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A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:14 pm
by spektr
Note: Thought I'd rescue this from the infinity forums before it's deleted. I'll fix the formatting later.

p.s. Nice to be here :)

There have been many threads on why there's no vanilla tactica yet. However, there are several guides out there, generally in an incomplete state. This is an attempt to combine (see what I did there) all of them into a single tactica thread.

In a few cases I've struck through sectorial specific advice. Any other suggestions please post in the thread and I will try and update it.



General Advice


Eypyeash:

The key to making a solid Combined list is to use full advantage of what you're given access to. You've got a lot of great tools, but your specialists' WIP are generally lacking. You've only got one doctor, and you don't even need him much. Of the four main components in Combined, each has their own piece of the puzzle:

EI - Fantastic leaders, of course; hi-tech equipment, with Lieutenants that entirely take away a major aspect of the game (Loss of Lieutenant). They don't play fair, and get a lot of hate. Show 'em it's justified.

Morats - These are your cheaper end of everything, and usually, cheaper doesn't mean worse. Their hackers are sub-par, but they infiltrate, and are some of the cheapest in the game; their engineers are loaded with options, to include the awesome Autocannon, and sport AP mines just for the hell of it; their medium infantry is solid MSV2 anti-anything type, while their heavy infantry can be a massive pain to put down (Sogarats, specifically). Better still, they provide fantastic synergy with any list in the form of Daturazi and Pretas. Finally, if you want some airdropping troops, Rasyats can help you out... but if you're willing to pay the points, pick up KoDali first.

Shasvastii - Many are these guys' proverbial bags of tricks. You can select from such toys as a Sphinx, who winds up assassinating whatever the hell it wants without much fight back, a Caliban for some specialist support and deployment weirdness, a Noctifer for sneaky long ranged firepower, a Malignos for EXTRA sneaky short-ranged firepower, an Aswuang for gluing people to the ground, or... well, those are the noteworthy guys for most people. The others shine primarily in the Shasvastii sectorial army, where Sheskiin can lead a group of Gwailos or Caliban for maximum stupid and those two units' low movement values aren't hindered as much while they're moving around in a group.

Exrah - A highly debated race, with the Vector Operator being a crowd favorite. Oh. And hey, Caskudas!

And there you have it... the four races. So what are we missing?

Solid hackers, beyond the insanely priced ones. This probably isn't a huge deal, but compared to Nomads and Aleph, our hackers generally suck (again, besides the WIP16 versions... though you could alway just G:Mnemonica into a previously crappy Zerat and have a party). Your TAGs need to be careful, because most of them are very expensive, and if you took one, you probably don't have the hacker support to make a solid Face-to-Face with it. I usually like to default to BTS anyway, because the only hackers we have with BTS are the EI, the Caliban, and Noctifers (the latter two with BTS -3 each, but WIP 13). It's better to shoot a hacker than deal with all that potential ugliness.

Solid doctors... we've only got one doctor at all, and then a bunch of stupid paramedics. But most things you'd want to keep alive usually has some form of keep-alive ability anyway, like auto-medikits, no wound incapacitation, eat-people-dogged (striga), and so on.

Solid engineers... plenty of options, but generally poor WIP, though this is coming from a former ALEPH player's perspective. As said before, you can just G: Mnemonica into any of the specialists and make them better than most, however.

That's really it. If you want stealth, go Shasvastii-style. If you want synergy and brute force, go with Morats. If you want creepy surprise attacks, take some Exrah. But a fully functional Combined list will pick aspects of everything, and let your play style really be whatever you want it to be. Depending on your playgroup and all that, you may already have an idea of what you need to do. We play a lot of ITS around here, and just got done with Paradiso, so I'm very much in the specialist-troop frame of mind; pure killy mission groups will probably find a lot to offer from Combined, and will probably try to abuse the Avatar (it's hard not to, when he has everything but MSV).

My personal tactics seem to work reasonably well in missions that allow AD (half of them in Paradiso don't). I'll also make some severe tactical errors, then somehow fail to capitalize on my opponent's LoL about fifty percent of the time. My general gameplay strategy is this:
Turn 1 - Determine the lieutenant, and find the best route to take to kill him. If there are several potential options, kill them. Then go crush their order pool, but not enough to put them into retreat.
Turn 2 - Satisfy mission objectives, then go murdering some more.
Turn 3 - Defend mission objectives, continue murdering.

To this end, the basis of my vanilla CA lists are a Skiavoro Lt, a Charontid HMG, and Ko Dali. It's a trifecta of happiness that can only result in bloodshed. The Skiavoro usually wins initiative and lets me keep him and the Charontid in reserve. Ko Dali will drop in and kill things until she feels like she thinks she found the lieutenant, then find a safe place to sleep while the Charontid starts marching. I've highlighted a lot of my preferences above, in various forms. I like the Sphinx, but you have to drop a lot for it. I like the Cadmus, but rarely have space. I like Daturazi, and always MAKE space. I like Pretas, and always have four. My regular order pool is usually sitting at about 10 (including LT order), because I won't leave home without the Skiavoro now that I've had a taste. The flexibility afforded by Stratego really helps.

Anyway, I hope this was worth a little of your time. I don't have enough experience with an Anathematic or Avatar to really give much on them.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:15 pm
by spektr
Light Infantry


Shasvastii Seed Soldiers


Saise:
+ One Turn Camo
- Weak stats, Limited AVA

Seed Soldiers sucks. But not enough, to be "un-take-able"! Seed Soldiers have puny stats in comparision to Vanguard and costs only 2 points less. And well, they are not morats so no bonuses here. BUT they have two most important stats to a cheerleader on the same level as Vanguard - BS and WIP, so they shoot and discover as good as the basic monkey! And well, to be honest, if cheerleader actually does something on the battlefield is either shoot or discover. Also, those are the cheapest guys we can field apart from the R-Drones. And they have one solid plus - being camo markers in first turn - making your opponent think twice before he make a first turn rush with tactical jump, impersonator or combat jumper! Pretty neat ability, but without "Oh-Ah!" factor in it.

And only four options! And one can be useful! Well, regular Combi Rifler is cheap and... cheap. But give him a Light Grenade Launcher for a few additional points and SWC if you have one to spare, and you have a guy for speculative bombardment - from the safety of being not seen he can kill multiple of his point cost with little luck and persistence in grenade spamming. As a paramedic or forward observer... like with Vanguard, we have simply way better guys to fill those roles. Choose this only if we need them badly and have no points!


Calculon:

Bottom line: bare-bones Shasvastii troops with an odd deployment approach; slow to yield their point values, and with some interesting weapon options


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Seed-Soldiers: The most basic Shasvastii. A part from what has been said; you can field a Light Grenade Launcher loadout, but initial BS11 make speculative shots tricky. You can also field Fordward Observer loadout, making a cheap specialist for missions and a handy AROer.



Morat Vanguard Infantry


Saise:

+ Solid Statline, Religious Troops
- Expensive for a cheerleader

Morat Vanguards are the most basic troopers we have access to next to Seed Soldiers and god-damn, they are expensive at terryfing 16 points a piece. Why? Explanation is Simple - they have the best overall stats amongst all basic infantry with exceptional CC, solid WIP and the highest PH of its kind. Belive or not but this is worth additional points - but if you still want to make a fuss about them being too expensive remember, they are Morat so they are Religious! Don't run away, don't care about fighting without lieutenant.

Like all basic infantry they have a wide spectrum of options and weapon output, however I do not find those very tasty - HMG is never a bad choice and its quite cheap on those for only 1 SWC and 25 point cost, so why not if I have points to spare? Multi Sniper Rifle? No, not really, if you want firepower go with the HMG - 4 bullets are twice as much, and you need all the dices you can gather with BS:11. That's why I would not give those guys Missile Launcher either, especially now, when we can buy dirty cheap rockets on TO Camo, Dogged Noctifier or even cheaper Panzerfaust on much harder Yaogat. Hacker? Nope. Never. First, because its expensive as hell, 3 points more than a HMG totting Vanguard! Second, because we have access to much more awesome hackers. Same thing with forward observers and paramedics. And a big no no to a Lieutenant option for 2 SWC killer cost!'

So what is the role of Vanguards? Simple - Cheerleaders. Expensive Cheerleaders, but also a cheerleader that can dodge bettet than most cheer'ios, shoot as well, punch way better and have solid Willpower. Yeah. Cheerleader on stiroids !


Eypyeash:

Morat Vanguard - Pretty cheap, and very flexible, like all line infantry. You pay more for them than other basic troopers, but it's probably because of that Morat special rule. They're one of the only places to get a Missile Launcher, and for a meager 32 points, at that. In a full link team you'll probably have solid success: the +3 BS is pretty much a requirement if you want to use them as a firebase of any sort, because their standard BS of 11 just won't cut it against the other monsters in the world. That means in vanilla Combined, you'll have to rely on a lucky shot, and you're better off with the Shasvastii option instead, frankly (see Noctifer). You can also get a very cheap hacker (28 points) and a solid Forward Observer (19 points).


Calculon:

Bottom line: the most straightforward line troops in the Combined Army. Strong stats and the Morat attribute keep them (and your army) in the fight, but a minimum cost of 16 points makes it hard use them just to provide orders


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

It's easy to forget Vanguard Infantry due to competition with other units and their high cost (most expensive Line troops around) but they bring a number of advantages to the table, as well as being the only place to aqiure some of the rare specialist option's in the aggression forces. While Daturazi are similarly priced (or cheaper) and bring a number of upgrades, Vanguard life expectancy is remarkably longer due to their less impetuous nature and more reserved role. Ultimately you need some inexpensive orders to be your mainstay and these guys fill the role very well when given the chance. Having a boost in CC and the best PH of all line troops (along with being Morat) piles on the cost, but a 5-man link with an HMG or ML can be devastating and as far as morats go one of the more affordable links.I have also had a sucsess running 3 with a HMG as order providers and a backup link if the Yaogats go down.

• Combi Rifle- cheapest option, wars are won on the shoulders of grunts.
• HMG - Nasty gun, BS14 Burst 5 with Sixth Sense L2 (in a 5-man link) is nothing to laugh at.
• Light Grenade Launcher - only non TAG launcher around and speculative fire can be used out of
LOS and has a template making it surprisingly useful, I find people always underestimate grenade
launchers. Sadly the SWC makes it an option that often can't fit.
• Missile launcher - only place to get one of these devastating guns, Linked team makes it more
reliable with +1 burst. Also the lack of a model doesn't help this guys playtime.
• MULTI Sniper Rifle - cheaper option then Yaogat but the 1.5 SWC and the lack of
BS and Visor (when compared to the Yaogat make it the less attractive option.
• Hacking Device - one of two places to get a hacker, and i personally love this model.
• Forward observer - only Morat that has it, flashpulse is a good Rambo solution (blinding ends
killing spree's), marking targets for speculative from grenade launchers or other parabolic weapons, been
wanting to team one of these up with a Riacho.
• Paramedic- only paramedic, a lonely proffesion for a morat but given our races naturally high PH I
find myself bringing this guy alot, also a medtech can nullify our 100% religious so this is my personal
medical solution. I have had success running him with a Daturazi (long as you can keep him under
control) to provide protection and smoke cover, keeps him mobile and fixing up your dudemen.
• Lieutenant - cost a lot of SWC making it an un-attractive option,i think the lieutenant order must
be used on someone that will get more done, not hiding, also Yaogat's can hide just as well and use the
extra order much better AND dont cost SWC, I have never used him. Remember Morats don't hide like
weak humans.



Med-Tech Obsidon Mechanoid


Saise:

+ Multipurpose, cheap support
- Very low durability, need slaves to be of any serious use

Well, if you got multiple race to fight alongside in your huge invasion army there will be a problem with non-combatant field support. For example, you need a doctor that can patch up guys with totally different anatomny. You need an Engineer that can fix gear from two totally different technology branches. Hard to get specialists like that, that's why EI wasn't wasting time for searching one, but its create one - Med-Tech Obsidon Mechanoid is a multipurpose battlefield support, a Medic, an Enginner, all in one. And he is good at it with WIP of 14. Also, he can defend himself if needed with a Combi Rifle and solid but far from outstanding BS.
Costing only 23 points he is a great addition to any force, but... and this is a BIG BUT... he is super fragile with only one wound and 1 points of ARM.

That's why you need to buy him a slave or better two of'em. Those are cheap and almost mandatory to make our Mechanoid more useful and way more durable, as he don't need to show himself to enemy, while his slaves skitter across battlefield with haste (6-4 move) and with little additional protection (CH:Mimetism). All in all I found Obsidon to be a compulsory spot on any of my 300+ points lists, for he is cheap and can fulfill a multiple of roles that I need to be fullfilled.


Eypyeash:

Medtech Obsidinoid - 6-4 Doctor/Engineer with D-Charges and WIP 14. This guy is your go-to for most objectives-based missions because he's just so damned fast... he's also creepy looking, which may be a bonus for you. Personally, I've never utilized his Doctor ability because most of what I run either winds up outside a rational sector of the table for him to assist (i.e. not enough rational for orders-to-effectiveness), but his Engineering is solid. And, of course, he can get the standard 3-point wormbots to help him out, if you want to cover a few areas with him. Usually you'll want to send them out instead of him, but he does have a gun...


