Oh yeah the biker chick is pretty good, I used the assualt hacker and it will be great to get an unhackable dogged spec! I see your point about the dengekitai. I guess when you compare to the domaru spitfire (who is not great), there is some potential there. I think you're right that the haris will be where you put them to use, but theres some stiff competition! Unless the Tanko tank. and aren't nearly as cool as haramaki.... then a couple of my lists might be a bit in trouble.
Dengekitai is very legit. In a firefight, they are a notably tough HI with lots of durability and hard hitting weapons (esp. with Fatality L1). In CC they are effective enough to sweep through any non-CC specialising troop, which is the vast majority of troops, and tough enough to fail the ftf a couple of times even they are unlucky (but with a very hard hitting CC weapon combo, they will clean out most things they land a hit on). Dengekitai clearly wants to be in CQB, firing as they advance, holding the line and securing areas. They are a bulwark troop; tough and reliable. Put it like this, my Taskmaster has secured a good few kills in CC (including a Kriza Borac!) and that's with MA1, CC 19 and a DACCW. This guy is slightly better, and will do just as well I think. Someone has a pesky Spektr with Boarding Shotgun? This guy can run right towards him, Move Move if he wants too, and soak the hit, he's got plenty of wounds! Then he will just tear it in half in CC, and that's pretty goddamn useful! If you don't see the tactical relevance of the Dangekitai's flexible CC and ranged capability then, well, I dunno what to tell you. Play something else I guess. But it's your loss.
And I'm going to bang on this drum again for the thousandth time; The CC capability of stuff like the Domaru is, 9/10, massive overkill which is unnecessary and unneeded. Yes, you can be CC 32! But it's kind of silly because CC 23 with MA3 will absolutely do the job for you. People seem to think that if you're any less good at CC than a Myrmidon (CC 21 and MA3) then you're not good at CC and therefore your CC capability is pants. Wrong wrong wrong! CC of, like, 13-17 is not good at CC, essentially fodder for anything with a Special CC Skill and a decent CC stat. These troops are not good at CC. If you have a CC of 20, even of 19 if you have a relevant skill, and a decent CC weapon, then it becomes a useful option to you when you face; ODD/TO Camo/Stuff in Smoke/Stuff hiding in buildings with good shooting AROs/etc. It's absolutely viable, statistically, to slap someone's face in with your Taskmaster's machete over shooting them with a Heavy Pistol or whatever (and that's before you start taking into account if they impose a BS penalty) if they have the typical middling teens CC and no special skills to speak of. It's absolutely viable, statistically, to use a Locust's CC of 20 to stab a random Spektr in the eye rather than shooting them at -6. Bandits, Jaguars, SAS... these troops are all CC capable and I have seen them claim kills, repeatedly, in CC. I have done it myself. Ask my local group if I've killed their troops in CC with a Bandit and they'll tell you; yes. CC 20 and MA1 with an APDACCW is not bad at CC. It is efficient at CC. It is what you need to have the option without any dead weight costing you more points on top, not some ludicrous high 20s stat that you only ever really need to fight... stuff like the Dangekitai. People who think it isn't are the same guys who lose their super awesome high tech shit to a single well placed Chasseur cleaning up their army and go "I don't understand! I'm BS 14! They are only BS 11!"
Plot twist: Exrah didn't vanish completely (in fact, they are said to still be a small part of the Ur Hegemony). Most of them were just thrown into battle as cannon fodder because the EI found their combat capabilities inadequate, and they were also difficult to control, so many of them died for no good cause. But sneaky Tohaa captured some of the Exrah alive and found a way to reprogram them via bioengineering and symbiont magic, and are now planning to drop a big surprise on the ranks of unsuspecting CA. You got our brethren subverted to fight for your banners as traitors, now it's time for you to try your own medicine
Not to rain on your parade @Solar but you went a bit over target there. A Dogged Jaguar with actual CC Skills isn't much of a relative risk compared to the rewards when everything works out. CC20 can't miss in a FTF vs BS Attacks and MA1 imposes a MOD, it's pretty much CC's Mimetism + a nice DAM buff. The mentioned Locust however is stuck at CC20 without MA, costs as much as 3 Jaguars and comes with the amazing PH of 12... maybe with a DA CCW, maybe not. It is very viable to run up to a ODD troop if you're a HI with CC19, MA1, PH14, DA CCW that can tank a single hit if you lose or take the Normal Roll in excange for a DTW hit. Bandits are pretty damn good in CC for their points with access to Surprise Attack as well. CC20, MA2, PH14, AP+DA CCW in the Faction where that guy is 50 points and contender for the CC troop worst at CC (worse than the Oyoroi...) if it wasn't for the new Biker. Sure you'll use that anyway if you're out of better options - but you're probably better off adjusting your plan so a random Domaru from his Haris does the CC stuff. Entry level CC capability is a tool more comparable to having a DTW than a main selling point. Useful, but not what you bought the guy for. As per usual stuff changes a lot with missions - DAM 17 AP+DA to kill structures like the AC2 is a job he is very good at. Overkill doesn't exist. Who doesn't love to crit stuff off the table on 7s with Neko? That's just being thorough. ... now I'll choke on those words when I lose a game for being unable to score my Coup de Grace Classified won't I?
My Morlocks often rack up a decent amount of CC kills its about who you send them against, ill probably always at least run the dude in haris or duo, let domaru fight CC specialists and have big guy shoot and cut down weaker troops in CC. I'm fairly set that my JSA staple list will be Haris- daiyoukai Red fury+Domaru specialist+Domaru LT (charge this up the board when they get into the fray split them up and let them hunt) Core- Yuriko-Kempetai CoC boarding shotgun- Kempetai MSV2-keisotsu hacker-keisotsu HMG all for roughly 200 points and fill in final 100 with 1 ninja KHD-saito specialist-doctor. The only thing im sorta meh on is section 9 not having specialist, though that might have made them too good. Their profiles are great and nicely priced, just fighting with alot now. Im very happy with JSA though.
Presumably Domaru Spitfire is now free in Codex JSA so long as you have it represented on the model, and grants preferred enemy: Chinese
Getting a Spitfire that isn't a Spitfire is a glorious cool faction tradition, set by the Kriza Borac's Burst 4 Mk12 for 0 SWC.
So why can't cb gives some closed battle lists or whatever like the svarlheim ones? Increased ava on stuff, some links etc.
Which is amazing, considering that Locust is said to pay 3 pts for something which is "free" when bounded to weapon itself xD
