diff --git a/fifa17-recon/tools/live/probe_resident_fields.py b/fifa17-recon/tools/live/probe_resident_fields.py
index c707135..4819fed 100755
--- a/fifa17-recon/tools/live/probe_resident_fields.py
+++ b/fifa17-recon/tools/live/probe_resident_fields.py
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ for label, vbeg, vend in (("players (cardtype 1)", mgr + 0xd8, mgr + 0xe0),
         if span % stride:
             continue
         n = span // stride
-        recs, nulls = [], 0
+        recs, nulls = [], []
         ok = True
         for k in range(n):
             try:
@@ -85,23 +85,29 @@ for label, vbeg, vend in (("players (cardtype 1)", mgr + 0xd8, mgr + 0xe0),
             except OSError:
                 ok = False; break
             if not rec:
-                nulls += 1; continue
+                nulls.append(k); continue
             d = decode(rec)
             if d is None:
                 ok = False; break
-            recs.append((rec, d))
+            recs.append((k, rec, d))
         if not ok:
             continue
-        print(f"    stride {stride} (ptr at +{ptr_off:#x}): {n} slots, {len(recs)} populated, {nulls} null")
-        if not recs and nulls != n:
+        print(f"    stride {stride} (ptr at +{ptr_off:#x}): {n} slots, {len(recs)} populated, {len(nulls)} null")
+        if not recs and len(nulls) != n:
             continue
-        hist = collections.Counter(d[0:2] for _, d in recs)
+        hist = collections.Counter(d[0:2] for _, _, d in recs)
         for key, c in sorted(hist.items(), key=lambda x: -x[1]):
             print(f"      (cardtype,subtype)={key} x{c}")
-        print(f"      {'ptr':>14} " + " ".join(f"{f:>8}" for f in FIELDS))
-        for rec, d in recs[:8]:
-            print(f"      {rec:#14x} " + " ".join(f"{v:>8}" for v in d))
-        cats = collections.Counter(d[3] for _, d in recs)
+        # The SLOT INDEX is load-bearing evidence: the squad parser's `actives`
+        # arm writes element i to slot `r15d + i`, and r15d is shared scratch
+        # that other atom handlers clobber. Which slots are filled therefore
+        # reveals the index the parse actually started from.
+        print(f"      {'slot':>4} {'ptr':>14} " + " ".join(f"{f:>8}" for f in FIELDS))
+        for k, rec, d in recs[:8]:
+            print(f"      {k:>4} {rec:#14x} " + " ".join(f"{v:>8}" for v in d))
+        if nulls:
+            print(f"      empty slots: {nulls[:16]}")
+        cats = collections.Counter(d[3] for _, _, d in recs)
         if cats:
             print(f"      CATEGORY (+0x60) distribution: {dict(cats)}")
         break
diff --git a/fifa17-recon/tools/live/verify_kits.sh b/fifa17-recon/tools/live/verify_kits.sh
index 81b1c08..4037146 100755
--- a/fifa17-recon/tools/live/verify_kits.sh
+++ b/fifa17-recon/tools/live/verify_kits.sh
@@ -23,3 +23,15 @@ echo
 
 cd "$(dirname "$0")" || exit 1
 python3 probe_map2.py "$PID" 100004873 100004874 100004870
+
+echo
+echo "  ================ squad survival + slot indices ================"
+# The kit milestone is only real if the REST of the squad survives with it.
+# A populated `squad.actives` was once seen to leave the map holding just the
+# 2 kits with a fully null 23-slot player vector and an empty starting 11, so
+# the player-vector fill below is a PASS/FAIL gate, not decoration.
+#
+# The club-item slot indices are the other half: the parser writes element i to
+# slot r15d+i, and r15d is scratch other atom handlers clobber. Kits landing
+# somewhere other than slots 0 and 1 means the index did not start at zero.
+python3 probe_resident_fields.py "$PID"