Two Yoroi

I had to be out of town for a few weeks due to a family emergency, so I was late for my own league’s last week. Thankfully Neon (neonspectra) and Sam (weathertechnician) were willing to give me both a normal game and my league game during game night. This is the normal game against Sam. My league game against Neon will be coming soon.

Overview

• Mission: ITS14 Supremacy
• Forces: Japanese Secessionist Army versus Varuna Immediate Reaction Division (300)
• Deploy First: Varuna
• First Turn: JSA

I had no idea what mission Sam wanted to play, but I knew I wanted to play this:

Glorious Nippon Steel

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KUROSHI RIDER (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle, Light Shotgun, D-Charges / Breaker Pistol, AP + Shock CC Weapon. (0 | 27)
ARAGOTO (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Combi Rifle, Light Shotgun ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 20)
ARAGOTO Boarding Shotgun / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 15)

RYŪKEN (Surprise Attack [-3], Camouflage [1 Use]) Heavy Rocket Launcher, Shock Mines / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 25)
RYŪKEN (Surprise Attack [-3], Camouflage [1 Use]) Heavy Rocket Launcher, Shock Mines / Heavy Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 25)
O-YOROI AP Heavy Machine Gun, Heavy Flamethrower, Crazykoala / EXP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 75)
O-YOROI PILOT Contender, Flash Pulse / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 0)
O-YOROI AP Heavy Machine Gun, Heavy Flamethrower, Crazykoala / EXP CC Weapon. (1.5 | 75)
O-YOROI PILOT Contender, Flash Pulse / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 0)
WÈIBĪNG Yaókòng Combi Rifle, Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 15)
YOJIMBO Contender(+1B), Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades, Crazykoala / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 20)
WARCOR (360º Visor) Flash Pulse ( ) / Stun Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)

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8 4 4 | 6 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code

Ever since the new O-Yoroi came out, I knew I had to put both of mine on the table:

The rest of the list is just support. The Ryuken-9 HRL are an obvious choice, as is Yojimbo. The Aragoto are there to do objectives and remove threats that the O-Yoroi can’t engage well, and they have the speed to do so with minimal order expenditure. My guess was that I’d lose one of the O-Yoroi and probably both of the Ryuken pretty early into any game, so having speedy specialists was important. I will say that Tim (Chainsaw) strongly felt that I needed more kung fu in the list. I agree.

Sam is playing Varuna with a Cutter. To save on cost, he’s only got a 3-man Kamau sniper link, and then he’s packed the rest of the list with some pretty interesting midfield toolkit stuff. Of course, he’s gotta have Helots and a Tech-Bee. It’s a Varuna list.

Cutter EBZCUS

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GROUP 1 10 1

KAMAU (Multispectral Visor L2) MULTI Sniper Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32)
FUSILIER (Paramedic) Combi Rifle ( | MediKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 12)
FUSILIER (Lieutenant) Combi Rifle / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 10)

ECHO-BRAVO Red Fury / Pistol, CC Weapon. (1 | 25)
ZULU-COBRA (Hacker, Killer Hacking Device) Breaker Combi Rifle ( ) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 28)
UMA SØRENSEN (Surprise Attack [-3], Camouflage, Forward Deployment [+8″]) Submachine Gun(+1B), E/M Mines / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 30)
MACHINIST Varuna Div (Mimetism [-3], Stealth], Terrain [Aquatic]) Combi Rifle, D-Charges ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0 | 17)
PALBOT PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 3)
CUTTER MULTI Heavy Machine Gun / CC Weapon. (2 | 97)
CRABBOT Flash Pulse / CC Weapon. (0 | 0)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)
FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse / PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 7)

GROUP 2 4

HELOT MILITIAMAN (Camouflage [1 Use]) Submachine Gun, Light Rocket Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 9)
HELOT MILITIAMAN (Camouflage [1 Use]) Submachine Gun, Light Rocket Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 9)
HELOT MILITIAMAN (Decoy [1]) Submachine Gun, Light Rocket Launcher / Pistol, CC Weapon. (0.5 | 9)
TECH-BEE (Specialist Operative, Deactivator) Flash Pulse ( | GizmoKit) / Pistol, PARA CC Weapon(-3). (0 | 5)

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6 SWC | 300 Points | Open in Army | Copy Code

Deployment

I took deployment, again mostly to help me be on the same side of the table as the game I was playing against Neon, and Sam decided to take second turn. This is I think the correct choice for Supremacy given that it scores at the end of the 2nd player’s turn. It is quite dangerous against JSA, but hey, Infinity is all about risk-mitigation.

Unbeknownst to me, Sam had put his Cutter smack dab in the middle of his deployment zone in the open. Uma and the Zulu Cobra hung out on rooftops just outside his deployment zone, and the whole thing was locked down by an ARO net of Fusiliers and Helots.

The Kamau was out to fight the world with the Fusilier Paramedic nearby if anything went wrong. I spent a command token to hold both TAGs in reserve. Not really necessary here, since Sam deployed first, but I just sort of autopiloted into doing it case Sam hadn’t deployed his Cutter yet.I knew there was one from the big Cutter-sized hole in his list, I just didn’t know if it was his reserve or not.

Anyway. The Ryuken-9 were deployed kinda conservatively, as the Kamau would have no problem taking them out. I used the large central building to protect them and watch diagonal firelanes into the midfield and a little into Sam’s deployment zone. The Aragoto Haris was on the right, not for any reason other than it’s all about that base, and Yojimbo and the Weibing went on the left as there was a pretty easy shot up the left side if I needed it.

