fun with phantom?

By malladin.ben, in X-Wing

I've been thinking how I can have the most fun with the phantom, and struck upon the idea of trying to make it as mobile as possible, and add on outmanoeuvre to maximise this potential. I don't own VI, and realise that's probably the best option for the EPT, but I actually think the lack of it might make playing him more fun, as it gives the opponent a bit more of a chance, and more fun for me as I have to be a bit more careful about placing the phantom. hopefully it will make for a tense game for both of us, which is when the game is at it's most rewarding.

anyway, I'm thinking about how I can make the most out of a single phantom (only have 1,with an emphasis on manoeuvrability.

Starting out, I think the pilot has to be Echo. I also think ACD adds a chunk of manoeuvrability as it means he can decloak every turn, aside from the fact that it's a no-brainer. I'm thinking of advanced sensors for how this can used to add a pre-manoeuvre barrel roll.

I'm going to team him up with a doom shuttle and a defender (mainly because it gives me chance to try out my new ships, but also because it gives me a toolbox type lost the I enjoy flying with my rebels).

anyway here's the list so far:

Echo, ACD, advanced sensors and outmanoeuvre

Omicron, vader

delta

that leaves me with 6 points spare. I'm seriously considering the ion cannon on the defender for an extra tool in the box, but that still leaves me with 3 points. I like the idea of tactician or rebel captive for stress dealing, but I'm not sure which one, or which ship to put it in. another alternative is to upgrade the defender to vessary and just add an Intel agent, but I'm not sure vessary will get to use his special ability often when there's only a basic shuttle to target lock things.

what would you do with the extra 6 points?

thanks in advance,

Ben

Put the Rebel Captive on the Phantom, it'll help in the mirror match. Engine Upgrade is also an option for the Delta.

Edited by WonderWAAAGH

Well. You're missing navigator for more maneuver choice options, or intelligence agent to know where a ship is going.

Echo

Sensor jammer

ACD

Predator

Recon Specialist

Working great so far for me.

The Phantom is a good ship, you could put in a good position in the game, but is too fragile, you need to take care and don't overthrust in the four dice of agility, because I take down in one turn, and one Interceptor, greettings.

Translated by Bing.

I know it's fragile, my plan is to create a build for the ship that can avoid arcs.

If you build it purely for arc dodging, then the following isn't half bad:

“Echo”

Veteran Instincts

Navigator

Advanced Sensors (to barrel roll before decloaking, or to take an action before bumping)

Stygium Particle Accelerator (You are going to arc dodge and not tank)

-39pts

If you build it purely for arc dodging, then the following isn't half bad:

“Echo”

Veteran Instincts

Navigator

Advanced Sensors (to barrel roll before decloaking, or to take an action before bumping)

Stygium Particle Accelerator (You are going to arc dodge and not tank)

-39pts

but Advanced Cloaking Device over SPA isn't about tanking - it's about the free cloak action for the decloak on the next move for max mobility.

Played with echo last night took gunner which never got used, outmanouver which was really effective and fire control I never had less than 4 hits and she ate through Biggs, wedge and blount killing one per turn.

I'll lose gunner for next match not sure what I'll take instead yet but the phantom though fragile used right is lethal.

Played with echo last night took gunner which never got used, outmanouver which was really effective and fire control I never had less than 4 hits and she ate through Biggs, wedge and blount killing one per turn.

I'll lose gunner for next match not sure what I'll take instead yet but the phantom though fragile used right is lethal.

Question, if one kills the victim in one shot, how does FCS come into play?

Echo is one of the most interesting and fun ships I have played with so far. That being said, I don't think AdvS is that big of a deal on him. I personally think FCS is where it is at for him. He can hold onto his focus and just use it on defense and have the TL to spend on the second barrage that normally kills his target. I could see you using sensor jammer instead with his natural evasiveness.

I would love to toss predator or outmaneuver on him, but in my local area, I've been seeing a rise of 6-8 PS skill ships and he really needs that VI to keep him from being popped while uncloaked. I fun Echo+FCS+AdvC+VI and its been just killer, with him equipped that way it leave enough points to basically run any type of support squadron with him that you want. But my two sense on the matter. There are a lot of different variants of him, and most are deadly effective, I say you fly what is most natural to you.

Translated by Bing.

I know you're just trying to be funny, but let's lay off Kaxel Vofer. He's taken a fair bit of flak in the last week or so over this and it's getting on my nerves. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time both studying and teaching languages this is disappointing to me. Let's not discourage non-native English speakers by ridiculing their abilities on these boards when they are trying at the very least.

Sorry, didn't mean to derail this thread at all. Just keep seeing this happening in various places here, and it was starting to get a bit irritating to be honest.

