Copied by request from the old Infinity official forums.
(edit Dec 22, 2012, with additions from further play)
(second edit May 6, 2013, with further additions)
(third edit September 4, 2013, with additions from tournament experience)
(fourth edit Dec 5, 2013, with experience after internalizing tournament experience, updated general strategy)
Intro
Coming off of an ITS tournament and a couple of casual games, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the Tohaa, now that I've had a chance to play with nearly all of their units and compare them to the forces I'm more used to.
With luck, I'll be able to update this as my playstyle evolves and new units appear. With as few units as are available to the faction currently, however, it's relatively easy to deconstruct. Here goes...
Prologue: How do Tohaa Play?
Short answer: The Japanese Sectorial Army and Qapu Khalqi had a baby, and it trained with the Morats.
Longer answer: The faction is heavily predicated on linkteams and medium-tech with a bioengineering focus, much like Qapu Khalqi, and you're likely to surprise your opponents with much more durable troops than they're likely to be expecting, something JSA has classically been good at. One of the Tohaa staples, which I'll get to later, acts quite a bit like Daturazi, so you wind up having some Morat-like combat tactics on the table. It's worth noting that the Tohaa are pretty bad at infowar, having no access to even a standard Hacking Device at this point.
The Tohaa are like all of those things, but noticably different in their own ways. This mostly boils down to the special rules and equipment they have access to. Tohaa have the ability to be incredibly order efficient, but nothing in the army is fire-and-forget. Prepare to get good at coordination and holistic tactics; this isn't an army where you can take a couple of rambos and some cheerleaders and go to town.
One not-immediately-obvious strength of the Tohaa is in their ability to become terrifying in the reactive turn, in greater numbers and with greater firepower than nearly any other faction. Tohaa have superlative access to full-burst-in-ARO and multiple-shots-in-ARO, allowing certain Tohaa lists to punish opponents in their own active turn.
Part the First: Fireteam: Tohaa
This is the thing that separates the Tohaa from the other factions, and oh is it big. If you don't like playing with linkteams, Tohaa are not the faction for you. Everything that exists is built around Tohaa fireteams, and much of the power inherent in the faction revolves around this simple, but versatile rule.
What the Fireteam: Tohaa rule allows you to do is create 3-person linkteams comprised of any models with the Fireteam: Tohaa rule. Qapu Khalqi players will be more familiar with this idea, as it's like every model in your army links like a Hafza.
It's tempting to think of Tohaa Fireteams as An Entirely New Way Of Thinking About Infinity, but I'd caution you against it. Tohaa Triads are versatile and powerful, but very easily broken, and you have to be careful about using them. Generally speaking, I've built Tohaa lists around standard 10-order structures, using two to three Triads, depending on the opponent, my deployment options, and the terrain. I don't break into multiple groups unless I'm doing something specific, and generally the same general concepts of Infinity list-building apply to Tohaa. Tohaa Fireteams are good, but they aren't the end-all-be-all of the faction, and you may find yourself overly constrained if you try to make them so. You can make a good Tohaa list without ANY fireteams, if you really want (although I'm not sure I'd recommend it). That being said, there's another Tohaa-specific concept that you really can't avoid:
Part the Second: Symbiont Armor
This is the other half of Tohaa uniqueness, and it's every bit as important as the Fireteam: Tohaa rule. A goodly portion of your units have symbiotic armor that provides its own, superior statline to the Tohaa using it, as well as additional armor and wounds. Once the wounds on the armor are depleted, the Tohaa unit uses its "Inactive Symbiont" statline and continues on.
From a practical perspective, what this means is that you're fielding a whole bunch of pseudoheavy armor, which is where the JSA feel comes in. It's very, very important to remember that a single failed Fire roll means instant death for anything wearing Symbiont Armor, and in Campaign: Paradiso there's quite a bit more Fire ammo. The standard scary things are still scary, but you need to keep an eye out for Heavy Rocket Launchers, flamethrowers of various types, and other sources of Fire.
