Is there a case where this is useful, like Cracken, Ten Numb, or one of the HWKs?

Anything which you REALLY want to target lock with is good.

also stuff you want to shoot with first.

(like things without crit-effects: hlc, tlt etc)

simple answers aren't always wrong answers.

oh, and in cases where you don't want any particular ept, like with vessery (ATM!);

a list with rex+ept, vess without VI is leagues behind the same list with rex+ept and vess+VI.

Tossing VI on something with no post maneuver repositioning abilities denies your opponent some of the advantage of having those abilities on his own ships if you can beat their PS.

Ten Numb's mobility isn't that limited, VI can reduce enemy arc dodging capacity, and can sometimes even allow him to dodge arcs.

Cracken having VI allows his ability to trigger earlier, which can be useful.

I don't think any HWKs ever want VI.

Garven Dreis, if you want to pass tokens off to other PS7 or PS8 ships.

Agreed. Where firing order is a big deal it's not a bad plan.

Wes Janson with VI can strip tokens before Wedge shoots.

Blount is great if he gets a lock out and if he doesn't die before he shoots. VI helps with both.

Colonel Vessery and Rexler Brath pair up well if you can reverse their firing order.

etc, etc.

But then Garven will only have sn EPT with that unique Droid...

It makes your opponent have to completely guess where you're going instead of waiting for your to move and dancing around your arc.

Unless there is something awesome at the bottom of the Tractor Beam card, smacking VI onto whatever is carrying one of those to make sure that they are at least as high as your highest PS makes sense.

When whisper hasn't been nerfed yet.

Some advantages to high pilot skill:

+Repositional actions (not relevant in this case)

+Attack first

+easier to get targets locks

+makes it harder for ships to use their repositional actions against you if you outbid them

+can shoot before a phantom can use advanced cloak

Potential Negatives

-can be blocked by lower pilot skill ships

-can interfere with abilities or token passing where pilot skill order matters

-lose effectiveness as a blocker

Neutral:

=based on squad, it can be better or worse to have your ships fire in a specific order based on how they are equipped, especially with the new tractor beam

I think if you can bump a ship up to PS 9+ then it could be worth it. Even if you can't reposition, you can go after an arc dodger who won't know where you are. Harder to dodge an arc when you don't know where that arc is.

Also when it's worth it for shooting order, like people said.

Agreed. Where firing order is a big deal it's not a bad plan.

Wes Janson with VI can strip tokens before Wedge shoots.

Blount is great if he gets a lock out and if he doesn't die before he shoots. VI helps with both.

Colonel Vessery and Rexler Brath pair up well if you can reverse their firing order.

Yup, especially:

Lieutenant Blount - Veteran Instincts, XX-23 Thread Tracers.

But then Garven will only have sn EPT with that unique Droid...

Yep. R2-D6, VI and Integrated Astromech. +2 Pilot Skill and a pseudo-shield for 2 points ain't bad.

I'm not a big point initiative person, so if i've got 1 point left over it's being used somewhere. VI is one of the best contenders.

R2 droids, intel agents and TIE MK/II are the others. Thread tracers will be too.

If i've got 2 points leftover then this gets a lot more complicated.

I'm not a big point initiative person, so if i've got 1 point left over it's being used somewhere. VI is one of the best contenders.

R2 droids, intel agents and TIE MK/II are the others. Thread tracers will be too.

If i've got 2 points leftover then this gets a lot more complicated.

It's 2 points, yeah. So I can either get two sets of Poe insurance or two crack shots.

I've used it so that I have multiple ships with the same PS. This can give you a lot of flexibility when it comes time to move, shoot, etc...

Ten Numb's mobility isn't that limited, VI can reduce enemy arc dodging capacity, and can sometimes even allow him to dodge arcs.

Cracken having VI allows his ability to trigger earlier, which can be useful.

I don't think any HWKs ever want VI.

Jan might occasionally, but not often. If your list is already made of other PS 10s it makes sense.

TL

VI is useful on a non-mobile ship when you wish to deny the PS bonus to your opponents.