No one thing has driven Soontir down the list of taken Imperial ships.

Jeff Wilder has it nailed. A build up of anti PTL stuff combined with the Defender buff giving a more than viable alternative gives all the explanation needed.

I'm so happy that Soontir Fel isn't the go to go for every Imperial list these days. Give the guy a vacation. He's been used as the first thing put in all Imperial lists for so long. He's still got PTL stapled to him and it hurts. Give him a rest for a while. It's ok.

4 hours ago, kopmcginty said:

No one thing has driven Soontir down the list of taken Imperial ships.

Jeff Wilder has it nailed. A build up of anti PTL stuff combined with the Defender buff giving a more than viable alternative gives all the explanation needed.

Not really, he existed fine alongside most of that anti-PTL stuff. His disappearance can be timed precisely to the launch of /x7, not only because it gave another option but because it completely destroyed him on the table when the two met.

I'd agree about timing but disagree about cause. When /x7 rose to dominance, it partly did so at Soontir's expense because it occupies roughly the same points as him, and partly because everyone then had to tech up against /x7, which is functionally identical to teching up against Soontir.

In a Sootnir versus /x7 fight, Soontir probably wins by sheer dint of arc dodging he's throw vastly more red dice than they will and eventually they will die as a result.

But he can't survive the 5-hit homing missile or the Sabined Cluster Mine from a Warden that knows where he is.

No, as discussed already Soontir loses the duel against /x7 pretty much every time because he can never deal damage past their tokens , the Aussie Nats Final demonstrated that very clearly. Soontir was gone pretty much overnight after that match.

To copy my old reply:

Quote

Each turn there's broadly three possible outcomes:

1. Aces and Defenders can fire at each other: Defenders win, they're better at jousting

2. Aces didn't manage to arc dodge: Defenders win, they'll chip down with TL/Focus/Juke

3. Aces did manage to arc dodge but don't have actions to modify their attack dice after arc dodging: It's a draw.

So you're playing a game of Rock-Paper-Paper and the Defenders brought Scissors. In the aussie nats final Soontir and Inquisitor just got devoured without even stripping shields off a Defender.

Soontir was gone long before Homing Missiles and Cluster Mines turned up.

Yeah, that's pretty persuasive.

18 minutes ago, Stay On The Leader said:

Soontir was gone long before Homing Missiles and Cluster Mines turned up.

Not in my area. Homing Missiles and Cluster Mines have been heavily used for at least a year by a bunch of tournament goers in my area. Of course, we aren't in the midwest or anywhere that's in the major events.

I think there's something there with Soontir and the Coordinate action that hasn't been tapped into yet. Him and swarms are something that's simply waiting to come back in the meta.

You'll see him at Naboo. I find he's still a threat, but he does need a good support crew.