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Med-Tech Obsidon Mechanoid: Wip 14 engineer and doctor, 6-4 movement, 23 points, an old reliable for missions. The only “buts” you can say about it, are their 40mm base and what is a Medic in a sectorial plenty of Auto-Medikits and V:Dogged



Shasvastii Cadmus


Saise:

+ Great at harassing, can grow to be a serious threat
- hard to use well and require solid luck to sparkle

Cadmus is a very weird piece of a unit. First of all, he is quite cheap Combat Jumper - simply, because he must combat jump with a puny PH and he does it while in capsule know commonly as seed-embryo. This is both a drawback and advantage - its always good to have a combat jumper to make your opponent fight on more than one sides and keep him distracted, but Cadmus need luck to land where we need him to be, and he is quite an order hog if we want him to became a real monster. If we don't want to wait for another turn for him simply to hatch (and belive me, you don't want to, as he will be killed by massive shooting if we let opponent have an entire turn to "get ready", even if the egg is armed with a single mine and electric pulse) we must hatch him prematurely with a short skill and kill something outright with BS attack.

And this is not easy task, but if it happens we are on a good road to make Cadmus a true pain in the bottom. With Boarding Shotgun option he can surely take even on elite heavy infantry, and if he manage to make it fall unconcious everything is going by the plan - now, our order hog Cadmus can spend entire Order to scan his miserable target with his Striga: Morpho-Scan to take his stats - if we do it on elite infantry our Cadmus can grown to something way more scarier than his point costs suggest. And, well, first level of Striga, the Protheion, give us possibility to eat the unconcious fella and gain a wound - this scenario is pretty sweet, as we have a multiwound, Boarding Shotgun totting, elite statline guy ready to kill behind enemy lines.

Well, if the scenario goes well - thats why Cadmus is so cheap point wise for what he can do. 23 points isn't much for a Combat Jumper with V:Dogged (first level of protheion grant this skill) and chance to grow bigger and badder (yes, V: Dogged is our savior here and the reason WHY Cadmus is a sweet yet still risky guy - if we land badly, or recive and ARO we still have a great chance to live long enough to take our revenge and eat something nutricious to regain a wound and cancel the Dogged state!). As you see, well used and well placed Cadmus can be a real winner - if only our opponents was so kind to deploy in a way to find a blind spot to land in, heh.


Eypyeash:

For some reason, I don't see much talk about the Cadmus. If you want a cheap, airdropping mine for 23 points, he's your guy. I'm actually a fan, but he does have some inherent flaws. PH11 on a drop (and you MUST Combat Jump) means if you scatter, he's gonna cost you two orders to bring on the table, potentially to his sudden death by walking into someone's fire. On the positive, he's also inherently Dogged due to Striga2, and you can make good use of him once he hatches in the back field. Why? Well, usually, there are some juicy elite troops back there, and he can Morpho-Scan them, for starters. Without a good target to scan, he's still got a (if you picked right) boarding shotgun, and all three versions have an assault pistol. That means light infantry will die by the thousands to his six creepy cucumber fingers, and he can eat them all up as he goes. A 4-4 movement is good, but be careful when you select a Morpho-Scan target... he can drop to a 4-2 if you pick someone with that. Hopefully you get a good weapon out of it when you kill them.


Calculon:

Bottom line: a little weird to use - with seed and airborne deployment, and low stats pre-Morpho Scan, they take some time to get into the game. It's been pointed out that you can morpho-scan your own troops, which stacks nicely when you start involving terrifying EI aspects.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Cadmus: The one and only shasvastii airborne, and exotic troop if there was ever one. Coming into play as a Cadmus-Seed they are not as “inmediate” as other AD units, and can’t field heavy weaponry as other AD units either. Although the Light Grenade Launcher loadout offer some amount of sinergy with the Cadmus feature: Morpho-Scan; duplicating a high BS, the Cadmus could be the better source of speculative shots available. As a shortcoming, this unit is the same points range of the better units in the sectorial, so they don’t see much games.



Shasvastii Noctifiers


Saise:

+ Cheap TO Camo, good weaponry
- Low durability

Noctifers are what we neede. Noctifers are what we should love. Noctifers - the perfect addition from Human Sphere. Tactical Dominance Special Wing of Shasvastii are the frontline officers of the Expeditionary Forces, great strategists that enter the battlefield in a direst need to change the flow of battle. And O-Mi-Gosh, they can really do it! First of all, Noctifer is a very cheap TO Camo unit with a decent BS of 12 and additional survivability grantet by V:Dogged skill, making them quite a solid choice for an offensive trooper. Ok, low armour make them a little fragile, but if we don't get in the way of MSV carrying opponents our TO Camo should grant as an upper hand in shoot-out's.

Each variant of Noctifer is a very good and affordable choice. Basic Noctifer cost only 23 points and run with Combi Rifle, a decent and well-around piece of standard weaponry - with advantages of TO Camo even this standard piece of gun can be dangerous (Combat Camo bonuses!). For a mere 30 points and 1,5 SWC we can arm one of those with Spitfire, making them way more deadly - Spitfire fired from TO Camo on Dogged trooper is a way to put some serious damage before he bleeds out and die - and his low point cost make it quite easy to earn his value back by killing more expensive enemy units. But we have another sweet option for Noctifer - a Missile Lanucher! For 42 points it is cheap, as rocket flying with Combat Camo bonuses can kill something outright without risk of being ARO'ed by target at all! If you are looking for a unit to deal with super hevy infantry or TAG's, Noctifer with Rockets is a good choice.

Noctifer is also a reasonably priced and very good Lieutenant - with 23 point cost and just a single SWC he is a cool and safe choice, hiding behind a TO Camo marker and in some safe place in our deployment he can avoid any danger. He can also be a Hacker but honestly, we have way better hackers than this one, so just leave it ;)


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Noctifers: TO non-infiltrator unit, and with the V:Dogged twist. Apart of the basic and Lt loadouts, both with combi, they can be fielded with Spitfire, Missile Launcher or as Hacker.As no infiltrators, and its cost, Spitfire Noctifer is not the most useful unit. Missile Launcher attack from combat camouflage is a big surprise, but most of the times after this blazing glory momento, the noctifer is going to have to do some overtime to rent its cost. The hacker option would be ideal if there were no a higher WIP hacker available, but the V:Dogged skill is pretty useful if the Noctifer have to venture in a hot area to reach an objective.


Shaviish:

Today I bring you a troop that I used only a couple of times and he didn´t do what I expected... but I think they are a good choice: the Noctifers.

A cool light infantry.
I think that only Spitfire, missile launcher and hacker are the good choices. Spitfire is a powerful weapon that in hands of a TO troop and dogged, we can be sure that he's going to accomplise his mission... if no shock ammo take him down, of course.

Missile launcher is a thumbs up. Our best choice to take down big enemy troops like IP or TAGs, but also linked teams.

Hacker option is only good because of his BTW -3 that makes him a good deffensive hacker.



Shasvastii Aswuangs


Saise:

+ Solid statline, ADHL, Camo-Vampire!
- A little risky but overally no minuses!

Holy Jupiter Juggling Moses! Those guys are just plain uber-awesome for my taste. Fantastic statline for its cost, with very good 17 CC, solid BS and all around PH and WIP is just the beginning, as this sweetheart run across the field as a Camo marker - Camouflaged soldier with Protheion ability is pure evil, as he can go all sneaky like to an enemy and jump into close combat out of marker - risky? Not at all in most cases - even if our target react with shooting Protheion gives us V:Dogged special rule, so we can survive a wound and take our revenge in close combat - if we succed, we will regain wounds by eating our poor target.

This is however not all of Asuangs glory - he has a BS 12, so he can shot quite well, and he have access to Adhesive Launcher, one of my favourite piece of gear in entire game. Oh, imagine this - first, he use Combat Camo ability to glue someone donw. If this attack was a success, he gently walks to a glued fella and eat him alive to became a multiwound monster. Sweet as chocolate. And he cost a mere 25 points for all we get, no matter if he is carrying a Combi Rifle or Boarding Shotgun in addition to ADHL. We can also take him in a more offensive option, paing 6 more points and 1 SWC to arm one with Spitfire - a nice option to have, but while totting a Spitfire he lose his ADHL, and I will not stand for that - espeically, that we have Noctifers and Gwailos to carry Spitfire into shoot'outs.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Asuangs: More camo’d units, and through S:Prothein sharing V:Dogged with Noctifers. Arguably the most playable Spitfire (even not infiltrating), the only ADHL source, and the best cost-effect relation Lieutenant in the sectorial. One of those units which owns its cost range. Ironically the miniature available is the less playable loadout.



Shasvastii Haiduks


Saise:
+ Cheap Sapper, Guided sniper ammunition
- SWC hungry

Another interesting addition from Human Sphere, Shasvastii Haiduks are support snipers for any Combined Army force. Haiduk have a very medicore statline all around but this is atoned by being a Sapper - and this skill grant our fella a lot of nice gimmicks like CH:Mimetism, V:Courage and being in partial cover from all directions as long as he don't move away from his foxhole. If you find a nice spot in your deployments zone that can cover a solid part of battlefield (some elevated position maybe) you can't go wrong with Haiduk, as he is totting a dreaded MULTI Sniper Rifle for a mere 26 points! This is super-sweet, considering that for most opponents he will be hard to shot at (-3 for being in cover, -3 for mimetism) and have a solid ARM of 4 (again, Sapper bonuses!).

But the real thing is the option to take a Gudied MULTI Sniper Rifle - if you field this guy you can play it all safe and deploy him in a way, that no enemy will see him. Ok, he will do nothing either, but while he is safe from harm, if any of our forward observers marks somethin he can unleash hell and kill any possible target with those huge, damage 15 AP+DA bullets homing for the target - no BS roll, no problems, just pure pain. However this variant is way expensive than regular sniper, costing 37 points - still, I find this option a very powerful way to deal with the hardest stuff your opponent can bring along to the field of battle.


Calculon:

Bottom line: sniper specialists, with the game's only Guided Multisniper option to date.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Haiduks: Another weird unit, without the most common skills. Sapper don’t make them as hard to kill as the rest of the available AROers, but Haiduks can overtake areas which other units couldn’t just because they can create cover in the middle of nothing. Even with their low points cost, their subpar BS and their CAP cost don’t make them profitable. Guided multi sniper loadout is an exercise in futility, and personally I’ve tried to make a slot for them in several lists without any memorable performance



Kurgat Regiment of Assault Engineers


Saise:

+ Heavy weaponry, battle-engineer
- Vanguard statline, low durability

New and quite tasty addition from human Sphere. Morats are Morats - everything they do they do on the field of battle. So if a Morat must become an Enginner, he will understand that in fact he must carry the biggest guns and crack enemy heavy support, bunkers and defences. Simple logic, aye? Well, Kurgats have Vanguard statline on all fronts, and that is pretty sad - with one point of armour and BS:11 they have not only low durability but also don't shoot on an awesome level with their big weaponry. On the other side, they are cheap for what they can do. Each variant is an engineer (so they are good companions for Raicho, for example) and carry D-Charges, what makes them quite dangerous in close combat and Antipersonnel Mines, so they can lay some of those stuff in your deployment zone and also use Intuitive Attacks and sweet AROs with them.

All of three variants possible to take have solid and sweet weapons. Autocannon is what everyone want to have and now we got it - for a 37 points and 1,5 SWC its expensive, because Ariadna have the same guy on much better soldier than Kurgat is. Its good to play with this huge piece of armament but hell, I belive it is too expenive for a 1 Arm, 1 Wound model. But we can give him an MK12 for 0 SWC and just 24 points! I call it the best possible choice for this unit - deadly mid-range weapon in hand, enginner skills, mines and bomb - a real battle-engineer that can take something donw and repair our broken stuff. If you want to spare some points you can still take a Kurgat with a boarding shotgun for mere 20 points, which is also a very sweet and cheap option for what we get out of him.

Battlefield role? If you have a tag, let him run behind it or just close to it, so he can fix'it on the way. If the TAG fall down you still have a heavily armed soldier out there. Second option is to ignore him being an Engineer and just use him as a cheap storm trooper, possibly with MK12 - this is a great piece of weapon that make him dangerous to almost any target, so beside his low durability he can still fill this role.


Eypyeash:

Kurgat Assault Engineers - Jacks of all trades. They come equipped with pretty nasty weapons outright, and every one is a WIP13 engineer with D-Charges and AP Mines. Their BS11 is sad, but it does mean their Autocannon is a steal at 37 points. For 20 you get a pretty basic Engineer with a boarding shotgun, which is plenty dangerous in its own way. Very solid dropzone defenders, and good for objective hunting (4-4 and alright WIP).


Calculon:

Bottom line: gives you options to deal with mines, frozen HI and ADHL while still deploying a competent combat troop. As always, more effective with a slave drone. MK12 and Autocannon both help Kurgats do double-duty as credible threats.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

A standard Morat that trades 1 CC to become an Engineer with D-charges and Anti-Personnel Mines, plus he get's some great firepower options. As of right now D-charges seem to be very situational but can be a last ditch effort to explode an immobilized tag, hopefully with the campaign in effect they'll get used more in mission play. The mines however make for a great way to cover your back from AD and mesh naturally with the long range of the Autocannon, or use them on one of the other builds in a more up field way to discourage camo-markers and infiltrators.
• Autocannon - one of two possible places in all of infinity to get this gun, and it's pretty solid
boasting great range, damage and AP+EXP. As devastating as it looks.
• Mk 12- Essentially a much improved Rifle, don't overlook this as it has improved range
and damage for it's class.
• Boarding Shotgun- Cheapest Kurgat option, close ranged but has decent damage and a template.



Cadmus-Naish Agent Sheskiin


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Agent Cadmus-Naish Sheskiin: The only sectorial’s chacacter, linkable with any fireteam. Despite its ARM 1, Agent Sheskiin has a nice survivality due the Nanoscreen, S: Protheion and V:NWI, so its a good Lt option. Multi Rifle and Nanopulser are great weapons to be in a fireteam


Shaviish:

Sheskiin. Our Little Beauty Beast.

