Honestly, I'm reading most of the topics even when they aren't for my armies, to know what the opinion in general is. Of course not every person is happy with the changes, I guess SSA and Ariadna/Kosmo are the less happy, but I noticed people that usually wasn't too happy, Invencible, Pano players, are now quite happy, even with profiles that "nobody" will have touched in N4, unless they want to play with handicaps. So, in general, it looks like the profile translation from n4 to n5 was good.
While I'm not going to be playing IA for a while, I think they came out ok. Not great but not bad either. WB got a boost already with Daebak troops and I think they just gained with some other tweeks. Honestly I don't think the new troops added much at all but they certainly didn't make them less. ISS is already looking positive and I'm looking forward to the spring and any changes to them. The main problem I have with IA, and can be said for the rest of YJ, is the lack of good specialists. They took away the Zuyong FO and Shang Ji Medic for example. This makes them even more reliant on non-HI troops or very specific other troops to get things done. There's still only one doctor in any YJ army for example. And few medics. I think, correct me if wrong, but Zhencha was the only one to gain a specialist with another FO. I was hoping Haidao would get a Doc/Med or regular hacker. Maybe in the future. At least they got a BTS finally! IA is unfortunately too much of a balance between firepower and specialists. One or the other, not both. I could take 5 specialists but then that hurts me on other places. I could take a lot of guns but that means I don't have the guys to accomplish missions. Similar to the specialists is that they need more Elite and Veterans troops to do some card objectives. Below is the list of what they have and you will see. how few they are. Not just in number of troops but also low in AVA and high in points. Elite: Hac Tao, Mowang Veteran: Hulang, Liu Xing
True but how many characters would you take in IA? They are all expensive AVA1. It's still not enough in my opinion. Shang Ji should have been turned into veteran troops a long time ago.
Honestly did you ever take one them? I did not. So it is good that they clean up the loadouts a little bit. Zuyong Paramedic for Supplies is still in. This is indeed a problem in IA (sometimes even in WB (Shangs, Guilang, Tian Guo) because your bread and butter HI are Line Troopers, your infiltrators are spec. trained troops and your AD troops have a tendencie to be KIA before they do COs.
About the lack of firefighting specialists, I returned to IA yesterday for a league match and the one shining star in the midfield was the Zuyong Paramedic. Took her for the boxes in Supplies but while the opponent worried about Bixie her newly acquired Multirifle made short work of other squishy targets close to her. It is still a fast, reliable BS13 Multirifle! For veterans, you are always taking 2 characters. Krit, Bixie, Tai do a lot of things on their own. If needed, the HacTao HD is still the king of classified objectives going into Highly Classified, ticking away a lot of boxes. The main thing we gained in IA is the ability to commit LESS for the extra burst in doing Invincible Duos, and cheaper HI across the board. I loaded one of my go-to lists from mid-N4 era before I went vanilla YJ and it was almost 30pts less! And finally beautiful YanHuo HRMC can do a lot of heavy lifting in the active! Specially with less oppressive pure links in front and no 2-dice of damage possible against him, only the special dice.
The Jujak and Hwarang are Veteran Troops. As well as the Dokkaebi and Haetae. One of the reasons Dokkaebi is so good. HI, Vet, Hacker, Spotlight.
I beg to differ. The whole point is that we can field as many Shang-Jis as PanO can Fusiliers or Nomads can Alugaciles, if anything CB should have simply remove the Veteran troop bonus from the missions, that would make everyone's life easier. I did the paramedic Shang-Ji. She was really awesome in a haris: doing objectives and ressing the PH14 teammates who fell in her vicinity (no need for a doctor to burn orders to get there with a heal-bot, plus PH14 is better than WIP13 [without re-rolls]).
But they didn’t and this is what we have. Shang Ji have the cost, weapons, skills, and equipment of Vets or Elites but are not those. It’s of course not impossible to do objective cards that require Elite or Veteran but it’s more of a challenge than others. Meanwhile IA has the HI cards down! Lol. It’s also difficult to do any doctor/medic cards due to only 1 doctor and only two troops with medic. At least they are cheap.
Had a Domination game yesterday and really felt the lack of Specialists, although playing it at 200pts probably didn't help that. Ran Lei Gong (Parachutist) because I was expecting MSV snipers to be the biggest threat to my two Zhencha (which they were) and because I'd just finished painting the model. In keeping with tradition, the newly painted model failed to succeed in any rolls. However, it made me realise how poor his survival skills and utility is outside taking down MSV units from close range. Lacking Specialist (except the CoC), only PH12, and no dodge skills make him a bit of a niche piece that I've not mastered yet. MVP was hands down the Ru Shi with Mine Dispenser. Racing up the board, throwing 2 of those buggers up to 16" on 15s really made my opponents day a nightmare. Zhensha minelayer (2) is as incredible as you'd expect, although it's weird to have a Zhencha that's not a Specialist pressing buttons. Gudan were... there. Cheap instantly scoring camo markers generating orders. Can't complain at all, although I still can't conceive of when Warhorse would ever be useful. MSV2 MSR Haidao still does work, one shotting Joan with a crit and a hit in the game. Keen to get to larger points games in our escalation league to try out the bigger boys. Yan Huo is getting painted as we speak.
