Crank no start, reluctor?

1999 Mercury Cougar 2.5 V6 Duratec 106k miles:

Recently changed out my leaky front timing cover. Car ran great when parked. When everything was reassembled, it would crank but would'nt start. During reassembly the crank reluctor wheel fell off. Has two key ways, picked the one I was most sure of. Might have been the wrong choice.

Voltage = OK
Fuel Pressure = OK
Injector Voltage = OK
Injector Pulse = OK
Spark = OK

I'm down to timing (and its related compression)

The reluctor wheel is the "missing tooth" type with 2 crank slots for some reason. one crank slot the missing tooth is right above it. The other 180 out.

I had a thought, if I put the engine on #1 TDC and pulled the CKP, could i check to see if the gap is near the sensor hole and would that confirm my issue as being the reluctor wheel?

I've been looking for a picture of the orientation of that trigger wheel, can't seem to find it.
Fortunately (for me any way) I've never had to go that far into one of those.

I'm use to dissys, but from what ive looked up, a missing tooth set up uses the missing tooth to define home. The missing tooth defines a return to home flag, and the first tooth after sets TDC position. Then add your ignition timing degree which is tracked by the teeth, and the firing order starts anew.

So with my boroscope in the CKPS hole, and turning the engine slowly, I will either see the gap fairly quickly, (90 out) and can confirm with #1 cylinder position, or a bit longer (180 out) and confirm with #1 cylinder position. 90 = bad and 180 = good because the missing tooth should be so many degrees past the CKPS hole, at TDC, so 150-180 degrees rotation the cylinder should be back or close to TDC.

Did the test above, gap in teeth lined up with TDC. Officially out of ideas.

Did you do the chains? I did read a TSB while looking for that reluctor about setting up the timing, but ignoring the cam timing marks, apparently they are incorrect from the factory...

Didnt touch the chains or any physical timing components. Even though its new, going to check ckps next I guess. Im not using motorcraft plugs, ive heard a few fables about even my beloved tgk arent enough to start this motor. Has to be motorcraft. changed plugs and wires too. firing order confirmed 3 times.

edit: my dummy self just remembered the ckps has to be working because I have timed and varied spark lol.