Ok, so we got a new TAG, yey! This brings us to a whalloping 6 TAG options, edging us out against everyone but PanO in the Human Sphere in terms of options for big stompy bots. Can we take a moment to appreciate that? Because I dig giant robots, you dig giant robots and chicks dig giant robots. Oh yeah. Let's have a look: Avatar: We know it, we love it. N4 made him better, there's a whole thread in here about why this dude is awesome, you don't need me to tell you he is great. Most Expensive Model in the Game? Yes, yes he is. Does he kick ass? Yes, yes he does. I've been using him more and I noticed he IS better this edition. High armor matters a lot more, and while hacking is a problem, CA has ways to defend itself. Mnemonica on him is still a bit of a trap, but honestly, this guy is awesome. Raicho Armored Brigade A lot of CA Vanilla players sleep on this girl. She's a bog standard MBT with some added tricks here and there. Biggest one is her ECM: Hacker and that sweet immunity to crits. I think the Raicho is one of the best TAGs for aggressive, move forward and smash face plays, and it works well both in MAF and in Vanilla. I've used it in vanilla paired with cheaper lieutenants, and now that we have Chain of Command and a few NCO options, bringing an Aspect is not even needed sometimes, which in turn opens more room for the Raicho. But I'm biased, I love this model. Funnily enough, I used to hate it. CB did a great job rescuing her from the scrappy heap. Shasvastii Special Armored Corp Sphinx This is one of those I'd like to hear more from my fellow Vanilla CA players about. I've never used it, but I can understand why it would be awesome on paper. I mean, MOV6-6 and Climbing Plus with Hidden Deployment and two flamers? Yeah, this guy slaps. Still, I have no idea how to actually fit him in a list. I would love to hear stories and both sucessful and unsucessful plays with it. Mostly in Vanilla though. I understand in Shas he has a lot more room to play. Bultrak Mobile Armored Regiment Ok, so we got this new guy and a lot of people are saying it supplants the Raicho and I disagree and I'll fight you. But jokes aside, I'm curious about how he stacks up when compared to the Overdron. I mean, both are BS13 and slinging that HRMC, but the Bultrak is faster and better armored. Overdron is cheaper and has some hacking defense. Both of them kinda suck at close range though. Although the Bultrak sucks less because two DAM15 punches can kill a lot of stuff. I like the idea of having in in Vanilla CA as a long range fire support piece more than I like the Overdron at this spot, but I'd like to hear opinions. Overdron Batdroids Man, I love this dude. He's costed like an elite HI, but has all the sweet TAG skills on an admittedly Elite HI statline. In N3 I used him a lot as a fire support piece and I think N4 has allowed him to do that job even better. The HRL+SMG option is my favorite because it can defend itself if someone gets close, but come on, that Sniper? And the HRMC? Sweet, brutal damage. This is probably the least likely TAG to get out of the Deployment Zone too, so that is something that mitigates his problems. And he looks gorgeous. I know he has his place in Onyx, but for me he has a place in Vanilla too. And in my heart. Xeodron Batdroids This is another one I haven't quite made work in Vanilla, but I can see it, especially those Marksman Rifles. The K1 is one that I find particularly interesting as an anti-armor option, and the MULTI is just nice all around. This guy is one that in theory wants to get in closer, and his MOV value and weapons indicate that, but I'm not quite sure how to support it. It does look and feel more like heavy infantry than a TAG, but I think if it was an HI model it would see less table in Vanilla. Maybe pair him with an Anathematics Hacker lieutenant? Not sure. I'd love to hear stories and options. In any case, this is just my TAG appreciation post. When I started this game we only had 3 TAG options and one of them SUCKED (seriously, the original Raicho was BAD), but now we not only have doubled our options, but I kinda feel like all of them have their place. I just need to figure out what place it is.
I've played with the Xeodrons a bit and they are decent roadblocks in the correct ranges, they can soak up a lot of fire with 3 STR and crucially Bioimmunity. Opponent using AP rounds? Just take it on BTS6 instead! Being only BS13 with no visors or other toys they can find themselves in trouble against better or longer range gun fighters and the more you push up the more at risk from hackers they are so they do need a bit of finesse. I've tried the Haris in Onyx a few times both at 300 and 400pts, I just can't get it to work. Its too easily out-ranged and has a massive footprint so I've found it gets bogged down to much. I definitely think they are better as solo pieces.
