What do you all hope for with the promised revamp of Onyx? What would make them better or more competitive/interesting? Or what would you daydream about? I personally always loved Unidrons as a super unique remote line troop. They have some unique skills and weapons. Though their stat line is below average. I think some rebalancing of Unidrons would be cool. On a similar note, a Heavy Infantry Dron would be awesome. Like a CA version of Hollowmen/Beta Troopers. With their own set of unique rules/weapons combos. I hope Xeos get a bit of a glow up. Apart from Superjump getting way better this edition, they were left a bit lacking in the transition from n4 to n5.
What I'd really like is for Onyx to get reworked to be more focused instead of being such a patchwork. I'd begin by losing the Exrah, keeping them in Reinforcements only, replacing them with Team Achilles, and expanding on Sygmaa and Unidron presence, as both have great, underdeveloped potential. Particularly Sygmaa could get expanded upon. Maybe Rasyats could find your way here, they're a good fit for Onyx. I also wanted to see a Heavy Infantry Unidron, and I imagine it as a short ranged shock assault trooper; S5, MOV 6-2, Nanoscreen, Remote Presence, Dogged, Repeater. For weapons Plasma Carbine and HFT, both with increased burst, another with Multi Rifle with Contender and Grenades. Xeodrons don't need much tbh, I'd just give them better PH. Overdrons need models.
Umbra Legate needs an uplifting - point reduction? Weird vehicle with Umbra to pilot it (TO camo?) would be nice. Return of Skiavoros would be a hit
In my opinion Onyx is at least A-tier at the moment. There is very little reason to make them stronger. Play Nourkias and CoC.
I agree with you that Nourkias is amazing. Overdron is also amazing. CB has already confirmed that Onyx is getting reworked this year. So is there nothing you would like to get changed or updated? I’m not specifically saying they need to get stronger. Just whatever the community is looking forward to in terms of what that might bring. Even aside from a power increase.
Love the idea of an umbra vehicle! Also a new Skiavoros would be awesome! I’m sad we lost the cheapest aspect.
Hmm. Good question. Here are the things I would change. - Remove Nourkias from vCA. Or if you really need to have him there, make him slightly weaker in vCA like removing Protheion. - Remove Unidron haris options from vCA. There is no reason to have so many options. - Add Noctifer LT option back to Onyx. I want to play it safe when I'm running my Sphinx list. - Give Nexus engineer burst2 gizmokit.
I'm with Stiopa and Keith: I would really really really love to see a HI in the sectorial which is not a Suryat. ARM4 BTS6 S2 (no big models please) either a beefy Unidron or a traitor Ectross. It could sport more exotic weaponry like Plasma rifle/carbine and Pulzar (for template and intuitive attack), have the usual tin bot option 1 or 2 specialist option like FO or Engineer. Could / should end up in the 30-40pts range and then we can give a farewell to the Suryat.
I would like to see some differences between Rodok and Exrah because right now they fill the same niche as they're too similar. This carries over into MAF where Rodoks compete with Team Meatball for inclusion and Team Meatball is almost always the better choice. For Rodoks I would like to see them get a jobber profile as each profile they have either has special gear or another gimmick. There's no standard profile of just a model with a shotgun making it everyone else's problem. My pie in the sky is that Rodoks get a special kind of Super Jump where they're unable to do the jump-shoot and instead get Partial Cover when they use it in exchange for a normal jump length, their lore certainly justifies it.
No reason to upgrade Onyx nerfing another faction, tbh. In fact, my wishes are about getting more Sygmaa such as a Sygmaa WB with Trasmutation and Smoke capable of doing haris at about 18-20 pts. Also I would love to see a HI with STR similar to the Hollow as you all have said. This is a good idea and can be an interesting place to link some toys like E/Mitter or Plasma. Also, could be interesting to get some Tohaa Comms weapons, and buffing even more the Maakrep
@Iro CB already nerfed the vCA and boosted Onyx by removing the burst3 pitcher B&K from vCA. Clearly CB has done it before. Why not do it again? vCA has other amazing profiles. Let Onyx have the bestest trooper.
at least one or two more sygmaa units, as well as a sygmaa specific fireteam choice (or just borrow a tohaa unit and CAify it) one or two more exrah units. unidron duos (dakinis can do it, why not unidrons) maybe an interesting new LT option, like a nexus with an aspect brain or something. maybe one or two human units that aren't named characters? give xeodrons SJ(8") and better dodge, to make them fit their "ultralight TAG" kinda theme a bit better, and/or maybe a more interesting weapon choice lose the sphinx (or make it less crap for the points) that'll do for me. I've always liked the "greatest hits" aspect of Onyx where it's an expeditionary force representing the various different parts of the CA, so I like the mishmash of different races on offer.
I would love to see: linkeable dr worm Core-able Team achilles A HI-batroid Ava 2 R-drone VH troops 6 bts kerr nau Discoballers
It literally does, because army strenght has only value when compared to other armies. In Infinity terms, the army with a single SMG is god tier if all other armies are armed with just CCWs. It also makes sense for the SMG army player to gaslight the CCW army players that everything is fine and balanced.
That is tremendously too abstractive, a single SMG would be god tier if the entire CC armies did not have the tools to walk around it, for example all having smoke, even if they did not have smoke, it would only be possible if the table allowed the range to take advantage of it. You have to take into account what was nerfed, how it was nerfed, what everybody else got as positive and negative and then see if and how your army benefited by it.
Just keeping it real. The “army strength” is tied to relative power level of other armies. The current N5 Onyx and vCA alpha strikes are way weaker than they were in N4 where shotgun forks, berserk, climbing+ and GML ruled the day. This doesn’t mean that Onyx and vCA are weaker in N4 than they were in N5. Quite the opposite. The reason for their ascension into top tier is the relative downfall of their biggest rivals: the bearpode and pupnik/hecklerpanda factions. It’s really that simple.
A little late to the party, but I just started thinking about Onyx lists. I agree with the calls for a uniform HI and more Sygmaa. Maybe a skirmisher or warband for the latter as well as a Lot option. I feel like the lieutenant options in Onyx are way too limited in general - we're basically stuck with either expensive umbra, or an obvious nexus Lt.
