So the Mobile Brigada Grenade Launcher LT turned out to be a typo, as expected, but the Wildcat KHD with Light Rocket Launcher is still there. A very nice addition to the Wildcat toolkit, gives you something other than a Spitfire to threaten that 16-24" gap. Fear not, I'm working on a draft for the updated tactica. So many changes!
Thanks. And not difficult to do, actually, if you cut the or Moran Combi arms, don´t glue Laxmee´s headpiece, the only issue are the old arms being quite aged in terms of details and the sculpt. I also changed the combi for a pistol to keep it more universally a proxy, but you could use a 3D printed gun and it would look fantastic as well.
Moran and Jazz for White Noise and Massacre in the link with Eclipse mean I have no real fears of needing to engage directly from the DZ, which is why ultimately the Evader AP Spitfire stays. I just hem and haw on it because I did love the MB HMG at the end of N3 when CJC got updated. Test games will be with the Evader largely and we'll see how things go. I have a feeling I'll love him as much as I want to. Quoted because I can't like it twice.
I've been a huge fan of an MB all-comers link via StarCo for some time now. We can do that now, but better, in Corregidor. BELTALOWDAH!!!! MB HMG is always going to be our best option for sheer resilience when it comes to face-punching at range as you leave a DZ. As good as the many Spitfire options are, that extra 8" really makes a difference. Of course, porque no los dos... Also, hot take: A Vostok ODD in a full link that can also throw White Noise and/or Eclipse feels a bit unbalanced. Actually very unbalanced. Throw in camo Morans and things are feeling a bit like... am I missing something that could take this and survive? Pretty much hitting our deathstar hard before we get a chance to use it is the only hope most opponents will have against that kind of thing. That and some sort of nasty midfield TO and Jammers combo trap, if they set it up well.
Hitting their OP thing hard before they get to use it is pretty much all of N4 right now. I'm sure it'll shake out more than that, but every faction pretty much has some version of that.
Aside: I think Lupe + Wildcat + AP Spit EVAder outdoes Massacre if you already have 2 x Morans and Jazz. Regular Smoke is a thing still. Also, anyone actually built a list with an Intruder in it? Given the other options... They just seem really fragile for their price.
It’s what Massacre can do in CC that makes him such a great addition to a forward link. And shooting through smoke and -6 with the MSV1 just doesn’t seem like a great use of orders (on the active turn; it’s a nice buff to MSV1 used defensively). Edit: yea, I haven’t even bothered trying to fit an Intruder in. Every once in a while I look at the new KHD profile and think “maybe...” but then I remember the poor fellow has no BTS and go grab a Wildcat. Several posters have said it: the Intruder is still playing in N2, or maybe early N3 if we’re being generous. He’s far too expensive relative to durability and even his actual hitting power to be a generally useful N4 profile.
If the Intruder MSR dropped the XVisor I might have been more excited. It would have been what, 39 points? Are Grenades 1 point? I'm sure they'll make it in again but they are least not good enough for me to use them when I have new options to try out. I will probably be using the Marksman just because MSV2 suppressive fire has had a major impact on a lot of games for me. I kind of wish it wasn't a hacker. AVA5 is such a joke now. I really wanted more useable profiles. They're still just ok. Still useless against fireteams AFAIK. I think they would have been a good choice for an NCO profile or something. For now I'm not thinking about them.
I'm quite disappointed with this... I think it's a sneaky way for us to buy more (NEW!) miniatures. Heck, the OG Intruder I have is tossing a grenade, and doesn't mesh well with the KHD profile. The KHD seems to exist mostly to make him a strange jack-of-all-trades; an MSVL2 Camo specialist button-pusher who can clear out enemy camo but also hold the home turf. Unfortunately, he's just too expensive for what he brings. He was competitive in N2 due to the vicious Camo Surprise rules. N3 was still effective as the changes made him less squishy but less effective. Still an effective counter, my opponents looked in Pavlovian fear at a camo marker on a tall building. N4... now he just seems overpriced. MSVL2 is less valuable against enemy smoke, and White Noise and Albedo is everywhere. The Custodiers benefited from the disappearance of Fire as an ammo type, and received extensive buffs. 4-4 MOV is valuable to them, especially being in a link. Intruders never needed 4-4, and never got close-range weaponry to take advantage of that (in fact, the ADHL is gone now). Hell, Knauf is a better pick 9 times out of 10. Intruders need something like Marksman if they are to stay in their niche. There are too many cheap camo units, or too many hardened camo units out there to justify the Intruder amidst a sea of 25+ point profiles. The Mobile Brigada is a rather happier story, as it's built itself a valuable role in both the Corregidor and Nomad arsenals.
4-4 is good for the HMG Intruder, and for a Marskman guy who wants to move but I agree, it is not ideal. The HMG gets overshadowed by quite a few other profiles (if not alone, by the ability to at least Haris), and the Sniper is too fragile as a solo piece (and too expensive as a secondary ARO threat). IDK, love the guys (and I will convert the old sniper into the Marksman) but... somebody said it is stuck in N2, and I believe that is true. In the table, now, it only works against noobs to the game.