Sam’s reserve was Uma, which meant the Cutter was already in the house.

Turn 1

Top of 1 – JSA

Well, after losing two orders it was time to take orders away from Sam. A Fugazi might stop an O-Yoroi, but not this time with the first one going down to the Tac Aware order of the right O-Yoroi.

I push the left O-Yoroi forward to engage the Kamau, setting up a Koala on the way, and Sam chooses this moment to reveal the Cutter and return fire. I don’t think this is a good idea, but I understand the reasoning. I split burst, hit the Cutter, doing no wounds, but take two wounds from the Kamau and fail guts out of line of fire of the Kamau.

I push the O-Yoroi on the right forward and engage the Cutter, revealing a Helot on the roof and taking a flash pulse from the nearby Fugazi. I’m playing a little sloppy here because I’m trying to manage a Zeta in the game against Neon, but I decide to just trust in Japanese engineering and throw 1 at the Helot and 3 at the Cutter. I tank the Helot hit and do two wounds to the Cutter, but get stunned by the Fugazi. Excellent outcome!

I now switch to the other O-Yoroi now that the one on the right is stunned and spend two orders to blast the Cutter off the table.

The Kamau is still up, which is a pity, but I can’t do much about that now. Yojimbo uses his order to throw out a Koala and wiggle a bit, and then I throw the O-Yoroi on the left into suppression and pass turn.

Bottom of 1 – VIRD

My O-Yoroi on the right is visible to the Kamau if it wiggles a bit, so Sam decides to try and fight it. After quite a few orders and passed ARM saves by me, the O-Yoroi downs the Kamau. I do take a wound at some point though, but this is more than acceptable in terms of cost to Sam.

This lets the Fusilier Paramedic do her job and pick him back up! Send this one to medical school!

The Zulu Cobra near my O-Yoroi on the left decides to pay a visit. I dodge out of suppression on 8 instead of shooting on 5’s. If I hadn’t taken two wounds I absolutely would have suppressed. Maybe I still should have, but it ends up not mattering because I roll very high and fail my dodge. I thankfully pass the BTS saves and the O-Yoroi lives.

The Zulu Cobra is not so lucky and between the Ryuken-9, the Warcor, and the Koala it’s no longer a threat.

Turn 2

Top of 2 – JSA

While the Kamau would easily paste the Ryuken-9… a Fusilier Paramedic isn’t much of a threat. Unfortunately for the Kamau, she happens to be standing right next to him when the first rocket hits, and both go down.

I need to do some objectives now, so I use the O-Yoroi on the right to challenge the Fugazi and the Helot there. I get flash pulsed again, but the Helot drops.

I use one of the Aragoto and the O-Yoroi to body-block for Kuroshi Rider as she flips a console. The Fugazi flash pulses the other two Aragoto but this is fine. I do make sure to break the link before I move the Kuroshi Rider so I don’t create that quantum see through state for an activated model.

I shuffle the bikes into different positions, secure Sam’s HVT just in case, flip the console on the left with the Weibing, and climb it into a position to get the last console I need on the far left, but run out of orders before I can (and I get flash pulsed by the Fugazi anyway).

Yojimbo scoots forward, the O-Yoroi on the left goes back into suppression, and that’s that for my turn.

Bottom of 2 – VIRD

Sam miscalculates something and tells me he’s in retreat, so after he flips the console on my far right with Uma, we call the game. Since the game ended early, we don’t have round three scoring, meaning it’s a

7-1, 300-106 Japanese Secessionist Army Victory!

Post Game Analysis

I think this all came down to not the Cutter placement, but rather the decision to reveal it so early into my first turn. I was barely 2-3 orders in with two BS14 AP HMGs on the table. I’m quite happy to spend my entire turn removing the Cutter. It’s absolutely the correct thing to do. All of Sam’s threats are contained to rooftops and if I remove the Cutter I’ve basically just guaranteed he’s never leaving his deployment zone.

I think that’s an important takeaway as well. Even if the Cutter had survived the first turn by not revealing, it’s basically the only thing that can leave the deployment zone easily. Uma and the Zulu Cobra are confined to their rooftops and the Helots and Kamau certainly aren’t going anywhere efficiently. That leaves the Echo Bravo. I’m surprised he didn’t bring in the Echo Bravo. I suspected there might be one, but I don’t points calculate very often on PanO so I wasn’t 100% sure. I also thought the Fugazi were Pathfinders at some point, which messed up my math a little too.

This game is also a pretty good example of what happens if you deploy first and go second, and you deploy with a lot of AROs out. Varuna is well equipped to succeed at this too–had Sam protected the Kamau, Cutter, and Fugazis, he still has three Helots! I definitely make it very hard for him to advance into the midfield at that point and might Yojimbo something, but the order pool and almost more importantly, the mobility and force projection are conserved.

I think one of the things people tend to do is they assume the TAG will solve all their problems. That’s rarely the case. If you compare the two lists, I’m assuming that the TAGs will die or be isolated or something and I have to problem solve with bikes. Sam, on the other hand, is relying on the two infiltrators and the Echo Bravo. Excellent toolkit, but not if they’re not able to go anywhere. Thanks to Sam for a fun game and to you for reading!