Match-up of the Week - Captain ICT (Chaos Shanghaied) vs Zanos (Bacta the Future)

We're back with our first Match-up in two weeks, with a "top table" match.  It's Captain ICT, captain of the top scoring Chaos Shanghaied vs Zanos "The Hands of Fate" of second place team "Bacta the Future".

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Captain ICT

400 / 400

Nebulon-B Escort Frigate  (69 points)

 - Raymus Antilles

 - Yavaris

Nebulon-B Support Refit (58 points)

 - Salvation

MC80 Command Cruiser (142 points)

 - General Dodonna

 - Walex Blissex

 - Boosted Comms

 - Electronic Countermeasures

Squadron Total: (131 points)

 - B-wing Squadron x4 (56)

 - Keyan Farlander B-wing Squadron (20)

 - Luke Skywalker X-wing Squadron (20)

 - Jan Ors Moldy Crow (19)

 - ''Dutch'' Vander Y-wing Squadron (16)

Captain ICT comes in with a Dodonna dual-Nebulon / MC80 fighter list.  Not the most maneuverable option, it relies on heavy hitters from 4 generic B-Wings, Luke, and Keyan to hit ships hard.  Salvation and the MC80 can contribute firepower as well, but the biggest hits are in squadrons.  It has a decent deployment advantage of 7, but only 3 activations and no bid at all.

Captain ICT has done well for his team so far this tournament, winning his only engagement by a dominating 548 MOV.

Zanos REBEL FLEET

Total:  (384 points)

Assault Frigate Mark II B  (106 points)

- General Dodonna

- Gunnery Team

- Electronic Countermeasures

MC30c Scout Frigate (97 points)

- Lando Calrissian 

- Ordnance Experts 

- Assault Proton Torpedoes 

- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits 

- Admonition 

CR90 Corellian Corvette A  (53 points) 

- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits 

- Jaina's Light

CR90 Corellian Corvette A (51 points)

- Turbolaser Reroute Circuits 

Squadrons:  (77 points)

- YT-2400 x2 (16)

- Jan Ors Moldy Crow (19)

- X-wing Squadron x2 (26)

A different feel to the Dodonna list, the Zanos list has less deployment (6) but more activations (4) and gets the bid for initiative (384).  The heavy hitter here is Admonition, which boasts Turbolaser Reroutes, APTs, Ordinance Experts, and Lando / Title to keep it flying.  A pair of CR90A's add damage from a distance, and the AFIIB flagship can also chip in.  Fighter cover for the list is moderate in cost, but robust.  A pair of YT-2400s give Rogue activations, and Jan Ors plus X-Wings can tie down enemy squadrons for an extended period.

Zanos has flown this list particularly well so far, earning 15 total tournament points over 2 games, and a 310 total MOV, leading his team in total points.

The Match-Up:

The numbers favor Zanos, slightly.  He has both activations (4 - 3) and initiative (384 - 400) and can take first player without much worry.  The big advantage Captain ICT has is in deployment (8 - 6) but slow B-Wings will hamper his deployment somewhat in where his bigger ships can go.

Zanos also has the advantage of long-range engagements, boasting fast, maneuverable ships that can engage effectively at Red range, while Captain ICT is reliant on slow Bombers and small front arc Nebulons.  He loses the advantage up close, with Admonition not being built to survive repeated bombing runs from B-Wings.

Keys to the Game:

Tempo - If both sides keep their distance (or are forced to by Zanos) the game could turn into a low scoring game.  But Zanos is in a team situation where he wants to grab points from Chaos Shanghaied - that means aggressive play, and point-based objective play - but he doesn't have to quite yet if his team thinks better matchups are available.  Either way could backfire on him, if it means closing his forces with some very angry B's, or his team-mates under-perform in their games.  Zanos's maneuverability and initiative let him set the tempo for the rest of the game.

Squadron Engagements - Since each point matters, judicious use of squadrons and anti-squadron fire will be a significant part of the point differential, especially if Zanos goes for a low scoring game.  Captain ICT has the advantage here, but not the speed to dictate the engagement.

Protecting the Big Boys - If Zanos or Captain ICT can bring down one of the big ships on the other side, that could be all they need.  The MC80, AFII, and Amonition are each at least a 7 - 3 swing all by themselves.  Again, this is dependent on how much Zanos wants to bet on this game, rather than the 

Biggs Pre-Match Prediction:

Zanos has the ball in his court, and this is his game not to lose.  Because Captain ICT doesn't dictate the engagement, I think he winds up with a close loss... assuming Zanos plays his ships right.

Advantage - Zanos in a 7 - 3 victory.