ijw has stated the grunt sniper has an AP sniper rifle which is why it has the shock skill. I had the same reaction at first.
I have Czech friends. They laugh at Russians and their usage of "Mischka" - especially for bear nicknames. Yes, I know it's the diminutive of "Mikhail" (essentially "little Mikey"). In the same way that "Katyusha" is the diminutive of "Katherine" ("Little katy"). It means "mouse" in Czech. Nobody would describe a bear as being anything like a mouse.
As a German, roasting German humor is where casual racism is funny. Always a good laugh, ja ja. Insert ze smiley face Wilhelm. Hans ready ze Flammenwerfer.
After making many list and playing many games. I see no reason to bring a Kosmosoldat. Even as a lone Data Tracker I'd rather take a lone Volkolak cause of the total immunity. Only being able to Duo is a HUGE hinderance. Losing the +1B on the AP HMG option is now sub-par at best. The special fireteam rule should be reversed so he's worth bringing. 1 Kosmosoldat can join any fireteam of Frontoviks. Even a Special Fireteam: Haris of 1 Kosmolsoldat and 2 Frontoviks would be infinitely better. A rise in points would be fine if that's what it takes. Similar units from other factions can. Why not Ariadna? I understand the reasoning for flavor and differences between factions, but when you make a brand new unit unusable (in my opinion), then what's the point of wasting the money to make it and sell it in mass if no one brings it to the table?
For solo operation I'd pick a Kosmosoldat every time if I wasn't expecting Hackers. AP matters now on the HMG, and the Kosmo SpecOp is an absolute monster for something that can still press buttons. There's also the fact that the final N4 Fireteam rules are still unknown, a sufficiently heavy nerf to link bonuses in future could easily let a solo piece match up to a linked equivalent.
While I don't disagree with your statement on fireteams. I dont foresee a big nerf coming to them. Even if a nerf did happen, I highly doubt we'll see 3+ man fireteams loseing the +1B or 5+ man fireteams loseing the +3 to BS skills. I would still pick the Volkolak simply because of total immunity and better PH for dodgeing. You wont always be in a situation for cover and sometimes the best option isnt to shoot back. I'd rather have the option to dodge with no negatives. You can call it a monster if you'd like. Yet I see the Kosmosoldat running into the same problem the Ratnik did before N4. Not worth the points.
I can see where our opinions differ on this, then; you seem to prefer efficient delaying Dodges and good Wound soaking in your HI over damage potential and straight ARM value, as well as favouring Fireteams over versatile solo pieces, whereas my own preferences tend to run in the other direction. For my typical style of play and local meta, the Kosmosoldat is actually a nice fit with its anti-armour options (my group plays a lot of TAGs and superheavy infantry) and hefty ARM 9 in cover, as well as being able to handle button-pressing with the SpecOp profile. Meanwhile I'd rarely take a Volkolak because I detest Core Fireteams and those chunky Wulvers shoot like Fusiliers if they're not hiding behind a full Core bonus, and orders spent on them will rarely directly contribute to scoring OP. I can definitely see where you're coming from with your opinions but the Kosmosoldat unit seems to have a nice niche to me.
