Sunday, November 5, 2017

Toaha listbuilding for a 400 point direct action tournament

Got a tournament coming up. It's a weird one - 400 points and all direct action missions. Frontline, transmission matrix and biotechvore. I note that CA have a massive advantage in this mix. Biotechvore and the high points count mean you really need to bring a lot of link teams, TAGs and HI. But in transmission matrix that means you're going to be getting E-drone exiled all the time. I only have my Tohaa, and this mission mix happens to be quite good for Tohaa provided you don't run into the E-drone. Note that transmission matrix and frontline are both amazing for Chaksa auxiliars with baggage, flamers and sensor for 10 points. Onwards, to my lists!



First up, as per my usual manner, I will do a quick mission analysis.

Frontline:

  • Note that everything happens at the end of the game, so just curb-stomping your opponent is feasible (though Tohaa can't really do this)
  • You almost always want to intelcomm, so don't bother with specialists. 
  • Baggage is savage
  • TO units that can move to the frontline with a single order on the final turn and dominate it are save, so having sensor is quite helpful
  • This is mostly a "kill your opponent" mission
  • In Tohaa, luring people in under your ML's range band and then counterattacking with viral and Makaul's is pretty effective
Transmission matrix:
  • Don't take anything hackable
  • Scoring happens at the end of each turn, so you need to be able to go deep early
  • Baggage bots can hold your side of the table without much trouble. Go for the centre button
  • Infiltrators are useful but TO must reveal early to hold a button
  • Don't forget about datatracking the HVT! It's worth a lot of points!
Biotechvore:

  • Frontrunner for the most hated mission in Infinity
  • Link teams help you get everyone out of the zone. 
  • If you are playing against a Vanilla opponent (or just in general really) spend a command token to prevent them using more than one coordinated order on turn 1. It's basically game over. 
  • Having a couple of defensive pieces to harass your opponent on the way out of the DZ is almost always worth it, especially if they themselves can move forward
  • From turn 2, template and close-quarters weapons rule the midfield
So some lists:


 Frontline; Trans. Matrix
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GROUP 1
 SAKIEL Viral Combi Rifle, Nimbus Plus Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 24)
 SUKEUL Missile Launcher, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 36)
 MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, Viral CCW. (0 | 13)
 GAO-RAEL Spitfire / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | 33)
 KAELTAR (Chain of Command) Light Shotgun, Flash Pulse + 2 SymbioMates / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 21)
 MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, Viral CCW. (0 | 13)
 SAKIEL Lieutenant Viral Combi Rifle, Nimbus Plus Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 24)
 SUKEUL HMG, D-Charges / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 35)
 MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, Viral CCW. (0 | 13)
 CHAKSA AUXILIAR (Baggage, Sensor) Heavy Flamethrower / Pistol, CCW. (0 | 10)

GROUP 2
 KAELTAR (Chain of Command) Light Shotgun, Flash Pulse + 2 SymbioMates / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 21)
 SUKEUL Missile Launcher, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 36)
 KAMAEL Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
 KUMOTAIL Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 22)
 CHAKSA SERVANT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
 CHAKSA SERVANT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3)
 CHAKSA AUXILIAR (Baggage, Sensor) Heavy Flamethrower / Pistol, CCW. (0 | 10)
 CHAKSA AUXILIAR (Baggage, Sensor) Heavy Flamethrower / Pistol, CCW. (0 | 10)
 CHAKSA AUXILIAR (Baggage, Sensor) Heavy Flamethrower / Pistol, CCW. (0 | 10)
 CLIPSOS (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25)
 CLIPSOS Sniper Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (1 | 26)

 8 SWC | 400 Points

[url=http://army.infinitythegame.com/index.html?l=BwBgjAPgLCIQYgJwPYDsAuAbAlqgpgNwAEAKogIaoDOAdEQLLnqLYAeEATAKQBsUA7Fw4coYLgEIRXfgE4QXAMwgYE4LwCsCoRx5rxWvmuFQ9HefzAyhUBVvFqem7bonc+g41FdfZ8pQr0HJ2EXcStHL2F+bnEwMUcebX5E2Pj1RKjEgAEzaUtrW29pOUVleVj5R3UkuzBK9Wqo2vrGjn5mjVb2iUFHbhDBcV71fp1q2N4oDI4lLiysoA===]Open in Infinity Army
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Just threw all my favourite stuff into a list, sprinkled with Chaksa, and out pops a monstrosity (though I suspect everyone will have monstrosities in this event). The main group is three attack triads - my standard alpha strike team (viral Sakiel, Sukuel ML + shotgun, Makaul), my standard sweeper team (Gao Rael spitfire, Makaul, Kaeltar) and a new team for this mission with good range band spread - the Sukuel HMG, Sakiel Viral and Makaul. I have the Chaksa there because if it was the clipsos or the kumotail it would limit my order efficiency on turn 1, which is usually about a 10 order charge plus some orders in group 2 going to push the chaksa servants forward to where they will be useful later.

