Not continually cloaked, but just one or two turns would be enough to sow some chaos with a Proton Torp launching Manaroo and a focus+boost Talonbane.
I had, however, forgotten that he does get an EPT - the version I was toying with had Torkil instead of Palob originally.
Not continually cloaked, but just one or two turns would be enough to sow some chaos with a Proton Torp launching Manaroo and a focus+boost Talonbane.
I had, however, forgotten that he does get an EPT - the version I was toying with had Torkil instead of Palob originally.
Cool. I like the idea of a torpedo or two on Manaroo (punishing one is a bit too pricey). Using her purely as a support ship limits your list's firepower a bit too much. Unfortunately, K4 droid and her PS 4 is not ideal for getting an 'alpha strike' with her torpedo (on the other hand, the enemy will likely target her allies first, so she should have no trouble surviving long enough to fire torpedoes later...)
With the 3 pts left, you could either give:
- Cloaking Device to TBC
Unfortunately, nope. Cloaking Device is 'unique'. 
What about trying to run Guri, Talon Bane, and Manaroo? Similar ideas as above, drop Palob, toss in Guri with AT and Mindlink.
What about trying to run Guri, Talon Bane, and Manaroo? Similar ideas as above, drop Palob, toss in Guri with AT and Mindlink.
Sure, you could, but Guri will really miss advanced sensors (very useful in conjunction with Mindlink)
With the 3 pts left, you could either give:
- Cloaking Device to TBC
Unfortunately, nope. Cloaking Device is 'unique'.
Right, I keep forgetting it. Stygium it is 
Intertial Dampeners not only isn't necessary. It also cripples your entire link.
Palob should have Attanni as well and I'm not sure I want Manaroo firing torps when she could be supporting a 5-dice Talonbane. I think I'd work that Intelligence Agent to my favor and keep her blocking.
The reason for the torps is simple: It turns Manaroo into a threat herself, making the "What do I kill?" math that much harder. Because she focuses every turn to exploit Mindlink, the free K4 Secdroid TL can be used for her torps OR passed off, depending on if she has a shot or not.
Your Manaroo is dead weight without a teammate, and a savvy player will see that and focus down Talonbane, then Palob. Mine? Well, it's hard to say which is the ship that needs to go down first, and a bit of bad piloting could end up very painfully for the opponent if they end up on the receiving end of both.
With the 3 pts left, you could either give:
- Cloaking Device to TBC
Unfortunately, nope. Cloaking Device is 'unique'.
Right, I keep forgetting it. Stygium it is
Now THAT'S an idea for adding to a cloak decoy Palob, the SPA. For only two more points it adds a lot of action utility to him - and an Evade if he can't steal a token from someone nearby, or two tokens if he does manage to!
One problem: when his Cloaking Device shorts out the SPA is dead weight. I've got one on my HWK in the co-op Aturi Cluster campaign and in five games it has shorted out the FIRST TURN. Every time. Yes, it's saved my ass enough to make it the best illicit item I could have picked, but man, five games and it immediately shorts out every time?
Other problem is what to take off. Probably the easiest is getting rid of Feedback Array... dammit. I like that option if she has to pass her TL+Focus and has an Ace in easy reach.
So I guess it's not for my list, but for others.
Is is just me, or does Manaroo sound Australian?
Manaroo, mindlink, k4, unhinged, Punisher (44)
Talonbane, mindlink, engine (33)
N´dru, mindlink, chips, homing M (23)
I think that Palob and Cloaking Device were made for each other because Palob under a cloak is a threat that reinforces himself while weakening enemies, making him a high-priority target that's also hard to kill with 4 dice and an evade+focus - and what's more isn't very expensive.
At that point you really need to ask yourself, "What adds to this?" Me, I think just keeping him cheap is the way to go, but there are options.
Moldy Crow and Recspec do the same thing, give more Focus tokens, but the title is probably better. Intelligence Agent is cheap and would give information to help it survive. Engine Upgrade is good to keep Palob alive against swarms, but is super-expensive. Blaster Turret seems good to use stolen focus, but you'll probably have enough opportunity to do that defensively - and really, it's the stolen tokens that make Palob good, not his firepower.
