A Series on Starting PanOceania

Hello from Canada everyone,

First post here (besides some issue with my picture).

I bought Icestorm a while back and then left Infinity on the side for other hobbies and am now getting back into it. I've read most Pano stuff from about the last 2 years on the old forums and most of the stuff here on the new forum. I ended up buying quite a bit and now I'm working on painting most of the minis up.

I ended up playing my first game with pano last week using another players army and got rocked. I don't have photos but I'll try to describe what was going on. My opponent was using the Combined box and had just lost and so it was figured that I'd be given the pano starter box to match his models. I ended up going with an ORC with a Boarding Shotgun, Akalis with Spitfire, Nisse with MSR. That still left me at 130 pts and so we threw 2 more Fusilers in. Vanilla and so no fireteams, no strategic command tokens were used either. Played Annihilation.

I have several questions:

1. On a fairly dense board what makes sense for Pano to take at the start of the game and why; initiative or deployment? I went with initiative rather than deployment because I thought that meant I deployed second but I was obviously mistaken about that. So I ended up losing a couple fusilers first turn. I've read about the alpha strike issues with other systems; should pano completely hide if not going first? The fusilers I lost were both peeking corners that could see a lane down the center of the board. I guess the Nisse should have been peaking the long narrow lane to start?

2. I deployed my Nisse prone on a rooftop thinking that he would be too exposed (at their recommendation), even though I knew his particular spot was only exposed on that same center lane as my fusilers on the ground level. When does it make sense to deploy prone up high or when does it make sense to be more aggressive for ARO? With me placing first I think I saved my Nisse for last (other than Akalis), but I was still worried about losing him? Did that cede the center lane too much?

3. I have played paintball in the past and a tactic is to strongside one side of the field and not worry about both sides. Just shoot cross field at those trying to advance. Does it make more sense to always be spread across the table or is strongsiding a viable tactic? Was it a mistake to completely leave one side uncontested? He did AD one guy with a combi rifle that became a pain; if I'm hiding a guy on a weakside corner does it make more sense to hide him towards the back or side or does that really depend on how exposed each of those positions are?

4. The ORC seemed useless. I don't want to bash him but I think I should I have stayed with a Multirifle? Not sure what I was thinking. I think it was I wanted to push him up the right side of the board. How do you strategize what weapons work together? Make sure you've got some ARO and cover most ranges?

5. I lost my Akalis Spitfire to a guy firing plasma against me. With 4 dice I rolled less than his 9 (a success). His one success cancels my 4 successes or just one? The way the rule book is written it makes it seem like all in one spot but I remember a discussion that led me to believe one success cancels one success lower than it, not all. Any clarification would help.

6. How do I best stack mods so that I don't end up losing a guy on my active when I'm rolling 4 and he's rolling 1. We were both in cover. Is that just the fate of the dice? I wanted to stack mods and roll lots of dice, hence why I took the spitfire rather than combi, but was this just simply a matter of having a bad list and a bad roll?

7. It seems like ramboing is common at this particular location as the individuals basically just push all their orders into their one powerful unit. I was trying to use chess strategy where during the opening you try to develop your position by moving each position once while continuing to threaten any major pieces (or the queen). Without fireteams, or even with other minor units, how much do you tend to develop them forward through the game or does it make more sense to have a couple cheerleaders occupy one lane? I'm guessing this comes with playing experience? Any good ways to conceptually think about this?

8. Was it just a bad list and in conjunction with having a poor understanding of the game start, it just set me back to spiraling into losing. Was it the list? Any rules for lists when facing particular factions? (My msv seemed like wasted points and the Nisse did nothing most of the game - the rooftop seemed more limiting than empowering)

9. In response to the original post: I have O:I, and BI. But I also decided to purchase one of just about every other thing (thinking I'm starting with MO). I understand that there's going to be a learning curve, but are there any special tricks that I should be remembering when it comes to starting pano (I bought Auxila and I think there was a trick noted about how to manipulate ARO decisions based on what order you move the Auxbot and how you declare your own order structure - but I'm forgetting what it is).

