I've started recently playing JSA, my first faction was vanilla, so I'm excited about using a core team. The Domaru link appeals to me, and I wonder whats the best way to use them. I've played it twice and I like the Sitfire option and the Chainrifle, but I can't seem to get close enough to get the best value out of them. How do I use the the core fireteam and what profiles are best?
Yeah, I've heard that they are needed. Which Tanko profile would be good and what is the optimal number of Tankos in the fireteam? Also would you include Neko Oyama (the special Domaru) in the fireteam, he has a good CC weapon, is an okay lieutenant option, and is cheap-ish.
If you have the SWC, Tanko Missile Launchers are pretty ok. BS16 with a template and 2 Wounds behind ARM 3 is a very good ARO piece. The Flamenspeer has less range, but doesn't cost SWC, which might be a worthy addition for ARO duty, although much worse than the ML. Between Light Shotgun or SMG, I prefer SMG, because that weapon has AP and Shock Ammo. If you are going to take a Domaru Chainrifle, might as well upgrade it to a Neko (if you have the points available). If you want to make him lieutenant, make sure you have enough decoys, or a Kempeitai with CoC.
IMO the best domaru + tanko link is: PD: If you don't need the specialist you can change the Domaru FO for Neko Oyama. Japanese Secessionist Army ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 5 3 DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39) DOMARU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 36) TANKŌ Blitzen, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23) TANKŌ Blitzen, Submachine Gun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23) TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32) 3.5 SWC | 153 Points Open in Infinity Army
You can also swap one of the Tankos for Neko. That also makes the link more resilient for reforming -- if you lose the Spitfire right now, you can't reform that link.
rather than making a new thread on a close similar question are there any good lists built around a 5 man (pure) domaru core?
while not the five man Domaru, this is an unsubtle Japanese HI force that I've had fun with. It either wins big or goes to pot on pretty much the first F2F of every game. Japanese Secessionist Army ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 10 2 DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39) DOMARU (Fireteam: Haris) Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0.5 | 27) DOMARU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 36) OYAMA Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Breaker Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0 | 28) TANKŌ Blitzen, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23) TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32) KARAKURI Mk12, Chain Rifle, D.E.P. / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 43) KARAKURI Heavy Shotgun, Chain Rifle, D.E.P. / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 38) TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) TOKUSETSU KOHEI Engineer Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3) YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3) 4 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army
Samurai on Bikes ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 9 1 3 TANKŌ Blitzen, Submachine Gun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23) DOMARU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 36) DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39) OYAMA Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Breaker Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0 | 28) TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32) TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) TOKUSETSU KOHEI Engineer Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (0.5 | 24) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) YOJIMBO Contender, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 21) GROUP 2 5 1 CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) ARAGOTO (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25) KEISOTSU Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 9) KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10) PANGGULING (Minesweeper, Repeater) Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) 4 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army This is a list I brought to a TTS tournament, I scraped off a major win with it, it would probably be better with a ninja. It is very straight forward and easy.
Depends on what you refer to as "good". If "good" for you is a functional list that can win games, then yeah, you can make some. If "good" for you is a list that can tussle with the mean boys for a tournament win, then I'm afraid the answer is "there kinda isn't". The reason is that the arsenal of options we are granted when formulating a 5-man "pure" Domaru link team are so limited and the reward for doing so is so small that you put yourself at a severe disadvantage, for no reason. If you are a god-tier tactician who is certain can win Interplanetario with a ham-sandwich then, play the 5-Domaru link. Or if you are building it so just you can show off your masterfully painted samurai and have some fun with it, then everyone and their neighbours wants you to build that list! But if you are playing a faction to it's strongest side for a tryhard win, then the Domaru 5 are not what you are looking for. Some gross disadvantages are: 1. your 5-man team is now fully hackable; 2. your ARO pieces are Chain Rifles, Spitfires, Combi Rifles; 3. your best active weapon is a Spitfire; 4. your range coverage is really limited; 5. your only option for objectives is a Forward Observer that will not be given bonuses (like engineers, doctors and hackers) in most missions; 6. the cost that a fully upgraded Domaru link has (having Spitfire, Forward Observer, maybe Neko, etc) limits the rest that you can put to help your link do the heavylifting. I like where JSA right now is, as a faction, it has plenty of fun units and playstyle. I also like where the Domaru stand right now: sort of a filler to other link teams that grant them something they haven't: a strong CC oriented piece that is a bit durable with a short to mid-range arsenal of weapons and grenades. I don't think that CB design for JSA is to be heavy on HI, if you want to build HI-only armies, I don't think JSA is it. I don't think it ever was.
