Touring strategy for Six Flags Magic Mountain over spring break?

AJ posted some good tips over on this thread.

I suggest you take a look at the advice in Robert's link first, as most of it is still applicable to the date of your visit. After you have read that, continue below.

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The main thing that has changed since my previous advice was posted is that SFMM has removed a couple rides from the Flash Pass list, namely Ninja and Superman: Escape from Krypton. Therefore, I now recommend the following strategy for anyone purchasing a Flash Pass:

1. Arrive at the gate at least 30 minutes before opening (45 is ideal if possible).
2. As soon as the park opens, proceed immediately to Full Throttle. If you are lucky, you will be able to ride with no more than a 30 minute wait.
3. Once you get off Full Throttle, go and pick up your Flash Pass.
4. After getting your Flash Pass, take the Orient Express to the top of the mountain and proceed directly to Superman. You will probably have a bit of a wait (if the line is at the entrance to the building, it is about an hour), but the line will not get shorter at any point during the day.
5. Following Superman, proceed around the park, using your Flash Pass to reserve rides. I'd recommend starting at either Tatsu or Riddler's Revenge and proceeding clockwise around the park, hitting anything you care about as you come to it. If you want to do Ninja, it is convenient to do it while on top of the hill, but if the line is long you can come back in the evening.

A few other tips...

-While I have not used a Flash Pass at SFMM, I have used it at other Six Flags parks (both Gold and Platinum levels). In my experience, if you reserve a ride immediately after you are scanned in, your reservation will usually be ready by the time you get off the current ride and make it to the next attraction.
-X2 is not included with the Flash Pass, but you can pay extra to make reservations for it. If you do not make an X2 reservation, try to ride mid/late afternoon for the shortest waits. It will still likely be 30-45 minutes (or more), but should be less than the 75+ minute waits common in the morning and evening.
-In addition to the rides you named, I would add Apocalypse, Lex Luthor, and Riddler's Revenge to your must ride list. If Superman's line is really long (over 90 minutes), I'd skip it as the ride isn't as good as it looks.
-Even though the park is going to be busy, they are open 10:30-9:00 on the day you're visiting, so you should have plenty of time to do everything with the aid of a Flash Pass. If you move at a reasonable speed, I wouldn't be surprised if you've completed your lap of the park by 5:00-6:00 P.M.
-Lastly, have fun!

I was reading on this website, ridewatchers.com and they said to go do Full Throttle, X2. Flash Pass and they also have this thing called the Golden Rule and Platinum Rule. The Gold Rule is that you ride X2, Tatsu, Superman, Goliath,Full Throttle and the Platinum being Full Throttle, X2, Tatsu, Superman, Goliath. What are your thoughts on these rules?

I honestly don't like ridewatchers as they've suggested doing things that are against park rules (such as going up the exit and asking to ride as a single when there is no single rider line). Their rules work, but they aren't the most efficient (especially the Golden Rule, as X2 doesn't always open on time and delays there will land you with 60+ minute waits for the other rides). I ALWAYS do Full Throttle first as capacity on that coaster is bad (by my calculations, no more than 500 per hour), guaranteeing a 45+ minute wait on even moderately crowded days if you don't ride it first thing. I've actually started with Full Throttle and then gone counter-clockwise around the park, hitting Goliath, Lex Luthor, Batman, Green Lantern, Riddler's Revenge, Gold Rusher, and Apocalypse all before lunch and without need of a Flash Pass, so I know there are better ways to do the park than what ridewatchers suggests. Also, the Flash Pass rule hasn't been updated since the park changed their list of Flash Pass attractions.

Thanks so much AJ for all your help and I hope you don't mind but can you write up a list of the order of the rides I should go in? Your help is really appreciated!

You may need to tweak this if something happens (like a ride breakdown), but with a Gold Flash Pass I'd do the following:

1. Full Throttle
2. Get Flash Pass, reserve Tatsu
3. Orient Express
4. Superman: Escape from Krypton
5. Ninja
6. Tatsu, reserve Apocalypse the Ride
7. Roaring Rapids (if interested in riding and line isn't too long)
8. Apocalypse the Ride, reserve Riddler's Revenge
9. Lunch
10. Gold Rusher
11. Riddler's Revenge, reserve Green Lantern: First Flight
12. Green Lantern: First Flight, reserve Batman The Ride
13. Batman The Ride, reserve Goliath
14. Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom
15. Goliath, reserve Viper
16. Revolution
17. Viper, reserve anything
18. X2
19. Enjoy remainder of your day at your leisure

If you need to kill time before the next reservation is ready, just go on one of the nearby flat rides (they rarely get notable lines) or take a break somewhere until it is.

If for whatever reason you opt not to purchase a Flash Pass, do this instead:

1. Full Throttle
2. Goliath
3. Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom
4. Green Lantern: First Flight
5. Batman The Ride
6. Riddler's Revenge
7. Apocalypse the Ride
8. Lunch
9. Gold Rusher
10. Superman: Escape from Krypton
11. Ninja
12. Tatsu
13. Roaring Rapids (if interested in riding)
14. Revolution
15. Viper
16. X2
17. Enjoy remainder of your day at your leisure

Thank You so much! Anyways so this Green Lantern as painful as they say it is?

Yes, depending on what happens during the ride, Green Lantern can be very uncomfortable. The ride was designed to have the cars rotate freely as the move along the track, but since this was causing tons of downtime the park installed dampers to reduce rotation during the ride. As a result, you will often be subjected to strong forces in directions that are not typically experienced, such as being pulled upward and forward at the same time. In addition, the direction of the force can change rapidly, and since the car doesn't rotate to compensate you'll experience a very strange and often unpleasant sensation. It's not painful like headbanging, but it is pretty uncomfortable. Green Lantern is a must ride for first-time visitors simply because it is so unique, but you probably won't be itching for a re-ride afterwards.