One thing of note-- while it's easy to look at Fire as the Tohaa army's nasty Achilles' Heel, it's important to remember that you have to fail a Fire roll for it to matter, which for a majority of troops is death-or-close-to anyway. With the Tohaa, you have a weakness to Fire, but you're otherwise getting troops that are noticably more durable than other things in their cost ranges.
However, REMEMBER: Nearly all Tohaa troops lose their armor when the Symbiont dies, so even very tough units will find themselves suddenly quite fragile for their last wound.
Now, without further ado:
THE UNITS
KAMAEL
Kamael are the Tohaa standard light infantry. They're quite vanilla, with decent WIP (if you need a Lieutenant in a pinch) and generally have pretty standard options. They pay a point or so more than you'd probably expect, for Fireteam: Tohaa, which makes them useful for filling out teams. On their own, they're stock-standard LI, but they make good sources of orders that actually play a notable battlefield role and support their flashier comrades.
If you want a Defensive Hacking Device, Kamael are where you'd get one, but I don't recommend bothering. Your SWC is better spent elsewhere (a full SWC for a half-functional hacking device? No thanks!) unless you absolutely need a hacker for a mission. Most of the things you'd want to protect with the D.H.D. have better BTS than the Kamael anyway.
Kamael are best used to fill out Tohaa Fireteams and watch the backs of your fancier infantry. Without a sectorial to allow them to form full linkteams, you're not going to be pulling off much in the way of fancy line infantry tricks.
(12/22 edit)
Something that Kamael allow you to do very, very effectively with Tohaa, in conjunction with the Sakiel, is field multiple order pools. The usual difficulty of multiple groups is mitigated by the sheer number of linkteams you can bring, and it's quite easy to fill out lists that simply bring a lot of B4 combi-rifles and B2 AROs, which will give nearly any enemy force pause.
(12/5 edit)
Kamael are getting a lot more play from me, as I find myself using multiple order pools more frequently. The modest Kamael FO is an incredibly useful ITS model, as it's a cheap, linkable specialist who travels with your heavy hitters and can blind people in ARO, which is always hilarious.
SAKIEL
Here's where we jump into things. Sakiel are Light Infantry with Symbiont Armor, and V:Courage to boot, clocking in at a shockingly cheap 20 points for the simplest loadout. They've got good BS for their cost, surprisingly good ARM, and an excellent selection of loadouts, ranging from 18-32 points. For a unit that's essentially fast heavy infantry, these guys are a steal. They also nearly all have Swarm Grenades, a Tohaa-unique weapon type that allows you to punish low BTS rather effectively (but that you won't likely use much with the Sakiel's low PH). The basic loadout has a combi rifle and swarm grenades, more than enough to make it a good elite LI option.
However, while you CAN pay 20 points for a simple Combi Rifle + Swarm Grenade Sakiel, it's not what you want to do. Whenever possible, you want to pay 6 more points and upgrade that Combi Rifle to a Viral Combi Rifle, for a truly vicious weapon. It's worth noting as well that Sakiel are Impetuous, a detail that you can use to your advantage (to get them up the board faster) or suppress easily by including them in Tohaa Fireteams. Either way, it's something to remember, as your fireteams are likely to break at some point during the game, and when they do your Sakiel will go bounding off.
At this point, it's worth going into some Tohaa Fireteam construction concepts. It's pretty easy to build a Sakiel that is brutally effective against low-to-0 BTS opponents, with a combination of the Viral Combi Rifle and Swarm Grenades. Blending a Sakiel with a good anti-armor Tohaa troop in a fireteam means you can cover your bases, brutalizing enemies with weak BTS while keeping another gun in your back pocket for the occasional high-BTS enemy. In general, however, you're likely to find that a Sakiel in a Tohaa Fireteam is a powerful option, since it can dish out a punishing 8 potential viral wounds. Since they aren't often going to be the scariest thing in their Triad, they're also a lot more likely to survive to reach optimum range.
At higher points values, Sakiel can replace Kamael entirely as a basic troop type, at which point the viciousness and the durability of your force goes up dramatically.
