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Deltakilo's thoughts on OS.

Discussion in 'ALEPH' started by deltakilo, Feb 16, 2019.

  1. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    Operation Subsection.


    Hi guys, I have had a good year with OS and thought it might be worth me talking about my approach to the faction and giving some insight into how it has gone so well for me.

    My current record is 24 tournament wins and 3 losses which isn’t half bad. My worst result in that time was 6TH at a seventy player event and I went 5 or 6 tournaments in a row 1st. It’s a bit obnoxious pointing this out. But I wanted to highlight these thoughts are backed up with results.

    These opinions are based on my experiences and also on my preferred play style (2 groups 15 orders+). I have played against players from all over the country and have not noticed any big or drastic issues specific to a Meta.


    Why play OS?

    Operation subsection is THE most versatile sectorial. You have access to incredible gunfighters, specialists and mobility. The only thing they cannot do is effectively close combat which in a game like infinity is a minor issue. OS is without a shadow of a doubt THE most consistent army in the game I feel. What I mean by that is that if you play the numbers you will be rewarded more often than not. It doesn’t have the real spikey swings you may see in factions like JSA for example. If you like playing the odds and grinding your opponent down with ruthless efficiency then OS is for you (pretty fitting for a faction of robots!)


    Why you shouldn’t play OS?

    The reliability whilst excellent can potentially lead to predictability too. Some players love the big thematic shifts from that style of play too. Also the lack of close combat may be something that is a big deal to you. Lastly remotes, its fine if you are ready for it. But for those that struggle with the restrictions on remotes OS is not for you.


    I won’t go through every unit in the faction but I will try and go into depth on the ones I take. Some will be obvious units used in obvious ways others will be obvious units used in less obvious ways and some may even be unusual choices potentially.


    LT options:

    OS LT options are a double edged sword. You do not get cheap line troop LT options but the ones you get are pretty incredible for their cost. The two I use frequently being the Shukra and Deva sensor.

    Deva sensor: This is the less frequently used of the two. The ability to link, resilience of nwi, sensor and High wip make this an excellent choice. If I am desperate to get sensor into a list or I’d prefer the resilience of a linked model with nwi for assassinate style missions I will take the deva. The main issue isn’t the deva itself, it is the noticeable difference the pregame stuff the Shukra gives me that puts the deva as my second choice LT.

    Shukra: Before I started playing games of OS. I was on the fence between the Deva/Shukra. The Shukra has become my favourite Lt Option in the game. Counter intelligence allows me to preserve my large order pool if I go first and Strategos means as long as my LT is alive I am providing two regular orders for 27pts which is excellent. The solid wip is nice and with biometric visor and multi rifle and bs13 means I have been able to deal with impersonators much better than expected. Don’t get me wrong a speculo running up on you sucks, as he is one wound and obvious. But that mixture of skills isn’t bad. I cannot stress what a big deal the Strategos and counter Intel is, starting a game with 17 regular orders which are not likely to be stripped with the type of units available is incredibly strong. The Deva is good, but it is noticeable when the shukra is missing. I have started taking the shukra in my second group this allows me to spread threats between my groups more evenly meaning no matter what’s going on I usually have a model I want to spend orders on.


    Dakini link:

    This one is pretty self-explanatory. The dakini are a buzzsaw, they are excellent and they allow you to bully your way into position. They are good but I believe they are necessary for the faction too. The lack of smoke means you must bully aro units into submission to achieve your goals. Dakini should make your opponent seriously reconsider putting units on aro. The question on using an Apsara with jumper level x or a hacker to buff them is a good one. In my experience I have found the Apsara to be the superior choice. Firstly it saves you orders, secondly you get the benefit when the apsara is deployed so when you go second (which OS loves to do) you start already at full strength. 2 Dice multi sniper aro at bs19 before modifiers whilst also imposing a neg 6 in return is incredibly effective. In active turn the hmg is a buzzsaw that very few units can withstand. The two levels of unconscious are incredible too with high wip engineers in the list your opponent is caught between a rock and a hard place. Do they invest orders removing the unconscious model or do they ignore it and you bring it back? It’s a tough question and the answer I have found is so mission dependant there isn’t a hard and fast rule for it.


    Post humans:

    No surprise I’m winning with post humans right? Ill at least touch on the ones I take and why.