Bring the hammer.
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le6iuvc.pngExpose.pngfIHMdzM.png

Note:

There are four "After your perform an attack"

& the potential for 6 attack dice.

Probably the only ship that makes Expose viable.

Edited by gabe69velasquez

I don't see the 6 dice???, at last at range 2 or 3, greettings.

I don't see the 6 dice???, at last at range 2 or 3, greettings.

I think he meant range 1.

Losing one agility ? 4 points ? Staying at PS 7 ? I wouldn't call that making expose viable, not to speak that evade is most of the time the best action for whisper.

Edited by DreadStar

Having more dice actually only makes expose worse. A focus will give you the same average return on 2 dice, is slightly better if you start with one dice, but then gives you less back relative to the focus every time you add a dice. Plus you can also use your focus for defence, rather than give up a defence dice, can generate two of them with a recon specialist, and give up the chance for PtL, Outmaneuver or most people's favourite, VI (all of which are cheaper).

The maths for expose vs focus:

For expose to be useful it needs to be better than a focus.

0.5(d+1) > 0.75d

Given that d has to be an integer above 0, this is true only when d=1. Would you stick it on a hwk?

Friends told me I'd never need maths in the real world LIARS!

Having more dice actually only makes expose worse.

Having more defense dice is what makes Expose viable with Whisper;

With ACD he goes back to cloak after attacking.

So he only has to worry about PS8+ ships,

but still has 3 defense dice.

A focus will give you the same average return on 2 dice, is slightly better if you start with one dice, but then gives you less back relative to the focus every time you add a dice.

This is an attack build obviously, and though you are not entirely correct about focus versus more dice, you are missing the target lock that comes automatically after the first attack.

Plus you can also use your focus for defence, rather than give up a defence dice, can generate two of them with a recon specialist,

...again you don't understand this build, Whisper gets a free focus with an attack that hits. That's his special ability, and it doesn't require that you perform an action, he just has to do what he was designed to do, which is to hit his target.

and give up the chance for PtL, Outmaneuver or most people's favourite, VI (all of which are cheaper).

Push the limit will get you killed in a Phantom because, as your other contracting suggestion Outmaneuver shows, it can't afford the stress token, being stuck needing to make green maneuvers. Outmaneuver is dependent on getting out of your enemy's firing arc, and another unnecessary maneuver burden. So far with your suggestions, you have too many conditions, being outside your targets firing arc, dealing with self-inflicted stress, whereas with my build suggestion you just have to attack. Edited by gabe69velasquez

Losing one agility ? 4 points ? Staying at PS 7 ? I wouldn't call that making expose viable, not to speak that evade is most of the time the best action for whisper.

Losing one of four agility isn't so bad, and Evade is not the best action for Whisper.

Would you stick it on a hwk?

The maths for expose vs focus:

For expose to be useful it needs to be better than a focus.

0.5(d+1) > 0.75d

Given that d has to be an integer above 0, this is true only when d=1. Would you stick it on a hwk?

12021443685_fdd9ac721a_o.jpg

I've done the math, obviously,

and I still like 6 attack dice with target lock more.

Edited by gabe69velasquez

I am kinda new to the forum. But the discussion about expose and how useless it is do arise pretty often, doesn't it ? Specially somebody neglecting basic math and calling other people wrong on it.

I have to wonder if people play at all the game or they are just theorycrafting. If you had played the phantom enough against falcons, you know that not VI is not viable. It is just not, whenever Han hits the table you are screwed. And even if you have VI, a Han + Luke + Predator will take of all your defensive actions EVEN if you are cloaked the moment he shots to try to avoid his returning fire. And this is because you rely on dice for you defense, so you need to stack as much the odds in your favor, because a bad roll and you can say goodbye to your phantom.

So you are telling people that expose is viable when :

- Basic math will tell you focus is just better if you want to go offensive that turn.

- Focus is free and doesn't take an EPT slot

- VI is pretty much required against many builds.

- 1 less agility and defensive action will get you killed. And whisper is not exactly cheap to act as a throwaway.

Nothing wrong with you wanting to play it that way, just because you like having a lot of dice on your hand, but please, for sakes of good discussion, if you are trying to argue about efficiency, don't try to split hairs just to try to validate your points

Edit - After reading your answers.

1 - You wouldn't have 4 agi, but 2. If you are exposed, then 1, against most of nowaday lists. And that dice, can make a world difference too.

2 - Offensively, you are relying on already had shot the target. Do the maths of 2 focus vs 1 focus + 1 Expose/TL. Is the difference worth everything you lose in the way (1 Agi, action, PS, points). More importantly, doi you even think you would survive a Han two turns to even take that "better" damage?

Edited by DreadStar