(12/22 edit)
An interesting trick with the Sakiel is to bring either a Light Rocket Launcher or Swarm Grenades, pairing the Sakiel with a pair of Kamael as a delivery system. Sakiel are quite nasty on their own, and they make a great candidate for cheap heavy-hitters if you're running multiple groups. Furthermore, you can increase their efficiency by exploiting Impetuous, to try to get more (free) orders to work with.
(12/5 edit)
Sakiel are so good. They really feel like the premiere Tohaa unit, the thing everyone else is jealous of. They're Intruders, Kuang Shi, Haramaki, Auxilia, Hafza, the unit that other players look at and go "man, if I had those guys, I could do amazing things". I have at some point or another run every Sakiel variant except the Paramedic, and none have disappointed.
GAO-RAEL
Gao-Rael are Tohaa's visor unit. Medium Infantry, slow speed, MSV2, Fireteam: Tohaa. They're a fairly good middle-of-the-road MI option in the 30-40 point range, and have some interesting loadouts that allow them to fill in fireteams, toolbox style. The basic loadout has an adhesive launcher, a handy tool to have against heavier armor, particularly considering the extra B you get from the fireteam. You've also got access to a Sniper Rifle and a Spitfire, decent and solid options, respectively, and a Boarding Shotgun, which I suppose you could take but doesn't seem like a good use of points for the most part.
For long range, you have the Sniper version, which is nice but a bit difficult to justify. Were it a Viral Sniper Rifle, it would be amazing, but the standard (not-even-MULTI) Sniper for a full SWC is a bitter pill to swallow, unless you REALLY need ranged MSV. If you do, then go for it. The Spitfire version is a rather nice option, since fireteam order efficiency will make up for the Gao-Rael's slow speed, and it can get up close and hunt camo.
Unfortunately, the Gao-Rael suffers from the equipment elsewhere in the army, and so stands alone as a decent middle-of-the-road MSV2 unit. There's nothing to complain about, however, and the Gao-Rael does have Symbiont Armor, so you're at least well defended. If the unit takes a wound and loses the armor, it's important to note that its speed bumps up a bit, even while the ARM and BTS drop.
(12/22 edit)
If any model in the Tohaa force is going to go it alone, the Gao-Rael is a good choice. Gao-Raels are prime targets for opponents who rely on Camo, so having them moving forward with linkteams can be a liability.
(5/6 edit)
Gao-Rael have started filling very strange roles in my lists. Without the ability to see through Makaul Zero-V smoke, their MSV2 is simply not that impressive. Not having access to a Viral Sniper Rifle (why?) and only having the option of a basic Sniper Rifle (for a full 1.0 SWC, no less) makes them kind of uninspiring snipers/weapons platforms compared to other options. On the other hand, 32 points for a combi rifle / adhesive launcher is kind of steep, symbiont armor or no.
Lately, I've been testing them out as HI/TAG hunters, paired with a Makaul and either a Sakiel or an Ectros. Two ADHL shots in ARO is pretty nice, and can lock down scary things pretty well. I've even locked down a few Croc Men and Swiss Guard, which is hilarious.
All in all, unfortunately, the Gao-Rael has been phased out more and more in my lists except as a one-off specialist. I'm just not impressed with what I'm getting for the price; Sakiel are better front-line troops, and as a mostly-stationary sniper, their lack of impressive ranged weapons really hurts them.
(12/5 edit)
Coming back around a bit on the Gao-Rael. It's not my favorite MSV2 unit ever, but the sniper, spitfire, and ADHL loadouts are all pretty useful. I still tend to use them as weapons platforms, and swarm grenade shenanigans are pretty nice when you can use them. Pair with Clipsos or Makaul with Swarm Grenades for best effect.
NIKOUL AMBUSH UNIT
A second-wave Tohaa addition. This is what I wanted out of the Gao-Rael, honestly. A nice, static sniper with a nasty Viral gun giving your opponents some trouble. At 30 points, it's a nice addition and can be placed to dictate your opponent's actions, which is quite nice for Tohaa. MSV1 isn't as nice as MSV2, but Tohaa can't pull the smoke tricks that other armies do. We'll see how N3 affects MSV1, it might make the Nikoul even better.
