ISA 5 point Raid fleet for critique

[Karhedron]

I am just starting an ISA fleet and I am thinking about 5 point Raid configurations for Tourney or pickup play. How does the following list look to people?

1 White Star
2 White Star2
4 Blue Stars
1 Gaim Shaakak Queen Light Cruiser

The three WS are the workhorses of the fleet and will probably do the bulk of the damage (and take the bulk of the punishment) in most engagements. The Blue Stars are there to provide initiative sinks as well as being fairly punchy little ships in their own right. They should also help get deal with swarm fleets.

The Shaakak is the wild card in the fleet. 12 Fighter flights should help provide some CAP and prevent the White Stars getting nibbled to death by cats (fighters). They can also function as expendable interceptors or guided missiles as the occasion demands. Lastly the Shaakak can throw out a couple of Photon Bombs each turn to mess up enemy fighters or to counter ships with Stealth.

So, any thoughts comments or suggestions? Do Gaim pair well with ISA? Should I take an extra WS1 to get the extra Scout on the table? Do I have enough ships?

Input welcome.

 

[EDFDarkAngel1]

A single White Star single handedly destroyed both my Hyperion and Chronos by turn 3 despite the fact that I kept him within my optimum weapon arcs. Can never have enough of those.

Dark Angel

 

[Taran]

Karhedron, that's almost exactly the Gaim/ISA pairing I was considering.
Though I preferred the Skruunka for reasons I don't remember well enough to get into without the Fleet Book in front of me right now...

 

[Da Boss]

Looks nasty - should work well - unless you run into a full Gaim fleet

 

[Burger]

Good fleet, Gaim make a great ally for the ISA. Though personally I'd take 2 Shuuka instead - more e-mines with better range, more breaching pods, more manouverable, another init sink and less eggs in one basket. A Stuteeka would work too, since you don't need a Queen when Gaim are taken as an ally.

 

[lastbesthope]

My favourite so far

2 Scout WS
3 normal WS (with Nials)

Gang up on one ship at a time, take the big ones first.

LBH

 

[Triggy]

I'm with Burger on this one - your fleet is good and the Gaim really do almost completely cover the weak spots of an ISA fleet. However, I'd take a Stuteeka personally as it's got a bucket load of fighters, Fleet Carrier and is probably the best ship for its PL in the game.

 

[WereRogue]

This was the list I assembled following the tournament restrictions at 5 raid points. I haven't played it yet, so offer it here as an alternative:

• Patrol
  3x Blue Star
  Breaching Pod 8x Flights
  Klikkita 12x Flights
  Nial 5x Flights
  Skirmish
  2x Shuuka
  Raid
  2x White Star
  1x White Star II

-Ken

 

[Davesaint]

This was the list I assembled following the tournament restrictions at 5 raid points. I haven't played it yet, so offer it here as an alternative:

• Patrol
  3x Blue Star
  Breaching Pod 8x Flights
  Klikkita 12x Flights
  Nial 5x Flights
  Skirmish
  2x Shuuka
  Raid
  2x White Star
  1x White Star II

-Ken

I think that is a wee bit more thatn 5 raid.

The standard WS does not carry any fighter, while the WS2 only carries 1 nial. You only get 2 Nials for a patrol point, and you already have 3 bluestars. I assume that the Klikkita fighters and the breaching pods come from the Gaim Queen ship.

So your fleet should look like this:

1 WSII - Nial
2xWS
2 Shuuka - 12 fighters and 8 breaching pods
3 Bluestars
1 Wing of Nial(2)


Dave

 

[thehod]

This is my current ISA 5 Raid

4 Bluestars
3 WS 1
1 WS Gunship


Decent firepower with the WS running squadron with one another and BS as init sinks. I opted for 3 WS 1 to almost ensure rerolling scout so I can use the 3 WS 1 lined up against an enemy for some serious hurting.

 

[Davesaint]

This is my current ISA 5 Raid

4 Bluestars
3 WS 1
1 WS Gunship


Decent firepower with the WS running squadron with one another and BS as init sinks. I opted for 3 WS 1 to almost ensure rerolling scout so I can use the 3 WS 1 lined up against an enemy for some serious hurting.

Except that is a 6 raid force. 2 for the gunship, 3 for the WS1, and 1 for the bluestars......


Dave

 

[EDFDarkAngel1]

My 5 point EA Raid force is:

1 Hyperion
6 Chronos

Ph3r

Dark Angel

 

[Davesaint]

My 5 point EA Raid force is:

1 Hyperion
6 Chronos

Ph3r

Dark Angel

Ok, that force is only 4 raid............

 

[Taran]

5 raid?
40 Tethys Laser Boats

 

[Davesaint]

5 raid?
40 Tethys Laser Boats

I have considered this, except that I would likely be stoned to death at whatever tournament I showed up to.


Dave

 

[Lord David the Denied]

Stoned to death? You'd be smeared in honey and staked over an ant hill...

 

[EDFDarkAngel1]

Sorry, that was the point. No one seems to know how to build a 5 point Raid

Although, in my recent games, my Chronos are doing more damage to the White Stars than my Hyperions with boresight. They're really cool still, even if they're no longer raid.

Dark Angel

 

[Karhedron]

I'm with Burger on this one - your fleet is good and the Gaim really do almost completely cover the weak spots of an ISA fleet. However, I'd take a Stuteeka personally as it's got a bucket load of fighters, Fleet Carrier and is probably the best ship for its PL in the game.

Really, you recon?

I was not immeadiately enamoured of the Stuteeka due to the weak hull and lowish (by Gaim standards) interceptor rating. However I guess it is still fairly durable for a Raid PL ship and the Fleet Carrier trait will certainly boost the lethality of the fighters.

Do you recon the Fleet Carrier ability and extra fighters are worth the reduced firepowre and fragile hull? I guess with a 40" range it can at least hang back. Most likely the opposition will be more worried about the Whitestars buzzing around than the carrier sitting back and lobbing the odd potshot.

 

[Taran]

Do you recon the Fleet Carrier ability and extra fighters are worth the reduced firepowre and fragile hull? I guess with a 40" range it can at least hang back. Most likely the opposition will be more worried about the Whitestars buzzing around than the carrier sitting back and lobbing the odd potshot.

Yeah, forget what I said earlier about the Skrunnka. I like the Stuteaka as well. 24 flights of fighters of a raid hull plus triple Energy Mines with huge range? That's the support I want...

Oh, and I don't think that word (recon) means what you think it means...

 

[Karhedron]

Oh, and I don't think that word (recon) means what you think it means...

I reckon you are right. :wink: