Domaru + Tanko Core - Suggestions

I tend to exchange the SMG tanko for Neko, it makes it a bit more expensive but it gives you an Antimaterie option plus a possible Leutnant

 

I usually find that the HI link rarely ever actually wants to press a button. The FO option is so over costed because of the combi it almost isn't worth taking imo. I would exchange for Neko. let the Tanko do the shooting, their BS is better anyway. I would exchange the SMG option for the Contender, as it's a better ARO option at medium range. other than that, i prefer the first link.

also: expect your Missile launcher to die. they always do.

 

I follow you on the FO though, a bust 3 FO or burst 2 flash at WIP 16/19 is pretty awesome. Especially in the grid

Plus it's pretty order efficient

 

A Samurai core team without a chain rifle is missing valuable point defense IMO. A Tanko shotgun does quite well but sometimes you don't want to bother with FtF rolls.

 

I suppose it all depends on the mission, for the grid i can see it being great. but as for a catch all pick up game list where you'll most likely be playing something like firefight or more joint-opsy I would leave the button pushing to the ninjas, motorcycles, or hell, even a kempetai.

Domaru want to kill - let them. they're amazing at it.

 

Don't take the FO out, in my opinion.

JSA samurai links are often in low-model-count lists. You'll have 2-3 specialists, with a max of 2 decent forwards ones usually. I've had opponents limit my scoring by killing the specialists and running away from the link. Having that FO in there makes things a lot more efficient. I cannot tell you how many times I've kicked tons of ass with the Domaru and then had to spend 3-4 orders to get a specialist to follow them through the wreckage to push buttons. Also the B4 combi will be useful after/if your Spitfire bites it on the way in but you're not in close-quarters quite yet.

Regarding your ranged guys dying, like @MikeTheScrivener said that is both inevitable and not a biggie. The Spitfire also often dies on the approach. But once you're in close, you don't need ranged mods much anymore. And if the link breaks, fine: you've got a crapton of Impetuous orders now. Use that Assault charge!

I -would- drop the LSG tanko for Neko or a Domaru chainrifle though. By the time you're in that close, you're in chainrifle range. Forget letting the opponent make you deal with mods even with LSG bonuses: just blast 'em twice with a template. Also gives you Intuitive Attack ability, very useful against Ariadna or any opponent packing Monofilament mines (and I have a feeling those are about to come back into style soon).

 

It really depends on the mission, but I would expect you would be better served taking Ninja specialist to button push, and reserve your Domaru for face punching, (and being hard to kill).

I have run a 10 order list with a Domaru link consisting of:
Domaru Chain Rifle
Domaru Spitfire
Neko Oyama
Tanko Missile Launcher
Tanko Flammenspear Contender

 

The value of running a specialist in your Samurai team is that the orders you've spent moving the specialist to the button has also moved the rest of the team to actively engage threats and provide defensive support at the button. If your core samurai team is camping on the button that should work wonders for keeping skirmisher specialists away from the button.

 

I've been known to support a DoTanko link with an O-Yoroi and Yojimbo. (Well, it was DoHara at the time)

Japanese Secessionist Army
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9 1 4
OYAMA Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Breaker Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0 | 28)
DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39)
TANKŌ Blitzen, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
TANKŌ Blitzen, Submachine Gun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
O-YOROI AP HMG + Heavy Flamethrower, CrazyKoalas / EXP CCW. (2 | 86)
YOJIMBO Contender, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 21)
KEISOTSU Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 17)
TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
TOKUSETSU KOHEI Engineer Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)

6 SWC | 300 Points

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Not so hot at pushing buttons, but it's going to craphammer anything that cares to ARO. Engineer gets the bot to fix EM and glue on the link team, hacker casts Fairy Dust. Doctor prays.

 

I can second this style of list building. Ten order HI link + TAG is really powerful. I usually play the Samurai link lighter and bring a ninja KHD instead, but pretty much the same thing. And honestly I think the AP HMG made the O-Yoroi a much stronger choice against other tough to crack targets (it's a huge buff to TAG vs TAG fights, or even TAG vs. beefy HI fights). I've still been toying with how I want to run it now that the base Samurai link and OYoroi are both more expensive.

The classic double missile is still an option. Those linked missiles are terrifying to deal with. Casual burst 2 BS16 AP+EXP. And that's JSAs only long range ARO threat besides the (extremely questionable) Ninja MSR. I think you can do one of three things.

1) Classic five man missile ARO link. Make it as cheap as you can, spread those missiles out, and rain your BS16 threat across the table. Park a Yaozao behind them and keep them alive.

