After reviewing everyone’s posts, I realize I'm the only person who picked up DBS primarily to use the EVO hacker (Kameel). Most reviews of the faction just state "A kameel is a kameel", but to me its a central focus for the DBS. The fact DBS sectorial has more EVO synergy options than most vanilla factions. Beforehand only Nomad and PanO could realistically field an Evo hacker. Since the Druze pulls from PanO remotes it has almost as many profile options that benifit from evo hackers. DBS even have an AVA3 on the Pathfinders which PanO don't get. The most obvious benefit is Overclock which boosts all the remotes with repeaters. This affects almost all the remotes in the sectoral. My first game had 2x peacemakers and 3x Pathfinders giving a very strong ARO coverage. Even the factions chearleader remote (Fugazi) get a boost from it. In most games I would hide my chearleaders in back and hope they don't get killed. Not being a PanO player I first thought it was a standard baggage profile. But the fugazi has flash pulse and a repeater. Just having a 6-6 repeater is nice, but B2 ARO with a +3 up to 24 inches means I'm going to put them on roof tops just force my opponent to waste orders on nuisance AROS. If you ignore it you risk your rambo unit being stunned. The alternative is to spend orders against BS16 B2 ARO. If you can combine the fugazi with other AROs, its flashpulse would usually go unopposed since it doesn't deal damage. But it can ruin someones days. The second benefit is the boost to Sensor/SatLock. Given the fact the Pathfinder is AVA3 and a specialist, in a faction that is not very diverse, it will be used more than other factions use their sensor remotes. The faction on a whole has a weakness to camo. While it doesn't counter the -3 BS, it does allow DBS to easily reveal camo markers on thier terms instead of waiting for your opponent to take the first shot. Sat-Lock and access to speculative firing grenade launchers give DBS a Camo Hunting strategy. This means you need to be actively hunting camo marker instead of having a passive ARO counters. There are other benefits to EVO, but they don't apply too much for DBS. The Coordinated hacking option has some extra value. Using so many remotes means you need to bring in a couple hackers to defend them. When facing off against Nomads its almost mandatory to take out interventors. The other EVO supportware options are negligible compared to Overclock, so I won't go over them. In DBS the EVO is a major threat. Its arguably as important a target as revealed lieutenant.
Good call. As a primarily PanO/Aleph player I consider EVO to be a serious force multiplayer. Important thing: Pathfinders+Fugazi can indeed provide an awesome anti-Camo net. Using Coordinated Orders you can quickly move up to four remotes into position, deploy multiple Sniffers and create a very difficult enviroment for Camo units.
I am leaning more towards Valerya instead of the EVO. Her link options are just to tempting and add flexibility to each DBS list. And DBS has no AD3 to make use of the EVO. That's why PanO and Nomads do it still a tiny bit better IMHO. DBS has high AVA on a few Repeater Remotes, but for me it's missing the variety. Just spamming stuff is not my cup of tea, I am more for toolbox and synergy and that's where Valerya does convince me a little bit more. I guess ASA is definitely the best EVO Sectorial: good AD, lots of Repeater Remotes plus Scylla's Devabots and a Camo KHD. And with Nomads you always have direct competition with Interventors or Custodies.
I don't think aro burst 2 for remotes is that reliable thing and scary. Any army with smoke+MSV2 or Camo with supprise attack can crush such remotes defence easily. The unique thing DRUZE have is an ability to make 5 member link with all types of hackers (AHD+HD+KHD). Boost them with buff from EVO (-3 to enemy hackers when attacking our hakers) and we have one of the most solid haking core in a game which is not afraid of surprise attacks and cannot be avoided with stealth.
I used EVO's extensively in Haqq (they have a LOT of repeaters and hacker options), and did not see the same synergy with Druze. They have a lot of repeaters yes, but their hackers are subpar and few. So the coordinated hacking is not the best, PAthfinder+EVO is in every faction just different named robot. They have no AD troop to benefit from the hacking, and their haris+core option is usually already shooting on burst two, especially a linked clipper. I would prefer MML2 on a TR bot, or the clipper over B2 ARO on a pathfinder or fugazi. In a SWC starved army, I do not see much benefit the EVO brings for its points.
I see the synergy here, and the EVO will be worth considering in a lot of DBS lists. It's not the typical reasons one takes an EVO in other armies, but I've always considered the +3 to AD the least of the EVOs bonuses and that it's not worth taking an EVO for that one alone. Every Gadget-EVO program is relevant for DBS. I'll give a special shout out to Kaleidoscope because combined with DBS repeater coverage, the hacking reroll, and coordinated hacking; DBS seems like it can rival the best hacker factions in infowar dominance. Overclock in REM heavy lists is a great way to start reactive, the framework for it can come in under 100 points, and it works well around a DBS core plus some support. The Satlock bonus and AVA 3 Pathfinders is pretty amazing when you have EM LGL and a Smart Missile Launcher. It's not hard to give up Gromoz for the EVO if you are considering the Druze KHD and the cheap Brawler AHD, since we have Hunzakuts as WIP 14 specialists. That said, Gromoz actually works very well with the Kameel EVO. I expect hacker heavy lists will consider the EVO an auto-include.