Sorry for the large lump of questions and thank you in advance for all the advice!

 

1. Going first or second is subject to a lot of different factors: your list, your opponent, the mission being played, the terrain layout, etc.

The helpful thing to note though is that both going first and going second are immensely valuable. If I win the Lieutenant roll, I like to pick the advantageous tableside and have my opponent deploy his units fist. This lets me identify his threats and tailor my deployment to oppose his moves (either hiding, or aggressively AROing.)
Generally though, you virtually never want your units visible to the enemy, and this is especially true with short-and-medium ranged units (such as Combi rifle wielding Fusiliers) who can be outranged and destroyed by high-Burst, long range weapons like Heavy Machine Guns.

2. Deploying visible only helps if you can guarantee you'll out-range and out-modify your opponent, or if you can bait your opponent into maneuvering for several Orders to challenge your ARO threat. In your example, if the Nisse is visible within one or two Orders of a maneuvering +3 band HMG, that's probably not worthwhile. If you can bait your opponent into maneuvering for several Orders though, and still outrange the HMG, that's more likely to be a worthwhile exchange; even if the Nisse dies, you've still forced your opponent to allocate a lot of Orders to achieve that goal.

3. There are too many individual variables to really claim "yes, always refuse a flank" or "no, never refuse a flank." Sometimes it's a good move, sometimes it isn't. Generally though, in a low Order game... Always hide from the enemy DZ, but try to watch the table edges or short approaches immediately in front of your Deployment Zone. This will become second nature in time, but I can't reiterate it enough: you want your opponent to be forced to expend Orders to see you.

4. That ORC profile is entirely useless in such a small game. Boarding shotguns are a close range weapon, that are at their best when you spend a lot of Orders to maneuver them into a dominant position. Your game barely has enough Orders to reach the enemy DZ, let alone do any fighting once you get there. You would have been better served with a MULTI Rifle or an HMG.

5. Yes, his one 9 will cancel all your successes.

6. Do you know what the opposing unit was? Did he have Cover? Did you have cover?
Generally, the rules for trying to negate your opponent's modifiers are simple: preserve cover for yourself. Deny it to your opponent if possible. Engage in the +3 rangeband yourself. Engage them in their 0, -3, or -6 rangeband if possible. Developing an eye for how to orchestrate those exchanges in the most order-efficient way possible is basically what defines a good fundamental understanding of the game.

7. At such a low point game, Ramboing is definitely common. It's certainly viable at higher point values too, but it's much easier to use all your units in tandem when you have more than 5 or 6 guys on the table. It can be useful to distribute your Orders across multiple units, but you also want to be sure you're not just marching your guys into vulnerable positions where it's easier for them to get killed. Every Order you spend should serve a useful purpose. Depending on the army you play, the scenario in question, and the list you've built, it's certainly possible that you may never move/activate some of your units; their only purpose may be as Cheerleaders, to contribute a valuable Order. But that doesn't have to be the case... I think it's possible for every faction to build a list where every unit can make a meaningful contribution. But when you're just starting out with borrowed models, this is tough to arrange.

8. Yeah the list is parly at fault... But you're also brand new to the game. There isn't any sense in expecting to be brilliant in your first outing, especially if you're new to tabletop wargaming or you're coming to Infinity from vastly different systems. It takes a while to find the right balance between optimizing rangebands, maximizing the face-to-face mechanic both offensively and defensively, as well as managing your Order pool. Those are all key concepts, but it takes some practice to figure out how to use them all well.
The Auxilia purchas is a great one by the way. There are a lot of specialized defensive units that you can use to protect your deployment zone while you bunker yourself from attack in your opponent's turn. A pair of Acontecimento Regulars with antipersonnel mines are also good, because they're cheap enough to contribute their useful Orders, but the mines they place out during deployment are really useful in making sure you can hide from the enemy and not be exposed to incoming fire.
Generally, I will hide my troops very effectively, using Auxilia and mines to protect the entrances into my Deployment Zone. This means I'm close to invulnerable due to Total Cover protecting my troops, but I'm not undefended. The Hidden Deployment rule is also good for those; a unit like a Hexa Sniper can hide in plain sight, able to see and ARO against all of your opponent's threats, but invisible and not able to to be seen or targeted until you choose to reveal. That's another very helpful defensive piece that's also quite good in the active turn as well.

