https://forum.corvusbelli.com/threads/infinity-army-7-n4-bugs.37729/page-12#post-364033 Daiyokai and Shikami are meant to have Stealth. Rejoice!
So the big problem of "Waaaagh im gona die they tiok stink out of Shikami " is over - he got Stink and 6-2 move but Chunky Boy Daiokay got Stink to - so he is not a clunker in a Domaru link XD
Honestly it feels kind of weird to me that the Daiyōkai gets to keep Stealth, given its size and bulk, but I guess if the O-Yoroi can be sneaky, anything is possible. And as is probably obvious from my avatar, I'm pretty stoked that the Shikami still have it.
And now I will have to push both of my Shikamis to the front of the painting que from the depths of the bottom drawer which is home to countless forgotten miniatures waiting for better times. Just kidding, I liked Shikami even without Stealth, but to be honest Stealth gives it much more opportunities to slay the unsuspecting models from behind and I love it.
Okay, so after a bit of time with the new Shikami, here is my take. Flash Pulse is a letdown. It feels like it's there because 'something had to replace Nimbus,' and in N4 it shares essentially the same weapon profile/usage cases as Contender. I wasn't really able to figure out why I'd use one over the other, other than to target BTS vs ARM. Shikami is a chassis that is practically screaming for something to chuck, so why not give this man some grenades? The Combi profile too has always felt just a bit underwhelming, and I can probably count on both hands the number of times I've taken this loadout into battle in N3. This guy could be so much more than a glorified speed bump/button pusher. Literally from the flavor text we have: "If the Shikami are the destructive demons of traditional Japanese folklore, these technological ninjas are not far behind. With their enhanced light armor and superb martial arts skills, they are capable of incredible feats. Nimble and quick, they defy gravity and bullets seem incapable of reaching them; they are like a destructive speck that does not leave a trace except for a row of dead bodies." Why not make him the ninja equivalent of a swiss army knife? I would propose the following changes to his loadout, which would keep the current costs intact and give you a reason to run Shikami other than to show how big your balls are: Profile A Contender E/M Grenades Assault Pistol AP+DA CC Weapon Profile B Boarding Shotgun D-Charges Pistol AP+DA CC Weapon
Flash Pulse doesn’t compete with the contender - it gives you a “shooting” ARO that goes further than 16”.
I dunno... they look pretty similar to me. Flash Pulse basically supersedes Contender in any situation you'd realistically want to be using either one. Let's be honest, in the active turn at 0-16" you're shooting with the Assault Pistol, and from 16" onwards you're on a wing and prayer. At least with something like Contender + E/M grenades the Shikami is doubling down on close range superiority and the 'high-tech ninja' theme, rather than having another ARO option.
I view both the contender and flash pulse as primarily ARO weapons, at which point both are competing with a PH 14 dodge roll. If the enemy is not in cover, either BS or WIP will be better, with the flash pulse offering superior range bands but no chance of inflicting wounds.
So I feel like we're actually in agreement on this particular point then, because I was saying that Contender and Flash Pulse occupy almost the exact same usage case (i.e. AROs). They have very similar weapon profiles (identical burst and damage, very similar usable range bands) so the only real decision is do I want to target BTS or ARM? Again, what I'm arguing for is a more interesting array of options on a chassis that is supposed to be a deadly assassin/high-tech swiss army knife. Gimme some nades!
I mostly agree, I was just saying that I find the extra 8” to be significant. A contender can defend you against a rifle, but a flash pulse can work against a spitfire as well.
I think the different outcomes in effect and what save attribute is being targeted is in every way as important as the range band. Plus, you know, there's plenty of units that didn't get anything for having Nimbus removed and the resulting difficulties brute-forcing Kamau, Grenzer and Bolt snipers in Cores.
They never were bad, it's just that Pan-O were spoiled for choice in that sector. The sniper, however, is now terrifying in the same way as Kamau sniper is and you may need to make sure you have camouflage units to deal with these kinds of threats in one of your two lists on a regular basis now.
I'm a firm believer that if you're not taking at least 1 Oniwaban and 1 Ninja Hacker, you're playing JSA wrong. These serve as more effective long range weapons than JSAs long range weapons. For me I'll be bringing the Oyoroi as a good tool for missions like Frontline and Quadrant Control, get into position, drop koalas and lay down suppression fire. Another thing about the rest of JSA, just get into the Midfield and wait for your opponent to come to you. Between all the mim-6, durable ARM, CC superiority and deployable, I'd say JSA is in a good position if played to it's strengths. The Shikami Choice is kind of dumb. If CB didnt want to give them any better chances then maybe play to their strengths or more JSA stuff. Hidden Deoloyment or Dodge +3. Etc etc. Maybe if we hate the Shikami 6 months from now we can do a survey on suggested changes and run a petition.
Yeah, I think it's weird how harshly CB punishes forward deployment skills on heavy infantry, 'cause it seems to be where Shikami's hackable discounts went. A much sneakier way of buffing Shikami would've been for Kempeitai to import Tinbots with Firewall (-3) from Pan-O/Nomads considering how Kempeitai exists to complement Fireteams I don't see a reason to cater to "vanilla deployment" with them so the Firewall would make sense, while this would also create funky dynamics for Domaru, it'd be a QOL for Keisotsu Hackers as well.
QOL? I get that you're saying it's a boon for the hacker... I think this has to do with two factors. CB doesnt like to break design space and CB tries not to make auto include profiles and that would be damn near auto include. I feel this kind of thinking is okay if they double down on a units Pros if they don't want to address it's Cons. If its mobile, make it more mobile, if it's hard to shoot, make it harder to shoot... Nimbus wasnt great but it helped mitigate the Cons of a Shikami. Flash Pulse and Contender as you said, are too similar to really address the Cons of Shikami's ARO game. I see Forward Deployment +4" as saving Shikami 1-2 orders each game, each player can decide how much of a boon that is for the loss of Nimbus Grenades and no price drop.
"Quality of Life" small benefit that makes things easier. CB has a history of making some factions have pretty damned gross auto-include; you have to like playing with a handicap not to take Proxies or Kaeltar CoC. They did nerf some of the auto-includes in this edition; Proxies got marginally cheaper while 45th and Kuang Shi spam got effectively axed for standard 300 play.
Thank you, I do know what Quality of Life means, I'm Murrican, but couldnt get QOL... maybe QoL... Yeah, there are some units in the game that are for sure, I don't think that's intended though. I'm happy to see any form of Spam disappear but I'm also waiting for someone to complain about CC spam :D
