So we all know the hate that Whipser brought to the table in Wave 4 and it wasn't until Wave 6 it got nerfed. So lets say hypothetically the cloak nerf never happened and Wave 8 was released as expected? How much would Talonbane Cobra hate thread would have filled this forum. Well lets have a match off against Whisper and the rules are pre-nerf cloak (so decloak before revealing dial).

First lets go to the reason the Cloak nerf was introduced in the first place. Whisper

Strengths

• Advanced Cloaking Device
• Crew and System Slots
• Firepower 4
• Free focus granted by ability

Weaknesses

• Pilot Skill 7 (low for a top ace pilot)
• 2 Hull for a total of 4 hit points
• High Squadron Point Cost

and for the challenger Talonbane Cobra

Strengths

• Pilot Skill 9 (1 of the 6 pilots in X-wing)
• 4 hull for a total of 5 hitpoints
• Lower Squadron Point Cost (even after adding cloaking device illicit)
• EPT (not being filled by VI but could still be)
• Target Lock Action
• Extra dice granting more green at range 3 and equal attack at range 1

Weaknesses

• Cloaking Device has a chance of failure (self discarding)
• Lower firepower at range 2-3
• Illicit Slot used leaving only missiles and EPT

So who would win in a match up? Or put a list for both and see who would win?

You're forgetting the mod slot on Awesome McCoolname... in a 1v1 Stygium is not to be discounted.

You're forgetting the mod slot on Awesome McCoolname... in a 1v1 Stygium is not to be discounted.

Yeah but that is comparison to ACD which is a phantom exclusive and doesn't fail even after Boba Fet steals it (also Whisper could take it too so not much of an advantage). I think Whisper has the better cloak but Cobra Commander still has plenty of advantages to make him a strong opponent without the cloak so how much scarier would he be with the cloak, Stygium included.

He would be brutal, even more so when you start thinking Manaroo direction >:}

Still pretty pants

Dude's not terribly scary and a cloak that doesn't **** you on bad dice wouldn't change that, pre nor post nerf

Only ACD could do that

You're forgetting the mod slot on Awesome McCoolname... in a 1v1 Stygium is not to be discounted.

Decloak before dials, free evade action, push for target lock, gain stress, flip dial, green clears stress, still focus during activation phase.

It's too bad he's so over costed, because that doesn't sound awful.

In fact thats pre

You're forgetting the mod slot on Awesome McCoolname... in a 1v1 Stygium is not to be discounted.

Stygium is an action, so you could slap ptl on cobra and do a green to clear the stress. Triple-action, just like those BB8 Wedge builds that are so popular.

Decloak before dials, free evade action, push for target lock, gain stress, flip dial, green clears stress, still focus during activation phase.

It's too bad he's so over costed, because that doesn't sound awful.

35 points for 3 actions, 5 dice, ultra mobile ship? Not overcosted at all in my book Thats 5-10 points cheaper then comparable whisper. And on defensive he can pull 6 green dice , cloaked on range 3 (i think btw its a new record on green dice).

Im veeeeery eager to try this combo just for mobility cloaking gives you. Ok it can fail in turn 1 that sucks...but hey fortune favors the bold.

In fact thats pre

You're forgetting the mod slot on Awesome McCoolname... in a 1v1 Stygium is not to be discounted.

Stygium is an action, so you could slap ptl on cobra and do a green to clear the stress. Triple-action, just like those BB8 Wedge builds that are so popular.

Decloak before dials, free evade action, push for target lock, gain stress, flip dial, green clears stress, still focus during activation phase.

It's too bad he's so over costed, because that doesn't sound awful.

35 points for 3 actions, 5 dice, ultra mobile ship? Not overcosted at all in my book Thats 5-10 points cheaper then comparable whisper. And on defensive he can pull 6 green dice , cloaked on range 3 (i think btw its a new record on green dice).

Im veeeeery eager to try this combo just for mobility cloaking gives you. Ok it can fail in turn 1 that sucks...but hey fortune favors the bold.

Oh hey fun thought: Juke

The Illicit cloaking device might as much be a reason for the change in decloaking rules as the Phantom supremacy. Suddenly there'd be a whole lot more ships cloaking and decloaking at separate points in time, making for a very headache inducing game.

In fact thats pre

You're forgetting the mod slot on Awesome McCoolname... in a 1v1 Stygium is not to be discounted.

Stygium is an action, so you could slap ptl on cobra and do a green to clear the stress. Triple-action, just like those BB8 Wedge builds that are so popular.

Decloak before dials, free evade action, push for target lock, gain stress, flip dial, green clears stress, still focus during activation phase.

It's too bad he's so over costed, because that doesn't sound awful.

35 points for 3 actions, 5 dice, ultra mobile ship? Not overcosted at all in my book Thats 5-10 points cheaper then comparable whisper. And on defensive he can pull 6 green dice , cloaked on range 3 (i think btw its a new record on green dice).

Im veeeeery eager to try this combo just for mobility cloaking gives you. Ok it can fail in turn 1 that sucks...but hey fortune favors the bold.

The main drawback being it only works every other turn if you want to shoot. But a 4-forward/cloak/evade/ptl focus should make him fairly durable if you ever want to to try and run, which is not an option he had before really.

Oh hey fun thought: Juke

If he tries to run, gl killing him.