    Mk1 engineer: 10 pt. wip 15 engineer. That alone is enough reason to take him. Paired with bs13 and mimetism this guy shoots as well as the unknown ranger! When the chips are down I have used the humble engineer to go on a killing spree obviously that’s not your first choice. But a lot of players are not seeing your engineer as a threat which means vectors open up that your opponent hadn’t planned on getting punished on.

    Mk2 sniper: another layer in the superior defence of OS, when layered with dakini sniper and totally reaction remotes you can set up a truly oppressive defence that your opponent will struggle to dislodge without significant losses. The MK2 can also be a strike piece, it makes dealing with opponent total reaction remotes trivial and with infiltration can take positions that can allow for unexpected left to right engagements. I’d say in at least thirty percent of my games it is deployed to remove models in active turn taking advantage of its infiltration to punish an enemy.

    MK5 Forward observer: This model is value, being medium infantry he now starts at 20 inches up. He has the weapons to be effective up close, a wip 15 flash pulse bs13 and nwi. In missions like decap he nets you five points for one order and in missions that require you to push midfield buttons he does it easily and efficiently. The fact he exists means I feel comfortable only having one naga as this guy pulls a lot of the weight that I’d expect from a naga. If you don’t need a specialist? He is a 20 inch up b4 smg wielder with a nanopulsar that only costs ten points. He can go on the assault and when he dies you have lost almost nothing. Usually I pair his deployment with a line my dakini can see. If aro stand up to counter the proxy the long range dakini mulch it, if they hide from dakini the post human rushes in and takes advantage of his short range weapons to trade up. Don’t forget post humans are Elite troops this means they can do some classifieds really easily that some armies struggle with.


    Naga: there are two nagas I like in particular for this faction:

    · Minelayer. One of the issues this faction can have is its excellent at range but if people turtle there is you can do to root them out. Minelayer not only slows down your opponent advancing with templates (the anathema of OS) it allows you to get a boarding shotgun which starts in excellent position which can punish an opponent who turtles. I use this Naga variant the most and rarely does it disappoint. Obviously dogged on a troop that works without support is excellent. Minelayer + boarding shotgun is an excellent combo and I am always sad when I see other skirmishers that don’t have these two attributes paired together.

    · Assault hacking device: heavy battle tags and pain trains can give high order count lists that don’t have warbands some grief. An assault hacker can keep them honest. I use this option less but I really enjoy having a specialist that is relatively cheap (they lose their mines on this profile to keep the cost down) and can threaten and slow down the big scary things that can run through your army. With the proliferation of repeaters and pitches in this army it traditionally isn’t a lot of investment either.


    Zayin remote: Total reaction remote, paired with a mk2 sniper in a similar position can stack your aros to really halt an opponent’s assault. Climbing plus means that I can pivot to an attack piece and climb it down from its perch to get work done if required. Not much to say other than this paired with dakini and mk2 really stops anything short of an avatar/cutter in its tracks.


    Danavas hacking device plus: allows remotes, support ware, pitchers and white noise and the upgrade maestro to keep yourself protected. This unit is a lynchpin. It is so crucial in supporting the army, its well worth its cost but keep it protected its bts3 means that if a hack gets through chances are its going down. White noise means any non ssl2 msv2 is in big trouble doing not forget it or that you have pitchers to push white noise where you need to. The inclusion of the maestro upgrade means I feel a khd is less necessary, but depending on the matchup you may want one too. (I highly recommend the apsara khd, 19pt bs13 khd with a boarding shotgun.. can get work done with cyber mask and is dirt cheap and wip14)

    Apsaras jumper level x: This unit is excellent, a regular order that gives no2 to your dakini and allows them to start on bs13 (only one fireteam remote per order/aro) the use is self-explanatory. Keep it protected and chances are you won’t spend an order on it. And it’s still worth its price bear in mind when the dakini activate so does the apsara so do not leave it somewhere it can be seen.



    Putting this all together:

    This list grinds your opponents advance, makes their orders horribly inefficient. It punches up between dakini, buffed TR bot and post humans. You have close in threats and range threats and your threats are spread across combat groups. This means it’s hard for an opponent to lock you out because no matter what you have orders and a model in a position to use them. If your opponent puts up aro threats delete them. There isn’t a lot that can handle both the combination of white noise, b5 dakini, and post human sniper. No matter what is standing up you should have the tools to remove it. If they turtle your job is a bit harder but you have the tools in the faction and most in the list to punish that too. Mk5, naga, garuda all are great options for that role, even the engineer can if you are willing to risk it… it’s not plan A but it’s not an awful backup plan.


