In transmission matrix, your opponent have nice repeteaters available in his DZ. This allow him to killer-hack any hacker lieutenant first turn and to ARO-hack him anytime (with a SK camo KHD for example), for example if you try to cybermask. So, what do you do in this situation ? Do you still use the obvious Interventor/Custodier lieutenant, knowing you can't cybermask to defend yourself (cause if you do you will take some killer hacker in the face) ?
Take an obvious Interventor "Lt" and a non-obvious Intruder Lt. Take an Salyut EVO, an Interventor KHD and another Hacker (AHD are a good option). On their active, they eat 2 x WIP15 AROs and 2 x WIP13 AROs. They don't usually survive more than 1 attempt. On your active you bait the AROs with your 'Lt', and then kill their hackers with your KHD. If necessary using co-ord hacking to do it. Your hackers will die in hacking, so I'd steer clear of the Custodier: which is overpriced in a pure hacking conflict.
If you go second, you can spend a Command Token on the EVO and activate Kaleidoscope. If anyone tries to hack your Interventor, through the repeater, they will suffer either -6 with Sucker Punch or a -9 with Breakwater, while you hack back with your own hackers. Haven't seen anyone hack through that so far, even with Redrum+Surprise Attack.
You cannot use Breakwater if they activate in your ZoC and don't use Stealth. Breakwater only works if you get hacked and, otherwise it's illegal to declare as an ARO. That's why I mention the repeaters.
Correct, however, if they are in a Marker state, it's not legal to declare a hacking attack, nor can you Reset because you do not meet the requirements for Reset. This is why I mentioned Suckerpunch and Breakwater at the same time, cause those two would cover both instances AFAIK.
You can always declare a Reset as an ARO when an opponent trooper declares or executes an order in your ZOC / HA. But normally stealth prevents you from AROing at all.
If you have a legal ARO in your hacking area (but not your ZoC) to take after the first Short Movement Skill, you definitely cannot reset unless I missed an FAQ that changed that.
It seems you can declare it accordingly to the requirements or just as you want... on the other hand with Hackers being the only ones able to legally declare an ARO in a Hacking Area after the 1st SS they won't be able to Reset, right? DHD users would be defenseless then?! Which would be truly ironic :D
You can declare it whenever you want, but if the Requirements are not met when it is declared then it becomes an Idle. Ie 3. Opponents Hacker Moves (clearly outside of my ZOC, I am in their Hacking Area) 4. I declare Reset, check Requirements for Reset, only potential Requirement remaining is 'declared an action inside my ZOC' 5. They declare a Hacking Attack 6. I don't have an ARO at this point because I declared one at 4. 7. Measure, discover I'm out of ZOC so remaining Requirement is not met. Reset reverts to Idle. Hack happens on Normal rolls. There's an extensive conversation around the interaction here. Personally I disagree with the above: I think Reset should still be valid, but logically given the way people tend to play other things it can't be. There's very few things the 'normal' interpretation actually negatively affects. Because generally if ZOC wasn't triggered then nothing happens, whereas with Reset (and some other edge cases) you can game it to cause normal rolls.
