Okay, there's quite a lot to unpack here: Fireteam Triad is no more, sort of. They all count as Haris and the wording of Tricore reflects this. All sorts going on here, but I think the thing with the biggest impact is the Taagma becoming a Brawler Wildcard. It becoming a Wildcard is obviously great since you can slot the Tricore into any fireteam now... but if I've parsed the rules correctly, it only counts as an 'unmixed unit' in Brawler Fireteams, which means the TriCore is losing +2 BS and a +3 Discover bonus on almost everything. The Chaksa Longarms getting into a Fireteam is lovely, but we are losing the cheap Chaksa-Taagma Rifle setup since the Longarms are now obligatory. That one feels odd tbh. We have a lot of new options, but I can't help but feel that the TriCore change is a massive kick in the nadgers.
With the Diggers now allowed in Brawler Fireteams, it looks like the new Taagma Sniper Triad is going to be a Sniper + 2 Diggers or 2 Brawlers (if you really want that +3 to Discover, I guess?). 8 points more expensive (52 total) and you lose on a lot of the utility the Chaksa brought, but the Diggers are much more of a force to be reckoned with once you lose the Sniper. (Note: Due to Booty, the Taagma will be revealed for all practical reasons; if you really want to play mindgames, use 2 15-point Brawlers instead, but I'd still recommend the Diggers). With the new Longarm options, you have the possibility of going Longarm ML + 2 FTO for 45 points; more obvious and a lot less flexible than the old Taagma Sniper Triad, but much scarier if it wins the FtF and +2 ARM/+3BTS. If you don't care about being obvious then it's a pretty great option. It also picks up +3 to Discover due to being considered the same unit. Anaconda being able to Haris with a Digger and Brawlers also opens up a really wacky option: Tri-Core Anaconda. Is that good? Is that bad? I have no idea. But it's definitely interesting.
Taagma are Wildcard (Brawler) though; doesn't that count for the purposes of the Minimum? If it doesn't then it looks like Brawler + Digger + Taagma Sniper would be the "default", with the Taagma disguising as a Brawler.
No, I asked about a different example of the same composition, and got the answer that you need an actual unit, for example Fusilier, Brawler, etc, to fulfill the minimum # requirements. So yeah, Tagmaa + Brawler + Digger it is.
Ah, a little different from the old "Counts as" rules then. Digger + Brawler + Taagma Sniper comes in at 53 points then; 9 points more expensive is a pretty heavy blow to what was once the go-to Defensive Option for Spiral.
As a defensive haris i think the best option is to go with a brawler haris, chuking in a tagma tricore, a tagma or brawler sniper, and one additional brawler (hacker maybe to make use of the SS). This is a coherent brawler link, and so the strongest aro configuration currently I belive. The tricored longarm portable autocanon looks like it is worth a try at least (tricore tagma counting as brawler+FTO chaksa+Longarm autocannon)
I really do think tricore conda might have legs. 6th sense and bs14 on it changes the profile a great deal. Plus with new ft rules the pilot can disembark without breaking the team, giving the tricore good resilience. Taagma, brawler engineer and anaconda is 95pts or thereabouts. Solid.
Yeah, a friend of mine pointed out that the only non-Tohaa models I had in my Spiral Corps lists were two Helots. These changes look to be bringing a few more into consideration.
Brawler core looks pretty easy to get now too of course, alongside tricore. Two diggers, a monstrucker, a brawler doc and hrl is a tasty little cheap defensive package, opening up core dropbears and e/m grenades too! I really like how all these new options come in below budget, leaving points to spare for Spiral's A-listers like Igao and Jaan. Very exciting, and someone who obviously cares a lot about the sectorial made these changes.
If I'm reading the tri-core rule right, it only applies the size bonuses, not the composition bonuses. So a 2 brawler + 1 taagma tri-core team would be 5-man size bonus, but only 3 man composition bonus. Does anyone see a reason that's not the case?
Taagma counts as brawler for composition tho, so that team would get full bonuses. Edit: Ah sorry, I see what you're saying. Good catch, I have no idea.
I do believe you are correct. It specifically says 'apply the Fireteam Size Bonus' without mentioning the Composition anywhere.
That's a nerf and a half then. Makes brawlers all the more important. I'm weirdly okay with that, as someone who's been banging on about them for ages :D
You know, I'm wondering if an *actual* Brawler Core might be a pretty viable thing now. 2 Diggers, 2 Brawlers + Taagma Sniper gives you the good-ole Taagma Sniper threat, but lets you include a Doctor for picking the Taagma back up (as he is Shock Immune) and gives you a really beefy 4-man group to go in and fight in the midfield; every single member has a template, and the Brawlers with LSG will hitting on 19's if the Taagma is still alive for FTF rolls. If you take the HRL brawler he's can whip out the Assault Pistol to hit on 16's with Burst 5! Doctor + Brawler + 2 Diggers + Taagma Sniper comes in at 86 points; 1/3 of your orders for less than 1/3 of your points, and it lets you put the Tri-Core somewhere else. The regular brawler can be swapped for an HRL/Hacker/Engineer as needed, and you also get 2 Booty rolls on the Diggers which can bring some fun surprises. EDIT: It has been pointed out that Diggers lack the Brawler tag in Spiral; you have to weigh getting the +2 BS on your Taagma Sniper vs. the extra bulk and pushing power of the Diggers.
They would be hitting on 18s; the Diggers don't have (Brawler) after their name so wouldn't count for composition bonuses. Not saying that's in any way bad, haha! But it's pretty tricky to get the full core now. EDIT: Tricky is probably the wrong term; you just need to get 5 models with a combination of Brawlers and Taagmas. But the options are relatively limited
Ah shoot you're right; they have (Brawler) in a few other NA2 armies (StarCo and Dahshat) so I got mixed up. Makes the link a bit less appetizing, but I think it's worth taking for a spin or two.
What are your thoughts on the Taagma Tri-Core under the new conditions? Is it even worth bothering about them now? We all know how badly Spiral needs every 0.5 SWC. Besides that, I like the changes.
