What's up JSA?

all. the. ninja.

I only play a single list in JSA and it's fun and a good learning tool to properly run Hidden Edployment troops and running very Limited Insertion lists! x)

 

I have considered a list that is all hidden deployment. I’m not sure of it’s efficacy as it’ll have practically no range but I think it could be fun. Would be the ultimate teacups game. Other than completely hidden deployment I looked at Kuroshii rider and yojimbo for fast, chaos causing shenanigans.

 

- Well, after three IGL tournaments and a bunch of IRL tournaments I can say with confidence that JSA is a very strong faction, but, because execution must be close to flawless, player skill makes JSA look like an OP army that needs to be nerf ASAP, or a bunch of screaming samurai running towards gatling gun fire.
I've found out that, after the fireteam rework, JSA kinda looks away from Fireteams, it doesn't really rely on them to do anything meaningful other than utility and support, instead it looks up to its solo, and damn if JSA doesn't have some of the spiciest solos in the game.
Most notably:
- Shinobu, the big boss lady, able to slap everyone in the field with ease, Climbing Plus, BS12 and Mimetism give her very strong dice to murder anything of ARM3 and below and if the target is much more well armored, then it's slice & dice o'clock;
- Yojimbo, this bad boy packs everything that JSA loves: smoke, area denial (Koalas), speed and a disgusting ability to trade up with pieces triple its cost, he can make a lot of plays and setup a lot of plays for everyone else.
- O-Yoroi, at first this TAG might not seem anything out of the extraordinary, but the fact that he packs Koalas AND has Stealth, make him very mobile crossing the field and able to control corner guards whereas other TAGs would be shaking; and if someone dares touch base with him, fine, have a taste of a CC23 MA2 DAM18 EXP CCW;
- Miyamoto Mushashi, he's the misfit, the weird one, the bizarre amalgamation of abilities, but once you stop to see his numbers he has everything in the right spots: Flash Pulse? WIP15; Warband that claims Cover? No Wound Incapacitation; Good at CC? Try the best at CC, pls; BS9!? Doesn't matter, Chain Rifle; Stealth? Then MOV 6-4. His stats are bonkers and what does he do? Anything he touches disappears in one of the safest F2Fs in the whole game. Note: his CC is so stupid high that even if the target has NBW, the roll is still most likely in Miyamoto's favour.
- Shikami, excellent gunfighter (yes GUNfighter), he roams around, bops buttons and with Stealth, Climbing Plus and Super Jump he can get into the DZs backlines kill the hackers, the cheerleaders, light armored heavy infantry and opportunistically go in up close and personal. It's hilarious to note that Shikami is probably one of the "worst" CC fighters in the JSA roster... and he's really good in CC.
- Kuroshi, much like Shikami, fast, specialist has Combi for dice and Light Shotgun for templates, a combination that as an RTF player you will enjoy immensely, can deliver D-Charge-fu within 8" for a most disgusting fork (What do you want to fight against? Her CC23, her BS18, or just eat two templates?);
- Karakuri, to finish my list of solos, the kawaii terminator, with the caveat that she works best in a Haris because all her weapons have really high peaks with added burst, Total Immune 3STR Specialist that can drag along an Engineer... lol.

My tournament lists normally are comprised with some of these solos, a Fireteam for support/utility and then the general fillers, ARO pieces, etc. JSA lists vary wildly depending on mission compositions, because they are a very flexible army even amongst it's known archetypes.

To sum up, my experience has been that, to have success in JSA you should rely on their solos more than their Fireteams to get the mission done, but the solos are really tough to master and pilot well.

 

Speaking of the Shikami, have you seen the exclusive model on the webstore? It's a sweet take on the model, but won't come cheap.




I agree with Ashtoroth on the Karakuri. These things take so much damage, they really are like a Terminator. Throw an engineer in the mix and they just keep going.

Another unit I really enjoy using is the Lu Duan. The Rui Shi is a straightforward camo hunter, but the Lu Duan is a bit more subtle, with Holo Echoes, MSV1, and deployable repeaters. I usually use it as a first strike weapon, making the opponent choose which echo to shoot at, then either shooting back if he picks the right one or moving forward if he picks the wrong one. Get close enough to use the B2 HFT on a nice juicy target like a link team or troublesome skirmishers.

 

I have done way too much JSA in the past year, my usual go to was to take a cheap core with a kei ML and run Tankos+ yuriko or Karakuri+yuriko, which works really well, because of Yuriko.
Then I have actually started using more and more REMs in my lists and the EVO hacker has just become a staple as I attempt to practice full blown heavy infantry lists that make use of the cheap Kei combis for orders... not going terribly, but it needs a lot of finesse.
I'm about to start using the shikami officially, and putting practicing with shinobu in the back burner.

My only wants for JSA right now is that shinobu will get a normal CC weapon to make full use of MA5

End note is that practice makes perfect with this faction, and just be careful with advice, because I know everyone will shite on one unit or the other (daiyokai), but every unit and even profile has been effective more than the must haves of yojimbo, and HRL ryuken.