2) Five man missile link, and then rebuild when it dies. I think this is a great pairing with the Domaru+Keisotsu+Kempeitai link. You're going to bring the Kempei CoC most of the time anyway -- dropping a Domaru spitfire into the mix and maybe even reforming the Tanko link with Musashi sounds theoretically good. You still get your first turn missiles, and you have a cheap buff for your Domaru Spitfire. Something like JwBgzAPmIhEKwFJjAByLANlIghARgBZF8R9MMB2MJXJFdLYAJjwpWA20reRS+A9czCqXyNKhEHlYokWannx9iWTEOUpVmTMQIquuxAAFTQA= as a start? I haven't played this yet, because I've been trying to make the Daiyokai Haris work.

3) Play the link up the table. This feels like too many eggs in one basket to me personally, even at the premium you get it for in JSA to me. Single missile, Domaru spitfire, pack your FO (and maybe the Haris Domaru or Oyama depending on the mission) and push up the table. The missile and flammenspeer should get you into Spitfire range and then you start doing Samurai link stuff in the middle of the table (AoE denial, running at people with five samurai, etc).

 

I feel a different samurai link might be fun. I like the idea of the Daiyokai Haris+FO so it can kill a lot, and then push a button, while having the Core Fireteam, backed up with TR bots to take the other buttons and cover the back and midfield.


Japanese Secessionist Army
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GROUP 1 10
DOMARU Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
KEISOTSU HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 17)
KEISOTSU Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 9)
KEISOTSU Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 17)
KEMPEI (Chain of Command) Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, CCW, Electric Pulse. (0 | 21)
TOKUSETSU KOHEI Engineer Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 24)
DAIYŌKAI Red Fury, Panzerfaust / Pistol, DA CC Weapon, AP CC Weapon. (1 | 49)
DOMARU (Fireteam: Haris) Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0.5 | 27)
DOMARU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 36)

GROUP 2 3
HÙSÒNG Yaókòng HMG / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 25)
PANGGULING (Total Reaction, Repeater) Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse. (0 | 21)
KEISOTSU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 10)

6 SWC | 300 Points

Open in Infinity Army

 

@Section9 , I've been struggling to adapt my own former full-HI-link-plus-O-Yoroi lists to the new points values. The small creep up in points takes what was a build that could barely get both buttkicking and buttonpushing done and splits it into an either/or choice, in my attempts. Ah well, change always has a cost. I too consider Yojimbo almost a must with the close-and-brutal link because crossing gaps covered by other links with MLs/etc. has been one of the only things to screw my samurai mob super hard in the past.

I adapted your list to make it a bit more button-friendly, as an alternate list so that one could field a buttkicker and a buttonpusher in a tourney where that's evenly split. This would be the buttonpusher version. Ended up compromising on a small Domaru-only link with FO/Spitfire/Neko that uses range just to close and a Husong for AROs. That did mean I could get a Weibing in though, which combos nicely with Domaru chainrifles to clean out whatever gets revealed by Sensor sweeps.


Japanese Secessionist Army
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9 1 1
OYAMA Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Breaker Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0 | 28)
DOMARU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 36)
DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39)
O-YOROI AP HMG + Heavy Flamethrower, CrazyKoalas / EXP CCW. (2 | 86)
YOJIMBO Contender, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 21)
HÙSÒNG Yaókòng HMG / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 25)
WÈIBĪNG Yaókòng Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16)
KEISOTSU Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 17)
TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
TOKUSETSU KOHEI Engineer Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)

6 SWC | 299 Points

Open in Infinity Army

 

@meikyoushisui , don't forget about the humble TR HMG bot. If you have the high SWC cost lying around (grumble grumble), they're usually worth it. Surprisingly good in the active too with Marksmanship L2.

 

More like amazingly good in the active turn! 6-4 mov BS 14 shock HMG is something to let loose. (especially considering it is one of our 3 HMGs in the army)

I really find myself attracted to the Yokai Domaru Harris. He's great at moving up the board and gunning down ARO pieces while dragging his CC oriented friends with him. He too will die though. I don't think mine has ever done anything particularly amazing other than help deliver his Domaru friends while downing an enemy sniper and/ or skirmisher. He soaks up a lot of orders while dying though. I guess thats a plus.

beware of sniper rifles though, as they will bypass his NWI.

