The damage being 13 for K1 and what will be an uptick in higher armor units will make it a much more useful unit. Stuck in a core link with a Suryat HMG you could set up a massive area of board control that few things would want to try to face down. I'm itching to try a Daturazi core with a bunch of B3 chain rifles.
Honestly, I still think vanguards are crap. Everything else is useful, but special weapons in a vanguard link just seem meh. Especially when you can get a B4 MULTI sniper with the Yaogat and pump out several MSV-added DAM15 AP shots in a turn. It's just better as an armor killer. Either that or the Feuerbach sogarat, or the raicho. Or just eating the armor in CC with Daturazi or Hungries. I mean, the oznat with single hungry is now probably the best bet for points given the weird irregular link stuff we have. Even with the buffs, vanguards are still the sub-par choice. Thankfully they're the only dud in the army now.
I think you'd rather pay 17 more points and get a suryat HRL with msv1 for ARO duty, with AP immunity. If they don't have correct tools to deal with it, it might be a real nuisance. Just had a game with pretty unpleasant game against ML Mobile Brigada in ARO :/ Speaking of yaogats, it's maybe even worth to give 2x solo snipers with +1B a try in different corners of DZ, and some daturazi with smoke.Sure +1B from harris is nice, but it'll cost you 44pts minimum.
The legit best and probably only good things about Vanguards are that they can be a linked paramedic (very good in N4). It's a thin justification but so far I've written one list with a pair of vanguard paramedics as a budget alternative to proper suryats in a link that otherwise had Kornak and a Raktorak. With link bonuses they have very high odds of patching up pretty much all the high-PH morat options, including midfield Pretas if you decide not to dogged them.
I got some good mileage out of a Vanguard team last night. Kornak, Suryat HMG (TacAware), Vanguard ML and 2x Vanguard FO. Admittedly it was Kornak and the Suryat that did all the work. The heavy pistols turned out to be a decent editon though.
It could work in the active turn; B3 sniper rifles at extreme ranges will definitely have an impact. The Haris will still be much better in ARO, though.
Totally tangential, but I wish they’d taken the opportunity in N4 to reclassify Krakots as WB. It’s the role they fill, and the corresponding named character (Kendrat) is classed as WB. Not the end of the world, but it would save me some scrolling if they were next to her, Daturazi, and Oznats in Army 7.
You know, with the huge overhaul Daturazi got in N4 I'm having a hard time justifying krakots. Like, why take these guys? I know metachemistry is good, but daturazi are just so damn reliable. Compared to the Krakot, they get mimetism, smoke and Martial Arts 4. And for the same price! I mean, really? I just don't see myself using them anymore. Which is a shame, buffdrat is boss. I'm gonna use her as a Rasyat proxy
For me the biggest reason I preferred Krakots was Berserk, which Daturazi (and a bunch of other cc units) now get. If someone tried to get my TAG locked in combat or similar, berserk is the best tool for getting it un-stuck. The smoke on Daturazi is a really great tactical tool, so now I’m also favoring Daturazi as an all-in-one solution. I may try experimenting with the shotgun loadout, though.
I didn’t add any expansions to my order so I’m waiting for general release figures for her and Gromoz (for my DBS).
I've found I really prefer Daturazi to Krakots, and the new rules haven't changed my mind. I wish Krakot filled some other niche. Theres a lot of overlap between Krakot, Oznats and Daturazi, but I feel like Daturazi outclass both units.
I used to run a Krakot in my Avatar lists. After the edition change it became a Datz and I never looked back. Mostly because of the smoke rather than the mimetism or CC capability. Feel that Datz are generally better rather than generally worse than their merc cousins now, which they damn well should be!
I think the biggest niche for Krakots now is access to a red fury, but I don’t really find that an impetuous troop that cannot claim cover is a great place to spend my precious swc.
Yeah, but then you remember Raktoraks and the Zerats both have the same weapon, for similar costs, and are much more reliable platforms for the big gun. I can see a point for picking all three of them and drowning the oponent in low DAM shock hits, though.
I might experiment with a krakot red fury / Kendrat duo. On that note, I should report that Krakots and Kendrat are missing FT: Duo.
I think we might be underestimating new Metachemistry chart a bit. It can grant Krakot a serious boost to either mobility or durability - which can make their each of their profiles, especially RF, much more appealing. And they have the option to reroll the dice.
Wish I could get an extra Suryat into the Morat Adventure Force link. I want the Tac Aware HMG for the dakka, tinbot and the orders but it really seems like the ARO potential of the HRL is too good to pass up on, especially since Kornak himself is bringing some hard hitting shoot power. How about a Rodok adventure force? They can get a linked paramedic too.
