Options to try and things to get

[scotthartman]

So I am thinking ahead a bit, knowing that there are still many things to learn about the game, but I was hoping to get some advice on what to try playing with (based on what I already own) and what may be a good addition in the future.

Here are the models that I own now. Note this is showing as a list only because its the easiest way to show not because it is actually an army list.

Also note that I made one of the Zhanshi a medic under an assumption that anyone of them could be the specialist. Thought a medic is useful.

 

As for flavor, I only kind of like the tags but they are definitely lower on the list for me. Maybe remotes but again not sure. I do like the sneakiness of the ninjas and the heavier infantry models look cool. I'll be trying out a variety of combinations of my models as I learn their distinct rules (ie camo, martial arts, hacking).

For any suggestions if you could make a brief explanation of what that model is good at or how certain models work well together. I think that will help me understand how my models work as a team rather than interesting individuals. Cheers!

Infinity Army.pdf

[Raindog]

With your Models, I would try this:

 

Yu Jing
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

10  
ZHANSHI Paramedic (MediKit) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
ZHANSHI (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
ZHANSHI (Forward Observer) Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 12)
CELESTIAL GUARD Combi Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13)
SHÀNG JÍ Paramedic (Medikit) Combi Rifle + Light Flamethrower / Pistol, Shock CCW. (0 | 39)
YĀN HUǑ Lieutenant Hyper-Rapid Magnetic Cannon / Pistol, Knife. (2 | 54)
HAC TAO HMG, Nanopulser / Pistol, DA CCW. (2 | 68)
GŬILÁNG MULTI Sniper Rifle, Antipersonnel Mines / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 33)
NINJA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CCW, Knife. (0 | 29)
DOMARU Chain Rifle, E/M Grenades / Pistol, DA CCW. (0 | 26)

5.5 SWC | 299 Points

Open in Infinity Army

 

There are four cheap orders. Three of them are specialists. There are three camo models to cause your opponent issues and two hunters in the Hac Tao and Yan Huo.

[Kremmet]

If I may, I can give you a little advice. First let's breakdown what you actually have and then we can go to suggestions after that.

Zhanshix3 (CR)

These are solid line troop that I don't find myself fielding too often. This isn't a statement about how strong they are, because Zhanshi are actually pretty decent for their cost, but instead a statement for how unbelievably strong Kuang Shi and Celestial Guard are for your line troops in Yu Jing. That said, Kuang Shi in particular take some getting used to for them to really shine and I'd recommend having a strong grasp of the basic functions of Infinity before trying them out.

Verdict: A solid vanilla choice that is overlooked given other options for their primary role (that of giving you orders to spend elsewhere)

Tiger Soldier (BS)

In contrast with Zhanshi, Tiger Soldiers are pretty much what I play vanilla YJ for. These babies have it all: high BS, high WIP, decent armor, a great defensive skill, high initial mobility, great weapon load outs/specialist options. They're not an auto include as you do need to do some list gymnastics to run them, but I've never felt bad about throwing a tiger into one of my lists. The only problem I see is that the Boarding Shotgun is the weakest of the available options IMO. While it is very cheap, it doesn't fully utilize the power that BS13+Mimetism brings in the same way as the Spitfire profile nor is it really keeping up with the ever-popular Paramedic option—especially given that they have a Light Flamethrower to go with. Still, the Boarding Shotgun is a fine profile and is actually the model I run to differentiate between two Paramedics when I bring multiple tigers (which is more often than you'd think).

Verdict: A great flavor choice for vanilla. The main thing to be wary about with a tiger is that it will be one of your major killers/specialists in your list so plan accordingly. What I mean by this is that drop troops tend to wreak havoc as killers, but are quickly put down while, as specialists, they're super late game pieces that will rarely help outside of the final turn. Both of these states mean that the tiger won't be around for long so make sure to make them count.

Ninja (AHD)

Ninjas are a solid piece even for vanilla YJ and tend to be better as hackers than as killers. This is mainly because their BS is pretty bad given their cost/role and it's easier to shell out a few more points for the far-superior Oniwaban/Kitsune if you want a dedicated melee killer. Like the Tiger Soldier before, ninjas are aggressive pieces that leverage their TO, hidden deployment, and board placement to introduce new vectors of interdiction after the game has started. While the Killer Hacking Device (KHD) ninja sees more play than its Assault Hacking Device (AHD) version, the AHD is still a helpful piece if you're expecting a lot of TAGs/combat REMs as the KHD ninja isn't particularly helpful against either of those targets beyond a tarpitting/annoyance role. 

