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The Stabber is an amazing ride. Despite being only a tech one cruiser, it exemplifies the two virtues that Minmatar ships are best known for: speed, and packing a wallop. Though not the greatest for running missions, the stabber is a very, very accessible way for new players to try PVP, especially if flown with friends.

The stabber is a cruiser, the medium size of ships that are larger than destroyers but smaller than battlecruisers. Its ship bonuses are to speed and to the firing rate of its projectile weapons, making it excellent for skirmishes where it needs to hit hard and get out before help arrives.

When The Stabber Shines

The stabber is a good choice for Minmatar pilots that like flying fast ships but want something bigger than a frigate or destroyer. The stabber can use its great speed to close with and orbit an enemy. From there it can pound that enemy with guns while using its warp disruptor to prevent escape.

This ability to close distance and "tackle" a target while maintaining a good velocity are particularly great when flying in tandem with other ships that can back you up. There's a good chance you'll be able to melt many frigate-sized ships by yourself, unless they outrun you. Larger ships (like the Drake or any kind of battleship) will cause a problem, but not if you have a big enough posse, and you can certainly pin them down in a belt for long enough for your backup to get there and help turn up the heat.

You can probably kill most tech one frigates and destroyers, though their guns will track you well enough that you will be taking most of their damage, and many of them will be able to out-run you enough to get away.

When Not To Stabber

The Stabber isn't going to do much good against ships that hug the undock of stations. That kind of PVP requires way more damage than this cruiser can dish out, and the warp disruptor isn't going to stop anything from re-docking. Not to mention that there's a decent chance that the stabber will bump into the station or another ship while orbiting, and temporarily lose enough velocity to become mincemeat.

Ships to avoid include assault frigates, which will be able to take your damage and out-race you well enough to pin you down, and then kill you at a close enough range that your guns won't be able to track them.

I wouldn't fight anything that can jam with electronic warfare, like a Blackbird, or anything that has a ton of drones, like many Gallente ships. The stabber just isn't well-equipped to fight those kinds of ships by itself. This is fine. Every class of ships has their strengths and weaknesses.