So right now I'm going through some analysis paralysis. I have a direct action tournament with the missions being quadrant control, decapitation, firefight, and annihilation. Originally I was going to just run MO with a 10 order pain train and plan on winning all the gun fights and having some cheap order support. The other list was gonna have a hospitaller and master link and a buleteer with cheap support for 16 orders mainly for quadrant control. Problem is I just think those guys are a 1 trick pony, granted they're incredibly good at it but don't really have any fun stuff. Plus if my dice to cold on bs attacks or arm saves it's a bad day. So I've also been playing Druze since they were announced. I've had a ton of fun with them and as a pano player it's nice having some cool options and tricks. I just can't really decide on lists. I've tried a ton of stuff with them and enjoy each match I've played but I'm trying to really figure out what's the best stuff I can bring. So any thoughts on how you guys would approach this would be much appreciated. I also had a couple questions I'd like to get some thoughts on. 1. How many of you guys bring Arslan? His pseudo 2 wounds is attractive and I feel like in a link he can hold his own against camo units but he's expensive. 2. What are some ways you guys deal with camo/to? Normally as pano I have 0 problems with visors or just throwing a Swiss guard hmg at it or linked hospitaller and outdicing them. 3. For a peacemaker I've always used the shotgun profile. Is the spitfire really worth taking? I've always looked at him as a turn 1 alpha strike guy. I think he could be even better with smoke from saito. 4. Speaking of saito, how many of you guys are consistently running him. I like having some smoke access and he's a great LT killer for Decapitation but he's also points heavy. 5. How many of you guys bring doctors/engineers? I feel like the biggest strength of the Druze is there relinkability. My normal go to link is the hmg, clipper missile launcher, shock marksman rifle, engineer, killer hacker. Sometimes if the bot goes down I don' even bother spending order and just re command token up. I feel like my order pool will shrink fast though if I never pick anyone up but we are pano levels of bad at it lol.
1) Rarely, but I might in the missions you have on your menu. 2) Fugazi + Pathfinder coordinated order Sensor, Hunzakut Discover, Sat lock especially if you have an EVO. 3) I always use the HSG, it makes for a better speed bump when positioned well and DBS needs some ways to stall out or kill Warband alpha strikes. 4) Pretty consistently, there are some missions where he is simply the best option DBS has. He is also a competent assassin for something that needs to die. He isn't absolutely needed in the missions you have, but he is a solid choice. 5) In Hunting Party I have brought the Brawler engi, otherwise only when I take Scarface. I have yet to take the Doc. I build in link redundancy with brawlers and Gromoz instead.
1. Rarely - I've found him to be a bit lackluster, but I still run him because ... reasons? 2. What @jfunkd said 3. I've never used the spitfire - I believe our SWC is better spent (almost) anywhere else. 4. About half my lists run Saito. I've been liking him a lot more in recent games, but I always need to remind myself that he can be quite fragile. 5. I like the Brawler Engineer if I also want the Clipper in my core link and I'm not running Scarface. I rarely run the doctor, although I did enjoy a Doc + MSV2 sniper Duo in a couple games. It allowed me to hunt all over the board. That said, I think the primary strength of Druze is our Core Team redundancy, and feel like the doc just slows us down. What are the Druze lists you've been thinking of running?
1. I run Arslan a few times. He´s a grat counter unit in your 2nd and last turn. But yes, he´s not cheap... 2. Arslan in a link if they are in my table half. I often ignore it, but I dont have many Vanilla Ariadna player in my meta. 3. I take the Spitfire Peacemaker when I´m not running a TAG. 4. Most of the time I pick two Hunzakut and a Warcor for the points of Saito, but that´s just my style. The two games I´ve tested him, this fragile guy failed badly. 5. I run the Brawler Engineer with Clipper cause your opponent has to spend some orders to blow up your REM if he doesn´t want you to bring it back. The pure presence of the Engineer is sometimes enough to justify him in a list.
I am kinda torn between the Brawler Engineer and the EMGL Druze. Usually the team is made up of a Clipper, Brawler MSV2, HMG/SMR, Killer Hacker so they compete for the fifth spot. Plus two Brawlers and Clipper is not a legal option. There are ways around it with Haris and Valerya tho. I guess I like the EMGL more cause it's in a way a back up to the clipper and it can be used up close later in a game, when the Druze link moved forward anyways and it gives another tool to the toolbox. My back up link team members often are an Arslan and Valerya Duo following the link. The Doctor seems like a waste, like others already pointed out and I am leaning a bit towards the Engineer being the same, but its certainly a more considerable option! If I want to test out the Spitfire Peacemaker I use the points from the Druze HMG and just use a SMR instead, but the stronger ARO option of the Shotgun is pretty good on a forward deployed unit like the Peacemaker. I often pair it with two Hunzakuts tho, so together with the Auxbot there are already quite a few temples weapons deployed up field anyways so it's not absolutely necessary. A MMlv2 upgraded HSG plus HFT to attack link teams is an absolutely tempting option too tho. Saito is kinda a most for me, but only because I enjoy fielding a dedicated CC unit just for the flavor and he is the only option in DBS, paired with Smoke and Specialist there simply isn't a good reason not to use him for me so I always make room for him.
Completely agree that two Hunzakut are awesome! I've discussed this before, but I'm trying to decide when two is better than one in my lists. I've gone back and forth on this so many times that my head hurts. Recently, I start with two in my list, then take one out if/when I'm trying to fit more points. I never leave home without the EMLGL.
Two is pretty much mandatory, unless your mission's scoring is not heavily dependent on specialist's and you have enough specialists in the rest of your list to cover what you need. Hunzakuts are so multi-role and cheap that what you are giving up a second one up for better be worth it. This is one the first unit I put in every list. The utility that weapon gives you is rare in Infinity. It's a faction defining unit that is an auto-include in Bayram as far as I am concerned. Some people are under the impression that spamming EM nades with Druze is a viable tactic, like anything wildly dicey; it only is when you roll well. Chances are you're going to fail and waste orders you could have spent better. It's important to know when to and, when not to use it. DBS has so many potential solutions to in game obstacles that the EM nade is often a poorer choice relative to those other options. It is not a tool you will use every game, but when you need it; it can easily be the difference between victory and defeat. When it is the best solution; like dealing with a hiding Rooftop Lt., or Kriza on suppression fire, or breaking up a link team you can't out gun, or HI paintrains, or Avatar... etc. it is not a weapon you want to be without.