As is, though, they make a fairly good sniping platform, and Sapper gives them a lot of positioning flexibility. Heavily consider using Suppressive Fire with them, since you won't want to move them anyway. The Minelayer option also covers you from any nasty surprises, or at least provides vengeance.
GAO-TARSOS
Tohaa's drop troop. Looks pretty standard at first, PH 12 isn't amazing for a drop troop, but you'll quickly note they've got 3 ARM and Symbiont Armor. This means you're effectively dropping HI, and can drop rather more aggressively with Gao-Tarsos than you might otherwise. If you drop somewhere where only a single model gets an ARO, the odds of you dying to that single shot are relatively low. This means that you can play surprisingly aggressively with a Gao-Tarsos.
Unfortunately, they're also priced to reflect this, topping out as some of the most expensive AD3 troops you can get. That being said, airdropped pseudoheavy infantry opens some doors that other armies simply don't have access to, and if you can afford to bring a few and drop them together, you can quickly put a nasty wedge in your opponent's plans.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Gao-Tarsos does not have Fireteam: Tohaa, so you can't drop in teammates or drop in a linkteam. Alas.
(edit 12/22)
These guys have rapidly become my personal favorite droptroop in the entire game. Gao-Tarsos can be dropped insanely aggressively; provided they only get shot at once, they can cheerfully shrug off most wounds and punish even very well protected enemies. They're the only droptroop I'll willingly drop where they can provoke AROs as they appear on the board, and opponents rarely ever expect such a brazen attack. If you're running multiple order groups, or can otherwise afford to keep the Gao-Tarsos back until the perfect time, it can cause a ton of damage and wind up being your MVP very decisively.
(edit 5/6)
The points I'm not spending on Gao-Rael has been heavily going into these guys. They're like dropping HI, and need devoted attention to remove if I manage to find a good place for them. Even if they weren't dropping, they'd be pretty scary if equipped with an HMG.
(edit 12/5)
I don't have any tactical commentary to add to the above, but man are these guys annoying to assemble.
CLIPSOS INFILTRATOR
Do you like cheap TO Camo? Good! That's what you're getting with the Clipsos. She's an incredibly barebones infiltrator, akin to the Zero (but with TO Camo) or the Hexas (but with Infiltration). She's got all of the loadouts you'd expect from an infiltrator at eminently reasonable costs (particularly the sniper version, who's using a regular sniper rifle, rather than a MULTI Sniper, and therefore pays less in SWC). With Minelayer, it's easy to do some Camo token shenanigans, or simply hide her off of the board, or treat her like a standard Camo infiltrator, knowing that she's cheap enough that you don't need to keep her hidden-deployed. Like the Gao-Tarsos, she unsurprisingly does not have Fireteam: Tohaa, and therefore can't link.
Two loadouts for the Clipsos bear special mention: the Nullifier and the Swarm Grenades. A Clipsos with a Nullifier, placed properly, is some of the best infowar the Tohaa have to offer, largely by dint of brute force. Place one of these somewhere safe and worry not about hacking. Since it explicitly blocks Hacking, you can use it to hilarious effect to block your opponent's objectives, or simply keep yourself safe. Also worth mentioning are the Swarm Grenades, which give you a surprise platform for Circular templates targetting BTS. Catching an opponent off-guard with a Circular Template can be fairly powerful, and the Clipsos has a reasonable PH of 12, so she's decently capable with grenades. Combat Camo grenades are not to be underestimated, especially when they're Swarm Grenades.
(edit: 12/22)
Clipsos with Swarm Grenades are very, very evil. Appearing from nowhere with a speculative shot will confuse and frustrate your opponent. Appearing from nowhere and murdering half of a linkteam, even if the Clipsos dies afterwards, is incredibly effective. She can be played quite effectively as an uneven-trade model, and makes a very good harasser. Once again, in multiple groups, she can be used to confuse.
(edit: 5/6)
Tohaa really needs a basic Camo Infiltrator model of some kind. Minelayer Clipsos are theoretically awesome, like the extremely cheap Zeroes and Chaussers, but the camo mine marker is kind of a dead giveaway, since there's nothing else they could be masking.
