So based on what you say, in your meta, when someone put a trooper on the table, he never move it at all ? Because in 3 years playing infinity I never saw anyone play like this.
Does the rules allows you to place a model ? Does a rule allows you to have your fingers removed from a model without having that action count as having placed the model in its final position ? Nothing forbid you from placing a model and replacing it. I agree Infinity doesn't work like that. But Infinity also never say what exactly count as deploying a model : is it as soon as you finger leaves the model ? or is it when you announce that your model is placed ? I think it is the latter, which means you can adjust the positioning of your model during the deployment phase without fear that the opponent will say "your model is currently placed on the table in your DZ and therefore you cannot move it elsewhere because it is place in a legal position and you have let go of the model". Especially when playing on boards where there is no room around it. I know x-wings have implemented a rule structure for that, where you place asteroid on the table edge (which is a location they cannot be) until they are placed. Do we really need to add that kind of structure to infinity rules ? I always allow my opponent to place a sniper, check LoF, or deploy other troops, and reposition them. It was never an issue. This is the first time I learn that you and solkan play that when a model is placed in a corner for example, you cannot decide later to place another model there instead and move the first model by an inch.
It's not enforced strictly because most of the time it doesn't matter - but yes, I almost always deploy my troopers sequentially, and don't go back and move them, unless given permission by the rules. So I'll move already-deployed troops as part of a Deployment Phase Coherency Check, because the rule says that I can. I can't say I've seen people playing it much differently across multiple UK metas, the US, Australia and multiple nationalities at the Interplanetary.
I have slightly more flexible version of this: I place everything that has a dependent measurement or die roll first, and I do not move those. The rest I reserve the right to move around a bit while I deploy. I find that for myself and most of my opponents, this method is practically the same and shaves a ton of 'analysis paralysis' off of an already fraught phase of the game. Then once I say 'ok my initial deployment phase is over' nothing gets moved. I suppose there might be people who would object to 'I would like to place this model in total cover' and a bit of nudging and interaction between the players so that my model's placement can meet this goal -- but I count myself lucky not to have encountered those players yet.