I find the EVO fantastic for anti stealth spam. I'm finding since we don't have the strongest hackers, I like to take many for ARO defense. The vast majority of our hacking is done from repeater nets and three hackers attacking back will usually nuke an opponent. Unless its a killer hacker device using trinity you're going to get normal rolls hacking back. Smart missile launchers are only worth it if you can efficiently targeted state an opponent and put a cluster under the template, an evo bot + a pathfinder are the most efficent way to do this. When you try to spotlight through a pitcher youve used two orders for a wip -3 face to face, pretty inefficent. With the pathfinder you have to move up (I mean, hey, he's both fast and a button pusher), but you get a wip 13 face to face vs every enemy you can fit in the range, and if you're going after the fireteams or cluster should be at least two, and you only need to succeed on one to start throwing templates. Say you're not a fan of smart missile launchers though? Same concept with the EM lgl. Targeted removes the penalty on spec fire and gives the +3 mod. You're shooting EM templates on B.S. 15 out to 24 inches, or 18 with a fireteam. Thats pretty phenomenal, especially if the target is a heavy infantry pain train. To me, the way to play DBS is to bully the weak, then cheat the strong. We don't play their games with shootouts unless its on our terms. We're bad people, but we could be worse
I guess our Metas are different. I'm a long time Haqq player and find EVO underwhelming in Haqq. While I rely on hacking a lot, I only recall about 2-3 games where I wish I could do a coordinated Hack. As for AD, 95% of the time I walk in from the side. I almost never even attempt to drop in. I see its advantaged, but walking in is more reliable. I see a couple comments about giving up the core fireteam when playing an EVO. Here is my first list for DBS. It can fit a core fire team, and a lot of remotes. Druze Bayram Security ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 9 1 KAMEEL Hacker (EVO Hacking Device) Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 25) PEACEMAKER Spitfire + AUXBOT_3 / Electric Pulse. (1 | 27) AUXBOT_3 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) PEACEMAKER Spitfire + AUXBOT_3 / Electric Pulse. (1 | 27) AUXBOT_3 Heavy Flamethrower / Electric Pulse. (- | 4) CLIPPER DRONBOT Missile Launcher / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 17) DRUZE Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle + Pitcher, D-Charges / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25) DRUZE (X Visor) Combi Rifle + Light Grenade Launcher (E/M and Nimbus) / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 27) VALERYA GROMOZ Hacker (Hacking Device UPGRADE: Expel) Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 21) BRAWLER Lieutenant Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16) SAITO TOGAN (Specialist Operative) Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, EXP CCW, Knife. (0 | 40) HUNZAKUT (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18) GROUP 2 4 PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16) PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16) PATHFINDER DRONBOT Combi Rifle, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 16) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) 5 SWC | 299 Points Open in Infinity Army
Burst 2 Flash Pulse is great. The idea isn't to use this to contest the entire table... You use this to keep things out of your DZ in Turn 1, then commit to defending all your objectives in Turn 3. So yes, someone may be able to MSV2 + Smoke your bot to death pretty easily, but if they're spend 2 Orders doing that in the last turn, that's 2 less orders that are uncapping your objectives. Similarly, it's hard to MSV2 + Smoke a Fugazi that's only covering their own ~20 inches of table. You don't want to line up in the open, across from that Intruder HMG and his Morlock buddy. But if you make the Intruder advance to the midfield before it can see you, that's a good way of robbing your opponent of 4 or 5 Orders just to remove an 8 point bot. That's my long-winded way of saying I like EVO for DBS too. Valerya's also a really appealing choice. I think both bring something very different and unique.
Running both also lets you get Assisted Fire on your Clipper AND your Peacemaker for the following turns.
The Sat-Lock potential is especially intriguing to me. I have a local opponent playing a lot of Druze in the leadup to a Con in late January, and he's already done me a mischief with Hunzakut forward observers in combination with the very low overhead Druze lists pay to get guided and speculative fire into lists. Another vector for applying the targeted state, without enemy recourse except for resetting, seems worth exploring. It hasn't happened yet, but I'm waiting for the first time I have to dodge an incoming E/M grenade that's speculative firing at BS21. That's going to be a fun day.
Sat-Lock and Speclative Fire are a thing that isn't nearly well-enough explored in the Infinity metas I've played in. I actually use it a decent amount in Yu Jing, as well as Nomads. It's a relaly nice tool to have when direct confrontation is not in your favor.
