So I see a lot of P-P-Phantoms on the table recently and I'm just wondering how exactly they work. Decloaking seems kind of shady... What are the exact steps when performing a decloaking action?

At the start of the Activation phase, after players have resolved all other abilities that trigger at the start of the Activation phase, each ship may spend a cloak token to DECLOAK, starting with the ship with the lowest pilot skill (using initiative to break ties). When a ship decloaks, it must choose one of the following effects:

• Perform a barrel roll using the [straight-2] maneuver template.

• Perform a boost using the [straight-2] maneuver template.

When you're cloaked, your agility is 4, but you can't fire. The key to using a Phantom is knowing when to fire and when to cloak/decloak. When you sit down and figure out the range of movement you can gain from decloaking then maneuvering, you will be surprised how agile the Phantom is. It's 4 attack dice is brutal when you get the ship in the right spot, and the use of the Advanced Cloaking Device allows you to cloak as soon as you've attacked, making you harder to hit.

The most common thing you'll see with Phantoms is decloak, maneuver, attack and cloak again (with ACD). Every turn. The decloak makes them very good arc dodgers. I've chased one around the table for multiple turns and on the odd turn where I was able to get him in my sights, those 4 agility dice were just too good.

Played correctly, they can be very dangerous.

Have a look at this article:

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2014/5/5/cloaked-in-battle/

I would add to Parravon's commentary that decloaking is NOT an action. Cloaking is an action, but decloaking only requires spending the cloak token, which, as he said, is done at the start of the activation phase, after all ships have set dials but before any ships have moved.

If you have no super-stress mechanics, no PS10+ pilots and no SKILLZ to block it that way it doesn't see anyone to re-cloak on action...

You're SCREWED

Yes yes, it sucks I know. Poor squints...

But how does the actual step by step go? Say I'm the Phantom and I'm surrounded by bad moves. Can I premeasure my boosts and rolls in the same way as normal?

Yes yes, it sucks I know. Poor squints...

But how does the actual step by step go? Say I'm the Phantom and I'm surrounded by bad moves. Can I premeasure my boosts and rolls in the same way as normal?

Well... you can't premeasure your boosts and rolls normally either.

Sequence

All the players set their dials.

Phantom declares the side of de-cloak (or lack of dekloak! That's a thing that can SURPRISE your foe)

lowest PSes reveal dials.

Phantom reveals dial

judging by it's final position you see if you'll re-cloak using attack or there's nothing to do here and you WOOP WOOP WOOP back into cloak via action.

Higher PS moves

Higher PS attacks (Phantom is vulnerable, being as tough as tissue paper Z-95)

Phantom attacks. If it's Unstressed (Hello there, Rebel captive, phantoms fears you!)

It re-cloaks. And in most cases gets a free focus because it's Whisper 95% of times.

Lower-PS (and same PS that don't have initiative)attack the 4-green dice phantom. Possibly with tokens and Jmming system.

If you want to decloak but don't have any valid decloak moves (i.e. there are ships and/or obstacles that keep you from being able to do a 2-boost or a 2-barrel roll) then you can't decloak. You don't get to put the template down to see whether your desired decloak is valid until after you've locked in your maneuver.

If you have no super-stress mechanics, no PS10+ pilots and no SKILLZ to block it that way it doesn't see anyone to re-cloak on action...

You're SCREWED

Obstacle placement and a generally sound tactic usually sees them dead without resorting to the above.

"Whisper", until Kallus comes out that is, should be called "Whimper".

I'd like to add that being cloaked doesn't set the ship's agility to 4 but gives +2 agility. In most cases this equals 4, but not always.

So if I go to decloak I say something like this:

I'm decloaking, to the left. Looks like I have room, but oh wait before I out down the template I'm going to change my mind because I think I'd be out of arc then, so I'll decloak on the other side!

Then I put down the template, its obvious I can perform the action. Now I'm locked into that action right?

So if I go to decloak I say something like this:

I'm decloaking, to the left. Looks like I have room, but oh wait before I out down the template I'm going to change my mind because I think I'd be out of arc then, so I'll decloak on the other side!

Then I put down the template, its obvious I can perform the action. Now I'm locked into that action right?

