X-Visor + SMG + visual mods is great. If you can use Climbing Plus, higher Burst and either Surprise Shot or link bonuses to modify that even further, it's very versatile. Like a Ryuken-9 who gunfights more reliably. I applaud all the fun new ways to play NCA, but when I want to put them on the table, I still use the same Swiss HMG-focused17-Order list that I used in 2017. I still think it's the best expression of NCA's strengths, and is entirely devoid of Bolts, new characters or even a heavy REM presence.
I think if i had to define NCAs changes. Id say it doesnt change NCAs core strength as you say thats still direct firepower. What it does is expand NCAs other capabilities. So say you have a tournament that has acquisition, annihilation, quadrant control. NCA previously hasnt been fantastic for zone control missions with limited midfield and old bolts ,so youd run the NCA classic in the first two and then try and make it work in the last mission. Now there are varied enough tools to give NCA the capability to fight at least on even footing in the missions that do not play as well into NCA strengths.
Does this meet with your approval then? Neoterran Capitaline Army ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12) FUSILIER HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 18) FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15) SWISS GUARD HMG / Pistol, AP CCW. (2 | 68) AUXILIA (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle + AUXBOT_1 / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 15) AUXBOT_1 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) MACHINIST (NCA) (Bioimmunity, Veteran L1) Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16) TRAUMA-DOC Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) PALBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3) BULLETEER Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1 | 23) GROUP 2 6 ORC Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 36) FUSILIER Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 18) PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) 6 SWC | 298 Points Open in Infinity Army
Swiss + Uma (Uma is Orc -> 37 points for 300 point 6 SWC list) ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 9 1 FUSILIER Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Missile Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 15) FUSILIER Combi Rifle + Light Grenade Launcher / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 14) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) FUSILIER Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) SWISS GUARD HMG / Pistol, AP CCW. (2 | 68) HEXA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0 | 27) CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12) CSU Boarding Shotgun, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 11) TECH-BEE (Remote Assistant Level 1, Specialist Operative) Flash Pulse / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 5) GROUP 2 6 ORC Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 35) HEXA MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 32) TRAUMA-DOC Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) PALBOT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3) PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) 6 SWC | 298 Points Open in Infinity Army Similar concept to the list above. Old NCA stock list with an ex space-nazi twist. Uma essentially acting as the back-up killer to the Swiss HMG with dual hexa support. CSUs over Auxilia to save a couple points and for the sixth sense lvl 1. I think the one key thing that Uma has over people like Dart is that she can actually kill, and kill rather effectively in the 8-16 range. In addition, unlike the Swiss and the Hexa KHD, Uma has no hacking vulnerability - so she can eliminate cheeky elements that present hacking threats to your other key pieces. And with Climbing Plus, she has the ability unlike the Hexa, to clamber all over the joint in marker state. With how crowded some infinity tables get - that can be a boon worth 37 points. Uma is a call-back to the stand-bys of Pano, she's just a solid shooter who does her job for a decent-to-mildly-expensive price range. If anything, she's like that covert ops unit that goes in, avoids the main battle and her equivalent skirmishers, but destroys all the anti-air guns so the A10 Warthog of the Swiss Guard can go murder everything.
You really think shes that good? Somehow I suspect you'll be winning just because your a skilled and experience player. Not because Uma is doing anything amazing. Then again, maybe if your meta is full of multi storied buildings maybe you really are that desperate for anything with climbing plus, even if it is terribly over costed. Uma is very similar to a Prowler. And last I checked, the Prowler is seen as a bit too expensive for what it does. If she had a MMR of some type over a breaker combi I can see use for her. Though she would be competing with the Locust MMR. Edit: Another comparison is to Bran do castro, where Uma gives up CC skill and specialist for higher BS and ARM. The question shall always be, what can you trade out Uma for? Can a Locust MMR get the same job done or is your table meta full of roofs so you desperately want that climbing plus? Shes not even the best shooter if shes attacking an enemy with any level of camo. Burst 3 with only effective BS 10 is not that reliable. Now, hopefully CB will listen and improve Uma's Infinity profile. Because right now this argument reminds me of the old bolts, were some pointed out they were clearly overcost for what they did and others responded with "I'll win with them anyway".
Bran has superior infiltration - he is a totally unique unit and invites no comparisons! He is also simultaneously the most fun and the most frustration a Nomad player can experience, often at the same time! Regarding Uma, I'm not terribly interested. She's too expensive, I will just take Zulu Cobras instead. Climbing plus is fun but I honestly can't think of a single scenario when I could justify her price just for that skill alone, especially without a big gun. The Tikbalang makes great use of it but he can kill across the board once you climb over the covering terrain. There's always other tools for getting rid of infiltrators hiding on balconies... and the simplest is a PanO staple. Stick somebody in suppressive fire watching the balcony and move on to other things! Spending 3-4 (or more!) orders to climb up, discover etc. doesn't sound great to me.
That would have been awesome. She would have a clear niche, been very good at it. Been very PanO, and original. Kind of like the ryuken-9 except in PanO flavor.
She’s in NCA as a Wildcard! CB jukes expectations and the crowd goes mild! In all seriousness I think she actually has a niche in NCA as an aggressive, FD1, rooftop hunter.
Yep. We have an alternative to the Squalo HGL now when playing Decapitation. Pity the price is still ORC-tier and every other sectorial has better options for the job, plus she's horrible for backline NCA fireteams (everything but Bolts) due to the rifle range. I'll still give her a try soon though; my experiences have shown a Zhencha can do much more than they appear capable of on paper and Uma has better ranges on good guns.
I agree her price gives me a conniption, but she should be fine with support of longer range pieces like the fusilier FT. I would rather solo her than throw her in a link most of the time. She's competing with the black friar and the aquila for FT space and represents a marginal 3rd option to either. Solo as a camo piece in NCA, she has a much more unique role to fill with her kit as a hunter killer. I want to pair her up with a Swiss guard HMG so she can take on cramped areas of the board while he obliterates firelanes. Then both of them in suppressive fire or back into camo to cause all sorts of headaches.
Yeah, I think she might compliment a Swiss HMG quite well. You'll need good sweepers 'though, to get rid of the mines and other deployables that she's so vulnerable to.
Climbing+ can be pretty good at dodging mines by itself, since they're usually stuck on corners protecting the Minelayer on ground level. If that's not an option, there's always sacrificial Auxbots, which have the benefit of dragging a Forward Observer with them to hit buttons Uma can't. Another fun option Uma allows is bluffing- leave a Hexa KHD under a normal camo marker instead of TO and your opponent could be scrambling to protect their rooftops and support troops, while not paying enough attention to their hackers.
Fair. Long story short, while I'm not overly impressed by the profile overall she still has a role in NCA (due to their lack of other options).