Battle reports and Yan Huo

There are a few in the Kurage Crisis batreps:
- https://kuragecrisis.warconsole.com/battles/havocfett-vs-0rph3u5-1530166684
- https://kuragecrisis.warconsole.com/battles/aprion-vs-cabaray-1530965041

I'm not an experienced player in Infinity, but from my personal experiences I can tell that those bad boys rarely disappoint (though, 2 can be a bit overkill - they soak SWC so quickly and they're not really on the cheap side in points either).
Something that made me get one: for the price of a Guijia (or so) you can pack a Yan Huo HRMC or MHMG + full Kuang Shis... A bit less resilient but much more orders and flexibility / table presence.

So far, I only played with the HRMC version (look at this model! <3) - he did the job. I still need to play a game with some unlucky rolls, to see what would be the impact on the list if he's neutralized or just innefficient though.

 

Here's another: https://kuragecrisis.warconsole.com/battles/descrii-vs-duke-1532131000

I really like the yan huo. I pretty regularly use either the double ML neuro one or the HRMC one. The double ML is an ARO beast, and opponents often just cede whole corridors to it. I try to place it behind low cover so it can fall prone and have a nearby doc or yaozao ready to patch it up, and it usually lasts the whole match. It was a star in the last game. It was standing on a low rooftop watching a couple long corridors. A seraph tag super-jumped onto a building about 24" away and opened fire on the yan huo with its spitfire. We were both in good range but I had cover and rolled a little better, and the seraph took five damage in a single ARO! It jumped up totally undamaged and came down a flaming unrecoverable wreck.

With the HRMC I generally start in total cover and use it as a threat to force my opponent to keep his troops tucked in. Even TO snipers need to worry about him. Five dice on an 8 is still quite scary. With the enemy hiding, I have the run of the board with my specialists. I like teaming him up with a smart missile launcher, EVO, and weibings so I can sidle up to a building where the enemy is hiding and sat-lock them for guided missiles.

 

I've run a single Yan Huo HRMC a bit, it's pretty evil.

B5 hammers the hell out of things. I joke about it sawing the top off of buildings to get dudes on rooftops, but I only take the one. SWC is an issue for me. my typical YJ list is something like this:

Yu Jing
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

10
ZÚYǑNG Lieutenant (AutomediKit) HMG / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (1 | 39)
DÀOFĚI Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) MULTI Rifle / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0.5 | 59)
GŬILÁNG (Minelayer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 26)
GŬILÁNG MULTI Sniper Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 33)
YĀN HUǑ Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 54)
NINJA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CCW, Knife. (0 | 29)
WÈIBĪNG Yaókòng Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16)
Zhanshi YĪSHĒNG Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
MECH-ENGINEER Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
ZHANSHI (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)

5.5 SWC | 298 Points

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I don't play vanilla a lot, but when i do the neurocinetics 2xML yan-huo is often one of the first model to make it into my list. Firepower equal to what a defensive fireteam would provide is really valuable in vanilla, albeit not having sixth-sense means it's much more vulnerable to surprise shots and smoke trick, and the lack of courage can make it fairly annoying when dices are against you. 2 wounds and 5 armor kinda make-up for it though.

As for some battle-reports, i'm afraid i don't have anything relevant at hand since I tend to be incredibly lucky with my yan-huo, and even though i'm aware of its weaknesses i've yet to deal with them in an actual game. Just yesterday evening he single-handledy won me a game by locking firelanes and anihilating a Sogarat AP-HMG, a rasyat and a Tr-drone, but the dices were so heavily in my favor that it wasn't really insightful.

Here's the list i was testing:

Tic tac toe
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10
DÀOFĚI Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | 48)
YĀN HUǑ 2 Missile Launchers + TinBot C (Neurocinetics) / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 56)
ZÚYǑNG Lieutenant (AutomediKit) HMG / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (1 | 39)
ZÚYǑNG (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (0 | 28)
TIGER SOLDIER Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 29)
MAJOR LUNAH Viral Sniper / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 29)
Zhanshi YĪSHĒNG Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
MECH-ENGINEER Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
PANGGULING Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25)

5 SWC | 298 Points

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And i'm planning to experiment with this one soon:

