Well, it's the best idea I had, replacing CoC with Specialist Operative on most profiles, since I generally try to avoid speculating on any actual very big changes, since... I don't think they're likely to happen, honestly. TL;DR: My point was ''Replace CoC with Specialist Operative on most profiles just so it ends up being a specialist, just not a specialist that might end up becoming your Lieutenant halfway up the table.''
There's two brands of Pheasant. Red Fury with Bao henchmen and Mad Traps CoC. One of them would rather have Specialist Operative than CoC and don't really have a use for Free Agent, and the other one could do with mimetism or something defense oriented rather than the melee stats. Frankly the other forgotten profiles would like to have a defensive skill to be able to operate like a lone operative. There's two units here who'd like to break free from each other. I'd like to split these two up. The solo operative takes the points from melee skills and gets stuff like Mimetism, Counterintelligence or similar instead while the other one takes the points from CoC and spends it on making the melee prowess worthwhile and on specialist roles that complement Bao (and I'd weave Haris skill in with this Aggro Pheasant's normal skill set) Aggro Pheasant example: Specialist Operative, +2 PH, and Martial Arts 3. I'm ballparking that at roughly the same points as CoC. Def Pheasant example: you know what, the sniper really wants MODs but everyone else would be fine with simply getting refunds on the melee skills.
Honestly, I don't feel like making one unit into two is all that good of an idea. Now having two ''sets'' of profiles sharing the same AVA limit seems like a more interesting idea. Some CoC profiles that'll get a cheaper CCW, the Madtraps and perhaps some more ARO friendly guns, while the specialist operative profiles remain with their DA CCWs and go their merry way with their Red Fury and X-Visors and all that fun stuff. Would also add in a bit of a choice element of ''Do I want good CoC coverage... or do I want decent-ish specialist mid-field fighters?''
Also worth considering a Bao + Pheasant core with a Hsien + Zhanying Haris. Bao + Pheasant isnt limited to Haris after all. This will be especially true if we get the expected marksman rifle options on the Bao - a Red Fury on the pheasant leader and a mixture of MSV/BioV boarding shotguns and marksman rifles makes for a good fireteam when there's a Hsien HMG on overwatch.
They just need to bring down the price of him a bit or make him more worth the points. I really wanted to like a Pheasant +Bao fireteam, I tried them many times. Core and Haris. Because I sunk so many points into them, it hurt the rest of my force. The range on the weapons kind of sucked too. Even with the X-visor. I'd move them up, the MSR wasn't great, but in good range, the Combis were not longer optimal. etc.
They should have been made into alternative for HI Wu-Ming + Zhanying link. They could have have No Wound Incapatition instead of second wound and have lower cost or sth like that. They would be less reliable but cheaper way of bringing some durability into the table.
I'm afraid I don't understand your point. I just pointed out that this setup doesn't feel as competitive as Wu Ming core would to me, am I wrong in that assesment?
Hahaha. It's not that unthinkable. The two pheasants that want to sit in your back field and be a safe CoC choice don't have it: the sniper and the hacker. The ones that want to link up with other models or move up the field to use their CC and shooting skills? Yeah... they have the signature CoC for points bloat.
The CC tax needs to be reevaluated on all units honestly. But assuming there will be some tweaks to any units joining IA, I wan tto see an overhaul of ISS. Points/CC tax need an overhaul compared to newer factions. Fireteams could use some tweaks as well, I think adding basically all the options from the closed battle list would be fair, allowing a bao and a pheasant to join a CG core, allowing a Crane to join a wuming core or maybe just generally letting one imperial agent of any type join any core. the Weibing duos are great too.
They're ... okay... not as good as a 12pts Thora, of course, and a bit bloaty considering that it's only got a combi compared to a Husong HMG and 360... Does retain Baggage and Repeater, however, so if you got a small cadre of Hackers and/or a MadTrap model to feed, they can keep a decent area clear of threats.