(edit: 12/5)
I keep finding I like going second in ITS as Tohaa, and the Clipsos is great for that. A Clipsos FO is a specialist I can keep sitting right by an objective who is functionally untouchable until my turn. Still want a basic camo model, because I love minelayers, but the Clipsos FO is sweet, and the cost makes my Nomads jealous.
ECTROS
Tohaa Heavy Infantry, and a pretty beefy one, too. Of all of the Tohaa troops with Symbiont Armor, this one is one of the most susceptible to Fire ammo, since it's the only one you'll really notice failing that one odd Fire roll. Ectros have a variety of good weapon loadou-- look, just take the HMG. The range downside of the HMG is nullified somewhat by the Nanopulser that the Ectros all carry, and you've got a 3-wound, 4-4 MOV HI with BS 13, and you're going to punish anyone who tries to melee you. They have Fireteam: Tohaa, so you're getting a nice big gun to arm your Tohaa Triads with.
If you have a particular need for a Vulkan Shotgun, or you're hurting for SWC, you can go for it, and while they're not bad, there are better places to get a Viral Combi Rifle (the Sakiel). In the end, though, B5 HMGs are no joke, and they provide some of the best range you can get in the faction. Protect these guys from Fire and they can carry a surprising amount of weight for you. HMG range means you don't have to worry about flamethrowers as much, and Heavy Rocket Launchers become prime targets of opportunity.
(edit 12/22)
Rather than moving these guys up with my linkteams, I've started using very specialized groups, with two HMG Ectros and a Sniper Gao-Rael. They can stay back and be a powerful arms platform while the rest of my force does its thing. In this sort of setup, I'll often trade out an HMG for a Viral Combi Rifle, for some close-in damage in the event something does manage to close. It's also possible to hide a lieutenant and keep him relatively safe throughout the game.
(edit 12/5)
Still love these guys. They're still a bit squishy at ARM 3, and you have to watch out for Fire, but they're one of the two good active-turn HMGs you can get, and that alone makes them valuable. I'm generally underwhelmed by the non-HMG options for these guys, though.
NEEMA SAATAR, Character Ectros
Neema is worth mentioning for a couple of reasons. WIP 15 makes her an excellent, if obvious Lieutenant, and she's cheaper than an Ectros. I have a hard time recommending her, however, since 2 SWC is pretty steep and she's only packing a Light Rocket Launcher. If you really like to win Initiative, she's good for that. Notably, she's also Impetuous, which can be good or bad, depending on your mindset.
A hyper-aggressive force with a lot of drop troops and Impetuous Orders could benefit from Neema, giving you a lot of action in a turn and exploiting the easy-to-form Tohaa Fireteam to get control of things when you hit midfield, but that's something of a corner-case list (albiet a surprisingly effective one, if your opponent isn't prepared for it).
(edit: 12/22)
Neema, a bunch of impetuous Sakiel and Makaul, and some well-placed HMG Chaksa for fire support is a hilarious list. Your turn feels like it lasts forever, and you can deliver some punishingly decisive blows against your opponent at lightning speed, simply because you have so many orders you're spending. It's exploitable, but it'll catch some opponents EXTREMELY off-guard.
(edit: 12/5)
Neema's cute, I guess, but every time I run her I feel like I spent too many points for not enough interesting. I wish that were a Heavy Rocket Launcher, I think she'd be more worthwhile then.
MAKAUL
Hoo boy, here we go. The Tohaa Warband is the Makaul, a unit that Combined Army players will instantly recognize. They're essentially Daturazi, with a Heavy Flamethrower and Zero-V smoke grenades. The Zero-V part of that is important, as it handily blocks any smoke tricks you might be hoping to play with a Gao-Rael, and can seriously hamper the opponent if dropped in ARO. Makaul also have good PH, making them effective with smoke and with Swarm Grenades, if you feel like paying the extra points for them. They're vicious in melee, with i-Khol L1, Martial Arts 2, and Viral CCWs, but the real kicker is that they're Regular and ALSO have Fireteam: Tohaa.
