One of the reasons I love NA2. I feel there’s more room for being creative. I really don’t mind if all of them look different from the rest of the army.
I love the Celestial Guards from the ISS Starter, I use those as my ABHs. Plus, all my Yu Jing models have the same color scheme, so the Rui Shi doesn't look weird in that Fireteam.
I’ve grabbed a bunch of smg models, and some leftover JSA stuff for the abh profiles. I’ve done a couple of arm/gun swaps to get most things. The only one that isn’t quite what I want is the Kempeitai with marksman rifle as a substitute for the ABH with red fury. The model is awesome enough that I’m not going to change it though. As far as profiles that are really good... Obviously the libertos and fanous make amazing ablative layers of defense. Having them cover each other and create speed bumps for an opponent in the second combat group is awesome. When the zuyongs don’t hit the table, the Al Fasid has done really well for me. He doesn’t have the power of a core fireteam, but he’s an excellent flanking gunfighter. The fact that he’s almost as durable as a light tag means that he can be a great data tracker. His lgl can be great for defense or harassing stuff on top of buildings. The fact that he’s got a heavy pistol for close range can be super useful as well. The brawler sniper has been a staple of many lists. She’s a powerhouse when linked, especially when Kum Riders and the Fasid can get smoke anywhere you might need it. She’s great for defense once you’ve killed a couple of hmgs and can be a huge thorn in an opponent’s side. Kum Riders backed up by a linked hmg are amazing. Their speed means that an opponent has to worry about them. If the big defensive guns come up, Dahshat has the tools to shoot them down and make a path for the Kum to take advantage of. Hunzakuts are a mainstay of the army, of course. They’re great and they’re cheap. I’ve started using Saito and I really like him. I found him challenging to use in JSA, because it was hard to get enough orders for him. Dahshat can really afford to power him with 7-10 orders, which means that he can kill just about anything. As with any expensive one wound model, he’s vulnerable to bad dice, but when the dice don’t shit the bed, he is such a badass.
Saito is AP/EXP in CC. He can by himself win some missions that involve wanton destruction of property. He has reliable smoke for JSA but Dashat don't need him for that, they need him for his ability to kill almost anything in CC. Agreed that he needs orders (hungry ninja) and Dashat can provide. Dashat have cheaper parachute/forward deploy/infiltrate troops than JSA making it possible to either herd or entice the enemy to his hidden deployment. Its a lovely feeling when the enemy Move-Moves into your friendly neighbourhood ninja man.
So I started a challenge to myself to only play with painted Models each week... and then to use at least 4 new profiles (to get through my backlog) Last week I used a Bashi SMG, the boarding shotgun Zuyong, for the first time, I have to say, The bashi for 12 points is a glorious tarpit that can make people blow orders on garbage -- she chain colted she SMG'd he can send holo into mid-field mines, I might take them more often. 2 Wound Boarding shotgun Heavy infantry in a haris is as awesome as was proclaimed This week I've got a list that uses Saito, Al Fasid (HMG) and a ghulam core with ML -- because I just NEVER take them -- so I wanted to paint em, I hope to have a good report for Saito next week.
Let us know how you get on. I love heavy infantry with Boarding Shotguns. Then again I usually play JSA so a boarding shotgun counts as a long ranges weapon! Tomorrow i'm taking a 4 man Zuyong team with ABH. its hideously expensive but I spent hours painting them so damn it, they are getting on the field! I'm also loving Brawlers. They are so cheap but so hard hitting. Thinking of running a Haris with MSV sniper and a Doctor. I mean that doctor got poor grades in med school but even he can save a bleeding Zuyong. I like the Bashi SMG... but the Shotgun mini is so awesome.
I've been finding the Rui Shi more effective unlinked than linked. I've used it a bunch in both a Core and a Haris and I always feel like I'm dragging dead weight behind me that isn't quite worth the bonus BS or Burst. There's been few situations I've really felt like the extra firepower was worthwhile, and plenty where I regretted dragging a bunch of models into the midfield that didn't want to be there. These days I lean much more toward the Zuyong HMG as the fireteam killer of choice, as it doesn't need to move forward to be effective.
This has been my experience as well. I think many people on release of Dashat seized on the potential high watermark of a rui shi in a core link, but the numbers it can reach with link bonuses need to be read in the context of the cost, in additional orders to maneuver an unwieldy link, and in significant additional risk of moving an entire link into the places you're moving the rui shi on an attack run.
I've found this as well, ive been doing brawler cores with msv2 snipers or ghulam cores with grenade launcher if I take a zuyong team, it's usually a 3 man hmg shotgun and harris
I've been meaning to having it in a haris with Valerya. Leading with the Rui Shit to extend her hacking range and the Tinbot on the Zuyong protects her as well. it's a little more maneuverable than the 5-man. Also, I can use the link at first and let the Rui Shi eventually leave the team. Maybe even reforming the link as needed with a ABH. one of the things I love about Dahshat is ability to reform teams.