I’ve played a bit with the Sphinx and it is obviously a terror unit. It is the fastest Tag and with 6-6 and Terrain Total and C+ it can quickly find angles. It is lacking AP and really needs to go for soft targets and cheerleaders. Even if it can usually win FtF with good BS and Mim-6 it lacks power to punch through heavy armour. With its speed and camo it can usually retreat into safety but it will go down against a concentrated effort from an Alpha striker. It costs a bit too much and loosing it will hurt. Especially since you really need to add another striker to your list that can deal with heavy armour (unless you say f it and go for all the cheerleaders). I’ve read people describing it as a bully and it really is. Great fun to play and always dreaded by the opponentt.
When the Sphinx is used properly, it can be the single most devastating unit in the game IME. It's also a real seal clubber. It's an achilles style fast and strong alpha piece that can cleanse the deployment zone in a single turn without the right countermeasures. It can also go totally to shit. A hacker in the right place, or a board that does not support it, and its less of a threat. The Avatar is completely busted. During a bit of a lull in playing, I ran nothing but this for like two years the few times I did play. Those extra orders it generates are obscene, and it is a solid defensive turret with fantastic weapon, stats, and great engineer options. I think this unit genuinely needs a nerf in capabilities or an increase in price. Overdron is good as a sweeper, but the HRMC is a bit of a trap. It is easy to think "big robot with biggest gun in game, I can kill anything", but the reality is that any decent, mimetism ARO piece will be very tough for it to fight. The Raicho is a vanilla TAG with NCO, and hacking resistances (-3 and IMM to Oblivion). Thats good enough to consider running honestly. He is good with a backline LT like the Mentor, and could be pretty sick with the Suryat +1 LT but that pairing is only theorycraft for me so far. No idea if the Bultrak supercedes or supplements the Raicho, but they do fill very similar roles on paper. Do not overlook the autocannon, it trades slightly lower odds against most targets (the only one that mattered was a strong, mimetic ARO) for much higher odds to do multiple damage, and really scary (30%) odds to 1 shot a main battle TAG. The only time I used the Xeodron, a single Speznaz Rifle in suppression fire in the open killed him, his buddy, and his Samaritan link member, and then a fucking Overdron batroid. I have no idea if this thing is actually good, they've been on the shelf ever since that day.
Oddly enough, I think the Avatar isn't busted enough. Like, it's a third of the army, and it still has some of the biggest, most glaring weaknesses of all tags. Oblivion is particularly powerful against it (If you choose to trigger mnemonica, it dies). Having proper remote presence does make it better in N4, plus all the other changes that made TAGs in general better. I really think the Avatar needs NWI, but I get it that it's expensive enough as is. Maybe it's just because I've used the 'go into CC with the big bot' tactic so much and so often people have started to use it against me too. In my opinion, the Bultrak has more overlap with the Overdron than with the Raicho, as the Raicho doesn't crumple if someone gets close to it, while the Bultrak, like the Overdron, can't do much.
I'm going to have to disagree on that one. A big thing is that with how the order system works, points and power should not scale linearly together, because of how the order system allows you to multiply the effect of that stronger piece. When I mainlined the Avatar, I barely even actively used the thing except sometimes as a sweeper. Turret plus extra orders and occasionally removing an ARO piece was worth 118 points on its own. The Avatar itself would only emerge late game after the Caliban, Libertos and Speculo had used its orders and its fire support to mostly win the game themselves. I think simply making it bigger and stronger won't work for the reason you've outlined above - Avatar and Avatar counters are just so far off the charts in their respective areas that some stat increases etc won't really matter.. The stuff that kills it pretty much will pretty much kill any (reasonably) feasible TAG. The stuff that dies to it dies to it already, and giving it a megalaser +9000 burst won't change that. Widening its capabilities even a little could make it unstoppable as that is what would negate its counters. In the meantime, at its price point, CA is able to take every support piece they want for it, and don't have to make much in the way of sacrifices. Thats just how the costs of this guy, our cheap orders, and our best support (Caliban etc) line up. If I was changing the Avatar, I would find a way to add 15 points or so to the strategos Avatar, so that players have to cut one of the supports. Then I'd make a more combat orientated Avatar that is not LT or not Strategos and gains NWI and other stuff to make him bigger. Being bigger would not matter much, but it would be cool as hell.
