Note I'm not saying the troop is shit. Im sayin Explode is shit, and CB hyped Explode like that great and new thing that would open new horizons for us. The Liu Xing is decent, but hardly anything to write home about.
You've tried, we've pointed out everything you're suggesting doesn't work and is fundamentally flawed. The answer is I actually have been trying to make this thing work since it was announced. The long and short of it is, it doesn't. Being hackable fucks the model and Explode isn't good enough to get it back into the realms of being a good model. Like I said previously just make it MI and suddenly the boy's got game because at least you can then go play high risk high reward allahu akbar in your opponent's deployment zone without getting your brains hacked seven ways to sunday because deployment zones are riddled with repeaters.
How do you know it's flawed? Got any evidence for that? A certain minority wailed to high heaven about the Zhencha, now its starting to be tried, and oh what a surprise! It's actually pretty damn good! At least give it a go before you write it off as dogshit. If you play it in several games and it never pulls together at least you would have something to back up your dislike for the unit.
Care to point out this certain minority? I will remind you most people were pissed about the HI bait and switch business for thematics and CB being a tactless bunch of idiots, but even salt laden threads like my own label the (SMG) Zencha as being a good profile. How do I know it's flawed? Because I play with drop troops, alot, I like drop troops and messing with them and playing weird and offbeat lists so much I even have a Tiger Sniper model that people tend to shit on and I play it, and I have been keeping tabs on how often they are forced to wind up in repeater zones to get their work done and the answer is it's a bloody lot of the time, and this is without my opponents actively abusing repeaters to force me away from them. Let me repeat that. I find Tiger MSRs are playable, and I am telling you the Liu Xing is a trashcan. This isn't some groupthink bullshit here, the Liu Xing actually just has some major problems. Actually it's really just one major problem, it looks like a green square. He's hackable.
That depends on how much it pays for the AD skill. I'm running cross-comparisons to current Crusader Brethren... not a comparison I'm happy to make considering CrBr isn't exactly lauded as the best of units, but the Liu Xing compares well enough. Walking on the table seems like it'll remain the default choice with ExplodeX and Combat Jump (being two distinctly different deployment styles) simply being tools to keep your opponent guessing.
Bros, one thing before I go to bed; If the repeaters are real problem, we could try him on Limited Insertions.
Well, I consider limited insertion a flawed an unbalanced game mode that overly emphasises on going first and just attacking your opponent's order pool to get ahead on board state and reduces the emphasis on playing the mission, so I normally don't bother revolving discussion around it. The fact that the game mode has far less deployment defense and values drop troops showing up and nuking enemy orders would increase the Liu Xing's value. With that said, I consider the game mode a joke so it doesn't improve my stance on the unit.
So what you’re saying is that it’s only “Grenzer dead” which means totally no reason to use him at all except for once in a blue moon in his own respective sectorial. I stand corrected then.
LI on a serious level quickly dissolves into who gets first turn with Kitsune/any impersonator. Sadly the format is terrible in that regard.
What sucks the most about this reveal is you know this guy is going to be in the starter box, so even if we don't like him, we'd have to buy him...
What if Explode LX isn't only triggered on deployment? Sat on a train, so can't check, but has enough of the rule been released yet?
This version of Explode seems like it could be really useful, in a narrow band of situations, which means it isnt objectively terrible, it has a role to play. But I've got to say it definitely seems underwhelming, I wasn't expecting a powerful weapon that would murder a whole backline when you drop the Liu Xing, but was hoping for something really different in terms of how it worked. Even something as minor as adding ANOTHER narrowly-applicable situation to its toolbox would have been neat, like anti-materiel so the violent impact of your drop troop turn two suddenly blasts open an Objective Room door or blows up a Console, in no way game-winning on its own but suddenly your opponent's calculus of your possible moves is thrown for a loop, there's an extra order in your pool not spent on those tasks that can feed your thirsty expensive list.
Came here to discuss spoilers. Mostly got garbage tactical analysis from biased armchair generals. Awesome.
Explode lvl X gives him the opportunity to do something no other AD troop does by making the jump potentially a threat to the enemy. Even at a 25% chance to kill a LI, that's 25% higher than any other troop dropping in. Thats a damn sight higher than I'd like when fielding line trooper LTs. If you opponent preps against this, you can drop him somewhere else, walk him in or wait until you can exploit it on another turn. I cannot fathom why so many have deemed it necessary that his template auto-hit or it's trash. As is, it's a very moderated danger that can't be ignored. He is a very solid piece.
I still think the real benefit is 2pts to make your opponent constantly be thinking about it, deploying and moving with that in mind. If it was DAM 14 it wouldn't be any less tactically impactful because it's the nature of the attack, not the DAM amount. No LI or SK in the game has more than a 50% survival rate against it, if it was 45% instead that's not changing anything. Nobody thinks "rolling an 11 is fine but needing to roll a 12? No way"
I take it the explode template will hit camo markers? Would it affect mines or other deployed weapons before they had a chance to go off? Maybe it's a way of clearing a landing zone of other hazards - you'd maybe hold off later until the midfield is developed, and you've had chance to thin out that network. As it is, deleting hacking resources is high on IAs agenda, so I imagine holes will appear - assuming there's some e/m or other left in the cupboard...
Like solar said, its the presence of the option that worth the points. You don't even have to have him in your list. The damage is not relevant. Lets see what the intruder sniper in marker state does if I land next to him on the roof. If he reveals, he is dead. Not by the drop trooper, but by the HRMC that stands in my backfield.
On face value, it does seem like the liu xing could have done with something else, just a little extra niche ability. Much like the climbing+ on the zhencha, I think the deployment options this might bring might offset the hacking vulnerability. We will have to see though..
