>I don't think it is a gimmick that only works against newbies.
> Trip + cheapshot is, because flight is cheap and easy to get.

Actually, I'd say trip + cheap shot is a counter example to a tactic that only works against newbies. Mainly because thieves have stealth and it's unrealistic to expect a character without permafly to keep flight up 24/7.

> I'm also not sure your competent goodies faced any competent
>assassins.

I fought Tiiga and Jeede some. Kjrorh and Lakaof at various points in the past.

>This is clearly cherry picked, but for characters dying in
>2016, 4 of the top 5 killers were assassins played by 3
>different players, and the other was a Lich.

I'd be curious to know how many kills those 3 players would have had if they'd played a similarly PK-effective class of the same alignment/cabal for the same amount of time during the same time span. Say warrior, necro, AP, muter, etc. In other words, were they so successful because of the class, or because they're top-shelf players who would be successful with any class?