Does the fastest toon really determine who goes first?

Nope. No matter the mode, I'll have a squad who individually AND as a group have a higher collective and individual speed than the AI, and the AI will go first. It's BS. I’ve got so far as to mod the crap out of my squad for speed, and the AI STILL goes first. What’s the point of modding if it’s ultimately up to RNG? Again, BS. I also have many of my toons to have upwards of 80% Potency, Tenacity, Crits, whatever and the opposite of each status will happen on a regular basis to my squad over the AI’s. For example, I’ll have my Palp at FRICKIN 80% Potency (that’s better than a 4-1 chance he’ll proc) and what happens? AI resists debuff literally 3 times in a row while they hit every single one of their attacks and debuffs on me. BS.