Assymetric matchups:
Nomads have extensive access to MOD stacks - things like ODDs, camouflage and MSV. These allow you to easily get absurd face-to-face rolls. For example, an intruder suprise shooting through smoke at 31" is almost always putting a -12 on the opponent without even needing cover. However, most of these MOD stacks are on otherwise flimsy MI and skirmishers like Moiras, the intruder, Morans and grenzers. Single wounds and 3 armour won't stand up to a lucky crit or even just a bad roll. Pretty much the only exception is Kusanagi who has NWI. So you need a lot of redundancy. That typically means having 2 primary attack pieces (usually Cassandra and an Intruder HMG) and your skirmishers equipped with boarding shotguns whenever possible. The latter happens to give you access to the other assymetric matchup Nomads excel at: camouflage skirmisher with boarding shotgun against camouflage skirmisher with combi rifle. Spoiler: the shotgun wins most of the time because camo lets you dictate the range band.
Midfield control:
Nomads get Morans and zero minelayers who are both cheap and can dictate the movement of skirmishers and LI/MI link teams through the midfield. Nomads also have access to the outstanding sin-eater observant, who is just miles better than a TR bot thanks to the +2BS and mimetism. All of the units like the closer range bands rather than the sniper ones. The intruder sniper is cute but obvious and doesn't last against a 5-man link team's HMG. I prefer to control the pace of turn 1 using mines, koalas and infiltrating camouflage instead. Note that the Morans repeater also allows him to function as an irritating carbonite trap through walls as teams try to avoid him. With his koalas this makes him an excellent bog for link teams trying to breach your territory.
Orders:
Simple concept here: Nomads can almost always manage at least 14 orders. If you can't I think you're doing it wrong (probably taking a TAG). That said I only had 13 in my kill mission list (this was because Firefight necessitated a taskmaster in my opinion). Remember that any unit costing less than 30 points leaves points left over to get you above the 10 order single combat group level. In Nomads, the attack pieces aren't that expensive because they aren't HI, your bread-and-butter skirmishers are 20 points max, you get access to the amazing krakot renegades at 14 points, jaguars make great corner guards with smoke-throwing utility for 10 points and there's usually a job for a Moderator paramedic or Daktaris to do. This inevitably leaves you with enough points to get 14+. I usually run two close to full groups rather than 1 big and 1 small group (unlike Yu Jing where I prefer the latter configuration).
Tricksy Shenanigans:
To me, this is the real strength of Nomads. They can actually cover all their bases. You might be a little thin on tools in some matchups, but you will have some tool. I have written elsewhere about the things a list in Infinity must be able to handle - Nomads have got it all covered. TAGs? Moran repeaters allow a Spectr, interventor, Zoe, Moira or custodier to oblivion or carbonite it, all your infiltrating shotguns under camouflage can easily get behind it for a pincer maneuvre, and you can smoke shoot the shit out of the front of it with the intruder. Hellcats and tomcats can also do a solid job erradicating its order pool. Links teams? Krakots, morlocks, jaguars and prowlers bring the templates, you've got hackers out the wazoo, you've got smoke shooting to take em down one at a time or all together once the 6th sense is gone, ODD assault pieces can stack a MOD through the sixth sense, and your shotguns just love it when they all line up in total cover. Minefields? Lay your own mines, use Pi-well to sensor them all, use the Salyuts to turn them over, run 1point pupniks into them, use the Morlocks and krakots to trigger them and then dodge or just discover shoot with an intruder. Against skirmishing armies you've also got a horde of chain rifles incoming. Ariadna is very similar to you - they've got better snipers, but you've got more oomph with the ODDs and MSV2s. Snipers? If it's TO camouflage you're worried about, flush it out with some cheap warbands and then knock it over with the intruder, or just smoke your way past it. If it's MSV2, have your custodier drop a white noise template on a Moran and then shoot them to pieces with your combi rifle. Steel Phalanx? These dickheads get their own category - here you have the midfield templates to get past the ODD, the mines and koalas to slow them down on turn 1, and the prowler/tomcat flamers to burn through their protection.
In general, Nomads have absolutely everything in the game on profiles that only do that one thing, which keeps them cheap, plus the awesome utility belt that is the HD+.
My general playstyle
I prefer orders to tough troops. I figure if I can stack a big MOD then I don't need armour. I like to have Cassandra because she can live through a lucky crit, but I've usually got a bunch of redundancy as well. I almost always have an intruder HMG because smoke-shooting just wins some games outright. I rarely take sniper style units because I think snipers without TO camouflage and the element of surprise are too easy to neutralise (white noise, smoke shooting or the HMG in a 5-man link team) for their price. Instead, I control my opponent's advance on turn 1 using minelaying zeros and Morans. Koalas and the ability to hack things that might survive your mines makes Morans an excellent bog for only 20 points. Once the game is rolling I can use suppression, ARO templates on 5/10 point dudes and new mines to manipulate proceedings. I find Nomads a little bit weak against HI link teams, but only if you forgot to pack shotguns.
No comments:
Post a Comment