Sorry I got too excited and started talking about more than ISS. My first 1 core and two haris list. Celestial Guard Core + Deva Aleph team, Dakini+Deva haris Zhian team, Bao+CSU+ABH Fast Attack team, Su Jian+ABH ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 9 1 1 DEVA (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 26) DAKINI (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15) DAKINI Heavy Machine Gun / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1 | 21) CELESTIAL GUARD Monitor Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenade Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 13) CELESTIAL GUARD (Hacker, Hacking Device) Combi Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 18) XI ZHUANG Combi Rifle, Light Flamethrower(+1B), Flash Pulse, Madtraps / Pistol, CC Weapon, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 21) CELESTIAL GUARD (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13) DEVA (Multispectral Visor L2) Spitfire, Nanopulser ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 33) SÙ-JIÀN Spitfire, Light Flamethrower, Panzerfaust / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 54) MOTORIZED BOUNTY HUNTER Submachine Gun, Chain-colt(+1B) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 8) GROUP 2 4 BÀO TROOP MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 29) CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle, Light Shotgun / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 11) BOUNTY HUNTER Submachine Gun, Akrylat-Kanone / Breaker Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 12) KǍNRÈN (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Chain-colt ( ) / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon. (0 | 26) 6 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army
The biker + battle cat duo looks like so much fun. Also having the option to field two Haris can make for interesting compositions ────────────────────────────────────────────────── 3 BÀO TROOP MULTI Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 29) SFORZA FTO Viral Rifle, Adhesive Launcher(+1B), Nanopulser / Heavy Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 26) MIRANDA ASHCROFT Combi Rifle, E/Mitter(+1B), Nanopulser / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon. (0 | 25) 1.5 SWC | 80 Points Open in Infinity Army The amount of different ammo types and B3 on ADL and E/Mitter is frightening.
So I can take a celestial guard smoke launcher,Deva spitfire msv2, Two Dakini of any flavour and then Taowu as a core? Sign me up! I have a new lease of life for my beloved ISS. Just disappointing that Crane isn't linkable without sacrificing bonuses. I mean i suppose putting him a Haris is still good.
The Zhanying in a 3-5man Zhanying/Zhanying+Wu Ming gets +9 on Discover. Sensor +6, Fire team +3, -mimetisim mods if direct Discover or no mods if using Sensor in ZoC. Fear no camo!
That core would not be coherent though, right? So it would miss out on +2 BS and +3 Discover. Still not bad by any means, since you can compensate for that with Assisted Fire. It seems the heaviest core for ISS is the Wu Ming + Zhanying core, since Zhanying are coherent with Wu Ming, retaining full bonuses.
Pure Bao Haris will have +6 with no MOD from Mimetism nor Impersonation. I think they're a viable surveillance team now that they're not going to hog the only Haris slot. Shame they can't have a Pheasant as their Emperor-designated minder natively anymore while doing it.
I really want that to be the answer to impersonators, but for some reason I expect the impersonator will reserve drop on the opposite flank from the Bao team...
Bao is also a good thing to Impersonate just for that. I forgot the Sensor +6 to discover is only against camo. Not Impersonators.
On the subject of holomask, when do you declare that a fireteam is compositionally coherent or not? Is it public information, or can you infer otherwise until you declare an action that uses them?
Declared when the fireteam is formed, and when an order is spent on it. So unfortunately Holomask gives away the game a little bit, but with how strong our mixed links are I think it's fine to pretend Tao Wu or Sforza are simply something else you'd put into the link. ISS isn't as directly hit by mixing their links than most other factions were -- I think, overall, we come out ahead. The average BS of most reactive units will be going down to 14 or 15, and a Hsien HMG + 2x CSUs (or a Dakini Haris with Ass't Fire) gives you equivalent firepower that can brawl that down if you're taking, say, a Kuang Core. We also get an artisanal BS16 Wu Ming HMG with all the flexibility of Zhanying without the problems that come from mixing wildcards if you want to go that direction as well. I've been brainstorming a few ISS lists but the flexibility of our Zhian haris and duos is making it hard to pick one I like. More than anything it's a lot easier to take specialists in ISS now.
