I feel like 2pts for a "guaranteed at least one use" super-BR isn't bad at all, and if it stays around longer that's just icing.
Cloaking Device
I feel like 2pts for a "guaranteed at least one use" super-BR isn't bad at all, and if it stays around longer that's just icing.
if it were that, it'd be nice, but it's not
because of the cloak mechanics, if the device sticks around then it's a belated super-BR
if it doesn't, then it's an immediate super-BR
there is, of course, no way to control it and therefore no way to use both sides of the upgrade to plan out a strategic advantage; you just have to get (un)lucky
When first released, there was some confusion on the wording regarding the discard - some thought it meant you decloak-and-lose-the-card, else you simply lost the cloak token. Closer analysis said no, you lose the card either way.
It's possible they could FAQ it in the more generous direction should it prove to be a dud. While many upgrade cards (especially EPTs for some reason) end up being a bit of a nonstarter, a cloaking device? That's iconic and unique enough they might actively pay attention to it. 
It's guaranteed to work once - since it is end of round.
Add two agi when you don't have a shot, (or in an emergency when you do) - and even if it fails, you get to reposition, which can set up great position for the next turn. Used in the right place/time, it can swing a game. It wants action economy making it a nice match for Kato leeachos and guri.. If it works more than once, that's icing on the cake.
Can you not use a focus token to change die results to a hit so it's not discarded?
Another reason its going to shine on the HWKs but not everywhere, with Moldy Crow you can back up those 4 defense dice with stored focus tokens. Throwing four unmodified greens isn't appealing, but a HWK could really take some shots.
Or Guri, though she'd only be collecting one addition defense die vs normal. Or Leeachos I guess, if he swipes a focus from elsewhere.
I can't wait till the inevitable illicit SLAM Drive upgrade comes out... The uproar on that, I cannot wait for!
I can't wait till the inevitable illicit SLAM Drive upgrade comes out... The uproar on that, I cannot wait for!
Single use. Roll a die; on a [eye] receive two ion tokens. 
Or Guri, though she'd only be collecting one addition defense die vs normal.
Cloak has no upper limit, Guri ends up with 5AGI.
there is, of course, no way to control it and therefore no way to use both sides of the upgrade to plan out a strategic advantage; you just have to get (un)lucky
There might not be a way to control the RNG, but that doesn't mean you have no control at all. Just ask any professional gambler.
We know that the Cloak has a 1 in 4 chance of failing (which aren't terrible odds, it must be said), so with that in mind, we want to spend as little time cloaked as possible so it has less opportunities to fail. In fact, we really only want to use it when one of two things are true:
1) We fully intend to decloak the next turn anyway, so that the drawback is a minor annoyance more than a devastating spanner in the works; or
2) We really need the extra agility, in which case the Cloak has done its job by the time the drawback even becomes an issue.
The card requires you to plan ahead and know when and where to play your odds. It will reward people who use it intelligently and punish people who try to be lazy with it. I wish more cards were like that, to be honest.
Edited by DR4CO
grrrr why can't A-wing be Scum....
Cloaking device is small ship only, so no shuttles even if it wasn't illicit.
Also, have seen range 3, cloaked Talonbane listed as five and seven green dice. Correct answer is six correct?
2 natural agility
2 from cloak token
2 from super range bonus
+(1 from obstructed)
6 (7 obstructed)
That's a lot of green dice to roll. What could possibly go wrong?
Ever blank-out on a Whisper? Yeah.
Ok, so maybe I'm an idiot, but what is RNG? Random N-something Gaming?
Edited by JJFDVORAKOk, so maybe I'm an idiot, but what is RNG? Random N-something Gaming?
The technical answer is Random Number Generator, the code which decides how things play out in a video game with an element of chance. It's basically become slang for "random chance" nowadays.
The less-technical answer is Random Number God, the deity to which all those who play such games (and their tabletop equivalents) pray in a futile attempt to garner favor.