9. In the case of Auxilia, there doesn't really have to be manipulation of Order decision: move the Auxbot so it can see an opponent, and move the Auxilia so it can see an opponent. Now the opponent has a choice to make: Dodge the Flamethrower but risk shots from the Combi Rifle, or shoot against the Combi Rifle and get automatically hit by the flamethrower. G:Sychronized units like Auxilia are perfect for forcing your opponent into no-win situations.

I suggest finding the rules for Escalation Leagues, looking at how the mission progress there, and using that as a framework for ramping up and learning the game. The starter boxes are great for building out your collections, but you should try to build for the missions you play (example: commit to play a 100 point game, or a 150 point game.) Then come back here and ask for input on building your list and learning how to use units to achieve that mission.

 

1. & 2. The starter box is somewhat basic when it comes to special tools and equipment. It will almost always enjoy going first, especially in Annihilation. The ORC is a great unit to bully the opponent in active turn and set to suppressive fire for reactive turn. I would suggest using the HMG option if you have the SWC otherwise use the multirifle. The Nisse is a great long range threat, but it can also be a strong active turn piece if you bring the HMG loadout. If you don't have the option to go first then set up disposable ARO options such as an FO fusilier (flash pulse is cool, use it). The Nisse Sniper is an awesome ARO option, but I would limit exposure to the entire table. You want to lock down a specific corridor that puts you in the best place for success. During active turn you can move him round to pick off exposed unit at range.

3. It all depends on the type of mission you are playing. The best thing to do is to cover all sides of the board even if you aren't controlling that "zone" with troops. There have been many Annihilation games that I have played that focus on punching through one of his weaker flanks so that I can sweep around killing single troops at a time if I'm able.

4. Any shotgun is exceptional within that 8" zone, but pretty situational outside of that zone. Most opponents will avoid getting into that kill zone if they can avoid it. It does great during active turn if it can get in close, but it's difficult to move up the board. I would take the HMG or multirifle if you have a lone ORC. It is a great active turn killer and can be a real pain to dislodge if it's in suppressive fire in the midfield. Also you will find that ORCs are good, but there are lots of better heavy infantry in PanO.

5. & 6. It looks like you got diced. It happens. As far as dice mechanics go, you are aiming for successful dice at are below the target number that are higher than your opponent's successful rolls. So in your example his one roll beat out all your other successes.

7. Ramboing is a common tactic, but you need to have a plan to support that troop so they won't be over exposed. If you get a troop to the other side of the table and kill a few things, but he's all alone then he's probably not going to last very long. I would consider positioning on the table akin to chess only in that you want to have a presence that can contest a zone. Some units can cover a huge area really well, like a TO/ODD sniper or HMG. Others can cover tight spaces between buildings well, like a shotgun or direct template weapon. You'll learn after playing a few games how each troop profile should be used in this regard.

8. It wasn't an optimized list, but that doesn't mean it is going to loose. You'll hear it said many times from infinity players "It's not the list, it's you." Granted some lists are stronger than others for specific missions, but by and large it's more about making good tactical choices during the game. This can be harsh at first, because things that should be awesome, like a Swiss Guard for example, will also come with some weaknesses built in. In the Swiss Guard example, they don't want to be hit by fire or Multispectral visor units and they kinda suck vs smoke + CC mosters. It's up to you to push your strengths but guard against the inherent weaknesses of your troops and the list as a whole.