I think what I'd do personally is:
Palob Godalhi (26)
HWK-290 (20), Dorsal Turret (3), Intelligence Agent (1), Cloaking Device (2)
Manaroo (40)
Jumpmaster 5k (27), Attanni Mindlink (1), Extra Munitions (2), Proton Torpedoes (4), K4 Sec Droid (3), Unhinged Astromech (1), Feedback Array (2), Guidance Chips (0)
Talonbane Cobra (35)
Kihrahz (28), Attanni Mindlink (1), Inertial Dampeners (1), Engine Upgrade (4)
Though Int Agent or Feedback Array (or both) could be dropped for initiative bids, but they're cheap and add options - I especially like Feedback on Manaroo because if you have to pass Focus/TL to Talonbane you still have offense.
The nice thing about this list is that Palob will get a LOT of hate early on (that he's in a decent position to survive), letting Manaroo and Talonbane roll up and do damage while Palob's dying. I do like Palob's chances as a late-game ship against most Aces, as he can steal tokens from them to survive/deal damage, and ruins at least part of Omega Leader's plan.
That's a cool concept, flying Palob all stealthy, just taking advantage of his Pilot Ability. I feel like that in itself is a build.
Is is just me, or does Manaroo sound Australian?
Totally does, but I think Dengar sounds even more Australian.
Tried out Manaroo, Talonbane, Palob build. Palob and Manaroo are amazing together. I ran Dengar, TLT, and mindlink on Palob. Because of the excessive amounts of focus left over each turn, I think moldy crow is a worthy addition.
Manaroo just ran with unhinged and security droid. I find that she has enough green maneuvers already, and not enough 3 maneuvers, I'm not entirely sure how useful unhinged was. Security droid worked wonders.
Talonbane still died before use. That was probably my fault for how I flew him. I want to use him as a flanker, but then he becomes the focus of my enemy.
Having all 3-speed maneuvers allows her to engage and disengage at leisure. But, most importantly, it also allows you to exploit K4 by going (3-bank) right. That alone makes Unhinged worthy of its single point cost.
And about Talon, it's imperative to protect him. You should only flank with him after the first engagement, once he's covered. Easier said than done, though...
I've been running this Mindlink list recently:
Palob + Mindlink + TLT
Guri + Mindlink + Virago + FCS + AT
Manaroo + Mindlink + Plasma Torps + EM + UA + K4 + GC
This allows Manaroo to pack a punch early and then skate away to become the support ship. Depending on the situation, there is room for each of these ships to take an action other than focus because of Palob's and Guri's abilities. I've also had my opponents struggle with which ship to target first.
How much value do you get from the premium FCS on Guri?
I ask because it's very tempting to drop the title, give Palob 4-LOM and upgrade Plasma Torps to Proton.
In the games I've played with this list so far, FCS has been crucial in allowing Guri to reposition while keeping a TL and focus. I do think that a move to Proton would be great to increase the chance of pushing damage through. I like the idea of giving Palob a crew but I'm not sure 4-Lom is the answer. Palob struggles to stay at R2-3 against aces at times - taking an ion token makes this easier. I will test it out and see though since I haven't tried it.
Drea Renthal (35)
Y-Wing (22), Proton Torpedoes (4), Twin Laser Turret (6), R4-B11 (3), Guidance Chips (0)
Palob Godalhi (34)
HWK-290 (20), Opportunist (4), Blaster Turret (4), Recon Specialist (3), Moldy Crow (3)
Manaroo (31)
JumpMaster 5000 (27), Adaptability (0), K4 Security Droid (3), Unhinged Astromech (1)
Manaroo does a great job of covering for the one thing that always makes me question taking Drea with TLT and R4-B11. Once you get a Tycho sized stack of stress, you are screwed if your target dies before moving your target lock.
Moldy Crow focus factory is the best.
Drea Renthal (35)
Y-Wing (22), Proton Torpedoes (4), Twin Laser Turret (6), R4-B11 (3), Guidance Chips (0)
Palob Godalhi (34)
HWK-290 (20), Opportunist (4), Blaster Turret (4), Recon Specialist (3), Moldy Crow (3)
Manaroo (31)
JumpMaster 5000 (27), Adaptability (0), K4 Security Droid (3), Unhinged Astromech (1)
Manaroo does a great job of covering for the one thing that always makes me question taking Drea with TLT and R4-B11. Once you get a Tycho sized stack of stress, you are screwed if your target dies before moving your target lock.
I've found that between Manaroo, careful firing order, and remembering to reacquire TL on a new target by spending the TL to have them reroll no dice on the killing blow that Drea rarely gets locked up behind a wall of stress. But it does happen now and then.