    Below is one of my most common lists.

    versatile

    ──────────────────────────────────────────────────


    GROUP 1[​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]10

    PROXY Mk.1 Engineer Combi Rifle, Nanopulser, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

    YUDBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)

    PROXY Mk.2 MULTI Sniper Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 24)

    PROXY Mk.5 (Forward Observer) 2 Submachine Guns, Nanopulser, E/M Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

    APSARA (G: Jumper Level Z) Submachine Gun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 22)

    DAKINI Tacbot Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse. (0 | 13)

    DAKINI Tacbot Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse. (0 | 13)

    DAKINI Tacbot HMG / Electric Pulse. (1 | 21)

    DAKINI Tacbot MULTI Sniper Rifle / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 21)

    CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

    NETROD . (0 | 4)

    NETROD . (0 | 4)

    NAGA Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 32)


    GROUP 2[​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]6

    SHUKRA Lieutenant (Strategos L1) MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 27)

    DALETH Rebot Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 17)

    ZAYIN Rebot HMG / Electric Pulse. (1 | 26)

    LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)

    LAMEDH Rebot Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)

    DANAVAS Hacker (Hacking Device Plus. UPGRADE: Maestro) Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 25)


    6 SWC | 300 Points


    Open in Infinity Army



    Hopefully theres some useful information in here. If anyone has any particular comments or question I am happy to chat about it J
     
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  2. Sicaris

    Sicaris Active Member

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    Thanks do the write up, as a newer player it's really helpful to get a seasoned perspective. What do you do about your obvious lieutenant?
     
    AdmiralJCJF likes this.
  3. Ghost_X

    Ghost_X Well-Known Member

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    Thank you for the write up. What are your thoughts on the Yadu and the Asuras Hacker (Lt and non-LT versions)?
     
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  4. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    Asuras: the problem with the non Lt asura is you are paying upwards of 70 points for situational abilities, and unlike similar coated models the asura is totally outclassed in damage output. In OS you don't even have smoke to leverage the msv3. However the lt lvl 2 really breathes fresh life into the profile. Now the hacking device plus LT, it is a very capable gunfighter incredible specialist that is bringing 3 orders (which equates to an order per 26pts) I think the asura hacking device as a LT is now a viable choice. I don't think the sptifire offers enough however to be useful.

    Tldr: Asura hacker LT lvl2 is great. The rest I would not take.

    Yadu: is an excellent unit I just think for its cost I'm either going to take Shakti as LT or go.for the cheaper (and superior imo) shukra. In saying that you could take it if you like it there's nothing wrong with it at all and if you are taking a link even more reason. It's just not a unit that jives with my philosophy.
     
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  5. Shoitaan

    Shoitaan Well-Known Member

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    This is the first time I've read someone give such props to Apsara and the Shukra LT. I'm growing to like the Shukra LT myself but must admit that I never tried the cyberdancers at all because of more experienced players negative perceptions. I'm keen to take one out for a spin in tonight's game though! Thanks for the write up. Very interested in your thoughts on the other new OSS units!
     
    #5 Shoitaan, Feb 16, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2019
  6. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    Obvious Lt. Hard to cover everything.
    Firstly deployment. Deploy in a position that makes it inefficient for your opponent to get to. Secondly deploy it away from your other vulnerable and juicy targets. If you put a danavas, shukra Lt and an apparatus in the same room you are asking for someone to take them out. If you split them now your opponent has to choose which one is most important. Secondly you have so many aros it's hard to get to your vulnerable troops. MK2 sniper is incredible as you can set it up to protect you vulnerable stuff. Your flash pulse bots are excellent insulation too. If you are expecting cc units to run up on you. Bubble wrap with other models. For example I'll put a flash pulse remote Infront of my model and have it in a position where it's impossible to reach b2b with the shukra because the flashbot is in the way.
     
  7. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    I was absolutely on the fence. Initially I took hackers, however I realised early how often I wanted to go second. And going second you are "vulnerable" as you haven't had time to put support ware up. The number 2 is no joke either, when people realise there isn't a weakness to exploit they don't bother. Also when you hit stuff out of cover you are hitting on 19s thats disgusting pretty much no warband wants to deal with that. At the end of the day it's 22 pt regular order and 0swc. I think os can really use its Swc. I don't think you will go wrong with hackers instead. But after about ten games I swapped to apsara and haven't looked back. My danavas can buff them if I really need to. But usually that buffs the TR bot.