Makaul with Fireteam: Tohaa translates into smoke and close-range killing power for any of your fireteams, at a relatively low cost. B2 smoke from a Makaul can provide easy advancement for your troops, and protect them very handily in ARO, or allow them to go on intense offensives with Swarm Grenades or the Heavy Flamethrower. Makaul can lead your fireteams, but beware their fragility. They're an excellent toolbox unit to fill out almost any Tohaa Fireteam, but they lack Symbiont Armor and therefore don't have its added protection.
Makaul are still basically amazing, and make an excellent troop. Like many others, beware that Makaul are Impetuous, and revert to Impetuous when breaking from a linkteam. Use them wisely to cover your advance and block firelanes for your opponent.
(edit: 12/22)
Makaul are super deadly, and a shockingly good way to kill TAGs. It's very funny to see a TAG bogged down by a team of Makaul, getting savaged by crit after crit. Three Makaul mean you crit on 15+ in melee, and even if you don't crit, you're still forcing two saves. If the TAG doesn't die, your opponent has a horrible choice about how to deal with the Makaul, since generally only one can get killed per order and they'll all strike back... with good crit chances. Zero-V smoke makes them surprisingly capable of delivering themselves, as well.
(edit: 5/6)
Every time I make a Tohaa list without including Makaul I regret it. It's doable, but they feel like such a crucial lynchpin of the Tohaa army that it feels like I'm missing an important tool every time I lack them.
GORGOS (TAG)
I don't... have nice things to say about the Gorgos. It's expensive for a light TAG, more poorly armed in general than most other light TAGs, has an attached G:Sync Companion that's worse than other G:Sync options in other forces, and has the most noticable weakness to Fire in the entire Tohaa lineup (a single bad roll and your TAG is dead). The only thing the Gorgos brings to the Tohaa that it can't otherwise get is the Flammenspeer, which is nice if you really want Circular Fire templates, but isn't really worth the price in my opinion.
In its defense, the Gorgos does have a respectable 4 effective wounds and BTS -9, making it very hardy if your opponent can't get a good bead on it with Fire. In the interest of full disclosure, it's also one of two units (the Chaksa Auxiliars being the other) that I haven't actively tried on the table, so my opinions are largely borne from seeing what other units do and, from there, working on how I might fit one into a list (or not, as the case may be).
Generally, though, it's like a Seraph with a glowing NES-boss-style weak point, and some fairly spirited opinions on the Seraph have been laid out in the past. I'll leave it at that.
(edit: 12/22)
I keep trying this thing, and I keep regretting it. Its biggest issue is that the thing that separates it from the rest of the army (the Flammenspeer) just isn't that impressive a weapon for what you're paying. I really want to like it, find the use that makes me go "ah hah!" and turn it into a scary death machine, but there are so many more tantalizing ways to spend my points that sinking them all into this TAG just doesn't jive. I've reached the point where I expect to see something very compelling with the model (small base or small profile), or see a new/altered loadout, because the Gorgos just doesn't impress. It's not a crippling auto-lose model, those don't really exist in Infinity, so if you really love it or it turns out to have an awesome model, it's not a total waste to buy and field, but don't expect wonders.
(edit: 5/6)
I still keep trying to make the Gorgos work, and I still keep regretting it. There's not a lot extra to add beyond that, other than I've proxied it as a small-based small-profile model (have tried proxy using a Cutter, a Tsyklon Zond, an Aragoto, and a Swiss Guard, to give an idea of the various sizes I've proxied it as) and it becomes somewhat more interesting that way, but I just don't find spending this many points on it all that compelling. Tohaa lists thrive on redundancy in a lot of ways, and the Gorgos just doesn't help.
CHAKSA AUXILIARS
Chaksa Auxiliars are kind of the catch-all for Tohaa, summing up the suite of remotes that other factions get in a single unit. Neurocinetics and a 360 visor with an HMG make it kind of like a Total Reaction Remote, but without the offensive power. The Baggage/Sensor version with a Heavy Flamethrower is a reasonable way to get a few nice toys all in one model, and a Guided Heavy Rocket Launcher is a thing you can probably take, if you want a GHRL for some reason.
