I was a pretty strong proponent of toning down Snowtroopers after playing them at an NZ national champs back around 2014. Apart from a pool match and final against Dr Daman's Raxus Primes, every game was a complete walkover and it wasn't fun for anyone. Just waited until the other players moved all their stuff, then rolled out my 18(!) Snow Troopers and shot the crap out of everything.

http://www.bloomilk.com/Squad/141908/---and-thats-why-i-dont-respect-you-

That's all fine and good, but it assumes you have Lobot in your squad. I think I've included Lobot in perhaps 2 of the squads I've built over the past year. He just doesn't show up as often now as he used to.

From the start I've always said that a broken piece just needs to be fixed (if it's clear that will solve the problem) or preferably banned. I've never been a fan of trying to design new counters, because often those counters are over-costed or useless apart from their niche role. Furthermore--and I think this is really at the heart of the issue--you shouldn't have to use your squad-building points to solve a problem that shouldn't even exist in the first place.

Daala is a broken piece; she's bad for the game in every way...let's vote her off the island and be done with her.

I can understand being cautious about banning pieces. Overpowered or not, Daala does have a large part in our game and has enabled a trooper swarm squad, which hasn't always been viable. I don't think we're really jumping that quickly to banning a piece. She's been out since vset 6(?) and has been errata'd, and a lot of people still think she's a problem. I don't see that as jumping to quickyl to conclusions.

I'm generally okay with making counters instead of piece changes, but I don't think it's possible to counter a single piece. Only Daala squads are overpowered, but any counter to her would likely nerf any other swarm squad, or prideful squad, or whatever other thing you counter from her card. Unless you make an ability that says "counter Daala in particular" I think you'd end up nerfing other tier 2 things that people enjoy and aren't problems. Strafe kinda counters Daala already, but strafe is also pretty good against most things that don't specifically have strafe counters and is its own (lesser) NPE for many people.

I am totally against making Lobot fringe counters to any piece. If the only efficient counter to a piece is to run Lobot, I would straight-up rather lose. Playing Lobot locks you out of any faction-specific or sub-faction squads, and ,frankly, doesn't take much thought to build or design around.

Edit: I forgot to address faction-specific reinfocements options. I don't hate it, but I'd rather avoid it. I think the game is at it's best when two people build squads and play against each other in a game, rolling dice and stuff, and not when one player has an advantage in squad-building. I know that certain squads will always have advantages against others, but reinforcements allow you to partially eliminate your own weaknesses and exploit opponents on a match-by-match basis, instead of building a squad and committing to running it, weaknesses or not.

Exactly! Just like the entire out activate and smash aspect of the game! Lol. If we remove Daala it will only be a matter of time before the next out act and smash squad takes its place. That is just how the game is designed and there is no avoiding that.

It's almost like no one has been trying to exploit the game. Multiple players have said there has been an armistice on Daala and Thrawn. I highly doubt anyone wants to be the out act and smash party pooper. We can have dreams that we have designed it out of the game, but it hasn't been. Clearly, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about Daala.

There were two poggle bombs squads at Gen Con. Neither made a splash.

But I bet they had a blast... eh? eh?

Good talk over this topic on Sith Holonews Network tonight.
You may want to skip over first few minutes until Etienne joins the call.
https://www.talkshoe.com/episode/14619572

Not sure I'm a big fan of the pass mechanic. So we start a game and you out activate me by enough that I Pass my turn. I get to a point of engagement that now I've killed multiple pieces to out activate you and now my reward for engagement is that you can Pass your turn to try and regain an advantage that you lost through my better play? Not sure I like that.

Good talk, guys.

As far as a pass mechanic, Etienne and I actually tested it. I was playing a Sith rock squad with the new Bane (I know). I still loss, but with the passes, it was an actual game, instead of me just waiting for him to kill me.