Edited by DR4CO
Random number god is RNGesus
Hallowed be his name (sometimes)
Edited by ficklegreendiceRandom number god is RNGesus
Hallowed be his name (sometimes)
RNGesus, the most whimsical of all gods.
aside from feedback array, it's the only other illicit with potentially more than one use. I don't think of the RNG as taking it away but rather that It's a single use defensive/reposition illicit with a 75% chance to reuse it. If it functioned any differently and only had a penalty as opposed to discard on failure then it would very undercosted at 2 points.
Edited by Krewalexcept it wouldn't
Cloak is not actually that great on its own. Forcing a forfeit of one's action and attack is a devastating drawback, and only advanced cloaking device actually makes it incredibly powerful. Of course, Whisper having been the face of the meta since Wave 5 skews perceptions towards that set-up as cloak's power when it's really not even nearly that good
the 2 agility gained on its own is also quite crap, as it is unmodified without an external modifier (Whisper)
the advantages of cloak, the pre-manuever displacement, is great but it is balanced by a turn of crippling set-up that basically takes the cloaking ship out of the fight
any ship that could have abused the crap out of cloak has been taken out of the picture with Small Ship Only
being unique, there's no chance for a ridiculous (awesome) cloak swarm
in short, cloaking device with no drawback whatsoever (apart from what's built into cloak, ofc) is fairly priced at 2 and given the ships that can take it
in its current state, it deserves to be 1
Edited by ficklegreendiceexcept it wouldn't
Cloak is not actually that great on its own. Forcing a forfeit of one's action and attack is a devastating drawback, and only advanced cloaking device actually makes it incredibly powerful. Of course, Whisper having been the face of the meta since Wave 5 skews perceptions towards that set-up as cloak's power when it's really not even nearly that good
the 2 agility gained on its own is also quite crap, as it is unmodified without an external modifier (Whisper)
the advantages of cloak, the pre-manuever displacement, is great but it is balanced by a turn of crippling set-up that basically takes the cloaking ship out of the fight
any ship that could have abused the crap out of cloak has been taken out of the picture with Small Ship Only
being unique, there's no chance for a ridiculous (awesome) cloak swarm
in short, cloaking device with no drawback whatsoever (apart from what's built into cloak, ofc) is fairly priced at 2 and given the ships that can take it
in its current state, it deserves to be 1
Really, it should be a single or double use repositioning tool. That's it.
And that may be all that some ships need. Talonbane cobra for instance.
Edited by Blail BlergIf it didn't have the chance to discard, then for 25pts u have palob who cloaks first turn, saves focus tokens and never decloaks. Turtled up 4 dice. Hope u weren't planning on taking a focus or evade this game. Without the random factor there are too many combos that would be broken.
25 points for a ship that never attacks is still garbage. His 75 points versus your 100 is going to fold hard
not to mention that Palob only steals 1 token. If you never focus or evade because of a palob that doesn't ever attack you then I'm afraid that's player error
Edited by ficklegreendiceIt's great because its a 1 use powerful repositioning tool available on ships that that otherwise would not have one. Let Talonbane close rapidly, help your HWK open up his TLT, help N'Dru stay beyond Range 2. Or use it when fleeing to arc dodge. Cheaper than an Engine Upgrade and quite powerful when you need it. Also keep in mind it can be used in conjunction with Engine Upgrade if you really need to bug out. The Range Ruler is 7.5 bases long, and this allows a Kihraxz to move 9 bases.
I DO agree that 2 unmodified defense dice are garbage. You only use this upgrade on a turn when you would otherwise not attack anyway, IE the turn before the first engagement, or on a turn where you'll be facing away to help arc dodge.
Another useful trick in the Scum toolbox. May not be competitive but that should not be the only measure of an upgrade. It will certainly be fun, and it definitely has its uses. They are simply different uses than the Cloak action on the TIE Phantom.
I say **** the crow, I want a cloaked Gozanti.
any ship that could have abused the crap out of cloak has been taken out of the picture with Small Ship Only
Everytime I read that the cloaking device is Small Ship Only:
"They can't have disappeared! No ship that big has a cloaking device!"
Well there's no trace of them, sir!
No wait, he rolled a focus. There he is, blast him!