9. You are well on your way with what you have purchased so far. There is a ton to cover as far as tricks and proper use of tools for each unit. I would suggest reading through some of the tactical threads pinned in this forum. They have great info on units and how to use them. As an overall strategy, don't forget that PanO has the best BS across the entire faction, this means the people will try to mitigate that strength using tools at their disposal like smoke and visual modifier tools like camo. Be sure to push your advantage when you get an opportunity, but shore up your defenses when you need to guard against the opponents options to take you down.

 

Thank you very much for informative the replies. Like so much with Infinity there are always conditions and factors to weigh and consider and balance; it never really is just one thing.

As someone still starting out I want to say thanks for the encouragement. At the same time I was wondering about a few things you both said, and particularly how they might pertain to Pano.

Barakiel, what do you evaluate a table on to determine it's good deployment side? I guess it might depend on a list, but also how it ties to Pano's personality. Without smoke do you value lanes that are neither too open nor too dense - very much a lane - where pano fire can dominate? Or if you were bringing a TAG how does that factor how you evaluate a table? Being an NCA player are you looking for certain relationships between buildings for your fireteam, main hammer, and secondary pieces? How do you judge a table for a 10 order Joan and Hosp list? Right now when I'm looking at tables I'm at a lost for how to devise an understanding of what to do on them.

Barakiel, you also mentioned managing an order pool. I understand it's importance, so what do I do when I have begun hemorrhaging orders early, like losing 2 of 8 before I've even taken my first turn (and needing one to AD)? Do you tend to try to play more defensive or more risky? Or a bit of both where you're still trying to push any advantage. I felt a lot of pressure from the three turn limit, enough to leave my combi-fusilers out for ARO, although in retrospect that was dumb. Day[9] commented that in starcraft you systematically build a lead that eventually breaks your way - when you're behind with Pano how do you get back in the game? Still more of the same good techniques and less risk/turtle? I'm thinking it was mistakes for me piling up.

Xammy, in regards to flanks, I guess my thinking was better to have several units together that can cover each other rather than one unit on his own that will likely be uncovered. I'm really intrigued by what you said about developing a familiarity with playing regarding how to push your strengths. I've read quite a bit about certain weaknesses but I want to focus on that: how do I make sure I'm using that extra BS as much as possible (or CC in the case of MO)? How do you squeeze everything out of your units (I've read the tacticas and I guess it's just having a knowledge that I'm applying rather than being able to recite ideas right now - that comes with the playing...)?

 

Quickly in regards to AD you spend the order it generates to bring it onto the table, so as far as your order pool is concerned it shouldn't feel like you lose orders to bring it out.

When playing ITS missions you should focus on what it takes to complete the objectives first before you look at the best way to kill your opponent. In Annihilation it's not just killing that wins you the game but also surviving, so you want to focus on finding the best targets to take out AND setting up a defensive turn that can help you get kills for "free" by having them spend the orders to move into zones that you control and are set up to give you a better outcome. For example you could setup several troops in suppressive fire in the midfield who all look down a main throughway. That way they have to get through cover and the -3 penalty to face to face rules under suppressive fire to move toward your troops. You will also want to spread out enough to avoid template weapons having an easy time hitting multiple targets.

