Not the ship; it's me. I haven't played the ship hardly at all, and I am going to add Echo to my field-tested killer 300-point Palp Shuttle + Glaives build. My question is, how does the new rule that you decloak at activation rather than at dials affect the ship's cloak/decloak mechanism?

Not the ship; it's me. I haven't played the ship hardly at all, and I am going to add Echo to my field-tested killer 300-point Palp Shuttle + Glaives build. My question is, how does the new rule that you decloak at activation rather than at dials affect the ship's cloak/decloak mechanism?

You decloak at the start of the activation phase, before you reveal your dial. Basically means you have to be more predictive and know how you're going to decloak when you choose your maneuver.

It basically means that you no longer get to react to the board state at your Pilot skill step.

Was too powerful at the time as Echo or Whisper could solo a whole list that had a lower PS.

As everyone has said, before any dial is revealed, you choose to decloak, direction etc. I like Echo, her bank mechanic can be hard to predict properly though.

As everyone has said, before any dial is revealed, you choose to decloak, direction etc. I like Echo, her bank mechanic can be hard to predict properly though.

As in the Echo player's prediction?

I was planning her to be toting Kallus, acting as my assassin vs. my opponent's toughest ship (usually Bossk's party bus).

Not the ship; it's me. I haven't played the ship hardly at all, and I am going to add Echo to my field-tested killer 300-point Palp Shuttle + Glaives build. My question is, how does the new rule that you decloak at activation rather than at dials affect the ship's cloak/decloak mechanism?

You decloak at the start of the activation phase, before you reveal your dial. Basically means you have to be more predictive and know how you're going to decloak when you choose your maneuver.

So, if I understand this correctly, I decloak + perform the decloaking maneuver, then sit there for all other ships with lower PS to move, then move the phantom?

That would probably still work as long as Bossk doesn't have VI.

The change in decloak also gives the mechanic a different sort of utility, as you can use your decloaks to set up blocks, then use your maneuver to exploit those blocks.

Not the ship; it's me. I haven't played the ship hardly at all, and I am going to add Echo to my field-tested killer 300-point Palp Shuttle + Glaives build. My question is, how does the new rule that you decloak at activation rather than at dials affect the ship's cloak/decloak mechanism?

You decloak at the start of the activation phase, before you reveal your dial. Basically means you have to be more predictive and know how you're going to decloak when you choose your maneuver.

So, if I understand this correctly, I decloak + perform the decloaking maneuver, then sit there for all other ships with lower PS to move, then move the phantom?

Correct.

Thank you.

I guess that makes the Phantom a bit less fun. . .for the betterment of all

Although, on further reflection, does Intelligence Agent get me around this?? Especially if I know I'm gunning for 1 target?

The Phantom is still fun to throw 4-5 attack dice and when modified it can send fat dash running with his donut hole. Nothing more satisfying than perfectly maneuvering into the negative zone of dash. That is assuming you are facing him.

I still have a lot of fun when I break out the phantoms. It just takes more skill and prediction now. It can still lay waste to the competition properly flown, but now needs to be really g*dd*mned well-flown.

I still have a lot of fun when I break out the phantoms. It just takes more skill and prediction now. It can still lay waste to the competition properly flown, but now needs to be really g*dd*mned well-flown.

Ah, that is sad news to me. I have to face it. . .I'm a p*ss-poor dial jockey.

To repeat, does Intelligence Agent work before the decloak?

Ah, that is sad news to me. I have to face it. . .I'm a p*ss-poor dial jockey.

I spent a couple months flying nothing but Squints and Phantoms, specifically so that I would learn to get better with the dials. I played casual games with friends, who knew what I was doing. I set up asteroid fields at home, so that I could practice my dial selection.

It made me much better at predicting where I was going to end up.

Thank you.

I guess that makes the Phantom a bit less fun. . .

I found the phantom to be way MORE fun after the change to decloaking. It was super boring to fly at first.

And yes, you do intelligence agent before the decloak.