    Shukra is similar. I was 50/50 when I was theory listing stuff. In practice I hate not having it now..I definitely feel it without him.
     
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  8. Hachiman Taro

    Hachiman Taro Inverted gadfly

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    Great write up!

    My biggest question is In general what would you do to counter this list if you played against it with a different faction?
     
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  9. Tony2805

    Tony2805 Well-Known Member

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    Thx for the write up. What's your thoughts on Arjunas and have you ever tried MK4 Posthumans?
     
  10. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    Arjuna: I like the SMR one. I think it's an excellent strike piece that can jam up your opponent. E Marat's are disgusting and they also help answer some weaknesses in the faction. Heavy tags really don't want to deal with an Arjuna.

    Mk 4: both are excellent (particular the hrl) the main issue is do you want the armour of the MK4 or the to hit mods of the sniper. I prefer the sniper. But both are good for different reasons. The sniper is a scalpel the MK4 is a roadblock.
     
  11. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    Hmm tough... Main thing I find tough are super heavy tags. I'm talking cutter and avatar. Outside of that if you have an effective way to push templates into my deployment zone this army will struggle. Lots of models and poor dodging. It's a recipe for disaster. Obviously there's ways around it but a usarf army with a tonne of infiltrating grunts will be tough to deal with.
     
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  12. Kir

    Kir Well-Known Member

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    Have you considered the monomine naga? Those monomines can make any model disappear in a puff of wire, even heavy TAGs. Also great against HI/ high armor spam. Just the threat of a monomine naga can already discourage the enemy to use good models to get to your DZ. I often field one mononaga and one nonmono naga, with some basic ARO coverage against cheap troops so they dont pop the mines with something cheap. This way my opponents have to play rather cautiously or risk losing a major piece to a monomine. No opponent wants to coinflip with a pricy piece to see which naga is laying monomines, and they either have to waste actual orders on bad models to pop those mines or to make it safe enough for a bad model to pop a mine, which means less orders for their good models. All for mines you can often lay down in ARO for nearly free. Bonus points: dont cost swc, so you can cover the mines with snipers, rocket launchers and hmgs.
     
  13. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    Yep it's something I have considered I haven't given it a go yet. I may do so this weekend actually
     
  14. ObviousGray

    ObviousGray Frenzied Mushroom

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    OSS do pose a problem for ITS prepping.. Man, the army is strong. Very challenging.


    Good write-ups, btw. I think this sectorial is very well balanced, tough opponent for IA IMO.
     
  15. BigBadFox

    BigBadFox Well-Known Member

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    Nice list, nice write-up.

    I especially like the MK1 Engi+Danavas+Apsara package. My first lists had two hackers, but I soon tried the Apsara and liked her a lot. This way you save so much points compared to Sophotect and double hacker.
     
  16. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    My early list had two hackers and a sophotect. There's strengths and weaknesses but I definitely feel trimming the fat with apsara+MK1 engineer gives you a bit more flexibility for mobile strike pieces.
     
  17. Kiwi Steve

    Kiwi Steve Well-Known Member

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    Maybe I've been playing this wrong, but isn't the type of mine they are carrying open information? I've never played mono mine naga as I assumed my opponent would know the moment I revealed.
     
  18. daboarder

    daboarder Force One Commander
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    Yes the type of mine is open once the model is revealed, as is the type of mine when deployed as a skill (outside minelayer)
     
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  19. deltakilo

    deltakilo Bear of Butcher bay
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    When you deploy a mine the skill you use isn't deploy camo marker. It is deploy anti-personnel mine, deploy mono mine etc..
     
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  20. Shoitaan

    Shoitaan Well-Known Member

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    Another lesson for my learning. Everytime an opponent laid a camo egg in the games I've played, they've generally declared that they're dropping a mysterious camo marker not activating a 'deploy [mine of specific type]' skill. Very good to know.

    As a side note, I finally tried a cyberdancer this weekend on your recommendation. I was forced to go second by the opponent as well so really got to use it to its full effect before I even spent a single order. Never realised the full nasty potential of G:JumperZ when I simply read the rules. You have converted me sir. Now I just need to fear drop troopers all over again.
     
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