In my last two games I found Gromez gets picked on to break the fire team. She is a weak gunfighter and a prime target. I tend to leave her in the backfield and let her do her thing through the many many repeaters we have access to. Once I had her join a fireteam just to use her pitcher with accuracy then leave run and hide. My Ru Shi often gets put in a Zuyong Haris with bounty hunter. Its 4 orders, a small footprint and the tinbot is ace.
The main reason I like the idea of Val is that she benefits from the Tinbot. She can use the Rui Shi’s repeater anywhere but only gets the Tinbot when she’s a part of the team. Having a -6 for anyone to attack her back in hacking is awesome. Otherwise i’d just do a Zuyong FO instead for a specialist.
I keep forgetting the Rui Shi also benefits from the Tin Bot as well. So overall it's a good anti-hacker squad. But then add mods to the Rui Shi you have some fantastic firepower as well.
I've played a good solid number of games since the last time I visited this thread, and in that time I have come around to see the Hunzakut LGL as one of the all-stars of this sectorial. Every time I've brought her to the table I've been glad I did, and every time I left her out, I wished I had her. Maybe it's just my local meta, but great targets abound: clustered remotes, puppet masters, Kamau (or other linked LI) along with their attendant fireteam members or doctor, squishy hackers locking down sections of the board... etc. And since she starts in a camo state, opponents generally do not think to space out their models; they're too busy trying to figure out how to not get run over by the Rui Shi or McMurrough. The other key to her success is Dahshat's access to bottomless cheap orders. A Dozer, two Traktors, and a wayward Ghulam LT in group 2 with a Hunzie LGL is five orders you can spend spamming grenades at people for a messily 54/0.5 points (before Nasmats). That leaves so much room to fill up on heavy hitters that it never feels like wasting orders to lay down templates. It's a little inconsistent, and there are times you'll just flub 5-6 rolls in a row trying to take out a juicy target, but there's also basically no risk and you will probably still have 10 orders worth of Rui Shi/Zuyong/Maggie aggression to clean things up. And the potential to take out a key ARO piece or 5-man fireteam bonus can really open the door for your other attackers to do amazing work. She's not for everyone and is a tough sell in more compact lists, but if you're going wide anyway I highly recommend you try her out.
I tried out Saito Togan for the first time on the weekend. He didn’t do a whole lot but what I did like was him throwing smoke for a Rui Shi to use to take down that USAriadana mech. I really like him being able to be in the middle of the board too. The main thing, unlike MacMurrough, is that he can’t be lured away with the impetuous order. He’s dependable and regular.
I'm a Saito lover myself. Having reliable smoke in the midfield for the Brawler MSR or Rui Shi is really good and he can take care of anything in CC. Given the number of orders you can have in Dahshat, more often than not you can move up to the enemy DZ and hack their Fireteam inside a smoke cloud. McM in group 1 and ST in group 2 is a go-to formula for me.
I'm thinking of Saito as an almost Speculo Killer. He's there to assist with smoke and then chop up anything in his path. McMurder is fantastic but I keep having problems getting him to where he needs to go. At least with Saito, i can place him in more advantageous places and don't need to move as much take out things.
This is the base for what I usually go for. You can play with a couple of pieces, like taking a Brawler Sniper and 4 ABH. That way you can form a Core with them while defending and then re-making it with your Zuyong and Rui Shi. You can also choose not to take the Rui Shi in a Core (I personally preffer to use it solo), which opens other possibilities (like a Zuyong + Wildcards Haris. Miranda is really fun in there). Base ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 7 3 1 McMURROUGH 2 Chain Rifles, Grenades, Smoke Grenades / Templar CCW (AP + DA). (0 | 32) HUNZAKUT (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18) LIBERTO (CH: Mimetism, Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Chain-colt, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 11) ZÚYŎNG (Tactical Awareness) HMG / 2 Breaker Pistols, Knife. (1.5 | 38) RUI SHI Spitfire / Electric Pulse. (1.5 | 20) BOUNTY HUNTER Submachine Gun, Akrylat-Kanone / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12) BOUNTY HUNTER Submachine Gun, Akrylat-Kanone / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12) BOUNTY HUNTER Submachine Gun, Akrylat-Kanone / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12) GHULAM Lieutenant Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12) FANOUS REMOTE Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) GROUP 2 6 2 SAITO TOGAN Combi Rifle, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, EXP CCW, Knife. (0 | 39) HUNZAKUT (Forward Observer, Deployable Repeater) Rifle + Light Shotgun, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 18) LIBERTO (CH: Mimetism, Minelayer) Light Shotgun, Chain-colt, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 11) 112 Light Shotgun / Pistol, CCW. (0 | 12) DOZER (Traktor Mul Control Device) Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) TRAKTOR MUL (Minesweeper) Electric Pulse. (0 | 5) TRAKTOR MUL (Minesweeper) Electric Pulse. (0 | 5) VALERYA GROMOZ Hacker (Hacking Device UPGRADE: Expel) Combi Rifle + Pitcher / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 21) 5.5 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army Saito can take oportunities to flank the backline or just lay down smoke for the Hunzakuts to advance and do their thing, or maybe you went for the Brawler Sniper/Solo Rui Shi and you take advantage of the smoke that way. He's also a great way to attack TAGs and ranged heavy troops. Try it if you have the chance, it's really fun :)