This is a miniature I love... perhaps too much human but an excellent sculpt with an awesome profile.

She has great stats: good shooter, awesome CC fighter, and she also has BTS!. But let's see her "gadgets".

NANOSCREEN: cool gadget that puts Sheskiin in ARM 4 and adds a -3 as if she is in cover. Remember it's affected by E/M.

PROTHEION: this hability can be used to "eat" unconscious enemies and you also can use it in CC to gain wounds for a maximun total of 3

NO WOUND INCAPACITATION: if she's not hited by shock ammo this counts as an additional wound... if she is at "full charge" she counts as if she have 4 wounds!... tough lady.

Sheskiin's weapons are cool too: multi rifle that allos her to react with DA ammo and with a BS 15 (18 if full linked), Nanopulser (useful versus enemy groups and IP), D-Charges (for missions), CC DA Weapon (I only use it when she's whith her "4" wounds).

I think it's more useful sending her alone to the enemy deployment zone, eating some enemies and decimate their troops with the Nanopulser, Multi and also in CC. If she is with her "4" wounds, for sure that you have half of the battle won.

Only one more thing: never use Sheskiin as Lieutenant, this will be too obvious and your opponent will concentrate firepower in her.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:16 pm
by spektr
Medium Infantry



Shasvastii Caliban


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Caliban: In first place I have to say that linkable engineers are the apple of my eye. and I see them as the best choice to play several missions. This unit can be fielded as Seed-Embryo or already hatched and developed.

The Seed-embryo Caliban may use Inferior Infiltration as an alternative loadout. Imho this option is subpar, you only save one point and you are going to lose a whole turn with these miniatures or one order a piece to hatch them before time. The Inferior Infiltration loadouts are even worse because you usualy want top lay Calibans in missions, and even in not infiltration penalyzed missions, you are going to risk your engineers unnecessary.
Developed Calibans are the most standard costwise. They begin the game in your own deployment zone what aggravates their 4-2 movement, but as a fireteam you are saving orders to move them.

The Calibans vantage point is the possibility to link the mighty Feuerbach (on the the few options you have in the game), bringing a lot of firepower to the sectorial.

Caliban: Awesome! A useful seed-soldier. Decent hacker, sweet engineer option (to keep your Q-drones up), and decent link team. Linked Feuerbach and nanopulsers are scary and I actually like to keep the team small (3-4). Still maneuverable and you still have room for all of the other Shas tricks. Automedkit and small footprint keep the smaller team doing their job.



Raktorak


Eypyeash:

Raktorak - I haven't played with these guys whatsoever, nor seen them on the table. They seem like a fun toy, but there's nothing particularly impressive about them. I guess if you have to fight Tohaa on a regular basis, these guys are custom made to screw with their symbiotic armor, but... otherwise, pursue other options.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

The Morat Butler seems kind of unassuming at first and with stats and equipment that don't jump out at ya (at least that was my first impression), but some time on the table and this guy proved his worth to me. Obviously there to cheapen up a Suryat link team and make it an actual option (especially with Yoagats as competition for that link) he brings the cost of a full Suryat link into the 200 range, and if your going to do it, do it the Morat way (left?). I'll get into it more with the Suryats and Kornak but I deff think these guys can be seriously brutal and this guy is the keystone. Also 4-4 on MI keeps them up to speed and jungle terrain to boot, he covers the rear of your team and is a bodyguard to your LT. witch oddly enough is exactly what his story says he does (and what a great entry). Perfectly built to excel at his specific task.

• Vulkan Shotgun - King of Shotguns; Flame ammo with the template or AP for the heavies, actually harder to choose witch ammo than a traditional boarding shotgun.
• Combi rifle, heavy flamethrower- combi is always useful and surprise heavy flamethrower is serous in the link (and he's def linked) and it's great for roasting off ODD's and TO:Camo.



Void Operator


Saise:

+ Multi-task, great in both in defence and as a shock trooper.
- Lack of any "defensive" skill and gear with Exrah durability.

Void Operators are another bugs from the great family of Exrah Concordate. While Vectors are fulfilling the strike commando role and Iskaller is an surprise attack factor, Void Operator can be use to great effects as either a great defensive trooper, shock infantry or great sniper. And, like all Exrah, he have one of the most awesome abilities in the entire game, the sweet, sweet super-jump, allowing him to make some nice move'n'shoot tricks with jumping up just a little above high walls and other building to take a shot at enemy and than land safely in total cover.

Which works like a miracle, if we consider, that Void Operator have 360 Visor with a X-Visor, making even a decent Combi Rifle quite a potent weapon. Ok, so he lack the defensive skill of Mimetizm of his Vector brother, but if we consider, that we have better modifires with out guns, if we use this smart and take advantage of the range, we should always have an upper hand in the firefight. Also 360 degree of LoF make Void Operator hard to take down by sneak attacks and make him an enourmous asset in defending your own back from Combat Jumpers. And this is all great, as he can be used in all of those roles in a single game!

If we give him an HMG or even neater, a Multi Sniper Rifle, due to the X-Visor we can in fact stay deep in our deployment zone while maintaining fire lines ot the enemy (of course if we can find a nice, high spot in our deployment zone). This allow us to take full advantage of Void Operator awesome range - with Multi Sniper Rifle we have unmodified shots up to 52 inches (of course, not considering Camos, ODD's and all that stuff, just weapon modifier), and that make up for all defensive abilitie - if we aim at a distant model and it react with an Attack, almost always he will have a -9 to his BS (-6 or distance, -3 for cover - yes, always keep Void Operator in Cover), and that mean than our target need TO Camo and Cover for us to have the same -9 modifier. Sweet. And still, 360 vision can help us maintain peace in our own deployment, so its a good all around perk.

Uh, and did I mention the 0-G? Yeah, Void Operators are not named VOID for having no soul or having a bad taste in humour - they are living beings able to live in the cold vacuum of space. Little addition, neat to have in missions with Space Walking included.



Vector Operator


Saise:

+ Multi-task commando, cheap as hell
- Exrah durability, E/M Weakness

Ok, this one will be biased, as I love those bugs with all love I can unleash. Vector Operators are by fluff and by the game experince a multi-task commandos, ready to fulfill all the tasks you can put on his chitinous shoulders. Ok, first of all, he is a very solid medium infantry all around, with good statline, good access to various weapons and options and plethora of awesome skills'n'gear. Being an Exrah as much as it is a disadvantage, have its good side, giving Vector Operator Super-Jump, one of the most awesome movement skill all around. And a thing that allow us to use some dirty tactica. Arm your Operator with HMG or MULTI Sniper Rifle, stay in total cover, next to a wall lower than 6 inches and in your active turn use superjump to go up! Now you should see some enemies, kick them where it hurts and after ARO is completed, land safely behind total cover. With this "Jumpy-Pot-Shots" technique you can really mess unwary opponent. Also remember, that becasue of total control of the movement allowed by Superjump, you jump high enough to still have a cover granted by the big wall you are hugging!

The example above is one of the most standard and troublesome use of the Vector Operator - with 12 BS and HMG he can really be a menance on his own. But this is not an end to his awesomeness. Geared-up with Multispectral Visor Lv.2 he laugh at all deviced and techniques that disturb his BS stat. Smoke grenades and low visibility zones? He don't give a damn about them too! Bah, you can get even more nasty with those guys and Daturazis - Simply throw a smoke grenade on top of the Vector Operator, than jump with him inside the smoke and snipe those, who where foolish enough to stand in partial cover only! Bah, even if someone survive and try to punish you back, he will find it hard as hell to do so! TO futher accelarate Vector survival chances, he is geared up with CH:Mimetism, giving him another upper hand in shoot-outs.

He is also awesome in objective grabbing - with move 6-2, SuperJump and addition of Multiterrain, for most situations he can move 8 inches per order in a damn straight line if he want to!

No matter what option of Vector Operator you will field, if you use him well, you will find him absolutetly stunning - especially, when consider his point price! With HMG he cost merely 35 friggin' points! For na HMG totting, 3 Armed, MSVisored, Mimetized, Super-Jumpy bug! This is dirty cheap and I find no excuse to not field him... Oh. I found one - Exrah durability. As I said at the beginning of this topic, Exrahs gives us Morat durability and firepower with Shasvastii array of gears and skills, and all of this for low points. But being an Exrah means, that one unlucky armour save and our bug is dead as a dead vole. Ok, ARM of 3, staying in Cover/Smoke and Mimetism increase his survival chance greatly but still, just one wrong roll and he is screwed. But this is not the end of bad news - the same thing happens when something bombard us with E/M pulses - with non-existant BTS every Exrah is easily fryed by E/Mitters, E/Maulers, E/Marats... everything from this damn E/M guns family! So remember - if you want an Exrah like Vector Operator to survive long enough to shine, be patient and careful with it!


Eypyeash:

He's good for crowd control, and can pop up in weird places thanks to Super Jump, then see right through smoke someone things they've cleverly thrown in ARO (or, of course, work well with your own cleverly placed Daturazi smoke). The models are kind of blah. Personally, I've converted one out of the new Chaksa Auxiliars. You know the one, right? Big HMG, many-eyed visor? How's that not an Exrah begging to be converted-to?


Calculon:

Bottom line: Multi-spectral visor on medium infantry; particularly effective when equipped with HMG. Exrah brittleness, but great tool set.


popg0estheworld:

When I first read the Exrah rule, I was put off from these guys- I mean, auto-death if their armor is penetrated? Two things-
1.) Seriously- how often do you really heal something back to life? It is usually a waste of orders
2.) The Vector Operators make up for it in EVERY OTHER WAY.

Their stat line is solid, and in cover, you always have decent armor. The MSV2 HMG is always a right bastard, especially in combination with aforementioned smoke from supporting troops. However, Super-Jump, Multiterrain, and 6" short movement make these guys power players. You can get them into position quickly and easily, and rain hot MSV2 death from anywhere. Likewise, you can swoop in and grab objectives in late game, which your opponents often don't expect. I can't say enough good things about these guys. Amazing with an HMG, especially for the points.



Iskallers Jump Operators

Saise:

+ "Basejump" trick behind enemy lines!
- Lack the gimmicks of the other members of Bugs Family.

He is a Combat Jumper. He can be armed with HMG. So yes, basically, he can be used in the very same way as any other combat jumper in the game, jumpin' into the fray (I mean, behind enemy lines / in place uncovered by enemy visio / etc.) and make a suicide run, killing as much as he can with his big gun, aiming at poor bastards backs before he will be pummeled by the sheer weight of dice rolled against him. Also, he is a WIP:14 Combat Jumper with Hacker option, so if you want a hacker that can land from above, you will find no finer than this one - great for hacking something big & nasty, that mulch through our Reapeter-Drones like hot knife.

But to be honest, because of having a Super-Jump ability, he can be used in the same way as Vector Operator - with the invention of the "BaseJumping" (read the Vector Operator write-up for this one pls!), he can quickly became a real pain in the bottom of your fine opponent. This is much safer and dirtier tactica, as you are free to drop our CombatJumpyBug'sy behind cover and without any LOF to enemy. Than, we can spend orderd on it, use the SuperJump to jump a little above cover, claim it and snipe those jolly good chaps with out big gun, aye? Iskaller+Vector wrote a book titled "Hatred. How to make your opponents hate you very much.", as this duo can do the same nasty trick from opposite direction - Iskaller from the back, Vector from the front. You opponent have no friggin' safe place to not be "sniped" by either of them. Wich, as you guessed already I belive, is pretty nasty.

Of course, he is NOT a Vector Operator - by the cost of Combat Jump and V:Courage he lost MSV and Mimetism - well, when a MSVisored Combat Jumper even show up, it will be a smack! Without his Visor and without additional protection from Mimetism, he is not such a good hammer, but rather a secondary marksman or just a strong harassment. Of course, remember - you can still use him in more classical way of "Jump, run like crazy, punch a hole with a big gun into something expensive, die heroically and very, very stupidly!". This old tactica always workes!


Calculon:

Bottom line: Combat Jump troop with Exrah armour and a variety of weapons. Goes down fast, like other Exrah, but provides discount, fast-moving medium infantry.



Yaogat Strike Infantry


Saise:

+ Very cheap, top-notch medium, MSVisored infantry
- To be honest, I don't see any.

If we are talking about realiable and cheap strike infantry, Gwailos is just one addition in this field - a nice addition, with sweet durability and great shooting skills. Yaogat, on the other hand, lend us a greater punch and another option to fight those pesky camo markers all around the cosmos! Yaogats are solid medium infantry all around, with armour of 3, solid PH and BS. What give them a solid shine around other units of his class is addition of Multispectral Visor lv.2 and a very cheap Panzerfaust. And gosh, this is a true combo.

With BS;12, MSV lv.2 and Panzerfaust Yaogat is a great and relativly cheap answer to Swiss Guard, Hac Tao, Cutter... to everything durable and camouflaged. Other weaponry options gives us a Mutli Sniper Rifle (nice with MSV lv.2 to keep camouflaged armies in check!) and Spitfire, if we want to have a medium distance competitor. However, I don't really think that the Combi+Panzerfaust option isn't the best out here, as it cost only 0,5 SWC and a mere 31 points!

Also, Yaogat is a great lieutenant! In general list, he cost just a 1 SWC and he is still totting the Panzerfaust to the field, wich is awesomly awesome! In Morat Supremacy Sectorial army he cost absolutely no SWC, giving to the list a free Panzerfaust in effect. How not to love this?