Speaking of tarpitting, this is commonly what I do with my ninjas (and infiltrators in general) after they accomplish whatever specialist goal I had for them if applicable. Ninjas in particular are great at this given their 4-4 movement, high CC+MA, and TO. Infinity, at its heart, is a resource management game so it behooves you to make you opponent waste orders doing things it doesn't want to. Even if their TAG swats the ninja down in one order (which is unlikely), you've still forced them to do what you want rather than what they want which is a valuable asset in games.

Verdict: A solid piece if not a little overshadowed by the KHD profile.

Yan Huo (HRMC)

The Yan Huo is another reason a lot of people look to play vanilla YJ rather than one of their, frankly, amazing sectorials and it's east to see why. Between it's no-frills chassis, high BS/ARM, and deadly arsenal, the Yan Huo is the dream of anybody who loves heavy infantry. There isn't much else to say here besides a warning about bringing too many toys and not enough "boys" to the field. If you're running the Yan Huo, try to keep your other HI choices to a minimum and I'd avoid pairing him with other elite options such as your Hac Tao.

Verdict: A great ARO piece that doesn't become less deadly in the active turn. If you want a particular fire lane secured, look no further.

Domaru (BS)

Generally speaking, I don't bring a lot of Domaru while playing vanilla YJ. It's not because they're weak (far from it, actually), but that they're competing with choices like the Tiger Soldier, Daofei, and ninjas for their role as premiere midfield skirmishers. Domaru do have a few things over their competition though in that their CC ability is truly insane with a possibility for CC 32 with a -3 modifier for their opponent to boot along with the fantastic E/M grenades and high PH they pack to go along with it. They're pretty cheap for HI while still retaining that ever-important second wound. I don't think any veteran players would find a Domaru an odd choice, but it would preclude other models that you also own from making the list. Just can't fit everything in all the time!

Verdict: The Domaru is a great midfield piece, but most of what makes it so strong is tied up in more advanced rules such as spec fire and Assault/Berserk. Given the other choices you have for the midfield, I'd leave the Domaru at home for a bit until you have a stronger grasp on how to use him.

Hac Tao (HMG)

Oh, the Hac Tao: Yu Jing's very own bogeyman and the fear for  every TR bot the sphere wide! The Hac Tao is one of the best balanced pieces in the game as far as elite pieces go. They have excellent defense in both TO and ARM 5/BTS 6, strong offensive capabilities in the Nanopulser and the HMG, and an excellent body combining highlights like BS 14 with CC 19 all for a steal as far as high-end model pricing goes. The HMG is definitely my favorite profile to use withe the Hac Tao, but the KHD is also worth a look given how deadly Surprise Attack+WIP 14 is along with the KHD allowing you to use your opponent's repeater network to help offset the movement issue of having no pregame movement.

Verdict: An excellent profile that is only slowed down through other excellent ranged choices you already own such as the Yan Huo.

Guilang (MSR)

This is bit of a weird one. On the one hand, I never play vanilla YJ without at least one Guilang, but on the other the MSR profile is near useless for them (seriously, please stop only sculpting all the infiltrators with their sniper profiles CB). If you're willing to adjust the weapon, or don't particularly care what a model that will mainly be camo'ed is carrying, then I highly recommend running the Guilang as the Foward Observer (FO) profile. For only 27 points, you get a WIP 14 camo+infiltrating specialist that has both mines and Deployable Repeaters and MSV1. That is crazy good. Mainly they'll just hit buttons and maybe lay some mines/repeaters down to annoy your opponent, but with MSV1 and camo you can still get some decent shots off with them when the need arises. 

Verdict: If you're running one of the specialist options, preferably the FO, then I'd strongly recommend running one or even two if you can as they're excellent at actually winning games without losing out on the potential for killing. 

Shang Ji (CR+LFT)

Unfortunately, I don't think the Shang Ji is currently good for much. For its price, there are just so many better choices available to YJ and I wouldn't suggest running one besides for the narrative to anyone.

Verdict: A victim of the swap over and CB never being able to redefine the unit's role. The Shang Ji just doesn't have much of a place in YJ as it stands.