Missile Ambush
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9 1
DÀOFĚI Lieutenant MULTI Rifle / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | 53)
YĀN HUǑ 2 Missile Launchers + TinBot C (Neurocinetics) / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 56)
HAC TAO Missile Launcher, Nanopulser / Pistol, DA CCW. (2 | 65)
PHEASANT IMPERIAL AGENT (Chain of Command) Red Fury / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (1 | 35)
KǍNRÈN Forward Observer Boarding Shotgun, Chain-colt / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Knife. (0 | 26)
CELESTIAL GUARD Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 21)
MECH-ENGINEER Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
Zhanshi YĪSHĒNG Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
WARCOR (Sixth Sense L1) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | 3)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)

5.5 SWC | 300 Points

Open in Infinity Army

 

The YanHuo HRMC was the first infinity model I bought, but I had to learn how to use it. In most cases, the HacTao HMG is much more flexibel, even for the higher price.
I use it now to crack fireteams or TAGs.
I had not much playtime with the neurocinetics ML (I don't own the model), but the one time I had it in a list, it was the wrong tool for the job, cause I was facing NCA with their Swiss Guard HMG (at 20"):

But I can imagine that it does wonders against less powerful rambo units!

 

I'll post the old experience of mine. About HRMC.

In my experience Yan Huo can be defined as two roles (even though I despised it before I actually gave into the look of awesome HRMC).

1) Hard Target Breaker

Link Teams, TAG, Whatever you need to hit. Yan Huo literally pulverizes them. I see comparing it to Su Jian, and yes I felt the same - why do you even need slow pig when you can field a good ol' Suji? They cost almost the same anyway.

Suji is awesome, but it does have its weaknesses. When real hard targets pop up, just as @Section9 said, Spitfire'sperformance is rather meh lvl. Im not talking about Panzerf because you all know it is stupid to fire a single shot in your own turn.

When you expect the opponents gonna use a link team(they are more likely to pop themselves up to ARO you), overwhelm it with HRMC.

2) BIG Bait

I really suffered when started to field YH. Opponents often goes rabid when you field them, eliminating it with extreme prejudice(OK Im not saying about our classified mission).

This stressed me quite a lot, but then I realized Yan Huo can bring a painful dillema. You just need some good traps.

Yan Huo attract many fans. Then how about placing a lot of traps beside it? Like Shaolins, MadTraps, or even a Hac Tao. This impose a numbing agony to your opponent - vainly try to kill it, and then speedbumped good enough to be vaporized OR leave it unscathed to see their DZ burn down. More fun when you field extreme aggro units like Hsien.


So long story short.

1. Yan Huo destroys Links and Hard Targets like TAGs.

2. Yan Huo's soaring aggro sometimes make your opponent straight into your trap or speed bumps.

3. Reconsider picking it against Vanillas - when your opponent declares Sectorial, call him out. He wil earn his bread.

 

Reconstructed from memory
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

10
ARMAND (Multispectral Visor L1) MULTI Sniper, Nanopulser / 2 Breaker Pistols, Shock CC Weapon, Knife. (1.5 | 45)
YĀN HUǑ Lieutenant Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 54)
YĀN HUǑ Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 54)
NINJA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CCW, Knife. (0 | 29)
Zhanshi YĪSHĒNG Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
MECH-ENGINEER Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15)
GŬILÁNG Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 31)
GŬILÁNG (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 27)
WÈIBĪNG Yaókòng Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16)
CELESTIAL GUARD (Forward Observer) Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)

6 SWC | 299 Points

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I'm fairly certain this list used to contain the odd Keisotsu and I want to remember that there were no Guilang but rather a BSG Oniwaban. Was about a year ago. Also fairly sure the Yisheng/Gongcheng were Tokusetsu and had Yaozao each

Regardless. Board was set up as follows from my perspective:

I get initiative and choose side and deployment order.
DZ - low building to left (some support sets up here), small planters cluttering middle (bulk of army sets up here), medium building extending out from DZ on right (Armand sets up on roof forward effectively shutting off all approach through middle, Yan Huo sets up to the right of building, peeking out on corridor to the right).
Mid-field - Q-building complex to the left, several holo-ads as LOF blockers on central corridor, objective is a pillar in the middle (Ninja and Oniwaban? infiltrates very close to this), two large buildings make for an effective LOF blocker on the right and creates a corridor close to the edge which is populated with planters and holoadds-
Enemy DZ - cargo containers on the left, mid-sized restaurant in middle (where Xeodron link sets up) and a walkway to secondary building (where one of those MSV2 HMGs will be setting up). Support troops are hiding on the right mostly behind a set of small Customeeple small asian buildings in garish colours.

I deploy Yan Huo LT to the left, well away from any alpha strikes. Opponent deploys the MSV2 HMG in LOF of Armand on the roof.