Group 2 is a sniper team, a kumotail (who I suspect will be working overtime in 400 points of direct action) with helps to pick up all my snipers, 3 baggage DZ guards to hold the backline (and potential the middle) on the final turn using those command tokens that Tohaa never spends, and 2 clipsos. One clipsos will deploy near the centre line and look to either go into suppression mid game and lock an area down, or simply appear on the final turn and send 25 points where it needs to go. I ended up with the clipsos sniper because I couldn't quite afford the Gao Rael. On the plus side, the clipsos can stay hidden in the back or mid-field until late game and score. I also find that if you can hold the clipsos until late, by the time it reveals it becomes a massive order sink to get rid of because the standard clipsos killers (e.g. MSV2 HMGs) are already dead.

Basic game plan will be to move around killing what I can with the link teams while my opponent is bogged down in sniper fire, and use the baggage chaksas and TO guys to spread points around as necessary. I'm a bit weak to a double TAG rush but otherwise should be fine.

 Biotechvore
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GROUP 1
 SAKIEL Lieutenant Viral Combi Rifle, Nimbus Plus Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 24)
 SUKEUL Missile Launcher, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 36)
 MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 13)
 SUKEUL Missile Launcher, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 36)
 SAKIEL Paramedic (Medikit) Combi Rifle, Nimbus Plus Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 20)
 KAELTAR (Chain of Command) Light Shotgun, Flash Pulse + 2 SymbioMates / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 21)
 MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, Viral CCW. (0 | 13)
 MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, Viral CCW. (0 | 13)
 KERAIL PRECEPTOR Submachine Gun, Smoke Grenades + 2 Surda SymbioBeasts / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0 | 28)
  SURDA SYMBIOBEAST Pulzar / Viral CCW. (0 | 8)

GROUP 2
 SAKIEL Paramedic (Medikit) Combi Rifle, Nimbus Plus Grenades / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 20)
 SUKEUL (Forward Observer) K1 Combi Rifle, D-Charges / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0 | 32)
 MAKAUL Heavy Flamethrower, Eclipse Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 13)
 SUKEUL HMG, D-Charges / Pistol, Breaker Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 35)
 KAMAEL (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
 KAELTAR (Chain of Command) Light Shotgun, Flash Pulse + 2 SymbioMates / Pistol, Electric Pulse. (0.5 | 21)
 GAO-RAEL Spitfire / Pistol, CCW. (1.5 | 33)
 KAMAEL (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
 KAMAEL Hacker (White Hacking Device) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 16)

 7.5 SWC | 400 Points

[url=http://army.infinitythegame.com/index.html?l=BwBgjAPgLCIQQgSwPYBcCmBjAFgN2QE7oQBMApAGxQDsZJJUUZAhA2dQJwhkDMIMLYJQCsPOiQocWbTtz4DWlGuKhjW3amCkMeaoRVHiKQ5vsP1j08tWFg6witwAC5KrXqrpTWbxA8KgiJiFlKs3ly+PCZ2VAH0PMLSGlp0qmpiVEIe0UpxJAksMVB5PExOTkA==]Open in Infinity Army
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I tried a Gorgos list and it just didn't seem to work out, though I do want to revisit it because the Gorgos is a lot of points and very hard to kill, while also bringing the pain quite effectively. All this makes for a nice Biotechvore unit. I have instead opted for 5 link teams, the double G:Synch kerail preceptor with beasts, and 2 Makaul to impetuous throw eclipse grenades. This list started from my current highly classified list and then added in more killing power. The Sukuel FO + paramedic + Makaul link can score all the classifieds relating to the HVT and your opponent's half of the table (i.e. Sabotage) without breaking a sweat and there isn't much your opponent can do about it thanks to eclipse.

Game plan if going first: throw smoke with the Makaul's and Preceptors then rush everyone forward to score classifieds and get out of the virus, potentially leaving a team with the two Sukuel Missile launchers in the back field with a Sakiel paramedic to heel them as the virus damages them. Find good positions and spend command tokens to drop everyone into suppression, with the aim of locking as much of my opponent's army into their DZ as possible. With all the smoke and the HMG this shouldn't be hard to execute.

Game plan if second (much better): lock my opponent in using missile launchers, then follow the plan for when going first.

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