Eypyeash:

Yaogat Strike Infantry - A great bread-and-butter unit. As medium infantry, they're armored to a decent extent, but importantly, they've got MSV2 and can handle a lot of situations well with their various loadouts. They don't come super cheap, but they're well within reasonable ranges, and most have a Panzerfaust to mess up someone's day from afar. I would generally stay away from the sniper rifle option. Yeah, he's got the MSV, but if you aren't playing Morat Aggression Force and can link him, you're better off taking something else (especially the super cheap Shasvastii Haiduk).


Calculon:

Bottom line: well-armoured Morat troops, with Multi-spectral visors. Work as specialists in CA lists, but also as a devastating (if pricy) link team as a core for Morat Sectorial lists.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

Now we get to some guys that strike fear in the hearts of our enemies. I really think Yaogats are a solid choice and I find that most of my lists get based around a team of these guys. Based of our standard Morat these guys get +2 CC +1BS and are 3 ARM (that's as much as some HI). Only really losing 2 inches off their second move (normal for MI). They all come with MSV2 and most are rocking Panzerfausts in addition to good selection firepower. These are made to be a serous link team, I try to run at least 4 to stop the hidden deployment and Camo antics, and 5 is a nightmare. Hidden types want nothing to do with a face-to-face roll against a BS15 burst 5 Spitfire that ignores that TO Camo and likewise a BS15 Burst 2 Panzerfaust's in ARO are't anyone's cup-o-tea. I think these guys are super offensive great defensive and the all around workhorse of the Aggression Forces, I also like to keep that previously mentioned Medic around this unit to keep her topped off in the later rounds.
• Combi Rifle, Grenades- Combi Rifles while not the fanciest of guns still kill and while linked up win
Face to face rolls out of sheer burst value. The grenades are great for those speculative shots, and to
template other link teams etc. also this is the cheapest option and the only non LT. that doesn't cost
SWC so sometimes he's necessary.
• Combi Rifle, Panzerfaust- Your basic Yaogat fill the team with these when you can.
• Boarding Shotgun, Panzerfaust- Add's in a little AP and some template action, a good close range
option against linked knights.
• MULTI Sniper Rifle- With the visor this guy is a problem solver, once again I like to put him in a link
to make him truly dangerous. Great in some cover in a Low Visibility Zone.
• Spitfire- Link Leader you have my permission to bullet hose, I have run this guy many of times and
he never disappoints.
• Lt- packing the same armament as Yaogat #2 but somehow costing 0 SWC means this guy ALWAYS has a spot as your LT.



Shasvastii Gwailos


Saise:

+ Durable and Cheap!
- Lacking durability in reactive turn, if we are not smart enough!

As I said at the beginning of this treatise Combined Army have it all - snipers, rambo'es, infiltrators, whatever you need period. However, having access to everything costs a lot in points, and this situation create a hole for "cheap and realiable storm trooper". Of course, Operators of all kind are decently cheap and realiable, but well, lack the durability to be used openly and without restraints.

And that's why Shasvastii Expeditionary Force send us Gwailos! Ultra Cheap stormtrooper with access to solid but not enourmous guns and with extreme level of durability for his low point cost. Armed with MULTI Rifle, Boarding Shotgun or awesome Spitfire, costing close about 30 points, BS:13 soldier is a solid stature, even if he have only a puny armour of 2 - but the trick is, that he is always in cover! The advance technology of the aliens provide him with a Nanocreen, a cloud of tough nanites that "gather up" to instantly build a solid structure in the way of a projectile and stop it before it reach the Gwailo. And that means my dear Aliens, that Gwailo in active turn is a 30 point, medium gun totting storm trooper with an excellent ARM of 5 (and the best thing is, that even the AP ammo reduce it only to 4)!

Downsides? Yes, of course he have a downside - Nanoscreen is awesome, but have it faults - first, Fire and E/M pulses turn it off instantly, making our Gwailo just a medicore infantrymen as long, as one of our engineer don't fix it. Also we must remember, that in reactive turn Nanoscreen is not so fast to cover us from everything - when our turns end, we must put our Nanoscreen marker in touch with Gwailobase, and moving it in reactive turn is an ARO, so if we don't cover our soldier from all directions a smart opponent can take on him from his blind spots. But even while considering this, Gwailos are pretty awesome, as they give us a very powerful warrior for very little price.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Gwailos: Previous to Paradiso’s book the only medium infantry in the sectrial. One weird unit between the shasvastii; no camo, no auto-medikit, and ready to blaze some glory to the opponent’s face. It’s hard to make room for this fireteam in the lists due to their lack of sinergy with the whole sectorial, even with their nanoscreen, a BS only bested by the Sphinx, and the possibility to link spitfire, Multi Rifle and/or HRL.


Rasyat Diplomatic Division


Saise:

+ Self-Sufficient, Melee Monster
- Regular Combat Jumpers Caveat = A little risky

Rasyats are fun! One of the youngest regiment in the Morat Supremacy they need to quickly earn their renown, as they were laughed at for being a "Diplomatic Section" of Morat Military. But, because those are Morats, Diplomacy is quick and bloody! Rasyats quickly became popular amongst young Morats for their bold combat actions extreme bravado and berserkering combat record! Gamewise, Raysats are top-notch medium infantry with Combat Jump and fantastic statline - with solid BS, PH and WIP they can fullfill their Shock Troopers role with impunity, and when we add their awesome CC stat with close combat dedicated abilities (either Martial Arts Lv.3 or Natural Born Warrior) and give'em an powerful CC weapon, we have a very scary and quite unique Close Combat Dedicated Combat Jumper (CCDCJ in short!)

Rasyat is perfectly designed to be a Combat Jumper, as he is strong both in shooting and close combat. With BS of 12 and solid array of ranged weaponry (like Spitfire or always great on jumpers, Boarding Shotgun) he can kill something bigger than him outright, just after a safe landing. But he have another way of dealing with targets, and its the Way Of Reaping His Guts Out in Close Combat - with EXP CCW or AP CCW, CC of 18 and Martial Arts Lv.3 he can easily take on any non-CC-dedicated enemy and tore it apart with ease. If you want to kill a Dedicated CC Specialist, you still have a chance if you go with Natural Born Warrior instead. Armour 2, while it do not shine in Shoot-outs, can be a blessing in CC situation.

And the best thing about Close Combating Rasyat is that he have means to get close and personal with enemy due to being armed with Zero-V Smoke Grenades! So jump into Action, throw grenade at chosen target and run for it! Then, after you deal with this threat, throw another grenade at another twit and kill him - rinse & repeat! Thanks to being Zero-V Smoke Grenades you can take care of those nasty MSVisored guys, like Hsien or Aquila!

Downsides? Well, like all Combat Jumper it is a little risky - PH 13 is well enough, but it still have chance to disperse on front of your enemy guns, and die horribly without achieving anything. Also, you can have only one of those unless you are playing Morat Sectorial Army, so if you lose it due to lack of luck, you have no Back-up. But, all in all, Rasyat Diplomat is fantastic Combat Jumper that can lay a punch on almost anything in the game!


Eypyeash:

Rasyat Diplomatic Division - Plenty of murder dropping from the sky. These guys are fun, and at 35 points for a regular guy or 40 for the Spitfire, aren't too expensive, either. If you gotta get a Combat Jump troop, look to Ko Dali first. However, Rasyats are the next best thing. They shoot better than a Vanguard, and every one has Zero-V smoke. The hardest decision is whether to take Natural Born Warrior or Martial Arts 3. Both Martial Arts variants come with an explosive CCW, and both Natural Born variants have AP CCW. If you want a spitfire, you default to the Natural Born Warrior, but my personal favorite weapon will always be a boarding shotgun... so I'll always get martial arts. You can probably find a way to abuse the smoke, like parking near an enemy MSV unit and letting it fly in ARO to really screw with their positioning, but they're more about the brute force.


Calculon:

Bottom line: combat jump Morat troops, particularly effective with Spitfires. Deceptively capable in close combat, but remember that's not why you send them in.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

If the enemy fears the Yaogat then it just terrified of the Rasyat, there is plenty of AD: Combat Jump units in the game but only 2 want to fight it out in CC and the Rasyat is King. Packing all the tools to dominate in CC and get there with Zero-V smoke and EXP Close Combat Weapon this guy can lay down the hurt, the second type while shootier is no less devastating with either E/Mitter or Spitfire options. He gets in behind enemy lines witch is exactly not were the enemy wants him. Many a game i'v lost a couple orders in the first turn and this guy has evened or completely tipped the scale back in my favor. Also almost all the versions have D-Charges for sabotage and with upcoming campaign book this my be a nasty combo.

• Combi Rifle, Martial Arts LV3, EXP Close Combat Weapon - Basic load out is completely deadly, drop
in behind enemy lines wreak havoc.
• Boarding Shotgun, Martial Arts LV3, EXP Close Combat Weapon - Standard Boarding Shotgun advice,
lil better vs. armor punish the enemy for being close to one another.
• Combi Rifle + E/Mitter Natural Born Warrior, AP Close Combat Weapon - Trade in the Martial Arts
and EXP CC for a Knight's worst day, E/M gun and ignore Martial Arts and Beserk!
• Spitfire + Natural Born Warrior, AP Close Combat Weapon - The safest bet, he drops and shoots everything in the back. Simple strategy, brutally effective.



Ko Dali


Eypyeash:

Who the hell thought this up? Take away a YuJing staple and deliver it to the Combined for 37 points?
Start with Combat Jump (or Multiterrain... I bet you'll pick the former), sprinkle on Protheion and an MSV2. That sounds like a pretty interesting troop in itself, right? Okay, now give it BS14, make that Combat Jump better with PH13, and arm it with a pair of assault pistols for Burst 5. Finally, just to make sure she can do some other thing, she'll get D-Charges and a combi-rifle, plus a nanopulser for good measure. Ko Dali is a workhorse in my lists. She's one entire half of a pincer tactic. If you drop her behind enemy lines, she's so dangerous she WILL get some turn-to-face reactions wherever she goes, and that's why she becomes extra dangerous. She forces the best laid plans to go to hell because she absolutely can't be ignored. If you're lucky enough to "only" knock someone unconscious, she can eat them, too, though that burns precious orders to capitalize on. She never survives 'til the end of a game in my lists, but she's always worth the points. So what's her downside? She's slow. I won't even argue with it. If she were anything beyond 4-2 I'd be screaming broken as much as anyone else. She can get picked off by Camo troops in your reactive turn, but if that's the case, you've probably done enough damage for her to deserve it anyway. And maybe I glossed over it, but that MSV2 thing... it really helps. A camo marker should stay hidden against her, because if they try to ARO, they're just as dead as the next thing. What should you watch out for? Total reaction bots, same as any other Combat Jump troop. If you scatter into a bad area, she can get mauled by one of those, or whatever else is laying around. Be sneaky and cautious about it. Examine your template and realize the limitations it has on where you can scatter... She'll never go in the 1-3 directions, and as she fails by a larger degree, she'll scatter further to the left of the template than the right. Ensure the area to the left is relatively free of danger, or accept the consequences. Using AD2 instead is often tempting, but less exciting. More savvy players will often have this area completely locked down, while novice players may try to cover all potential drop zones and have their guys facing the wrong way right in the middle of their deployment zones. If your opponent is going first, AD2 is harder to pull off, and AD3 easier.



Kornak Gazarot


Eypyeash:

One of the only other options for Strategos in Combined, he's got level 1, offering a little extra order efficiency for you. However, he's got no trick to hide if you use him as your Lieutenant, so be prepared for a lot of fighting headed his way. With an impressive BS14 and the ho-hum Mk12, you can probably cause a bit of damage, but he costs 43 points... he really belongs in a dedicated Morat list, where he can supplement a link team.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

This guy sums up Morats in a very important way, like the rest of his race he's a no frills soldier, nothing too fancy just with all the bits that make him brutally effective. After playing him in a couple games he's my new favorite and I will be running him almost all the time. Every part of this guy screams solid choice and i think he's a well thought out character. Starting with the above average stat line, 4-4 makes him fast for a armor 3 medium infantry CC18 with a DA CCW is effective yet cost efficient especially for a guy who'd rather shoot you with his BS14 MK-12 (remember EM won't turn this off) In a link team of Suryats (exactly were he belongs) he's hitting regular targets on 17's and if you catch them out of cover 20's! Round it out with the standard high PH of the race the highest WP we have access to, an AMAZING BTS -9 cause apparently this guys taken so many Viral Wounds hes developed immunity. Frenzy gives him a chance for extra order (with extra risk) but that Suryat link will mitigate that. All these things make him a great choice but Strategos LV1 makes him the definitive LT. Choice, give the LT Order to the link or anyone else for that matter I like having 11 orders for my combat group don't you? Finally No Wound Incap makes him the gift that keeps on giving, this guy is essentially HI without the drawback of being hackable. Like I'v hinted at before running Kornak with 3 Suryats and a butler is affordable at 300 (and you still have room for vital mission personnel and just Brutal, There in your face and there not going anyware. It's also important to note that he can be put in a Sogorat link to make that an affordable option, also it makes it possible to do a 4-man soggy but the points just are't there.

To Sum up that long winded spiel this guy is the original RAGEMONKEY and he's awsome.

• MK- 12, Light Flamethrower, DA CCW - Everything you need for success, amazing Rifle, flame template for tricky camo situations as well as ODD's and round it out with an effective CCW, very solid gear.
• MK- 12, Light Flamethrower, DA CCW, Lieutenant - 0 SWC in Morat Sectorial make this my new favorite LT!