Celestial Guard (CR)

Celestial Guard (CG) are one of the units that make YJ go 'round. While the Combi Rifle profile isn't super important given that they're AVA 2 in vanilla, it is still useful as a stand-in for most of the specialist options that the CG have access to and, with WIP 14, that's not nothing. As for the profile as a whole, there are two that rise above the rest: the hacker and the Kuang Shi Control Device (KSCD). The hacker is just a standard piece that is a strong body on which to put a hacker on with its WIP 14 and BTS 3. For a line troop, that's pretty solid. When coupled with a Rui Shi, one of the best combat REMs in the game, this CG profile is a force to be reckoned with.

The second important profile, the KSCD, is probably the defining model in YJ in terms of what makes the faction do what it does. While it is a pretty good piece with its Smoke Grenade Launcher and standard CG statline, the important thing is that it allows for Kuang Shi to be taken. If you're unaware of what Kuang Shi are, here's their stats:

The important things to keep in mind there are that they are Regular troopers, meaning they provide regular orders, and that they're five points. Five points for an order is a crazy good deal especially as they're AVA 4. Sure, they also have Biolocator, which allows for Smart Missile/hacking shenanigans, the blowup, they're Dogged, and they come with Chain Rifles (because nobody's gonna be bringing a shotgun with these guys), but even if they didn't do any of that they'd still be great. I mean, ALEPH and CA pay 4 points for an order that has to combat jump onto the table and then can't do anything after that. Kuang Shi blow beacons out of the water when it comes to being cheerleaders and pretty much everything else in the game as well. 

And all that is available because of a CG profile that already comes with a solid tech piece in the Smoke Grenade Launcher. Crazy.

Verdict: For your eventual climb to more competitive play, the Celestial Guard are essential, but mostly for the KSCD. 

Overall I'd say the major issue with your collection right now is that it's missing the structure pieces you need for top end play. You have a pretty good selection of toys so I'd start focusing on the less glamorous pieces such as the Chaiyi/Weibing remotes, enginners/doctors (I prefer the Japanese versions for their leaner profiles), and line troops such as Kuang Shi. You'd also do well picking up the attack REM box as the Rui Shi is an excellent disposable killer who is also relatively cheap (also you're a little light on MSV).

In purchasing order, I'd recommend:

• 40mm REM box
• Kuang Shi box
• Celestial Guard Support Box
• Attack REM box

As for a list using your available models, I don't think you really have a coherent enough collection to be playing full games (300 pts) yet. Pick up a few boxes first and then see what you think. Good luck and I'm sure you'll love playing the glorious jade empire!
 

 

[scotthartman]

Thanks guys! This is great help for what I have and for what to keep an eye out for down the road. Cheers

[Exile]

9 hours ago, Kremmet said:

CC 32 with a -3 modifier for their opponent to boot

Berserk and MA (any level) do NOT stack.  One or the other.

[rudra34]

1 hour ago, Exile said:

Berserk and MA (any level) do NOT stack.  One or the other.

» If a trooper has more than one , he can use them all and combine their effects. For instance, a trooper with berserk and martial arts can apply both and combine the provided by the former with the of one of the Levels of the latter.


^Page 99 in the rules.   They just can't combine different levels from the same chart.   No MA2 and 4 at the same time; no assault and berserk at the same time.   It's still rare that you get use out of both at once, but it is a legal move.

[Kremmet]

Yep, it's a common misconception. 

[Exile]

I stand corrected.  However, a point of order regarding MA3.  The -3 to your opponent applies, according to the 2nd bullet point under 'HOW TO READ CC CHARTS', only in a Face to Face roll.  Berserk turns the CC into two separate Normal rolls.  No face to face, no -3 to your opponent.

[rudra34]

21 minutes ago, Exile said:

I stand corrected.  However, a point of order regarding MA3.  The -3 to your opponent applies, according to the 2nd bullet point under 'HOW TO READ CC CHARTS', only in a Face to Face roll.  Berserk turns the CC into two separate Normal rolls.  No face to face, no -3 to your opponent.

Hooray for confusion!

[Kremmet]

On 8/29/2017 at 7:01 PM, Exile said:

I stand corrected.  However, a point of order regarding MA3.  The -3 to your opponent applies, according to the 2nd bullet point under 'HOW TO READ CC CHARTS', only in a Face to Face roll.  Berserk turns the CC into two separate Normal rolls.  No face to face, no -3 to your opponent.

That is interesting. To be fair, I've only used Berserk with Domaru for the purpose of cutting down immobilized targets so I don't think it's come up.