Ariadna Advice

[Wellington99]

So for the past 6 months (give or take a few weeks) I've been playing Infinity up in Ohio with Sean/Xavier and the rest of the Phoenix Nest crew while waiting on 8th Ed. codecs to come out. In that time, I've grown my army from just Caledonia to include some USAriadna and vanilla Ariadna. Right now I feel like I've got as good of a hang of the game as I can for right now, and know mostly how to use my units. I've even gotten to the point where I can understand what a unit is on the enemy courtesy list instead of "Yes, that is a unit with words and things".

However,  I still have some issues with Ariadna that I'm struggling to fix, and wondered if I could get some advice on what to do, primarily on units but general advice never hurts. I have fortunately progressed far beyond the issue of "throwing surprise parties" for the first enemy trooper who gets into LoF of my camo tokens if I can help it. Right now I have these concerns:

1) Uxia McNeil, the special operative version. I've continued to have lots of issues with her that stem mostly from deployment. I still have issues when I'm going first and deploying her, and doubly so when I'm deploying her when I'm going second, so are there any deployment tips and tricks with her?

2) Van Zant. I always enjoy having him pop up in my enemy's backfield to wreck havoc, but by a combination of me having ran him more than a few times and Yuan-Yuans, people now have backfields that can now seemingly deal with him. How do I best use Zant when everyone is expecting him (even one person amusingly did when I was playing Caledonia)?

3) William Wallace. I probably lean a bit too much on his special fireteam with the Galwegians, as that's what I'll take if I take him, and it usually ends the same way. That being dead on the floor and everyone running around panicking and irregular. What's the best way to use this guided missile made of kilts and claymores that is the fireteam? And what do people think about not taking the fireteam and just sitting him in the corner to be the LT and use other fireteams and other things, keeping him safe?

4) Mormaers and Scots Guards. Is there any reason to take them in either Ariadna or Caledonia, and what's the best way to use them? I can see merit to a 2nd Battalion Missile Launcher guy for AROs (as I've done before) or 2nd Battalion Molotok as a pseudo Tank Hunter w/AP HMG in Caledonia, but it seems like there's better options. The Mormaer just loses out flatly to the Vet Kazak in Ariadna, and in Caledonia I've just never really considered him. There's been units that in my mind's eye seem better for the points like taking a Grey who though has 2 less armor, Frenzy, and no X-VISOR, still seems like a better piece to run up the field.

5) Voronin. I've run him the last three games as it's been the 250 point Decapitation games so I can benefit from the extra order. He doesn't seem too bad for the cost, but what are other's thoughts on Voronin? Is he worth taking in general games over others such as the LT Kazak, or is it like most things, situational?

6) Knight fireteams. Really the only thing I can think of concerning an enemy unit, what's the best ways Ariadna/Caledonia can deal with a fireteam of Knights? One of the PanO players ran one such fireteam and it proceeded to kill virtually everything. I had managed to kill one through sheer number of shots and luck, but the fireteam still remained strong. And yes, I know about T2 weapons, but at the time I had only a Cateran who bit the dust early on in the game.

Sorry for the massive amount of text but I wanted to get down as many questions as I could think of that needed advice

[Sgt. Rock]

I play CHA (though I haven't in a while) so let me see if I can help.

1. Uxia is tricky. As a general rule, don't use her superior infiltration unless you're going first and you see a really juicy target - a key ARO piece, a possible LT, something that just needs to die right away. Drop her down with regular deployment, especially if you're bringing an SAS or two (which you really should be anyway, because they're awesome midfield murder macines.) Don't pop her out unless you know exactly what you plan to do with her and how you plan to accomplish it, because she's fragile as hell. Remember to use her smoke, because she's a super short range fighter. If someone is shooting at you, you're always better off trying to drop smoke (unless they have MSV2, then just dodge.) She really wants to get up close, so use that smoke to get there. Don't be afraid to throw her into CC against lesser opponents; she's PH 13 and has MA2, so she'll win out on most stabfests against anyone that's not a dedicated melee specialist.

2. Van Zant is super hard once people know you run him sometimes. I've taken him once or twice, but I generally don't bother because no matter where you walk in, he's going to be eating multiple AROs because people know enough to cover their backfield. I havenn't got any advice there.

3. Wallace. I've never used his special fireteam, honestly. I usually just hold him back, because ARM 3 and NWI isn't enough for me to send him charging up the field with only smoke and a fireteam of short-ranged idiots to protect him. That, and the Volunteer+Isobel+AP HMG Grey is too good not to use. Seriously. It's amazing.

4. Mormaers are in a bad place right now. They're badly overcosted for what they do. They're just not worth what you have to pay for them. Scots Guards, on the other hand, are actually really great. Like you said, a 2nd Battalion ML is a great long range hammer.  I rarely use them in a core fireteam, but putting a Molotok in a duo with an SMG FO is a great combination for moving a specialist up the field. Speaking of that FO, he's amazing. He's a great suppression fire piece with those SMGs, he has an ARO for every range band (SMG for short, DEP for medium, flash pulse for long) and he has courage and ARM 3, so he's hard to shift. He's a specialist, he has multiterrain for thinigs like Rescue, and he's only 19 points. He is an absolute bargain for a kickass piece. 