The Auxiliars are nice because you don't need a hacker to take them and they otherwise fill in nice gaps, the way REMs do in other factions. The Baggage version has a lot of nice stuff attached, making it a handy toolbox for scenarios. Final word on the base size of the Auxiliars will likely cement them as "excellent" or "decent", but otherwise they're fairly straightforward. Do note that they're slower than most REMs, however, so don't expect to go zipping across the battlefield with them.
(edit: 12/22)
Okay, these guys are awesome. They can be used for cheap orders to fill out multiple-group lists, filling in gaps that you need surprisingly well. I also find that, since I can't use them aggressively, my defenses stay intact. I have a bad habit of using TR remotes very offensively, using that HMG they have, and they tend to die on my active turn. Chaksas don't let me do that, so they tend to live longer and shut my opponent down longer.
(edit: 5/6)
Playing with Chaksa has heavily influenced my Bakunin game. I have a lot more interest in/respect for Sin-Eaters having gotten more experience with Neurocinetics in the Chaksa. The small bases on the Chaksa are fantastic, and cement them as "excellent" for me.
(edit: 9/4)
Having now played in a tournament against an opponent who used Chaksa, the absolute most notable benefit to these guys is AVA 4-- allowing Tohaa to have more full-burst-in-ARO models on the table than any other faction, for lower cost. Even Bakunin, with Total Reaction remotes and Sin-Eaters, can't put the same volume of reactive-turn fire down due to SWC constraints, and even if they could the base cost of those units is much higher than the Chaksa. Every high-level Tohaa list I've seen at this point at the tournament level is using at least two Chaksa HMGs, and having played against it it's very clear why.
(edit: 12/5)
These guys are a cornerstone of my list, now. They're the best source of cheap, long-range firepower in the faction and you can easily bring a TON of them. Four HMG Chaksa is a royal pain for your opponent to deal with, and 10 point Sensor/flamethrowers is equally brutal. I have made opponents' lives miserable through the sheer weight of fire I can bring against them in their own turns.
DIPLOMATIC DELEGATE
If you need a specialist for a campaign or scenario game, the diplomatic Delegates are a cheap option that will do what you need at a low cost.
In normal games, bringing a Diplomatic Delegate for some Flash Pulse and Nanopulser silliness lets you have a throwaway troop if you want it -- they're Irregular, and you can toss them into a secondary group by themselves if your primary group is full on orders. Flash Pulse is a WIP roll, which the Delegate is pretty good at, and it's got a reasonably effective range from 0-32. It's often overlooked for better weapons, but blinding a sniper or nullifying some Suppressive Fire for "free" can make a big difference. If you have a few unspent points, consider bringing one for some extra tricks.
(edit: 12/22)
Somehow, these guys always end up in my multi-group lists, and I flash pulse the crap out of things until they inevitably die. Flash pulse is really funny, and a nasty way to cripple snipers. It's also a tool most people don't consider, so you get an angle that you might not otherwise have.
KUMOTAIL
Tohaa Doctor+Engineers! All-in-one fanciness for your healing needs. They're cheaper than either of the other Doctor+Engineers available in the game, and they have Fireteam: Tohaa to boot. This gives them a surprising amount of flexibility compared to most other, similar models, as you can keep them in a fireteam and let them move up with the group, then heal whoever needs it. They're fragile, as many specialists of this type are, so it's not a solution you'll always want to take, but it is an option.
At WIP 14, they're also pretty effective at their jobs, and you can always take some Chaksa Servants to keep things moving. Worth noting as an addendum here is that Chaksa Servants have AVA 4 and Hyper-Dynamics 1, making them outstanding servant bots for the same price as everyone else pays, AND you can have more of them than anyone else save Nomads. The potential for nice, widespread coverage exists with Tohaa Kumotail, although be careful, as activating a G:Servant bot will break the Kumotail out of a fireteam.
If you were considering filling out a fireteam with a Kamael, and have the points to spend, consider putting a Kumotail in its place. You'll have a battlefield doctor who can also repair things. Do be careful, though, as they're fragile and a doctor wandering through the line of fire might as well have a huge target painted on him.