The cloak every other turn is true but look at this: you open with agressive 4F flanking move to stay on range 3. GL Hitting him. Next turn you use your decloak to get epic position to either punch that 5 target locked, focused dice into someone face or cluster missles on range 2. Then next turn either stay on someone's six or just cloak to flank again.

IMO scums just got true ace. Only if that cloak would be a bit more reliable....

eats it from TLTs.

You're forgetting the mod slot on Awesome McCoolname... in a 1v1 Stygium is not to be discounted.

Stygium is an action, so you could slap ptl on cobra and do a green to clear the stress. Triple-action, just like those BB8 Wedge builds that are so popular.

Decloak before dials, free evade action, push for target lock, gain stress, flip dial, green clears stress, still focus during activation phase.

It's too bad he's so over costed, because that doesn't sound awful.

Action economy is better cleared by our new super-effective buffer, providing the focus and TL

letting McAwesome Cobra to slap VI and EU, and letting the acewing chew on his tasty red bucket of pain dice

But yep, PTL shenanigans are cool, Oicunn and Batwedge beingmy favourites, sooooo time for some Cobra!

Still crappy defence, still iffy dial, still eats it from TLTs and other secondary weapons which obviate half his pilot ability, still has to take actions if he wants to cloak which costs him shots.

I've tried cloaking Talonbane, he's really just not that good, which is a shame because I really want him to be. If only he was in a better ship.

still iffy dial...

LOL what? The Kihraxz has a GREAT dial.

still iffy dial...

LOL what? The Kihraxz has a GREAT dial.

Maybe the dude is an Imp and thinks that "any dial with no green hard turn is an iffy dial"

we have such players here >_>

still iffy dial...

LOL what? The Kihraxz has a GREAT dial.

Maybe the dude is an Imp and thinks that "any dial with no green hard turn is an iffy dial"

we have such players here >_>

Indeed so. ALso missing the 3-turn and having not a lot of green. It makes me not want to do PTL or anything much that self-stresses, because of the difficulty in clearing it, and makes it a LOT harder to fight against stress imposition.

It's not a BAD dial, it's just not an amazing dial.

Maybe the dude is an Imp and thinks that "any dial with no green hard turn is an iffy dial"

we have such players here >_>

No hard greens for Imperials, no straight 1 for Rebels. So yeah, iffy dial.

Although you only really need hard-1s to make the old style declock great anyway.

They should introduce either a modification or a pilot ability that lets cloak operate like it did pre-nerf, but for a cost that makes it not so OP.

still iffy dial...

LOL what? The Kihraxz has a GREAT dial.

Maybe the dude is an Imp and thinks that "any dial with no green hard turn is an iffy dial"

we have such players here >_>

Indeed so. ALso missing the 3-turn and having not a lot of green.

What? it's got plenty of green! as much More than an Xwing or Z95, same as a T70 or Ewing.

still iffy dial...

LOL what? The Kihraxz has a GREAT dial.

Maybe the dude is an Imp and thinks that "any dial with no green hard turn is an iffy dial"

we have such players here >_>

Indeed so. ALso missing the 3-turn and having not a lot of green.

What? it's got plenty of green! as much More than an Xwing or Z95, same as a T70 or Ewing.

TBF, 5 is slightly more than average. Squints and f/os have clearly spoiled me.

Decloak nerf wouldn't have needed to happen if ACD wasn't a thing. The 1-2 times per game Talonbane would decloak into the fight wouldn't have nearly as much impact as Whisper doing it every damned turn.

One of the problems with the pre-nerf Phantom is that you could easily get shots on it by spreading out your arcs, but you'd only have like 2 TIE Fighters with shots at it up against 4 agility and a focus. Talonbane just has T-65 non-IA health and agility, so spreading out your arcs would actually help in this situation.

This is assuming that Talonbane's cloaking device doesn't fail.

Decloak nerf wouldn't have needed to happen if ACD wasn't a thing. The 1-2 times per game Talonbane would decloak into the fight wouldn't have nearly as much impact as Whisper doing it every damned turn.

One of the problems with the pre-nerf Phantom is that you could easily get shots on it by spreading out your arcs, but you'd only have like 2 TIE Fighters with shots at it up against 4 agility and a focus. Talonbane just has T-65 non-IA health and agility, so spreading out your arcs would actually help in this situation.

This is assuming that Talonbane's cloaking device doesn't fail.

I really wish they'd just made the CD either single use (Cloak once, Decloak once, discard) or permanent. THe lack of certainty about it is annoying, I've tried it a few times and on several occasions it's broken the end of the first turn I used it and basically just served as a 2-forward boost. I'm not wild about the design of it; without being sure it's going to work you can't invest much in it working.

But I think it might fit nicely on a defensive Guri (Lone Wolf, AT, Sensor Jammer) to get her into R1 where she likes to hang out. It fits a bit better than Glitterstim because of how strong her defence can be when she's at her best.

And on defensive he can pull 6 green dice , cloaked on range 3 (i think btw its a new record on green dice).

Obstructed adds another. But you can get 6 with an SD interceptor in the same circumstances, or from a phantom.

Run me through the math on this? Cloak adds 2 green dice. + the 2 from the k fogger, +1 from range 3. I'm getting 5.

Talonbane's pilot ability.

Talonbane Cobra would be in the meta right now if he would get his +2 range bonus even when attacked by secondary weapons.

Still not as good as recharging shields, but I think Scum could use a small based ace that is awesome.