Skiavoros


Saise:

+ Excellent Lieutenant, top-notch medium infantry, quasi viral Immunity
- "Wannabe Charontid"

Skiavoro is a new addition from beloved Human Sphere, and gosh, how not to love another combat aspect of the EI. Skiavoro is the only one of the family with weak, puny armour of 3 and low BTS of -3. And he have only one wound! WAIT! He don't have wound at all, he have s STRucture point - this is quite important, as you need to use enginners to fix him if needed. Also, because of this fact he have some immunity to Viral ammunition, as he don't die instantly from being wounded from it. Still, better don't get catched by this ammo, really. But remember the sunny side of this soldier - excellent BS and WIP, Plasma Rifle and Nanopulser on a basic profile and like all Combat Forms he have G:Mnemonica and V:No Wound Incapacitation! As far as it gets, he is quite a hardy medium infantry that can throw a serious punch. Addition of CH:Mimetism make him even more dangerous and give him upper hand in shoot-outs with Non-MSV troopers.

But to be honest, he is not designed for combat as his bigger brothers, Charontid and Anathematic - he is designed to be an outstanding lieutenant! With G:Mnemonica and Strategos LV.2 and much lower cost in comparision to Charontid/Anathematic he is a great choice for a leader spot - 2 wounds in total (thanks to V:NWI), solid armour, powerful array of guns... he is surely a Lieutenant that can stand his ground. Strategos LV.2 is a tasty cherry on the top and you will be grateful that you have it, belive me. And of course G:Mnemonica make him a true "I Don't Really Care if he Die", so if you feel, well, cocky about it, you can run with berserk warcry with him into the maw, throw some plasma balls and die heroicly - and you will not be in "Loss of Lieutenant" situation, ta-dam! Great, but what about the price? Well, he is expensive with 56 points, but think what you got for those! Suryat Lieutenant is one point more expensive and have only 1 point of ARM more, but he lacks Plasma, Nanopulser, G:Mnemonica, Mimetism, Strategos and don't have 2 wounds!

But this one have more cards to play with - he can be a Lieutenant with dreaded Sepsitor attack! Making him the cheapest way of all to bring this weapon the the battlefield and activate Coma in those sweet, sweet Daturazis.
The question is "Why I should take this guy, if I can pay some more points to have Powerhouse like Charontid or Anathematic? Well, the answer is - you pay for it, pointwise. Charontid costs like Skiavoro + Daturazi and Anathematic cost is so high, that you can take Skiavoro in his place and have enough points to buy Yaogat for example. Also, have a Skiavoro do not limit you in any way, you can still make a place for Charontid/Anathematic in your list - and this is just plain scary, super expensive Multiple EI Combat Aspect list: Skiavoro, Anathematic and Charontid in one place! Also, when Skiavoro is your lieutenant already you can take other Combat Aspects with other options, like Charontid with HMG (Supa-awesome!) or Anathametic Hacker (insanely dangerous!). Think of it!


Eypyeash:

I won't rehash the entire blurb [as the Charontid], but the weapon options are pretty similar. However, these are the major differences between a Skiavoro and a Charontid:
- Cheaper, by at least 20 points
- More defensive: No MSV, but he does have Mimetism, making Face to Face rolls against non-Camo troops tilt in your favor more.
- Structure, not Wounds: This one is interesting. Immune to Viral and I-Kohl, as situational as those are. In Paradiso play, this actually helps in the 400-series as well! Also, you don't strictly have to have a Medchanoid squirming around to patch him up in this way, either. Any old Engineer will do, though non-Medchanoids do have that low WIP 13. It does give you options though. Just saying.
- Less armor, lower BTS: Obviously not as survivable as a Charontid, but doesn't make enemies so quickly, either.
- ... but more survivable: Gloating about G: Mnemonica can play a psy-ops game with your opponent ("I mean, I can just jump him to an Engineer or something anyway... do you want me to have a WIP 16 Engineer?"). If you aren't going crazy with the Skiavoro, they may ignore him in favor of other things on the table. You can use this to your advantage by using him in a critical moment.
Loadout Differences
- Hacker: Hacking Device is just... a Hacking Device, not a Plus. Typical Hacker tricks apply here.
- Lieutenant: Strategos 2! As the cheapest EI option, he's already a solid LT choice, but Strategos really wins me over. He lets the lynchpin(s) of your force go where they need to during the Reserves step, and helps mitigate some potential havoc caused by your opponent's Strategos 3.
- Spitfire: Frankly, I prefer the Spitfire over a HMG anyway. Its range is a little shorter, but it does a solid job of controlling an area from 0-24. It's a lot easier to keep people in THAT range than out of your 0-8.
- Sepsitor Lieutenant: As the Skiavoros favorite EI lieutenant, it may surprise you I've only used this version a couple times. Usually I pack the extra points into a little something else, upgrading Kurgats to Mk12s or whatever. However, against most armies, this guy changes everything. He feels dirty. Park him center field and everything moves around him. He's a complete battlefield disruptor, and worth every point of the upgrade. He's also durable as ever, and unless a team of non-cubed guys wants to force the issue, no one will get out alive. He's a great aggressive lieutenant in this form, especially since you can just jump with mneumonica anyway. If you're like me, you'll swear off using him except against "that guy" in your gaming club (you may be that guy if you're playing Combined. In this case, don't be a douche) or with plenty of warning and allowing takebacks if your opponent does stumble into the Sepsitor's ZOC. It's really that bad. Except against Ariadna and very specific line infantry.


popg0estheworld:

My favorite Lt. Strategos 2 is super useful, especially sharing your LT order. The high WP is nice, but the benefits of Strategos 2 and G: Mnemonica offer a lot of flexibility and security. Also, he is no scrub in a firefight either, and Plasma is always nasty. Still, having an LT whose consciousness stays in play after death (see Ikadron's autotool), and the ability to share your Lt order if he doesn't die, he is worth the points even if he just sits still all game.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:17 pm
by spektr
Heavy Infantry



Suryats


Eypyeash:

Suryats - Medium-Heavy infantry, their biggest draw is the cheapish multi-rifle. If you haven't used a multi-rifle to kill a TAG yet, consider it an option. Most people seem to think you need HMGs and explosives to deal with 'em, but two AP shots at BS13 is enough to knock one out in a couple orders. I've noticed the Infinity Army Builder 4.0 lists their HMGs as having free SWC, but I think this is erroneous. If that's something I missed in one of the books, that'd be a hell of a reason to invest 40 points in a Suryat. They have a solid -6 BTS to stop from being hacked all the time, but have 3 ARM, which is along Medium Infantry lines.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

Paradiso brought an interesting change to these grizzled vets, dropping to armor 3 made them cheap enough to actually field links and furthered the gap between these and the Soggy(this is good imo). BTS up to -6 makes them frustrating for hackers and makes sense since they have been fighting tohaa for years. The drop in PH is not unexpected as it was surprising they used to have it, and again cheaper is better in this case. For completeness they used to have shock CCW's but Suryats are shooty not hitty, and all this makes Suryats around 10 pts cheaper. So where do they stand now? With the addition of the Raktorak and Kornak these guys can be a serous threat and a more brutal and resilient albeit less flexible than a Yoagat link. While a very pricey link they're fast (4-4 and Jungle) and a burst 5 HMG hitting on 16 -19 with or without cover from a 2 wound model is pure kill . These guys are hard enough to play alone but I think there great in a link so these thoughts may lean that way. Also a good place for courage as if that rare crit puts a wound on you, Suryat will make him pay.
P.S. WAY MORE OPTIONS!!
• Combi Rifle, Light Flamethrower - Now a cheap and flexible option, great for filling out the team.
• Vulkan Shotgun - same here as Raktorak also cheap as above.
• Multi Rifle, Light Flamethrower - Multi Rifle is great in ARO and i'm loving the influx of flamethrowers.
• Multi Rifle, Light Flamethrower, Lieutenant - A less purely offensive but much more flexible LT. Option 1
• HMG, - Go to option for causing mayhem, strangely this does't cost more SWC than the regular like the Multi Rifle LT. does like always Morats respect the guy with the biggest gun.
• Heavy Rocket Launcher, Assault Pistol- Expensive but a really cool option, can put a hurt on grouped up models and in a link burst 3 makes it reliable and who does't love an assault pistol!



Sogarats


Eypyeash:

Sogarats - If you want a tough-as-nails bossman running around, the Sogarat is your guy. Two wounds and an auto-medkit is tough to handle, on top of ARM 6. Give him a Feuerbach and you've also got an assault pistol for close range confrontations. You can make him a WIP 13 Lieutenant, but this will cost you an extra .5 SWC on top of his already pricey options, so not really worth it. He's a solid mini-TAG that doesn't quite stand up to the Charontid for awesomeness, but he does run a dozen or so points cheaper. Then again, with -3 BTS, he's pretty likely to get targeted by hackers.


Calculon:

Bottom line: (slow)-walking, heavily-armoured Morat heavy infantry, with low-SWC Lieutenant upgrades and automedkit. HMG is good; also CA's lone Feuerbach option, with assault pistol for a truly ferocious close-range threat.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

There's heavy infantry then there's Sogarat, these guys could arguable be placed in the "light TAG" category. Boasting an ARM value tied only by Achilles, TAGS and a very solid PH 15 they have one very exclusive piece of gear, the AutoMedKit. On a PH15 guy this thing is pretty insane, if your ARM 6 (9 in cover) 2W Seogorat manages to go unconscious one order later you have a 75% chance to stand back up, Sogorats are the gift that keeps on giving, being extremely nasty and tough as nails with the redundancy of a zombie. To top it all off they come with the biggest guns, truly living up to their Tempest Regiment reputation. As an added note, all variants come with a AP CCW when added with the CC17 and PH15 I would throw this guy against T.A.G.'s as well

• HMG - 2 SWC HMG making the basic kit a devastating option.
• Feuerbach, Assault Pistol - A much more in your face option this guys optimal range is < 24 buy DA/AP and Damage 14 has solid damage potential vs. armor and once you gey in 8 Assault Pistols are awsome for situations were you need the increases burst vs. risky ARO's.
• HMG, Lieutenant - .5 more SWC nets you another order to spend on this Hoss, and there's certainly
squishier LT. Options.
• Feuerbach, Assault Pistol - Same as above.



The Charontids


Saise:
+He is one big Plus. A monster. Your opponents will learn to hate him and loath him while they sleep.
- What? He don't have any. And I am serious about it.

Ok, the "shortened verdicts" above may be a little biased as I am a dedicated Combined Player, and Charontid is a centrepiece of love in this army for - as I belive - all Combined Army General around the entire globe. Charontid is pure evil. Charontid will kill your opponents. Charontid will do thing you will not imagine possible. As his fluff stated: He is an ultimate Super-Soldier, a true combat vessel for EI, if EI feeling-like-killing at the moment.

OK, I can drip honey all around this guy, but the question is WHY the HECK he is so awesome. Easy! First of all, make a great statline with pearls like 16 WIP, 5 Arm, -6 BTS and all other stats above medicore. Than mix it with 2 wounds and V:No Wound Incapacitation to get a freakin' monster, hard as iron nuts. Give the result of the above a big and scary gun, a dreaded monofilament close combat weapon and unique and jawdropping Sepsitor attack. Add Multispectral Visor lv.3 (!) and G:Mnemonica to the list, and you have Charontid.

What does it all means? Well, that we have a beast that can take enourmous level of punishment (3 wounds, great Armour value!), can dish out monstrous damage (due to having a Plasma Rifle or HMG... or frying opponents minds with Sepsitor, if we feel like it!) and nothing can hide from his wrath due to MSV lv.3 that allow Charontid to mess up even markers. No one is safe when this guy is around! Let's get deeper into his Awesomeness now...

Plasma Rifle is the Mean Gun - range is medicore at best and to be use effectivly need to get our Charontid close, but it is not a downside, as our brave super-soldier is tough enough to get close and personal! And three DMG 14 circular templates that deals regular AND Electromagnetic damage at once is bad. Bad for our enemies! Plasma Rifle with its great fire ratio can threat anything in the game - if something do not fall due to damage, maybe it will disable due to E/M! If enemy model will be hit by 3 shots, he will roll 6 saves! 3 for regular damage and 3 for E/M damage! Well, he need a lot of Luck to pass all of this. Gun is, as you see, powerful, but it is even more scary due to MSV lv.3 that allow Charontid to shot at markers and do not apply any modifiers for ODD, Smoke or any level of Camo!

MSV lv.3 is a rare treat and we must use it as much as we can! Daturazis come to help us with their smoke grenades! If opponent don't have MSVisors of lv.2 or higher just pop a grenade on a spot with good LOF to enemy miniatures, enter the smoke with our Charontid and spend orders on him to kill as many as he can! This is a great tactica if we arm our Charontid with HMG - great fire ratio and range make shooting easy and deadly. If your opponents don't hide his models well he can be washed out in a single turn! Also, when staying in Smoke your target will not react simultaneously - they will ARO only if they survive and with nasty modifiers, so our Charontid should be more than safe! This tech do not work good with Plasma, as Plasma rifle have much shorter effective range.

If someone try to mess up Charonti in Close Combat, he should be more than sure to finish him in a single blow - otherwise, his Monofilament CCW can quickly turn any opponent into sliced meat, no matter how tough he will be. This is a good thing to remember if we face TAG's - TAG's great armour and BTS can withstand even a constant plasma fire, but close and personal most TAG's will have a problem to kill Charontid fast enough to survive Monofilament Death!