When it comes to pushing advantages it really comes down to each unit and how it can either work on it's own or with a synergistic module. An example of a great solo unit is the Auxilia+Auxbot. It's cheap, it has a cheap specialist option, it brings along a cheap large template weapon, and it makes it difficult for many things to favorably choose a good ARO option. It can also be put into suppressive fire to lock down an area. It's a pain to deal with and any orders spent to take it out will only take away 14-15 points from your army. Other good solo troops would be things like crocmen, hexas, or any of the Guard heavy infantry troops, they all have ways to move around on their own with little support. Or you can build synergistic modules like having Joan Lieutenant with cheap irregular troops since she turns them into super cheap regular orders and she can use her Lt order to coordinate troops. This is great at creating a mobile efficient set of troops who can be used to set up strong defensive turns or to maximize small order pools. There are also troops who really take the PanO high BS trait and turn it into a powerful asset, these are troops like the crocmen, Joan, Swiss Guards, and pretty much all of the TAGs (there are more but this is just a quick list). Troops like the Swiss Guard can move around in the TO marker state using stealth to bypass hacking networks that could shut it down, and get to favorable locations where you can surprise shot from cover with Burst 4 BS 15+ HMGs putting your opponent in the position to fire back at -12 or dodge. Either option puts you in a very favorable spot. Joan in link can shoot +1 Burst +3 BS that puts her on a target number of 18 or 21 if they are out of cover. That's pretty ridiculous. All of these cool troops will require good positioning, methodical removal of long range ARO and other tools to get into a favorable spot to do their crazy cool work, it will take some practice but if you practice by identifying one tactic or troop profile each game you'll soon get the hang of how that tool works and how to support it with other pieces in your army.

 

The advice you've had is excellent, so I won't re-cover the points which have already been dealt with, but this kind of response is common for this part of the forums. There's an excellent team of experienced players here who can give a lot of valuable advice, and do.

What makes a good deployment zone is highly list dependent. A smaller list only needs limited cover, while a larger list needs more. A list focusing on long range firepower with Snipers, Missile Launchers and HMGs is going to need long fire lanes with dominant positions. Units which can engage at long and shorter ranges will need strong shooting positions and lanes of advance where they can approach new targets.

For TAGs there's the whole extra consideration of S7 silhouette. You will need positions where the TAG can engage and some where it can get total cover. Having a corner to dodge back behind where you can't be shot is doubly important if you are going to leave your TAG out on ARO duty.

If you were going to run the Joan "wrecking ball" or "Death Star" Fireteam Core then AT LEAST you are investing:

JOAN OF ARC Lieutenant MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, DA CCW. (+1 | 50)
KNIGHT HOSPITALLER HMG / Pistol, AP CCW. (2 | 41)
KNIGHT HOSPITALLER Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 37)
KNIGHT HOSPITALLER Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 33)
KNIGHT HOSPITALLER Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 33)
2 SWC | 194 Points

This needs a 24-32" fire lane to properly exploit the HMG (but not too much longer so you don't get caught out by a Sniper Rifle or Missile Launcher outside of your +3 band) while also wanting decent cover to advance behind (once you've cleared out those targets in your initial LoF) so you can move up the table to objectives, or to get in close and do work with the Boarding Shotguns (trust me, you WANT to shoot B3 with a target of 23 if you can) and Hospitaller supported Joan CC action. But it also wants total cover in Turn 1 if you aren't going first (because you lost the roll for Lt) and some decent ARO options to cover it (Nanopulsers and Heavy Flamethrowers for close cover and Hidden Deployment Sniper Rifles for long range) also built into the list.

Hide anything which isn't good at AROing. Stack defensive modifiers so you don't just get instantly out-diced (decent range band weapons in lanes the right length plus Mimetism or Camo for added protection). Drop prone or back into total cover if you get lucky with an armour save to keep your defending shooter alive (they've already wasted enemy orders). Don't deploy so that the enemy can get HMGs etc into immediate LoF of your ARO pieces (using lateral lanes of fire especially). Use overlapping defensive DTWs to protect against cheap rambos like Warbands.

Oh, and keep anything you are likely to lose (ARO pieces especially) in your second order group so that the Fireteam Core has a clean run with 10 orders in its own pool when it goes even if the enemy knocked a couple of units out.

If you are using 12 or less troopers then it's often good to refuse a flank and cover that space with strong long range AROs. But the layout of objectives in many missions will force you to use a more even deployment so that you don't waste orders covering empty ground you gave up.

