It’s a time of Grand Admirals for Star Wars Armada as the seventh wave of ships is previewed for your enjoyment. Take a look at the new ships that will change everything!
Wave 7 of Armada has 2 new Admirals and 2 new ships that add a whole new level of play to the game! The Imperials gain the ruthless and ever gunning Admiral Thrawn and the Rebels gain the ever resourceful Admiral Raduss. Let’s begin!
Grand Admiral Thrawn is a 32 point admiral that has an insane ability: fitting for his cunning battle strategist mindset. After deploying fleets, place 3 facedown command dials on Thrawn. At the start of each Ship Phase, you may reveal and discard 1 of those dials. Until the end of the the round each friendly ship that activates gains 1 additional dial matching the discarded dial. This is a never-before-seen ability that will enable Imperial ships to activate with 2 command dials for 3 turns! Cunning strategy indeed. Imagine it: an Imperial-II Class Star Destroyer reveals a Squadron dial, but gains a maneuver dial from Thrawn. Squadron attacks plus superior maneuverability. Speaking of the ISD, Thrawn comes with a new class of Star Destroyers. 
The Imperial Star Destroyer Cymoon 1 Refit is a new style of ISD that costs 112 points and operates much like the Imperial-II Class Star Destroyer, favoring long range combat with red and blue dice. A note of distinction, the Cymoon 1 Refit has 1 less die out of its front arc, but still features a potent array of 5 red and 2 blues. With Spinal Armament this ship can fire 6 red dice from its front arc! Speaking of Turbolasers, this ship can equip 2 of them, much like the MC-80 Liberty for the Rebels. Also of interest, this ship is the first for the Imperials to feature the Fleet Command upgrade, which will add much needed utility to the Imperial fleet at large. 
The Imperial Star Destroyer Kuat Refit is more designed for close range combat, much like the Imperial-I Class Star Destroyer. Bearing an identical forward battery to the ISD-I, the Kuat Refit has differing side arcs by losing a red die and gaining a blue die. Also, more importantly, the Kuat Refit gains the Ordnance upgrade slot and Defensive Retrofit in its upgrade bar. This will make the Kuat Refit a much more deadly, and durable, Gladiator style close range brawler! 
Showcased in Rogue One, the MC-75 cruiser is making its way into Wave 7 for Armada! Instantly iconic, this ship is very interesting from what we have seen so far. Having strong side arcs featuring 3 red and 2 blue, this at first seems to be another broadside ship for Rebels. But if you pay close attention to its front arc, it features 3 black and 2 blue. An interesting setup that can negate ships trying to prevent maneuvers by parking in front of the MC-75 much like tactics have shown to deal with the Mc-80 Home One. An interesting mix of long and close range firepower. 
Admiral Raddus is a newly featured Rebel admiral that takes his battle tactics from Rogue One into Armada. Before deploying fleets you may set aside 1 other friendly ship. At the start of any round you may deploy that ship at distance 1 of a friendly ship. That ship cannot be deployed overlapping squadrons and cannot be the first ship to activate that round. This is a crazy new tactic to surprise the enemy with a fresh ship at any point in the game. Maybe a Hammerhead like in the movie or a deadly MC-80 Liberty! It’s up to you as commander of the Rebel fleet. 
The Profundity is a title upgrade for the MC-75 cruiser. This allows you to set aside 1 small ship with 1 command value (so Corvettes most likely). At the start of any round you may deploy the set aside ship at distance 1 of Profundity. You may unequip up to 1 fleet admiral and 1 officer upgrade and equip them if able. This is an surprise ability that will allow you to keep your admiral and an officer alive that much longer by having them “evacuate” the MC-75 if it seems that it will go down. This is another thematic card that hearkens back to Rogue One yet again.
New ships, new Admirals, and a whole new way to play Star Wars Armada. We can’t wait for this Wave!
About the Author: Barclay Montgomery
I’m a weird guy wargamer and hobby enthusiast. I’m like the Thing, I can take many forms. I could be a bounty hunter looking for Rebel prey, a commander of an Imperial fleet, or the Hive Mind of the Great Devourer of Worlds.