Also, Charontids - like all EI Aspects - are great Lieutenants! With WIP of 16 you get an upper hand in a beginning roll-off, and if he die you will not suffer Loss of Lieutenant situation due to G:Mnemonica special skill; you simply chose a new lieutenant for free, as a "EI Ghost" simply jump into Cube of another soldier and takes control of the battle instantly. So, making EI Aspect a Lieutenant is natural choice - they don't cost SWC at all for being a leader, they are tough and can deal damage without fear of the Loss of Lieutenant situation.

SO, Charontids are great at everything - superb killers, tough as nails, great lieutenants. And, in addition, an excellent hackers! With hacking device plus and WIP of 16 they are more then potent in the role of a hacker - also it is always good to have a hacker with durability level and fire output like Charontid. THIS is definitly not a hacker that your opponent can deal with easily and without any sweat, belive me.

So, to be honest, Charontids have no downsize of any kind? Well, yeah - of course, someone my point out that they are helluva expensive. But come on! Expensive? Around 80 points for all of this? Superb statline, deadly weapons, huge resiliance and awesome skill'n'gear? I consider it a bargain! Ok, one small minus - If you have Sepsitor, you lose MSV lv.3! But to be honest it must be that way - Sepsitorizing a Camo Marker will be way to powerful to make it true!

But be AWARE! Infinity is a game where everything can kill anything. A 9 point costing Kazak can kick your Charontid butt with a streak of luck or to be more precise - If YOU let it happen! Just because Charontid is big'n'mean, just because he have 3 wounds (2+NWI) and great Arm+BTS it doesn't mean you can run across the battlefield like a crazy chimp! Remember: Cover is your friend! Supporting miniatures are your friends! Autocannons are your enemies x)


Eypyeash:

Plasma Rifle - Devastating at short range, and solid in ARO; the plasma rifle is a combi rifle with a hell of a kick to it, a better boarding shotgun with some options for the template. MSV3 is the real reason to take a Charontid. As one of the few with the visor in the game, he usually exhibits groans from camo-heavy players, and is very much their primary target. He can even take a few hits, but you don't want to if you don't have to. This is a unit you'll want to Rambo around, but he's slow; on those orders where you just don't have anything useful to shoot at, he's chugging along at 6". Be aggressive, but stay guarded when you near the end of your order pool. He should always be in cover, preferably with no way to get at his back, when you end your turn. Know who works well with a Charontid? Daturazi! Impetuously throwing smoke, not wasting the big guy's orders to do it and being very accurate with it... and he can shoot right through. This is the perfect pairing. If you play against Aleph, you've probably seen this trick with a Marut/Asura and a Myrmidon, but the Myrmidon has to kill something to become Impetuous. He's well-equipped to fight TAGs, since they have the full potential to get locked up with each shot, but you really have to work to be in a range band that's advantageous for you; only do it if you've got the drop on him, or are in solid cover. Those EXP rounds really hurt if you flub your shots. Finally, remember that by taking any G:Mnemonica model, you can automatically take the amazing Ikadron. These 9-point orders boosters are just what every Combined list needs to maximize order efficiency.
Plasma Rifle Lieutenant - Just as the above, and with Lieutenant, allowing the G: Mnemonica to work. You can stay aggressive and not worry about going into a LoL situation! If you'd taking a Charontid, there are only two reasons you shouldn't make him your Lieutenant; either you've got another G:Mneumonica Lieutenant available, or you want the HMG option.
Sepsitor - Exactly like the Plasma Rifle version, but you get the feared Sepsitor out of the deal. Also, not at all like the Plasma Rifle version. NO MSV!! It really takes the meat out of the Charontid, reducing him to a pretty tough HI that happens to carry a gross trick up his sleeve (or in his brain). He's expensive, but it does allow some very dirty tricks. Since you don't require LOS anymore, you don't need to burn orders to move around and flush out buildings. On the other hand, Sepsitor is very situational. Line troops are rarely Cubed, heavier ones are usually deployed in your face. Skirmishers are your primary target here, but some of them are packing a Hacking device, and you don't want to risk that without being certain you'll get something out of it. I'm a fan of attrition tactics, and this isn't the guy to be using them with. Remember the mighty Daturazi if you want the most of your Sepsitor! On top of being smoke-throwing hooligans, they've also got Coma. A well-used Daturazi should have no problem murdering someone... they can sneak up right behind a poorly placed model and chop them up with a Shock CCW, or blow them to bits with a chain rifle. A good use of Coma is just as situational as Sepsitor itself, if not moreso; you'll lose your Daturazi at the end of it, but if the enemy has multiple Cubed guys within his ZOC, and you have orders to blow, why not make them your best friends? Finally, remember those pesky link teams of 4-5 models? They can try to Dodge your Sepsitor rather than WIP it, but you'll probably have the upper hand in any case.
Hacker - Hacking Device Plus. Well, you keep the Plasma Rifle, but lose the MSV3, which is a hell of a thing. You get a very high WIP specialist that can also Forward Observe for those particular objectives, but your offensive power is in the tubes... plus he's more expensive than the other options. If you want to try a guided-stuff list, or parabolic fire is your thing, he may be for you, but GMLs are past their prime and grenade launchers are in short supply. I'd recommend him only for largely experimental play, but keeping a GML remote in the back corridor, using the Charontid to march up and blast stuff and tagging guys behind walls is a classy way to play. Think of him as a Sepsitor version without the added bonus of being able to use their troops against them afterwards, and costing more orders to do it with... but never having to worry about wasting points on the Sepsitor versus Ariadna.
HMG - Here's my favorite version, hands-down. The mighty HMG, equipped on the better looking model of the two Charontid sculpts, and you get to keep your MSV. Not only this, he's the least expensive, though costs 2 SWC. A HMG Charontid is a long-ranged nightmare capable of really messing up your opponent's day. Best against LI, HI, and everything in between, he'll usually win fights against TAGs by volume of fire, and has a better chance of critting with the extra die. Best used when he can spot two different targets, and is in cover. This minimizes waste when you're fighting a more numbers-friendly enemy, because your Charontid is still 4-2 and takes awhile to get where he's going. Like all other Charontids, park him somewhere he won't get hit from the rear, and has plenty of cover... he'll need it, with the enemies he'll be making.


popg0estheworld:

MSV 3, BS 13, HMG. They see everything, all the time. It is like camo doesn't exist. Also, they are tough as nails, and can take serious punishment (though they usually don't because they ARO so well). My first game with one of these was against an all-camo Ariadna force. I almost felt bad, I destroyed everything so quickly. Almost.



The Anathematics


Eypyeash:

Anathematics are basically a Charontid with some advantages and disadvantages. The lack of MSV is big versus certain armies, but TO gives that potential for surprise you can't beat. He's more survivable in that way... Just like a Sphinx, he can pick his targets and get there relatively unscathed. Unlike the sphinx, he's slow and can't get into interesting places so easily. Used with Shasvastii troops, you can shell game like a hooligan if he's your Lieutenant. Seed soldiers and Caliban Embryos can throw your opponent for a loop. And those Combat Jumpers? Surprise sepsitor attack! one potential downside is his size. He's a large base, so certain Paradiso missions won't let him use his potential Specialist abilities. He's also easier to see once he uncloaks, but he can see more from cover.


popg0estheworld:

It is always fun in a miniature game when things play out cinematically. The Anathematics allow you to fulfill your dreams of controlling the Xenomorphs from the Aliens movies against a terrified opponent. The TO camo allows you to move largely undetected (and you can always play a shell game with your opponents if you have a couple other TO markers out there, like the cheap Noctifiers). The Sepsitor will terrify all of your non-Ariadna opponents (Ariadna will just be terrified of the TO). Even if you don't sepsitorize anybody, it will force your opponents to strategize around it. If you have a central shared objective in ITS, just go ahead and camp your Anathematic within 8", and dare your opponents to come close enough. Fun, sneaky, and versatile.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:18 pm
by spektr
Warbands



The Hungries (Pretas and Gakis)


Eypyeash:

If cheap murder is your thing, Pretas will be the butter to your bread. 6-6 impetuous, irregular chain rifles for five points... and they come with a stock of AP mines? I expect them to get errata'd in the future (or rather, Biomines made like they used to be), but they have no business being so cheap. It's hard to take down a Preta without taking a loss from it somehow. And if they catch you in the open with nothing else to do, lay a mine! Sure, Pretas go down easy, but they also detract from your opponent's order pool as they try to deal with them instead of other threats.


Calculon:

Gakis: Bottom line: no ranged weapons, but fast and deadly. Irregular and impetuous, ergo difficult to control and coordinate.

Pretas: Bottom line: chainguns at the expense of AP CC weapons. Still cheap, still irregular.


popg0estheworld:

Pretas: They are crazy fast, they have chain rifles, they poop mines everywhere, and they only cost 5 points. Their impetuous status allows them to drop two mines turn one for next to nothing, without hurting your order pool. Use them to root out troops behind cover or in camo with their Chain Rifles, or just lay down some sector control with a few cheap mines. Yes, they will die, but they are very expendable. The best 5 points you can spend.



Oznat


Eypyeash:

Oznat - If you want mid-ranged smoke support, you're going to have to pick between an Oznat and a Daturazi Grenadier. Both are impetuous, both have the same BS and WIP, and that's about the end of it. An Oznat is two points cheaper, and doesn't cost any SWC. The Daturazi is vastly superior in his additional abilities, but costs an SWC and two more points than an Oznat. Neither is particular expensive points-wise (Oznat is 21, Daturazi is 23), so it's largely up to preference. I'd take the Daturazi in a standard Combined list, but I always have SWC to spare. If points were tight, an Oznat is a great runner up. He's just got a more specific role.

The key with the Oznat is his light smoke launcher and impetuous... For two points cheaper and 0 SWC compared to the Daturazi's 1 SWC. They don't get the same tricks as a Daturazi, but they're cheaper for efficiency's sake. Both are comparable with shooting their smoke, both direct and speculative, and both are, of course, impetuous. That means you can launch smoke to support a Charontid from further away without much issue, and for free. The base score is worse than a standard Daturazi if you wanted to drop it at your feet, but at 5-16 you're equal to the Dat's 5-8 range. This, of course, means more efficiency for murder train setups.

Also, one of the benefits of impetuous smoke in any form is that you can launch it to screen your Hungries from death if you know they're getting ready to walk into a mess... Otherwise the Hungries would be running out there like idiots before you had a chance to help them. At up to 16 inches, you can pretty much stroll into their deployment zone before non-MSV2+ troops can shoot at 'em.

So, Oznats have a pretty solid footing in any list I'd say. They aren't the fluffy death cheerleaders a chain Daturazi is, but they're better at a defined purpose. If you want someone who can still have their sneaky walks and forces harder face to face rolls, pay an extra couple points and an SWC for the Daturazi grenadier. Either one is worth it... And my standard Combined list usually runs at 2 SWC (Charontid HMG). Not sure how you guys roll, but I've never breached the 3.5 mark. It'd be very different if i played Morat Aggression Force, and my Aleph were always at 6.



Daturazi Witch Soldiers


Eypyeash:

Daturazi - If you haven't heard of these guys yet, I don't know where you've been. They're the ultimate fodder troop. For 14 points you can get a chain rifle version, which is cheaper than the most basic Morat trooper. They're impetuous, which I consider a good thing; they run up and get smoke or shoot what you need shot, without wasting precious orders. They're sneaky, with mimetism and Martial Arts level 4 to prevent turn-to-face reactions. I recommend at least one in every army, if not two, because they just work so well with everything. They counterbalance some of our higher cost options while still being a real, functional member of the army; they're a cheerleader that's actually perfectly able to annihilate someone who underestimates them. Most of their options lie in the combirifle and whatever flavor of CCW you'd like to buy, but completely standard, they come with Shock. If you can get them to kill something, they can use Coma, which I've already discussed in depth in the Charontid entry (basically, if you take any non-Hacker Charontid, you should take a Daturazi or two). One of their most interesting options is the Smoke LGL.

Daturazi are impetuous, but regular, smoke-throwing chain rifles with Martial Arts Level 4 and mimetism for a startling 14 points. You can equip them with other stuff, but why? They optimize your order pool like no one's business, and any attempts to draw them into a trap usually wind up bad for the opponent. PH14 means a solid chance to dodge a mine; it's even better against things that shoot at you as you run into the open, as you can drop a smoke grenade on a 17 or less, all while forcing a -3 to hit them anyway. They can sneak up behind a guy and murder him in many creative ways. And again, 14 points.


Calculon:

Bottom line: warband regulars, and a very cost-effective option when equipped with just a chain-rifle. Smoke and great combat skills make them indispensible to Morat armies.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

To wrap up the Morat units we end with the mighty Daturazi , normally I post the first profile of the unit but this time I had to post the most used one. This guy has been in every list I have ever played and you see him pop up all over the place. Being the cheapest Morat around at a lowly 14 points help but what really sets these apart is for that price you get a guy with Martial Arts LV4, Mimetism and +4 CC and +2 PH (over basic Morat) paying for it with -1 BS and Impetuous (wich is't really a drawback). The Daturazi also come with a rare skill called Coma which doesn't really play out in MAF but works a a Sepsitor repeater in normal combined army. While the daturazi have an amazing selection of option the bare bones 14 pointer has such a great bang for the buck. These guys have a great versatility and with Morats only access to smoke pair up with Yaogats perfectly. Martial Arts LV4 is also about as good as it gets for CC and the only guys Daturazi need really watch out for is Natural Born Warriors or Berserk, but that prolly wont end well for either party depending on kit.