 

A few criteria I look for in a good table side:

• A firing position that allows a sniper or missile to control a relevant area of the table, while outranging heavy machine guns. 32.1 to 40 inches distant is where I get most of my ARO kills.
• Areas where I can deploy 40mm and 55mm bases with adequate protection. I rely a lot on Fugazi and Pathfinder REMs for my Order pool, especially as an NCA/Acon player, so I need to make sure there's enough total cover for me to hide the bigger-base units without leaving them vulnerable to a rocket or chain rifle.
• No staging areas near my DZ. This includes terrain on the table edges where a monster AD unit can walk on without risk, or heavy terrain right in front of my DZ where mine-deployers and Chain Rifle wielders can dig in. Ideally, the area in front of my DZ is relatively clear, so I don't have to worry about short-range Infiltrators or Impersonators.
• Areas where my ARO or active-turn gunfighters can fall prone safely if they get knocked Unconscious, and then Doctored back to functionality. I save a lot of Fusilier missile launchers, Regular Sapper Snipers or Hexas this way.
• Anything that denies my opponent any of the features above. Giving your opponent a bad DZ is often just as valid as giving yourself a good one. If one DZ is sparse on cover, hard to defend, or situated awkwardly relative to your opponent, then give it to your opponent and make them struggle to overcome that challenge.
• With a Hospitaller link in general, you're good at all rangebands out to 32 inches. Dense terrain can be good for knights, but you're vulnerable to strong Hacking, and generally all link teams are vulnerable to shotguns and chain rifles. Try to identify areas in the midfield where your link team can "end up" and defend itself adequately. Looking for those midfield bastions.

The easiest way to avoid an 8 order pool losing 2 Orders is to start with 10 Orders. Always have one full Order pool, and then use your smaller pool for units with low Order intensity. Similarly, get practiced at protecting your troops so you can avoid unnecessary attrition. If your opponent is going first and you're losing a lot of units, then that's probably a deployment problem.

As for PanO's pacing, you pretty much always start at a disadvantage with achieving objectives, so you need to maximize aggression early so you can achieve objectives in the late-game. PanO excels in attrition, not in flexibility/achieving objectives, so enemies almost always have a lead in terms of getting the mission accomplished. Turn 1, you should begin attrition and table control with minimal staging for objectives. The opening turn is probably about killing things, though this will vary based on mission, your list, your opponent's list, etc. For most of my games, the shift in balance generally happens Turn 2, when my attrition has gained critical traction, and I start to achieve objectives. Turn 3 should be about closing... Cripple your enemy, finish whatever objectives haven't been achieved.

For NeoTerra, since I'm marching almost all my units across the table out of my DZ, they focus heavily on preserving their own order pools, bunkering their DZ while sending out high-quality troops to kill or achieve objectives. NeoTerra loses Order efficiency because they have to walk long distances, but they can Order efficiency in hostile piece removal, so you need to play to the strengths of killing things smoothly and easily.

Acontecimento's a bit of a different tool. With lots of antipersonnel mines and defensive links teams, they're very good at denying area. They have more troop flexibility, such as borrowing Infiltrating Nagas from ALEPH for use in the sectorial, so they're by far the least PanO-ish way to play PanO.

For Vanilla... Honestly, I'm not much of a Vanilla player, so I'll defer to the expertise of others. But the core principle remains the same here, I think: focus on maximizing your high-probability gunfighting exchanges, so you have Orders remaining to do the things PanO is less good at.

 

Thank you for the replies everyone!

 

@Cardinal Justice just to add some stuff for Vanilla
There are a few distinct advantages here:
- availability of cheap support troops
Auxilia, Regular Minelayers, Krakots
- Mercs
Cube Jäger (cheap unhackable AD Specialist), Warbands (again Krakots)
- mix and match an Allstar Array of solo troops

I bloody love the Swiss ML, but Neoterra has me left feeling bummed out for a variety of missions screwing them over. Turns out I also can't seem to lose a game with the Tik (or SAA in general). So I've switched over to Vanilla to run what I play Sectorials for combined with the cheap support Vanilla has to offer. This ended in Tik + Swiss ML with Minelayers and Krakots.

