Something I had written up when thinking about lieutenant choices. While not set in stone rules, I kind of wanted to give some tips and tricks on what I have noticed during my time playing Infinity. https://tabletopshogun.blogspot.com/2018/01/infinity-treastise-on-lieutenants.html Note: I had mispoke on CoC and thought it worked where you still had to announce that you were in loss of lieutenant before it kicked in. My point still stands though.
Nice! But you forgot a major category, though I dunno what to call it. But there are lieutenants that can stay safe in buildings in the backfield, and still do useful things with their lieutenant order. I'd normally refrain from revealing them until the second round, however. The most common type is hackers, like the Barid, the Reverend Custodier, the Nexus Operative. They can use their lieutenant order for hackings programs, like Supportware, Fairy Dust or Controlled Jump. Then there's lieutenants with smoke and/or speculative shot, like the Muyib with light grenade launcher, who might as well spend that lieutenant order on popping smoke or taking a speculative potshot at the enemy. In this same category, it would have been really cool with a Doctor lieutenant, but it doesn't seem like it exists.
I can see that point and kind of agree with it. However, I just think it falls into a mix of point one but more point three of the categories I have as they act like a support piece but becomes a little more obvious when used that role. (Though something to note that what had written done is not something of solid roles, but more of concepts that are kind explain what a lieutenant does in a specific list). This though is an good way to use an lieutenant to help out the army even if it does make him exposed (this of which is not too common in PanO, which is what I usually play so I can see me overlooking that a bit). The only thing to really worry about is having a back up if he does get hunted down and the like.
Aleph - Machaon Doctor Lt. at WILL 15 with ODD, NWI, MA3 and Eclipse Grenades. Not cheap, but he can do EVERYTHING: support, killing, scoring... Edit: oh, yes, and he links in Steel Phalanx
He was in every list, but only an Lt in half of them. Phoenix was also in every list. Interestingly, neither were fielded in vanilla lists.
For both of you: Phoenix brings the only long range weapon to a myrmidon squad, and he will be "carrying" the fireteam the whole time, thus being not a good Lt choice (specially since using the Lt order takes you out of the Fireteam). Machaon has Eclipse Grenades (Phoenix has regular smoke), is usually on the background, and is the only doctor aside from Dactils on the Steel Phalanx. So you place him into a link, and he is close by the casualties (sacrificial pawns, the 16 pts chain rifle Myrmidons) and to heal Phoenix (who also pulls ARO duty...). Also, if you are on the last turn, or you need to recover a casualty and reform the link, you use the Lt order on Machaon for a free "ress" or "capture console" attempt. So while it's not mandatory to use him as Lt, he is the more optimal choice in all regards. Giving the Lt option of the Myrmidon officer the Specialist Operative tag would alleviate this problem but... As for vanilla, there are more long range toys, the mk4 proxy costs half as much as Phoenix while being inmunne to shock ammo, and the Mk1 doctor or the Sophotects are more attractive medics than Machaon (the mk1 costs 25% and only "downgrades" from ODD to mimetism, while the Sophotect is also an engineer and moves half as much as an unlinked Machaon).
