Invincible Army list against TAK

If your opponent is smart they'll try and infiltrate a Scout or two close to your Core link and stick Pavel as far forward without infiltrating as he can, that way they can simply drive them hard on your LT and score an easy assassination. As such I'd advice against playing this list unless you have a multi-story building (or even better; a large box with no vision to the rest of the table that force Climb Entire Order skill to get up on) where you can set the LT up in.

As is, you don't have the mines nor the throw-away units to prevent simple Mimetism-3 Markers from walking across the table and messing your link bonuses up.

If you want to avoid this; consider splitting the Shang-Ji up into multiple troopers (it is the one unit in your list that I see having least amount of duties). Weibing are good for Discovers, Daoying LT is the default choice for Yu Jing for a reason, and Chaiyi can serve well as both hail Mary Discovers and general order-wasters. Also, consider that while Veteran Kazaks in a Core remain the biggest threat, Rui Shi and Lu Duan are very potent against Ariadna in general, they'll provide an alternate path if the Yan Huo gets stuck, and you've got the SWC/CAP to do it.
There's options, even if your budget is very tight.

 

Remember you cannot spotlight Markers, so if he approaches in Camo form...

I will second and REALLY recomend you take a look at the LuDuan. Holos to clear mines, fast, MSV1 to ARO vs smoke and do good ARO with the Mk12. Can also sacrifice himself with a flamethrower even if the enemy is more than 8in away due to the big template.

But as a disclaimer, I am not a Ruishi fan so YMMV.

 

Spotlight + Son-Bae is good tech option against the ever-so-popular Vet Kazak build, though, and good on the off-hand they run the really unpopular Ratnik build. I'd still be most worried against anything that can rely on camo-spam, though, which is probably something I'll play tonight myself in a TTS league, though I don't remember what my opponent is playing so I might opt for the "normal" list instead.

I'm a bit sad you decided to remove both the Zhencha and the Haidao, but it's probably not a bad choice to reform at least one of them if you're running the expensive Yan Huo.

In either case, remember that a Weibing is there not necessarily to use the Sensor's "sonar" ability, but primarily the +6 to Discover. I've also been on the receiving end of a somewhat lucky FO REM recently, so don't hesitate to use it for Forward Observer and also remember that it (and Jeong) has Deactivator and that Deactivator is legitimately great at dislodging mines since it ignores MODs.

 

Since he's unlikely to have a hacker, you can go a little REM heavy. I recommend the Lu Duan. It has MSV1, Deployable Repeaters, the holoprojector can be used against mines. The Mk12 and +1B Heavy FT is great against the light troops.

 

The changes to MSV1 have been super nice to our little Holo Bot. I am itching at running it more.

 

For the new list, I think if you wanted a Yaozao for Jeong or a Warcor for ARO/discovers, you could cut the paramedic Zhanshi in the core? He's not gonna help all that much if the Haidao goes down, and he'll probably be too far away from anything that needs doctoring.

 

Yeah I would keep the Haidao. Being able to deal with smoke is handy.

If you really want to play the Yan Huo go for it, but TAK are really good at killing armor. Don't leave the Yan Huo out on Supp Fire or plan to ARO with it, or it will get Tankhunter'ed.

 

The list is all over the place and it's trying to do too much at once. Son bae has no hacker to set up for it, cut it. You're bringing both the Lu Duan and the Wei Bing to minesweep camo markers. Pick one not both. The Yu Jing doctor is shitty and generally inferior to a linked paramedic, my Yi Sheng generally proxies as a Zhanshi paramedic these days.

Your LT is also super fucking obvious and easy for a TAK player to make a run on. Dogs ignore your flash pulses for ARO so once he dismantles your Haidao that Zhanshi is probably fucked. If the opponent drops the Haidao in 1 or 2 orders I wouldn't put it past them to run a Dog warrior at your LT and kill them on turn 1.


Safe Area
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

GROUP 1 8 1
SHÀNG JÍ (Tactical Awareness) AP Heavy Machine Gun, Chain-colt ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 49)
KOKRAM FTO MULTI Rifle(+1 Dam), Chain-colt, D-Charges / Heavy Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (0 | 36)
LÉI GŌNG (Chain of Command) Submachine Gun, Nanopulser, Blitzen / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 32)
HǍIDÀO (Multispectral Visor L2) MULTI Sniper Rifle ( ) / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 33)
ZHANSHI Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 11)
ZHANSHI Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 11)
ZHANSHI Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 11)
ZHANSHI (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13)

GROUP 2 6
DĀOYĪNG (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Boarding Shotgun / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22)
PANGGULING (Deactivator, Repeater) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 8)
LÙ DUĀN Mk12, Heavy Flamethrower(+1B) ( | Deployable Repeater) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 24)
CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
ZHĒNCHÁ (Forward Observer) Submachine Gun, Panzerfaust, Shock Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 35)

3 SWC | 299 Points

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The Haris can now wildcard flex into a core if you want, you have 11 orders you can run through your main combat group now instead of 8, while still packing the 6 you had in group 2 for the Lu Duan and Zencha to play with and you actually have an engineer now to fix the Lu Duan. Lei Gong is also better kitted to help deal with the most problematic camo markers his link will run into, which is ones hiding in tight spaces and need to be dealt with under 8", and your LT while also just as easy to identify as before is harder for a Dog to suicide on with a marker state to protect itself and you have CoC backing you up now.