Match in a nut-shell:
TAG link attempts to move forward, is stopped by Armand. MSV2 HMG tries to shoot Armand, Armand eventually Guts into cover. Some sort of Shasvasti specialist moves forward to objective. Fraacta arrives to the left and attempts to threaten the Yan Huo, but can't land on my side of the Q-building and ends up mostly posturing.
My turn starts with Yan Huo LT putting the MSV2 HMG into unconscious. Armand murders a Xeodron and sets up better on the roof. Ninja murders the Shasvasti. Yan Huo LT sets up to lock mid-table down. Other Yan Huo takes a hike on the right side and kills the last Xeodron and a significant number of support.
CA has a problem getting out of DZ and is down a lot of orders. MSV2 HMG revives and manages to take Armand down sufficiently to remove the ODD and force him into hiding (or dead?)
Turn 2. Ninja pushes a button. Yan Huo on the right murders a Samaritan and most CA still breathing. We end the match.

I want to remember that I sacrificed a Ninja to a mine so that I could push the button, but I can't remember. Point is, I had two HRMC that just walked around cutting the heads off of anything that popped up.

 

BS 14 with those range bands and 5 dice make the HRMC a meat grinder. You cut ARO pieces like butter.

Dual ML is one of the only kinda-not-bad ARO pieces we have, IMO.

My two cents.

 

Armand mostly. Armand and the table size.

A table is big. Takes a lot of orders to get across. Believe me, I often try and end up spending a lot of orders just moving and not getting a lot of kills.

Armand is fantastic for ARO duty. Setting him up on a high-rise where you're able to dominate a small quarter of the table is important. The thing that scares him the most is a Hsien shooting through smoke or even worse an Intruder, but if you can control where thoae threats come from you'll be able to duck and cover should you take a wound.

For the rest, once your opponent has made it across the table that's when you'll want to start presenting light threats. Deny SWC weapons their advantage which is 17"+ good rangebands. If you lose two units it's not much different from going first and being robbed of two orders, but with a list containing two HRMC operating on two different flanks and an opponent who's gotten close to you you should be able to punish them with every single order you get, likely getting 5+ kills off of 8 orders, leaving your opponent starved for choice.

[Fortune cookie mode] Your lucky number is 2, 5 and -6. Wear orange. A stranger will murder your worst enemy. Beware that which flies

 

Lol, that made my day :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

After doing the calculation, I must say that I would use the HacTao HMG against link teams also. (Depends on visor mods of the linkteam of course).
You have a higher chance to kill the linked ARO threat in one shot, but its way more likely to sent it to unconcious and it is less risky for your own health.



This also comes at a 15 points difference, but a HacTao is much safer in defence because of the marker state.

 

Here's a battle report my opponent wrote after a recent Frostbyte game against me.

https://www.mercrecon.net/2018/09/17/60-c-50-dkp/

I really like the HRMC for bringing that hard target breaking ability that I missed back when I was running ISS. Burst 5, damage 15 & AP kills and scares targets that ISS can rarely dent at range. Even if you keep the HRMC prone in the backfield on a roof it offers almost as much deterrent to movement as a neurocinetics ML, because your opponent knows that anything left peeking out on the table is going to eat 5 shots. It can also tackle ODD and camo troops (Mary Problems in this case) just with sheer weight of dice + shock ammo.

It could have gone badly wrong for me losing an HRMC lieutenant to Bran in turn 1, but I was able to make it out of that mess alive with a little luck and cunning guts rolls and then go on to delete a few enemy units with it. As I tend to run it as a lieutenant, my favourite trick is to run it on top of a building and then use my Lt order aggressively to remove enemy units.

After this game, I've been experimenting with running it alongside a madtraps pheasant instead of a yisheng... that adds a little redundancy when using it aggressively as a gunfighter and helps avoid units that can just slice the Yan Huo from putting me in LoL turn 1. Obviously yisheng and CoC would be perfect, but that stretches points a little.

 

I have had only good experiences with the HRMC profile as attack piece. For 54pts it's a steal with good range bands and that B5 really tears through stuff. Generally I try to keep the Yan Huo hidden in the reactive turn and to find a spot for him where he doesn't have to move much.

Has anyone some insight on the 2 ML +Neurocinetics profile? I never used that one myself but I am tempted to.
It's just that in my local group I have seen him hit the table a few times and he always got taken care off quite quickly. I love the mini so if there are some suggestions on how to support this guy I would really appreciate them.