I've only run Kosmo a few times, but to add to the discussion - I'm kinda cool on both the Volkolak and the Kosmosoldat - which is unfortunate cuz they both seem pretty important to the identity of Kosmoflot, since most of the sectorial is a hodgepodge of characters and random Scots. The Kosmosoldat I have a hard time justifying when the Unknown Ranger in a haris with 2 Varangians is cheaper than a Kosmosoldat + Frontovik Engineer duo while bringing better gunfighting with MSV1 and mimetism - not to mention tac aware and being unhackable. Crossing into good range isn't hard with two high PH smoke throwers, and that haris is also rather dangerous in CC. I really don't like how UKR being good (which is something I've been complaining about since forever) messes up the internal balance of both Kosmo and USA. At the same time, dam 16 AP is scary as hell these days, and ARM6 on an S2 model is pretty crazy; I'm finding I often don't make use of all my SWC unless I bring Equipe Mirage 5, so point-for-point, the Kosmosoldat might be a good option for a solo firepower piece. But - maybe this is a hangup from N3 - I still vastly prefer winning ftf rolls than relying on ARM rolls. I really need to run him half a dozen more times to refine my opinion of him. The Volkolak I've run a few times, and while it's nice (as expected) having a tough ML dude in a core link, his performance was just average at best. Given his points, I have a tough time making use of all I'm paying for. Super Jump is situationally useful but way weaker as we all know; his shooting is rather average even in a link, and no MA and new NBW means he's not particularly good in CC either. As an offensive pointman with Varangian core/haris, I find myself reaching for (again) UKR or even Cadin, for his AP T2 CC. As a superjumping gun platform, I'm finding the Volkolak to be pretty underwhelming. It's nice to have TI insurance on your attacker, but a BS12 HMG is really nothing special, especially for his points. I'm quite liking the Zenit though, and Equipe Mirage 5 - the few times I've run them - have been really fun and effective, though requiring a lot of finesse and good decisionmaking to get proper value out of. The Bearpode I also definitely need more games with. Mostly, I just hope the sculpts are badass.
Volkolak HMG can still shoot 5 on 15s to any linked Sniper (Kamau and Frontovik aside) and won't risk dying to DA, being Total Immune. Linked Snipers will be recurring on tables, given that now Bolts and Grenzers can be a pain too. That's why I like to have my FT for aggressive scenarios composed by 3 Varangians, UKR and a Volk HMG (Wallace as a backup). Expensive for sure but you've Warcor, Irmandinhos, Polaris Team and 20+ points camos to go on pair with that. Cadin is ok when you can bring him smoke and more general safety, but isn't the best shooter nor the most resistant model in the sectorial. If CC is your concern, you still have: - SAS FO (MA2 + D-Charges); - Volkolak (NBW + TI); - UKR (NBW + MA2 + T2 CCW); - Wallace (NBW + Berserk + EXP CCW); - Irmandinhos (D-Charges); - Bears (Trench Hammer + Berserk + TI); - Uxia Spec Ops (MA2 + D-Charges); - Pavel (Berserk + NBW + MA2 + T2 CCW) - Duroc (MA2 + TI). I think that would be enough for any taste, as all these models can move around protected by their own smoke or core bonuses or camo state. Kosmosoldat would have been better with +1 B, his AP HMG right now is nothing bad but he's expensive and we've better choices. The Spec Ops is an ok profile, well armed and resistant, but many factions will bring hackers in the midfield and he's hackable, he has no marker state or Mimetism and his Dodge is mediocre at best. Let's see how the ITS will turn out but I'm not sold on it.
It needs more testing, but personally I'd had some luck using him as a portable autocannon turret / aro threat. My last game he tanked three orders from a Maggie, dealing one wound to it in aro, and then finishing it off in the active turn. I probably wouldn't want any of the others profiles tbh, I have SAS and Uxia to push buttons and better options for an HMG platform.
I think i prefere put the volkolak in a rotok or a Varegian FT with missile launcher and keep him only for ARO (And ML over HMG because now we are in a ARM meta, with HI and TAGs being cheaper, except ours, of course). I can be offensive with the Camo Scot Spitfire.
