Titanomachina: Beat with Styxx

Out of all the Titans I think Styxx is both the most powerful and the most difficult to use. Styxx retains Her vestigial layout from several iterations ago. When I first had cards printed out, Styxx's system diagram had three sensors, a jump jet, and a capacitor. Her three extra armour are considered sub-standard and Her deflectors impress no one now. Of course, the jump jet has been downgraded to a thrusters system, and the deflectors are a downgrade of the original shields system. Her turret no longer affords 360 degree fire upon activation, but even un-operated it expands Her systems from 90 to 270 degrees, and gives Her the ability to jump sideways. But the limbs, Styxx's arms and legs continue to be Charge 2, which is inefficient, but still fast and powerful. I think the limbs lie at the crux of the matter, as walking and changing direction are difficult for this Titan. Big arms, as well as any two cog system, feel underpowered for three cards including the Big Arm itself. Mind you, a Big Arm can cause four points of damage by punching a Titan into another Titan or into a sufficiently large building. 

But that's maybe one punch for perhaps two actions on the part of another player. Could be in response to three actions by another player. You'd need a master-crew operated gun battery to do four damage, potentially eight if you had a block of buildings to push it through. Certainly I have given some thought to this. 

But even the configurations available on Tabletop Simulator have similar profiles. The rocket pod and the laser battery both cost Charge 1, while a gun battery doing 3 or 4 damage like a laser blade or plasma shotgun may cost crew and their charging cards without the entertaining HE or AP effects. An adherent-operated arm may destroy an exposed system, but how over is a system truly exposed? The laser blade pierces shields and armour. The plasma shotgun does an efficient 4 damage and shocks a card out of an opponent's hand. 

The real advantage is the three sensors. The ability to detect 3/4 or even 4/4 rounds is a massive offset in both gaining habitats on the board, and the ability to engage a Titan outside of line of sight. Where the Titan's turret increases the arc of its three sensor systems to 270 each, Styxx can match a sensor to each weapon, and shoot nearly anything on the board from a 3x3 square of tiles in the center of the board. Moreover one can have crew operate and then either sensors or a weapon should an opponent decide to seek cover. Sensors can also be used to manipulate the initiate as efficiently as extra armour. 

Controlling the initiative is great, especially when you're trying to use cover to avoid attack. But consider also that you can also deny a Titan line of sight using habitats detected by those sensors as well.