I was looking at the description of Sloth in the latest preview article, and it made me wonder: does the phrase "offense or ally only" imply that the power kicks in only when he is an offensive ally, or any time he's an ally regardless of side? Yet another case of wording that invites misinterpretation (at least to those of us who fall into the trap of overthinking).
Already wondering about Sloth
I'm pretty sure that they mean either Offensive or Defensive ally. It seems Sloth uses his power in a situation where he needs to commit/send ships into an encounter. As the defense, he's already on the planet with his X number of ships, so I would assume that his description would mean to ally on either side.
To be clearer, I think it means anytime Sloth is an ally, or when he's the offensive main player.
Basically, anytime he puts ships into the gate.