5. Uncle Vernon, the piece Ariadna players love to hate. He was expected to be a lot better than he is. As it is, he's a huge silhouette, he's overcosted, he's loaded with crap he'll never use (Guard? They're going to shoot him. And what the hell does he think he's going to do with that assault pistol, anyway?) and he's the most obvious LT in the faction, especially once you plop down that 11th order in one group. He has his place in low-point limited insertion games, but I almost never use him (even though the model is kind of badass.)

6. Knights. If you're playing CHA, the way you handle Knights is with AP HMGs and Molotoks. Massed AP fire. Beyond that, the best success I've ever had dealing with them is a Wulver haris. Especially if Joan is in the link. NBW is the ultimate equalizer, and with Berserk and two wounds, you can safely sacrifice a wound to get a near automatic crit against anything other than Monofilament, DA, or EXP CCWs. In a Haris, you can swing at B3, and if you can isolate them in CC one at a time, before they have a chance to pile in, you can cut them down one by one. In fact, Wulvers are just amazing in general. A haris is expensive, but they're soooooo awesome. The current models are awful to assemble, but they're worth it. Try them sometime.

Hope some of that helps. I'm not the best player to be offering advice, but this is what I've learned playing CHA. CHA is a tricky faction in an awkward place right now. They got a huge boost in HSN3, with the mixed fireteams, but they still struggle with a lack of quality specialists, They have some units that are just flat out not worth taking (looking at you, Mormaers) and others which are almost an auto include, like the Volunteer fireteam. They're very reliant on smoke, so one ARO piece with MSV2, like an Intruder or Nisse, can really ruin your day. Conversely, misuse of that smoke can also screw you up if you block off your own shooters, so you have to be careful where you drop it or that Cateran or 2nd Bat ML is going to sit there for a turn cursing. Keep at it, you'll get better with them.

[Wellington99]

Currently my staple 300 point list includes the Isobel+Volunteer*AP HMG Grey and a Wulver Harris with the T2, the Heavy Shotgun, and the Mark 12. It also has a Dozer with the Trak Mul Device And an Uragan to stroll up the field (which it’s actually been somewhat decent), and some Galwegans to toss smoke (and volunteer LT, 112, and a Cateran). It’s a very aggressive list but I like it. Public consensus is that everyone hates the Wulvers, T2 weapons, and the Grey in the Fireteam.

I’ll give Wallace a shot sitting in the backfield sometime. Could prove useful, especially if I wanna splurge and get two Caterans to lock down two sides of the board.

Someone who I had forgotten about cause I haven’t used him in forever is Mccrough or however he is spelled. The Wolfman with a Templar CCW and MA3. What’s a good way to use him? I did have a game that I can remember where he ran up, popped smoke, and just blind fired chain rifles through smoke at my Yu-Jing opponent (who promptly backflipped away). The funniest thing was his Quang-Shi on his turn *had* to run into close combat with him because of how close he was so he just squashed him. Died next turn of course cause dice weren’t in my favor and he had one wound already taken  but it was amusing enough

And speaking of him, what about his 23 point cousins? Any point to taking them? Maybe with Wallace in the backfield?

[Sgt. Rock]

McMurder is amazing. He's a guided missile. He's there for a first turn Rambo alpha strike. Kill as much stuff as you can with him and then just assume he's going to die. Same with the Cameronians. I actually wrote a good article about them on an old blog I used to write for. You can read it here: http://www.prideofrodina.com/2016/11/tactics-cameronians-howl-to.html

I'm amazed you've had such success with the Uragan. Pretty much nobody I know ever takes them. Good on you for making them work, though. 

[Wellington99]

The trick I found with the Uragan is that you have to run them up the board and put them close to your opponent but still in a fairly safe place. Close enough for the rifle range band missiles to work. Had the perfect situation where it was within 8-16 inches of two guys hiding next to each other just behind the corner of a building and within less than 20 inches of like four guys behind some boxes who would have to close into the 16 inches rangeband to get any shots. One of the two behind the corner moved out and I fired three pie plates at them and killed both iirc, and knocked out another one or maybe two from the boxes group. It of course requires you to be able to roll right up without taking damage (or much damage if your engineer can quickly fix it up), but for 18 points 1 SWC it’s worth it in my opinion in Caledonia

What would you think of a list that included McMurder and his cousins, with Wallace to give them a regular order instead of an irregular order, plus obviously support units and other aggressive units for when they get put down? Is it too much fur and fury or just right?

[Sgt. Rock]

Usually I wouldn't bother running more than one. McMurder or one Cameronian is usually sufficient... *maybe* two. I wouldn't worry about making that order regular, because you're going to be using it on them anyway to advance up and kill stuff. You'll be spending orders on them to kill things until the dogs keel over, so having that one order each restricted to them is just fine.