The impetuous can be a two-edged blade but if used correctly can make up for the lower order pools of the somewhat expensive Morat Army[ed: combined army too], and smoke certainly helps. Also while not a popular link it can be a very effective one, cheap and versatile grouped close combat with these guys is a death sentence and a 5 man link would go a long way to making the non-Chainrifle dudes better shots. The combination of PH14 and a short smoke toss (+3) makes smoke from these guys very reliable and can realy be a boon in aro. Truly they live up to their moniker, Witch Soldiers.

• Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades, Shock CCW - The first in a series of the basic load out with different CC option, Shock while not the flashiest option is nonetheless effective and convenient, and never forget can be used to cancel out dogged and No Wound Incapacitation. The Combi Rifle while a decent gun is a little less usefull here because the low BS, Linked teams can help here.
• Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades, AP CCW - See above, helps vs the higher armor foes.
• Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades, EXP CCW - See above, 2 points more then the above options and 11 points more then Mr. Chainrifle makes a guy NO ONE wants to fight.
• Chain Rifle, Smoke Grenades, Shock CCW - Cheap, effective, great.
• Boarding Shotgun, Smoke Grenades, Shock CCW - Standard suggestions here, template or AP adds the the flexibility and Daturazi like to be close.
• Combi Rifle, Light Smoke Grenade Launcher, Shock CCW - 1 SWC for an increased range in your smoke tossing is most of the time unnecessary I think Mr. Chainrifle does this job just fine. The best use for this loadout is probably in a link team of 5 for more smoke range?
• Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades, Shock CCW, Lieutenant - I'm seeing a gentle nudge in the design of the Morats that tells me my LT order is better served on someone that doesn't hide like a weak cub. Both this LT and the Vangaurd cost 2 SWC and I think that it's better used on something with a high rate of fire, but with a linked team i can see the appeal.


popg0estheworld:

These guys, with Chain Rifles, are flipping amazing for the points. They are regular, which is great for your order pool, but they are easy to employ safely during their impetuous movement due to only having 4" of mandatory movement. Their smoke grenades will make your life easier for either safer movement, or blasting non-MSV models with your myriad MS3 options. The Daturazi are badasses in CC too, so in the odd chance you get one engaged, they kick a little ass. With careful use of their smoke, you can get them into CC more often than you might think. I have yet to have an opportunity to use Coma, but the option can't hurt. Plus, Morat- they make you even harder to put into retreat.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:18 pm
by spektr
Skirmishers



Zerat Special Missions Regiment


Eypyeash:

Zerats - The Morats ain't great at being sneaky, but these infiltrating, mimetism-equipped guys fill out the sneakiest of the Morat roles. They've got a pretty cheap WIP 13 Hacker option, but every other option has AP mines and something else going for it; the two Combi-Rifle versions are my personal favorites. One has a light flamethrower, the other an E/Mitter, so they do a pretty good job at half-table harrassment for a minimum of orders. Thanks to infiltration, the multi-sniper variant can get into some interesting places to take some shots, but their BS11 somehow makes it not worth it. Look to Shasvastii for better snipers.


Calculon:

Bottom line: Morats aren't the best hackers or snipers, and the Zerat isn't the best of either, but they infiltrate and come equipped with mines. Hold an important place in the Morat Sectorial.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

The Zerat is the second special troop option for the morats and only Skirmisher. Infiltration lets them start in threat range and Mimetism helps them from getting too shot up. Along with these skills they have ample access to different load outs to fulfill some of those missing holes in the Morat lineup. Of the same basic stat line of all Morat infantry the only difference being -1CC. The appeal of the Zerat is in it's load out and feminine wiles(being the female unit).

• Combi Rifle, Light Flamethrower, Antipersonnel Mines - Being close to the enemy strait away puts you in a great spot to be using a Combi and the flamethrower can be used to great effect in the aforementioned ways, further more it can be used quite effectively against those link teams etc. that may have deployed or are moving to closely. Also Infiltrating with mines is a natural choice to help protect those flanks or slow the enemy down.
• Combi Rifle, E/Mitter, Antipersonnel Mines - The E/Mitter while not the most reliable gun(burst 1), has a multitude of critical uses most of witch can be crippling if the enemy doesn't(or no longer does) have an engineer or if he's simply to far away. A vast selection of dangerous war gear and HI, Tags can be completely invalidated and then deconstructed if you can get through that BTS.
• Boarding Shotgun, Grenades, Antipersonnel Mines - The templates make this a good early link hunter, if if you have to sacrifice the 24 points to get it done it can be worth it to take some members down and break a link. The grenades allow the same thing without the danger a la Speculative Fire.
• MULTI Sniper Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines - Mimetism makes this one of the harder to hit option, the infiltration lets you position her right were you'll get the most out it, I suggest cover inside a Low Visibility Zone. Since she can't be linked to up the burst she's unreliable in ARO and the lack of a visor makes Yoagats do this better.
• Combi Rifle, D-Charges, Hacking Device - Being that this is the only other place to get a hacker in the MAF, she is a decent option with increased survive-ability over the Vanguard. Also deploying closer to were you are needed to hack can make things easier, but since your there in person riskier than using a remote.



The Shrouded


Calculon:

Bottom line: the Shasvastii multipurpose specialist, an infiltrator especially effective at mine-laying. Saves about 13 points over each corresponding Malignos configuration as consolation for the regular camo vs. TO camo tradeoff.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Shroudeds: Auto-Medikit, camouflage and infiltration, the shasvastii sign of autheticity. Another unit which AVA was reduced in Paradiso, from four to three. The masters and landlords of the twentish-thirtish points range in my lists. Most basic loadouts are not very common in the tables on behalf of more specilized shroudeds, not the most useful Lt., and an arguable sniper (since infiltrating snipers are arguable). Both Hacker and FO are useful as cheap infiltrating specialists for missions. And lastly the minelayer loadout, the jewel in the Crown full of sinergy and fun.


Shaviish:

First the basics: BS 12, PH 12, WIP 13, BTS 0. Nothing real remarkable, but we have to think that he has Automedikit, he is a Shasvastii and has CAH: Camouflage and Infiltration so this little fellow is a very competent deffensive troop for a few points. Let's talk about the three versions I use most:

1-SHROUDED HACKER: not a great Hacker because his WIP 13 and BTS 0, but he allows us to align two Ikadron Batroids, and, as specialist, he can make missions approaching in camo mode and re-cammo again once completed. He also have mines to protect objectives. If you win initiative you can deploy him infiltrated so he can start completing missions with very few orders.

2-BASIC/MINELAYER: I think he is BASIC in Shasvastii lists. If points allow it a Minelayer is a MUST and if you have any TO you can confuse your opponent because he can think that this "cammo marker" is another troop, not a mine and if you have in table 10 minis/markers for sure he didn't expect a Maligno, Noctifer or even a Sphinx. Cool guy and no too expensive.

3-SNIPER: BS 12, multi Sniper Rifle (DA ammo rules!) not too much to say. Only 38 points. If you deploy him far away from your enemy in cover he will always be penalized with, minimun, a -3 from cammo (if no visor) and -3 from cover; often your enemy penalized with an additional -3 or -6 from distance and, if the Shrouded falls, he still have his Automedikit to recover... A real badass in defense!



Malignos


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Malignos: De-Luxe Shroudeds. Improving regular camo to TO, one more ARM point and one more WIP point. That extra WIP point makes Malignos really useful in missions, as FO loadout in a lesser extent. Another arguable sniper, but harder to kill than the Shrouded one. And in the same way as their little siblings, the Malignos standing out is mine related one, not a minelayer loadout, but a monofilament mine nightmare for the mid table control.

Another unit paying the taxing overcost of the Combi Rifle and Light Shotgun mix, but in this case is less hurting due to the excelent whole.


Shaviish:

We have the traditional infiltrated TO with BS 12, ARM 1 and one wound, all normal... but he has two great rules that make the difference: Shasvastii (we all know how it works) and AutoMedikit that allows us to recover him from unconscious with a simple 12- dice roll. This, added to his cammo skills makes this little fellow really hard to kill.

Now I will comment the two versions I use most, mis "Star Men": Sniper and Monofilament Mines

Maligno Sniper is a mostly deffensive troop keeping him in camo till we can do a cool ARO when your opponent orders pool is almost depleted so he cannot hunt our dear TO with posterior actions. In attack we can move him a little to hunt heavy troops thanks to our sniper with his DA ammo (remember to use ALWAYS this kind of ammo) or trying to break links by taking down his members one by one. Remember too to deploy him far away from your enemies in a elevated position and in cover so you can benefit from all the defensive bonuses: cammo, cover and distance.

Maligno with Monofilament Mines are basically a offensive troop. We must deploy him infiltrated and try to condicionate your enemy advance by placing the mines in estrategic points to force him to take another path where our Sniper Buddy is awaiting to take them down from distance. Remember that Monofilament Field is persistent and you can use circular or tear template... tear is my favourite to create a real monofilamente wall of death.

Remember that our worts enemies are them with MSV 2 or 3, so we need to neutralyze them as soon as possible or avoid getting LOS with them too soon.



Speculo Killer


Calculon:

Bottom line: the most dangerous assassin in the game, with Impersonation Plus, L3 Martial Arts and a Monofilament CCW for immediate, lethal threat.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Speculo Killers: Shasvastii impersonators. The first thing standing out of a mile is the Monofilament CC weapon and its Martial Arts, its a threat for “flamboyant” targets like obvious Lts, Characters, even for TAGs (not entering the CC discussion). But I think Speculo are more useful for psychological warfare, threatening flanks, possible routes and objectives. It’s incredible the amount of orders an opponent may use to neutralize an elusive Speculo Killer, for this task the Smoke Grenades are really useful, once the unit is spotted.


Shaviish:

This really old miniature can be the star player in your army or 39 useless points.

First we have a CC specialist with MA 3 but with only CC 17. That means that you have a 15% chance to fail the attack.

Second: she weilds Monofilament CC weapon... that's cool because if your opponent fails his ARM roll he is automatically dead despite the number of wounds he has, so TAG and IPs can be removed from play with only one stroke... but Monofilament causes damage 12 to BLI 0 and its relatively easy to roll 13+ in d20 dice: 40%.

Third. She has Automedikit and I think it's useless in this kind of troop. An Speculo Killer is designed to go-kill-die, you have to be very lucky only to have the chance to use Automedikit.

Also, as a totally offensive troop, she don't works well in deffense. If you lose initiative roll Impersonation skill loses almost all its advantages: advanced deployment, recover weapons from fallen foes... acting almost as a normal camo troop but with you enemy knowing exactly what troop she is losing the surprise factor. Impersonation is good to face MSV because it's unnaffected, but in this case the trick of dropping smoke granade to avoid being shoot is futile.

I think this is a really cool troop, but she has a, aproximately, 55% chances to work optimal if you win the initiative roll and less than 50% if you loses. That's another example in wich bad CC rules ruins a, in paper, really good troop.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:19 pm
by spektr
Remotes



Imetron

[ED: yes I know it's not technically a remote :)]


Eypyeash:

Imetrons - Like the Aleph version, you get a cheap order. Unlike the Aleph version, yours has less than a 50 percent chance to hit the table, and have full potential to scatter 27.5 inches into your opponent's deployment zone. Still, if you have absolutely nothing else to spend your last few points on, you can give it a shot.



Ikadron Batroid


Eypyeash:

Ikadron Batroid - There's almost no reason not to have a pair of these in every Combined list. At 9 points, they've repeating baggage with double light flamethrowers and a flash pulse. They're also 6-2, so they can move downfield pretty quick if necessary. They bring a lot of pain to Combat Jumping troops who stray too close, and as a repeater, they can assist quite handily in Paradiso missions, or lock up a TAG headed your way, as long as you've got hacker support. They're worth 29 points if they get killed, but also give you that extra 20 points to your retreat threshhold, making it a pretty big deal to make you run. Finally, the flash pulse. If you've ever had a game turn against you because of a timely flash pulse ARO, well, you know the deal here. If you haven't been on the receiving end, it can stop Rambo maneuvers immediately. If you can get it to happen on your active turn, you've got free shots at the blinded model for the rest of the turn. Forward Observers carry the same equipment... the Batroid just can't mark with it.


popg0estheworld:

One of the first lessons any CA player learns is that the Ikadrons are an auto-include every time. For the points, they are truly indispensable. There is no reason other than not being able to afford the miniatures that you should not always max these guys out. While their baggage and autotool will often be the only things you use, they are pretty fast in a pinch, and their dual light flamethrowers give anyone looking to exploit your rear (heh) pause. Plus, flash pulse is always nice if you don't manage to protect them well enough- you have a decent chance of blinding a prospective enemy in ARO.



R-drone


Eypyeash:

R-Drone - Here's a 6-6 repeater with mimetism. Why would you use him? For 8 points, he can be an alright cheerleader if you've already maxed out your Ikadrons or want something more stable than Imetrons. They also get where they're going fast, so an occasional mission in Paradiso may call for 'em. Otherwise, try to find a better use for your points.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

R Drone: The cheapest order and the swiftest repeater in the sectorial, For a point more you can field the Ikadron Batroid which is usually more useful.



M-drone


Eypyeash:

M-Drones - At 23 points, you get a quick Forward Observer/Sensor who can wreak havoc with enemy camo markers. Provided you've got guided weaponry, you can bring the pain in a much more economical fashion than trying to afford a Hacking Device Plus. He's got a combi-rifle for defense, but... pretty standard, otherwise. If your meta uses terrain rules, he's got that Multiterrain thing.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

M Drone: Usual Sensor and FO remote, adding Multiterraing to the mix. Too much expensive to be an usual cheerleader, and unfortunately in the same cost range of the very best units in the sectrial. Maybe the most useless drone.