(edit: 12/22)
Yeah, okay, including these guys in a linkteam isn't a super fantastic idea. They work much better with helperbots, working the way medics usually (should?) work. Fireteam: Tohaa on these guys hasn't been getting much use from me lately.
(edit: 12/5)
These guys are really nice in lists where you have a lot of emplaced long ranged guns (Chaksa HMGs, Gao-Rael snipers, etc). I'm using them more and more as I find myself spilling into two order groups more and more often.
Part the Last: Triad Tips and Tricks
The hardest part of Tohaa listmaking is figuring out how to combine your forces, especially your Triads. Generally speaking, I've found five effective ways to make Tohaa Triads:
1.) The Toolbox. Three Tohaa with widely varying purposes, put together into a unit block that can handle anything thrown at it. Some combination of a Sakiel, an Ectros, a Makaul, and a Gao-Rael tend to fill this out nicely, and give you a wide variety of tools in one box. General-purpose lists can use these to good effect, and it gives you a few solid cores to work with.
2.) The Weapons Platform. The polar opposite of the toolbox concept, this is comprised of three nearly identical Tohaa, with the goal being redundancy. If you lose one of the members, the other two can go on, filling the roles as needed. A pair of Ectros HMGs with a Gao-Rael Sniper is a long-range version of this, and a pair of Viral Combi Sakiels with a Spitfire Sakiel (or possibly Gao-Rael) is a more medium-range example. If you have a local meta that swings heavily towards a particular type of troop (like heavy camo), you might get a bit more mileage out of this one.
(edit 9/4) Consider putting a few Chaksa in a separate Order group and emplacing them; you don't need to worry about spending orders on them and they're a lot cheaper than an Ectros, and better in the reactive turn.
3.) The Command Squad. Like more traditional linkteams, this is a single important model backed up by a couple of less important models in order to provide bonuses. Generally, I don't recommend building Tohaa Triads like standard linkteams; you generally won't get enough bonuses to compensate for the added restrictions. Putting a Kumotail and a Kamael in with an Ectros can be a good idea, though, providing your Ectros with some backup and potential healing. These are, however, excellent for protecting a lieutenant.
Being able to reconfigure your Triads in the same list is a very useful skill to develop, and will allow you to react to opponents according to their threats, as well as respond more dynamically to deployment than you otherwise might.
(edit 12/22)
I'd like to renege on my comment about forming Tohaa Triads like normal linkteams. It's a very viable strategy, provided you're cognizant of the differences. Groups with Kamael that solely supply extra burst are very good in multi-group forces, and can give your opponent fits, particularly once the actual linkteam gets cracked and they STILL have to deal with the heavy-hitter.
I've also gotten very good at moving my linkteams in unison, very carefully so that I can reform them. It takes a lot of tactical finesse to be able to form and reform teams on the fly, but it's a great way to keep your opponent guessing.
(edit: 5/6)
Something I'm coming to find in Tohaa lists is how much they love redundancy. If I take one of something, I usually immediately consider taking two, and if I don't, I usually have a good reason. Losing parts of a good triad sucks, but being able to reform that triad into the same or a similar construction lets me keep my momentum.
I use my Lieutenant Order a LOT to reform triads, occasionally even breaking a triad at or near the end of my turn so that I can get some free Makaul or Sakiel impetuous orders. It takes some thinking a few turns ahead, but redundancy in my forces means that things don't have to go exactly how I envision them in my head for the plans to still execute.
(edit: 12/5)
4.) The Come At Me Bro. 2x Makaul, Kamael. Variants can replace the Kamael with a Sakiel or even an Ectros. The idea here is wedge some dudes in melee, kill TAGs or whatever you want. Unequal trades is the name of the game, and it's a very nasty swarm variant.
5.) The Winning Team (ITS scenarios). Kamael FO, Makaul, whatever else you like. Linkable specialist means efficiently getting up the field while covered by the active-turn power of something a bit beefier (Sakiel, Ectros, Gao-Rael Spitfire). They're a great second-wave scoring team.