Yep. Just like regular Boost and Barrel Roll in that respect.

If a phantom remains cloaked can it still perform an action? Next question, if a ship has a target lock from a previous turn and this round takes a focus action, on the attack can the ship use up both the target lock and the focus token?

If a phantom remains cloaked can it still perform an action? Next question, if a ship has a target lock from a previous turn and this round takes a focus action, on the attack can the ship use up both the target lock and the focus token?

1. A cloaked Phantom can't perform any attacks, but it can perform actions (except cloak again).
2. A ship with a focus token and a target lock can use both during the dice modification steps of an attack. You can use them in any order, as well as a pilot or upgrade card ability to modify your results. A focus token will change all of your focus results to hit results and you can use a target lock to reroll some, all or none of your results. You can reroll dice, then use the focus token to change any focus results to hits. You can modify dice multiple times, but you are only able to reroll a particular die once.

If you have no super-stress mechanics, no PS10+ pilots and no SKILLZ to block it that way it doesn't see anyone to re-cloak on action...

You're SCREWED

Obstacle placement and a generally sound tactic usually sees them dead without resorting to the above.

"Whisper", until Kallus comes out that is, should be called "Whimper".

Whisper murdered the meta SO HARD, FFG had to deliberately NERF the bantacrap out of decloak.

And with sensor jammer+Navigator he can still put pelow-ps-9 enemies to the world of pain.

and laughs at TLTs in most cases.

you STILL re-cloak during the turn you got into stress-hog arc.

BUT with navigator you can select the maneuver to get into R1 and then barrelroll out of the arc no problem.

We've got a real Whisper-fan in our local meta, and I can tell you whisper is still a force to be reckoned with.

Not a brainz-offline-win-win it used to be, but really strong.

"Whisper", until Kallus comes out that is, should be called "Whimper".

I don't know about that. I went two from two with her the other night in some 75pt games. She was backed up by an Adv. Homing Missile carrying Rhymer, but did most of the work herself.

I thought Whisper was a bearded biker-man, and Echo was a female phantom pilot

"Whisper", until Kallus comes out that is, should be called "Whimper".

I don't know about that. I went two from two with her the other night in some 75pt games. She was backed up by an Adv. Homing Missile carrying Rhymer, but did most of the work herself.

75pts is tricky.

You will seldom see Rebel Captive, PS 10+ Aces or Fat turrets.

The game is balanced around 100pts after all.

And the game is best played at 120 pts.

Solo-slaughter and free tokens stop being that ultimately effective.

I play Whisper a lot. But there is question to exactly WHEN I need to decloak. Is it before he moves or before anyone moves?

I normally run him with Vet Inst to raise his pilot skill, Advance cloak so he auto recloaks after attacking, Nav. so I don't hit anyone and Sen Jam to make it harder to hit. He has take out a lot of ships this way and I find him to be a good ship to field.

I play Whisper a lot. But there is question to exactly WHEN I need to decloak. Is it before he moves or before anyone moves?

I normally run him with Vet Inst to raise his pilot skill, Advance cloak so he auto recloaks after attacking, Nav. so I don't hit anyone and Sen Jam to make it harder to hit. He has take out a lot of ships this way and I find him to be a good ship to field.

The FAQ made it before anyone moves, but after Intelligence Agent and company activate.

It was originally right before you move, but this was decidedly too powerful.

I play Whisper a lot. But there is question to exactly WHEN I need to decloak. Is it before he moves or before anyone moves?

I normally run him with Vet Inst to raise his pilot skill, Advance cloak so he auto recloaks after attacking, Nav. so I don't hit anyone and Sen Jam to make it harder to hit. He has take out a lot of ships this way and I find him to be a good ship to field.

The FAQ made it before anyone moves, but after Intelligence Agent and company activate.

It was originally right before you move, but this was decidedly too powerful.

I think this was because nearly every time Whipser was used, it was with Veteran Instincts and Adv Cloaking Device, and Whisper would appear last during the Activation decloaking out of harm's way, then shoot first during the Combat phase and promptly disappear again, regaining a 4 die Agility for being cloaked. Anyone less than PS9 had a snowball's chance of landing any hits.