 

So I ran a crazy "let's take all the samurai to the party" list for quadrant control against ASS. It's hardly optimized but it was super fun. I ultimately ended up losing by one point because I mis-played Yojimbo (and i also suspect I could have been more aggressive with the Musashi haris). I certainly wouldn't bring this to a button pushing scenario, but it like I said, it was fun to play.

quadrant control 1
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GROUP 1 9 1 4
OYAMA Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Breaker Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0 | 28)
DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39)
TANKŌ Flammenspeer, Contender / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
DOMARU Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
DOMARU Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 26)
RYŪKEN (CH: Limited Camouflage) Heavy Rocket Launcher, Antipersonnel Mines / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 23)
YOJIMBO Contender, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 21)
MIYAMOTO MUSHASHI (Regular, Fireteam: Haris) Chain Rifle, Flash Pulse / Pistol, AP CCW, EXP CCW. (0.5 | 28)
TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
TANKŌ Flammenspeer, Contender / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)

GROUP 2 1 1
RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 24)
WARCOR (Aerocam) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, Knife. (0 | 3)

6 SWC | 297 Points

Open in Infinity Army

If I were to do something like this again, I'm not sure i'd keep the rocket ryuken. I mostly brought him to light some greeks on fire but his performance was mediocre. A second forward deployment ryuken may have been a better choice, but i'm not sure.

 

I don't think there's any wrong or right version, just individual preference. My preferred version is Spitfire, FO, Flammenspear, Flammenspear, Light shotgun. Here's why:

I don't like to use it like the old double-missile haramaki link. I like to use it more like an aggressive Wu Ming link. The FO makes that possible since you can both kill and press buttons as you move across the table, which the old haramaki link couldn't do. The Flammenspear are for first-turn ARO's only, and I haven't really missed the missile launcher in that roll. Yes, they're empty after they're first shot, but they're still hitting on double action 10's with their contenders at long range, which has always been enough to cancel a hit so they can go prone behind cover instead of dying. Yeah I got killed once by a linked missile launcher from long range, but nothing's perfect, and now I know better than to deploy in a sniper tower.

Then, once you move halfway up the table, the contenders are actually much better ARO's than the missiles would be. The light shotgun is there for when you don't want to use assault. I prefer the light shotgun to the smg because I prefer +6 to +1 burst and I prefer a template to AP/Shock. The big advantage of an SMG -- suppressive fire -- I don't feel works well with the Tanko because they're impetuous and therefore don't receive cover.

I like to run the fireteam in 15+ order lists so that I can be aggressive with the link without losing half my orders in a counter-strike. If I were to run it in a low-order list with an O Yoiroi or an HI Haris, I'd probably go with a more defensive double-missile launcher style and rely on the TAG or Haris for aggression. Same goes for TO camo heavy low-order count list, I'd go defensive and rely on the various ninjas to press buttons and kill things.

 

I am actually very interested in using the Tanko+Domaru link aggressively. I like the idea of the 5 man core with the FO Domaru but I just cant seem to get the list to click for me.

Japanese Secessionist Army
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

GROUP 1 10 3
TANKŌ Blitzen, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
TANKŌ Blitzen, Submachine Gun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
TANKŌ Flammenspeer, Contender / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
DOMARU (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 36)
DOMARU Spitfire / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (2 | 39)
RYŪKEN (Forward Deployment L2, ODD) Submachine Gun, Antipersonnel Mines, D-Charges / 2 Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 24)
CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
KEISOTSU Hacker (Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 17)
TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
YÁOZĂO Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
NINJA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CCW, Knife. (0 | 29)

GROUP 2 3 1 1
YOJIMBO Contender, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades, CrazyKoalas (2) / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 21)
KEISOTSU Lieutenant Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 9)
PANGGULING (Minesweeper, Repeater) Electric Pulse. (0 | 8)
RYŪKEN (CH: Limited Camouflage) Heavy Rocket Launcher, Antipersonnel Mines / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 23)

5.5 SWC | 300 Points

Open in Infinity Army

It honestly feels like its missing something. Any thoughts?

 

This would be my take on the Tanko - Domaru 10 Order list. You could even go for the O-Yoroi LT, but I like a more defensive LT option.

Strong defensive fireteam with TAG offence
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10 3
O-YOROI AP HMG + Heavy Flamethrower, CrazyKoalas / EXP CCW. (2 | 86)
NINJA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CCW, Knife. (0 | 29)
TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
TANKŌ Flammenspeer, Contender / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 23)
DOMARU Lieutenant Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, E/M CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 26)
DOMARU Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW, Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
WÈIBĪNG Yaókòng Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16)
TOKUSETSU KOHEI Engineer Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)
TOKUSETSU EISEI Doctor (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14)

5 SWC | 299 Points

Open in Infinity Army

 

I used a very similar list over the weekend and it worked very well. I was just trying to explore aggressive Tank+Domaru link options as I wanted to be able to run the link with more orders.