Talk:Imperial Veterans Expansion Pack/@comment-99.7.114.152-20160920014906/@comment-454133-20161101072700

Looks pretty good. I like that the Ion cannon helps Carnor stay in range for his ability, and the countess exploits the target if they get ioned or otherwise fail to escape his aura. These are a little dependent on each other, and on the enemy not dodging and not flying unpredictably, but TIE/D makes it fun to fire ions just in case they connect. And if you force your enemy into making crazy, unpredictable moves, that often means he's missing out on opportunities to avoid falling into your traps -- frequently a win for you, if you can exploit his forced/changed behavior.

If you want to keep tinkering and looking for new combinations, I can offer a few suggestions to compare and contrast, if you'd like. I'm always eager to discuss fleet ideas. ^_^

I'd say Autothrusters are definitely better than targeting computer. It helps to be a little bit better protected from turrets and long-range sniping, as tie interceptors are so delicate, and you want to keep Carnor alive. If you're considering a 2nd modification, Twin Ion Engine Mk II is cool, but only comes with the tie punisher (which not everyone likes.  It's helpful, but not mandatory). Otherwise it's good to leave that slot empty -- it's fine to run him lean. The targeting computer + royal guard TIE may still be good because with PTL, you could focus + lock any time you don't need to boost/BR to get into range 1 or out of arc, and then unload a heavy attack on a relatively undefended target.

Carnor with PTL is nice because he can very effectively arc dodge, which puts his PS and maneuverability to good use. Boost + BR really helps him get into range 1 for his pilot ability, while hopefully denying his target a shot on him. If he doesn't get to focus, but gets in range, fine -- the enemy can't modify his defense against you or allies anyway. And the countess will occasionally ion a ship, making them even easier prey.

The only better choice might conditionally/arguably be Soontir Fel, because he gets that free focus when he uses PTL, and he has a slightly higher PS. This lets him barrel roll and boost and focus each turn, making him absurdly mobile and damaging at once. But Carnor's ability should be even better if you can frequently use it, heavily impeding your opponent's ability to modify their attacks/defenses vs your whole team. I think I like him more just because of that team-wide buff to attack and defense vs the ships you're near.

If you have it, you might consider trying Outmaneuver on Countess Ryad. Though Opportunist can work well in this fleet, as Carnor does a good job enabling it. Its unreliability is usually painful for a 4-cost card, but I'd argue you're not doing a bad job if you can consistently park Carnor so that your opponent ends up in range 1 of him when they want to do their action. That can be tricky though (if they move before you do and get out of range, they can focus and hang onto that token, making Opportunist useless). On a ship that likes to joust or BR out of arc, something like Outmaneuver can come into play much more often, and it's a point cheaper. BUT if you don't have it, don't worry 'bout it.

Other options are PTL (for focus + BR after a joust), Veteran Instincts for PS 7, Juke (a cheaper and more reliable way to exploit Carnor's shutdown field), and maybe Lone Wolf. If you like to park Countess in front of a ship so it collides with her if it tries to zoom past Carnor (forcing the foe to land in range of Carnor's ability one way or another), you might even try Intimidation to further increase the damage countess and delta can do, though that might not be the best use for her elite slot.

If you don't have these upgrades don't worry, they're just fun options to try, they're not mandatory by any means. (I don't want you feeling like you have to rush out and buy more expansions -- the list you have looks like a lot of fun already!  I just love to discuss & try ideas.)  And as said above, if you're playing casually, it's usuallly fine to just proxy cards you don't have.