Plasma dump=super weapon

[captmorgan72]

My bud has a Galaxy and I an Akira. When we do battle, it usually is pretty even, with him slightly having an advantage. That all changed when his engineer got the plasma dump skill. Wow! This ability destroys me in seconds. He tractors me and pulls me in that green death cloud and my ship's hull is reduced to zero in seconds flat. What do you guys think of this skill? I most definitely want it now, after seeing how incredibly powerful it is.

[BlueBard]

It's situational.  To use it in the way your friend did, you have to have a Science officer with Tractor Beam.  Ships with good manuverability can avoid the cloud and then it's less about damage and more about controlling the battlefield with a green barrier.

It would also be good for escaping... you'd vent your warp core (Eject Warp Plasma) to prevent enemies from hanging on your tail as you boost for safety.

According to this page, the Science ability Hazard Emitters will counter it by clearing the plasma effect.

You could surprise your friend the next time he does it, if you have a Science officer or two with Polarize Hull (nullifying the Tractor Beam) and Hazard Emitters.  Then you escape the cloud and stop the plasma damage.  Attack Pattern Omega will also counter the Tractor Beam.  You could even divert power to your engines, hit evasive maneuvers or some other speed boost and try to break free.