How do you make other playstyles viable with Skull Merchant?

TheSubstitute

Basically the question; how do you make playstyles other than 3 genning viable on Skull Merchant without forfeiting the game? I'm usually decent at figuring this out; as an example my Knight games have always been based off of map pressure, multiple uses for my guards, involve a lot of mobility and using my power a lot more than just plop at loop. It's fun and doesn't require 3 genning, camping or tunneling to work (although I'm not opposed to 3 genning but it's not my starting strategy).

However, I can't figure out how to do this with Skull Merchant. Not using your drones by gens is essentially giving up and I'm trying out different perks to get a more interactive style rather than 3 gen off the bat but I've come up with nothing.

The only thing I see to fix it is change her power to something like the drones have actual lethality but are reduced to two and have a significant replacement cooldown after damaging a survivor but I'm hoping somebody has figured out a more entertaining way to play her. I do like territorial Killers that require planning and switching like the Twins and Trapper so it's not the category of Killer; it's just that I can't see a way to make her power in its current state more entertaining.

Any ideas anyone?

Remedicist

I've been using Adaptive Lighting and Brown Noise Generator add-ons with Hex: Plaything to create a stealth playstyle around her drones. I place the drones near gens with loops nearby or strategic main looping spots on the map, such as shack or main buildings. Basically, the good tracking she has pairs well with stealth, and I use it to sneak around certain loops or buildings while the survivors lose track of where I am. I don't worry too much about getting the exposed as them not knowing where I am tends to help get downs anyway. I suppose you have to be proficient with stealth gameplay, in terms of knowing how to move unpredictably around loops and buildings with the status effects to get this to work, but it has worked quite well for me.

Alternatively, I've also used a hex defender build using her drones and that works as well. Any of these options have made it a blast playing her for me. I find the 3 gen defense boring, so only time that happens in my matches is when the survivors do it to themselves. However, I don't think she should be reduced to two drones imo. They could make the stealth a greater part of her base kit so that she has more options by default.