I don't think the options in the poll really reflects the options that people are actually using. The paradigm of a Homogeneous HI Fireteam is something of the past, beyond a few exceptions (Riot Grrls, maybe Wu Ming and Hollow Men) the vast majority of HI links are either mixed (DoTanko, Teuton/Santiago+Magisters, Crusade) or are hybrids with non HI (Order Sarges in MO links, ORCs, Crane+CG, StarCo Mobile Brigada, Janissary Hafza, Hollow Men+REM). Of those, I really like the BIRD Orc/Kamau/Fusilier option for its sheer breadth of options, and the DoTanko is real wrecking ball for a surprisingly affordable price.
In MAF you would never field a Suryat team without Kornak, the extra order from Strategos is too useful.
Yeah, it's a real odd poll, since mixed links seem to be the standard nowadays. That being said, if all possible links were listed, we wouldn't be seeing results anywhere near like this.
Yeah. Zuyongs are good but they come close to riot grrls only when they are mixed with characters, haidaos and rems. Their only advantege (but big one) are additional orders which are nice but the amoumt of equipment grrls get for the price is just ridiculous.
The rules say: It must be a 5 man HI core. With 2 real or virtual wounds (sorry moblots, minuteman etc) No mix link teams (more fair for older pain trains) No characters.
While ignoring the penalties for being HI/gaining ITS X bonuses. I agree they could be brought into the conversation, but they technically don't fit the question at hand.
Yadu do the job as well. Anyway I still think that five proper multiwound troops is a big advantage. The real bane of links are templates and if you've got some LI in there and a chain rifle gets dropped on you then it is much less of a clear ARO choice than "lol I shoot and bounce your hits, you did a wound? Nbd"
My pic should mean I'd vote for Magisters, but I really like the Mobile Brigada sculpts. I find them to be very inspiring.
I'm really loving my Hollowmen, so I voted for them. They're really fast, they're super mobile, and chain colts are amazing secondary weaponry. They dodge for crap, so as @Solar points out, there is little incentive to do anything other then shoot most the time, so having good guns to use is a huge perk.
I see less veteran apreciation than expected. They are expensive but as raw powerful as a linked HI can get. AP hmg with t2 and ap rifles, flamethrowers and shotguns with mimetism, armour 4, permanent six sense, non hackable and specialist options. In fact they seem quite dangerous against all other HI and other heavy troops.
If there wasn't a no-character rule in here, I'd have to vote Zuyong, in the form of Tai Sheng, TacA Haris, TacA HMG, Shang Ji HRL, and Haidao. But where is the DoTanko link choice?!?
Vets are great, but I don't think we'll see full Fireteam: Core pain trains of them very often. More likely is 1-3 Vets sprinkled among Line Kazak and Frontovik Fireteams or in Haris teams.
Yadu are obviously designed by someone who did not bother understanding either the theme and lore or the gameplay of Aleph or Operations Subsection. If they really wanted to give OS a (pseudo)HI core, it should've been more in the vein of Rudras (except S2 or S3 or even S5) with elite LHosts as command and backup pieces. Not this neither here nor there silliness. With E/M overload.
In my experience people on this forum seem unable to control their urge to vent at every opportunity. (PS. Yes yes I am doing so right now ;) )