[Wellington99]

And what about a Grey Fireteam? Is it worth it to take say an AP HMG, two T2 rifles, and two heavy shotguns in a Fireteam to run up the board, or am I probably still better with the Isobel+Grey+Volunteer Fireteam?

[Sgt. Rock]

I honestly have never tried a Grey fireteam, because CB can't be arsed to give us models for it. The Izzy+Grey+Vols is so good I've never really missed it, though.

[Wellington99]

I’ll give it a go with some proxies. It could be interesting due to the special firepower it gives with 4/5 of the Greys having T2 weapons and having the AP HMG. The reason I thought about it was after the game I played vs the PanO Military Orders player with the knight Fireteam I had wondered if a Fireteam of a lot of T2 weapons could even the odds

[Exile]

Isobel also has a weapon on both profiles that can be deadly to a knight fireteam:  Her E/Mauler.  Drop it around a corner while in total cover (model out of LOF, but the e/mauler will detonate), then swap Link team leaders to someone with a better close weapon on the next order, and force the Knight link to A) all dodge, to avoid the emauler, B) fire back, risking the emauler's IMM-2 and Isolation (BOTH of which require an engineer to fix), or c) break the link, instantly reducing its effectiveness.

[Wellington99]

Out of the armies I’ve faced, I seem to have the most issues with ALEPH and Tohaa (excluding bad dice rolls). Fortunately Ariadna has the great equalizer of T2 for most problems, but the issues I have with the two other armies usually boil down to the insane kit ALEPH can get on its units (MSV 3 was a bitch to deal with, with the only thing able to touch her being a screaming 6 point Galwegan chain rifleing her face) and the get out of jail free card that are symbio Beasts. I also have some issues dealing with TO camo units, however I’ve never had issues against PanO’s TO units surprisingly. I know template weapons are good vs them because you don’t need to roll for them but I usually end up in a situation where I can’t get any into a position to fire at them. What’s some good ways of dealing with TO units without using template weapons?

[Sgt. Rock]

You're not going to just outshoot a TO or ODD model in Ariadna without being extremely lucky. That -6 is too hard to overcome, on top of everything else they might have going on. Remember, Galwegians aren't your only chain rifle option. SAS with the chain rifle/assault pistol is a phenomenal option, because he starts halfway up the board in camo state. Not so great against anything with MSV, but still good. This is where McMurder and Cameronians come into their own, as well. The combination of a 6-4 move with super jump and total immunity makes them great at racing up the board in a hurry and taking down things that have vision mods. If you're playing vanilla, Chasseurs. Chasseurs are borderline broken, and if you learn how to use them, you will make people hate you. Also, while half of ALEPH's stuff is beastly in melee, the thing with TO or ODD, it doesn't work in CC. Achilles can easily be taken down by a swarm of Galwegians. SAS and Uxia are great for carving up shooty characters. 

As far as Symbiobeasts go, they're a pain, for sure, but remember, they're G: Synchronized. If you can kill their controller, they stand around drooling. Otherwise, remember, as in all things, high burst weaponry is your friend. Anything B4 or more is going to help you win FtF rolls. Tohaa *hate* T2 and fire, and most of them suck in CC, and they also hate template weapons because of all the fireteams that have to stick close together. I have nuked quite a few triads with light flamethrowers and chain rifles. CHA has two main strengths, honestly. T2 in large quantities and good CC capability. Berserk in spades, NBW on the Wulvers, and MA2 on the SAS all are good for tearing things apart. Also, remember McMurder is a close combat beast. CC 23, MA3, PH 16, and an AP+DA CCW. Actually, now that I think about it, McMurder really does solve a LOT of CHA's problems. Seriously. Use him liberally.

[Wellington99]

I think I got confused between the two symbio things Tohaa get, though the local Tohaa player loves his beasts and I’m sure I’d be asking about them sooner or later. I was originally referring to the little nugglings that say “nope” to any damage for one turn (hence why I said about them being get out of jail free cards).

The good thing about CHA is that I can easily get 14-17 order armies for 300 points so getting McMurder in there won’t be an issue. Would you build an army around him or just have him as a support unit to basically be another nasty piece of work to be dealt with that can ruin your opponent’s day?

[Sgt. Rock]

Oh, yeah, the Symbiomates. Really nothing you can do about those little bastards. They're annoying as hell.

I'd just throw him in as an additional murder machine. As you say, CHA is cheap enough that you don't need to build your list around any one model. Like you said, he *has* to be dealt with, because left unchecked, he can kill half your opponent's army. And anything that eats up your opponent's orders in dealing with is a good thing. Even if he doesn't kill anyone, if he forces your opponent to burn through 6 or 8 orders to kill him, he's done his job.

[Wellington99]

Well I’ve got some things in mind from this that I can try into a list and see how it goes (last game of our escalation League is 300 points Biotechvore and I have to get my two in Wednesday before the big tournament Saturday so gotta take things that can move quick). I already have a solid CHA list that I can repurpose and take some uneccesary things out to add things like McMurder.