes help low how high the dice can roll so that -1 damage at the end of the round does help a little. Also Redundant shields is 10 engineering points over 5 rounds so that is something. Long range ships like MC80 home one can use it high shields. But hopefully they see this and change it with the Living RRG.

 

24 minutes ago, Triangular said:

I don't get why there had to be MORE modification-cards

H9 and QTC modification change is most likely for Ravager. But this make a problem with all modification cards for turbolasers, as 6/13 are NOT modifications (LTT is one). Making 2 turbolaser slots limited in what can be taken with out a turbolaser modification being used which slightly limits other slots upgrade choices but nothing that is popular.

[Mala 49]

Admiral buffs look fun to try out! I was hoping for more buffs to other binder filler cards though.

Nerfs are less exciting but a lot of these cards either felt too much like auto-includes or were built also the focal point of entire lists (Yavaris, Demo, Avenger). 

I like the direction they went with gunnery team requiring confire to use and ECM required spending a token to ready. I would like to see that sort of design space explored more.

 

[Bertie Wooster 1,897]

Adding modification to QTC and H9 makes them bad candidates for the Onager Star Destroyer. 

[Flyinpenguin117 105]

15 minutes ago, Bertie Wooster said:

Adding modification to QTC and H9 makes them bad candidates for the Onager Star Destroyer. 

Oh man, I didn't realize this. RIP my H9/Battery Tech/SCBT Sunder.

[Bertie Wooster 1,897]

There's still Sensor Team and GCV. 

[Ginkapo 9,381]

12 minutes ago, Bertie Wooster said:

There's still Sensor Team and GCV. 

You called. How can I help?

[Wolf_58 47]

7 minutes ago, Flyinpenguin117 said:

Oh man, I didn't realize this. RIP my H9/Battery Tech/SCBT Sunder.

not really just no guaranteed  acc and with H9. Does a Conf dial a token work with Ignition? (don't have onager) And WBT does make 2 blue get a 75% crit chance.

[TallGiraffe 3,454]

I am more disappointed that they missed the opportunity to buff or change existing underperforming cards. 
 

 

[SoonerTed 376]

1 hour ago, Green Knight said:

Overall a lot of very good changes. 

But as a whole, utterly underwhelming. What a wasted opportunity. 

Here's hoping the new subsidiary takes better care of us.  I'm underwhelmed by the legion changes, too.

[eliteone 660]

Did anyone report on any Independence changes yet?