I'll have to mess around with it a bit, but most of the ISS changes I really like so far. It doesn't address all my issues, and some of it what it does touch on doesn't do enough to fully satisfy me, but it's an enormous step in the right direction, and I'm so happy to actually be able to get excited about ISS again.
I am very happy to be able to do some testing with ISS, Thing is I dont think kuang shi are an auto include anymore. There is a lot more stuff i want to take and finding the 17 -32 points depending on Kuag shi can be hard. Either go with the Zhanying and wuming core plus deva haris and maybe another haris doesnt leave much. I like this team, but then means I cant core the Wuming\ Zhanying This is a nice core with tinbot helping the hacker Leaves my favourite the Crane in an awkward position. Any link he joins will lose the pure bonus so its better if he is a haris Lots to ruminate on
I'd still argue for the Kuang Shi being an auto include. There's so much raw efficiency they bring to the table, but on top of that, they are essential for forming much of the sectorial's DZ defense, and act as clutch offensive pieces and suicide missiles.
I'd also like to add that it's kind of frustrating to see ISS' smoke access be nerfed even further. Realistically, the only time you'll ever get the full bonus on your smoke launcher is with a full Kuang Shi team with no wildcards. That's not necessarily a bad team, but it limits your list building options for that as a tool considerably, more than the faction really deserves it. CB really needs to revisit ISS' access to smoke going forward, perhaps put it on other troopers that could get some value out of it. #Vapecrane2022 (Wu Ming could also do with a funky smoke profile).
Eh, I still think the sectorial has issues with lack of hacking protection in a faction that is built on units that are vulnerable to it. The Tinbots are still too hard to sort out links with and the sectorial still doesn't have a viable option to offensively resolve an enemy hacker. Dakini in a core is cute but exists in a sectorial with poor support for it so it's more a secondary than a primary. Whole thing still needs to be burned to the ground and reworked.
Depends on whether you're expecting to remove IMP-1 or IMP-2. Since IMP can deploy so close to the target, one chance is the only you'll get at Discover meaning IMP-1 is basically immune to it anyway. IMP-2 might struggle a bit, they're usually only WIP 13 so deploying inside DZ is risky and Discover has a very generous +0 range where the Bao will be Discovering on 1 through 19. Active turn hunting an IMP-1 down might be a different matter. Depending on what the table looks like you might benefit from just putting a mine down on the only exit down from the building the IMP is hiding on. Since IMP is not Camo you don't need to Intuitive Attack the deployment.
IDK. I actually think the new changes are an overall improvement to ISS. ISS still have functional problems but I actually think they are playable now, even if I don't rate them top tier but then again, not every army needs to be. Made this list before going to bed last night and I think it looks semi-playable. See if I get to play this weekend and see how it goes. MAYBE IDK ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 8 3 DAKINI Heavy Machine Gun / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1 | 21) DAKINI (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15) CELESTIAL GUARD Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13) CELESTIAL GUARD Monitor Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenade Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 13) XI ZHUANG Combi Rifle, Light Flamethrower(+1B), Flash Pulse, Madtraps / Pistol, CC Weapon, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 21) KUANG SHI Chain Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 5) KUANG SHI Chain Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 5) KUANG SHI Chain Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 5) GROUP 2 7 1 SOPHOTECT Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 31) CSU (Specialist Operative) Rifle, Light Shotgun / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 11) BOUNTY HUNTER Submachine Gun, Akrylat-Kanone / Breaker Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (0 | 12) YUDBOT PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3) HSIEN (Lieutenant) Heavy Machine Gun, Nanopulser / Pistol, AP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 55) NINJA (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Tactical Bow ( ) / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 29) MAJOR LUNAH VIRAL Sniper Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 29) PHEASANT IMPERIAL AGENT (Tactical Awareness) Red Fury / Breaker Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-6). (1 | 31) 5.5 SWC | 299 Points Open in Infinity Army