To repeat, does Intelligence Agent work before the decloak?

I'm no expert. But as they both say "At the start of the activation phase..." I think you choose the order they happen in.

To repeat, does Intelligence Agent work before the decloak?

I'm no expert. But as they both say "At the start of the activation phase..." I think you choose the order they happen in.

That would normally be the case, but the decloaking rules specify that decloaking happens after all other "start of activation phase" effects.

To repeat, does Intelligence Agent work before the decloak?

I'm no expert. But as they both say "At the start of the activation phase..." I think you choose the order they happen in.

You are correct. They happen at the same time (start of activation), so you get to choose the order in which they resolve. I've used that to great effect before.

To repeat, does Intelligence Agent work before the decloak?

I'm no expert. But as they both say "At the start of the activation phase..." I think you choose the order they happen in.

That would normally be the case, but the decloaking rules specify that decloaking happens after all other "start of activation phase" effects.

That will learn me for only reading the first sentence on the reference card!

To repeat, does Intelligence Agent work before the decloak?

I'm no expert. But as they both say "At the start of the activation phase..." I think you choose the order they happen in.

You are correct. They happen at the same time (start of activation), so you get to choose the order in which they resolve. I've used that to great effect before.

...and illegally so, it may seem

The Phantom nerf made the lower PS ships not worth playing. You decloak, if you aren't using advanced cloaking device you aren't serious, and wait for your turn to shoot. The Phantom is the penultimate glass cannon. 2 Agi and 4 healthl is not great. Is also why VI is the go to EPT for Echo and Whisper. Also stress is a Phantoms nemesis. ACD is a free action so you can't use it if you're stressed. Avoid tacticians or kill them dead ASAP!

The Phantom can be very rewarding, but it is very unforgiving too.

To repeat, does Intelligence Agent work before the decloak?

I'm no expert. But as they both say "At the start of the activation phase..." I think you choose the order they happen in.

You are correct. They happen at the same time (start of activation), so you get to choose the order in which they resolve. I've used that to great effect before.

...and illegally so, it may seem

....right, because choosing to resolve Intel Agent after my repositioning mechanic gives me such a major strategic advantage.

I was doing it legally by the rules, just forgot that cloaking must happen last.

The Phantom nerf made the lower PS ships not worth playing. You decloak, if you aren't using advanced cloaking device you aren't serious, and wait for your turn to shoot. The Phantom is the penultimate glass cannon. 2 Agi and 4 healthl is not great. Is also why VI is the go to EPT for Echo and Whisper. Also stress is a Phantoms nemesis. ACD is a free action so you can't use it if you're stressed. Avoid tacticians or kill them dead ASAP!

The Phantom can be very rewarding, but it is very unforgiving too.

Since I play 300 Epic, my notion for the (single) Phantom in the build is to be the knife in the back while my foe is coping with 7x Defender x7s. Lower PS could work, but I'd better never get caught in the open. . .just like the assassin I intend the ship to be.

My current build is pretty solid, so I am planning to trade a Defender for a Phantom and see what happens.

The Phantom nerf made the lower PS ships not worth playing.

The lower PS phantom pilots weren't worth playing before the nerf. If anything, the change made them more viable as now you can use them as blockers and decloak into someone's way.

Phantom is still a great ship, just not the absurd OP deathroller it used to be before the changes. I'm trying out what might be my next tournament build: Whisper + VI + Tactician + ACD + FCS, running as wingmate to Commander Kenkirk w/ Lone Wolf, Emperor Palpatine, and Ysanne Isard. I'm thinking I might actually drop the FCS from Whisper in favor of adding anti-pursuit lasers to Kenkirk. I've found that I tend to have to keep swapping out targets due to the repositioning of all the ships after cloak, or the fact that Whisper has just killed whatever she just threw dice at. While FCS procs a lot, I don't seem to have the opportunity to use it very often, whereas Kenkirk's lower PS means I'm intentionally using him as a blocker fairly often.