Initiative. Sounds reasonable.

How about PS? Dengar+VI is an 11 while Whisper is a 9 at best.

Pilot Skill doesn't come into it with Dengar's counter attack. Pilot skill determines the order in which ships move during the Activation phase and attack during the Combat phase, as well as the order in which ships are placed during setup.

Dengar might attack before Whisper during the Combat phase, but when Whisper's attack is over, her ACD and Dengar will trigger at the same time. This becomes a timing conflict between the two players (not the pilots) and the player with initiative resolves their ability first. That is the function of initiative in X-wing - to decide timing conflicts.

I'm pretty sure that the VI+Tactician suggestion was to keep from ever having to deal with which comes first. The stress from Tactician would prevent ACD from doing anything.

Initiative. Sounds reasonable.

How about PS? Dengar+VI is an 11 while Whisper is a 9 at best.

Whisper + Decoy and Vader* + VI means Whisper gets to be at PS 11 for combat (provided he is in range for Decoy to trigger ect. ect.). Here initiative will matter.

*or other PS 9 pilot

Whisper + Decoy and Epsilon Ace + Not Having any Damage Cards means Whisper gets to be at PS 12 for combat (provided he is in range for Decoy to trigger ect. ect.). Here initiative will not matter, in Whisper's favor.

Edit: Point is you can't slap VI on Dengar and consider Whisper down for the count. Personally I love my decoying phantoms.

Initiative. Sounds reasonable.

How about PS? Dengar+VI is an 11 while Whisper is a 9 at best.

Whisper + Decoy and Vader* + VI means Whisper gets to be at PS 11 for combat (provided he is in range for Decoy to trigger ect. ect.). Here initiative will matter.

*or other PS 9 pilot

Whisper + Decoy and Epsilon Ace + Not Having any Damage Cards means Whisper gets to be at PS 12 for combat (provided he is in range for Decoy to trigger ect. ect.). Here initiative will not matter, in Whisper's favor.

Edit: Point is you can't slap VI on Dengar and consider Whisper down for the count. Personally I love my decoying phantoms.

why not 12 then?

we made an echo build with decoy and tie/fo who gets ps12

Initiative. Sounds reasonable.

How about PS? Dengar+VI is an 11 while Whisper is a 9 at best.

Whisper + Decoy and Vader* + VI means Whisper gets to be at PS 11 for combat (provided he is in range for Decoy to trigger ect. ect.). Here initiative will matter.

*or other PS 9 pilot

Whisper + Decoy and Epsilon Ace + Not Having any Damage Cards means Whisper gets to be at PS 12 for combat (provided he is in range for Decoy to trigger ect. ect.). Here initiative will not matter, in Whisper's favor.

Edit: Point is you can't slap VI on Dengar and consider Whisper down for the count. Personally I love my decoying phantoms.

why not 12 then?

we made an echo build with decoy and tie/fo who gets ps12

PS 12 is a lot of fun on a Phantom, until you run into an opponent that proton bombs or Wampa's your Epsilon Ace. My personal preference is PS11 Darth Vader and a Decoying Whisper (I've been playing for nearly 3 years and I cannot judge where Echo ends up after decloaking and maneuvering, that curved 2 decloak just does not compute for me), this way you have to kill either Whisper or Darth Vader before I loose PS11. As a bonus the TIE Advanced is much better now that it gets a systems upgrade slot, so you get two viable ships as opposed to hoping a fu fighter doesn't get blasted. With how common Wampa + Palp builds are I'd be extremely hesitant to take Epsilon Ace plus a decoying phantom to a competitive level event.