Hmm, in the last example you were doing a hard 3 turn, with a 180 degree turn at the end.

Could you please explain this, as I thought the s loop was just the 3 bank?

Cheers.

Ps. Great write up as usual Sable.

It's ig88Ds pilot ability that allows the hard turn - it's in the very first post bud

One issue I can see is that you're limited to PS 6 (unless you spend your EPT on VI), and the current metagame is favoring PS 8+. So yeah, you've got lots of crazy tricks, but how often are you going to be able to react to your opponent's maneuver? It seems like it's going to suffer a bit from the Boba Fett problem, where the ability seems strong on paper but in reality you're usually setting the correct maneuver on your dial and don't need to change it.

Yeah, I think both these things will mitigate the power of this ability. But 88D isn't going to have as strong a case off Fettigator syndrome as Boba does. Outfitted with AdvS, Inertial Dampeners, and Engine Upgrade, he'll have more chances to avoid bumping than Boba does. Those upgrades don't completely solve the problem, but I think they will make it a very playable build. And just the right points range to have another IG-2000 to hold hands with.

One issue I can see is that you're limited to PS 6 (unless you spend your EPT on VI), and the current metagame is favoring PS 8+. So yeah, you've got lots of crazy tricks, but how often are you going to be able to react to your opponent's maneuver? It seems like it's going to suffer a bit from the Boba Fett problem, where the ability seems strong on paper but in reality you're usually setting the correct maneuver on your dial and don't need to change it.

Yeah, I think both these things will mitigate the power of this ability. But 88D isn't going to have as strong a case off Fettigator syndrome as Boba does. Outfitted with AdvS, Inertial Dampeners, and Engine Upgrade, he'll have more chances to avoid bumping than Boba does. Those upgrades don't completely solve the problem, but I think they will make it a very playable build. And just the right points range to have another IG-2000 to hold hands with.

Yes, there are counters, which is good. Frankly, it might be the reason IG-88D's PS is 6, but that's just speculation.

Side note: IG-2000 already has boost. No need of Engine Upgrade. So Advanced Sensors, Inertial Dampeners, and VI comes out to 5 points, so the whole thing costs 41. That is entirely worth it in my book.

As for the concern for the higher PS Phantoms, I should point out that you get to move before they do and with the S-Loop options you have, there are plenty of ways to move that Whisper might be able to escape, but won't be able to get an unopposed shot.

this is both flexible AND Durable. I think it will be potent, VI would make it even more so, though that eats up your EPT slot

It's ig88Ds pilot ability that allows the hard turn - it's in the very first post bud

Ahh, so it is, I got distracted by all the pretty pictures, thought it might have been related to pilot ability. But couldn't see any reference to the card, nor was I able to see anything on google.

Thanks for pointing it out though.

And we still don't know what the other pilot skills will be. Hell, this might be the "weakest" one of them.

I just thought I might point out that the 4K by the X-Wing blocks the boost action by overlapping. Otherwise an excellent article.

Um, the fact that the Aggressor in this scenario has Inertial Dampeners and the controlling player will merely giggle, then discard and pull a 0 maneuver and fire 4 sweet TL/Focused dice up his rear?

Or he could not boost and do a hard turn to go beside him. I was just pointing out that the diagram for handling the K turn wasn't correct due to the overlap.

Ahem, I believe it's called Señor's Loop, other than that repeat typo, excellent write up! I was wondering how they would justify such an expensive large ship with only a forward firing arc. Looks like you don't need a rear arc!

It's worth pointing out in the 4K example that Inertial Dampeners would be a better choice.

(Also, they're a likely deterrent for Hiro to do a 4K in the first place)

This is the kind of post I really like to see. Well thought-out, and lots of pictures.

From what I'm seeing, it looks like the real deal-maker here is Adv.Sens. boosting.

I'm not sure they're necessarily the better choice. The biggest advantage of taking an S-Loop over using Dampeners is that you'll still have that Dampener in your pocket for later. You can only use it once, so there's no point in spending it if you don't have to.

It's worth pointing out in the 4K example that Inertial Dampeners would be a better choice.

(Also, they're a likely deterrent for Hiro to do a 4K in the first place)

This is the kind of post I really like to see. Well thought-out, and lots of pictures.

From what I'm seeing, it looks like the real deal-maker here is Adv.Sens. boosting.

