https://www.twintroopers.com/podcast/2017/11/11/episode-21-the-grand-inquisitor

The Inquisitor feels like a new player trap IMO. At a glance his stats look amazing, especially in the context of when he came out, before Vader's fix. Half the cost of Vader for a similar health pool seemed pretty legit. "5 speed, you say? 15 health behind a white die? Cancels dodges? LIGHTSABER THROW!? Cleave 3!?? I don't even know what that last one means but it sounds awesome!!" <---- This was me a few months ago when I started playing the game. Boy was I wrong. He's not a terrible figure by any means, he just feels disappointing for his 9 cost. He doesn't hit very hard and Lightsaber Throw isn't as good as it sounds.

That 15 health is also pretty easy to chew through on a white die. I played against an Inquisitor at a store kit tournament a few weeks ago, and all it took was a focused Weequay and a single IG-88 activation to take him out in the first round of the game. Boom, 9 easy points.

The Inquisitor is an assassin type character meant to remain in the shadows and strike at the correct opportunity. Keep him in the backfield and use him to focus down threats with the help of his team. (Cleave damage onto nearby units such as Han solo/C3P0) and keep in mind he has the ability to attack at range.

Exactly. The biggest misstake in playing inq is thinking he is a centerpiece. He desperatly needs other big threats around him. The biggest success i have had with him is in a total pile fun squad with Terro, BT1, Onar, eJets and Greedo.

1 hour ago, Ram said:

Exactly. The biggest misstake in playing inq is thinking he is a centerpiece. He desperatly needs other big threats around him. The biggest success i have had with him is in a total pile fun squad with Terro, BT1, Onar, eJets and Greedo.

See, in a list like that your opponent has nothing really sticking out as "this one has to go first or I'm screwed". Not saying the list is good/bad without more testing but it at least makes all those units have a great chance at not being first focused pretty decent synergy it looks like too. And we all know GIA!

Btw, although ranged cleave is not in the rules, there are existing rulings for ranged cleave (since core for Diala's Dancing Weapon), and one is included in the Grand Inquisitor article as well.

Are we treating preview articles as rules documents now?

Inquisitor is middle of the road and mostly just highlights the gulf between ranged units and melee units. People were freaking out over his 15 health, but I was not as impressed knowing that for the same amount of points an elite stormtrooper group had the same amount of health with 2 extra attacks, and at the time could add 5 more health for no extra cost with Reinforcements. I feel like most strategy games have figured out that melee units need sizable health and defense buffs compared to ranged units in order to be viable, but IA only gives a tiny defense boost to melee figures and I think it's mostly because of Campaign. In campaign figures aren't starting across the map from each other so there's less of a need for a defense buff for melee figures. In the context of skirmish, I feel like melee fighters need at least a 50% defense boost over range figures to be able to reliably close the gap and compete, and this should especially be true of unique figures that can't be spammed in a list.

37 minutes ago, Tvboy said:

Are we treating preview articles as rules documents now?

Tiny Jabba agrees.

I do remember when he was spoiled the collective thought was he was going to be a juggernaught. He's really a finisher instead of a centerpiece. I took him to a small store tourney with a couple of eWeequays and Terro in February. He had an epic moment without them down where he killed 2 officers and an eJet thanks to all the cleave damage and range.

I do wonder if he'll find some extra space with Palpatine now to be able to pull off multiple attacks. Potentially getting multiple cleaves

On 11/27/2017 at 11:08 AM, defkhan1 said:

The Inquisitor feels like a new player trap IMO. At a glance his stats look amazing, especially in the context of when he came out, before Vader's fix. Half the cost of Vader for a similar health pool seemed pretty legit. "5 speed, you say? 15 health behind a white die? Cancels dodges? LIGHTSABER THROW!? Cleave 3!?? I don't even know what that last one means but it sounds awesome!!" <---- This was me a few months ago when I started playing the game. Boy was I wrong. He's not a terrible figure by any means, he just feels disappointing for his 9 cost. He doesn't hit very hard and Lightsaber Throw isn't as good as it sounds.

That 15 health is also pretty easy to chew through on a white die. I played against an Inquisitor at a store kit tournament a few weeks ago, and all it took was a focused Weequay and a single IG-88 activation to take him out in the first round of the game. Boom, 9 easy points.

What he said. LOL.

Yes, I can't get this guy to work. Also, I've rarely had issues going against him.

On 11/27/2017 at 1:33 PM, King_Balrog said:

The Inquisitor is an assassin type character meant to remain in the shadows and strike at the correct opportunity. Keep him in the backfield and use him to focus down threats with the help of his team. (Cleave damage onto nearby units such as Han solo/C3P0) and keep in mind he has the ability to attack at range.

That's a great idea. Still, it is almost 1/4th your army and you have to take up command cards with force cards.

Just now, NeverBetTheFett said:

That's a great idea. Still, it is almost 1/4th your army and you have to take up command cards with force cards.

Or don't put any force cards just for him (Except potentially hunt them down) unless you are running a sith team.

I think he works best in a hunter build or as backup to Vader/ RGC. His points are high, true, but he isn't useless. Just don't Leeroy Jenkins with him towards the nearest Tier 1 Enemy/Rancor. I find he is best used sneaking around the far side of the map to kill Gideons and Jabbas- then assist against the rest of your enemies team.