From last video of Infinity Dante, interview and analysis for IA in the last cancon tournament. Fast summary: Invincible Army Mega-sode - Invincible Army Podium Tournament List Analysis and Guide - Infinity N5 Welcome to the Invincible Army Mega-sode – your ultimate guide to mastering the Invincible Army in Infinity the Game N5! In this in-depth analysis and tournament list breakdown, we take a closer look at the strategies behind the second and third place finishes at CanCon, Australia’s premier Infinity N5 tournament. Featuring expert guests Peter Henry (2nd place) and Jacob Ridley (3rd place), this video dives into the high-level tactics, list-building techniques, and key decisions that led them to success with the Invincible Army faction. Whether you're an experienced player looking to refine your Invincible Army lists or a newcomer wanting to understand the faction’s strengths, this guide is packed with actionable insights. From unit synergies to strategic plays and counter-techniques, we cover it all to help you improve your gameplay and take your Invincible Army list to the next level. Tune in as Peter and Jacob walk us through their tournament experience, revealing key lessons, tips, and tricks for Infinity N5 players. Learn how to outplay your opponents and dominate with Invincible Army in your next event! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more Infinity the Game N5 content, tournament breakdowns, and tactical guides! Jacob's List 1 - Unmasking/Hacking Matchup List 1 V2 UM, DE ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 12 TAI SHENG Breaker Combi Rifle(+1B), Chain-colt, Flash Pulse ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 38) ZÚYǑNG (Paramedic) MULTI Rifle ( | MediKit) / Breaker Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (0 | 26) HǍIDÀO (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun(+1B), Pitcher, D-Charges ( ) / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22) SHÀNG JÍ AP Heavy Machine Gun ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Boarding Pistol, AP CC Weapon(PS=6). (1.5 | 45) ZÚYǑNG (Tactical Awareness) Combi Rifle ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Breaker Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (0 | 27) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Submachine Gun, Zapper, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Submachine Gun, Zapper, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) GROUP 25 / 1 LÙ DUĀN Thunderbolt, E/M Carbine, E/M Mine / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 20) LIÚ XĪNG (Specialist Operative) MULTI Rifle, D-Charges / Boarding Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 30) LIBERTO (Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 8) DĀOYĪNG (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Boarding Shotgun / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23) PANGGULING (Hacker, EVO Hacking Device) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 14) PANGGULING (Deactivator, Repeater) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 8) 3 SWC | 299 Points gMwPaW52aW5jaWJsZS1hcm15EExpc3QgMSBWMiBVTSwgREWBLAIBAQAJAITvAQEAAH8BCwAAhN4BBAAAgJYBCwAAfwEIAACHMQEEAACHMQEEAACAjgEBAACAjgEBAAIBAAYAgKABAgAAhOABAwAAhPsBBAAAhNwBBAAAgKIBAgAAgKIBAQA%3D %3D Jacob's List 2 - Acquisition/Supplies/Firefight **Liste 2 V1 FF, SU, AQ** : ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 8 / 1 MÓWÁNG (NCO) Red Fury, Flammenspeer, Disco Baller / AP Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon(PS=7). (1 | 44) HÚLÁNG FTO Combi Rifle(+1B), Light Flamethrower, D-Charges / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon. (0 | 33) ZHĒNCHÁ (Hacker, Hacking Device [UPGRADE: Trinity]) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges ( ) / Silenced Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 34) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Light Shotgun, Heavy Flamethrower, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Light Shotgun, Heavy Flamethrower, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) PANGGULING (Deactivator, Repeater) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 8) WARCOR (Sixth Sense) Flash Pulse / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3) GROUP 26 RUI SHI (Multispectral Visor L1) Red Fury, Mine Dispenser(Shock) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 21) MECH-ENGINEER Combi Rifle, Armed Turret (Combi R.) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 17) ZHANSHI (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 11) Yáokòng SON-BAE FTO Missile Launcher(+1B) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1.5 | 19) YĀN HUǑ Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 47) DĀOYĪNG (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Boarding Shotgun / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23) 5 SWC | 300 Points https://infinitytheuniverse.com/arm...AnwECAACAigEDAAB8AQgAAICNAQIAAICAAQIAAITcAQQA Peter's List 1 - Unmasking Unmasking v2 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 8 / 1 HAC TAO (Hacker, Hacking Device [UPGRADE: Trinity]) MULTI Rifle(PS=6), Nanopulser ( ) / Pistol, Shock CC Weapon. (0.5 | 58) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Submachine Gun, Zapper, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Submachine Gun, Zapper, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12) LIBERTO (Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 8) PANGGULING (Hacker, EVO Hacking Device) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 14) HÙSÒNG Yaókòng Heavy Machine Gun / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1 | 23) LIÚ XĪNG (Hacker, Hacking Device [Firewall -6]) Boarding Shotgun ( ) / Boarding Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 30) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) GROUP 25 KOKRAM (Forward Deployment [+8"], Minelayer) Heavy Shotgun, E/Mitter, Chain-colt, E/M Mine ( | Deployable Repeater) / Heavy Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (0 | 37) HÚLÁNG (Forward Deployment [+8"], Minelayer]) Submachine Gun(+1B), E/Mitter, D-Charges, Crazykoala / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon. (0 | 38) DĀOYĪNG (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Boarding Shotgun / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23) SON-BAE Yaókòng (BS Attack ) Missile Launcher / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (1.5 | 16) PANGGULING (Hacker, EVO Hacking Device) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0.5 | 14) 5.5 SWC | 299 Points https://infinitytheuniverse.com/arm...CAQAFAIWlAQEAAITpAQIAAITcAQQAAICNAQEAAICiAQIA Peter's List 2 - All Comers N5 IA v2 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 7 / 1 TAI SHENG Breaker Combi Rifle(+1B), Chain-colt, Flash Pulse ( | TinBot: Firewall [-6]) / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 38) ZÚYǑNG (Paramedic) MULTI Rifle ( | MediKit) / Breaker Pistol(+1B), CC Weapon. (0 | 26) HǍIDÀO (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun(+1B), Pitcher, D-Charges ( ) / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 22) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Light Shotgun, Heavy Flamethrower, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13) GŪDǍN (Camouflage [1 Use], Forward Deployment [+4"]) Light Shotgun, Heavy Flamethrower, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 13) ZHĒNCHÁ (Hacker, Hacking Device [UPGRADE: Trinity]) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges ( ) / Silenced Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 34) LIBERTO (Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Shock Mine / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 8) DĀOYĪNG (Lieutenant [+1 Order]) Boarding Shotgun / Breaker Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 23) GROUP 27 YĀN HUǑ Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 47) Zhanshi YĪSHĒNG Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 14) ZHANSHI Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 10) PANGGULING (Deactivator, Repeater) ( ) / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 8) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) CHAĪYÌ Yaókòng Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7) LIÚ XĪNG (Specialist Operative) MULTI Rifle, D-Charges / Boarding Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 30) 3 SWC | 300 Points https://infinitytheuniverse.com/arm...AiQEBAAB8AQEAAICiAQEAAICOAQEAAICOAQEAAITgAQMA
I think the missions for the tournament were in IA’s favor. Things like Veterans and Elite only mattered for the few classified cards. Decap and Unmaksing don’t have any. Two of the missions, Firefight and Decap, are pretty much strait up kill each other with extra. These are missions a lot of HI can do well in. So, I’m not going to conclude IA is fantastic in general, but they were for these missions. I think they would have had a harder time if the missions Highly Classified or Counter Measures. If anyone actually played them knowing one or both missions were in the tournament.
Played my first full 300 with IA. Took the Neuro ML Yan Huo and boy I was not disappointed. Our big boy sat on a rooftop in one corner of the board as my final deployed model and made movement a nightmare for my opponent. Being able to outrange an HMG meant he managed to take down an overly confident Mechazoid for only 1 wound in return, then locked down everything not in a marker state. He paired beautifully with a couple of cheap flash pulse units and an HMG Husong while not completely breaking the bank. 2x Gudan and the Liberto continue to be auto includes for the cheap orders and midfield control they offer. For any mission with midfield buttons, they bring the terrifying threat of an HFT for any opponent willing to gamble. Shang Ji-sus did work as usual, definitely appreciating the BS Attack (Shock) more now (unsure whether there are more Dogged, etc models in the meta?) and having a decent close range/template weapon in the Boarding Pistol really shores up its traditional close range weakness. So happy he doesn't overshadow the other options anymore though. Likewise Bixie is the full package, even took out a ninja in CC in ARO. Loving the CC changes as +1SD for level 3 is huge. I actually also had the Liu Xing hacker in my list but never actually deployed him as I won by the end of Round 2 Was very excited to test the Tinbot -6 on it though. I found, with the Zhencha hacker as well, that IA is a lot more able to deal with strong hacking opponents through its counter-EW capabilities which I like. Next game I'm looking to try out the Hulang and really want to test Qiang.
The changes to fireteams means that ARO is much more controlled as a damage input for the Active Player, but that also has resulted in a boost for Neurocinetic and Total Reaction pieces. Being able to shoot 2 ML in ARO makes the Yan Huo really good now, and that same changes means 1 dice of damage less if he loses the FtF. If we add the Immunity (ARM) and Warhorse, we get a really strong defensive piece, whose only weak point is being a HI (enemy Pitchers and Repeater-carrying DA troopers) and Surprise Attack. Even so, for 42pts is finally a great piece that can shine as a centerpiece of a list by itself!
On the goonhammer blog there was an article about the cancon tournament: Australian Infinity Nationals: Interviews with the top 5 players, in the TOP 5 there were two AI players, there are their lists and interviews. https://www.goonhammer.com/australian-infinity-nationals-interviews-with-the-top-5-players/