Vanilla seems to be always short on something. AD, Infiltration, backup gunners, KHD, Orders, can't have it all. The tools you have are expensive and mostly not redundant so it is important to protect them until you're getting use out of their abilities. Since you're PanO (WIP12 Lt most of the time) and most missions favour either going first or second, you have to build a list that can deal with doing both.
When the mission favours button pushing you need to be able to kill off anything walking into the midfield so you can recapture consoles etc in turn 2 and 3. In missions. You're usually bringing guns where others bring better Specialists.

The reason for that is mostly that you have no other way to get across the table to kill cheerleaders, hold zones or push buttons with WIP 12/13 mooks. TO Specialists are far more valueable than expendable Foxtrotts, there are no Smoke chugging Warbands in PanO to solve the problem of a Sukeul ML sitting on a roof across that important Firelane.
So the PanO course of action is usually to point a gun at the problem and make it go away. Your guns enable your Specialists and replace Smoke, they're your mobility and your counter to pretty much everything.
With PanO having someone locking you down in your DZ through AROs is unthinkable. The other side of the coin is that you should be able to prevent the other guy from doing just that, clearing your AROs and breaching into a position where he can decimate your Order pool.

Whatever can be reached first should either be in Group 2 or very tough to crack. If you start the game with 16 Orders and your Opponent takes out 6 of those in his first turn, those should have been Fugazi, Warcor, Techbee, TO Sniper, Krakots etc. I'd consider that a very bad start, but it would still leave you with 10 Orders to retaliate.

For AROs it's best to use TO as your workhorse and completely expendable stuff as your bait. A Warcor, Techbee or Fugazi are still a threat that needs to be cleared before you can advance past it.
Flashpulses are more of a threat to a big rambo piece than a Combi Rifle ever could be. Against the usual +3 Rangebands for HMGs and Spitfires as well as ARM and multiple wounds, a successful Flashpulse hit against a HI or TAG can mean every Order spend on that piece is wasted. In the same situation even a Combi Crit wouldn't have much of an effect on the turn, Achilles or whatever it might be loses a wound and simply tries again.
On top of that Flash Pulse wielding troops are criminally cheap compared to Combis and also of not much use in Active Turn. So they are what your opponent should find after a few maneuvers to gain LOF from the midfield.

You'll find yourself winning FTF rolls with Flashpulses fairly often, but I wouldn't call that a plan. Planning starts when your opponent spent 2 Orders to take on that Warcor just to find himself in the sights of a Hexa Sniper or Swiss ML putting him at -12. You might wiff the shot, he might win the FTF anyway, or he might make all the ARM saves and dodges back into Cover ...or you kill his piece for free. Doesn't matter, really. You got a chunk of his Order pool he wasn't expecting to lead to further results and he'll be most likely locked down there.
This won't trouble a capable opponent much, but it'll cost further Orders to solve. You just denied or delayed the best play your opponent had and that in itself is enough to set you up for a good game.

Going from there it will be your turn at some point. There often is a simple formula to get things done with Vanilla, kill their guns, lock them into their DZ with AROs. Your Flashpulses, HI in SF, TAG watching a corner or TO troop hiding in HD will be much more effective if there is nothing left to fight them directly.
Only an inexperienced opponent simply leaves out his Active Turn pieces out for ARO duty and there will be ARO pieces to clear out too. Don't make grand plans what you're going to accomplish down to the last Order. Find an achievable goal for the turn and wing it from there, never forget there is a mission to play and factor that into your plans.
Mobility is invalueable if you want to be able to go for more specific goals. Climbing Plus, Superjump, AD and Infiltrating TO Camo allows you to attack something vulnerable after it's protection got blasted away by a BS15 HMG.