So I've kind of slipped away from Infinity for the past few months - not being able to do it in the flesh is tough, and TTS doesn't hold the same kind of appeal. I'm trying to get to grips with the changes N4 has made, and I'm startled to see that Kuroshi Rider seems to have swapped out her light flamethrower for a shotgun and picked up her own smoke grenades! She's easily my favourite miniature in terms of looks, and whilst my anime lover is sad she's traded out her flamethrower for a gun, it feels like this is just a straight upgrade otherwise. Towards the end of N3 I used to run Kuroshi + Yojimbo + Kempei and an NCO Daiyokai fairly regularly so that the bikes could run up and make a mess in the early game with the expectation of losing one or both (always a pleasant surprise if I didn't). Yojimbo no longer feels so necessary in that combo? At the same time, if I understand right, MSV1 is now enough to gun down smoke users, so I'm a little worried that in practice she's become less viable despite bringing her own smoke?
MSV1 still imposes a minus 6 or 9 Malus on hitrolls so smoke is still a strong tool. But you get line of fire through smoke. MSV1 and direct templateweapons are a dangerous combo you should be wary of. The lu Duan is a prime example of scary in this regard. Or guilang with boarding shotgun.
It is important to note that Yojimbo, while less mandatory for most lists, is no longer Extreme Impetuous (as this is not a thing), so he'll no longer just gun it and die like he was prone to do in N3. It's also important to note that Kuroshi has Smoke Launcher while Yojimbo has Launcher and regular Smoke Grenades, meaning Yojimbo is more reliable. I'll personally probably never play Kuroshi, but as an opponent of JSA at least I'll have to stop considering Kuroshi a free kill from now on. As an aside, I have some small hopes they'll shake up the Fireteam bonuses and functionality significantly Soon™; I'd love it if Aragoto had at least Haris access as the simultaneous activation would probably work very well for them (in a somewhat volatile way)
In a mission with a need for mobile specialists, she's amazing. Exactly what a bike specialist needs: nasty in close-quarters fighting, great Dodge distance and decent Dodge stat, and an actual Forward Observer for Classified cards. If you play well with bikes, she's really good. Still does best with a flank approach, and that often means you'll need to remove an opposing ARO unit. So pair her with the best long-range shooting that you can (or a ninja with a boarding shotty) to take out overwatch units, especially MSV snipers etc. The O-Yoroi makes a good partner for bikes. It compensates for their fragility and short range well. It will also serve as a distraction carnifex if you go second. Also I feel you on TTS vs face to face games, @Kai Wren . Welcome back! N4 is pretty different in a lot of ways but it also plays really well. The crits mechanic change in particular feels like a much better game.