I agree that keeping him back is the best way to play him, but it's hard to justify holding a 9 pt figure in reserve until the time is right. I think if he was a just a few pts cheaper he'd be a perfectly fine figure.

Hunter class = too much damage against enemies. If you can't heavily damage/kill the target he is facing, you are using him wrong. Though I do agree that Durability is another issue entirely. Hit and run with him for best results. Put him behind big papa Vader or a wall of Elite Riot Troops or cheaper units like Dewbacks. there are plenty of class cards to make this a viable tactic. He is a good second to your main hero.

Do you folks think he isn't at least equal to Obi-wan or similar in ability/strategy to Ahsoka? (who is just a little cheaper)

I always kind of hoped the Inquisitor would see more play once the empire had some better trait synergy for him. the emperor, Vader hater, and even Maul give some force users that aren't outrageously costed, but the GI still seems to fall short. I like the GI. His stats overall seem fine and lightsaber throw is cool thematically. I think he's a great reminder that not everything can be in or near the top tier.

I think all he needs is a way to do significant extra unmitigated damage (ie emperor can do at least 4 on his turn). That alone would make him so much more of a threat.

3 hours ago, Tvboy said:

Are we treating preview articles as rules documents now?

Just when they are correct.

A broken clock is right twice a day I suppose. Or once a day if you're in the military, they have very high standards of punctuality I hear.

23 hours ago, King_Balrog said:

Do you folks think he isn't at least equal to Obi-wan or similar in ability/strategy to Ahsoka? (who is just a little cheaper)

I think he's on par with Obi-wan, mostly, thought I prefer Obi's durability. The added mobility and Hunter trait helps the Inquisitor, but also means that you would need to play him very differently. He can't soak up damage like Obi-wan can and does need to skirt the edges of the fray more. As to Ahsoka... naw, I'd take her over the Inquisitor any day. That sweet mobility!

-ryanjamal

I think it comes down to damage vs. mobility for Inquisitor or Ahsoka.

Ahsoka is better for mobility as she can move 6 and ignore terrain with her leap and the extra 2 at the start of her activation. The Inquisitor still has a speed of 5, much better than a majority of characters. It's not like he's hurting for it, but he's not as quick as Ahsoka.

The Inquisitor edges in a fight with the Hunter trait and its CCs, his ranged attack, and the Dodge cancel built into his surges. He also has 3 more HP. Ahsoka does have a reliable BGG attack with great surges and the ability to Dodge cancel with her reroll. I'd still fear the Hunter potential of the GI more than Ahsoka.

Otherwise, both are equal amounts of squishy. Both are not centerpieces either, needing a powerhouse like Jedi Luke or Hater Vader as a companion. Both have similar play styles preferring the hit and run tactics to leading the charge.

Personally, I would ever so slightly value the GI's Hunter trait and few extra HP more in today's high-damage skirmish scene. The similarities of these two figures are quite intriguing though.

4 hours ago, The Archangel said:

I think it comes down to damage vs. mobility for Inquisitor or Ahsoka.

Ahsoka is better for mobility as she can move 6 and ignore terrain with her leap and the extra 2 at the start of her activation. The Inquisitor still has a speed of 5, much better than a majority of characters. It's not like he's hurting for it, but he's not as quick as Ahsoka.

The Inquisitor edges in a fight with the Hunter trait and its CCs, his ranged attack, and the Dodge cancel built into his surges. He also has 3 more HP. Ahsoka does have a reliable BGG attack with great surges and the ability to Dodge cancel with her reroll. I'd still fear the Hunter potential of the GI more than Ahsoka.

Otherwise, both are equal amounts of squishy. Both are not centerpieces either, needing a powerhouse like Jedi Luke or Hater Vader as a companion. Both have similar play styles preferring the hit and run tactics to leading the charge.

Personally, I would ever so slightly value the GI's Hunter trait and few extra HP more in today's high-damage skirmish scene. The similarities of these two figures are quite intriguing though.

Exactly.

I actually think Ashoka and Inq are very different. Inq is a hybrid beater. He is not top notch in anything, but reasonable at most things except medium/longer ranges and he can if needed at least for a short time stand in the middle of a fight and duke it out. Ashoka is a pure finesse piece. Vigor and Force leap makes it easy for her to get into backfields but her damage is not awesome once she gets there. But protecting officers, focus packs and range pieces from her is pretty hard.

Well. This thread has convinced me to give the Quiz another try. I think I'll avoid any costly force user cards and instead focus a little on hunter cards. My imperial lists always include Greedo, because GIA, so they won't be completely wasted. I'll report back another time.

I see this episode if I click on your RSS feed (https://www.twintroopers.com/podcast?format=rss) but for some reason it doesn't show up in my podcast app (podbean). Am I the only one having troubles with that?

Nevermind - I found the podcast on Google Play Music and is up to date. I think I'm done with Podbean...

One reason I love Ahsoka's mobility is the higher potential to strike and get away to cover and her higher chance to use a card like Pummel. That auto-two movement (should you take it) really gives you a lot of options. You're (almost) always in striking distance. You're (almost) always in position to get to the other side of the board if you need to flee. And she costs one less :-)

-ryanjamal