Q-drone


Eypyeash:

Q-Drone - For 29-35 points you get a mimetism-equipped total reaction bot with either HMG/AP Mines, Plasma Rifle/AP Mines, or HMG/Monofilament Mines. For my money, I'd go with the first two options. A quick monofilament delivery is fun, but total reaction remotes attract a lot of attention, and you'll be spending orders trying to mine a field when you can do it with other stuff more easily (Shasvastii Malignos). I tend to stick with an HMG. I don't like to move my drones around much, and a HMG can often cover a nice swath of land. This particular version has mimetism, so it's a bit harder to dislodge than other factions' variants. If you want to get up close and annoying, the plasma rifle version is the way to go. Full burst plasma rifles are hell on link teams and anything else, and if you want to piss off a JSA Heavy Infantry-themed list (or a Knightly Orders one), a plasma rifle is your key to success. The BS11 is, of course, your downside, but if you get mid-table and position him like you would a sneaky mine, he can cause quite a bit of mayhem.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Q Drone: Total Reaction with the only HMG and the only Plasma Rifle availables, and another source of Monofilamente Mines, and on the top C: Mimetism. Total Reaction and Neurocinetics units are often easy killable from combat camouflage, but since you can field two Q Drones they can look for each other. Q Drone is the reason for what Drones Box is a must for Shasvastii players.



T-drone


Eypyeash:

T-Drone - This is your completely standard GML. Nothing special about him, you know... people generally don't like GMLs. Playing with them is fun from time to time, but finding a target worth shooting at, and getting the missile there, often wastes more orders than if you were to just run up and shoot it in the face. Link teams seem like a good idea, though, right? Nah, they can just dodge (at least teams of 4+). You can probably make good use of it against Tohaa lists, where there's no chance of Sixth Sense Level 2 and everyone has a lot of wounds, but I'd just as soon skip the thing.


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

T Drone: A regular GML Remte. WIthout HD+ and several Markers in the sectorial, GML tactic is hard to play, relying in FOs only. I’ve played T drones in missions where you already need to field several FO as specialists, but with no remarkable results

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:19 pm
by spektr
TAGs



Raicho Armoured Brigade


Eypyeash:

Raicho - Oh, boy. This is the cheapest Combined TAG, and it's a typical heavy one. 8 ARM and -6 BTS means he can take a bit of a beating, but hackers may have a field day. Your pilot will eject at 0 wounds, so you don't have much time if you want to repair him; anyway, standard TAG tactics apply here. Run him around, shoot at stuff, avoid camo markers, and that's about it. If you've got some forward observing going on, for a costly 97 points you can take a heavy grenade launcher and try to get a couple trick shots going, but speculative shots will probably miss by a wide margin. Still good fun, though. Anyway, a TAG is a TAG in many respects. He's not our most fun option (Sphinx!), nor our most broken (Avatar! or, arguably, Caskuda), but he's got the tools to lay some hurt. And if you play Morat Aggression Force, you can take two.


Morat Guide to Supremacy:

Standard stats for a TAG make it very close to all the other variations in it's class, in a bit off an odd turn it appears that the Riacho has a better stat line and/or lower price than most it's competitors. I believe this is combination of the fact that it's piloted and has a lower WP, this is a fair trade but be wary this makes getting off that reset a fair bit tougher. Also note Morat racial rule here. With a brand new model with the biggest gun in the human sphere I believe we'll be seeing alot more of these.

• Multi HMG, Heavy Grenade Launcher - 2 SWC and you have the flexible and devastating MULTI HMG
burst 2 Explosive for those sure Kills and if you need it, a blast-less ML at burst 1. It serves a duel role of
artillery with the HGL and can put some serous long range speculative shots down field. Pair with forward
observers for more accuracy. (also my favorite)
• Multi HMG, Heavy Flame Thrower - Same as above, only this time with HFT large template means multiple kills and always remember that FLAME turns all Camo (including TO) to Mimetism and deactivates Impersonation, ODD's and Holoprojectors making it very worth it.



Sphinx


De Natura Shasvastiirum:

Sphinx: Light Tag by excellence: 6-6 movement, Multiterrain and Climbing Plus, the Sphinx is one of the most mobile units in the game. This mobilidty, its TO camo, and its weaponry (dual HFT and Spitfire) make this tag a close quarter nightmare, but obviously the Sphinx may suffer against some marksmans, always depending on scenary. Imho, one of the units in the game which is the most fun to use a whole group ten orders on it.


Shaviish:

Today I'm going to analyze the Sphinx, a very feared troop and very difficult to add, because of her 110 points, in effective lists.

A light TO TAG, fast and with two Heavy Flamethrowers, it seems easy to use but nothig far away for reality. She's too expensive and if your opponent take her down too soon you will disband easy so... how can we use this little beast in a really effective way?

Well, I use these two tactics:

1-OFFENSIVE: as a guided missile. Because of her 6-6 MOV I try to reach the enemy deployment zone as soon as I can. Perhaps I will have to "re-camo" once, but if I get there, fun will begin soon. With the two Heavy Flamethrowers I attack the enemy orders pool by taking down light troops if they are close enough, the Spitfire allows me to hunt medium and heavy troops and, if necessary, she can face other TAGs in CC thanks to her EXP CC weapon. It's a risky tactic, but if it works, for sure that your enemy will be highly damaged. This tactic works well if you win the initiative roll.

2-DEFFENSIVE: if you lose the initiative roll then you mus hide your Sphinx and let your enemy take initiative. For sure you will lose troops but so your enemy. Be patient, do not reveal the Sphinx too soon and when your enemy rely it's time to attack. For sure he will have isolated troops near you trying to kill your embryos or wounded troops before they can use their Automedikit and he didn't expect this beautifull and deadly beast just in their faces... pure terror.


TAG Warfare Tactics (LouiseDePonte):

My personal favorite in Vanilla is the Sphinx. Unlike the other TAGs which act mostly as superiority machines (IE, they get where they need to, and they can kill the biggest baddest model your opponent has) the Sphinx can quickly (6-6 mov) get virtually anywhere (due to climbing plus,) unmolested (due to TO camo), and brings with it dual heavy flamethrowers. It's basically a Tohaa's living (okay, machine) nightmare. In exchange, you lose the Multi-HMG for a lower-ranged and lower-damage Spitfire, 1 point of BS and get less-than-typical TAG armor. Still, it boasts 6 ARM, which if you've ever fielded a Sogarat (and I imagine you have, what with lots of MAF models) is quite hefty. This makes it one of the most versatile tags in the game. It can hunt any model successfully, without using too many orders, no matter its defense. TO and camo go down to intuitive attacks from the heavy flamers, he can hunt clustered cheerleaders with twin 10" templates (meaning a 20" linear zone of death), and heavy infantry are (largely) vulnerable to the Combat Camo attacks it brings. Even smoke-at-the-feet is an inadequate defense because the Sphinx is actually pretty decent in hand-to-hand, with 18 CC, an explosive close combat weapon and 16 physique. I've killed my fair share of HI lts that way.

The only downside is that 1 suicidal Naffatun or Chasseur can really ruin its day, and he costs a LOT while not really providing the same defensive security that helps the large groups of cheerleaders present in most tag lists survive.



Caskuda


Eypyeash:

If you want a big TAG to jump right into the business end of the pool, here he is. With PH17, you'll only scatter in the direction of the 8-10, and only a maximum of 7.5 inches (on a 20). You probably shouldn't try to utilize the Explode feature unless you can get right into someone's back with it and not take any fire in response, because a four-man link team will end your cockroach life before you get a good chance to scuttle around properly. Also, be wary of trying to jump onto, or in range of, hackers. Don't get anywhere near a camo marker unless you can positively identify what it is. Then go to town on your opponent's order pool.


popg0estheworld:

People love each of the CA TAGs for different reasons, and it seems like the Caskuda is one of the less-favored. I for one welcome our insectoid overlord. You will understand why the first time you crash down in your opponent's rear (heh) and rampage through his order pool. His high PH makes it easy to land where you want, and even shrug ADHLs once in a while. You will find that in subsequent games, your opponents will deploy VERY carefully, making sure their front arcs are places where the Caskuda might drop. This means you will never have another drop as devastatingly beautiful as the first one, but honestly, this is the Caskuda's greatest strength- your opponent will always assume you might drop him, no matter what list you run. CA has so much TO and dirty tricks, even metagame-savvy opponents won't know if you have him in your list most of the time. His psychological effect lasts long after his rampage, and that is priceless. As opposed to worrying about their objectives or their assault, your opponents have to plan for the giant HMG and heavy-flamethrower-wielding madman who might appear anywhere on the table.


TAG Warfare Tactics (Hassassin86):

As I'm a big exrah fan, and all of my CA lists are heavily Exrah centric (though not exclusively as it's not practical / possible in most scenarios), I only have experience will the Caskuda. It is incredibly expensive, 111pts is a lot, though not insane, but 3 SWC in a generic army that has virtually no 0swc Lt's is a bit much. You pretty much kiss 4/6swc goodbye with the TAG and any Lt.

That being said, the Caskuda can be a beast, but it turns your force into a bit of a 1 trick pony. The appearance of fireteams has also limited it's Explode ability as landing on a bunch of squishies is now usually not the best idea if they're linked. Glue guns and mono mines will be your worst enemy and can end your reign of terror before it begins....avoid them like the plague. It is massively powerful to be able to drop a tag next to your opponents and start blasting away at their flanks. The TAG will likely win or lose you the game by how much it can take out in it's first turn as it will be the focus of every enemy model on their turn.

Advantages are, unless they have a very good hacker and you have none (not wise in my experience with it) the big bastard can't be killed by things like guided munitions, infiltrating mono-ccw models and the like until you bring it in. Remember, though, that once it drops, it's essentially just a standard TAG that saved a few orders to get to the enemy and is more unpredictable in deployment.

Good things to pair with it are:
-Aswangs: Always great if you're low on swc, they're cheap, camo, and can camo attack with glue guns for 0 swc...they can make decent Lt's.
-Kornak: I like him because he packs a Mk12 with decent stats and can be some decent backup firepower in a desperate moment if your Caskuda goes down. His Strategos 1 is also nice if you can't fill out 10 models in your pool (or an extra order for the Caskuda if you do)
-Minelayers (usually Shrouded): Keeps your order monkeys safe / slows the enemy down until the big bug shows up.
-Batroits/Imetrons/Daturazi: When taking an 111pt 3swc tag, it's nice to get reeeeally cheap orders to fill out your pool.
-Backup SWC: With a hacker, lt, and the Caskuda, you'll have 1.5 left at 300pts. I prefer the Vector ops because I like Exrah, but anything that will fit for some backup firepower is nice.


Avatar


Eypyeash:

Avatars are just full of nasty, but you pay for it. As the only WIP 17 Lieutenant in the game, he also comes with Strategos 3. He's got two non-lieutenant options, but if you're already paying so much, why not go all the way? ODD and Sepsitor make him amazingly tough to approach safely (even sneaking up behind him you can eat a Sepsitor instead of a turn to face) and that armor 10 is tough to beat. His height allows a good field of vision, sometimes enough to catch those prone snipers on rooftops if they're only a bit back. Strategos... this is a game changer in itself. Deploying two troops from reserve and not allowing your opponent one in most situations (if they make you deploy first) lets you pick his optimum position, of course... The real trick is building a list that can use him well. He's very much an eggs-in-one-basket model. If he goes down, you probably don't have a lot of other things to support him with unless you've skimped on orders. Daturazi, Ikadrons, and other cheap troops are almost a requirement with him.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 15th, 2014, 6:19 pm
by spektr
Done :D

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 29th, 2014, 1:44 pm
by spektr
Quick formatting for readability done.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 29th, 2014, 2:27 pm
by Scorch
Thanks for your work copying this from the Official, spektr! :) Much appreciated.

After N3 hits we'll all take a look at what's the best way for these faction threads to continue; perhaps a rewrite is enough, although there are a lot of changes rumoured already. :) Otherwise a entirely new format is required, but we'll see in due time!

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 29th, 2014, 2:49 pm
by spektr
Is there such a thing a stickying on DS? In my (humble) opinion these tacticas generally are a good thing to pin for new players.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 29th, 2014, 2:53 pm
by Scorch
spektr wrote:Is there such a thing a stickying on DS? In my (humble) opinion these tacticas generally are a good thing to pin for new players.

Yes there is. And... done!

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 29th, 2014, 3:28 pm
by spektr
Oooh! Fantastic.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 29th, 2014, 9:01 pm
by Wispur
:ca: Thanks for compiling all of this!

The one touch-up that stood out to me was at the end of the Skiavoros section, the very last sentence by popg0estheworld.

"Plus, in ITS, he is enough of a badass to grab specialist-only objectives if you need him to (as Lt)"

That sentence can probably be removed, as LTs can't grab specialist-only objectives anymore.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: July 30th, 2014, 3:04 pm
by spektr
Wispur wrote::ca: Thanks for compiling all of this!

The one touch-up that stood out to me was at the end of the Skiavoros section, the very last sentence by popg0estheworld.

"Plus, in ITS, he is enough of a badass to grab specialist-only objectives if you need him to (as Lt)"

That sentence can probably be removed, as LTs can't grab specialist-only objectives anymore.



Thanks for the spot, I've fixed it.

Any other things that need updating let me know.

Re: A (combined) Combined Army Guide

PostPosted: May 9th, 2015, 4:31 pm
by Blaze
It is not actual. Any updates?