I'm not sure they're necessarily the better choice. The biggest advantage of taking an S-Loop over using Dampeners is that you'll still have that Dampener in your pocket for later. You can only use it once, so there's no point in spending it if you don't have to.

It's worth pointing out in the 4K example that Inertial Dampeners would be a better choice.

(Also, they're a likely deterrent for Hiro to do a 4K in the first place)

This is the kind of post I really like to see. Well thought-out, and lots of pictures.

From what I'm seeing, it looks like the real deal-maker here is Adv.Sens. boosting.

I'm not sure they're necessarily the better choice. The biggest advantage of taking an S-Loop over using Dampeners is that you'll still have that Dampener in your pocket for later. You can only use it once, so there's no point in spending it if you don't have to.

Idk though, you'd have to work pretty hard to convince me that I'm gonna get a better opportunity than this: Adv Sensors TL or Focus then spend the Inertial Dampeners for a modifiable range 1 shot to the back...

You are right. I just couldn't figure out a better way to explore the particular point I was demonstrating. Though there is a situation where you would want to do as I demonstrated rather than stop with focus. If you have a Weapon Malfunction crit and an HLC. The boost, 3 hard S-Loop puts you into range 2 behind them. Rare situation, yes, but worth mentioning.

You're right too, of course.

After I wrote that, I came up with several instances of why you'd possibly hang on to Inertial Dampeners, but mostly it has to do with the X-Wing not being your priority target and/or high chance of being blocked later in the game and/or other ships having you in arc at the original spot but not the S-looped shot.

In any case, it's all about the options.

But what do you think, Sable? It seems to me like IG-88D's ability is less useful than having Advanced Sensors to boost before S-looping, although having both together is obviously a good choice that you'd like to have if there's room for it. But if you're only able to run a single Aggressor, depending on A-C's abilities, D might not be such a great choice...(I admit this is not a great question because it's so speculation-based)

I think IG-88D's ability is incredible and will give you a statistically significant tactical advantage. It's a potent ability that will come in definite handy, as it gives you more options to react to enemy developments. Slap Stay On Target on him and... Yes. Yes please.

Inertial dampeners, AdvS, and stay on target also make for a very slippery Xizor in Virago... also doesn't suffer as badly from Fettigator syndrome. It could make him a lethal closer and up the penalty for not shooting at him in the early game.

I'm not sure I quite follow the "will suffer from 'fettigator'" concerns. While PS may be an issue for getting the absolute best out of it, the fact that it allows IG/D to choose a maneuver that he normally doesn't have access to makes it clearly better.

Also, with Hawks being available in the same faction, a cheap intelligence agent platform will be available. Obviously an Intel agent won't tell you where a phantom may decloak to or where Han may boost, but it sure lets you know what they have in mind and react accordingly--whether that means blocking the desired decloak location, lining it up in your sights, or getting the hell out of the way.

I think he'll be a real bear for both falcons and phantoms because he's got the agility, durability, and firepower to give as good as he gets for a lot longer than most ships.

By Fettigator Syndrome I mean Boba Fett's frequent inability to make good use out of what should be a strong repositioning ability.

The term Fettigator comes from the combination of Boba Fett and the navigator crew; this combo allows you to choose from a wide variety of maneuvers after you reveal your dial.

Fettigator is becoming more useful now that meta has shifted towards fewer ships, such as the allegedly ubiquitous Phantoms and Fat Hans, but Boba Fett is generally rated poorly. Frequently, other ships and asteroids block a majority of his possible maneuvers and the ability is often wasted. This is less of a problem with fewer ships on the board, but his large base can still make it difficult to avoid a bump. IG88D's lower PS might actually be helpful in avoiding the same problem, in that ship positions will be easier to predict, but his large base is still going to be a problem.

No, I understand what Fettigator is. It's just that the main difference here is that Fett can switch to other maneuvers on his dial, some of which may be impossible, or the selected maneuver is the one you want anyway.

IG-88D, on the other hand, can switch to a maneuver that he doesn't normally have access to. A maneuver that is arguably the most difficult to block because of its extreme lateral movement. Combine this with advanced sensors and IG2k's innate boost ability, and there ought to be somewhere useful to go.

In any case, more information is needed about the dial and potential synergies with the other IGgies before we can truly make value judgments. All SableGryphon has done here is shown the possibilities of D's movement--the first step we must take (and the only one we can so far) to figure out how this guy works.