Is PS9 a lost cause. Are people just running 10s now. I talked to some people at my local tournament, and they said, "Don't run Xizor with VI, 9s are dead."

Enough people are running 10s that, yes, you will see them in competitive play, but the rules haven't changed - If you're VI'd to 9, you're moving after and shooting before anything below 9.

But to directly answer your question, PS 9 is definitely not dead - it gets a leg up on some of the meta's stars that you do see using native PS: Corran Horn, Miranda (!), RAC, Inquisitor, Poe, etc.
PS-kills are the best kills.

Having said all of that, if you're contemplating using Adapatbility or VI, you have to accept that you're not using that spot and those points it for Expertise (on Rey), Predator (on RAC), or any number of excellent options allowed by the best upgrade slot in the game. It's very player and pilot dependent.
For better or worse, list-building is half the battle now.

10 minutes ago, Rinzler in a Tie said:

Enough people are running 10s that, yes, you will see them in competitive play, but the rules haven't changed - If you're VI'd to 9, you're moving after and shooting before anything below 9.

But to directly answer your question, PS 9 is definitely not dead - it gets a leg up on some of the meta's stars that you do see using native PS: Corran Horn, Miranda (!), RAC, Inquisitor, Poe, etc.
PS-kills are the best kills.

Having said all of that, if you're contemplating using Adapatbility or VI, you have to accept that you're not using that spot and those points it for Expertise (on Rey), Predator (on RAC), or any number of excellent options allowed by the best upgrade slot in the game. It's very player and pilot dependent.
For better or worse, list-building is half the battle now.

I like the idea of using Predator on Xizor, so I wouldn't be using VI or Adaptability.

Oh, I thought you were asking a meta question.

If you're actually playing Starvipers in any capacity, take any EPT at any PS you want - it won't make much difference.

1 minute ago, Rinzler in a Tie said:

Oh, I thought you were asking a meta question.

If you're actually playing Starvipers in any capacity, take any EPT at any PS you want - it won't make much difference.

Are you saying Starvipers are bad no matter what you do?

Yes - they are simply over-priced in 100-point games.
By themselves, I love them - their base actions, health and named pilots are a lot of fun to play. But yeah, in competitive matches they just don't leave enough points for the rest of your squad.

I mean, even still, talking about them has made me now want to play one in a casual match.

By all means if you like your Vipers play them. Even competitively,you may find you have slight advantages due to them not being used or seen much. As for the PS discussion. No PS 9 isn't dead. Far too many ships are at or below that to count it dead.

Getting the support for the Star Vipers may be tricky though the protectorates fill a nice niche. Also if your using an out of the Box ship/pilot combo like Xizor make out build a bit out of the box as well. I've seen builds where he has had a Bodyguard ship that makes him hard to pin down.

I could find better reasons not to run Xizor than "PS9."