POD #4 - Advancing Fleets (Skycake / Maturin)

Congratulations to those who finished POD# 4 of the Vassal 2017 World Cup!  They are the first POD to complete all of their games (POD #1 stalled out after crowning its winner / runner up).  And what did they bring us?  Well, one of them will have to play one of these:

Skycake:  Galactic Empire

Points: 383/400

[ flagship ] Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

-  Moff Jerjerrod  ( 23  points)

-  Comms Net  ( 2  points)

= 48 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)

-  Comms Net  ( 2  points)

= 25 total ship cost

Gladiator I-Class Star Destroyer (56 points)

-  Demolisher  ( 10  points)

-  Skilled First Officer  ( 1  points)

-  Ordnance Experts  ( 4  points)

-  Assault Proton Torpedoes  ( 5  points)

= 76 total ship cost

Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)

-  Weapons Liaison  ( 3  points)

-  Gunnery Team  ( 7  points)

-  Expanded Hangar Bay  ( 5  points)

-  Leading Shots  ( 4  points)

= 104 total ship cost

1 Major Rhymer ( 16 points)

2 JumpMaster 5000s ( 24 points)

5 Firespray-31s ( 90 points)

Four activations, eight deployments, and a ludicrous 383 bid puts Skycake in the drivers seat of POD#4.  For the most part, his list was pretty standard - 2 Gozantis with Comms Nets, one being a life-boat style flagship with Moff Jerry onboard.  A Leading Shots VSDII with Gunnery Team and a Hanger Bay, and a standard size Demolisher.  A more or less pure cinnamon Rhymerball fills out his list, 5 Firesprays and 2 Jumpmasters back up the ball-master himself.

He did well with it as well, winning all 3 of his games, including and 8-3 over his closest opponent Maturin.  Will he be able to continue the trend?  While a good number of his squadrons have Rogue and we have seen the power of a Fireball in the past, he did not have to go up against much in the way of squadron play, except for Brobafett, who he beat but not dramatically (6-5).

It is not looking like he will be without a squadron heavy opponent as POD #5 winds down, with 7 and 8 squadrons in what is likely the runner-up match currently playing as I write this article.  If he can continue, it will involve a lot of skilled flying.

Maturin:  Ginkapo's Challenge

 

Points: 400/400 

[ flagship ] MC80 Command Cruiser (106 points)

-  General Dodonna  ( 20  points)

-  Home One  ( 7  points)

-  Fighter Coordination Team  ( 3  points)

-  Reinforced Blast Doors  ( 5  points)

-  H9 Turbolasers  ( 8  points)

-  Leading Shots  ( 4  points)

= 153 total ship cost

Nebulon-B Escort Frigate (57 points)

-  Yavaris  ( 5  points)

-  Flight Commander  ( 3  points)

-  Fighter Coordination Team  ( 3  points)

-  Quad Turbolaser Cannons  ( 10  points)

= 78 total ship cost

Modified Pelta-class Assault Ship (56 points)

-  Fighter Coordination Team  ( 3  points)

-  Flechette Torpedoes  ( 3  points)

-  Entrapment Formation!  ( 5  points)

= 67 total ship cost

GR-75 Medium Transports (18 points)

= 18 total ship cost

2 VCX-100 Freighters ( 30 points)

1 HWK-290 ( 12 points)

1 YT-1300 ( 13 points)

1 B-Wing Squadron ( 14 points)

1 Dagger Squadron ( 15 points)

I am not sure of the backstory of the Ginkapo's Challenge, but at 4 activations, 7 deployments, and a 400 point bid it doesn't seem that out of the ordinary, until you look to the upgrades.  Home One with a Reinforced Blast Doors.  Yavaris with Quad Turbolasers.  A Pelta with Flechettes and "Entrapment Formation!" but no easy way of getting tokens.  In many ways, it make sense, and in other ways, it is very, very odd.

Let's talk about the 1 Squadron Value Fighter Coordination Team Pelta Assault Ship - it moves the 6th squadron, but in and of itself, it seems... unnecessary.  2 VCX-100s can push squadrons far away from Yavaris, and Home One, and yet... they want to stay close for Fighter Coordination Teams, and not many squadrons are faster than Speed 2, much less Speed 3.

I don't quite know what to make of it, but Maturin is flying it well enough.  At least well enough to dominate one game and narrowly win a second.  If he can keep it up, maybe we'll see him in a "Game of the Week".