I think we're generally on the same page. I agree that the Volkolak's main value is in his TI making both active and reactive more consistent, and allows him to take certain risks with more chances. Point was, I don't think they're a bad choice, they're just a lot less exciting than I'd hoped, and I'm having difficulty trying to squeeze maximum value out of them, given their cost. Defensively, being a Missile Launcher wildcard with TI gives them a very clear niche, but their super jump and CC feel wasted; offensively, there seem to be better options in similar or lower points brackets that bring more useful and interesting tools. It's not that I want more CC in the faction; like you've listed, we have plenty of options. The point was that since the Volkolak's main strength is being a durable and linkable gun platform, superjump and mediocre CC often feel like bloat. The new NBW rules are a big part of it; so while they're solid as core linkable TI with 2W, offensively, they're just not that exciting, especially when compared to other wildcards that are better gunfighters and/or far more efficient in CC. Cadin is just as good at shooting as the Volkolak, though obviously he doesn't get access to long range guns. In an offensive haris though, I vastly prefer the CC superiority and climbing+ over superjump and +1 DAM/ARM. MA2 and Berserk with an AP T2 threatens virtually everything, and with climbing plus, he'll be able to berserk up walls, if necessary. UKR, I don't really need to say too much about; for a roughly similar investment to a Volkolak HMG, you get a pointman that's far better in CC, gets MSV1/mimetism, tactical awareness, specialist, and an AP main weapon. The TI makes the Volkolak great for engaging dangerous AROs, but for frontline duty in a close-range aggressive haris, I'd prefer Cadin. It's nice to have a pseudo 2W ML ARO, but you're likely facing high burst in reactive, which TI isn't great against. So yeah, I don't think they're bad, and do need to try running the more aggressive options to see how they fare; but when I'm already struggling to make use of my SWC in Kosmo, it's likely I'll most often reach for the core-linked ML or HMG. Which is a pity. The Kosmosoldat, I basically agree with completely. They simply don't bring enough to the table to justify their investment and weakness of being hackable. They feel like S2 Blackjacks that have been slightly improved in every way, but that's not really a great place to be. The specialist option looks alright until you remember that the UKR exists. So yeah, another pity for a fluffy and cool unit.
I don't know, I never had great success with Cadin (even used it in N3 with TAK and Vanilla). Which Haris do you suggest for him? Varangian for the smoke? In my opinion, Haris should be come at bargain price (as they do) or be super hard to remove, and I think it's not the case for both Frontoviks and Scots Guard, as they're not cheap and just 1 W. Another piece I'm in love with but I struggle to list or make good use of is Pavel. If only he had something like a light shotgun...
That's the thing, I don't even know, haha. My first idea was Varangians to make a mobile close-range kill team with smokes, but I prefer my haris teams to have a specialist, if I'm going to bother shucking up them up the field. And there, Cadin again gets outclassed hard by the UKR, who is a far better gunfighter, better in CC (if not quite as deadly, without AP and berserk), specialist, and an extra order. I think it's mostly the UKR's tac aware that always makes listbuilding feel somewhat unbalanced in N4/Tactical Window. Otherwise, I wouldn't have hesitated to bring a cheaper model and an irmandinho on the side instead. On a slightly different note, it's weird and unfortunate that the Kazak Doc can only link with Rokots. Ariadna don't get command rerolls most of the time, and a core linked B2 paramedic has a better chance to heal most things anyway than a single WIP13 Doc roll, while being cheaper. Not to mention if you have a Volkolak in the link, you'd probably never risk trying to heal him when he's in NWI. If we had just one mediocre, somewhat cheap specialist, a lot of fireteams will become a lot more well-rounded. Right now, we have UKR; otherwise, it's a Frontovik haris or a Scots Guard haris with no option to make them leaner. The Scots Guard FO-NCO profile does have me interested though; him, UKR, and Cadin is something I might try. Expensive, but still order-efficient. And I feel you on Pavel. He's a cool profile but I'm finding him really tricky to figure out, especially with frenzy. I've never run him, but just looking at him, I guess he'd be best used on a single turn blitz? Ohotnik have pretty cool rangebands, but if he uses it to surprise shot kill something, he'll become impetuous and unable to recamo, so... drop both mines and run at something with his T2 axe? He'll lose the ability to get cover at the end of the turn, so yeah - I really don't know. At least Uxia has the smokes, d-charges, and superior infiltration option to be a straight up assassin; Pavel still puzzles me.