Though I can tell you my captain skills and module setup now:
The captain on her has Basic Firing Training, Last Stand, Superintendent, Advanced Firing Training and Concealment Expert. The first two are relics from good old low tier times cause changing skills costs dubloons
Modules are Main Armament 1, Aiming Systems 1, Gun Fire Control System 2, Damage Control System 1, Stearing Gears 2, Concealment System 1.
I...what?
No, dude. You're not playing her to her strengths.
For captain skills:
Basic firing training is OK, because there is no better T1 alternative; Last Stand is a big NO, because if you're taking enough fire in the Ibuki to overwhelm the premium damage control party (because you
are running premium damcon and damrepair...aren't you?
) you're doing it
very wrong. Get Marksman for 31sec traverse, or even torpedo rearm (yes, it helps!). Superintendent is a no-brainer (although I could understand Vigilance, given where you'll be spending most of the match). AFT is just...
why? Secondaries are non-existant and IJN AA builds are inferior to their USN counterparts. Get DemoExpert and burn
everything with 10x20% fire chance every 15 seconds. And yeah, CE is obviously the only choice for T5.
Modules are OK, but you might want to
consider swapping GFC2 for MBM3. Personally, I'm setup as you are, but if you're having trouble hitting targets at beyond 16 km, it might be that the FULL INVISIFIRE build is not for you. The HEEEEERE'S JOHNNY build (i.e. sneak close, blast them, re-stealth in 20 seconds) is also good, though and I'm closely leaning in this direction lately. Still trying to decide which is better.
Premium Damcon, Premium AA, Premium Heal, Normal Fighter.
You spend the first few minutes of the game shadowing a friendly battleship. You do NOT drive forward into caps with friendly DDs to support them, unless there's a big rock to hide behind and unless you're absolutely sure that your team will follow and not leave you hanging when the DD you're escorting invariably dies. You're stealthy as all hell (9.7 detection with the right camo), but you're still outspotted by most DDs and you're made of paper. If you get caught in the cap at the start of the game with a competent IJN DD spotting for the enemy team, you're going to die VERY fast.
Since you're escorting a BB, you can dull a carrier strike at this point, with your AA cooldown.
AFTER the DDs have started slinging torps around and choking the caps with smoke, THAT'S when you move forward, with your Fighter airborne, to spot stupid shooting BBs and to deal with DDs who sit in smoke and shoot. You rain fire on BBs from inside / behind friendly smokes, from behind islands and you fall back to your fleet (NEVER park in smoke, you're not a Flint or a Kutuzov). If you can go 'PAN PAKA PAN!' from behind an island / smokescreen and catch a DD unawares, that's
perfect. If you see a smokescreen with shells coming out of it, turn and torp it.
You never fire full broadsides. You fire sequentially, and walk the shells over the entirety of the enemy ship you're shooting at (for cruisers or BBs) for multiple fires.
You fire at an enemy if they're occupied with your allies. You light multiple fires (hopefully). If he turns for you, you stop firing and you're invisible five seconds after you've reloaded. Then, once he turns back, you fire again.
Don't forget you have 16 torps in your tail. Don't forget you can stealthtorp. The Ibuki is AMAZING at running away, going stealth and then dumping all her fish on the pursuing enemies - relatively good arcs, BTW and definitely better than the Zao's.
Lategame, you can duel with cruisers. The Ibuki can reliably bounce 203 AP at 12-9 km when she shows a knife-like bow and Russian and KM captains INSIST on firing that crap at me all the time and I just laugh my ass off. Then I burn their superstructures clean off. Your rudder shift is more than good enough to shake your ass out, fire with all guns and re-shadow to receive fire. I've also taken loading expert for my second T1 skill, which allows me to quickly swap for AP if enemy cruisers show broadside at this point. IJN AP is GOOD. As in 4+ cits on Moskvas and and Hindies good.
NEVER duel a Des Moines fairly, of course.
I still recommend you send a few replays over, if you can. Play the Ibuki five times and send those five times over - don't cherrypick. Also, add me if you like. I'll have some free sailing time tomorrow evening.