Nimbus zone: no infiltrators because of exclusion zone, but you need to get to the middle pronto, and with specialists who can disconnect an antenna. You will need some way to prevent your opponent rushing on turn 1 or you can pretty much lose straight away. This is extremely difficult because the nimbus zone drops your ARO burst to 1 and the exclusion zone prevents infiltrators from geting in to lay mines. Krakot renegades can help. Another idea is to focus on only leaving fire lanes to the midfield line that can't be seen from your opponent's DZ. That will cause delays in the midfield - but you wouldn't want to use expensive troops for this because the ARO odds will not be in your favour. TR bots perhaps? With the engineer bonus they might actually be useful for once.
Biotechvore: infiltrators can escape the virus but take the roll with penalty, which severely limits their cost effectiveness. Best approach would be two link teams that can rush forward and then own the midfield
Engineering deck: You need a big link team to guard the central building, and a couple of fast or infiltrating specialists who can grab the distant objectives.
Frontline: Get forward! I'm sensing a pattern here. Superior infiltrating TO camo units are a godsend.
Tic-Tac-Toe: take a thousand specialists
To my mind, all of these favour JSA (so long as you are going first in Nimbus zone), so I think I will be playing the Domaru delivery service with Haramaki ML and Raiden HRLs or TR bots for board control if my opponent gets turn 1 in Nimbus zone and biotechvore.
First lists for playtesting
Biotechvore, Frontline:
300 points, 5.5 SWC
Group 1:
Domaru (lt.) with chain rifle and E/M grenades
Haramaki with ML
Haramaki with ML
Haramaki with Blitzen, contender and AP CCW
Haramaki with Blitzen, light shotgun
Arogoto with spitfire
Arogoto Hacker
Kempei (CoC) with shotgun
Yojimbo
Keisotsu Paramedic
Group 2:
Keisotsu Paramedic
Tokusetsu Kohei Engineer
Rui Shi
Keisotsu with combi
The entire list can get out of my backfield at the cost of 3 orders - the Domaru move forward for 1, and combined orders push the LIs forward. The bikes get out with impetuous. No biotechvore for me! The spitfire bikes and ML Haramaki's should give me enough dakka to knock over any snipers while also providing me with some ARO harassment pieces of my own on turn 1 (everyone but the MLs will probably hide turn 1; but B2 BS16 on ARM3 should be a pretty decent sniper unless my opponent has smoke). Once in the midfield I am pretty scary, because every unit loves the mid-range band and close quarters combat. The LIs can guard my rear. The Kempeitai also gives chain of command, which can be handy in a list as Kamikazi as this one, and the engineer brings D-Charges for the two classified objectives in biotechvore. This is also the reason for using a bike hacker - I need a hacker for the classifieds, and biotechvore is not kind to the Ninja hacker with her poor PH, especially as having to roll for her ruins her surprise factor. Hackers off course also allow you to oblivion link teams.
In frontline I will probably forget about my back field and just concentrate on getting forward. I win automatically if my opponent is dead! Similar game plan as biotechvore - use the MLs and spitfires (on the 8" move they reach their preferred range band) to knock over snipers and the Domaru to clear mines, then get forward. Yojimbo's smoke can cover me into close combat through the midfield, and I've got E/M grenades and assault hacker for big link teams and TAGs (plus 2 MLs!).
The biggest weakness of this list, and this faction really, is steel phalanx or anything with a lot of MOD stacks. I can't see through an ODD with anything and Myrmidons will tango with me in close combat. E/M grenades will help, but I will have to be careful.
I am also a little bit worried about Nomads because of all the quality hacking against my Domaru. My bikes will have trouble uprooting the Moran repeaters if they are prone because getting close will trigger the koalas and I won't survive. Still, they will have a hard time with the biotechvore eating their orders and hamstringing their infiltrators, so I should be okay.
Nimbus zone, engineering deck, rescue and tic-tac-toe
300 points, 2.5 SWC
Group 1:
Karakuri with combi-rifle, chain rifle, DEP and Fireteam: Harris
Karakuri with heavy shotgun, chain rifle, DEP
Karakuri with MK12, chain rifle, DEP
Keisotsu HMG
Keisotsu ML
Keisotsu FO with flash pulse
Yuriko with panzerfaust
Kempei (CoC) with shotgun
Keisotsu combi
Keisotsu combi (lieutenant)
Group 2:
Keisotsu paramedic
Tokusetsu Kohei Engineer
Raiden with HRL
Keisotsu combi
Arogoto Hacker
This list is designed to charge at the objectives before going into retreat (and remaining functional thanks to courage and remote presence). It has a couple of ARO pieces to slow my opponent down and hackers and engineers for the button push bonus. Surplus Keisotsu can reform the link team and go into suppression using combined orders to guard buttons and my DZ. The karakuri and the bike charge forward and try to press buttons. If I have first turn I am very hard to beat. As usual, the weakness here is an inability to overcome anything stacking MODs because I don't have MSV or mimetism on anything.
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