 

I would mostly agree with what @Triuph said, but differ on a couple points. TAK is my main opponent for in-person games since the coronavirus crisis, so a couple things stand out to me.

1. Lt. is going to be somewhat deducible either way, but way more with that Daoying. A dog will have no trouble uncovering a camo Lt. Your choice is to either keep that weakness and use it as bait, or try to reduce it a bit more.

Personally I like to use a random Zanshi as Lt. if there are 3-4 identical basic troopers, and make getting to them difficult.

But the Daoying is also fine, takes orders to get at.

2. There’s nothing wrong with having both Weibing and a Lu Duan in your list. Against TAK the Sensor ability is really powerful and helpful to take multiple units out of camo with a single order.

I would add the Weibing back in. Personally I would drop the Daoying for those points.

3. Doctors are marginally better than Paramedics IMO. The ability to re-roll a failed Doctor roll using a Command token is big, and WIP 13 doctor check with a zondbot is a big plus compared to PH12 or less on most of your units. Even on ShangJesus there I would be tempted to Doctor if the zondbot was within one move of the unit to be healed.

To me that comes down to whether the trooper slot is open. If you need that slot or points to take another unit, -then- a paramedic is a decent substitute. My docs get to fix an ARO TROOPER (like your Haidao here) about every other game. It’s worth it, to me.

 

Specifically to his list the lone basic Zhanshi is the only possible LT, given away by the WIP13 stat his opponent knows it can't be a Daoying under the camo marker even if it was placed in the DZ.

 

To me, playing TAK is an opportunity to use a Moawng Lt. especially with CoC Lei Gong. TAK has a lot of camo but they only have one guy with MSV1 themselves. The Red Fury or Spitfire are good. Also because of their own lack of MSV, the Hac Tao can do a lot as well.

Another thing about the doctor, the Yaozao is great for mine clearance if you can take two. Run it up and dodge. I once got rid of 2-3 mines by doing that with one Yaozao! They are also good for Discover without putting an expensive trooper at risk. I've run them up to within 8" of a camo token, knowing that it's a figure, and if he does nothing thinking it's just a Yaozao. Then discover at +3. Or he reveals it to do something against it and I dodge with it. Not a huge loss if destroyed but big if it works.


──────────────────────────────────────────────────

10 1
HAC TAO (NCO) Heavy Machine Gun, Nanopulser / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (1.5 | 65)
MÓWÁNG (Lieutenant) Red Fury, Akrylat-Kanone / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 43)
ZHANSHI (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13)
ZHANSHI Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 11)
HǍIDÀO (Multispectral Visor L2) MULTI Sniper Rifle ( ) / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 33)
LÉI GŌNG (Chain of Command) Submachine Gun, Nanopulser, Blitzen / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 32)
SHÀNG JÍ (Tactical Awareness) AP Heavy Machine Gun, Chain-colt ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 49)
WÈIBĪNG Yaókòng Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15)
Zhanshi YĪSHĒNG Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 15)
YÁOZĂO PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
YÁOZĂO PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
MECH-ENGINEER Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 15)
YÁOZĂO PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)

4.5 SWC | 300 Points

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Oh yeah, I was offering advice on his next-game list, or Triumph's (which is even better with a couple tweaks IMO).

 

So the new KOTHS profile has dropped and it's making me seriously question WTF is up with the Yan Huo. At 8 points more expensive, the KOTHS gains +6 BTS, +4 CC and NBW, +1 BS DAM, NCO, Veteran, Religious, and Holoprojector while downgrading the HMG from Multi to AP.

With the BTS being as low as it is on the Yan Huo and BTS-targeting weapons being fairly uncommon, the Yan Huo can't effectively use it for much and that's leaving aside that simply having enough BTS to make Breaker end on the same value as the Yan Huo's ARM...

The KotHS is a perfect storm, effectively a miniature TAG at a miniature price, though a lot more resistant to hacking than most TAGs. It's primary weakness is massed AP shots targeting ARM. Good on the Order, that unit looks fun to play and I won't take that away from them, but the KotHS has been optimised using tools that are traditionally associated with bloatware in CB's system so it does make a few other units look extremely terrible by comparison and if anyone was on the fence regarding if the Yan Huo is made obsolete, no one should be doubting it any more.
Yan Huo isn't the only unit that is laid bare as being completely utter nonsense by this, but it's the closest at hand among the miniatures not slated for ritual burning (*coughqiang*)

 

It is promising though that MO had such a glow up. Hopefully ISS and a certain few YJ units could have the same treatment.

 

I'm not going to hold my breath. The fact that Teutons became more or less blatant rip-offs on Tankos and the choir boys became expensive Fusiliers doesn't speak too loudly to me.

CB really needs to make a major review of units and factions, there's a bunch that are lagging behind hard; several factions (IMO not IA) are leaning too hard on key features and a bunch of units that could offer alternatives have been left sub-optimised when they could be used to offer alternatives to the (often) over-competent wildcard units that define and dominate sectorials.

In either case, Yan Huo is just about the only IA unit that I think really stinks atm (*ignoring Qiang intensifies*) and the new KotHS just lays this bare.

 

Does anybody even play Yu Jing yet? What for? Every other faction can basically do what YJ does +

Faction balance and identity has become a total joke in this game. Either play a faction that CB likes or just GTFO like I did.