I think saying it only works vs Noobs is overstating things. I've had good value in late N3 using Intruders to clean up unlinked AROs: ie. Helots, Jags, Daylami spam, HD AROs and TR Bots. Those are still going to be relatively common in N4 BUT rarer than the HI ML or MI MSR in a Core which will often be a primary ARO threat. Intruders issue is that they're too expensive to be relegated to a later game threat that cleans up after you've broken primary AROs and to fragile to be trusted to push through the midfield. Notably, Sombres do a perfectly fine job of dealing with most unlinked AROs: things like Sin Eaters and TO AROs are probably the only things they'll have problems with. So they kinda replace the Intruder in the "win the unlinked gunfights" role Intruders where kinda left with in late N4.
Yeah, but this is the internet, of course I was overstating things. From my own experience (so this is not an argument, it is pure experience) Intruders HMG are great at punishing overextending attack pieces that come at you. And that is more often than not a mistake made by people with less experience (and me hehe). The problem is that, as you say, against a more experienced player a Bandit was much more useful at hunting those troops, and now we have the Sombras as well. So unless you have a VERY especific matchup the Intruder is rarely earning its points back (in the last... 3 years?). Talking about Bandits, anybody else excited about Booty? Literally everything they can pull but ONE option is great. I am just a bit confused about Booty and Camo interaction, like, yeah... this totally sneaky Camo marker will roll Booty and has THIS extra piece of equipment... kills the shell game with Sombras and Morans.
Looking at the range bands and throwing some dice in Infinity Calculator, I'm starting to like the ShMmRifle Intruder more. I can think of many medium-density table situations where he would have shined. So let's take a look at a turd that is difficult to flush: the Hulang Shocktrooper. Vs, Hulang Shocktroopers (BS12, Mimetism-3, ARM3), +3, combis (for demonstration), cover for both. Still old N3 crit mechanics; now slightly favours ARM and reduces overall loss rate for attacker. N3 Wildcat (no MSV) 35%/14.5% 43.5%/12.5% (+1B) 54%/8% (+1B, +3BS) N4 Wildcat (or vs an un-mimetism opponent) 45%/10% 54%/8% (+1B) 64%/5.5% (+1B, +3BS) Intruder 50.5%/13% 54%/5% (Surprise Shot) So we went from a situation where it would take a reliable rate of ~4 Orders of shooting and a 48% chance of losing the Wildcat to take down a Hulang to ~3 and 27%. The Intruder fares better than the lone Wildcat due to its Mimetism, but with the Surprise Shot, gets a 54% chance of inflicting a Wound and only 5% of taking one in return. Now let's try the Intruder ShMmRifle in its good range band versus a combi (16 to 24). Intruder 56%/4.5% 59.5%/0% (Surprise Shot, at -12 the Hulang will just Dodge at this point)
That's kinda the thing though: RF Sombre with Surprise Shot at 24" does almost as well (still on -12 due Surprise Shot) trades the -3 penalty from Mimmetism for +1 Burst. The AP Spitfire EVAder in a Haris equally works for this problem: with the added bonus of given you a weapon that actually scares high-ARM targets. Where the Intruder will really shine is vs Suppression Fire Nokken, Ryuken or other TO SK. But is that worth dropping upwards of 40pts on? Or do we just use a template weapon, an active turn Koala or Spotlight them to hopefully get a Reset? We have all those tools in our list already and they're on packages designed to start in or to get to the midfield.
True, but the RF Sombra costs SWC and the Intruder Marksman doesn't and is also a specialist. Which, to be frank, is kind of weird especially given the 0 BTS. As pointed out however, there is Hacking all over the place in this edition and the Sombra is going to be in the midfield mixing it up between the Repeater footprints. I kind of wish the Intruder had a Mk12, rather. Also, the Surprise Shot is a once-off bonus unless you want to waste Orders re-camoing, which makes the Wildcat link more Order efficient for harder targets. What really matters is how badly you need counter-camo. With Fire ammo gone, MSV has become that much more important. I have a notion that the Intruder can play off of the Hacking game while taking advantage of positioning. Can't be Spotlit if you're not in a Repeater footprint or a Marker. Even if not on the table, it still brings something more to the camo shell game, especially if you're not fielding Wildcats. Well, anyway, I'll bring the Intruders in my next tourney and see what happens.
List building is a lot of fun with corregidor right now, and they look very different than N3! Sometimes there's some mental gymnastics required to remember what each link is supposed to even be (Jaguar, Alguacile...) with all the wildcards floating around. Jazz so far seems to fit into every list, but the intruder does not. No worries there, he had his work cut out for him in early N3 before defensive links with wildcards starting popping up and I think it's fair for the poor dude to have some rest! I took 2x of them (vanilla) to a few tournaments and even played with 3 in Corregidor for fun a few times. My only complaint is the LT which is even more limited than N3. I find the LT selection, because it's so limited, starts to define a chunk of your list. For example, the MB is neat, but he's an obvious choice so now you need a daktari nearby, and what link do you stick the two of them in. You certainly can't easily grab a camo intruder LT and call it a day.
Hint: The MB Shotgun Lt is a good defensive package, and an Alguacile Paramedic actually heals him at PH14 (better than WIP13 of the Dak and cheaper). And to be honest, HI BSG dudes pushing forward are scary once you have cleared the long-range AROs.
