Talk:General Discussion/@comment-5046483-20150915073834/@comment-4125495-20150917083118

Right now, thanks to the proficiency system, we're able to move bombers to the big slots and fighters to the smaller ones (opposite of how we used to gear) and while that's a buff to all CVs, it actually puts Shoukaku & Zuikaku at a small disadvantage in terms of raw attack power. Unryuu-class with Torpedo bombers the biggest slots is actually better than the same setup on Shoukaku-class. Regardless of how many slots you devote to bombers, assuming the same setup on both, Unryuu class will hit marginally harder than Shoukaku-class, for the tradeoff that they offer lower fighter power.

The reason is Shoukaku and Zuikaku's woeful firepower stat and their lack of a large slot just exacerbates that difference. On maps where you don't need as much air power (2 bomber / 2 fighter setup assuming double-chevron Reppuu, Shoukaku will contribute 135 air power and Unryuu only 109, which isn't terrible but it might mean AS instead of AS+) you will actually be better off with a pair of the Unryuu class right now over Shoukaku and Zuikaku. The attack power difference is only marginal, but it's there all the same.

Kai-2 doesn't need to do much to the Cranes. If all it did was made their 12-slot smaller and moved some of those planes to one of the 24s (eg 30/24/24/6) and they got a firepower upgrade to 49 or so instead of 39, they'd be competitive with the other carriers, probably better in a lot of circumstances.